Ardupilot 2.2 questions about setup and testing

First off thanks for all the hard work on this. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say you guys are awesome.A few things about my setup so far...I have all of the items for the shield excluding the connector for the xy&z sensors.I have not connected servos to the board.I am powering the board from a battery and have already resoldered the basic board for this.I am using the Diy Drones FTDI cable when doing any downloads.Now on to the questions.1) When I get to the Arduino IDE program. I cannot download the file to the board. I always get the following error:"avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x30avrdude: stk500_disable(): protocol error, expect=0x14, resp=0x51"I used to receive the error."avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00avrdude: stk500_disable(): protocol error, expect=0x14, resp=0x51"This error changed once I decided to try downloading the file without the shield plugged in. After removing the shield I was able to download the file just fine. Anyone else experience this? I know everyone else is having problem(s) similar to this but I was just curious if the error change really means anything? Is there anyway I can verify that the code loaded correctly? Maybe with some type of output from the board?2) After getting the code to load correctly I tried running the way point setup program. Again, I could not write way points correctly until I removed the shield and used the regular board. Is there anyway to verify that the way points were written correctly on board?3) The next step would be to add wireless comms to test out the new field station software but I was again curious if there was anyway I could determine if the code is being uploaded correctly before I do this. I also have the feeling that I would need to be able to download through the shield since the wireless setup goes through there.4) I am curious on this but will attaching/detaching the shield while the original board is powered on cause any damage to either boards? Please let me know.Some possibilities for errors:1) Faulty Shield board2) Lack of connector for xy&z sensors is causing problems.3) Lack of servos is causing problemsLet me know what you guys think. I am open to any ideas or criticisms. Thanks in advance.

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  • Alright so some good news.

    I double checked the soldering where the FTDI cable plugs into the shield and one of the pins wasn't soldered well. I redid the soldering and now I can download to the shield!! I can also read and write way points to the shield!!

    I feel stupid for making a dumb mistake like that, but I'm a noob when it comes to electrical work.

    I love it when things work right.
  • Ok I checked out the LED behavior.

    Before I uploaded the code the LED behavior was exactly as is described in the manual.

    After I upload the code to the board (without the Shield) I disconnect the FTDI cable and plug in the GPS. Once I do this I should expect the following LED behaivor (according to the manual).
    Power: On
    Stat: Will blink twice as GPS is programmed into binary mode, then blink steadily
    GPS Lock: Flashing while it attempts to aquire a lock; solid afterwards
    MUX: Will turn on briefly during boot, then stay off
    Mode: Off
    GPS LED: Off

    but instead I experience the following:
    Power: On
    Stat: Will blink twice as GPS is programmed into binary mode, then stays off
    GPS Lock: Repeatedly flashes and never acquires a lock it seems
    MUX: Off
    Mode: Off
    GPS LED: Off

    I have tested the GPS lock outdoors away from other building and other problems and I still experience this behavior.

    As I was rereading the manual, I was curious as to where the toggle switch is on my EM40. I haven't read anything about a toggle switch in the manual for it online. Are the lines in manual referencing the toggle because other types of GPS modules have them?

    Are the jumper pins from D6 to GND (on the shield) only to be used after you have uploaded code to the board? What does the reset switch on the Shield do exactly? Does it reset your home position?

    Once again thanks for all the help.
  • 3D Robotics
    You can verify if the code is loaded by checking the LED displays as shown in the manual. You can verify that the waypoints were written by reading them again from the configuration utility.

    We're not seeing the problem you are with loading code with the shield on. Have you tried with the GPS disconnected?
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