Hello all, I am very much a newbie to RC and quadricopters but I'm working with a group of fellow students on constructing an autonomous quad for a university project. We are currently performing our initial setup. We do not have an RC transmitter and whilst we could beg/borrow one, we would like to know, first, how to go about calibrating the 4-in-1 ESCs without one. I have read online that it is possible to do this (although the commenter didn't say how) but that it is dangerous since for a first flight you would have no manual override in the event of mis-calibration(s) causing erratic behaviour, however we plan to tether the quad in test flights to overcome such an issue and then fine tune it with/without an RC transmitter (depending on whether we can get our hands on one without purchase). So, what is the method for performing this calibration through the APM 2.6 in Mission Planner/APMPlanner 2? One more question: We would also like to know how to incorporate an Arduino code program into a weypoint Flight Plan in Mission Planner/APMPlanner 2. A bit more background: We have built up the frame (except for the landing gear, which will be Araldite-d on soon), mounted the motors, prop savers and props, and connected the electronics to the latest versions of Mission Planner and APMPlanner 2 on the laptop by USB cable, however we have not connected the electronics to the motors. As soon as the quadricopter has left the ground there must be no further human intervention and it must autonomously carry out a mission to cross a generic flight zone and then enter a target area. It must have a payload release system and must deliver a water payload accurately over an imaginary fire in this target area and then return to launch. Throughout the flight it must be able to stay within a geofence (or if it does exit, it must swiftly and in a stable manner return to the geofenced area) and it must be able to cope with rain and gusts of wind up to 8m/s. Our permitted budget for the entire project is £250 and we are currently JUST on budget. In terms of components, we have: 3DR (clone) APM 2.6 3DR uBlox LEA-6H GPS with compass 3DR Power Module 3DR (clone) Radio Wireless Telemetry Turnigy 3S 20C 3300 mAh LiPo battery Hobbywing 20A Skywalker 20Ax4 UBEC 4-in-1 Brushless ESC 4 Turnigy Aerodrive SK3 - 2830-1020kv Brushless Outrunner Motors 4 10x4.5 Black Rubber Propellers; 2 CW, 2 CCW 4 Prop Savers 'Thermal Knife' circuit as per Bovine Aerospace Kilner strainer funnel Custom, self-built aluminium frame Coat hanger landing gear 3D printed anti-vibration mount as per Omnimac 3D printed GPS stalk mounts as per Omnimac LED flasher unit With regards to our second question, we would like the quad to automatically fly by waypoints to the target area, hover and release the water payload. This latter process is controlled by a piece of Arduino code written by Bovine Aerospace and made open to the public. It is this piece of code that we would like to incorporate into the Flight Plan in Mission Planner/APMPlanner 2. We would be extremely grateful if the members of this community would help us out. Yours faithfully, FlyPhi |
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Thanks for such a helpful and QUICK reply! Really appreciate it.
Setting the parameters according to the ESC's programmable settings and according to the instructions on copter.ardupilot.com is certainly possible for us because the instructions that came with the 4-in-1 ESC detail the parameter settings for it (here: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uploads/934316348X1085196X... although at least one would have to be changed according to the notes at the bottom of this page: http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/initial-setup/esc-motor/ ). I have read that calibrating without an RC transmitter is likely to not be as good as calibrating with one and that we might not get full power from the motors - does that ring true with you?
That steering gear servo motor tester would be great! Are you certain it would work? I'll have to try and find one that's in England so we don't have to wait an age for shipping but if it will work then I'm sure that's what we'd do; what with our other university commitments there isn't really time to mod a Playstation or Xbox controller and I've also read - I think on this forum - that trying to get it to work with a joystick/gamepad is more hassle than it's worth because of the time lag :S
On the subject of starting our quad on an autonomous mission, I thought it was possible to set it off from Mission Planner/APMPlanner 2 on the laptop, via the 3DR Radio Wireless Telemetry, rather than having to use an RC transmitter and flick a stick to arm the motors for flight, but I was debating this with a friend who assures me it isn't possible. Could you advise me on this?
Sure, here's the link: http://www.unc.edu/~haksaeng/balloon/cutdown.ino
Not sure why but the code doesn't display nicely there - I have a clearer copy of it at Home so I'll post that later.
Thanks again.
FlyPhi,
I just lost a long reply when I attempted to launch MP to check something and it crashed my system and now I am lacking time... So the abbreviated version:
It does not look like the default throttle settings are in that spec sheet.
It is not obvious that anything would need to be changed from the notes - can you elaborate?
Yes it is better to calibrate the ESC to ensure you have full power available
The servo tester would work fine (I do it myself) though unless you want to use a scope (or multimeter with Hz/duty setting) you will be better off with a slightly more expensive version with a display:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Professional-RC-HJ1-4S-Servo-ESC-Consis...
This allows you to directly read the setting so you can update the Arducopter parameters
Playstation/Xbox controllers need no modification to work - just appropriate drivers. Yes there is lag but there are settings to improve this. You will not get the same response as proper RC
I have never done an auto mission directly from MP (or from the ground). A quick search yeilds somewhat conflicting results. It seems possible here:
http://diydrones.com/group/learning-to-program-the-ardupilot-mega/f...
But in the manual here:
http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/auto-mode/
It states:
If starting the mission while the copter is on the ground the pilot should ensure the throttle is down, then switch to the Auto flight mode, then raise the throttle. The moment that the throttle is raised above zero, the copter will begin the mission.
If there is an issue, There is a way around it - this is open source!
I took a look at the code. This seems to be a simple sketch to operate a release at a certain altitude
I do not believe you will not use this code. If I understand your objective correctly, you will pre-plan your route using MP and activate a release mechanism at a desired location. All this is achievable from within MP already - no code alteration required. If you need something different then please explain.
Sorry, my original response was much more verbose but I am now short on time...
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