I have an APM 2.6/ TBS Discovery running arducopter V3.1. I have a couple of issues that i cannot figure out for the life of me.
Issue #1. In stabilize mode without GPS. The copter functions fine if i simply fly around in circles within 50-100 feet or so. When I fly further out (8-10 seconds of going forward) the copter seems to slow down and have resistance pulling the quad in the opposite direction. When I remove all input (with throttle at neutral) the copter will immediately go backwards!! This happens going in any direction. Side to side, etc. It is very frustrating!!
I was flying FPV and I literally could not get the copter to come back to me despite giving 100% forward input, it would just stay in the same spot!! Luckily i was able to ease it little by little to land it.
Issue #2 is Loiter mode (With GPS plugged in). When the quad is hovering in the same spot for ~5-10 and I switch to loiter....It works fine. The quad simply stays there despite any wind gusts/etc...works great...dhop is <2/*+sats..
When the quad is in motion and I suddenly switch to loiter...BOOM, the quad powers down and falls to the ground like a rock!! (Even with 100% throttle) Luckily I have been able to "catch" the quad by switching back to stabilize mode and gain elevation. I have tried to change the loiter PID from 1 to 0.5 (per other threads) but it just made the problem worse.
I have tried to change firmware to various versions but it hasn't seemed to help either. Some how, I feel like these issues are related. I tried the download the data flash log but have to Idea what to make of it. I have other APM aircraft that function fine. I'm not sure exactly what I am missing... Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks
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ISSUE RESOLVED:
So I'm pretty sure I can mark this problem as solved. The issue was was a power issue. After moving parts around, changing things up, etc it seems that running a 4S setup was causing the unusual behavior. Either that or adding a JP1 jumper solved the problem. Im running a 3S setup and it seems to be running flawlessly now.
http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/ac2_simple_geofence/
Does your quad work in altitude hold? Maybe your mid throttle is set wrong and when you switch to loiter it comes down. Keep in mind that loiter uses altitude hold to work.
Geofence is off, I just tried adjusting the throttle hover and still same result...the quad drops straight down. Only when the quad is hovering in 1 spot for a ~8 seconds will I be able to turn on loiter without it dropping... The altitude hold works. It feels almost like the gyros/barometer have to "catch up" before it will hold it's position.