Hello everyone, I'm new here! I'm building my first quadcopter, and I'm almost done. However, when I arm the quad and push up the throttle, the motors do not move at all. The Afro ESC keeps beeping its beacon every few seconds, which, according to the manual means it it not receiving a signal. When I first apply power, all the props twitch slightly, so I'm pretty sure the wiring is correct. Am I forgetting something? Please help, I've been waiting weeks for this day! Here's a picture: http://imgur.com/NB9KrRI Thanks!
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Hi, I have a problem in my ESC calibration. Am using Simonk with APM 2.8.
My motor is not rotating during the calibration.Am doing calibration manually one at a time.
What can be the reasons for this condition of my motors.
Please help me out
Andrew, I had the exact same problem. I can't get my Afro ESCs (20a) to initialize. So even though I can arm the motors, the ESCs haven't started up. I'm not a noob, I actually had a working APM with different ESCs.
I tried everything: radio calibration, manual esc cal, throttle trim in both up and down, EEPROM rest, reflash, pwm checks. NOTHING. My CH3 PWM is 987-2100 btw.
What did you do to get your Afros working?
Update: I got my Afros to work. It was a stupid mistake of mine that I didn't make in my first build. I placed the motor outputs on 5-8, doh!
Hi,
I have exactly the same problem as you, my afro 20A ESCs keeps beeping (beacon)
What do you mean by "I placed the motor outputs on 5-8" ?
The ESC must be connected to the "main out" put 1-4, correct ?
Another thought, I really encourage you to obtain a power distribution board and avoid the wire nuts and harness . Also using the crimp connectors is functional but you will have to cut them to do any troubleshooting.
Sure, all the above will work. As you gain experience in the hobby, you will see most flying machines use one of several 'standard' power and ESC connections.
-=Doug
Hi Andrew,
Double check your wiring, specially APM Output - ESC . I tried to look from picture, but can't say for sure if those are right. 3-wire cable from esc to APM should be in order:
-brown is ground and it should be on "bottom"
-red is positive[usually +5V] and it is always in the middle
-orange is signal and it should on top of APM
Those "JR" style connectors can be inserted wrong way so attention needed....
Regards Jani
I use Spektrum gear with my quads but at least we know you have a modern radio.
Be certain the Tx is setup for Airplane mode, not Heli. This shows up in Radio Cal by having more than one bar move when the throttle is moved.
Take Care: Some folk keep pushing the trim in a direction until it is at the maximum trim point. This usually indicated by a change in the 'beep' indicator. The exact sound will vary depending on the make of the Tx.
-=Doug
Ah...not an idiot but a newbie to the RC world. That is OK, everyone was at one time.
Better yet, you might want to confirm you radio calibration is correct before worrying about the ESC.
If that is not right, you won't be able to cal the ESCs.
What TX/RX (transmitter/receiver) are you using? The operation of trims will depend on the radio.
Once we know what your radio gear is, assistance can be more specific.
-=Doug
The beeping usually means that ESC calibration is not quite correct.
Typically the throttle trim needs to be a bit below center.
This is a very common request and you have done very well to get to this stage. I had the same problem the first time I tried to setup my ESC calibration.
In case you need it, HERE is the ESC calibration page.
-=Doug