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)

You need to be a member of diydrones to add comments!

Join diydrones

Email me when people reply –

Replies

      • When in loiter or alt hold, could auto-disarm routine invoke in this cases:

        1. If drone need 20% throttle to hover => Thr In 50% and Thr Out 20% ?

        2. for drone  that need 45% throtte to hover => If during flight pilot request max negative vertical speed by pushing stick full down, so Thr In 0% and Thr out 44% ?

        Also:

        3. In the common uses,is it safe to put the throttle stick to the minimum to request drone down ?

        4. auto disarm routine input is Thr In or Thr Out ?

      • Hi Randy,

        thanks i'm using Futaba T14SG with Helicopter configuration to have 5 flight modes.

        RTL is on Autorotation switch and reduce the throttle to the low value.

        Since when was this feature introduced ? Normally i'm not using RTL but this was a new setup and i tried ...

        for sure RTL was working with this transmitter setup in 3.1.5.

        I need to find a different way to get the flight modes (have 5 copters with this setup)

        Thanks

        Thomas

        • Developer

          Thomas,

          It's been this way since before ArduCopter 2.4... the same thing certainly would have happened with AC3.1.5.

          Jonathan and I had a long chat about what we could do to protect against this and we can add a "debounce" to the "auto-armed" feature so it won't "auto-disarm" the instant the throttle goes to zero but instead wait 0.5sec (issue raised here).  The timing is tight to get this into AC3.2 and it's very sensitive code so we can't afford any mistakes so we're a bit reluctant to add it immediately but we will get it into AC3.3.  Maybe that's not a lot of consolation for your crash, sorry about that.  I guess in the interim you could set that TX switch so it doesn't reduce the throttle to zero as part of switching to RTL.

          • ok i have set throttle to 50% for rtl now ! will try again today and post the results

            Thanks

            Thomas

  • I cannot get an external LED to work. I tried a 3DR LED and a GoodLuck Buy LED. I tried them with the splitter and direct to the I2C port on the pixhawk. [ 3.2 RC10 ]  On my last Pixhawk [ God rest it's little microprocessor ] I just plugged it in and it worked.  Hope I can figure it out the one on the top is useless after 2 meters and I generally fly just a tad higher than that :]

    Also... I'm sure this is nit picking here but I would really like it if the pixhawk had it's own designated 4 pos connector for an external LED because adding a splitter to the I2C  essentially means  adding another connection needed for the external compass. More wires = more clutter = more risk of a faulty connection. I see that com port next to it..... hmmm... I'm sure this is a stupid question but I guess there's no way to set that up to be a LED con connection right? 

    • FYI the external compass is working so the I2C splitter seems fine. If anybody had an easy way to test an external LED on the bench or something I'd at least know if it's just my end of is it 3.2 or something. Thx

      • Developer

        Richard,

        My External LEDs are all fine on my pixhawk.  If a number of people are having the problem it could be a firmware issue but it's pretty unlikely.  Sooooo many people would complain if we broke that.

        • Yes that makes sense many many people would have complained by now. I guess that's good news overall but leaves me stumped. There's no setting anywhere that needs to be turned on right? I don't recall doing anything before just hooked it up and it worked. 

          • Developer

            Richard,

            No, it just senses whether it has an I2C enabled LED on the "external" I2C port and uses it if the device responds.  If it doesn't see one then it reverts to the LED on the "internal" I2C port.  You could try going back to AC3.1.5 to see if it works there (it likely won't).  You might try replacing the I2C cable, they do sometimes fail.

            • Didn't work in 3.1 either. Guess I'll contact 3DR it's not a firmware issue. Not a cable either as I've tried 3 separate cables and LED's. 

This reply was deleted.

Activity