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.
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. 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!
Replies
Will rc2 include Pure Acro option? In other words, is Pure Acro version intended for rc2?
Patch for the vibrations during Loiter (with reflashed ESC and other):
I have tried now the new fix of Leonard (thanks mate) for this know problem, now vibrations completely disappeared during Loiter.
This great fix will be available in the next release.
Bests, Marco
Leonard and I have just pushed 3.0.1-rc2 into the downloads area, GitHub and it will also appear shortly in the mission planner's Beta firmwares area.
The changes are mostly small bug fixes but we've also reduced the Loiter Pos P to 0.2 and you may notice that your loiter is not quite as tight as before but we'd like people's feedback on what values work well for them (it should be between 0.2 and 1.0)
Improvements over 3.0.1-rc1
1) Rate Roll, Pitch and Yaw I fix when we hit motor limits
2) pre-arm check changes:
a) double flash arming light when pre-arm checks fail
b) relax mag field checks to 35% min, 165% max of expected field
3) loiter and auto changes:
a) reduced Loiter Pos P to 0.2 (was 1.0)
b) reduced Loiter speed to 5 m/s
c) reduced WP_ACCEL to 1 m/s/s (was 250 m/s/s)
d) rounding error fix in loiter controller (should remove wobbles when using SimonK ESCs)
4) Stability Patch fix which was freezing Rate Taw I term and allowing uncommanded Yaw
If all goes well we will make this the official version very soon so it will appear in the Mission Planner in place of 2.9.1b.
Thanks!
@Andre: are you still getting high compassmot values? I was using the same SS ESC's as you but have now changed to some SimonK flashed Turnigy 20A UBEC (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=...) and my compassmot dropped from 150+% to 35%, I just changed the ESC's
I was fliying FPV (went pretty far and high) and i noticed that APM seemed to loose it's 'level'. I was in stable mode and when i let go of the sticks it leveled itself ~15 degrees to right side (from OSD i saw that in it's mind it was leveled then). As i flew this 'leveling' point seemed to drift, but when i decended and was ready to land it was OK. What kind of logs should i enable to trace the problem?
Could it be some sort of firmware bug where acc errors accumulate or similar?
I've had this sort of leveling problem once before when i plugged my battery in and stated to fly, but for some reason 'level' point was completly off. Then i had to trim it to place again.
APM 2.5 with ext compass and V3 RC6 soft.
Hi all,
For those having loiter wobble problems I would like to get feedback on what your rate pids are set to. If you have the time I would like you to try reducing your Rate Pid's and especially your Rate D terms.
If you could post the PID values for Roll and Pitch that you were seeding the wobble on and then what values you tired and what you saw.
Thanks!
I am so impressed with 3.0.1 rc1 It just works!
Stable mode, loiter, RTL, auto all work perfectly!
I did struggle a bit getting it to arm the first time until I learned about the mandatory pre-flight calibrations, which is a good idea in hindsight.
I have one nagging issue that isn't 3.0 related. I had this issue with 2.9.1 as well. When in loiter, my altitude jumps around quite a bit. Is this typically a vibration issue, or something with the barometric pressure sensor not being shielded well enough from prop wash? What should I be looking at in my to help me determine the cause and what to be looking at?
Horizontal position holds unbelievably well. I was just out flying 15-20 mph wind and in loiter mode, it stayed in about a 4' circle horizontally. Almost unbelievable! :-)
Thanks in advance and to the team for really AWESOME software!
Have the mission planner issues been resolved?
hey randy
yesterday I tried arducopter v3 on my quadcopter
I use NEO-6M GPS module
Stabilize mode looks good
loiter mode looks good
poshold mode looks good
althold mode looks good
but when I tried to RTL mode with distance approximately 10m away from the home point
4 of quadcopter motors stop working as there is no signal that go to esc
and finally crashes: D
whether the NEO-6M GPS module is not good for the APM
or the need for an external BEC to power APM
thanks before
sorry my bad english
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