I want to configure my Basecam controlled gimbal to follow the banking and pitching of the frame. Basecam offers this feature with 2 PWM inputs.
I can't find any Arducopter documentation on this, so am I right to assume this:
I connect the 2 gimbal outputs (meant for controlling a servo gimbal) to the Basecam controller.
Arducopter, 'thinking' it's stabilizing a gimbal, sends servo PWM values to Basecam.
The Basecam controller then interprets these values as being the orientation of the frame, where 1500us is flat, 1000 and 2000 being 90 degrees tilted either way.
Am I correct in these assumptions?
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Dear Darrell Burkey i'm using the gimbal ARRIS cm3000 (SimpleBCG32-Alexmos). I'm practice the wiki of ardupilot which is about gimbal wiring and configuration --> (http://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-simplebgc-gimbal.html#commo...). The remote controll seem to be right about DO_MOUNT-CONTROL (command of Mission Planner for the yaw, pitch and roll gimbal orientation) but the problem is the inconsistence between the yaw angle of the gimbal that does not follow the frame yaw during the fly... it should be the same...
I would be grateful if you could help me to understand how is possible that the gimbal works fine for the YAW FOLLOW MODE exclusively when it is not connect to the Pixhawk (..therefore when i set the parameters on basecam software). In fact just when I connect it on the "telemetry2" port of pixhawk, the gimbal lost its follow mode for the yaw and keeps to point a wrong specific direction ( like pitch and roll)...
I'm reading several issue and your discussion could maybe siutable since you told about a second IMU Frame..
I'm deeply studing the wiki ardupilot, i'm searching about a parameter that enables the YAW FOLLOW MODE in ardupilot but nothing until now.
do you can help me? thank's lot.
Emanuele
Darrell Burkey said:
Maybe, I've never integrated the APM with an Alexmos controlled gimbal. Basecam is typically set up totally independent of the flight controller as it does it's own thing, has it's own IMU etc. What you are attempting might be possible but it's a different approach then I'm aware of. The only thing I manually control with Basecam is the tilt axis via a RC input to the controller.
I know some people claim the APM would be better for control as it takes in to account the offset of gravity during turns. However, I don't think the APM is compatible with brushless gimbals. I think it's used more for servo controlled devices. In practice I think the Alexmos controller works just fine without GPS because typically you aren't throwing a camera ship around like you might with other smaller UAVs.
What you are describing is how I'm currently using Basecam.
However, Basecam offers a "Follow" mode. In that mode, Basecam still controls (and stabilizes) the gimbal, but it is fed frame orientation info from the flight controller, so that it can make the gimbal smoothly follow the frame.
It is this specific setup that I'm looking for more information on.
I thought the 'Follow' mode was for a third axis gimbal? I use that mode on my large octo with an Alexmos controlled gimbal and it works great.
When I turn the copter, even if the yaw rotation isn't smooth, the follow me mode smooths it out and then gently swings the gimbal yaw axis in the same direction following the frame. It doesn't require any connection to the flight controller to do this. There is a second IMU on the frame that's connected to the basecam controller that feeds the info on the frame orientation. Although it works well even when you only use one IMU mounted on the gimbal frame. No idea how that works but it does.