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
This occurs as soon as I bump the throttle stick (like the old auto mission take-off) and if it's going to happen in only seems to occur on the first take-off on a fresh battery.
Changing flight modes after arming but before take-off may be a contributing factor (haven't tested this enough to confirm).
It almost seems like there's a bit of leftover code from the old way of switching to alt hold which sets the middle zone to where your throttle currently is.
After taking off rapidly to around 5m the copter behaviour returns to normal for 3.1 with the throttle stick responding (go down - middle - go up).
I hope this issue is looked into because it can be a bit of a surprise when it happens.
I'll see if I can post a video and a log later.
I submitted this issue with plots of my log file related to 3.1RC5 (Nov 2) for a case where the Quad went diverged away from the loiter waypoint:
https://github.com/diydrones/ardupilot/issues/673
I'm not sure if the divergent control behavior was due to a bad configuration (gains too high) or if there is a bug. One odd thing is that the throttle was pegged once the quad got disturbed by the wind gust.
(I've attached the log file as well.)
Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!
2013-11-07 14-51 72.log
I have built a new quad and tuning is going well apart from a small problem with throttle in alt hold. When the quad is in alt hold mode you can see it move up and down a small amount very quickly and a fast rpm change on the motors. How can i tune this out have tried tuning all the throttle and alt PIDs with no luck.
Throttle.png
Hi Randy and Leonard,
Attached herewith my log on AC3.1-RC5. So far I have no complain, fly so well even though I have a motor issue. :)
By the way can you check if I have an acceptable vibration on board?
thanks.
2013-11-10 18-51 3.log
2013-11-10 18-51 3.log.gpx
Hi Randy & Leonar
All with APM Copter V3.1 RC5, please watch at 1080p.
Sorry but the Youtube video encoder is a horrible thing, the quality of the original source is much higher.
90% of the shots were taken in Loiter with Simple, the filmer controls tilt/roll of the gimbal and yaw of the multirotor.
Here my "Speedvision", used to create this clip:
Bests, Marco
I've come across an uncommanded movement while in loiter mode twice now in the last week. Running RC5 on a moderate sized (3.2kg) quad.
Most of the time loiter will work well, but the first time the other day I noticed the copter was moving quickly backwards in loiter when I had all sticks centered. I had to quickly switch into alt hold mode and bring it home. A subsequent flight after that didn't have issues with loiter that I could see.
Again today I was in loiter, looking at the fpv screen, and looked up and the copter was about 15m away from where it previously was, and accelerating sideways. Had to quickly switch back to alt hold and save it.
I'm pretty sure I have the vibrations well under control. Am running an external mag, and the gps receiver is raised up above the equipment platform.
Here are the logs - first flight - uncommanded movement around line 8000 - pitch in shows no input, but there are two sharp downwards pitch spikes: 2013-11-04 11-17 281.log
second flight - uncommanded roll movement to the left around 10:05:30: 2013-11-08 09-57-46.tlog
On the wiki page for data flash logs, http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/downloading-and-analyzing-data-log... , it describes how to enable logging of ERR messages.
On my 3.1-rc5, the cli command 'enable all' in the logs section does not show ERR as a log type. BTW, I am using the quad beta binary downloaded a couple of days ago from within MP.
Did it move somewhere else? Can we get the wiki page updated, if it did?
This all came about because somehow I was stuck with a FAILSAFE on my MP hud, and I went looking to see what was causing it. I finally did get it cleared, but still don't know exactly what it was from.
TIA,
Rick
Hello,can you pls help
I am having a problem..it is a big one,bcs i do not know what it is..
Yesterday iwe upload 3.1 rc5 to my APM2 and something is very wrong..i did all the prearm cheks and calibrations and also clean instal erase everything...after i arm my Y6 props start to spining normaly(i didnt like how fast so i lower them a bit) and everything seems ok BUT as soon as i raise my throttle motors start to spining eraticly and much faster as they should with given throttle,with fast oscilatons.....newer seen this before in 2yrs except once i we uploaded wrong firmwere for hexa instead Y6,and once somebody put wrong motor connection diagram for y6 on Wiki..so my first question is:are you sure Y6 firmwere is really y6 or something else?did anyone test it?ofcourse my esc and radio are calibrated and props all in right direction....my second question is;since i noticed my main power cable coming out from power harnes is loose somehow i deceided to make it stronger so i put a lot of solder on that conection(i mean a lot,twice as many ussually need it) can this be the reason bcs of internal resistence or something??that is only diference since i had 3.1 rc4 wich use to work normal...i cant think of any other reason(maybe my transmiter sending wrong throttle but i did not change anything on graupner MX20)..can you tell me what logs or tests i should make to determine what is the problem..my two cents go to power harnes but everithing looks ok,i dont have multimetar to check..pls help
2013-11-06 12-47-05.tlog
2013-11-06 12-49-00.tlog
I've tried to find this answer in the 310+ pages with no luck.
Is the motor spin on arm option available in RC5? If so, how do I enable it?
Thanks !
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