APM 2 ArduPlane relay and camera stabilization?

[The Old Flyer]

I have made several successful APM 1 aerial survey flights.  (See http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/a-successful-apm-aerial-survey-mi...)  

I am now ready to do the same missions with APM 2 but APM 2 has no relay. From the APM 2 wiki page, "No relay. Very few people used this, so if you want one (to trigger a camera, for instance), we support adding one externally."  How do we do that. There is no documentation showing how to control the pin marked, Camera Shutter.  (See issue 512.)

I think that every aerial photographer, aerial mapper, and aerial photo survey application (both aircraft and 'copter) would make good use of the relay.

Camera roll stabilization would be a big help for aerial surveys.  Can the Camera.pde from ArduCopter be added to AdruPlane?  Can the UserCode.pde and UserVariables.h file be added to the ArduPlane release?

Thanks to the development team for the great APM 1 flight controller system.

I am looking forward to taking advantage of the improvements that APM 2 offers.

[Javier Robaina]

Hi, this is quite simple, if you look at the explanation of the wiki, has an output labeled (A9)of camera shutter, simply rolling out a servo switch as they do in the store 3DR, https://store.diydrones.com/ServoSwitch_V10_p/br-0007-01.htm

Wiki:http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/APM2board

[The Old Flyer]

Javier,

Thanks for the quick reply.

Do you know how to command the A9 servo position?

[Javier Robaina]

The truth is that I have the servo switch and have not tried it, but in the APM Planner. have the option of the Flight Planner (DO_SET_RELAY) to use, a greeting.

[The Old Flyer]

I added the Camera.pde (from ArduCopter 2.3) to AdruPlane 2.28 but there were compile errors.

I added UserCode.pde and UserVariables.h and got no compile errors.

I have not found the command sequence to address and/or control Camera Shutter A9.

I have been able to command servo outpots 5 to 8 with the DO_SET_SERVO - # - PWM.

I'll connect a servo/relay to servo #8 and control my camera with that for now.

[Javier Robaina]

tested. with the APM planner?

[The Old Flyer]

Javier,

Yes, tested with Mission Planner.

Here are the commands I used:

All waypoints are less than 30 Meters away from home.

Make sure the GPS has a lock then in Flight Data Mode hit the Restart Mission command and the whole WP file will be executed.

The servo will move then move back!

[Rick Eis]

The Old Flyer,

I'm curious, did you really fly this mission?  If so did it go well?

Thanks,

Rick 

[The Old Flyer]

Rick,

No, I did not fly this 'mission'.  I just ran it as if I was going to fly it.  The 'mission' file was sequenced all the way through because Home and all other way points were within ght waypoint radius.

I could watch the servo move as the program ran.

Hope this helps.

Irv