Hi All :-)
Thanks to all in this forum for the vast wealth of information. This forum is what swayed me to purchasing an APM powered project.
I am working on my first multi-copter after much reading and lurking and so far I am really enjoying it! I purchased the Hexa-B kit with APM2.5, the new power module, 3DR telemetry and sonar. Everything is going well however I have a little issue that is puzzling me at the moment and searching did not yield a direct answer.
Today I received a Turnigy 9x transmitter and the stock 9X8Cv2 RX that comes with it (FrSky modules not arrived yet ;-) When I connect the RX to power via the +- input rail on the APM 2.5 (which appears to be supported via this link http://code.google.com/p/arducopter/wiki/APM2RC) my telemetry unit loses power (no blinky blinky). Without the RX power connected the telemetry works great.
Any ideas?
FWIW:
The APM is getting its power via the PM port and the new power module.
The 2 wire (black red) connector from the PDB is not connected to anything.
The RX has not been bound to the transmitter.
There are no LEDs on the RX but the ESCs continue beeping when it is plugged in to power and they do not when it is disconnected.
Replies
Update: Sniffing the RX resulted in that oh-so-distinct smell of magic smoke. Opening the RX up confirmed the first component (diode?) connected to the traces that go to the power leads is toast. This makes me wonder if I have something wired up incorrectly :-( I have the 8 signal input pins (the ones closest to the center of the APM2.5 connected to the signal pins for the 8 channels on the RX....seems fairly straightforward? I also confirmed with a multimeter all of the power sources I have used (black/red off of PDB, APM2.5 input rail +- and EBC servo power all read 5VDC. Plugging it in to power (with no other connections present) makes the toasted component start to get hot again so it is obviously shorted.
Curious if you replaced that 22uF tantalum cap on your board that is all black (it used to be yellow). I now have one that is toasted and I'd like to fix it. The regulator to the left of it in the picture (the SOT223 package - black with one pin on left and 3 on the right)... does anyone know if that puts out 3.3 or 5V?
Are you sure you haven't plugged into your cables to your RC RX upside down? The power module should have no problem powering both APM (and accessories) along with your RX
After reading this: http://www.diydrones.com/forum/topics/3dr-pm-pdb-apm2-5-and-jumper-... I connected the power out from the PDB to the output +- (must admit having power input to the "output" ports and output from the "input" ports is non-intuitive to a noob ;-)
This change did not alter anything but made me realize the GPS is not getting power when the RX is connected either...