Developer

ArduCopter 2.8 / 2.8.1 released

Arducopter 2.8.1 is now in the mission planner and in the downloads area! Remember to do your MP configuration again after loading this code, since it erases your EEPROM and sets it to the new defaults. 

Note: Issues with APM1 user's level feature not working are now resolved.  If you installed 2.8 we highly recommend you upgrade to 2.8.1 as 430 extra bytes of RAM have been freed up which reduces the chance of memory corruption (although we haven't seen any cases of this on the APM2 at least) .

Note #2: this release has not gone out for Traditional Helicopters until they can be tested fully.  Flip and Toy mode have also not been fully tested.

Improvements over 2.7.3:

  • Improved ACRO mode (Leonard Hall)
  • Improved stability patch to reduce "climb-on-yaw" problem (Leonard, Rob Lefebvre, Randy)
  • Rate controller targets moved to body frames (yaw control now works properly when copter is inverted) (Leonard/Randy)
  • Less bouncy Stabilize yaw control (Leonard)
  • OpticalFlow sensor support for APM2.5 (Randy)
  • DMP works again by adding "#define DMP_ENABLED ENABLED" to APM_Config.h You can also log DMP vs DCM to the dataflash by adding "#define SECONDARY_DMP_ENABLED ENABLED" (Randy)
  • Watch dog added to shutdown motors if main loop feezes for 2 seconds (Randy)
  • Thrust curve added to linearize pwm->thrust. Removes deadzone found above 90% throttle in most ESC/motors (Randy)
  • More timing improvements (main loop is now tied to MPU6000s interrupt) (Randy)
  • GPS NMEA bug fix (Alexey Kozin)
  • Logging improvements (log I terms, dump all settings at head of dataflash log) (Jason)

 

Bug Fixes / Parameter changes:

  • fixed skipping of last waypoint (Jason)
  • resolved twitching when no GPS attached (Tridge)
  • fixed loss of altitude if alt hold is engaged before first GPS lock (Randy/Jason)
  • moved Roll-Pitch I terms from Stabilize controllers to Rate controllers
  • TILT_COMPENSATION param tuned for TradHeli (Rob)


Code Cleanup:

  • HAL changes for platform portability (Pat Hickey)
  • Removed INSTANT_PWM (Randy)


As per usual 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.

Please note that on this release we've moved the Roll and Pitch I terms from the Stabilize controller to the Rate controller. There's some evidence that says this can lead to flips on take-off if you move the roll or pitch sticks around as you take-off so we recommend you leave these sticks in the middle until you're in the air.

Please feel free to report issues you find in the discussion below and/or add them to the issues list.

Thanks and enjoy!

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  • Hello! My first post here :)   I've got an apm1.4 board wich i have some issues with...  I use it for a quad, but i cant get it to fly properly.. Also the only version of the code it will accept is the 2.6.   If i load anyother version the board wont light up the way its supposed, i cant calibrate radioinputs and nothing works...  It will onlywork with 2.6,  and i cant say it's a pleasure to fly... wobbles all over, suddenly starts to spin and does all kind og strange movements. tried tuniing pid's without success...   Any of you herd of this kind of problems before?  Any ideas/solutions?? 

     

  • It's good, but when do you plan to build just any kind of QA management to avoid sending items that has already been detected as defective?

    gyrofailed.jpg

  • addition to an earlier post:

    I updated my loiter rate to 2.5 (media tek gps) and pos hold twitchyness is gone.

  • Hi,

    Firstly, thanks to the dev for the 2.8 code!!

    I have had some issues with the roll on a couple of occasions now with 2.8.0 and 2.8.1.

    After some flying the roll just increase and continue so until the APM is unplugged.

    Flying a Hex with APM2.5. never had the issue with 2.7.3.

    Anyone have any ideas of what can be going wrong?

    It happened two previous time while still flying in stabilize mode. This time it happened as I landed the copter.

    This is at the end of the flight:

    3692532441?profile=original

    2012-10-25 15-22 5.log

  • my first mission in auto mode

    3692532700?profile=original

     

    the result

    3692532640?profile=original

    it workls very well only thing to be fine tuned the copter starts towards the waypoint accelerates for a moment then stops or slow down hardly then accelerates again and stops til waypoint is reached.

    any idea which parameter i have to tune?

     

    2012-10-25 12-04-43.tlog

    https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3692532429?profile=original
  • hi all,

    2 developers

    new gps libraries works excelent it detect most types of gps

    but if module has factory setting 9600 code no change this baud and as result low update rate 1hz only available with 9600 baud

    I propose to add two parameters configurable from MP
    1. gps_default_speed  (gps factory setting as example 9600)
    2. gps_custominitstring (as example $PMTK251,38400*27 for change mediatek baud rate to 38400)
    if gps_custominitstring is not empty
    before autodetect routine - gps port open at gps_default_speed, send  gps_custominitstring, close port and run autodetect

     

  • I just had a bad flip with my Octocopter on takeoff.  I hadn't noticed that the default Rate Pitch/Roll Imax are set to "5.0" or "500" (scale differs depending on where you're looking).  I had been flying my quad with 1.0 or 100, for a while, but didn't check it before flying the new Octo.

    If you are having a problem, give that a shot.

  • Thank you to all the dev team!

    I tested this release this morning, I have the impression that for my custom frame the loiter_P gains basic values are too strong, then I realised that before they were less than half, it is quite strange because these should not change a lot from one copter to another...

    Anyway, the big issue I have is that Yaw is climbing incredibly! Now, I've changed also the ESC motor timing from slow to med, can it be that now the throttle increase is much faster than the decrease? I'll make a test by putting back the timing to slow, I have also a similar (but reduced) issue on roll and pitch.

    I can upload plots or log if you want, but I'm afraid I cannot do it directly here.

  • I'm suffering loss of power on climbouts, I notice there was a mod for 90% ESC how can this affect my MAX power it would seem that I can't run much beyond 90% where as at 2.7 I could climb much quicker

  • Vincent -You could always go into the CLI and reset the apm before you load the new firmware.  That will erase waypoints.

    +1 on the sonar  issue: XLEZ0.  Tried grass and concrete.  Reads .2 - .31 then nothing until 10m.

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