Version 2.5 of the ArduCopter code is now available in the AP Mission Planner and in the downloads area!
Enhancements:
- The first ArduCopter code release optimized for the APM 2. Leans and drift should be much reduced or even eliminated for most users. This was accomplished through a number of core improvements to the DCM implementation by Tridge like this one and this one.
- Loiter and waypoint following should be improved due to a D term bug fix, some tuning and the improved DCM performance mentioned above.
- On start-up, the yaw heading is updated with first successful mag read (so you should no longer see the slow rotation from north to your actual heading).
- Increased output rate to ESCs to 490hz. This update rate is also user selectable using the new RC_SPEED parameter.
- hexa copter stability patch bug fix (should resolve slight flattening when pitching forward and accelerating very rapidly).
- improved baro filtering
- fix to dataflash logging of Mag heading
- addition of H1 swash plate type and bug fix for proactive yaw compensation for collective pitch changes for TradHelis.
Tuning:
The default PIDs are optimized for a 3DR/Jdrones quad with 850 motors and 10" props. If you're using more powerful motors/props, start by turning down Rate Roll P in 25% steps.
While some testers have reported very good flights with the default PIDs, some have reported that this release is a little "sharper" due to the DCM improvements and have found they needed to:
reduce stabilize P by 10% (i.e. 4.5 -> 4.2)
reduce stabilize D by 30% (i.e. 0.15 -> 0.10)
increase rate D from 0 to 0.001
Tuning loiter can be tricky. Refer to the discussions which will appear below for more community feedback on what parameters work best.
Please post your feedback in this discussion. For enhancement requests and bug report, please add them to 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 2.5 but tell us anyway!).
Thanks for this release go to the developers (both in the core team but also those who have provided bug fixes through the issues list) and also the community members who participated in the previous release thread and provided some great detailed information in the form of issue reports and logs which allowed us to nail some bugs!
Replies
Is the parameter file for the 3DR frame, 10" props in the downloads section current? It would be better if a screen shot of the main parameters were posted here also. I don't know why but when I load the 3DR parameters and then go to configure my radio using the setup tab, Stab P goes to 0 and I guess some other parameters change. I prefer to type then in manually. What things would cause these parameters to get changed during a firmware update?
ScreenHunter_01 Apr. 17 17.58.gif
Hello all,
http://code.google.com/p/arducopter/downloads/detail?name=Declinati...
Hi all, know how to configure the Declination lut?
will complicate the issue of Declination.
I want to check the barometer feed. In the tuning "Graph This" box which one do I tick to see the live feed?
Barometer Issues!?.
Ok, here is another problem Ive spotted in the mind field of hardware issues and for people who continually bang their heads trying to fix them through PID tuning. .
If you have a housing that is covering over all of your electronics such as a plastic container,.. then when you descend or ascend quickly the pressure inside the container changes and gives your barometer an false reading.
For example if you descend quickly the pressure increases inside the container making the barometer think that you are descending faster than you actually are. So the APM will try to compensate this out and try to increase the throttle and this probably cause a bouncing behavior some people are finding happens .
Some may argue that the barometer cant be this sensitive, but I beg to differ because the pressure variation it can sense for the pressure variances in altitude that it works off is very fine. The pressure change inside the container even for horizontal flight will be enough to for it to sense the changes of pressure in the container.
This also includes pressure zones around the incoming and out going air stream around the props if they are to close to the container or even if you have an open center frame the pressure zone around the props can possibly still affect the barometer
Im considering some fixes for this such as a tube that has a H tube branch at its end and that sits above or below the center board.
I would be interested to know what others view and ideas are on this. .
Ive opened a separate discussion on this here http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/barometer-issues-and-pid-tuning
Just my 2 cents.
Coming from a Naza on this frame to a APM2, I am very please with the change. A couple hours of reading and tuning and it is enjoyable to fly in stable mode with my Gopro cam. To me this is a big jump from my experience with a APM1 2860 from last year. This frame is 600mm with Avroto motors (750KV) and 11" CF props. Because of the motors my Rate P is down to .095 and because of the Simonk flashed ESC's my Stab P is up to 8.0. I spent more time troubleshooting the wrong Gimbal pinouts in the wiki then anything else. Cut my Thr P in half for alt hold and it shows a very good improvement over the APM1. I also found that a cover over the center plate also helped with stability. It cut the wind from vibrating the APM2 which is stretched over rubber bands. A big improvement with this board was seen when I mounted it an inch and half off the center plate, my mag started working well after that. Before it was flush to the plate and my Dist board caused horrible problems in air.
Anyway... thanks for the improvements and the hard work.
Hi folks,
today I uploaded 2.6b code to my APM1.4. Since I do always slight mods of code beause there is still not implemented CH7/4 out reversioning (if someone interested more can be reade here) since I fly traditional tricopter I found small changes in code - new classes introduced (AP_motors and subclasses) This seems to be very nice improvement and this is only part of others. Congratulations to all developers.
I found also some new feature - COPTER_LEDS. Personaly I use different code for LEDs based on U4eake's inventions. I would put question here on this forum if somebode can explain me how does this work owerall - there is no note on WIKI on it yet.
Anyway I have to agree with U4eake - architecture of code sure improved but the flying performance doesn't suffice me more than 2.0.49. I must object to auto mode - it really doesn't work for me. Lat and Lon of WPs are achieved somehow but altitude definitely not. Had mission with 3 WPs, one with 30m alt, second with 150m alt and last back to 30m above home.
Perhaps there is some problem when copter have no sonar and relays only on baro. Who knows...
I've never had a good flying copter anymore since 2.0.49. So yesterday I was tired of it, kicked out 2.5.3 and went back to 2.0.49 on my hexa. today I flew it in a fair bit of gutsy wind (3-4 beaufort).
APM1.4 1280 board with sonar, mediatek gps and magnetometer. The standard suggested combo in februari 2011. Hexa with supersimple 20A esc's, KD20-22L motors and 11x4.7 APC props. Selfmade alu-composite frame.
weather.jpg
2012-04-14 07-29-40.tlog
Yes and yes. I used exactly the same method for correcting mine. At least I'm not the only one. Maybe we need to find the root cause for this and get it included in the manual. I expect this will be due to a local magnetic field caused by the hardware.
I thought it would be interesting to mention an observation I made regarding magnetic declination.
In my experience, setting the correct magnetic declination for your location is not enough. You also have to perform procedure to establish a correction factor for your particular airframe. Before I go any further with this, am I the only one who has had a similar experience?
We're getting close to pushing out the 2.6 release so I have dropped a Beta version in the downloads area. This version has not been extensively tested yet so please use with caution!
This is a smaller release than 2.5 was but still includes these improvement:
1. Improved compass offset calculations by Tridge.
2. Automatic compass declination on first GPS lock by Adam Rivera. This will be on by default but you can turn it on/off by setting the COMPASS_AUTODEC parameter to 1 (=on) or 0 (=off). When enabled it will overwrite your declination when you first get GPS lock.
3. AP_Motors architectural improvement by Randy including addition of "stability patch" for Octo and Octo-Quad.
4. LED improvement by Robert Lefebvre. APM1 only for now. More details will be provided by Robert at the official release time.
5. improved logging of loiter and roll, pitch and yaw rate controllers by Randy. Logging of these controller's P, I and D components can be enabled by going to the terminal screen, type "logs" and "enable PID". Next time you tune with CH6 you will see new PID-XYZ lines appearing in the logs.
The AP_Motors change (#3) is the most risky and that is what we would like people to test. Ideally we'd like at least one person with each of these frame types ( Quad , TradHeli , Tri , Hexa , Y6 , Octa , Octa-Plus) that:
a) the motors test from the CLI menu works ok and that the motors spin-up in the correct order.
b) stabilize mode is ok (no need to test higher functions like loiter, RTL, Alt hold as none of the flight controllers have been modified for this release)
c) ESC calibration works (please be careful! take your props off when trying this!) -- this is more optional.
It's also possible #2 has fixed the camera twitching that people have reported so if someone could try that out, that would be great.
Thanks for your help!
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