Posted by Mike Bakula on October 7, 2009 at 10:12pm
Hi folks,I'm setting up my Ardupilot configuration for bench testing, and I've run into a configuration question.My ardupilot is a red board 328, with the shield and ardupilot sensors. It's loaded with version 2.3.1 of the firmware. The GPS is an EM406. The datalink is the 900 MHz Xbee pro, on an Adafruit adapter. The RC receiver is a Spektrum AR6200. The ESC is a GWS ICS-300LI, controlling a 2S LiPo battery (no motor is connected for bench testing)My problem is this. I have the ESC connected to OUT 3 on the Ardupilot board, to control the throttle and power the entire system. This mostly works, except the RC receiver isn't getting power. The receiver checks OK when I remove it from the system and power it directly from the ESC. The Ardupilot, Xbee and GPS are giving correct LED responses when they are powered from OUT 3. From my understanding of the manual, this should work. (I haven't touched the power jumper.) Is there something I'm missing?
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Found it! Apparently I had a loose pin in the female-female cable between the throttle channel on the receiver and IN 3. Totally my fault, since I bought an MPI crimper and make my own servo cables. Works fine now.
Thanks for the clarification and suggestion. My cables appear to be plugged in correctly, so I'll do some continuity tests later today, and let you know what I find.
Do you have a continuity checker on your Multi-Meter? The + pin on the servo output pins is directly connected to the + pins on the radio input pins. You should hear a beep when you touch both with the test leads. I have never used the battery jumper, so the default setup should work fine. Also see what voltage the free channel pins on your radio are getting. The ground and positive (black wire = ground, middle wire = +) are tied in the receiver. If you don't have a volt or multimeter I would buy one soon.
When I do bench testing I find it very convenient to power the setup with the FTDI cable's 5V by adding a wire from the FTDI header to a positive pin on the board. I have a tiny connector that I remove when using a battery to avoid any issues. That way I don't accidentally run down a Lipo or partially discharge one.
That should work. Mine are set up the same way and power the Rx with no problem. I'd check your soldering and make sure your cables are all plugged in the right way (black is always on the outside)
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Thanks for the help!
When I do bench testing I find it very convenient to power the setup with the FTDI cable's 5V by adding a wire from the FTDI header to a positive pin on the board. I have a tiny connector that I remove when using a battery to avoid any issues. That way I don't accidentally run down a Lipo or partially discharge one.