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
Thanks
I won't be available much today so there will likely be a 24h delay on the review of those -rc6 related logs but I'll be back looking at them tomorrow though along with giving Emin's another review.
Hi Randy,
I read this for the AC3.1-rc6 release notes "GPS failsafe options to trigger AltHold instead of LAND or to trigger LAND even if in flight mode that does not require GPS"
Could you explain why checking /triggering GPS failsafe if you're flying in flight mode that does not require GPS ? This could be annoying don't you think ?
I am running 3.01 (not an RC) and tried autotune today and it would not engage. I saw that RC4 had an issue with it engaging but didn't see anything about 3.01 having an issue. Anyone have any suggestions on what to check? I have it on channel 7 and confirmed that it was going high enough in MP. Should I try RC6?
Thanks
OK...since no one bother to check my issues with crash during autotune on 3.1rc5 few pages back today i uploaded 3.1 rc6,did compasscalibration and compassmot afterwards...since i broke my 15.5x4.5 props yesterday i found i have some 13 and 14 inch so i put 13x4.5 up and 14.5 down since somebody on forum(about 3DR new y6) test that combination(bigger down)..i did not noticed difference except i had to raise throttle mid to 560 from 490...y6 was flying nice except alt hold was not so good...anyway i deceide to run autotune again.....
1. I started autotune around 10m and during process y6 was raising bit by bit so after some time i was on 20m still autotuning left and right..
2. after some time (now on 25m..)still doing left and right,y6 did 1 fast lean on right and back but that was almost 90 deegree and back so i lost my nerves and switch to stabilize and land down....
Third:about the battery issue wich Leonard mentioned it might be a case of autotune failure from yesterday with 3.1rc5 explaind few pages back;there is few issues;my attopilot sensor give me different readings all the time so i never know for real what is voltage except at beggining when i mesure them and at end when i mesure them again..it is ok when i have only VOLTAGE(Not voltage and current), OTHER selected for typ of sensor and then i leave that way,the value i enter stay correct,but as soon as i change to ATTOPILOT SENSOR 180A readings are wrong(and sometimes correct)..
About batterys;today first set of 6S 8000mAh x 2 ended batt no.1 at 22.12V(from25.18V),batt no2 at 22.09V and it is a bit inflated!!???second set(iwe used during autotune) end up both bat at 22.97V
one of this to logs is correct one...and first log from test flight i cant download bcs it stops at some point(reading 187438 0)
2013-11-16 16-45 11.log
2013-11-16 16-48 12.log
Hmm...I don't like the number of issues that are being reported so I'm rolling back the MP's beta firmwares version to AC3.1-rc5 until I have some more time to investigate these issues and ensure that they're not related to -rc6.
Hi all,
I experienced an issue on the first attempt to fly with rc6, I upgraded from rc5 to rc6 keeping the same parameters.
After arming the engines, they do not start.
Are initiated only by raising the quad
Watch the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En_ji4FNHc0&feature=youtu.be
2013-11-16 15-10 39.log
AC 3.1-rc6 is now available through the Mission Planner's Beta firmwares link or on github. There were quite a few changes, mostly safety related since -rc5. These changes include:
1) Heli improvements:
a) support for direct drive tails (uses TAIL_TYPE and TAIL_SPEED parameters)
b) smooth main rotor ramp-up for those without external govenor (RSC_RAMP_TIME)
c) internal estimate of rotor speed configurable with RSC_RUNUP_TIME parameter to ensure rotor at top speed before starting missions
d) LAND_COL_MIN collective position used when landed (reduces chance copter will push too hard into the ground when landing or before starting missions)
e) reduced collective while in stabilize mode (STAB_COL_MIN, STAB_COL_MAX) for more precise throttle control
f) external gyro parameter range changed from 1000~2000 to 0~1000 (more consistent with other parameters)
g) dynamic flight detector switches on/off leaky-i term depending on copter speed
2) SingleCopter airframe support (contribution from Bill King)
3) Drift mode replaces TOY
4) MPU6k SPI bus speed decreased from 8Mhz to 500khz after 4 errors
5) Safety related changes:
a) crash detector cuts motors if copter upside down for more than 2 seconds
b) INS (accel and gyro) health check in pre-arm checks
c) ARMING_CHECK allows turning on/off individual checks for baro, GPS, compass, parameters, board voltage, radio
d) detect Ublox GPS running at less than 5hz and resend configuration
e) GPSGlitch acceptable radius reduced to 5m (stricter detection of glitches)
f) range check roll, pitch input to ensure crazy radio values don't get through to stabilize controller
g) GPS failsafe options to trigger AltHold instead of LAND or to trigger LAND even if in flight mode that does not require GPS
h) Battery failsafe option to trigger RTL instead of LAND
i) MOT_SPIN_ARMED set to zero by default
6) bug fixes:
a) missing throttle controller initialisation would mean Stabilize mode's throttle could be non-tilt-compensated
b) inertial nav baro and gps delay compensation fix (contribution from Neurocopter)
c) GPS failsafe was invoking LAND mode which still used GPS for horizontal control
Unless there are serious issue found, I expect this (or something extremely similar) will become the official AC-3.1 release and I will be creating a new "AC3.1 ready for wider testing" discussion within a few days.
One thing that I'm very interested in finding out is what are the best values for the GPSGLITCH_RADIUS and GPSGLITCH_ACCEL values. Best means the lowest values (i.e. strictest so we catch more glitches) that doesn't create lots of false positives. RADIUS should be between 100 ~ 1000 (i.e. 1m ~ 10m) and ACCEL should be 300 ~ 1000 (i.e. 3m/s/s ~ 10m/s/s). Any feedback on this or anything else related to -rc6 very much appreciated.
hello i dont know if i can request something of the programmers but since "Warning #4: loiter turns does not maintain altitude. This bug will be fixed in AC-3.0.2." is a Bug, is there any chance altitude params can be added to that function?
I am thinking how useful it would be if i could Send params that says Start at this Altitude, then End at this Altitude, Always point nose to the Way Point Center.. I am asking this because as a camera person, I would find this a very cinematic shot.
If those params arent changed, it would just circle at its current altitude. if it cant be done, i understand, i am sure you ahve more pressing issues, i was looking for a script for this but thats harder to find than to ask this question.
thanks in advance, keep up the good work.
I have some train tunnel cam from 3.1 rc5 :)
-
7
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
of 42 Next