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Can't connect APM 2.8 to MP

Posted by Neil Gates on August 22, 2015 at 11:45am

Good day everyone - this is my very first post on this forum.  

I'm getting a "No Heartbeat Packets Received" error when I attempt to connect my new APM 2.8 controller to Mission Planner.

Here are the specifics so far: 

- MP 1.3.31 build 1.1.5696.33420
- ArduCopter v2.9.1b firmware
- Nothing connected to the board except the USB cable
- Board showing 1 solid orange LED and one solid blue LED
- Tried all three USB ports on my Dell Latitude laptop running windows 7 Pro
- The board is listed as COM7 and I've set the baud rate at 115200 (in the device manager settings as well)
- I can connect with the terminal, access the basic tests, and read the unit settings
- I attempted to connect (without success) via radio telemetry and the PM as well, just to see if my USB port wasn't supplying enough juice (not at the same time as the USB cable)

This is my first quad build and my first experience with APM. Any advice on what to try next would be greatly appreciated. 

Neil

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Replies

  • Neil Gates September 20, 2015 at 5:20am
    I ended up receiving both replacement boards on the same day. Tried them out and they both work just fine, so the issue was with the original board as suspected. After struggling for a while with ESC calibration, she's up and running just fine. I'm enjoying the aspects of all the tuning options available with APM and MP. Working on installing my 3-axis gimbal now.
  • Neil Gates August 28, 2015 at 10:06am
    So here's the latest update: the supplier asked for videos of the issue and after 3 days of trying figure out how to get them to China through eBay they sent me an email outside of eBay to attempt. That worked and after another day they confirmed the board is faulty; however, they want me to send the board back to China. That's fine with me, but they did not send the RMA info and now it's the weekend. So hopefully they will send everything on Monday, and if I'm lucky, two or three weeks from now this may be resolved.

    In the mean time, I'm so impatient that I'm considering just buying another board from a U.S. Supplier so I can keep this project moving. Maybe it's not so bad to have a backup board lying around. Or maybe I'm just making excuses. Or maybe I'm just really hooked on this hobby and don't want to wait...
    New Resolved
  • Neil Gates August 24, 2015 at 6:39pm

    Update: contacted seller and they asked for more information in the form of photos and/or videos.  Took three videos today and sent via email.  Hopefully it's enough information for them to see the issue and to resolve my complaint.  We shall see...

  • Mike Boland August 22, 2015 at 9:57pm

    This Wiki page details the LED's

    Note: If you connect in Terminal the board needs to be reset by the reset button or powering down before you can connect via MAVLink.

    • Neil Gates > Mike Boland August 22, 2015 at 11:23pm
      Thanks Mike - I saw that page before but for some reason never watched the video, which was way more helpful. Unfortunately, mine is doing something completely different. And I suspect it's because it's failing to boot. The closest one was the double red flashing showing the failure of pre-arming checks. Mine flashes red twice for about 5 cycles as soon as I plug in the usb cable, and then the LEDs go out completely, except the one next to the GPS port. At this point I'm going with the theory that the board is bad. I sent the seller an email earlier today to see what they will do about it.

      Thanks for your help.
  • Mike Boland August 22, 2015 at 1:35pm

    I also assume you are using the latest version of MP.

    In the pic you posted it is stating that the MPU6000 is not starting.

    Looks like a faulty board.

    • Neil Gates > Mike Boland August 22, 2015 at 3:36pm

      Mike, are you able to share with me what a properly booted board looks like in terms of LED's lit and flashing or not?  No GPS or compass connected.  

      Thanks!  

    • Neil Gates > Mike Boland August 22, 2015 at 1:39pm
      And it's not strange that I don't get that error in previous versions of firmware? Perhaps that component didn't exist then when the older firmware was developed? Darn - I was hoping not to have to attempt an exchange. I'll reach out to the seller and see what they say.
  • Mike Boland August 22, 2015 at 12:44pm

    First step would be to reflash the firmware.

    Any reason you are on the older firmware?

    Latest stable release would work best with the latest versions of MP.

    • Neil Gates > Mike Boland August 22, 2015 at 1:00pm

      Re-flashed with latest firmware and still get the same "No Heartbeat Packets Received" error on connection attempt.  In the terminal I get this:

      3702589029?profile=original

      On reboot I get a flashing red LED near the PM connection port that flashes two times.  

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