Hi folks,
I've had my 3DR quad for a few weeks now and have done a bit of flying over the weekend and bits in the evening and still not getting the hang of this. Not sure if it is me or if it is the 'copter.
I'm just looking for some confirmation in that a) it's you you idiot b) that is perfectly normal c) this needs looking into. Everything here is done in Stablize mode.
1) There is no such thing as stable flight. I am constantly correcting it in roll and pitch. If you left the radio for more than 2 seconds it would be off.
2) Altitude is a bugger to maintain. About head hight, 1.8m, it is a constant up and down event. As it starts descending give it some throttle until it stops. It then immediately starts climbing. Catch it on the way up and it starts falling. I slowly. Very seldom will it just sit there. Note that I am not stabbing the sticks but very gentle on them. ;)
If I were to mount a camera to it, the video would be horrid such is it's movement.
I've played around with the PIDS for roll and pitch but to be honest, cannot see a difference in it. I am changing them by 0.025 and saw nothing so went to 0.25 and still cannot see a difference. I can get it to do the oscillation though if I go to far (think it was around 8.something but I forget now.)
Flights are all outdoors with either no wind or a very gentle breeze.
Any pointers please :)
Some details:
3DR Quad
AMP oil pan V1? (Blue one)
Mega 2560
Sonar
2200 3S battery
Arducopter V2.2 b2
I've just upgrade the firmware but it was the same on the previous one.
Replies
The latest code in development has finer grain control of the dampening of the craft. It's our main focus right now.
You should be able to do in-flight leveling and have the quad float around but basically stay in one place. Maybe it will float a few inches to a foot a second in any direction. If there is any wind it will get carried off sideways like a balloon.
You will get the hang of the throttle. I flew a few weeks before the throttle became second nature. I never have an issue with it anymore.
yep, that sounds about right. Please remember that stabilize does not mean alt or position hold.
It is simply balancing the craft. Something like a 3D hockey puck, on a cushion of air....
You can tune your platform to get a bit better performance, maybe, in zero wind, but you cannot leave it unattended in stabilize. They often "run", "rise" and "drop" in this mode, and tiny changes in control or conditions take over fast.
It sounds to me as if you are ready to start working on alt hold and position hold, well on your way to auto :) Congratulations.