r/ardupilot

Disclaimer: I am not a Robotics/ROS person. I am an AI engineer by profession. So, I am new to all of this.

I am working on a VTOL quad tailsitter project. So, I need a simulation to work with. My management has been using Gazebo harmonic SIM and ArduPilot or PX4 for SITL. They were using quadcopter models for their previous projects hence they don't have any reference for the specific model we have. The physical model of the VTOL is an X-wing quad tailsitter.

I am using PX4 quadtailsitter which can be accessed through make px4_sitl gz_quadtailsitter and I exhausted more time than I should but I still couldn't perform a simple mission like go from A to B. The problem in my understanding is occurring during the transition phase. For some god forbidden reason, its not properly transitioning. I am using mavlink/mavsdk commands but I don't think that's the problem either since its not properly working even when I use pxh shell commands.

I don't what should I do. So, I would like to ask you guys to how to resolve this? If it's not resolvable or need more time investment to patch up, can you guys recommend some other easy and ready to use stack because I should start training my model as early as possible.

Hey everyone,

I'm building my very first drone from scratch, and I'm trying to make a basic cargo delivery drone on a very tight budget. My goal is to have it take off, fly to a specific GPS waypoint autonomously, drop a small package using a servo mechanism, and return. I also want basic FPV to see where it's going using my phone.

This is my first time doing anything like this (no soldering experience, no prior RC knowledge), so please bear with me.

I've done some basic research and put together a parts list based on what's available and affordable where I am (Turkey). My main problem is that my payload capacity calculations look very borderline. I need advice on how to squeeze out more payload capacity without blowing up my already maxed-out budget.

My Goals:

· Carry a payload of around 200g (package + servo mechanism).

· Autonomous GPS mission planning (Takeoff -> Go to Point -> Drop Payload -> Land).

· Basic FPV view on my phone (no goggles needed).

· Stable and forgiving flight for a complete beginner.

My Current Parts List (Already purchased the frame):

Part Model / Specs

Frame Q450 Quadcopter Frame (F450 clone, PCB integrated, 450mm, ~270g)

Flight Controller ArduPilot APM 2.8

Motors 4x 2212 920KV Brushless Motors

ESCs 4x 30A SimonK ESCs

Props APC 10x4.7 (10 inch)

Battery 3S 11.1V 5200mAh LiPo

Transmitter & Receiver FlySky FS-i6 + FS-iA6B (6 Channel)

Power Module APM compatible 30V 90A (with current sensor)

GPS M8N GPS with Compass

Payload Drop SG90 9g Micro Servo

FPV Camera Eachine EF-01 AIO Camera + 5.8GHz OTG Receiver (for my Android phone)

My Questions for You:

1. Payload Capacity Crisis: My math says I'll get around 2.5kg of total thrust, and my drone will weigh around 1.1-1.2kg. That leaves me with maybe 100-150g of payload, which is not enough. What's the single most effective and cheapest upgrade I can make to increase my lift right now? (e.g., bigger props? different motors? Is there a cheap motor/prop combo you swear by for a 450 frame?)

2. Compatibility Check: Is the APM 2.8 still a viable choice in 2026 for a beginner? Will it play nicely with my M8N GPS and QGroundControl on my phone? I'm worried about outdated firmware and calibration nightmares.

3. First-Timer Tips: Since this is my absolute first build, what are the biggest "noob traps" I should avoid during assembly and software setup? I'm terrified of messing up the ESC calibrations, drone flying away, or soldering my PCB board incorrectly.

4. Autonomous Mission: How complex is it to program a "drop package" command with APM? Can I plan the whole mission just using QGroundControl on my phone?

Any advice, even just pointing me to a reliable build guide, would be amazing. Thank you all!

Hi guys,

I would like to try the Ardupilot firmware on the Geprc, but I am not sure if the FC is compatible with Ardupilot. It is an F7 flight controller, thus it should be powerful enough for ardupilot, but on the official website the GEP F722 HD v2 is not specified as a compatible hardware. I don't know how updated is the website, so I am asking to you guys if someone has ever tried to flash ardupilot.

So I was struggling with the FlyingRC F4Wing Mini MK1, of which not much documentation is to be found (May 2026).

I was trying to communicate with the HappyModel EP2 TCXO, which for the life of me would not work...

SOLUTION:

- The RCin port (which reads the CRSF signals from the RX) needs to be configured on SERIAL1 in Ardupilot.

- SERIAL1_BAUD should be on 460 (460800 Baud)

- SERIAL1_PROTOCOL should be on 23 (RCIN)

I was set on the wrong foot by "common" F405 controller documentation, stating SERIAL4 was to be used for RCIN, but no, it should be SERIAL1

Hope this helps anyone.

So currently, me and my team about to build a large size drone(2m±), with 100kv brushless motors, and I'm not really good on tuning pid, especially when building from scratch, I never purely tuning a pid before, so basically it's my first time. any advice on how to tune a large size drone's PID? like the methods or something like that. my best option is using a drone gimbal rig test(but it's 50/50 chance of using it, depend on the budget). I'm planning to use cube orange pixhawk as the FC.

Hi guys,

I would like to flash the ArduCopter firmware on a 5inch drone.

Would you suggest to use ArduCopter on a class of drones like 5inches? I would like to develop a new flight mode and test it firstly in SITL using Mavproxy ecc, and then run it on a real 5inch drone.

I was looking at the Speedybee Mario which has a FC flashabile with ardupilot, but I was wondering if this control software is suited for 5inches since I have read online that it has been developed for larger drones.

Hello guys! I was hoping you could help me with an issue I have while doing simple autonomous missions with arducopter. The quad does the mission perfectly well when im using a radio controller, but as soon as i try to do the mission via the mission planner gcs using an elrs backpack the quad started yawing constantly(during takeoff, during the waypoints and during rtl as well) and on the last leg of the mission it even enters in some weird spin on landing. I changed the AUTO_OPTIONS bitmask to "ignore pilot yaw input in auto" and the yawing dissapeared on all parts of the mission(takeoff, waypoints, rtl) except on the landing phase of the rtl. I proceeded to change LAND_REPOSITION to "ignore pilot yaw input" and the yaw spin calmed down a lot during the landing phase but it is still there. Do you know what causes my landing yaw problem and how can i fix it?

I should add that loiter and althold work perfectly fine with a radio. Haven't tested them with only mission planner tho. I will add a video demonstrating my problem and logs from the last few flights. Thank you! https://we.tl/t-XOoFKHGcpbHUUYaq

Logs: https://we.tl/t-dB6NWFVxMRPm7uH5

I’ve run into a problem: when switching from auto mode to cruise mode, my airframe isn’t maintaining the speed I set in TRIM_ARSPD_CM. Upon reviewing the logs, I noticed that TRIM_ARSPD_CM doesn’t match the actual TECS.spdem. I have already checked all the TECS limits for climb rate, roll, pitch and so on. My glider is flying at a dangerously low speed.

Hi, recently I started to play with Ardupilot and everything was fine, until I wanted to get wireless connection between plane and mission planner. I watch tutorials on YT and did what they told. I set my Radiomaster TX15 to Mavlink, backpack ON and wifi. After that my controller was connecting to reciver but no signal was transmitted to reciver. After that I tried to go back to CRSF because it was working fine, controlling and telemetry, but then I realized that half of my telemetry sensors were gone. Tried deleteding them and discovering them again but only 10 basic telemetry sensors were showing. Previously I had like 24. Now not only ardupilot does not see any controller movement but my controller has 10 sensors right now. I don't know what to do, to fix that and make Mavling working. I think I tried everything. My setup up: Reciver - Speedybee nano 2.4Ghz, FC - speedybee f405 wing mini, Radiomaster TX15. I will be greatful for any type of help.