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.
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.
Replies
hi all, I have a question maybe trivial:
Why with AC 3.1 rc5 (after start-initialization APM 2.5 ), I have the yellow LED solid?
Calibrations prearm OK.
The motors arm are started correctly..
thx
G.
Hi, just a quick question.
Does APM log or tlog records the RC stick position?
Thanks
Hi,
I have converted my HEXA-B to an X8 configuration. It looks very similar to the 3DR RTF X8 except it has a much higher landing gear. AUW is almost 5Kg ( I have an NEX5T with gimbal attached and I use 2X 5800 mah) . It flies perfectly well in Stabilize and Alt Hold. Loiter works ok in calm winds. However, the response is a bit sluggish when I navigate in loiter mode. Also, when little winds pick up (5 - 10 mph), loiter is not accurate at all. Compassmot is at 6%, declination is per your instructions.
Attached is my current configuration. What would suggest I modify next? I have Loiter PID at 0.5 because of the 3.0.1 bug. Where should I go from here?
Thanks, you guys do a great job.
Screen Shot 2013-11-04 at 5.36.22 PM.png
Randy does this comment you advised earlier still apply in rc4 to get better throttle height control stability?
"Re Throttle Accel vs Throttle Rate, generally you should only need to tune the throttle accel P and I terms. Remember to keep the ratio of P to I the same as the default. I.e. raise or lower both by 20% (or whatever)."
In the Wiki it seems to recommends tuning THROTTLE_P which I am assuming is THR_RATE_P as its listed under the full parameter list and not THR_ACCEL_P?
"The same is true for Altitude hold. Throttle Rate P needs to be adjusted to get optimum altitude performance."
"My copter increasingly swings up and down in alt hold. It eventually get’s down to the ground: Your THROTTLE_P is too high or low. You don’t need a lot of P to do alt hold. Think of how much you move the throttle to hold alt perfectly. Not much! That’s what you need P to do. I will ramp up as your battery goes lower to make up the difference."
I also assume its best to fine tune Roll/Pitch RATE P first before doing the throttle tuning?
Hi,
My friend just crashed his octocopter today and I don't know interpret this log.
It was a mission for mapping a small property, everything looked all right and then it took off in stabilize mode and then loiter to confirm if everything was good, after a few seconds it changed to auto and it went directly to waypoint 1, then something happened and it went to the right and after that a crash in the tree. I can see in the tlog that it goes from auto to loiter then failsafe LAND...
Can someone help me understand what went wrong? Is this possible with only the tlog?
2013-11-01%2010-54-53.tlog
OBS: THE FLIGHT STARTS AT 95% of the LOG.
One thing I'm finding strange is the fact that the printscreen he took in the momento of the crash is different on what the log is showing. Why?
THE PRINTSCREEN
TLOG the BLUE LINE goes to the side then goes to the tree that it crashed:
I think the right path is the first printscreen, the second contains some kind of log glitch...
We really need to know what happened, please someone help us!
Is it possible to insert in arducopter the camera trigger function based on distance covered like in arduplane?
Tnx
Just added my external compass and loaded 3.1 rc5. Seems better in loiter (no toilet bowling - no compasmot) and rtl is solid.
http://youtu.be/__pXZ9MDXlM
First thanks to dev team for the wonderfull work they do.
Recently I got my PX4FMU/IO and decided to try the autotune with 3.1-RC5.
everything looks good at the end of the autotune procedure the QUAV is very well tuned and very pleasant to fly except that I can't memorized the values (I am doing exactly what is discribed in the autotune procedure ,land disarm with autotune switch hight).then I check in mission planner all PID's were unchanged !!!.
Can someone tells me what I am doing wrong.
After, I had change Motors from T-Motor MT4008 600kv to MN 3110-26 470 kv is very stable and temp max about 43 C only. And I still flight with 3.1-rc5 is no have Problem it.
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
of 42 Next