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!
Replies
Igor, yes exist original Pixhack and fake. I use original with aluminium case. But I think original whatever need external anti-vibration platform on big frame.
Artem, у меня точно оригинальный, во-первых в аллюминиевом корпусе и фирменной коробке, во-вторых купленный напрямую от продавца с некоторыми доп. шнурками. Я бы тоже летал на 3.2.1, но мне очень нужны фишки от 3.3, в частности снятие текущих углов с подвеса на Шторм32. Программер сказал, что вырезать этот кусок кода из 3.3 и вставить в 3.2.1 очень трудоемко, приходится пилить 3.3, хотя она конечно мягко говоря сыровата.
Artem,
I think it would be nice if you give us a brief summary of the conversation in english.
As I (maybe false) understood there are two versions of Pixhack, one seems to be good an the other one has the vibes?
Насколько я вижу у тебя в пластиковом корпусе - это не оригинал. Там силикон намного жесче чем в оригинале. + IMU2 сам посебе немного геморой, но это отдельная история, он резонирует на других частотах чем первый. Загрузки 3.2.1 и попробуй полетать? Я бы не ставил 3.3 даже final, на машину твоего размера. У меня на 3.2.1 летает 7кг Y6 с GH4 на подвесе каждый день, четверик для ФПВ и трешка уже очень давно и без нареканий.
У меня оригинальный, купленный напрямую у производителя. Разбирал - там все надежно. Да и уровень вибраций IMU очень хороший (обычно я летаю с худшими вибрациями), а вот для IMU2 вибрации запредельные (я правда не уверен, что для него теже границы что и для MPU6000). Плюс у меня под Пиксом двусторонний скотч, но сверху еще стяжка, т.к. оставлять его просто на скотче стремно - он тяжелый, может при резких маневрах улететь. Сейчас делаю другой коптер на той же раме, но с антивибрационной развязкой, если поможет, то значит проблема в Пиксе, если нет - в софте.
Жека то что он говорит это то что китайский pixhack имеет поблеммы с вибрацией... Проверь что силикон внутри не болтается. Есть два пиксхака. Один в алюминиевом корпусе делает CUAV, другой в пластиковом .., последний полное Г. Первый вроде ничего, если силикон правильно установлен. + и там силикон не панацея, т.к. низкочастотные вибрации проходят через него спокойно.
Re did the Acc and compass calibration.
After installing 3.3r8 my voltage and current sensor stopped working, after about the third time plugging and unplugging the battery voltage started showing again.
The GPS is now struggling to get lock and took a rediculusly long time to lock and kept loosing lock for the first 10mins or so. Struggling to get 8 Sats where as I previously got 15 quickly indoors.
Loiter and Althold drop altitude pretty badly when ever any speed is built up, more so than 3.2 did.
Loiter is very loose sliding for a long time before holding position.
Resistance to uncontrolled climb out when going fast is better than before, the sound of my copter would suddenly change and a harmonic could be heard then the quad would climb to 150ft before settling down again.
Now when the harmonic is heard and uncontrolled climb out starts I can lower the throttle and recover in less than 50 ft.
>The GPS is now struggling to get lock and took a rediculusly long time to lock and kept loosing lock
make sure you used gps type value of 2 for ublox gps, not 1 for auto.
other than that - gps units are in fact the Achilles' heel on every drone. I went over a huge ordeal yesterday when I decided to redesign my small drone and removed big front GPS unit as new location for a second small EMI protected unit seemed to be perfect as it consistently over 3 days in a row presented better stats and more reliable data than a front unit.
So I removed front unit in the morning, made sure all the rest is left intact, went out, confirmed that second GPS hooks into sats at same speed, saw same 13-16 sats acquired, flew well, went home, removed first GPS nylon stands and left drone alone. NOTHING else was touched.
In the evening I went to test new props I received - again, only remounted props - and guess what?
I spent 20min with this single POS GPS unit unable to read its damn location, not even talking about hooking into a single satellite. It was working, but location it was receiving was erratic and jumping around but not hooking into correct coordinates. SO I had to take it apart and start moving wires, but it never recovered well, mostly getting 4-7 sats where before it was reliably seeing 14.
I still do not know what it was. I had to install bigger GPS back and now second GPS is consistently behind first one again, like first hooks into 14-15 sats and second now only into 7-9. On other GPS units that would be a sign of a depleted battery - but I checked and battery voltage is perfect 3V. It should work, but, it does not want to.
My preliminary guess was that IMU compass wires from GPS cannot be close to serial interface wires and something else affects those serial wires as an entire smaller GPS unit body in the metal EMI protector cage and it sits on top of a copper foil layered plate, plus, this is same location where it worked just fine. Ferrite rings do not help, in fact it kills signal even worse. So, it is not very fun.
Top line with most sats is from bigger GPS. First screen is from my house front lawn. Then on a second I walked 200yds to the field nearby, flew a bit. disconnected power, walked back to same front lawn on a picture 1, see the difference. And I know time does not matter, I could have waited on my front lawn for 2 hours and smaller GPS would never get above 7-8 sats... It is annoying.
where can we find BIGGER than normal GPS units? Would something larger than the patch antenna's give better performance?
Review a blog I put out a while back.
Bigger isn't quite the right verbiage. What many of us have discovered is that the patch antenna coupled with an adequate ground plan and a decent EMI shield will helps tremendously with 1) receiving signals and 2) reducing EMI or as Randy mentioned, jamming although I prefer to not call it jamming.
There is GPS jamming techniques in the world which is used by some countries to deny their adversaries the capability to access GPS satellites. So I really don't count electronics on your drone as jamming. It really falls under interference or EMI.
I have several GPS units, Lea-6H (oldest model 25mm patch antenna) to the M8T (using ground plane, EMI shield and uses 45mm patch antenna).
You may not need a large GPS unit on a 250 size frame but more importantly, what type of GPS would you need for your vehicle and it's mission.
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