new APM 2.5 setup problem

Ive had this about 2 weeks and have patiently worked on setup to eliminate some factors before asking for help.

Ive gotten the telemetry pair to connect fine, but they dont share data in any recognizable form...at least anything you can see working in the mission planner.

I tried the terminal setup, and device communication seems fine everywhere, except when performing reset or a handful of other tasks. Then it ends with this -

Type 'Y' and hit Enter to perform factory reset, any other key to abort:
FACTORY RESET complete - please reset APM to continue

Init ArduRover v2.41

Free RAM: 3848
Firmware change: erasing EEPROM...
d?
-`'?
Press ENTER 3 times to start interactive setup

3<startup_ground> GROUND STARTP?3Demo Servos!
///`'[?3Warming up ADC...Beginning INS calibration; do no3Demo Servos!C?
///`'h/3
Demo Servos!?
A///`'9"3
Beginning INS calibration; do not move vehicleFai`?3Initialising APM...
\///`'P]
///`'
Failed to boot MPU6000 5 times
Failed to boot MPU6000 5 times

Qx///`'N?Failed to boot MPU6000 5 times
Failed to boot MPU6000 5 times

<v///`'?Failed to boot MPU6000 5 times
Failed to boot MPU6000 5 times

///`'}Failed to boot MPU6000 5 times
PANIC: failed to boot MPU6000 5 times

after PANIC declaration, you have to exit MP software and re-enter to get back to solving the setup.

So most everything I can tell connects, and comes on at least.

But I have yet to see instrument data (live), or anything coming thru the RC radio.

On RC radio calibration, I see no indicators of position.

and also, I dont see GPS...but the unit (uBlox) has a blue flashing LED alternating with red.

thanks in advance for any setup wizardry assitance, lol

Hey Phelec, it does leave a lot to be desired when the trail goes cold. I know what you're going through. unfortunately for me, it took me so long to complete my build after I received my APM that the warranty was gone gone gone and I am up sh*t creek for lack of a better way to say it having spent what I spent only to have my unit not work - I know what you're going through.

I've taken it upon myself to order the parts necessary to repair the unit and have reviewed the process countless times and am 100% confident that I can complete the repair as soon as I get the regulators in the mail to get the required 3.3v to the i2c and nearby ports. I am left to go it myself as 3dr will not even bother repairing the units themselves regardless of whether or not I sent it to them free of charge to them - they simply won't do it.

Seeing as I ordered around 50 of the regulators and have the needed tools,experience with electronics, etc, I am going to see if I can save some people the heartbreak by offering to do it for 20 bucks or so and ship it back to them in working order after testing the voltages. Generally speaking, I'm pretty pissed, myself. So I empathize with the fact that a 20-50cent regulator can render a 200 dollar unit completely useless and lead to a lot of anti-climactic emotions as builds near completion. If you're interested, send me a private message or reply here.

I've trolled countless threads of people with this exact problem and found 2 gents that used to do this repair for others but have recently been overwhelmed with other projects so they no longer offer the service. I am going to be getting a business license to do this legitimately for people as I feel its necessary to continue to carry the torch so-to-speak to folks in need. The only other option is to fork over the full price again or argue with customer service for a 15-25% discount. Hope this helps and maybe I'll hear from you soon. I'll certainly post updates of my repair this weekend or as soon as possible pending the arrival of the regulators in the mail.

Replies

Rob Jahnke April 29, 2014 at 6:28pm

I have an APM 2.6 with the same problem. But I don't think the solder bridge you found is the issue. Looking at the schematic, it appears this part is associated with the compass circuitry and pins 7&8 are supposed to be tied together. There is a good chance there is actually a land on the back side of those pins and the solder bridge is intentional.

I'd be interested to know if you found any other problems, or if your 3.3V regulator was "blown".

Rob
Sergio O. May 14, 2013 at 4:40pm

Check Voltage at tps chip, i solved this issue replacing this 3.3 voltage regulator ( 100mA max ) to ( 150 mA max ) and it works.
- Duncan J > Sergio O. March 11, 2014 at 3:55pm
  
  Have you ever done repairs for other people? I am having the same problem :/
  - Phelec > Duncan J March 26, 2014 at 11:57am
    
    I think I am in this same boat. It is a shame when someone starts a thread and then leaves it cold...
    - Duncan J > Phelec March 26, 2014 at 12:28pm
      
      Hey Phelec, it does leave a lot to be desired when the trail goes cold. I know what you're going through. unfortunately for me, it took me so long to complete my build after I received my APM that the warranty was gone gone gone and I am up sh*t creek for lack of a better way to say it having spent what I spent only to have my unit not work - I know what you're going through.
      
      I've taken it upon myself to order the parts necessary to repair the unit and have reviewed the process countless times and am 100% confident that I can complete the repair as soon as I get the regulators in the mail to get the required 3.3v to the i2c and nearby ports. I am left to go it myself as 3dr will not even bother repairing the units themselves regardless of whether or not I sent it to them free of charge to them - they simply won't do it.
      
      Seeing as I ordered around 50 of the regulators and have the needed tools,experience with electronics, etc, I am going to see if I can save some people the heartbreak by offering to do it for 20 bucks or so and ship it back to them in working order after testing the voltages. Generally speaking, I'm pretty pissed, myself. So I empathize with the fact that a 20-50cent regulator can render a 200 dollar unit completely useless and lead to a lot of anti-climactic emotions as builds near completion. If you're interested, send me a private message or reply here.
      
      I've trolled countless threads of people with this exact problem and found 2 gents that used to do this repair for others but have recently been overwhelmed with other projects so they no longer offer the service. I am going to be getting a business license to do this legitimately for people as I feel its necessary to continue to carry the torch so-to-speak to folks in need. The only other option is to fork over the full price again or argue with customer service for a 15-25% discount. Hope this helps and maybe I'll hear from you soon. I'll certainly post updates of my repair this weekend or as soon as possible pending the arrival of the regulators in the mail.
      - Phelec > Duncan J March 27, 2014 at 1:30am
        
        Thanks Duncan. I tried in my haste this morning to reply to you before I had to rush off to work. However I did not press the correct buttons on the keyboard. I did not have time to retype everything.
        
        I am on the east coast of Australia. My 3.3 volt reg is working correctly. It just fails to connect to Mavlink. It stalls during the "got param" part of the proccess.
        
        I found this good thread that may suit you if you have not seen it already:
        
        http://www.diydrones.com/forum/topics/ac3-1-rc5-spi-speed-problem?i...
        
        I tried this afternoon to run a bec to power the board, fearing that the usb just hasn't the power level to satisfy the boot up process. (I am actually waiting on a powered USB hub to arrive) Unfortunately there was no luck.
        
        I have fell into that trap before of building something only to find out a month or so later (after I could have claimed by Paypal etc) that one of the items are faulty. That's why when this APM arrived last week, I soon got into testing it as it was. Just as well I did maybe...
        
        Duncan J > Phelec March 27, 2014 at 12:19pm
        
        such a downer. I am in the US and can perform the repair on the regulator, removing the OEM one and installing a new one, but seeing as you're in Australia, it may not be economical. I likely blew it out myself with improper wiring initially as soon as it arrived.
circuitburner May 13, 2013 at 1:02am

update:

I am getting GPS thru the console terminal, but only after I hit "enter" three times to go into manual setup mode.

Then by choosing 'test' / 'GPS' I see the stream of LAT/LON data.

I havent seen any GPS data presented in the GCS GUI, but at least I know its working somewhere.

If I dont hit enter three times for manual mode, and try testing or setup GPS, system goes into "PANIC" as illustrated above.

If trying this same technique to see compass data or other stuff, it goes PANIC.

I guess 'panic' is a fair term to use in the software, don't know the exact nature of the systems use of the word, but when I see it on the screen, I feel a mild form of real human emotion "panic" lol

apparently, the APM hates the compass, cause whenever querying the compass, you get 1 line of output, the proper presentation format of the variables and declination....with zeros as measurements... then....PANIC

This reply was deleted.

Discussions

new APM 2.5 setup problem

Replies

Activity