Let's configure our quadcopter. Before going any further with the configuration, remove all the propellers of your drone. It can be dangerous if the propellers are connected. Connect the USB cable to the ArduPilot and connect it to your computer. Open APM Planner and go to the Initial Setup tab. Remember, you need to disconnect the connection before going to the Initial Setup tab or you might see some errors (especially when installing new firmware). You will see the options, as shown the following screenshot:
Firstly, we are going to install the firmware, which is the most important work for configuring the ArduPilot:
- Disconnect the connection between the ArduPilot and your computer by clicking the Disconnect button but keep the USB cable connected.
- Click on Install Firmware from the left-hand side. You will be shown several types of drones.
- Since we are configuring a quadcopter, select the quadcopter. In my case, it is ArduCopter 3.2.1. The version may vary depending on the version of the ArduPilot control board:
- You will be prompted with the following message:
"You are about to install ArduCopter.hex for apm2-quad"
- Click the OK button to start the process.
Make sure the USB cable is connected firmly and properly.
- After clicking OK, you will see that the download has begun. To see the output, you may check the Show Output option.
- After downloading, the firmware will be flashed into the ArduPilot automatically. Do not unplug or loosen the connections. After successful flashing, you will see the following messages:
