Help Getting Steering Servo Output

Posted by Chirag Patel on March 2, 2013 at 7:18am

I am starting to get my ArduRover configured and am having some trouble with getting basic functionality from my radio to my steering servo.  I have APM2.5+ and have loaded ArduRover2.20B via Mission Planner (version 1.2.35 mav 1.0).  I am trying out to see if I can get my steering input from transmitter to go through the APM2.5+ and get to the steering servo.  However, I am not seeing the steering servo move.  I am currently only using this channel (channel 1) for communication (no ESC communication is hooked up yet since I only have 1 male-to-male servo cable at this moment while I wait for more to be shipped to me).

I have connected channel 1 of the RC Receiver in the vehicle to input 1.  Then I have my steering servo connected to output 1 on the APM2.5+ I am able to see that when I move the steering stick on my transmitter that the "Roll" input value is changing from the Radio Calibration window in Mission Planner (from Configuration menu) on the APM2.5.  I have gone through the CLI setup for "reset" and "radio" and see the max/min limits have changed for Ch1.  My flight mode is set to manual.

Do I need to provide external power to the servo or does the APM+ provide the equired +5V signal via the output ch1 interface?  Currently i am using my ESC output to power the RC transmitter only.  The steering servo is only connected to the output of the APM2.5+.

Not sure what else to try. Any help would be much appreciated.  Thanks!

Chirag

 

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Replies

  • Admin
    Thomas J Coyle III March 2, 2013 at 12:20pm

    @Chriag,

    Here is an explanation from the Wiki on the function of J1 on the APM2.5: http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/APM25Power Hope this helps.

    Regards,

    TCIII

  • Chirag Patel March 2, 2013 at 11:59am
    I am using either my 2s lipo or my USB connection. Where do I attach the J1 jumper. I have never heard of this.
  • Admin
    Thomas J Coyle III March 2, 2013 at 11:31am

    @Chriag,

    How are you powering your APM2.5 and do you have jumper J1 in place? Are you trying to move the servo using just the USB connection to power the APM? If you are, then the servo should move if you move the aileron joystick as long as you have jumper J1 in place to power the APM2.5 output rail.

    Regards,

    TCIII

  • KM6VV March 2, 2013 at 11:20am

    Do you have power supplied to the servo side of the APM? 

    Alan KM6VV

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