The other day we were flying a QuadCopter with Version 3.1RC2 of the firmware We set a waypoint at an altitude of about 10 meters and then put the quad into indefinite loiter mode. We noticed that every so often as the wind gusted, that the quad would quickly shoot up another 5-10 meters and then eventually settle back to the target altitude. I imagine the wind caused an increase in barometric pressure, which fooled the flight control system into thinking that the quad was flying too low. (Luckily, the barometric pressure never decreased significantly!)
We found these "knobs" for altitude hold:
http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/altitude-hold-tuning/
are there others that would perhaps time average the barometric pressure readings or do something else to prevent these erratic jumps in altitude during windy conditions?
Thanks!
Rob
Replies
Yes, it is already protected with foam. Any changes in static air pressure would instantaneously penetrate the foam though.
Seems like you'd want to have a running time average of the pressure to eliminate sudden changes in air pressure but it might be tricky to determine whether its due to the copter actually changing altitude or if the static pressure was changing due to wind gusts.
I don't have a dome on it, I wonder if wind running in between the APM and the frame could be causing a Venturi effect on the pressure?
Not trying to sound patronizing - did you make sure the baro sensor is well protected by foam from a) wind b) direct sunlight ?