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Onboard
electronics installation, nose cone. The
UAV carried several pieces of electronic
technology. The main item was the Flashlite 386EX
flight computer. Connected were the servo
controller, FM receiver, GPS, voltage converter,
several servos, and an optical horizon sensor. All of
the onboard equipment was powered by a single battery pack. 
Flashlite
386EX flight computer. The
flight computer was based on an Intel 386 processor.
It had two main serial ports, four analog outs, several A/D
pins, and eight digital outs. The flight software/GPS
interface was made in C. One
feature that made this aircraft different from most R/C
airplanes was the radio starting procedure. In order
to turn the power on to the Futaba receiver for manual
flight, the 386 had to be booted up and run in console mode
with a laptop. The receiver power was then switched on
through software. This process gave the craft a
high-tech mystique at the flying field. 
Analog
to PWM servo controller. The
servo controller was built from a kit and had four
channels. The unit read voltage signals from the
computer and converted them to servo commands. This
system worked well and freed a serial port on the computer.
Garmin
Etrex GPS. The
Etrex was selected for its cost and serial
interfacing. The unit output a variety of information
and made the flight program simple. 
Putting
it all together.
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