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Permalink Reply by Quentin Mayberry on March 24, 2012 at 2:16am

Been there with your questions Peter!

Wait until you get a 3D fix with the gps, it then shows actual altitude (AMSL). Then you can either use absolute height (height above mean sea level AMSL) or relative height (where the apm is when it gets a fix).

Once you have a fix, then you can press the set home alt button on the main flight data screen and it will zero the altitude to where the apm is and pass that information with the lat & long to the flight planning screen (bottom right). Be careful, if you pc is a little slow, it can register two or more clicks on the set default alt button and toggle it back again without you noticing!! We wondered why our height was so low during one sortie with the fixed wing!

To change the default RTL altitude and route altitude just change the default altitude figure from 100 to whatever you want, my quad is at 20 metres and our fixed wing is at 100 metres. We use absolute height for the fixed wing, so the planner adds another 52 metres on any waypoints and the default height for us as that is usually where we turn on the apm. Obviosuly that would change if we went to another location.

We then write the waypoints even though there aren't any to record the changes to waypoint radius, loiter radius, default alt etc. It usually says it has set the parameters. I don't know if it automatically does that when we check or un check the boxes, but when we select read waypoints, it shows the changes we have made. If I remember correctly, I think you can change these parameters directly in the configuration screen on the left and then writing the changes.

The quad I use relative above turn on height. Your accuracy for low heights will be around 1 to 2 metres (APM 1 and better with an APM 2), you can have a mix of pressure altitude and gps altitude depending on the settings you choose, or use a sonar sensor. Our fixed wing holds its heights very well with an apm 2 and is a little erratic with an apm 1, but not by much.

The quad has a sonar sensor fitted and was very accurate down to centimetres, but when testing the other day, it was at about 3 to 4 metres when I selected loiter (maintain current height), It unfortunately had lost its height information and thought it was at zero, so powered off the motors and landed hard, one broken prop as it flipped over but that was all. I had since unplugged the sonar sensor and have yet to try it without it.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Seddon on March 24, 2012 at 3:33am

Quentin, Thank you for a very lucid explanation. My Arduplane (v2.3) seems to operate exactly as you say with the SetHomeAlt button zeroing the Alt and setting the AltOffsetHome to the absolute altitude of home. 

However my Arducopter (v2.5) seems slightly different in that the altitude is near 0 even when I have 3D lock. Pressing SetHomeAlt does then set that small value into AltOffsetHome. 

I will go and have another go flying my course and see if that does the trick. 

I see you have been having problems with Xbees - something I struggled with for some time but now work flawlessly at over 90% good packets - used with 2.4Ghx radio. Are you trying to use series 1 or 2?

Peter 

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Permalink Reply by Quentin Mayberry on March 24, 2012 at 3:43am

Yes Peter, my arducopter also sets nearly zero metres when it gets a fix too, seems odd. I first thought it was because I had a sonar sensor fitted, but since disabling it and then removing it, the same happens not sure why, hoping Michael Oborne will pipe in here to tell us why!

What did you do to get no packet loss with the xbees? We are using Pro Series 2 xbees on 2.4 GHz and I also now have the XRF's on 868 MHz.

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DeveloperPermalink Reply by Michael Oborne on March 24, 2012 at 4:57am

this only happens with arducopter. and was done be the developers. all altitudes are 0 based, no matter what you starting alt is, and absolute altitudes do nothing on arducopter. everything is relative.

 

i beleive it has to do with the baro/sonar/gps altutude solution.

 

arduplane however can use both, abs/rel

 

on arducopter the sethomealt button is useless. on arduplane it just hides the starting alt, making display alts based from relative 0

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Permalink Reply by Peter Seddon on March 24, 2012 at 10:20am

Thanks Michael. 

I just spent another frustrating day with my Arducopter and it was only at the end I realised that Alt Hold mode was also making the 'copter increase rapidly in altitude. I had previously adjusted the hover throttle setting but probably wiped that on one of my software reloads. 

Thank you for explaining the differences between 'copter and 'plane Mission Planner. 

Peter

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Permalink Reply by Peter Seddon on March 24, 2012 at 10:26am

This may help for Series 2 Xbees http://www.diydrones.com/forum/topics/xbee-pro-2-now-working-after-a

This may help for series 1 boards http://www.buildyourowndrone.co.uk/ArduPilot-Xbee-Telemetry-kit-2-4.... 

Peter

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Permalink Reply by Quentin Mayberry on March 27, 2012 at 7:15am

Thanks for the info Peter, I'll check it out.

Michael is it a bug in the planner for arducopter and the flight planner tab not giving and abs altitude for home? When I try to load waypoints it complains telling me to set home altitude. As you know it works for arduplane and correctly sets the absolute height, but I have to put the mouse over my home waypoint on the map and manually enter the altitude in the home alt box.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Seddon on March 27, 2012 at 9:29am

Yes I can confirm that everytime  I click a new waypoint it asks me to Set Home Alt. 

Peter

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