Discussions

Developer

ArduCopter-3.0.1 released!

Posted by Randy on July 11, 2013 at 4:17am

ArduCopter 3.0.1 has been released and is now available in the Mission Planner, firmware.diydrones.com, GitHub and the new Downloads Area.

Warning #1: Compass calibration and reducing interference is far more important than with 2.9.1b

Warning #2: GPS glitches can cause sudden and aggressive position changes while in loiter mode.  You may wish to reduce the Loiter PID P to 0.5 (from 1.0) to reduce aggressiveness (see image below of where this gain can be found in mission planner).

Warning #3: optical flow is not supported but will be back in the next release (AC-3.0.2 or AC-3.1.0).

Warning #4: loiter turns does not maintain altitude.  This bug will be fixed in AC-3.0.2.

Warning #5: This release has only been lightly tested on Traditional Helicopters.

Improvements over 2.9.1b include:

  • Inertial Navigation for Loiter and Auto meaning much more accurate control (Randy,Leonard,JonathanC)
  • 3D navigation controller follows straight lines in all dimensions between waypoints (Leonard,Randy)

         WPNAV_SPEED, WPNAV_SPEED_UP, WPNAV_SPEED_DN, WPNAV_ACCEL allows configuring speeds and acceleration during missions

  • "compassmot" to compensate for interference on compass from the pdb, motors, ESCs and battery.  (Randy,JonathanC) (Set-up video here)
  • Safety improvements:
    • simple Tin Can shaped Geo Fence
    • pre-arm checks to ensure all calibration has been performed before arming (can be disabled by setting ARMING_CHECK to zero).  (video description here)
    • GPS failsafe - switches to LAND if GPS is lost for 5 seconds
    • stability patch improvements to stop rapid climbs in very overpowered or overtuned copters
  • Circle mode improvements including "panorama" when CIRCLE_RADIUS set to zero (Randy,Leonard)
  • SONAR_GAIN parameter added to allow better tuning of sonar surface tracking
  • CH8 auxiliary switch (same features as CH7)
  • works on PX4 (some minor features still not available) (Tridge,PatH)

How to upgrade:

1. Make sure you are using Mission Planner 1.2.59 or newer (get it here)

2. Click on the MissionPlanner's Hardware, Install Firmware screen.  The version numbers should appear as "ArduCopter-3.0.1", then click the appropriate frame icon and it should upgrade as per usual.

3. Reduce the Loiter and Alt Hold PIDs if you have modified them from the defaults.  The modified PID values for the 3DR frame can be seen in the image below.

Note: Nav parameters have been combined with Loiter so do not be concerned if you can't find them.

3691038784?profile=original

4. Although not directly related to this release, if you purchased an APM prior to March of 2013, update your PPM encoder to the latest firmware (instructions here).

5. Try out the new version in stabilize mode first, then alt-hold, then loiter and finally RTL and Auto.

Numerous How-To videos are available:

Special Thanks to Marco, DaveC and the large number of testers on the pre-release thread who put their copters at risk during the extended testing period.  Some of their videos can be found here, here, here, here, here and here.  Thanks also to MichaelO for the MP changes required for this release.

All feedback welcome.  Please put your questions, comments (good and bad!) below.

You need to be a member of diydrones to add comments!

Join diydrones

Tags: 301, arducopter, diydrones, release
Email me when people reply –
Follow

Replies

  • Peter July 30, 2013 at 9:39pm

    Hi guys have installed this code and tuned in Rate P so the hexa is solid. I would like to know which setting adjusts the speed that the hexa levels itself, at the moment it snaps back instantly and on the video looks bad. How can I make it more gentle so that it is a gentle and smooth level when I release the sticks.

     

    Regards Pete

  • Vince Hogg July 30, 2013 at 2:44am

    Hi.

    I’m just finalizing a shopping list for my new X8 build which included the APM 2.6.

    However, I am tempted by the PX4.

    I have been following the PX4 vs APM thread but it has lost the plot a bit.

    Could I trouble a guru for a brief summary before I ‘add to basket’?

     

    How long before we see the code diverging with ‘PX4 only’ features?

    Are there any major issues that I haven’t spotted yet? Can I use all the same sensors?

    Thanks.

    Vince

  • Mago July 30, 2013 at 1:22am

    hi all,

    i've successfully armed my escs after a radio calibration (lowering throttle values in the tx). I've still many issues to face:  quad is acting like crazy in stabilize mode and even worse in althold (non flyable). It seems to loose horizon. Vibration is quite low in my quad and other FC didn't suffer vibration issues, anyway i will check it with the tool as written in the wiki. I lowered P both on rate and stabilize, now it's 3,0. At default 4,5 is not flyable.

    any suggestion welcomed..

  • Reuben July 29, 2013 at 8:56pm

    Hi Randy 

    Ok regarding motor temp difference on ccw v's cw on a Hexa ..my logs show that the esc's are getting pretty much even input .log attached ..do you agree ? so why do one set draw more amps .. i will have to try and do some sort of amp test on each one ..thoughts?

    2013-07-30 15-46 1.log

  • Юрий Викторович Конев July 29, 2013 at 9:36am

    rc_speed option, you can detail about him running 50Hz This is the speed in Hertz that your ESCs will receive updates for conventional speed controllers may be only 50?

  • Eduard July 29, 2013 at 9:16am

    Hey fellows, just returned from little journey.

    me got sudden fall from about 7 meters in stabilize, actually fallen several times, everytime it stroke sudden.

    machine was not far than 20 meters from transmitter, happened with 3dr downlink and without it. First time thought low voltage, checked everytime after fall enough energy to maintain hover at least for couple of minutes, i use 4s battery, around 15,6V checked after fall.

    i also use slon dualband lrs with downlink, no connection issues were detected at the moment of fall

    may be disarm, have not yet cleared that.

  • renaud barbier July 29, 2013 at 8:34am

    hi guys, got a strange crash today while using the auto mode.

     

    I had set my first waypoint to 10m and after reaching it, instead of going forward for the next way point, it did some kind of back flight which seems to have created so stall and then it went down like if it could not push enough the props to fly.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOtPH1OKSsI&feature=youtu.be

     

    I am also uploading a second video which is from ground view. we can see the drone going to the waypoint, turning anticlockwise before reaching it and basically sliding onto the waypoint and then moving back.

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7xP5XNniVQ

    fortunately this is kind of industrial area with lots of desert and so even though it crashed in the court of our neighbouring factory, it was not too bad :-(. copter only got landing gear and blades damaged and should fly back tomorrow but need to find out what was wrong!

    is it because of the too low altitude on the waypoint? why did it let go down so much?

    In terms of power to weight ratio I am about 55-60% throttle for hovering

    3692787329?profile=original

  • Mago July 29, 2013 at 4:37am

    hi all,

    sorry guys, i have two major problems:

    1) is it possible that there's not a "search" function into this thread? How can find any solution just browsing 70+ pages all around?

    2) i cannot arm my CC phoenix 25A equipped quad with an apm 2.5 with fw 3.0.1. Escs don't give confirmation beep like they aren't getting right PWM signal. I think PWM values are wrong, but since they are fixed into ESCs, i think they should be changed into APM. How can i do it?

  • Rino Orlando July 28, 2013 at 11:51pm

    Small question for Randy or any other already tested it.... Alot of question ask for Under/over power multirotor and how to play with Thr_Mid value using the graph from Log data. ......looking in the parameter list there is a value tha pretend to say "This is automatic calculated value fron autopilot in stabilize..."sorry I forgott the name and the exact words (I don't have parametere in front of me).....

    The question is... can I use this data to set the THR_Mid value or the only way is to user the graph from logs???

     

    Thanks

    Rino

  • Rob Bartlett July 28, 2013 at 7:48pm

    Okay, I'm getting crickets on my other post so I'll try here.  

    Version 3.0.1, I was flying great in RTL, Loiter, and Auto. The only problem was my hexa was always yawed about 15 degrees off the GPS path while flying to waypoints.  I decided to try COMPASS_MOT to see if I could get it pointed straight.

    COMPASS_MOT gave me small values, but it borked Loiter.  Now the hexa is flying the toilet bowl pattern So I zeroed out the COMPASS_MOT X, Y, and Z and sent it up again to see if I fixed what was working before.

    On the test flight, stabilize mode,  the hexa suddenly dropped out of the sky and crashed, despite me applying full throttle.  I fixed the broken parts and tried again.  This time it became possessed and started flying its own deranged pattern while I frantically tried to regain control.  It was barely responding to control input, and I barely managed to get it into a controlled crash in the grass.

    So the machine  was flying great until I did the COMPASS_MOT thing.  Now it has been possessed by demons which are trying to kill my hexacopter.  Is anyone willing to stare at my logs and see if there's something obvious? 

    Logs are here: http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/now-i-m-crashing-all-of-a-sudden-...

    Thanks in advance, 

    Rob

This reply was deleted.

Activity