ArduCopter 2.6 released!
Version 2.6 of the ArduCopter code is now available in the AP Mission Planner and in the downloads area!
Updates to MavLink 1.0 means you will need to use "ArdupilotMegaPlanner10.exe" to connect. If you've updated your mission planner recently you should find this executable in the directory where the mission planner is installed.
The above video is done using a prototype 3dr ublox GPS which seems to have better accuracy than the standard mediatek.
Improvements over 2.5.5 include:
- MavLink 1.0 support (use with ArdupilotMegaPlanner10.exe) [Tridge, Craig]
- Stability improvements especially during level hover [Jason]
- throttle range improvement (higher min and max) [Jason]
- improved standard Loiter PIDs [Alan, Heino, Jason, Angel]
- dataflash erase speed up ('+' messages removed but it only takes 6 seconds now) [Tridge]
- Copter LEDs [Robert Lefebvre]
- RTL loiter stage target set to home to improve final landing position [Jason]
- flip & acro improvements [Jason]
- circle mode target improvement for ground station [Jason]
- Auto Approach [Adam Rivera / Marco]
Bug fixes include:
- UBLOX driver fixes (lock should now be more reliable) [Tridge]
- enable mavlink messages during dataflash erase which resolves issue in which new APMs fresh from the factory appeared unresponsive [Tridge]
- proper printing of lat/lon values in dataflash logs [Randy]
- removed duplicate GPS reads [Jason]
- resolve flooding of telemetry link with low-battery warnings [Tridge]
- RTL bug would land if rtl_approach_alt was more than 1 [Jason]
- WP Radius could not be set larger than 1.3m [Jason/Randy]
Tuning:
PIDs are optimised for the 3DR/Jdrones quad with 850 motors and 10" props. If you're using more powerful motors/props and are seeing bad flight behaviour in stabilize, start by turning down Rate Roll P in 25% steps.
This time we spent some time optimising the loiter PIDs. Tuning loiter can be tricky so please refer to the discussions which will appear below for more community feedback on what parameters work best.
All feedback welcome below. Enhancement requests and bug reports can be put into the arducopter issues list. When possible please include logs (tlog and/or dataflash) and tell us whether you're using APM1 or APM2 and what version of the software you're using (presumably 2.6 but tell us anyway!).
Happy flying!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brian McGrath on -
Still using the default settings. Rate Roll D is 0.004.
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Permalink Reply by Brian McGrath on
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Let's take another shot at uploading the tlog file.
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2012-06-20 18-25-53.tlog, 1.1 MB
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DeveloperPermalink Reply by R_Lefebvre on -
Where did the flash log go?
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Permalink Reply by Brian McGrath on
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it was the wrong one. here is the correct one.
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2012-06-20 18-25-53.rlog, 875 KB
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DeveloperPermalink Reply by R_Lefebvre on -
That's not it either, should be a .log file.
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Permalink Reply by Brian McGrath on
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There was nothing on the APM2 when I connected with USB and I don't seem to be able to connect in the Terminal mode over the 3DR modems. Am I doing something wrong?
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Permalink Reply by Brian McGrath on
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OK. Ran another test and dumped the log file via USB. Hope this has what you need. If not, let me know what needs to be enabled and I'll run it again.
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2012-06-20 22-11 -1.log, 3.5 MB
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2012-06-20 22-11 2.log, 1 KB
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2012-06-20 22-11 1.log, 1 KB
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DeveloperPermalink Reply by R_Lefebvre on -
OK, can you explain what e
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DeveloperPermalink Reply by R_Lefebvre on -
Dammit, what is wrong with this board, it keeps deleting most of my reply, only gets the first 20 characters or so! I'll try again:
What is the scenario on that first log? You had it strapped down? Were you touching the controls? The throttle input is all over the place.
There are spikes of roll and pitch input.
The yaw is all over the place too, but we'll get to that later.
There are also spikes of roll and pitch attitude. You have a roll or pitch of say... 15 or 287, which means 0.15 or 2.87° which is fine, then it jumps suddenly from that to like -23659, which means -236 degrees which is basically impossible. Then, you get a bunch of "Data" log entries which is very weird. I've never seen that before. I almost wonder if you're getting DCM blowups.
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Permalink Reply by Brian McGrath on
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I had the copter running at hover power while loosely tethered to prevent it from drifting. Roll and pitch controls were not touched during the test. Throttle was moved slightly from time to time to maintain hover. Yaw deviations are probably related to the restraint. The roll spikes you see are unrelated to attitude changes in the copter.
I have noticed in the TLOG files that the xgyro channel shows large spikes (+ve and -ve) that are unrelated to the attitude of the copter and are immediately followed by large servo output changes to the motor pairs (Y6). These spikes in the xgyro are of short duration and seem to be causing the twitching in hover.
Is this a normal behavior that is managed by PID tuning? Could it be related to electrical interference?
Also, I don't understand what you mean by "DCM blowups". (I'm new to this.)
Thanks for taking the time to look into this!
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Permalink Reply by Brian McGrath on
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OK, I've done what I can to reduce electrical interference, moving the uBEC, receiver, etc., as far as possible from the APM2 and added a layer of aluminum tape between the PDB/ESC's and the APM.
No change. Still seeing spikes in the xgyro. The telemetry chart shows a test where the copter was strapped to a test benck with the props on, running at approximately hover power.
How sensitive is the APM to vibration (I would assume that all multicopters have a fair amount vibration)? In the picture, you can see that I'm suspending the APM in the manner indicated in the Wiki.
One of the questions I am trying to answer here is whether I am dealing with a faulty gyro or if this is just a matter of airframe tuning. Any suggestions before I change the mounting method?
Thanks!
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APM2 installation.JPG, 587 KB -
xGyro issues.jpg, 117 KB
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Permalink Reply by John Campen on -
ok.. My APM1 hasn't recorded any logs since I loaded 2.6. How do I fix this?
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