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Permalink Reply by Scott Quartochi on August 3, 2010 at 8:56am

I have seen several times not to connect the usb and esc at the same time. But if jumper sj1 is open, then it should be ok right?

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Permalink Reply by Jimmy P. on August 3, 2010 at 11:43am

If you desolder sj1, you can use 2 different power sources. 1, a 5v power source and the other is usually your LiPo battery.
What you may need is a BEC so that you can use the battery to power two different sources w/ just the LiPo battery.
In the case of 1 source, you would have the sj1 joint closed. If you want to use 2 sources, leave sj1 open.

That being said, I have also powered the APM by removing the V+ pin from my throttle cable in both the in and out locations (the 3rd channel in my case) and then hooking up a 5V source (usb) to power the receiver and the board while leaving the battery to power the motor and ESC. In this case, the motor is still hooked up to the GND and Signal pin of the APM.

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DeveloperPermalink Reply by Michael Smith on August 3, 2010 at 3:24pm

I'm not sure that I'd recommend it, but I've had no trouble with USB and 5V from a bench supply simultaneously.

USB alone doesn't seem to be enough to power a couple of servos when tinkering on the bench...

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Permalink Reply by Scott Quartochi on August 3, 2010 at 4:34pm

Thanks guys, I am having problems configuring the ESC's. I did it directly connected to my RX. then connect it to the APM and all I get is cal mode cant make any changes.


TowerPro w25A Brushless Speed Controller

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Permalink Reply by Scott Quartochi on August 3, 2010 at 4:47pm

Do I have to match the output of the APM to what I get from the APM?

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DeveloperPermalink Reply by Michael Smith on August 3, 2010 at 4:50pm

When you say "cal your ESC", are you referring to teaching the ESC the endpoints as output by APM?

Assuming the TP ESC you're using is one of the Hobbywing designs where you power up at max throttle, then go to minimum to set the endpoint calibration, have you considered getting your hands on a servo tester and going the other way?

The GWS servo tester is cheap and can be used to both generate and measure servo pulse widths. Use the tester to set a sensible range (e.g. 1000 to 2000) and then configure APM to suit...

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Permalink Reply by Scott Quartochi on August 3, 2010 at 5:01pm

I have a scope. i think i will hook that up and take a look

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DeveloperPermalink Reply by Michael Smith on August 3, 2010 at 5:05pm

You can use a scope + tx + rx combo to achieve the same effect, yes.

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DeveloperPermalink Reply by Sandro Benigno on August 3, 2010 at 5:15pm

Hey Scott! If I understand your question... Like Michael said all you need to do is:

1 - power up you TX and move throttle stick all up (max)
2 - connect your ESC on RX and so power it up with a Lipo battery
3 - you will hear something like a "Teletubies" music beeps
4 - set throttle stick down (min) to save the setup
5 - you will hear another beeps tone
6 - you can power it down and it's OK

Regards

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Permalink Reply by Scott Quartochi on August 3, 2010 at 5:23pm

I did this, but when I connect the ESC's to the APM it just beeps fast. indicating throttle not in bottom position.

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DeveloperPermalink Reply by Michael Smith on August 3, 2010 at 5:36pm

This is the part I was referring to - now that your ESC is calibrated to your Tx, use the scope to measure the actual pulse width coming from the Rx. Once you have this, edit the APM config header to set the range for the throttle channel output. 

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Permalink Reply by Scott Quartochi on August 3, 2010 at 5:36pm

APM out is to high. Can i change it?

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