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Presentation
The Quanser Aero 2, pictured in Figure 1, is a compact dual-rotor two degree-of-freedom aerospace system that can
be used to perform a variety of mechatronic and flight-control-based experiments. The Quanser Aero 2 can be
equipped with either the QFLEX 2 USB or QFLEX 2 Embedded interface modules. The QFLEX 2 USB allows control by
a computer via USB connection. The QFLEX 2 Embedded allows for control by a microcontroller device such as an
Arduino via a 4-wire SPI interface.
For all versions, the system is driven using two direct drive 18V brushed DC motors. The motors are powered by a
built-in PWM amplifier with integrated current sense. Rotary encoders are used to measure the angular position of the
Aero 2 in both degrees of freedom, as well as the position of the thruster motors. The velocity of these encoders can
be measured using the included software tachometers.
Important components of the Quanser Aero 2 are listed in Table 1 and shown in Figure 2.
Figure 1. Quanser Aero 2 Experiment
