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  • Hi everybody, I'm really new to UAV and have plans to start using ArduPlane. I have been looking at the Wiki and Manual and could not find much about the stabilization algorithms in use on ArduPilot. Can anybody help? Thanks

  • Dragon lab Current sensor

    Is it ok to use with APM2? I noted somewhere the Attopilot sensor needed some resistors removed and a jumper put on. Anyone using a Dragon labs CS? modifications??

    Thanks

  • I can second Mikes comment. I fly the APM 1 in a fast delta wing. The APM is mounted about 20cm in front of the CG (but not sideways). It was not even necessary to do any PID tuning, it just worked out of the box.

    Cheers,

    -S

  • @ Mike: cool, thats what I was hoping to hear.

    Troy

  • Moderator

    Troy - of course it's ideal to have the sensors centered, but I'm pretty sure you can get away with putting it 4" to the left or right. Most of the time in planks it is installed several inches forward or back from the CG, and without any issues. Don't install it at an unusual attitude, forward is forward, the board should be level (relative to the normal flight attitude of the plane) and oriented according to its design. Don't spin it, flip it sideways, etc. 

    Personally, I've never mounted one off to the side. If you can get away with it, push it forward or backward along the center line. But if that does not work, pushing it sideways should not be a serious challenge. However, be aware that you have lots of other challenges getting a wing flying properly, then more issues getting the APM to fly any wing, then some issues getting the APM to fly *this* wing well.... if you have a good handle on flying, learn to this wing before putting pressure on the APM. Meanwhile, I recommend learning to fly w/ an APM in something less grand than the X8... .something more traditional, like a bixler. Work out the expectations and processes there, then move over to your X8. Its cheaper to crater a $50-70 bixler than your $200 (without kit) X8 that cost you $50 to ship, that you spent 4 hours building, and installed another $300 in gear before adding the apm.... just a recommendation.....good luck, take photos, and keep us all informed, many of us will be following with interest.

  • Thanks for the comments Mike & Gary, I am aware of the sensitivity of CG with wings but my question is "does it matter where in the plane the APM is located so long as it is pointing forward? Sorry if I wasnt clear.

  • Moderator
    For wings you have to know pretty well where the CG needs to be. Use the designers' recommendation, or if you are the designer, start with a wing CG calculator, there are several online. Wings, without stabilizers, rely on good CG placement almost entirely for longitudinal stability. Push it forward for initial flight tests and beginner fliers.
  • http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/ardupilot-purple-skywalker-...  this has pid setting rc groups building first video hope it helps

  • Moderator

    As its a flying wing you will probably need quite a bit of weight in the nose batteries on the CG might not work. That said I have never flown one, how to others lay them out?

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Cruise speed

Hi,I want to adjust cruise speed.At default settings I have a ground speed of about 42km/h (without airspeed sensor), and I think the optimal speed should be lower. In the mission planner I have value "Cruise speed", default 12m/s. I updated it to 9.5, but don't see any change in actual cruise speed.How to set cruise speed?Are these different settings with RTL speed? For RTL I prefer keep it as is - less efficient, but more reliable.Is it possible to adjust cruise speed during flight, providing…

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Long distance LiPo

I'm currently building a Talon (v3), mainly waiting for parts.While looking for high capacity batteries I found out two things; There are a lot of brands, and prices are still steep in the high-cap regions.I've also seen a few people on the Tube using 18650 cells, but none of those explain why.Does anyone here have experience with these custom 18650 packs?And which 'cheap' brands of standard 5~12A 4S seem to work best?I'm going to use an Emax GT3526 710KV swinging a 13x6.5 prop, which should…

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Quad plane pitch problem

Hi I have been setting up 2 quad planes, pretty standard setups...flying wing with 4 vtol motors and a rear mounted pusher motor. Both builds wich are on different firmware versions have reversed pitch in quad mode but correct pitch and pitch stabilisation in plane mode. I cannot for the life of me find a parameter related solely to quad pitch reversal. Is there anyone out there that can help with this? Thanks.

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PreArm Check Error : Gyros inconsistent

Hi guys, I have a Pixhawk from Radiolink and always in every first attempt of armed I get the error "PreArm: Gyro Inconsistent".The most strange thing is that i'm using only the external gyro+compass. i disabled the internal to avoid this issue. Also- I tried to recalibrate the gyros at least 5 times.- I changed the firmware version from the latest to the 3.8.53 because i have a friend with the same board and he does not have issues.But i have the same behaviorIf i disconnect the battery and…

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