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Welcome to Experimental Avionics

This online resource is dedicated to Open Source avionics for experimental aviation. Our goal is to create simple, functional and affordable avionics for experimental aircraft builders and anyone interested in aviation and electronics. All the design information and software is provided for you free of charge.

Most of the projects here are based on Arduino controllers and are designed to be easily replicated by anyone with basic knowledge in electronics and software development.

RV-12 Instrument Panel

Why build DIY avionics?

  • It is cheaper. A full set of flight and engine instruments can be built for under $800  (USD)
  • It is a great learning experience
  • You build what you want
  • It’s fun!

 

Philosophy of these projects

  • Simple
    The main focus of the project’s design is to make them easily repeatable. All of the projects are built with pre-assembled components, so you only need some basic soldering skills to put it together.
  • Affordable
    All the components used in the projects are widely available from eBay or from your local DIY electronics store.
  • Reliable
    There is a large community of people in the world experimenting with robotics. They all use the same components and support each other in creating reliable and efficient designs.
  • Easy to build and modify
    All of the projects are designed in a way that makes them easy to be replicated with basic tools, a computer, a soldering iron and a $10 multimeter.

Most of the modules are based on Arduino IDE.
Why Arduino? Because it is a simple platform, very easy to learn and there is a huge community to source support and wisdom from.

Flight Data Recorder (FDR) Module is a Raspberry Pi based unit. Raspberry Pi is a bit more complex then Arduino but has a lot of power.
The FDR module doubles as an interface to external displays (iPad), voice notification system (B*tching Betty), ADSB-In, etc

All the modules in the latest version of the system are interconnected via CAN-Bus.

Important notes:

  • This is an open source project – That means there is no centralised support for any of the software or hardware. The support is community-based. Fortunately, the community is quite large and most of your questions have already been answered by someone on the internet.
  • All the projects are DIY – “Y” stands for “yourself“. 🙂 You need to build and test the units yourself and assess their suitability for the purpose.

 

Your comments, opinions and contributions will be highly appreciated.

Feel free to contact us on oleg@ExperimentalAvionics.com

 

Disclaimer:

By using any information on this website, downloading the software or purchasing any item from it, you assume full responsibility for any consequences. No warranties of any kind provided or implied. 
All this information and software provided free of charge and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license.