Please, could those of you who had some nasty crashes tell me how your copters react after a hard crash? Are you able to disarm them? I had a motor fail in flight today and it's not the first time I had a problem like this - motor, bullet connectors, prop failure - I think everybody hits this sooner or later. It was well above ground when it happened - I knew it was going to crash and killed the throttle while it was spinning, and tried to disarm it - it didn't react at all, so the motors are screaming when I get to it and unplug the battery. When I just crash land this doesn't happen - still reacts well, but whenever I had a "flip" (not a software glitch) it just locks up completely unresponsive.
Is this a problem with my setup, or are you experiencing the same?
Thanks for any answers
Replies
I had this exact thin happen to me last week. I was hovering two feet off the ground, then the quad flipped and hit the deck. all 4 motors were still spinning and i couldnt disarm. I was in stabilise mode, but im still not sure exactly what happened.
As it was my 3rd or 4th flight I havent really played with anything, seems to hover well, im just too scared to let it get far away. and it was only a meter away when it flipped.
2012-03-17 02-11 31.log
I have similar issue. After crash I'm not disarmed motors (first mistake), I'm suddenly enabled ALT_HOLD mode (second mistake) and motors start to spin in my hands. I'm tried to DISARM, but without success. After this, my friend unplug battery and I'm found that AltHold enabled on RC.
IMHO, DISARM must work in all modes.
I posted an issue for this Jan.
"Have the APM software detect when the copter is upside down and perhaps motionless (eg flipped over and crashed )and then either it sets back into stabilize mode so it can be disarmed or auto disarm mode after a given adjustable time frame. This would be disabled in acro mode? Also while in flight a disarm mode channel switch that would trigger to active a rescue parachute. Perhaps Channel 8? "
Jan, on my first lot of flights I had the same issue and didn't matter what I did I could not disarm if the copter flipped over. A few times I realised this was because I was in either loiter or RTL and in any mode other than stabilise it wont disarm until you switch it back into stabilised.
However I also had the same problem a few times even in stabilise mode if it flipped the motors just buzz away at full speed until I turn off the battery. I suspect the board is trying its best to turn it right side up and level. But I have no idea why it wont disarm and turn off. I did highlight this at the time, but it never got any attention.
APM1 2.2 to 2.4.1
Note to the development team:
Has it been tested by holding the copter upside down and try to disarm and see what happens? Should there be a auto disarm if the copter is upside down for a give period and a time setting that can be adjusted for this? If the copter is in any of the auto modes can it be made to automatically go back to stabilise if its flipped over?
Need to know the HW/SW version and please post logs. That will help.
Jason