Looking to get into flight controllers/GPS

[SSgt Duramax]

Hi everyone, I was looking into getting a flight controller and GPS, if for no other reason than trivial little things like being able to record speed and having return to home. I am well aware of the legality of running waypoint missions over populated areas and out of LOS, that is not my intention (although it will be nice for the zombie apocalypse). I have been reading, and it looks like MATEK stuff is good, but I really don't know what I am doing or what parts I would need.

Anyways, does anyone know of a good "how to" guide or getting started guide? My search has turned up mixed results.

 

[LitterBug]

I have been planning for the Zombie Apocalypse myself. Have used all sorts of FCs and different kinds of firmware. For ease of use, use INAV. For "best" results, do not use INAV, use ArduPilot instead. Yes, The MATEK boards are great devices and many are flexible enough to run both INAV and Ardupilot. How big of a plane are you working with? That may help determine what FC you want to get just from a size and ease of use standpoint. I am running FCs in my 250g Nano Goblins, RMRC Nano Skyhunters, all the way up to larger 1600+ soaring birds. Even my small birds get small brains, but still have a GPS, FPV, and RTH capability.

Cheers!
LitterBug

PS: Not really a how to, but some examples of my birds can be found in this thread: https://forum.flitetest.com/index.p...ra5-ardupilot-fc-enabled-wingy-thingys.53689/

 

[SSgt Duramax]

I have a smallish 800mm wing on the way, but I would eventually like to do something larger, like the EBW-160 or similar from eclipson.

 

[mikedkelly]

I've recently jumped in as well. Some YouTube channels I recommend for learning are Painless360, Mr.D Falling With Style, and
ArxangelRC. The alternative to a Matek board is one of the Pixhawk boards. I originally shied away from them because of their cost and larger size, but they are plug and play out of the box with all of your sensors and servos. If you are brand new to soldering and aren't comfortable with wiring diagrams and serial channel communications, the learning curve and additional equipment to get a Matek assembled and running may be a wash compared to a Pixhawk. I would do your research on both and get what is best for you. It is a fascinating world though and you will love the rush when your plane takes off on its own and climbs on rails into the sky without any input.

 

[LitterBug]

Yeah, I have a few eclipson models in the works. Model-S, PRANDTL, and EGW80-EDF. May just use a FT Aura5 for the prandtl.
A Matek Wing 411 would be a good starting point. It only runs INAV, but pared with a cheap/small GPS, it would fit in tight spaces like you may have in a 800mm wing. I have had no issues with the small $10-ish GPSes. Just keep them away from your ESC, RX, VTX, and any wires. Make sure it is oriented with the ceramic part facing up. You will need to do a lot of soldering with the matek boards. None of the header pins are soldered from the factory.