Autopilots

Piccolo Systems

Piccolo II

Piccolo SL

Ground Station

Accessories

Piccolo Command Center

3rd Party Resources

Helicopter Solutions

Piccolo Integrated Autopilot Systems Piccolo II UAV Autopilot Piccolo SL

Piccolo Highly Integrated Autopilots

 are a leap forward over other avionics systems. They provide a complete, off the shelf avionics system solution including the core autopilot, flight sensors, navigation, wireless communication, and payload interfaces, all in a small, highly integrated and inexpensive package.
The Piccolo Plus and Piccolo LT are no longer available for new programs. If you are a legacy user of these autopilots we will continue to support you through manufacturing, documentation, software and technical support. View a comparison table of all the Piccolo Autopilots
  • Autonomous catapult and car-top launch.
  • Launch and recovery of wheeled vehicles, with support for nose-gear steering and brakes.
  • Net recovery and moving net recovery.
  • Common software for all autopilot options.
  • GPS/INS with aided AHRS backup for graceful degradation in GPS denied environments.
  • Plug and play support of peripherals including transponders, magnetometers, sat-comm modems, RTK GPS
    receivers, laser altimeters, and flight termination.
  • Radio frequency options for internal data links.
  • Auto Assist manual flight modes.
  • Flexible drag and drop flight plan generation and updates.
  • Powerful simulation tools. Single CPU software simulation in addition to complete system Hardware-in-Loop (HWIL) simulation, requiring less control law tuning.
  • Included in FAA type certified and NAVAIR certified integrations.
The integrated Piccolo radio link is available in a range of frequency bands so that integrators can pick the radio frequency that best supports their operational environment. The Piccolo avionics and Ground Station radios must be configured with the same radio.

  • The 900 MHz ISM radio is an unlicensed radio in North America and Australia. Cloud Cap Technology recommends this radio option for North American and Australian customers not requiring DoD licensed bands.
  • The 2.4 GHz ISM band is unlicensed in North America, EU countries and other international locations.
  • Discrete frequency, licensed band, options are available in the range of 310 to 390 MHz and 1350 to 1390 MHz. In the US, these bands are controlled by the DoD.

Available Radio Options:

  • 900 MHz Unlicensed ISM*
  • 900 MHz Australian Band
  • 2.4 GHz Unlicensed ISM
  • 310-390 MHz Discrete
  • 1350-1390 MHz Discrete

* The 900 MHz Unlicensed ISM is the only radio option available for the Piccolo LT.

Download the DD1494 forms for Cloud Cap Technology’s radio spectrum-dependent equipment.

Advanced Software Features

The Piccolo II comes with the Standard Software Feature Set plus Peripherals at no additional charge. The Piccolo SL comes with the Economy Feature Set at no additional charge. The following additional software feature sets can be purchased:

  • Laser Altimeter Autoland
  • DGPS Autoland
  • DGPS and Moving Net Recovery
  • VTOL Vehicle Support

View a comparison table of all the software features available for Piccolo Autopilots. Download the Piccolo System Data Sheet for complete information. Get the latest Piccolo Software release.

Autopilot Advanced Features Supported Economy Feature Set
( Piccolo SL)		 Standard Features set + Peripherals Auto-Land with Laser Altimeter Auto-Land with External  DGPS DGPS + Moving Baseline Capture VTOL (Piccolo II, Piccolo SL )
Advanced flight planning.  Allows updates during flight, drag and drop, definition of lost com plan, and automatic landing plans
Supported by full HW-in-the-Loop and Software Simulators
Support of TASE stabilized gimbal
Support for DGPS and WAAS corrections for built-in GPS  
Gimbal stabilization control for servo based pan-tilt cameras  
Support of MicroAir transponders  
Support of Iridium satellite communications  
Support of external magnetometer to support dead-reckoning in lost-GPS environment  
Support of Autoland using Latitude Engineering Laser Above Ground Sensor    
Added Autoland accuracy using external Novatel RTK 2cm DGPS.  Allows precision rolling takeoff and rolling or net capture      
Support of moving baseline capture using external Novatel DGPS          
Helicopter Support.  Tech support provided by CCT partner GST.          

The Piccolo Developer's Kit

 provides the parts needed to operate the Piccolo in a Hardware-In-Loop (HIL) bench simulation environment. HIL simulation is a cornerstone of unmanned aircraft development. Well-designed simulators allow the aircraft control laws and mission functionality to be tested without risking hardware in flight test.

For a complete list of Cloud Cap Technology Products and part numbers see theCloud Cap Technology Product List.

Piccolo Developer's Kit
Piccolo Developer’s Kit with 900 MHZ radio option shown.
More radio options available
USB to CAN Module with USB Cable Piccolo to CAN Cable Piccolo Programming Cable Piccolo Interface Cable GPS Antenna 114 inches long 900 MHz Piccolo Antenna Piccolo Interface Power Adapter Cable Power Supply Piccolo System Software Futaba Pilot Console with Case
  • User and Integration Guides coincide with the latest Piccolo Software release. Previous versions are available from the User and Integration Guides page.
  • Complete Product List – A complete list of integration, peripherals, and accessory items designed to optimize CCT products and systems.
  • Product Export Fact Sheet – A brief description of the regulatory processes required for Cloud Cap Technology to export its products.
  • Piccolo System History - A short developmental history of the Piccolo Autopilot.
  • Steps to Autonomous Flight – Outlines the steps involved in configuring, installing and operating the Piccolo autopilot system. It is very important to read this document first because it provides a guide through other system documentation required to properly set up and integrate the Piccolo system.
  • Piccolo Setup Guide – An overview of the Piccolo autopilot system components. Provides initial setup information for the hardware and software simulation environments to guide users to a functioning laboratory environment.
  • Piccolo Software-in-Loop Setup Guide – A comprehensive step by step guide to set up the Software-in-Loop (SIL) simulation environment.
  • SIL and HIL Checklists – A quick reference checklist for the Software-in-the-Loop and Hardware-in-the-Loop simulations.
  • Piccolo User’s Guide (v2.1.2) – Provides a basic description, interface guidelines, and setup information for the Piccolo autopilot system using version 2.1.2 software.
  • Piccolo User’s Guide Helicopter Supplement – Provides controller information and swashplate configurations for the Piccolo autopilot system used in helicopter and other rotary wing unmanned vehicle applications.
  • Moving Net Recovery – Information for setting up the Avionics and ground station for Moving Net Recovery.
  • Piccolo Simulator – A detailed user’s guide to the Simulator environment and software. Includes guidance on modeling and simulating customer aircraft which is a key element in the steps to autonomous flight.
  • Piccolo External Interface – Interface definitions and pin-outs for the Piccolo Plus, Piccolo II, Piccolo SL and Piccolo LT.
  • Piccolo Dev Interface – A quick introduction guide to the Piccolo Dev Interface application that provides tools useful for system data analysis.
  • Radio Communications Troubleshooting – Covers basic testing procedures, information, and tools to help diagnose Piccolo radio communication problems.
  • CCT Systems Software Update Guide – Covers how to update Cloud Cap Technology products with the latest software and firmware.
  • Creating Custom Map Overlays – Details the process of locating an image on the map for use as an overlay in PCC or ViewPoint.
  • Antenna Plugin User’s Guide – Covers how to setup and use the Antenna Plugin feature for either Piccolo Command Center (PCC) and or ViewPoint for control of a third party positioner.
  • Piccolo Vehicle Integration Guide - Provides technical information for installing the Piccolo autopilot into an airframe.
  • Piccolo Servo Gimbal Integration Guide – How to setup and configure a non-stabilized, servo based gimbal–other than a Cloud Cap Technology gimbal–to the Piccolo autopilot using the pan and tilt servo connections available on the Piccolo autopilot.
  • Latest Piccolo Release – Includes all the Piccolo software applications, installers and related support documentation.
  • Aircraft Modeling Tools – Helps to model aircraft dynamics in the Piccolo System. Useful for developing a simulation model of your aircraft.
  • Flight Gear – A highly accurate software flight simulator that helps to provide visualization of the aircraft altitude.
  • Maps – A collection of various maps layers to use for visualization reference in the Piccolo Command Center and ViewPoint Ground Based Control Software Application.
  • Piccolo Autopilot System - Comparison of specifications for the Piccolo family of autopilots. Includes a list of software feature sets that are available for each autopilot, as well as Piccolo Command Center performance features.
  • Piccolo System - Component Weights – Useful for aircraft integrators, lists Piccolo System components and weights.
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