Description of flight modes in apm 2.6. Flight modes. Automatic log analyzer

As we already know, the APM controller is very rich in a variety of flight modes that each pilot can use for his own purposes. Let's look at these modes in more detail and select them in Mission Planner.

I started writing about flight modes in the article “”, and I continue here.

Without using the GPS module, we can use only a few (I will consider the main) flight modes:

Stabilize— the main mode in which it is recommended to take off and land. A gyroscope and accelerometer are used, and a compass is additionally used for control and correction. Gas control is done manually - for hovering, the rule is usually 50% gas level (this is achieved with the optimal selection of components, or by adjusting the level for heavy copters). The only help in this mode is holding the horizon. At maximum deflection of the roll and pitch sticks, the copter will not deviate more than 45° relative to the horizon.
Acro- a mode in which you can achieve sharper and faster flight. All the same conditions are observed as in the Stabilize mode, only the copter can deviate up to 60°.
AltHold— altitude hold mode. In this mode, the use of a barometer is added, which helps maintain altitude. For the most correct operation, it is necessary that the copter's hovering throttle level be 50%. When the throttle stick is at 50% and the mode is turned on, the copter should itself maintain the altitude at which you turned on this mode. When you increase or decrease the throttle, the altitude changes at a speed directly proportional to the amount of stick deflection up or down.
Land— automatic landing mode in the current position. A barometer is used to control the height.
Simple— a mode that allows you to “forget” about the orientation of the copter relative to the pilot. In this mode, the most important thing is the compass. When arming, the controller remembers the compass direction. When taking off and turning the copter around its axis (yaw), the controller takes into account how much the copter is rotated, and makes corrections to the radio control so that if, for example, you turn the copter forward towards you, then when the pitch stick deviates from you, the copter will fly at moving away, not approaching. This mode is also good for a novice pilot. When using this mode, it is important not to change your position (not turn) and remember in which direction the copter was facing before takeoff.

With a GPS module You can use additional modes:

Loiter- point hold mode (by coordinate and height). The mode is well suited for flight training, photography and video shooting.
RTL (Return To Launch)- return home, to the take-off point. The controller remembers the point where Arming was performed and allows you to return the copter to this point.
Auto- flight through mission points. A mission can be created manually through the Mission Planner software, and points can also be added using an additional toggle switch on the radio control equipment.
Position- position holding (only by coordinate). The mode is well suited for photo and video shooting.
Circle- flight in a circle with the nose towards the center. Allows you to automatically fly around any object.
FailSafe - RTL- rescue mode, which will send the copter to fly home. The mode can be configured to turn on when one/several conditions are triggered, such as: loss of control signal, loss of telemetry signal, low battery level. If the GPS signal is lost, you can enter Land mode.
Guided— flight on command given from a ground station (computer with Mission Planner). Select a point on the map and press the “Fly here” button.
FollowMe- flight with a “tail” behind the leader. The leader can be a laptop with a GPS module installed. The copter will follow the leader in the same direction and at the same speed. The mode will be of interest to those who want to film themselves, for example, on a bicycle.
Super Simple- a mode that does not make adjustments to the control up to a 10-meter radius, but at a distance of more than 10 meters it works to “pull towards the house,” i.e. If you pull the pitch stick towards you, the copter will fly to the home point. More than 10 meters also does not matter how the copter is oriented, i.e. as in Simple. Convenient if you’re “taxed.”

In the latest versions of the firmware (starting from 3.1.x), modes have been added, such as: Sport, Drift, Hybrid. More about them later...

For now this is enough for us. At first, we are most interested in 2 modes: Stabilize and Loiter. Stabilize is the main mode in which it is best to take off and land. If in this mode the copter hangs and flies quite well (it doesn’t drift anywhere, doesn’t fall, and listens well to the sticks), then we can say with great confidence that everything was done correctly or almost correctly. Loiter is a mode with which (I repeat) it is best to start learning to fly, because... it is quite calm and suitable for a novice pilot. If in this mode the copter holds its position well (does not drift to the sides, does not spin in circles, there is no drop in height), then we consider that everything was done correctly.

Before we try these modes, we first need to configure them. Configuration is carried out in Mission Planner. We launch the program, connect to the APM controller. Next, go to the “CONFIG/TUNUNG” - “Flight Modes” tab and see the settings window:

This image shows how I usually set up the modes.

I think that you have already decided on the mode switch, then you can start setting it up. I'm used to it, so I won't talk “turn the toggle switch” , but I will talk "I press the button" . Let's check again how the switch works, because... Click all 6 buttons in turn and see the highlighted mode line. My first mode is Stabilize. When the remote control is turned on, the switch sets the pulse level to low. The second mode is also Stabilize, but the “Simple mode” setting has been added to it. I have the third mode for frequent changes, i.e. I change it as needed. The fourth is Alt Hold, the fifth is Loiter, the sixth is RTL. The result is a sequence of modes that is convenient for me: at the beginning - take off, turn on Simple if necessary, in the center modes as necessary, at the end - to hang in the air and automatically return to home, I press the appropriate button.

There are no special recommendations for this setting and you can do it as you wish! After changing the settings, you must click the “Save Modes” button to save. Before each flight, I recommend checking the Mission Planner to remember your flight mode settings.

Update 05/28/2014: Moved Super Simple mode to GPS dependent modes.

If you find an error on the page, then click Shift + Enter or to notify us.

Before making my first flight, even in manual mode, I needed to tinker with the Ardupilot APM 2.8 setup for a long time. It should be immediately noted that this version differs from the previous 2.6 in the location of the connectors and their purpose. This is especially true for connecting an external compass.

After downloading the firmware, you can already establish a connection with the Ardupilot and make further settings via USB.

The first thing I did in setting up Ardupilot APM 2.8 was accelerometer calibration and radio transmitter calibration. These settings are one of the simplest; no problems or nuances arise there. Therefore, there is no point in describing the process in detail. All instructions are given on the developers' website:

A little less understandable, although in fact still not difficult, is the calibration of the ESC speed controllers. To pair the APM 2.8 board with the speed controllers and achieve precise control of the motors, you will need a simple sequence of actions:

First, remove the propellers from the motors for safety reasons.
The motors must be mounted on the frame, connected to the controllers, which in turn are connected to the Ardupilot board.
The APM board does not need to be connected to computers via USB or radio.

1. Turn on the radio control transmitter (at the time of calibration of the regulators, the radio control must already be calibrated). We set the throttle to maximum.
2. Take the Li-Po battery and connect it to the Power module connector to turn on the autopilot. Accordingly, this battery will also provide power to the regulators.
3. Once turned on, the APM will flash its blue and red LEDs like a police car. This indicates that it is ready for calibration the next time it is turned on. Disconnect the battery from the Power module.
4. Turn on the power again. The regulators emit a standard beep (usually the number of beeps is equal to the number of cans in the battery) and after a while it emits a short beep twice, which confirms the calibration for maximum gas.
5. Lower the throttle to the minimum position. The regulators emit one long beep to confirm minimum gas calibration.
6. From this point on, the calibration of the regulators for APM 2.8 is completed and the performance of the motors can be checked.
7. Reduce the gas to minimum and turn off the power to the Ardupilot.

This procedure calibrates the regulators "all at once", which is sufficient for most ESC models.

As for calibrating the compass, everything is more complicated. The APM 2.8 board has a built-in internal magnetometer, which, in principle, can be used as a main compass. But because I have an external magnetometer in the same housing with a GPS receiver, it’s better for me to use it. An important point in connecting an external compass: the APM 2.8 board has a separate connector for it directly under the connector for the GPS antenna. Therefore, we connect it there, and not into the 12C connector, as on older versions.

First, I tried to calibrate the APM 2.8 compass using the standard scheme, without thinking about the compatibility of the external and internal compass. This could not be done. Although the calibration process itself did not produce errors and the values in the three-dimensional coordinate system appeared on the screen, the set of these values was still completely incorrect, I would even say inadequate. For normal calibration it was necessary to disable the internal compass APM 2.8. This is done simply: you need to remove the jumper to the right of the GPS connector. Just get rid of it.
From this moment on, the internal compass stops working and only the external one is involved in calibration.
Without an internal compass, the screen shows the error Compass 1 error: 99, but this does not interfere with the calibration process of the external one.
For the first calibration, disable the Use Auto Accept checkbox at the bottom of the window to collect more values. After typing 2000 -2500 values over the entire sphere, you can complete the calibration.

This completes the basic settings related to the equipment. All further work will be mainly on setting parameters for correct behavior in flight.

This is a quick start guide for users. The quadcopter firmware is already loaded on APM 2.6

install Mission Planner

go to the download page and select the latest version.

Install the program

Follow the instructions until the installation of the program is complete. During the installation process, the program will automatically install the necessary drivers. If you have a DirectX error, you need to update it. If you receive a warning as shown in the image below, select Install driver to continue installing the program.

After installing the program, run it, it will automatically inform you if there are updates. Please use the latest version of Mission Planner whenever possible.

connect radio receiver: PWM or PPM signals

After downloading and installing Mission Planner on your ground station, connect the APM to your computer using a micro USB cable. Do not connect the wire to the USB hub, connect the wire to the computer.

After installing Mission Planner, connect via micro-USB APM to the Windows system, which will automatically detect and provide drivers for the device, launch the software and select the port that will be listed, select the required speed (by default it is 115200 baud/s) as shown in drawing

Select “connection” in the upper right corner of the screen to load MAVLINK parameters into APM, Mission Planner will show a window with data download parameters.

When the parameters are initialized, the loading window will disappear.

Turn on the transmitter and make sure it is in airplane mode (Flight Controller requires airplane mode, regardless of platform on an experimental basis) and center all sticks.

The left stick will control throttle (THR) and yaw (Yaw), the right stick will control roll (Roll) and pitch (Pitch). A three-position switch will control the flight modes.

In Mission Planner, select “Radio Calibrating”, click on “calibration” and in the lower right corner, Mission Planner will display a window that the battery should not be connected, as well as motors and propellers.

Press “ok” and start moving the sticks in each direction to the limit, as well as the three-position toggle switch. Observe the results, the red lines will set the minimum and maximum limits for your radio transmitter.

When all radio channel values have been able to show their minimum and maximum, click “Done” in the program. The data will be displayed to you in a separate window, the normal value is about 1100 for the minimum and 1900 for the maximum.

Propeller mount

The screws must be attached in accordance with the configuration; they are installed last, after everything is configured. Below is a diagram and direction of the propellers and the torsion side of the motors.
Configuration quadcopter X and Plus Configuration
Quadcopter H Frame Configuration
Tricopter Y Configurations
Hexacopter and Octacopter Configuration
tricopter Y6

Pre-flight information

Safety is the key to a successful flight. Please review safety information before flying. Select a safe flying area away from people and always check the operation of all controls and mountings before connecting the battery. Read the wiki section “first flight” on arming and disarming the quadcopter, as well as on controls and flight options.

When you are ready to fly, place the quadcopter on the landing pad facing away from you. Connect a pre-charged LiPO battery to the connectors. Follow safe disarming so that it does not lead to a “crazy flight” (wiki)

The last thing is connecting the battery (after turning on the equipment with the gas stick set to minimum)

Description of the kit, list of modifications

INSTALLATION, SETUP, TESTING, TUNING

Abstracts on the main stages of assembling, setting up and testing a multi-rotor vehicle based on the APM controller with Arducopter firmware

» in a short flight at an altitude of about a meter in calm weather
checking the stability of the GPS navigation sensor readings when the on-board equipment and motors are turned on using telemetry data on a stationary device
checking the stability and accuracy of compass readings at different gas levels on a fixed device
checking the position holding mode – “

check return mode "

»flight at an altitude of 15-20m, calm
loading waypoints and checking the automatic mode in flight (flight at an altitude of 30-50m), calm
tests of the above modes in moderate wind

Violating the procedure for setting up the device often leads to accidents and breakdowns. Skipping any of these steps may cause the device to fly away or crash.

Installation of the power section.

Installing the Power Distribution Board (PDB) board on the new frame.

1. To assemble the power part of the multi-rotor apparatus you will need:

power distribution board (a square or circle made of double-sided foil fiberglass is suitable - remove the deep chamfer along all ends, use one side for the plus and the other for the minus, after soldering, ensure that it is impossible to short circuit the board layers and, if necessary, insulate), a corresponding power battery,
Velcro for fixing the battery,
power wires with large diameter copper core,
battery connector with wire,

2. Solder the ESC power wires to the power distribution board.
3. Solder the wires from the battery plug to the power distribution board. If you are not sure what diameter the core of this wire should be, use a wire with a core that matches the diameter of the core on the battery you are using or a little larger. Make sure the power plug is soldered correctly. Typically, wires of two colors are used - red is connected to the positive, and black to the negative of the battery.

4. Solder the autopilot power module wires to the power distribution board.

5. Install the power distribution board on the plastic stands in the center of the frame.
6. Secure the battery with a Velcro strap to the bottom of the frame exactly at the center of gravity of the device.

practical observations: a piece of double-sided foil PCB with a plus on one side and a minus on the other, while maintaining symmetry in the soldering of pairs of wires, gives the best readings in terms of the influence of induced magnetic fields on the compass. In this case, it is desirable that the compass be located exactly along the axis of the power distribution board, as high as possible. With careful installation and a distance from the PDB of more than 5cm, it is possible to achieve less than 3% of the influence of induced magnetic fields on the compass with a full motor power of ~500W. (This is almost an ideal indicator).

7. Install the flight controller in the center of the frame so that the compass chip is centerline above the power distribution board in accordance with the selected “X” or “Plus” configuration. You should try to ensure the maximum distance from the power distribution board and power wires to the compass. With a symmetrical power distribution board, 5cm is enough; if the quality of the distribution board is poor, 10cm may be too small.

Practical observations: Due to the fact that modern Arducopter firmware uses an inertial system to predict position, the task of protecting the controller from vibration has become particularly important. In terms of placement of the flight controller, in our opinion, the best solution is to use a weighted vibration decoupling plate. The main components of this design are: fiberglass spring, silicone shock absorbers, battery compartment housing (serves as a support for mounting the autopilot), while the batteries act as a weighting agent. the autopilot is attached to a vibration-proof plate using two layers of double-sided tape on a foam base with 4 squares of 1.5 * 1.5 cm. An example of such a design is in a series of photos http://sites.google.com/site/talon2v2/hexa-dji-800

A clear plastic cover over the APM2 controller can reduce damage and, in the event of an accident, protect against moisture in bad weather conditions. Moreover, if you decide to make the housing hermetically sealed, you should provide an outlet for pressure equalization - the controller uses a pressure sensor

8. Install the receiver on the frame and bring the antenna out. As a rule, for multi-rotor devices the antenna should be oriented downwards.

Insert five connectors into channels 1 - 5 of the receiver.
Connect the reverse side of the connectors to the INPUTS connector. Signal wires (they are usually white or yellow) go closer to the center of the board. The central core is +5V, the outer core is usually dark in color - common. It is possible to eliminate the +5V and common connections for all channels except one, but single connectors should be avoided as they fall out easily. If the receiver connector allows it, it is convenient to use a 4-pin cable for channels 1-4 and a 3-pin cable for channel 5 of power and general.

CAUTION: "HV Receivers". The instructions for such receivers say that it is allowed to connect the power of these receivers directly to the battery. When using this receiver on models with flight controllers, it is strictly prohibited to apply voltage greater than 5.5 volts to the input rail. When applying battery voltage to power the receiver and connecting the receiver power to the autopilot inputs, the high voltage will disable the autopilot completely. APM powered by battery voltage is impractical to repair and requires complete replacement.

9. Connect the control cables of the motor controllers (ESC) to the output connectors (OUTPUTS); the light-colored signal wire should be towards the center of the board.

10. There is an opinion that some models of speed controllers with 5-volt switching voltage regulators may not work correctly if all the positive wires in the signal loops are connected, for which the middle wire on all regulators is usually disconnected.

11. Your RC transmitter must initially be configured for a multi-rotor device according to the circuit used for control by plane :

Four main channels: aileron, pitch, heading and throttle.
The fifth channel should set the flight mode, connect it to the channel controlled by the 3-6 position flight mode switch on the remote control.
Set expenses (ENDPOINTS) for all channels to plus and minus 100 percent. Set the trims to the center position and never change the trim values. (it is important)

Firmware download and initialization

1. Go tohttp://firmware.ardupilot.org/Tools/MissionPlanner/ ,download the latest version" Mission Planner " and install it on your computer.

Note: The operation of the Mission planner program versions 1.3.7 -1.3.9 (and possibly later) may cause difficulties for users with the Windows XP operating system. The working version for this OS is 1.3.6

2.Launch "Mission Planner" " and connect the USB cable between the PC and the flight controller.
3. If the system reports “A new device has been detected,” allow driver installation. If during installation you receive a message: “Driver not found,” install it manually from the program installation folder Mission Planner.

Note: if the driver does not install, try installing it first FTDI driver

4. In "Mission Planner" ", make sure that in the upper right corner of the screen, 115200 - data transfer speed and new number have been selected Com port that appeared after installing the driver (But not TCP or UDP).

Note: When connecting via a telemetry modem, the speed typically used is 57600.

5. Initialization of initial parameters

If you purchased a kit on our website for a specific type of aircraft, save the flight controller settings to a file. (menu “config/tuning” item “advanced parameters” button save “SAVE”)

(we download the most stable firmware versions, install default settings and perform initial calibration of the inertial system and compass)

If you replaced the pre-installed firmware version or did not purchase the autopilot from us, then the first thing to do is:

· download the latest firmware version for your aircraft type.

· reset default settings (in terminal setup - reset - y)

In firmware version 3.2 and older, the terminal for the APM controller is not supported; initial parameters are set from the “full list of parameters” screen

Warning: failure to set the default parameters is the main cause of a wide range of problems at all stages of setup and flight (some input and output channels may not work, GPS data may not be received, orientation may not work correctly). If you are not sure that you have reset the settings, repeat this procedure.

6. To view the controller status and configure parameters, click the Connect button in the upper right corner of the screen, and the MavLink connection will begin to be established.

7. If you need to download software for another type of device, specify the port, speed 115200 but do not click connect, go to the Inital setup - inslall Firmware tab where you can select the type and version of the downloaded firmware

Calibrations

Calibration of radio control signals

1. Turn on the transmitter with the settings for your model, Make sure that the trimmers are in the central position.

2. In "Radio C" alibration" select " Calibrate radio " and move the control knobs all the way.

Joystick “roll” to the left - the signal level bar should deviate to the left.
joystick “pitch” up - the signal level bar should deviate DOWN.exactly downwards, the control works in an airplane style - the steering wheel is towards you - up, away from you - down.
joystick “throttle” down - the signal level bar should go down.
Joystick “Course” to the left (Yaw to the left) - the signal level bar should go to the left.
note: with some types of equipment, when calibrating the heading stick, you should limit yourself to a slightly incomplete deviation, otherwise problems with “arming” may arise at a different ambient temperature

3. Move the three to six position mode selection switch to all positions one by one.
4. When you are done calibrating, return the joysticks to the middle position and the throttle to 0 and select the " Complete " in the lower right corner of the screen.
5. Select "Flight Modes" on the left side of the screen " Mission Planner" and set all 6 Modes to "Stabilize", uncheck all " Simple " mode and click the "Save Modes" button.

Make sure that the obtained calibration values for each of the channels do not fall outside the range of 1000-2000ms (this is important), it is advisable to have a small margin, for example, if for each of the channels you received 1100 -1900 with a trimmer of exactly 1500 - this will be an ideal case

6. Configure the radio receiver so that when the transmitter is turned off, the signal in the throttle channel is 900ms; in INITAL SETUP - FAILSAFE, enable the enabled always RTL option. This option will mean that if the radio control signal is lost, the device will return to the take-off point. If at the moment the signal is lost the device is in flight, but below 15m, the device will first gain this altitude.

The configured system should be checked. The signal level in channel 3 should fall below the FS pwm value - when the transmitter is turned off, the message Failsafe should appear on the main flight screen.

Compass calibration:

The compass calibration functionality is located in the “Initial Setup” tab, section “Mandatory Hardware”, “Compass”. Turning on the compass - “Enable”, the “Auto Dec” option allows you to automatically calculate the magnetic declination. When using the built-in compass, select “APM with OnBoard Compass” in the “Orientation” field

Next you need to perform calibration. To do this, select a space away from metal objects (desktop with tools, scissors, magnetic screwdrivers), press the " Live Calibration " A compass calibration progress window will appear. During calibration, you need to rotate the device in the horizontal plane 360 degrees, holding each of the XYZ axes of the flight controller in a vertical position in turn.

Video of the calibration process (in English):

YouTube Video

At the end of the 60 second countdown, a window will appear with the calibration result. The result can be two types of messages: success or failure. If you receive a message that there is not enough data, then the procedure should be repeated again. If calibration is successful, the resulting offsets will be shown (they should be no worse than +-150). If the deviations are greater, then you should look for a source of the magnetic field that introduces an error in the compass readings. Sometimes the magnetic field sensor is affected by nearby components placed next to it on the PCB. The best values are those close to zero. There is special equipment for demagnetizing magnetized objects located near the magnetic field sensor.

Checking the compass using the cross test: After the compass is calibrated, remove magnetic objects, including screwdrivers and scissors, away from your work area. Draw a cross on the sheet of paper with lines at 90 degree angles. Place the device so that the indicator in “Flight data” points exactly to “N” (correspondence to the real side of the world at this stage is not important, there may still be magnetic anomalies at your workplace, they can be easily identified with a mechanical tourist compass)
turn the cross so that one of the lines becomes parallel to the controller - and without moving the sheet of paper, turn the controller 180 and place it along the line.
at first the course will show "S" - south in any case because this value is determined by the gyroscope, then at a speed of the order of a degree per second, the gyroscope readings will be adjusted to the compass readings, so if after 30 seconds if you see the same south, with a small tolerance, then the compass is calibrated correctly, repeat the experiment for a perpendicular line to check the directions to the west and east.

After the first “arming” when capturing a GPS position, the controller will automatically calculate the magnetic declination.
in this case, the compass readings should change by an angle of about 7 degrees relative to the readings of the magnetic tourist compass (for the central part of Russia)

Checking the compass for accuracy in pointing to real cardinal directions:
If on the map built into the "Mission Planner" » it is possible to set the scale at which the contours of the building you are in are visible - set the device in a position parallel to one of the walls and make sure that the red line is strictly parallel to the wall of your building on the map. Rotate the device 90, 180, 270 degrees and make sure that the red line is strictly parallel or perpendicular to the wall. errors of 1-2 degrees are acceptable, with errors of more than 5 degrees problems will be noticeable in the position holding mode, with errors of more than 15 degrees it is strictly not recommended to use the position holding mode or automatic modes

Note: On APM1 and APM2.6 the compass is a separately installed module; on APM2 and APM2.5 and our controllers it is already installed. If you need to use an external compass when there is an internal one on the boards of our edition, you should cut the jumper that disables the internal compass

17. Select Initial Setup ", open the section " Mandatory Hardware » « Accel calibration " Place the device one by one in the required positions and confirm the action by pressing the key on the keyboard (spacebar). The following positions will be requested: horizontal, on the left side, on the right side, nose down, nose up, upside down.

To achieve the ideal calibration necessary for accurate operation of the inertial system, we recommend using a level surface with a verified horizontal level when calibrating the accelerometer using a bubble level. At the moment of pressing the confirmation key, the controller must be fixed in a state of rest; you cannot hold it in your hands or try to calibrate it on a surface subject to even minimal vibrations.

Checking the compass to see if motor power affects its readings:

If during flight tests, while holding a position, the device accelerates in an arc, one of the most likely reasons is compass deviation when the motors are running under load. in order to make sure that there is no such influence, you should securely fasten the device and in the mode of monitoring the direction of the red line in the program “ Mission Planner “Full power should be applied alternately to each motor. If during testing under heavy load the red line deviates more than 5 degrees, you should reconsider the design of the power distribution board, try to mount the controller further from the wires, or use an external compass.

During the test, the motors must operate under load, i.e. with installed propellers. Some modelers, instead of securing the device, change the direction of rotation of the motors or turn the screws over so that the screws do not lift the device from the ground but, on the contrary, act downwards.

The test is dangerous. Take care of your fingers. Isolate household members and pets. Watch out for the curtains, they show amazing flying abilities in this test.

Using an external compass

In the case when, due to the design features of the aircraft, it is not possible to exclude the influence of magnetic fields created by the wiring on the built-in compass, it is possible to connect an external device. If you purchase our APM kit, an external compass is already included on the navigation receiver board.

Before connecting it, you must disable the built-in one; to do this, you need to open the APM case and cut the jumper. After cutting the jumper, make sure that the built-in compass stops functioning (you will see the BAD COMPASS HEALTH message on the Mission planner screen).

Fig. "Location of the cut of the jumper for disabling the built-in compass"

Connect the I2C socket of the controller to the “compass” socket of the navigation module using the cable included in the kit.

Set the compass configuration to "external" in the Mission Planner settings. For the APM controller, this setting is equivalent to installing a compass with roll 180 rotation and involves selecting this rotation option (for F4BY, Pixhawk controllers the interpretation is different; when specifying external, rotation should be left at 0)

ESC Calibration

Setting the control signal ranges of engine speed controllers (in common parlance, ESC calibration) is important for proper operation. A sign of incorrect calibration of the regulators may be the motors not starting at the same time when gas is slowly added after arming.

There are two ways to adjust the "ESC end points" (zero position and maximum throttle points).

Automatically setting up ESC for everyone at once is the simplest.
The manual method adjusts each ESC individually.

Try setting it in automatic mode first, if this fails, then use the second method.

1. Automatic tuning of engine regulators (all at once)

It is necessary to remove the propellers or otherwise ensure safety in case of accidental activation of the motors

Turn on the transmitter and set the throttle to full, then connect the on-board battery.
Wait until the controller boots up - the LEDs will flash cyclically.
Disconnecting the battery and then plugging it back in will begin the ESC calibration process.
When you hear the first signal from the regulators, move the throttle to the down position. In this case, after 1 or 2 confirmation signals, you should gradually begin to add gas, the motors should simultaneously start and begin to rotate.
Disconnect the battery. the process is completed.

During subsequent starts, each time before turning on the power to the device, you should make sure that the transmitter is turned on and the gas is at a minimum. Otherwise, the recalibration procedure may begin.

2. Manual ESC calibration (Each ESC is calibrated individually).

It is necessary to remove the propellers and disconnect the control loops of the regulators from the controller.

With the battery disconnected, connect the 3-wire ESC control wire plug into the receiver's throttle channel (usually channel #3).
Turn on the transmitter and set the throttle to full.
Connect the battery to the ESC regulator and after you hear the regulator signal, move the throttle joystick to the down position, after which you will hear sound signals confirming the completion of calibration - this means that the ESC is calibrated.
Disconnect the battery, then repeat this procedure for each ESC.

4. Sometimes, even after manual calibration is performed, the ESC may remain uninitialized when turned on (continuous loud beep).
If so, then try one automatic calibration.
5. Typically, if the ESC is properly calibrated, there should not be a continuous ticking sound from the motors when you turn on the battery.

Checking that the engines are turned on

Before turning on the power, ensure that the device remains stationary; do not turn on the device while holding it in your hands, as this may cause the gyroscopes to detect a calibration error. After turning on the power, after the engines beeped, the indicator LEDs indicated that the calibration process was completed, the GPS position was captured, move the throttle control of the engines, holding down and to the right all the time for 4 seconds. In this case, the red LED should change from a flashing state to a constant light. This is the “weapons” mode (“ Arming "), it is used to prevent injuries from accidentally turning on the motors; only in this mode is it possible to start the motors.
7. For Disarm, hold the throttle down and left for 4 seconds.
8. If the motors do not "Arm", check that the heading trim is in the center, try lowering the throttle trim a few clicks lower and try again. Modern firmware has a system to prevent the engines from turning on if the controller is faulty, the accelerometer and compass calibrations described above were not completed, the device was jerked when turned on, and the gyroscope could not be calibrated if the GPS receiver did not capture the position. We we do not recommend disable these checks by changing the Arming check parameter

9. After "Arming" ", the engines should start simultaneously and gain speed in proportion to the movement of the throttle. If this is not the case, you must repeat the ESC calibration again.

Setting the direction of rotation of the propellers and checking the correct operation of the sensors.

1. On multi-rotor aircraft, left- and right-hand rotation propellers are installed in pairs; do not use propellers of different pitches or diameters. If you have not yet decided on your choice, pay attention to the propellers of the manufacturer APC MR series

2. Before installing the propellers, turn on the transmitter, connect the battery and check and, if necessary, correct the rotation direction of each of the motors so that they rotate in the directions as shown in the diagram, and then install the propellers. To change the direction of rotation of the motor, swap any two of the three phases connecting the motor to the regulator.

3. For multi-rotor craft, it is extremely important to use perfectly balanced propellers. Such propellers create minimal vibration for the flight controller.

The procedure for connecting channels and installing screws of multi-rotor devices

the arrow in the center of the frame indicates the forward direction of the flight controller

CW – propeller rotating clockwise, CCW – counter-clockwise

quadcopter x and plus diagrams

"H-frame" quadcopter

hexa and octacopter, x and plus circuits , 6 motor coaxial configuration

8 motor configuration coaxial "octaquaid"

Pre-flight checks

With the battery disconnected, connect the USB cable, run " Mission Planner" and select "Connect » and inspect the indicators.

On the telemetry display, on the left, there is an altitude indicator, it should show the relative altitude from the moment it is turned on. The barometric altitude should not change if the device is stationary, however, indoors, when the wind changes outside, exhaust ventilation is turned on, or doors slam, the altitude readings can change within a few meters.

The compass indicator should show true cardinal direction when viewed from the front of the APM controller. (Attention, if it is located near metal objects or electronic devices that create magnetic fields, this may lead to significant deviation, check the directions of magnetic fields in different parts of your room using a magnetic travel compass).

If you are outside the range of signal reception, the GPS receiver will not be able to determine its position, and accordingly the current position will not be displayed on the map (to capture satellites, place the turned on device in the open air and wait a few minutes).
Tilt the aircraft at various angles to ensure that the horizon indicator on the flight display is what you expect. View of the horizon in the program " Mission Planner "is made in such a way that you can see the ground from a camera installed on the same platform as the controller. When the device is tilted forward, the horizon on the indicator should rise (the flight display seems to show the view of the ground from the cockpit, but it is possible to configure the so-called “Russian style” style of the horizon indicator in the MIssion Planner program)
When the device is tilted to the left, the horizon should also tilt to the left.

This check confirms that the sensors are working properly and the controller is correctly installed on the frame, if the motors and propellers are connected correctly, the aircraft can be considered capable of its first test flight.

Checking the controllability of the device in idle mode.

On a calm day, install the device a few meters away from you on a flat, horizontal place, with at least 6 meters of free space in all directions.
Turn on the transmitter, make sure the throttle is off, the trim tabs are in the middle position, the mode is STABILIZE, and then connect the on-board batteries. From at least 3 meters behind the vehicle, arm by holding the throttle down and all the way to the right for at least 4 seconds until the red light stays on continuously. If the flight controller has not passed all the calibrations specified above, arming may not occur. After the red signal lights up, slowly increase the gas until the engines begin to rotate (all engines must start at the same time). Next, slowly increase the gas so that there is no lift-off or movement. Using the rudder (course), the correctness of turning left and right is checked. The frame should follow your commands correctly. Now check the dive handle ( Pitch ),. When you move the handle forward (up), the device should try to lean forward and try to move away from you. When moving the handle towards you, the model should try to lean and move towards you when pitching up. Roll handle ( Roll ) check the movements to the left and right - the movements of the model must correspond to the direction of the handle. Resolve any identified problems before moving on to further steps.

Before the first flight

· Do not fly over people, even if the aircraft weighs less than a kilogram; in the event of an accident, injuries are inevitable.

· Do before the first flight plate with your mobile phone number and attach it to the model. In case of harm to others, you need to be able to take responsibility for your actions. If found, you can negotiate a reward with the finder.

· During assembly, debugging and startup, beware of screws; rigid screws larger than 8 inches in diameter are seriously dangerous.

· The legislation of many countries allows the launch of models no higher than 100m; if you significantly exceed this height, you risk not only losing the model but also causing an air accident with casualties. Note The legislation of the Russian Federation does not provide for the launch of radio-controlled aircraft models, thus the flight altitude limit is not defined. There are restrictions prohibiting flights near airports and other no-fly areas.

· Lithium batteries are explosive and fire hazardous. The cause of the explosion may be short circuit of power wires, overcharge, overdischarge, mechanical damage to the outer shell, or internal short circuit. Do not carry or store batteries without an individual case; a short circuit may occur on a metal object. Do not try to disassemble or puncture a swollen hydrogen battery, it will explode. Extinguishing a battery with water is the same as extinguishing a car with gasoline - lithium burns in water. It is better to discard ignited or smoking batteries in a safe place.

I Stage of flight settings

PID setting stabilization and their verification.

STABILIZE is the main mode and a prerequisite during switching on and necessary for “Arming”. (in the latest firmware, arming and take-off in modes other than stabilization have been made acceptable, however, the first take-off should be carried out in the stabilization mode)
1. Try a short flight in stabilization mode. Arm the controller by holding the throttle down and to the right for at least 4 seconds (the red LED will stop flashing and become solid).
2. Increase the gas until the device begins to lift off the ground. Try to raise the model to a height of 1 - 2 meters above the ground and hold it for a while, gradually dosing the gas. Compensate for drift with roll and pitch. Reduce throttle and land.

3. If in the test described above your device was not stabilized well enough, or was subject to swinging, disconnect the battery, connect the USB cable between APM2 and your computer, run “ Mission Planner" and click " Connect ", select the tab " Config/tuning", "Extended tuning",

And then in the list of PIDs you should find the parameter “ rate roll P" "rate pitch P" Reduce its value, but no more than 10% at a time, while simultaneously increasing the value"rate roll D" "rate pitch D" also 10% at a time from the original. The PID tuning process is described in more detail below in the tuning section.

4. Repeat this test several times, adding a roll and pitch control check, and make several short flights over short distances.
5. Try to get used to the behavior of the model in the "Stabilization" mode and gain control skills before starting to test more advanced modes.

Possible problems that arise when setting up the stabilization mode and their solutions

The model maintains a position other than horizontal; the device flies forward, backward, or to the side when there is no wind.

the controller is not in a horizontal position (for example, due to the influence of the USB cable when performing the LEVEL setting in the frame type selection section)

Mount the controller horizontally or use the AHRS TRIM settings to compensate for the tilt of the flight controller relative to the frame. Please note that the angle AHRS TRIM is specified in radians. On an arducopter, it is strictly forbidden to use the control panel trimmer to compensate for the drift of the device.

The weight alignment of the frame is broken (checked by installing it on a support in the center of traction, the center of traction is the intersection of the diagonals connecting the axes of the motors)
Various thrust generated by motors. (checked by hanging a load that is obviously larger than the thrust of the beam, and weighing it in full throttle mode on a scale with an accuracy of the order of a few grams)

II Stage of flight settings

Checking the vibration level and trying the altitude hold mode

In order to evaluate what the vibration diagram is on your device, turn on logging of RAW values, take a 30-second flight in stabilization mode, download the logs, upload the downloaded file through the log viewing function and display the accel x y z parameters in the diagram. In new firmware the vibration log is called IMU

enable logging before flight:

should select "IMU"

in older versions of Mission Planner c should select "Default + IMU"

in the “full parameters list” you should find ins_mpu6k_filter and set the value to 43Hz

To download flight logs to a computer in the Arducopter 3.1 firmware, it is possible to use the terminal window functionality,for firmware 3.2 and older, the terminal is not available for the APM controller; downloading logs is possible via the “ MAVLINK »

As a result of analyzing the resulting log, we get the following diagrams:

The top picture shows extremely unacceptable vibrations,

If the vibrations on your frame are too high, the flight controller will not be able to maintain altitude using the inertial system, until the causes of the vibrations are eliminated and the flight controller is installed on a vibration-proof platform, turning on ALT HOLD and other automatic modes can be dangerous.

If the vibrations are small, then for most devices we recommend installing hardware vibration noise suppression ins_mpu6k_filter=20 , for flights not related to measuring vibration levels

Automatic log analyzer

III Stage of flight settings

Checking the quality of holding a position ( GPS coordinates + height)

Be careful, you cannot start testing the altitude, position, and return modes without completing the previous stages of flight settings!

The quality of holding a position depends on:

use of a high-quality navigation receiver, absence of radio interference
correct adjustment of the position and calibration of the compass, absence of exposure to constant magnetic fields from ferrite rings, magnets and power wiring

If the device does not hold its position and sometimes, instead of holding the position, it begins to accelerate in an arc, the most likely reason is that the compass is not working correctly in flight conditions.

The position holding radius is too large - the device moves in arbitrary directions. There are two factors here.
1. You should check that the navigation receiver catches 10 satellites or more and has a level HDOP < 1,2
2. The level of vibrations along the XY axes does not exceed the norm, modern firmware uses accelerometer data to calculate displacements, strong vibrations lead to errors in the operation of the inertial system

Common problems:

"Completely inadequate"

After replacing the controller firmware, log into the terminal and follow the procedure for initializing the initial parameters (terminal, setup, reset). Without this, the motors may not turn on, the level may be displayed crookedly, telemetry may not work, and much more - absolutely any problems.

The device maintains altitude very poorly, sways, the hovering gas level in stabilization mode is about 70%
The device is too “bouncy”, responds too sharply to the slightest control, the hovering gas level in stabilization mode is about 30%

the weight of the device and its propeller-motor group must be selected so that it hangs at 50% of the throttle, the recommended range of the hovering gas level is from 43% to 57%, at a hovering gas level of 30-40% the device is underloaded and reacts very strongly to control, as a rule, coarsening due to settings is required. When the hovering gas level is over 70%, the device, as a rule, is not able to quickly stabilize, is prone to swinging, and is unable to maintain altitude in conditions of turbulence and downdrafts. You can see what kind of hovering gas you have roughly using the control stick, exactly according to the “throttle trim” parameter after the flight, there this value should be 430 - 570, the closer to 500 the better.

An example of what happens if the thrust is incorrectly matched to the weight of the device:

2kg device with frame 550, ax4008, apc14*4.7 first with 2S battery – high values PID, the device is stabilized in roll and pitch, but there was a decent breeze of 5-7 m/s due to ragged clouds with descending currents. So one such stream grabbed it and pressed it to the ground from a decent height, according to the logs the altitude is dropping, the gas is full, two engines are at minimum, two are working at 100% (they are blown by the side wind) the device is on the horizon but is heading towards the ground. As a result, he softly slammed into the snow. The throttle trim parameter turned out to be about 800. After installing a 3S battery, I lowered the rate p and d the device began to be controlled like a feather. throttle trim turned out to be about 450 i.e. in the future you can add a heavier battery

A device with very large diameter propellers and short beams is too sharp in course control
A device with very large diameter propellers and short arms begins to bounce when landing

The coefficient - rate yaw p - is responsible for the level of exchange rate stabilization. Too large a heading stabilization parameter can cause level stabilization disturbances, so at the initial stage of setup it is advisable to reduce the default parameter. This is especially true if the maximum permissible propeller sizes are installed on the frame - for example, if you install 14-inch propellers on a frame with a diagonal of 550, then reduce them by half - otherwise the device may even tumble at the start. If subsequently you find that the exchange rate control is not intensive enough, this parameter can be increased.

AHRS_GPS_GAIN,0 The parameter instructs the horizon correction system to correct centrifugal accelerations in sharp turns at speed. Value 1 = correction enabled, 0 = disabled.

The consequence of enabling this parameter is that the horizon line twitches when the device is stationary, if the GPS does not perfectly capture the position and drifts. With strong changes in GPS position, the roll can reach critical values.
In copters, this parameter set to one is not needed; the parameter is required by airplanes. An exception is high-speed aerobatics in acrobatic mode.

INS_MPU6K_FILTER,20 hardware “vibration suppressor” is turned on after measuring the vibrations on the frame, making sure that they are normal, and then turning on the “noise suppressor”. A value of 43 means that a low level of suppression is used (43Hz), this value should be used for a test flight with vibration logging enabled. If the vibration amplitude is within 2 units on a 10 unit scale, you can turn on filtering 20 for most frames. An exception may be very fast, maneuverable, sports devices for 3D aerobatics.

4. Adjusting controllability and stability by pitch and roll:

There are several types of swaying - finely trembling when the motors change their tone many times within a second and hangs as if on a string, finely trembling - this is pumped or rate d (less often rate p)
if the device takes off with difficulty, any breeze gently deflects it from a stable position (behaves like a hoop thrown on the floor - with a wave in a circle) this is an insufficient rate D (if the device does not take off and behaves like a hoop thrown on the floor - check the correspondence of the motor connections and the type of frame plus or x)
if you are hanging level there is no wind and it slightly twitches with one beam or another once a second, then the rate d is probably too high (or vibrations affect the autopilot)
if the device is forced to swing a little with the stick and instead of performing the maneuver in one movement, it makes one or two damped swings, this means the rate d is too small

RATE coefficients

Adjusting the dependence of motor power correction on angular velocity (in the pitch, roll, heading axes)

roll pitch rate p - determines how much power to give to overcome the inertia of the frame - angular velocity along the pitch and roll - the more inert the frame and the lower the thrust, the greater the order of magnitude for most configurations 0.10 - 0.15
roll pitch rate d - determines the dosing of energy for spinning up and braking the propeller - the larger the diameter of the prop and the smaller the motor torque, the larger the parameter. order of magnitude for most configurations 0.004 - 0.010
Rate feeds are changed by no more than 10% at a time! don't do it by eye, use a calculator

STAB coefficients

roll pitch stab p a parameter that determines the sharpness of control from the remote control and navigation machine. for sports models the order of value is 4.5; for aerial photography and educational 3.5

P I D components in relation to an arcopter

present in most coefficients.

P is the main proportional coefficient.

D - level of initial, short-term impact (usually aimed at overcoming inertia)

IMAX - long-term error correction level

I - magnitude (speed) of increase in the limited value IMAX

Typical faults:

Sign: APM does not complete the connection via USB and telemetry, during the parameter loading procedure the process stops, when turned on, the blue LED blinks and goes out, other LEDs do not blink. With firmware 2.7 and earlier, the controller connects to the Mission Planner.

Diagnostics: check for a voltage of 3.3 volts on the outer pins of the I2C connector; it is normal if the voltage is 3.2 - 3.4 volts. If there is significantly less, for example, 1 volt, or more, for example, 4.8 volts, your 3.3 volt stabilizer has failed. The original Diydrones autopilots use a regulator that often fails. This problem is not typical for the APM modified by the Megapilot group; we replaced the 3.3 stabilizer with a more reliable chip.

Repair: replacing a 3.3 volt stabilizer

Sign: In cold weather, the level shown by the APM moves away from the horizontal when the device is in a horizontal position.

Possible reasons: 1. MPU6000 orientation processor malfunction. 2. A low-voltage capacitor is installed in the charge pump circuit MPU6000. Current leakage due to condensation or oxides on the board in a high-voltage circuit charge pump.

repair: the orientation processor should be unsolderedMPU6000, wash the seat and solder it back, replace capacitor C13 with a capacitor with a capacity of 0.01 µF for a voltage of 50 volts. The capacitor on the board is located between the MPU6000 and the barometer.

Sign:Bad Compass Health- red inscription on the screen of the Mission Planner program. Translated as the compass is unhealthy.

Possible reasons: 1.The compass is faulty or not connected. 2. An external compass is connected when the jumper that turns off the internal compass is not cut.

Sign: Bad gyro health - red inscription on the Mission Planner screen. Gyroscope problems.

Possible reasons:

1. If the level is skewed - Malfunction of the MPU6000 orientation processor.

2. With Arducopter firmware 3.2 and older, this error will appear if you disturbed the controller's motion while calibrating the gyroscope when turned on. In this case, this is not a malfunction. restart the controller. You cannot hold the flight controller in your hand when turning it on during the sensor calibration period.

http://apmcopter.ru/

Manual

educational multi-rotor device controlled by Arducopter

hashtags
#documentation

APM supports various GCS.

The following options are currently available for download:

APM Mission Planner: Windows. This utility allows you to configure the autopilot, plan a route, monitor and control the flight.
HappyKillmore GCS: Windows. This is a full-fledged GCS supporting multiple autopilots, developed in conjunction with the DIY Drones team and is fully APM compatible.
QGroundControl: Powerful, customizable GCS from the team that developed the MAVLink protocol used in APM. Support Linux, Windows, Mac.

APM Mission Planner

ARTIFICIAL HORISON - an artificial horizon, remember that it is reversible in relation to the roll of the aircraft.
AIR SPEED - air speed, if there is a sensor.
GROUND SPEED - ground speed
BATTERY STATUS - battery status
ALTITUDE - altitude, blue mark - rate of descent
GPS STATUS - state of the satellite navigation module
CURRENT AUTOPILOT MODE - autopilot operating mode, RTL means return to the launch point.
DISTANCE TO CURRENT WAYPOINT ">" CURRENT WAYPOINT NUMBER - distance to the next point, number of the next point
СROSSTRACK ERROR AND TURN RATE Track following error and turn rate
HEADING DIRECTION - course
BANK ANGLE - bank
WIRELESS TELEMETRY CONNECTION - quality of telemetry communication depends on the number of lost packets
GPS TIME - time received from the satellite navigation system
RED LINE - direction of the aircraft axis, heading
GREEN LINE - destination course, including exchange rate correction
BLACK LINE - the course received from the satellite navigation receiver, often cannot be trusted
YELLOW LINE - direction to the next waypoint (in this case, the plane is in a circle above this point)

APM Mission Planner is a program that allows you to configure and control UAVs based on APM.

Details on how to use it here.

Autopilot modes

Ardupilot has a number of built-in flight modes, and will have even more as it develops. Ardupilot can act as a simple flight stabilization system or perform complex automatic piloting. Flight modes are controlled by radio or using logic embedded in the events.pde file.

To configure the radio transmitter switches to match the autopilot modes, you must configure "Flight Modes" using the "Mission Planner" program or via text terminal: (Setup/Modes).

Modes:

Manual control. Channels from the radio receiver are transmitted directly to the drives.

STABILIZE

Stabilization mode, in this mode, roll and pitch control are assisted by the autopilot; if you release these handles, the plane will automatically return to level flight. The throttle is controlled directly from the receiver.

FLY BY WIRE_A

The autopilot deflects the aircraft exactly to the angles of deflection of the roll and pitch control levers, the throttle is controlled manually, but is limited to the values defined in the THR_MIN and THR_MAX parameters, by default THR_MIN = 0. but if you wish, you can increase this value, but you should understand that if you activate FLY BY WIRE_A mode (even on the ground) then the motor will start. This mode is great for teaching beginners how to fly.

FLY BY WIRE_B

Requires an airspeed sensor, the autopilot automatically controls the dive and throttle to achieve a constant flight level, the flight level can be changed using the pitch lever. The mode is great for testing altitude control settings.

Automatic following to pre-programmed points, allows for customization to allow manual steering. When the mode is interrupted, the mission continues, follows to the next point, if all points are passed once, it switches to RTL mode; to repeat the route, a restart of the controller / radio command is required

The plane automatically returns to the launch point and stands in a circle at a certain altitude; manual taxiing is allowed.

The plane stands in a circle at the current position determined by the satellite navigation system data. This makes it possible to compensate for wind drift.

* "Steering": Let's assume that a model airplane is flying in one of the automatic modes and a situation arises that requires an urgent maneuver. You can use the roll and pitch controls to perform a maneuver, and once the controls are released the aircraft continues to steer automatically.

Additional modes

Automatic takeoff can be specified during mission planning and activated by selecting the AUTO mode. Automatically maintains takeoff pitch and horizontal roll position. In the latest firmware versions, it is possible to configure the use of the rudder and steering wheel drive during takeoff and landing. The gas control method is determined by the firmware version. Gas is limited by the THR_MAX parameter. The aircraft maintains this mode until the altitude specified during mission planning is reached, and then enters the automatic waypoint phase.

Note from the translator: In early versions of the firmware, starting with the ardupilot mini (ardupilot legacy), throttle control during the takeoff phase was truly manual, which corresponds to the description in the English version of Wikipedia, which is logical and safe. However, in arduplane2.6.8, current at the time of translation, the logic value is set to use full throttle at this stage.

An automatic landing can be set during mission planning and activated when the last waypoint is reached. The gas is controlled by the autopilot. When entering the radius of the last point, the current course of the aircraft is recorded, and when it reaches a height of 3 m above the height specified for the landing point (or 2 seconds before reaching the coordinates of the landing point), the gas is turned off. Roll and pitch control tactics are determined by the presence of an airspeed sensor, parameter settings and firmware version.

in the latest firmware the RUDDER_STEER parameter has appeared. If enabled, the ailerons work to maintain the horizon during takeoff and landing, the rudder (and the steering wheel, if any) are deflected to control the course