Developer

ArduCopter-3.2 beta testing

Warning #1: PX4/Pixhawk users upgrading from AC3.1.5 (or earlier) may need to re-do their compass and accelerometer calibration because AC3.2 also uses the backup compass and accels.  Pre-arm checks have been added to ensure this has been done.

Warning #2: on the APM2.x the logs must be downloaded using MAVlink instead of the terminal.

AC3.2-rc14 is now available for BetaTesters through the mission planner’s Beta Firmwares link.  The full release notes can be found in ReleaseNotes.txt and changes from -rc13 can be seen below.

     Feel free to raise issues found during testing on this discussion or in the new support section in the APM Forum.

     It’s a big release with “the onion” restructure and a bunch of new features (including these 57 closed items) so we need to re-test almost everything including all flight modes, all mission commands and all the new features.  Marco and I will be maintaining (and adding to) this testing list.  Issues reported will first be checked by Jonathan, Marco and I and then confirmed bugs/issues will be put on the github issues list (and then hopefully fixed).

     Thanks especially to the beta testers who put their copters at risk testing each release.  Enjoy!

Changes from 3.2-rc13
1) Safety Features:
     a) fail to arm if second gyro calibration fails (can be disabled with ARMING_CHECK)
2) Bug fixes:
    a) DCM-check to require one continuous second of bad heading before triggering LAND
    b) I2C bug that could lead to Pixhawk freezing up if I2C bus is noisy
    c) reset DCM and EKF gyro bias estimates after gyro calibration (DCM heading could drift after takeoff due to sudden change in gyro values)
    d) use primary GPS for LED status (instead of always using first GPS)

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              • Thanks Randy, If required, I can provide my order number of 3DR via which I purchased the APM2.52. Thy can ship it in semi-assembled condition means servo connectors not soldered. Pls guide me if I need to initiate mail and whom.

  • Hi Randy,

    Possible Log Paging Fault in v3.2RC versions or Mission Planner Mavlink Download???

    I've seen this now several times in other peoples v3.2 logs that I have been analyzing but I've always assumed they must have done something wrong. However, I now have one of my own...

    I have attached a .bin and the original .log files as extracted using MavLink (Mission Planner 1.3.10 build 1.1.5369.11976)

    Look at the bottom, the FMT / PARM lines start again, look closely at the RC7_OPT in the top and bottom of the log - parameters are part of different logs!

    Recreating the .log file again from the .bin file produces the same results.

    Have you seen this before?

    I also have another one from another user where 3 random parameters appear in the middle of the logs for the Compass Offsets, maybe this is intentional though as the firmware learns ??

    Kev

    • Developer

      Thanks for the logs and analysis.

      The flights all look pretty good.  The Altitude hold is very solid and if you look at the ATT messages's ErrYaw column we can see the numbers are generally very low (i.e. under 0.10) and the maximum is only 0.18 radians which means the vehicle never had more than 10degrees of heading error which is very very good.

      I wouldn't worry too much about the slow loops.  It's a little worse than AC3.1.5 for both APM and Pixhawk.  The APM is just because we're really pushing the CPU.  In my testing the high priority stuff is all still running ok though so it'll be fine I think.

      The log truncation thing is odd.  The easiest way to spot it is to graph the TimeMS column from any message and if the logs have been truncated you'll see big jumps.  Normally we don't log when disarmed so small jumps up (i.e. forward in time) are normal but huge jumps or jumps backwards are clearly log corruption.

      I have seen a couple of logs like this myself, I'm unsure of the cause so I guess it'll require some analysis.  It's not affecting the actual flight performance though so I think it'll be looked into as a post AC3.2 release item.

      • As always thanks for taking the time to reply and providing so much details to all of us!

        Since I spend most of my time looking and learning how to analyse logs I will watch out for the truncation issues and try to find the specific circumstances when it occurs in the hope it helps you with the fix. 

        One point to note is that in my case I can find the matching data in another previous log, a v3.1 log that was created a few days before I upgraded. If you have only seen this occasionally then maybe it only occurs until the Flash Memory has been completely overwritten after an upgrade to v3.2. I'll find this out soon as I have just started overwriting my first v3.2 logs. 

        Kev

    • The Files :)

      2014-11-02 11-49-18.bin

      2014-11-02 11-49-18 (original).log

  • Hi Randy,

    A few test flight here with V3.2Rrc14 on APM v2.5.2 ext Compass on a 600mm Octa-Quad design (proved very reliable using v3.1).

    Performed an erase and reset before upgrading and doing config / calibration.

    From a pilot point of view on the ground I saw no issues at all in (AutoTune, Large Auto Mission and General flying around).

    Have you worked on the change of modes?  I.e. forward flight to RTL seemed very smooth and controlled, no heart stopping jerk as with v3.1?

    First Log, AutoTune, light wind, medium gusts, all looks OK except the APM Speed Issues, would you say these are unacceptable?

    02/11/2014 11:50:42 - 002950: Mode Changed to 430
    02/11/2014 11:50:42 - 002950: Mode Initialised at 53.4500898 -1.2122142 Alt: 6.38 Spd:1.1
    02/11/2014 11:50:42 - 002951: AUTOTUNE_INITIALISED
    02/11/2014 11:50:43 - 002998: Rx Information: CH7 Switch is High.
    02/11/2014 11:50:43 - 002998: Rx Information: CH7 function: Enable / Disable Auto Tune
    02/11/2014 11:51:23 - 004991: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 15 @ 10.724ms
    02/11/2014 11:51:23 - 004991: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:51:23 - 004991: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:52:23 - 008361: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 6 @ 12.807ms
    02/11/2014 11:52:23 - 008361: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:52:23 - 008361: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:53:23 - 011814: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 8 @ 10.546ms
    02/11/2014 11:53:23 - 011814: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:53:23 - 011814: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:53:53 - 013666: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 14 @ 10.753ms
    02/11/2014 11:53:53 - 013666: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:53:53 - 013666: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:54:13 - 014751: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 7 @ 10.612ms
    02/11/2014 11:54:13 - 014751: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:54:13 - 014751: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:55:13 - 018220: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 25 @ 11.831ms
    02/11/2014 11:55:13 - 018220: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:55:13 - 018220: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:56:23 - 022742: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 6 @ 10.572ms
    02/11/2014 11:56:23 - 022742: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:56:23 - 022742: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:56:33 - 023582: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 6 @ 10.679ms
    02/11/2014 11:56:33 - 023582: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:56:33 - 023582: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:56:39 - 023999: AUTOTUNE_SUCCESS
    02/11/2014 11:56:53 - 024527: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 16 @ 14.954ms
    02/11/2014 11:56:53 - 024527: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:56:53 - 024527: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:57:03 - 024896: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 27 @ 12.859ms
    02/11/2014 11:57:03 - 024896: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 11:57:03 - 024896: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 11:57:05 - 024960: Update Program to include this Event: 17
    02/11/2014 11:57:05 - 024992: Landed
    430 Flight Time (Session)= 383 seconds, 6:23

    Second Log, Large Auto Mission (1.2 mile), light wind, medium gusts, all looks OK except lots of APM Speed Issues, for example but all the way through:

    02/11/2014 12:15:02 - 018018: Auto Command: 10 of 11
    02/11/2014 12:15:02 - 018018: Auto Command: Navigate to New Way Point
    02/11/2014 12:15:02 - 018018: Auto Command: Navigate From WP9: 53.4516300 -01.2074660 with current Altitude of 30.48m
    02/11/2014 12:15:02 - 018018: Auto Command: to WP10: 53.4515700 -01.2114140 with current Altitude of 30.48m
    02/11/2014 12:15:02 - 018018: Auto Command: WP - WP Distance: 261.50m
    02/11/2014 12:15:12 - 018465: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 26 @ 12.585ms
    02/11/2014 12:15:12 - 018465: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 12:15:12 - 018465: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 12:15:22 - 018935: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 26 @ 12.94ms
    02/11/2014 12:15:22 - 018935: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 12:15:22 - 018935: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 12:15:32 - 019412: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 27 @ 10.752ms
    02/11/2014 12:15:32 - 019412: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 12:15:32 - 019412: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 12:15:42 - 019887: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 19 @ 13.726ms
    02/11/2014 12:15:42 - 019887: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 12:15:42 - 019887: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 12:15:52 - 020353: APM Speed Error: The number of long running main loops is 29 @ 13.548ms
    02/11/2014 12:15:52 - 020353: APM Speed Error: A one off here could be ignored but if repeated in this log,
    02/11/2014 12:15:52 - 020353: APM Speed Error: then try disabling some logs, for example INAV, MOTORS and IMU.
    02/11/2014 12:15:59 - 020704: Auto Command: Hit WP10 Radius: 53.4515736 -01.2112103 at an Altitude of 30.79m - 13.494m to center.

    Also, I seem to have had a couple of IC2 errors in the log.

    31/10/2014 11:02:57 - 025077: Take Off
    31/10/2014 11:02:59 - 025115: I2C Error: At least one I2C error has been detected.
    31/10/2014 11:02:59 - 025115: I2C Error: Current Value of PM Parameter PM_INSErr is 10

    Then I noticed the Date and Time changes, look at GPS DataLine 25051 in the second log, then look at 25058 - the GPS time changes significantly. Is this because the APM is struggling, never noticed this under v3.1 !  I look at most logs since I'm writing a program.

    Third Log, try Pos-Hold, light wind, medium gusts, all looks OK except fails to enter Pos-hold Mode:

    02/11/2014 12:42:32 - 009020: Mode Changed to Stabilize
    02/11/2014 12:42:32 - 009020: Mode Initialised at 53.4501701 -1.2119543 Alt: -0.26 Spd:0.34
    02/11/2014 12:44:11 - 009117: Take Off
    02/11/2014 12:44:11 - 009130: Auto Mode is waiting for Throttle.
    02/11/2014 12:44:22 - 009550: FLIGHT MODE ERROR: the vehicle was unable to enter Position mode.

    Is position mode even available using the APM?

    Lots of APM speed issues noted in this log also.

    For info, I do get some APM speed issues under v3.1, but very few!

    I'll try to lower the logging next and see if the APM Speed Issues are reduced.

    Was Logging: GPS, CTUN, PM, CURR, NTUN, MSG, ATUN, ATDE, ATT, MODE, EV, DU32, ERR, RCIN, RAD

    Kev

    RC14 - Bionicbone X8 - AutoTune - 2014-11-02 11-49-18.log

    RC14 - Bionicbone X8 - Large Auto Mission - 2014-11-02 12-08-31.log

    RC14 - Bionicbone X8 - PosHold and General - 2014-11-02 12-36-46.log

    • Ignore the Date change part of the above, it is due to what I describe below, part of another erased log !!

  • Hi,
    During a flight with 3.2RC14 I think I had a false positive with the EKF error as documented by logs and figure.
    place the log for error analysis and a possible explanation.


    Thanks Fabio


    regards

    3701864995?profile=original

    2014-11-01 14-56-38.zip

    • Developer

      Fabio,

      I think there's a significant heading problem with the vehicle, I don't believe it's a false positive.  This can be seen by plotting the ATT's ErrYaw column.  The error numbers are in radians but you can see that the numbers are spiking to over 0.8 radians (=60degrees) when the EKF_CHECK triggers which is the correct behaviour. Also the heading error is off by 0.5 radians (i.e. 30degrees) for large sections of the flight.

      3702530411?profile=originalI think the root cause of the problem is that you're using the throttle based compassmot.  The current based compassmot is far better and I'm actually planning to remove the throttle based compassmot for AC3.3 (so only current based compensation will be available).

      I guess the VRBrain doesn't come with a current monitor or you're using 6S batteries?  In either case, I'd recommend turning off the compassmot (set COMPASS_MOTCT=0) and just make sure the external compass is placed well away from interference (i.e. on a mast).

      Below shows the throttle (blue) vs compass field length (red).  There doesn't seem to be a strong correlation which is good but certainly the mag-field length is moving up and down quite a lot which is not good.

      3702530345?profile=original

      • Hi Randy,
        Thank you very much for the explanations very clear on the EKF error occurred during the flight. Yes I am using a VR μBrain and there is the pin for the current measurement. Ok for the suggestion to set the COMPASS_MOTCT = 0 will do this test. The GPS ublox M8 is already installed on a tower of 7cm and is the power board for a total of 13cm, I will try to raise more than a few inches not think it's possible more (cables permitting).
        I would like to know if you can since you've peeked in the log an opinion on the setting of the quad, if you can improve the setup.

        Great job Team

        regards Fabio

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