Developer

Copter-3.3 beta testing

Warning #1: an issue has been found with Tower's Pause button which can cause the vehicle to fly to an old position if the vehicle has not sent a position update to Tower in some time.

Warning #2: Copter-3.3.2 fixes a bug found in Copter-3.3.1's desired climb rate initialisation which could lead to a sudden momentary drop when switching from Stabilize or Acro to AltHold, Loiter or PosHold.

Warning #3: Copter-3.3.2 fixes an issue found in Copter-3.3.1 which could lead to hard landings in RTL or AUTO if the WPNAV_SPEED_DN was set too high (i.e. >400 or 4m/s) and/or the WPNAV_ACCEL_Z was set too low (i.e. <100 or 1m/s/s).

Warning #4: a bug was found in Copter-3.3 which could cause a sudden crash if you abort a Take-off initiated from a ground station.  Video description is here.  The bug is fixed in Copter-3.3.1 so we recommend upgrading.

Note #1: AC3.3-rc8 corrected a long standing bug in the HDOP reporting.  HDOP values will appear about 40% lower than previously but this does not actually mean the GPS position is better than before.
Note #2: if upgrading from AC3.2.1 the vehicle's accelerometer calibration needs to be done again.
Note #3: set SERIAL2_PROTOCOL to "3" and reboot the board to enable FrSky telemetry like in previous versions.
Note #4: the wiki will be updated over the next few weeks to explain how to use the new features

Copter-3.3.1 is available through the mission planner.  The full list of changes vs AC3.2.1 can be see in the ReleaseNotes and below are the most recent changes since AC3.3.

Sadly this version (and all future versions) will not run on the APM2.x boards due to CPU speed, flash and RAM restrictions.

Changes from 3.3:

1) Bug fix to prevent potential crash if Follow-Me is used after an aborted takeoff

2) compiler upgraded to 4.9.3 (runs slightly faster than 4.7.2 which was used previously)

Changes from 3.3-rc11:

1) EKF recovers from pre-arm "Compass variance" failure if compasses are consistent

Changes from 3.3-rc10:

1) PreArm "Need 3D Fix" message replaced with detailed reason from EKF

Changes from 3.3-rc9
1) EKF improvements:
    a) simpler optical flow takeoff check
2) Bug Fixes/Minor enhancements:
    a) fix INS3_USE parameter eeprom location
    b) fix SToRM32 serial protocol driver to work with recent versions
    c) increase motor pwm->thrust conversion (aka MOT_THST_EXPO) to 0.65 (was 0.50)
    d) Firmware version sent to GCS in AUTOPILOT_VERSION message
3) Safety:
    a) pre-arm check of compass variance if arming in Loiter, PosHold, Guided
    b) always check GPS before arming in Loiter (previously could be disabled if ARMING_CHECK=0)
    c) sanity check locations received from GCS for follow-me, do-set-home, do-set-ROI
    d) fix optical flow failsafe (was not always triggering LAND when optical flow failed)
    e) failsafe RTL vs LAND decision based on hardcoded 5m from home check (previously used WPNAV_RADIUS parameter)

Thanks for your testing!

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

Join diydrones

Email me when people reply –

Replies

    • Developer

      Hi Pomaroli,

      What have you set Autotune_AGGR set to. You may want to drop it to 0.05 and try again.

      You may be able to get away with setting the Accel values up to 2x the autotune values before you start to see bounce back after it reaches the desired point. I personally use the results of auto tune because it gives me a little head room on the motors when I get aggressive.

      Acro_yaw_p defines the maximum rotation rate ( x 45deg/s) and Accel values define the acceleration.

      • Leonard, what copter did you use for testing quad or hexa ? my Hexa is far away from this values. it's starts to bounce back much earlier.

        For Yaw PID i get something like

        I = 1

        P = 0.1

        which cause yaw to oscillate,
        working values are

        I = 0.8

        P = 0.08
        i think acro_yaw_p should be in the right ratio to the Accel to work properly, if you have an high acro_yaw but a low accel it could propably feel strange and bounce back more. is this possbile ?
        I will check the mechanical parts but this issue with the Autotune of the Yaw has started as i switched to the Pixhawk dumping mount.

        • Developer

          Hi Pomaroli,

          Sorry, it isn't very clear what you are asking but I will do my best.

          I said you may be able to go as much as x2 the accel values but you may not be able to go any higher. This depends on exactly how you are flying your copter and what your hover throttle is. As I said, I don't recommend increasing the Accel values over the ones given by Autotune.

          Your PID numbers are confusing. It looks like you have P and I reversed. Assuming that is the case did you get those using autotune and if so what is your Autotune_AGGR set to?

          The values of Accel_Yaw_Max and Accel_P really depend on your personal preference. I agree that there is a nice ratio that will feel right for most pilots. Accel_P = 0.3 * Accel_Yaw_Max / 4500 is what I think is a good ratio for me.

          I don't understand the last sentence.

          • Hi Leonard,

            i can't go x2 in accel Yaw because it starts to bounce back or otherwise i'm not understandig what you're saying. The Hover Throttle is very low about 220, so what does this mean ?

            yes you're right the numbers are reversed, sorry for that. This values are made by autotune. I already tested by lowering AGGR which results overall in lower PID, but did not solve my yaw oscilation problem. As wrote before if i'm starting autotune from default value i'm getting the "good" YAW PID and by re-doing autotune from the already tuned values i'm getting higher YAW pid's which will lead the vehicle to oscilate in yaw.

            The oscilation in yaw is very low when in hover but higher when flying around.

            Thanks for the ratio tip, but i'm not getting it, here my example :

            ATC_ACCEL_P_MAX,95925.84
            ATC_ACCEL_R_MAX,93156.18
            ATC_ACCEL_Y_MAX,26500.99

            so Accel_P = 0.3*26500/4500 = 1.7666 ??

            Is there also an ration between acro_yaw_p and Accel_Yaw_Max ?  

            • Developer

              Hi Pomaroli,

              I mean it will start to bounce back between x1 and x2. Most people will back the ACCEL numbers back off to x0.5 or x0.75 to get the feel they like.

              Normally you will start to see some bounce before you get to x1.5.

              Your ATC_ACCEL_Y_MAX is very low but your calculation is correct.

              Can you give me logs, one from the initial values and one from the tuned values.

              Sorry, I meant to say.

              The values of Accel_Yaw_Max and acro_yaw_p really depend on your personal preference. I agree that there is a nice ratio that will feel right for most pilots. acro_yaw_p = 0.3 * Accel_Yaw_Max / 4500 is what I think is a good ratio for me.

              • you're welcome leonard and sorry for my poor english sometimes.

              • Leonard,

                here the logs Logs

                i've done first Pitch and Roll wich came out very nicely, then Yaw from default and third run the recalibration of yaw.

                Dropbox - Error
                Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Never email yourself a file again!
                • Developer

                  Hi Pomaroli,

                  Sorry but that isn't the autotune logs.

                  • Developer

                    Hi Pomaroli,

                    Well, this may be caused by the flexing of the frame but I am coming up empty. The only thing I can suggest trying ti setting Autotune_Aggr to 0.05. However, if you are happy with the tune you have now I would just relax and enjoy flying the copter.

                    Sorry I can't help more. I will keep an eye out for similar issues with other copters and see if I can work out what is happening.

                    Thanks for taking the time to give this feedback!!

                  • Hi Leonard,

                    sure here are some pics

                    This pic is from the build off, in the meanwhile i replaced the pixhawk mount with the other type usually offered on the marked which has the flat plates with 4 holes for the rubbers.

                    3701997374?profile=original

                    This is main view, the copter i perfectly balanced, the weight focus is in the Middle

                    3702947586?profile=original

                    https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3702947586?profile=original
This reply was deleted.

Activity