ArduPilot Integration

Cyclops has been built to work with stock ArduPilot and ground control software. The system does not require custom firmware or updates to Mission Planner/QGroundControl.

The system communicates with ArduPilot over MAVLink 2 protocol. Several operations are performed:

• Synchronize time: The Cyclops system synchronizes its system time with the time on your ArduPilot flight controller.

• Pull sensor readings: IMU, magnetometer, barometer, airspeed and position data are read over MAVLink and used by Cyclops.

• Send position estimates: GPS_INPUT or MAV_CMD_EXTERNAL_POSITION_ESTIMATE are sent from Cyclops to the flight controller (message depends on Cyclops version).

The following section covers all parameters that need to be configured for Cyclops to send a position to your ArduPilot flight controller, as well as important information on calibration and initialization of the system.

Cyclops has been tested with ArduPilot v4.5+. Please let us know if you integrate with an older version of ArduPilot.