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Traditional Helicopter – Loading the Firmware

It is recommended to load the firmware in your autopilot and calibrate the accelerometer before installing it in the frame. This is not absolutely necessary, however, some helicopters are large and heavy. It is hard to place it in all the orientations necessary for accel calibration, and is much easier to do on the bench before installation. For desktop PC’s the following ground station software applications can be used to load firmware, if ArduPilot firmware is already existing:

1. Mission Planner (Windows only)

2. APM Planner2 (Windows, Mac or Linux)

3. QGroundControl (Windows, Mac or Linux)

For autopilots loaded with non-ArduPilot firmware, follow the instructions on this page

Be sure to select the current stable version for Traditional Helicopters and follow the instructions in your ground station.

Developers may also want to build the code and upload their own firmware. See the Developer wiki for more information.

Calibrating the accelerometer is identical to the procedure for other vehicles. See this topic.