APM 2.8 Flight Controller with Built-in Compass

The APM 2.8 Flight Controller with Built-in Compass is a mid-range open-source flight controller for quadcopters and multirotors, running ArduPilot firmware on an ATmega2560 main processor paired with an ATmega32U2 USB interface chip — sitting in capability between the basic KK2.1.5 entry-level flight controller and the advanced 32-bit Pixhawk 2.4.8, providing GPS-compatible autonomous flight modes, a built-in barometer for altitude hold, and a built-in compass (magnetometer) for heading reference, without the 32-bit processing power and MicroSD flight logging of the Pixhawk platform.

The APM 2.8 built-in compass is a key practical advantage over GPS modules that carry an external compass separately — the magnetometer integrated directly on the APM 2.8 board provides heading reference for GPS flight modes without requiring the external compass of the NEO-M8N GPS module, though mounting the APM 2.8 away from ESC power wires reduces compass magnetic interference in the build. The apm 2.8 flight controller’s onboard 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, and high-performance barometer provide the sensor data needed for self-level, altitude hold, and GPS position-hold flight modes when connected to an external GPS receiver.

The flight controller for drone is configured via Mission Planner ground control software on a PC, which provides PID tuning, flight mode selection, GPS mission planning, and live telemetry display during flight — the same ArduPilot ecosystem shared with the Pixhawk 2.4.8, meaning builders who learn APM 2.8 configuration can upgrade to Pixhawk firmware without relearning the Mission Planner interface. The apm flight controller built in compass does not include a MicroSD slot for flight data logging, which distinguishes it from the Pixhawk 2.4.8 that records full flight telemetry to a MicroSD card. Available from StemVolt.

Related Products:

• Checkout Flysky FS-i6 Transmitter and Receiver

Features:

• Built-in compass magnetometer — no separate external compass module needed
• Barometer provides altitude hold flight mode without GPS requirement
• GPS-compatible ArduPilot firmware — position hold RTH and waypoint modes
• ATmega2560 and ATmega32U2 dual processor for stable 8-bit flight control
• ArduPilot ecosystem — Mission Planner compatible same as Pixhawk upgrade path

Technical Specifications:

Applications:

• F450 altitude hold and GPS position hold with APM 2.8 mid-range build
• Maker adds apm 2.8 flight controller to F550 for autonomous GPS modes
• STEM project for apm flight controller built in compass GPS hold demo
• Budget GPS autonomous drone build using APM 2.8 and Mission Planner
• Flight controller for drone ArduPilot mission planning lab build

Package Includes:

• 1 x APM 2.8 Flight Controller with Built-in Compass