I purchased the Pixhawk about 2 weeks ago with the matched GPS and telemetry radios.
I have set up the Pixhawk with Mission Planner as outlined in the QuickStart Guide, with the following exceptions:
- I had to use the "Reset" button instead of unplugging and plugging in the USB during the firmware update process. Otherwise I got the dreaded "no response from board" message.
- I mistakenly hooked up the GPS with the 5-pin cable. The board will not boot correctly this way.
Once I fixed these problems, Pixhawk booted fine and I was able to perform all of the mandatory calibration steps. However, now I see no effect anywhere when I move the sticks and switches on the transmitter. The R/C calibration looked absolutely normal (I've done this many times before), but nothing happens when I move switches to change flight modes or move the sticks, which normally causes servo movement in manual mode. I can't switch to other modes to test them.
I have tried ARMing the system and disARMing it, no effect.
My servos are connected on channels 1-4 in the "Main outputs" section (see attached).
Anyone else seen this? I'm sure it's something simple, but I'm a bit mystified at this point.
Gary
Replies
I also discovered that the flight mode channel is set to ch 8 by default. Not sure why since 8-9 ch radios are less common. Went into Config -> All Params and set the "Flight Modes" r/c channel to 7 since I have a 7 ch radio. After that I was able to successfully change flight modes from the transmitter.
After this I made my first autonomous flight on Pixhawk! It didn't follow the flight plan very well, may need tuning or further debugging.
Gary
I managed to get this working. I read the section of the wiki about arming the throttle. In the beginning I just had four normal servos connected to channels 1-4 on Pixhawk. I removed those and connected channels 1-2 to servos and ch 3 to the throttle on a real ESC. I then clicked on the "Arm/Disarm" button on the "Actions" tab on the "Flight Data" tab. After arming using the main safety switch, everything started working. I suspect the entire system was disarmed. However, when pressing the safety switch, the upper left display showed "ARMED" which is why I didn't suspect that this was the problem.
Gary
@Gary,
What type of aircraft are you using your Pixhawk on? Is it a plane or a multicopter?
What version of the Ardupilot firmware are you using?
Regards,
TCIII Admin
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for the response. I installed the latest FW from Mission Planner on Saturday. I just installed v3.0.3, didn't make any difference. I'm using a 3-channel powered glider, the Dynaflite Piece'o'Cake. Pic attached.
Seems like I must be missing a step somewhere. I'm going to review the LED status.
Gary
Hi Gary,
Nice plane. I fly Multiplex EZ*s.
Have you looked at the ArduPlane Wiki: Link
Regards,
TCIII Admin