SidePilot 4+

The ArduCopter/Plane/Rover GCS

Tom Brereton

Designed for iPad

    • $13.99

Screenshots

Description

This is the app for drone enthusiasts who wish to have a more portable ground station.

Works with ArduPilot platform, including 3DR Solo via WiFi or Bluetooth Low Energy.

Please read the user manual at https://sidepilot.net/pdf/SidePilot-UserManual.pdf

NOTE: If you are not using the 3DR Solo, you must have either a Serial to BLE module (HM-10, BLE Mini etc), or a WiFi connection to your drone.

Features:
* Supports ArduCopter, ArduPlane and ArduRover
* GPS Location of drone
* Location of nearby aircraft shown on map
* Set, edit and delete waypoints offline & when connected. Import and export waypoint sets to share with devices, or edit using a text editor.
* Arm/Disarm
* Display VFR information such as altitude, yaw, pitch and roll.
* Voice alerts for mode changes and other important information
* Edit, save and load entire parameter sets
* Perform Pre-Flight checklist
* GPS satellite status
* Distance from home/device
* Battery voltage display and warnings
* Calibration of battery monitor, accelerometer, compass and radio limits
* Live stream video direct to Facebook or YouTube.
* View advanced data from your drone such as IMU, vibration, RC input and output, etc
* Download Dataflash & record telemetry logs
* Follow Me - Use your devices GPS to follow you at a set distance/altitude
* Orbit mode - Circle an object for a fantastic cinematic shots!
* Pre-Flight checklist current weather (wind & temp)information and alerts based on your location
* Grid Waypoints - Create a survey grid to fly
* Tap to fly to point - Tap a location and your drone will fly there!
* Internet based ADSB information to display nearby aircraft on the map and provide warnings.
* And many more

Quick-start guide (Using a WiFi connection):

1. Turn on drone and connect using WiFi
2. Start app and navigate to settings. Select either WiFi UDP, TCP or 3DR Solo (if using a 3DR Solo)
3. If setting up WiFi manually, click on WiFi Settings and input the correct IP address and port that the MAVLink protocol is running over. (Usually listed in settings as the router IP, and a port of 14550)
4. Go back to the main screen and press the connect button on the top right. The app should begin displaying information about the drone. If not, double check your WiFi settings.
5. For any other issues, please post on the SidePilot Facebook page

Please post suggestions and bug reports on the SidePilot Facebook page or via email to tom@sidepilot.net

WARNING: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Note: iPads without cellular do not have GPS capability unless tethered to a iOS Device with cellular, and even then it is poor and not suitable for Follow Me or other navigation modes.

What’s New

Version 2.0.6.2

2.0.6.2:
● Fixed 3DR Solo video feed not working

2.0.6.1:
● Fixed MAVLink Connection Bug

2.0.6:
● Improved Internet ADSB
● Fixed the weather display in the Pre-Flight Checklist
● Removed Facebook Livestream option

Ratings and Reviews

3.6 out of 5
38 Ratings

38 Ratings

aaricwon ,

Great app but GoPro problems

The app is great! My issue is I can’t control my GoPro with it. I have the GoPro Hero 4 Black. The red circle is in the screen but does nothing. I have video feed and at the top of the screen i would be able to see time moving if it was recording but I can’t get it to start recording via the app. Can someone help?

Ascconcepts@gmail

Developer Response ,

Hi Aaric,

Sorry to hear you are having issues with controlling the recording on your GoPro, I hope to resolve this with update 2.0.5 coming soon. In the meantime, you can start/stop GoPro by clicking in the tilt paddle on the Solo controller. Hope that helps.

Thanks,
Tom

JYedi263 ,

Terrible.

Used with 3DR Solo drone. DOES NOT work properly. Has caused my drone to crash twice when trying to land and destroy its propellers.

I’ll preface this with saying that I never had ANY issues like this with the stock 3DR app before 3DR disappeared from the App Store…no crashes or any other bugs like below.

I updated all necessary firmware; the app will allow drone to fly but has several issues.

- When trying to land, the drone will get squirrely and randomly throttle up even though I’m holding the throttle all the way down as required when landing - it will have quick spurts of full throttle then stop, then full throttle again (all while throttle is held down at 0%). It tends to catch two side legs on the ground, then flip over and destroys the props, and will not shut off no matter what you do with the throttle or any buttons. I had to hold the drone in my hand with the throttle held down, but it continued to throttle itself up until the battery finally died.

- Will not trigger the GoPro to begin recording.

- Will not allow parameter changes to be synced to drone.

- With full, healthy battery the app says that the battery is critically low within 1 minute of flight time and wants to return “home”.

This app is terrible. Don’t use it.

Developer Response ,

Hi JYedi263,

Sorry to hear you’re having issues with your Solo.
I’d just like to point out that the throttle issues you described have nothing to do with the app as it does not control your throttle in any way, and you should refer to the 3DR Solo owners Facebook group for advice on that, as it is odd behaviour.

For your gopro issues, is your gopro in the stock Solo gimbal? Are you able to take a photo/start recording using the paddle on the controller? If you are not able to then it isn’t an app issue and may be a gimbal issue.

For parameter issue, please send me an email at tom@sidepilot.net with details on what isn’t getting saved to the Solo.

For the battery, unfortunately as the Solo is quite old now, the batteries are far past their useful date and will not hold a full charge for long. If the app is indicating critical battery, then it is likely that the battery is reporting that to Solo itself and is once again, not an app issue.

These ‘issues’ you describe should be easily resolved if you would like to get in contact with me for assistance.

Thanks,
Tom

cmplxviri ,

Brought my Solo back to life

I don’t really leave reviews ever, but this app is so fantastic that I almost felt obligated to. Like a lot of people, when support ended for my Solo drone, the app was gone and I had eventually moved on with my phone so I could no longer fly my drone.

Recently I dusted it off to see if I could get it going again and immediately had issues with calibration, but since the app was gone I couldn’t calibrate it, and couldn’t even fly it in manual mode. I found this app and used it to upgrade the firmware on both the drone and the controller with ease, and I was also able to calibrate the drone and get it flying with my live video feed working as well.

I’m just now starting to mess with the map and waypoints and everything, but it looks intuitive so far, and there is good documentation provided.

If you have a 3DR Solo that’s dead in the water, this app gives you everything you need to get her back in the air. I *highly* recommend it.

App Privacy

The developer, Tom Brereton, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

  • Usage Data

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Supports

  • Family Sharing

    Up to six family members can use this app with Family Sharing enabled.

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