FIELD MANUAL
Operational guides, technical references, and deep-dive data for the professional pilot.
Build Guide
From parts to flight. Component selection, wiring diagrams, and frame assembly for Multicopters and Planes.
Power Systems
Battery chemistry physics, C-rating myths, and power distribution architecture. Designing reliable power for critical avionics.
Flight Modes
Detailed analysis of ArduPilot flight modes, including behavior logic, dependency matrices, and tuning parameters for Copters and Planes.
MAVLink Internals
Understanding the data stream. Message definitions, stream rate optimization, and ELRS bandwidth management.
EKF Failsafes
Critical safety behaviors. Variance monitoring, lane switching logic, and emergency failsafe triggers.
Control Architecture
Inside the black box. Exploring the PIDs, Navigators, and Mixer strategies that keep your vehicle in the air.
Custom Airframes
Engineering new vehicle types. Frame class architecture, C++ matrix definitions, and Lua scripting mixers.
Sensor Architecture
Hardware integration deep dives. Understanding drivers, bus priorities, and fusion logic for GPS, Rangefinders, and IMUs.
Companion Computers
Integration guides for onboard computers. MAVLink routing, vision processing, and advanced scripting with Raspberry Pi, Jetson, and more.
ExpressLRS
The modern radio link. Packet rates, telemetry ratios, and full MAVLink integration via the Backpack ecosystem.
Navigation & Mission
The brain of the autopilot. L1/Spline path planning, terrain following, and the mission command state machine.
ChibiOS Integration
The OS beneath the flight code. Threading, DMA arbitration, and how ArduPilot maps to the ChibiOS HAL.
Object Avoidance
Don't crash. Simple avoidance logic, BendyRuler, Dijkstra path planning, and ADS-B traffic avoidance.
Advanced Tuning
Master the frequency domain. System Identification (SysID), AutoTune logic, and Harmonic Notch Filtering.
Log Analysis
Decode the black box. Interpreting DataFlash logs, diagnosing vibration, EKF innovations, and power failures.
Build System
Compile and Customize. The Waf build system, GDB debugging setup, and signing firmware for secure boot.
Flashing & Cloning
Deep dive into firmware management. Cloning flight controllers with OpenOCD and flashing ArduPilot without a GCS.
Remote ID
Digital License Plates. Hardware setup, configuration, and troubleshooting for FAA/EASA compliance.
ARDUPILOT PARAMETER REFERENCE
The complete, offline-ready reference for every ArduPilot parameter. searchable, linked, and beautifully formatted.
MAVLINK MESSAGE REFERENCE
Deep technical analysis of every MAVLink message implemented in ArduPilot. RX/TX logic and practical use cases.
MISSION COMMAND REFERENCE
The definitive guide to every ArduPilot mission command. Navigation, Condition, and Do commands explained with codebase analysis.
Mission Scenarios
Real-world mission plans for Photogrammetry, Inspection, Delivery, and Agriculture. Copy-paste ready command sequences.
TECHNICAL GLOSSARY
The complete A-Z dictionary of ArduPilot and MAVLink terminology. Every concept defined and linked.