TBS Discovery & Pixhawk load of problems :(

Good morning DIY DRONES,

You guys are my only hope as I have tried everything I can to fix this problems but it seems like an never ending journey.

So, let's me start by saying that I have followed and researched about every possible way to build a TBS Discovery with Pixhawk but my knowledge is still very limited, as I keep on reading, I feel like I have made so many stupid mistake.

So my TBS build list:

TBS Discovery w/ core.

900kv TBS motors and bulletproof escs

9x5 propellers

Pixhawk w/ GPS

4500mah 4s battery.

I have been facing so many problems since thay day I switch from 750kv to 900kv, as everybody said the samething, 900kv is way much better, better bearing, i choose 900kv for long flight etc...

After I install the 900kv on my tbs, everything started to fall apart, Mag_field is really high, over 680 :( Vibration is absolutely ridiculous (eventhough my X+Y axis is still under range but my Z is way beyond measure). My quad could not hold position or altitude, when I fly in stabilize mode it seems to be okie but when i switched from stabilize to either Loiter or Altitude hold, the quad started shooting up and down just like when you change throttle from lowest position to highest in a matter of second. I have to switch to stabilize mode immediately other it will keeps going up.

Could you guys please help me to make this right, i'm truly desperate, i have tried everything but non of them seems to work.

Please find my attachment for the log file, i have tried to fly it as long as i can to review the problems. Please DIYDrones, you are my only hope. 2014-09-12%2023-29-04.log

P/s: I have calibrated all escs, compass, etc.. I followed the introduction closely but non seems to work

Update 21 Dec 2014,

I have fixed all of the previous problems.

So a few thing that I did so if you guys having the same problems as I were. It would be easier for you to do it. It is currently flying great, I'm having a blast right now: D: D

So, without further ado, here is how I have done it.

First and very important, move your GPS and Compass as far away from any sources of interference (such as: power wire, electronics, etc..) as possible. It will cause a lot of noise to the compass. COMPASS (MAGNETIC) + NOISE = Bad, very bad idea.
As long as you put the Compass + GPS high enough, the wiring will not affect the magnetic reader.
GPS + Compass is currently mounting at the center of the TBS Discovery. Don’t know if this help but it is the best place that I can find to mount it.
By battery was too close to the IMU which bump it to each other when it fly on high altitude, that explain why there were loads of jumping up and down during STAB and LOITER.
Balance your propellers, learn it from me, I got very bad experiences with cheap and knock off propeller. Don’t save a few pounds on propellers, it doesn’t worth the fixing effort. And as I’m not very good with balancing prop (don’t know why but it is quite difficult for me L, I will have to learn more), I bought 6 Graupner 9x5 props and to be honest, it is incredible. Super balanced, well made…
Do not ignore what they said about vibration (I were a complete idiot, because I thought that it should be okie if you mount it on cheap anti-vibration gel). NO, the guide was there for a reason, they are the expert, don’t ignore it.
I have updated my firmware to 3.2 now.

The current problem, my MinimOSD is not updating? Do you guys know how to fix it?

Many thanks to all DIY members, you guys sure helped me a lot during this project. Without you, I should not be able to fulfill my wishes.

P/s: there were countless time I tried to sell the Pixhawk and really fed up with all the tweaking and fixing but hey, this was the reason why I joint this hobby in the first place, to be challenged.

Once again, thank you all,

Best regards,

Long

Replies

Long Hoang Pham December 21, 2014 at 3:15am
Update 21 Dec 2014,

I have fixed all of the previous problems.

So a few thing that I did so if you guys having the same problems as I were. It would be easier for you to do it. It is currently flying great, I'm having a blast right now: D: D

So, without further ado, here is how I have done it.
1. First and very important, move your GPS and Compass as far away from any sources of interference (such as: power wire, electronics, etc..) as possible. It will cause a lot of noise to the compass. COMPASS (MAGNETIC) + NOISE = Bad, very bad idea.
2. As long as you put the Compass + GPS high enough, the wiring will not affect the magnetic reader.
3. GPS + Compass is currently mounting at the center of the TBS Discovery. Don’t know if this help but it is the best place that I can find to mount it.
4. By battery was too close to the IMU which bump it to each other when it fly on high altitude, that explain why there were loads of jumping up and down during STAB and LOITER.
5. Balance your propellers, learn it from me, I got very bad experiences with cheap and knock off propeller. Don’t save a few pounds on propellers, it doesn’t worth the fixing effort. And as I’m not very good with balancing prop (don’t know why but it is quite difficult for me L, I will have to learn more), I bought 6 Graupner 9x5 props and to be honest, it is incredible. Super balanced, well made…
6. Do not ignore what they said about vibration (I were a complete idiot, because I thought that it should be okie if you mount it on cheap anti-vibration gel). NO, the guide was there for a reason, they are the expert, don’t ignore it.
7. I have updated my firmware to 3.2 now.
The current problem, my MinimOSD is not updating? Do you guys know how to fix it?

Many thanks to all DIY members, you guys sure helped me a lot during this project. Without you, I should not be able to fulfill my wishes.

P/s: there were countless time I tried to sell the Pixhawk and really fed up with all the tweaking and fixing but hey, this was the reason why I joint this hobby in the first place, to be challenged.

Once again, thank you all,

Best regards,

Long
Richard Kennedy October 5, 2014 at 7:42pm

You tried to rest the PH with the little button on the side? Reinstall the firmware? Perhaps you should go where you have a lot of room and go pretty high up and do Auto Tune. Did you ever try that?
- Long Phạm > Richard Kennedy October 5, 2014 at 11:55pm
  
  @Richard Kennedy
  
  Yep, I have tried to reset Pixhawk with a button, reloading firmware, reload everything by choosing Plane firmware, then choose quadcopter again. All cleared.
  
  I could not try Auto Tune function as it could not hold altitude at all, so I could not try the auto tune yet.
- Richard Kennedy > Long Phạm October 6, 2014 at 1:59pm
  
  Can you do a screen grab of the PIDS page and post?
  
  Have you used that same compass with an apm? Have you tried new cables for the compass?
- Long Phạm > Richard Kennedy October 6, 2014 at 7:01pm
  
  My PIDs are exactly the same with SeanM and the GPS + Compass is the same one on APM. I have not be able to try the new cables, but I will post my log on here later today.
- Kristian Olson > Long Phạm October 6, 2014 at 7:22pm
  
  Ok, so those PIDs are crazy low IMO. Mine are over double that (albeit I'm flying a Pro, not the regular disco, but still).
  
  Long Pham, can you re-state exactly what trouble you are having right now? I know you've tried lots of things, but I want to check back.
  
  The first thing I would do, is simplify. cut things out and make it simpler. For example, you're using the I2C splitter board. What is that for? Minim OSD? Forget that for now, simplify until you're flying tight, THEN, add stuff you don't necessarily need. Try taking the splitter out of the equation, that might be why your compass offsets are so crazy. Just a guess, I could be wrong though.
  
  Also, make sure you're running the latest beta of Mission Planner, and I'd also recommend moving to the 3.2 rc11. Before you do that though, reset everything again. One way to do that is to load ArduRover or Arduplane, then load the Arducopter 3.2 rc11. That will start everything fresh. Once loaded, run the setup wizard and recalibrate everything.
  
  In 3.2, you'll be able to see BOTH compasses, not just the external one, so you'll be able to see the difference in offsets. The only one you really care about is the external one, as the internal one will never get used unless the external one is unplugged.
  
  You're using a genuine 3DR Pixhawk, right? Just wanted to make sure.
- Richard Kennedy > Kristian Olson October 6, 2014 at 7:58pm
  
  FYI he already did the reset / load amp plane then back to copter firmware dance..
- Long Phạm > Richard Kennedy October 7, 2014 at 6:30am
  
  Here is my log for the above flight. Please have a look. It is driving me crazy now, the Magnetic-field and vibration is not that bad (Magnetic is about 30%) and vibration is omg nearly on the baseline..lol..
  
  2014-10-07 20-14-15 7.bin
  
  2014-10-07 20-14-15 7.bin.log
  
  https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3702900882?profile=original
- julian vs > Long Phạm December 8, 2014 at 2:18pm
  
  did you get this resolved ?
  
  I have built a lot of TBS discos...
- Long Hoang Pham > julian vs December 21, 2014 at 3:23am
  
  Sorry for the late reply, I think I have managed to fix it. But i'm facing a few problem and it would be greatly appreciated if you can give me some tips on this.
  
  1. My MinimOSD is not updating. (All my wiring is correct, the OSD is appearing on the monitor) and telemetry is working byw
  
  2. My currently flight time is about 4 minutes which is incredibly low for my setup. (TBS Frame with core, FPV camera, 4500 mah 4s, 900kv tbs motors, 9x5 graupner)
  
  Many thanks and sorry for my bad english :(

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