A tube coming out from the aircraft’s nose or you see small objects
on the side of the aircraft instrument is known as a pitot tube which is used to measure the airspeed.
Inside the pipe, some fluid (air) is flowing, and the pitot tube is used to measure the fluid inside the pipe.
Pitot tube :
1. Airspeed indicator
2. Altimeter
3. Vertical Speed indicator
The pitot tube sends information to the airspeed indicator If a piezometer (A piezometer is a device that measures the height to which a column of the liquid rises against gravity to measure liquid pressure in a system or a device that monitors the pressure of groundwater at a given spot.) tube the pressure will be static but if it is replaced by a pitot tube the pressure will be dynamic.
When fluid enters the pitot tube the velocity of fluid particles becomes zero and it is converted into dynamic pressure.
In the aircraft the pitot tube is extended from the side surfaces or on the front side it consists of static ports to allow air to enter at atmospheric pressure (static pressure) and a pitot tube in the center so when aircraft is moving at high speed and causes pressure in the chamber to increase.
How to connect the pitot tube to Ardupilot?
First open Ardupilot :
1. Go to set up and then click on “Optional Hardware” because the pitot tube is hardware.
2. Scroll down and click “Airspeed“
select the “Use Airspeed” button to activate it without changing anything.
The default airspeed is between 0-4 m/s to test the pitot tube
you can try to blow in the pitot tube you can see in the “AS = Airspeed” changing, it will vary.
If it still does not work instead of going to “setup“:
1. Go to “configuration“
2. Scroll down and then click on ” Full parameter list ” and on the right side there is a search bar,Search for “ARSPD_USE” and the value shall be “1” to enable it. And blow the pitot tube and check the “AS” it shall work.
