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ArduCopter-3.0 ready for wider use

Posted by Randy on June 17, 2013 at 6:33pm

ArduCopter 3.0 is ready for widespread use.  To make the transition easier, this time we are asking people to voluntarily upgrade from 2.9.1b for the next month or so before we make 3.0 the default firmware downloaded by the mission planner.  The new version can be found in the Mission Planner's Beta firmware's link, firmware.diydrones.com, GitHub and the new Downloads Area.

Warning #1: A bug was found in the FENCE in which if you lost GPS it could lean at extreme angles as it tried to maintain an invalid position.  This is fixed in AC3.0.1-rc1.

Warning #2: This release has not been fully tested on Traditional Helicopters

Warning #3: GPS glitches can cause sudden and aggressive position changes while in loiter mode.  You may wish to reduce the WPNAV_ACCEL to 100 and Loiter PID to 0.2 (from 1.0) to reduce aggressiveness.

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.

http://ardupilot.com/downloads/?did=63

2. Click on the MissionPlanner's Firmware screen and click the "Beta Firmwares" link on the bottom right.  The version numbers should update to "ArduCopter-3.0.1rc2", then click the appropriate frame icon and it should upgrade as per usual.

3691031698?profile=original3. 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.

3691032069?profile=original

3691032034?profile=original

4. If you purchased an APM prior to March of 2013, update your PPM encoder to the latest firmware.

http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-ppm-encoder/

http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-ppm-encoder-apm2x-atmega32u2/

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

Special Thanks to Marco, DaveC and the rest of the beta testers for putting 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.  

Added by Craig:

Please watch Randy's videos on setting up and flying APM-Copter 3.0 before you go flying.  They are excellent!

3DR Quad Set-Up Suggestions        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33Tl_rjhQEE
AC 3.0 "Live" Compass Calibration  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmsueBS0J3E
AC 3.0 CompassMot Setup                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vZoPZjqMI4
AC 3.0 Pre-Arm Checks                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ3H2eLmStI
AC 3.0 Fence                                         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDnGdo54o-4
AC 3.0 Maiden Flight Checks             http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOQPrTdrQJM

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Tags: 30, 3drobotics, arducopter, diydrones
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Replies

  • Luciano Zanchi June 25, 2013 at 2:05pm

    Testing Arducopter32 V 3.0Rc6 on VBRAIN Flight Control Board: LOITER, AUTO, GUIDED and RTL in a windy day. Copter is a DIY old "poor man quadcopter"...no hi tech! :)

    Version 3 is really great! New 3D navigation is impressive. Position control is pretty accurate.

  • Andrew Fernie June 25, 2013 at 1:55pm

    I am running AC3.0, loaded from the MP, on  3DR quad with 880kV motors 10x4.5 props and a 4S battery. This was quite easy to get tuned on 2.9.1 with parameters close to the defaults - RATE_PITCH_P/I/D was at 0.11/.1/.004 and STAB_PITCH_P at 3.7. Loiter and auto modes were working well also.

    With the same machine on 3.0 I have had to take RATE_PITCH_P/I/D down to 0.03/.04/.001. This is just to get it controllable in stabilize mode. Alt hold mode is functional, if a bit bouncy, but still need to work the vibration isolation.  Haven't moved to loiter. With parameters close to the default (even bringing RATE_P down to minimum recommended 0.08) it was extremely sensitive to throttle positions and oscillated badly.

    I am surprised that I have had to tune it down so far compared to 2.9.1.  Does this make sense?

    Thank you,

    Andrew

  • ziggy95 June 25, 2013 at 1:40pm

    I'd like to thanks all the development team of arducopter.

    Version 3.0 is great and i am really happy to use it in my neo/nexaircraft.

    Here's a video :

    http://youtu.be/eKo25-n_aM8

    Today , i have tested loiter and rth and it's diabolic ^^

  • Developer
    Marco Robustini June 25, 2013 at 12:44pm

    Two drones, two radio, one pilot... with APM Copter you can! ;-)

    Bests, Marco

  • Christian June 25, 2013 at 11:49am

    Hi,

    the Connect Button is in the right outside of the windows form if screen resolution is to small. i.e. 1024x768

    I've tested that on two XP machines. Same behaviour. So try to higher your resolution and your button is back.

    For my little thinkpad the time has come, because 1024x768 is already maximum

  • Alex O. June 25, 2013 at 11:17am

    @ Monroe...

    Nope. That doesn't work either.

    Here is what google tells me...3692756113?profile=original

  • Alex O. June 25, 2013 at 9:14am

    Hi Randy,

    I started the mission planner today. I wanted to do some test hovering and vibration test. Mission planner warned me about an upgrade. I had just upgraded to 1.2.53 the other day. I clicked yes and it upgraded to 1.2.56

    I got to see the upgraded graphics. But I cannot download any log in the Terminal Window now.

    When I click on "Log download", I see strange characters on the screen and I get frequent error messages.

    Is this a new issues? I didn't change anything recently...

    Do I need to roll back to 1.2.53? I don't even know if there is an easy way to do it though...

    Thanks

    Portion of the error message I get:

    Error reading data System. Overflow Exception: Aritmetic operation resulted in an overflow at System. OI.Ports.SerialPort.ReadExisting(). 

    etc. ect. it goes on and on

  • Sean Limes June 25, 2013 at 7:56am

    Hi, I wanted to point out that on my AC-3.0 Tricopter I am experiencing the wobbles/jitter in loiter that Marco described and has shown in videos. It is  very pronounced and immediately goes away when switching to alt hold or stab.  I have played with the PIDs quite a bit in an attempt to make it more stable but have failed to reduce or eliminate the loiter jitters. I fly FPV and it is very apparent...   

    I have very low vibrations (<=0.3 ), APM located 5 inches from current carrying wires. ESCs are HK F-30's reflashed with Wii-Esc. Previously I had tried 3.0rc5 on a different Tri with SimonK flashes and it experienced the same wobble...

    Everything else is working great. Love the new loiter behavior.  

  • 100KM
    Wesley Versfeld June 25, 2013 at 7:42am

    Hi,

    I took my hexa out for a quick test flight, and Alt Hold and Loiter performed very well. But I do think I need to do some tuning on Alt Hold P as the copter moves about 3m vertically in Loiter. The motion can be described as dropping fairly quickly and recovering just before I need to switch to Stab, then it climbs slowly until it reaches the correct height, hangs there for 5 - 10 seconds, and repeats (allmost as if an I term is maxed?). I increased Alt Hold P, but the only affect it had was that the copter dropped even quicker, but with the same slow climb.

    Another thing I noticed, when I tried to move the copter forward while in loiter mode, it would stick up to a point where it would reposition (I guess this is normal, from AC2.9 experience), but the weird thing is that the copter climbs once it starts to move, and once I let go of the sticks it drops to below it's original height and climbs slowly again (same as above motion).

    There was quite a bit of wind around, and the copter would only follow this up and down motion when there were gusts. in quiet conditions it just sits there as if it was suspended from a rope (very cool to see)

    Can someone give my log a once over and possibly make recommendations on what to tune? Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.

    2013-06-25 14-29 1.log

    2013-06-25 13-32-10.tlog

  • Moderator
    Graham Dyer June 25, 2013 at 7:16am

    What else would be cause interference for the compass - the battery? LED wiring? the RC Rx? RC Rx wiring?

     

    I've moved my main power cable away from the APM and given the cable a good amount of twist and my interference has gone up from 167% to 173%!

    How can I shield the APM better?

This reply was deleted.

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