OcPoC™ with Xilinx Zynq®
SoC FPGA-Based Open-Source Flight Control PlatformThe Revolutionary SoC Flight Controller
OcPoC (Octagonal Pilot on Chip) is the SoC FPGA-based open-source flight control platform engineered to bring you greatly enhanced I/O capabilities and processing power that is unparalleled by any other platform of its class. Including the traditional sensor options for common peripherals, OcPoC also expands its input and output capabilities to include fully programmable PWM, PPM and GPIO pins to integrate with a vast number of different sensor additions. It also includes many other standardized connectors for peripherals such as GPS, CSI camera link and SD card. Drone developers can integrate various sensors and have the processing power to not only run ArduPilot but also implement real-time processing of sensor data simultaneously. OcPoC opens the door for drone development to the next level.
Features:
- First Xilinx® SoC FPGA-based flight controller
- FPGA + ARM Cortex A9 dual-core processor
- Over 100 I/Os for sensor integration
- APM and PX4 compatible
WHY OCPOC?
With the drone industry quickly reaching new commercial and consumer markets with creative new applications such as 3D modeling and delivery services, drone applications are becoming increasingly more complex and require more processing power and I/O (input/output) interfaces. Currently, most of the flight controller options on the market are based on a microcontroller unit (MCU), which limits the potential for sensor fusion due to limited processing power and I/O extension capabilities. Developers seek a drone platform capable of powering complex and demanding applications.
The OcPoC (Octagonal Pilot on Chip) flight control platform, built completely from scratch by the Aerotenna team, is engineered to be a ready-to-fly “box” with integrated IMU, Barometer. The Xilinx Zynq SoC FPGA, functioning as the brain of the platform, provides clear advantages in terms of processing power and I/O capability. An industry-leading 100+ I/Os allow for sensor integration, while the combination of dual ARM cores plus FPGA logic enable sensor fusion, real-time AI and deep learning.
SPECIFICATIONS
FAQ
What is OcPoC?
What is the technical roadmap of OcPoC?
The developer version is designed to support open-source projects, where all the hardware design and board support packages will be open to download and modify. The commercial version is designed for commercial drone manufacturers and could be customizable in hardware and in flight stack implementation.
What makes OcPoC better?
Along with the I/O expansion, the OcPoC provides increased processing power capable of achieving real-time sensor fusion and on-board data processing. This advanced system caters to both the UAV enthusiast that wants a ready-to-fly package, and also to programmers, researchers and developers wanting a platform to power their experiments.
The OcPoC FPGA can run a Linux operating system that is easy to deploy and modify. This gives you more flexibility in developing new ideas and solutions. We made the development process as easy as possible so that every idea is within reach.
What do I need to do to get my drone up and running with ArduPilot using OcPoC?
2. Add the ArduPilot code as an app to the Linux.
3. Choose which way you would like to boot the board.
4. Follow the assembly instructions for your UAV.
Follow calibration instructions, and you’re ready to fly!
What is the difference between OcPoC-Zynq and OcPoC-Cyclone?
What is the timeline for product delivery, and what are the plans for design sharing?
We are in the process of upgrading OcPoC-Zynq, and will release the newest version in the Fall of 2016. Feel free to drop the OcPoC team an email for the latest update.
For both OcPoC-Zynq and OcPoC-Cyclone, we have limited engineer samples in stock, so if you can’t wait for the final release, just ask for one or two units.
The flight stack related files will be synchronized with the APM project release and will be on Github before the hardware shipment. Ask the OcPoC team for the private repository if you would like it before then.
What kind of development is available on OcPoC?
USEFUL LINKS
- OcPoC User & Developer Hub
- OcPoC technical support email: ocpoc (a) aerotenna.com