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Users => Applications - Autonomous Flight => Topic started by: rabno1 on January 12, 2017, 12:32:02 am

Title: OK for at the window?
Post by: rabno1 on January 12, 2017, 12:32:02 am
Ok just testing out my setup before trying out some GPS modes.
I've got a 250 with banggood Revo + m8n GPS with mag.
I've got all the sensors calibrated and the mag is pretty much always green. I stuck my quad by the window powered up with a 12v supply and left it running for a few hours. I read a thread by theothercliff saying it might be an idea to make sure the i2c mag doesn't cause any problems, not that i know what to look for apart from the Revo rebooting (it didn't even after about 6 hours).
So everything looks good to go but i noticed there was a few jumps on the GPS 50-100m, is this expected considering its indoors? Whats even more worrying i guess is the time it takes to track back to where it actually is (upto 2 minutes sometimes). I did actually see it take a few of the jumps and the GCS was showing as if the quad was rolling right then left for a few second as the jump was happening.

Ive attached 2 screenshots from after an hour of running and one after 3 hours.
Title: Re: OK for at the window?
Post by: TheOtherCliff on January 12, 2017, 06:37:28 am
The jumps are very undesirable, but are basically normal.  They happen less outside and away from flat surfaces that can reflect a GPS signal.
There is an enhancement being tested that makes it so that the attitude doesn't change during these jumps.  That is good.  I also am considering some code that will know how to remove most of a jump.
Title: Re: OK for at the window?
Post by: rabno1 on January 14, 2017, 01:36:15 pm
That's good to know that the jumps are "normal". I did have it all setup and working, I hadn't used GPS modes much but when I did try, it seemed pretty solid.
Then 16.09 came out so I did a bit of a rebuild on the quad and upgraded the firmware. Just need to get a bit of free time when it's not raining or blowing a gale.

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Title: Re: OK for at the window?
Post by: rabno1 on January 15, 2017, 04:33:25 am
Got the quad out today. This is my first quad and im not 100% sure what im talking about so anyone feel free to correct me.

Fresh from partial rebuild and firmware upgrade to 16.09 (was running a next build before to get aux mag support and never really got to try it out much due to lack of time and weather:P).

Setup with default settings (none of the pre loaded models really fitted mine so used the basic).
Complimentary mode.
Done all the board level, gyro, etc.. calibrations in the house already.
Flight Mode 1: Stabilised bank1  Mode 2: autotune Mode 3: Stabalised bank3

Took off and hovered about 10ft off the ground, flew around a little and already seems to fly nice. I Switch to autotune and hold on while it wiggles for the longest minute ever before it steadies out again. I land it, disarm, checked the PIDs in bank 3 weren't to wildly different than the defaults.

I Setup new flight modes all on bank 3 now.
Mode 1: Stabilised 2:Altitude Hold 3:AltitudeVario

Took off  flew around a bit in stabilised everything seemed solid good, apart from quite a bit of wobble when descending. Ive read thats just something you need to put up with on quads, is there anything i can try to reduce it any??
Tried out the Altitude Hold and Vario and that seems pretty tight too it would vary about 0.5m up/down from where id set it and seemed even better the closer to the ground (less wind probably) i tried it. My baro scope show about 0.8m variation sitting still in the house.

So after an autotune and giving complimentary stabilised with a bit of altitude hold a try it was time for some GPS.

I switched to INS13, powered up and left it alone for 5 mins, after getting a lock with 15 sats i checked the mag calibration. I had done it in the house and its was fine in there but now it was constantly orange so i done the calibration again (ive got an oplink) and for some reason it removed the 180 pitch orientation i had set and the mag was constant red. I put the pitch back and i couldn't get it to go any colour but green, i was going to do it again because of the orientation thing but as it seemed better than ever before i didnt bother.

I flew a little in stabilised only and tried out the altitude hold, im not even sure if the mag is used but i just wanted to check it was still acting the same in INS13 as it did in Complimentary without GPS involved, all was good if not better than before.

I setup new flight modes.
1:Stabilised 2:VelocityRoam 3:RetunToBase

Tried them out and im well happy, up about 20ft in the air (quite breezy up there) the GPS holds the quad within about a 2-3ft box, closer to the ground it holds it in 1ft box its solid. The whole time i was flying with GPS hold it was totally solid with minimal very slow predictable drift in its box.
I like the way with velocity roam when your flying quite fast and suddenly let go of the slick it slams on the breaks and sort of backs up a little if it overshoots.
Return to Base worked great too it was little slow coming back for my liking so ill speed that up and Ive setup another flight mode to try out auto landing before committing to adding it to return to base and then ill set that as failsafe.

Im new to all this and not got a clue when it comes to PIDs so ive attached a screenshot of mine and would appreciate anyone who does know what there looking at letting me know what they think.


Title: Re: OK for at the window?
Post by: TheOtherCliff on January 15, 2017, 05:40:52 am
It's hard to compare PIDs.  If AutoTune gave you those PIDs and they are not too different than stock PIDs that is about the best vote of confidence you will get.  :)  The rest sounds good too.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Now is the time to learn about the ways that you can get a fly away and set your failsafes up.  You have an RC failsafe and an FC failsafe.  If RC is set to hold the current stick positions when it goes out of range, then you have a fly away that is waiting to happen.
Title: Re: OK for at the window?
Post by: rabno1 on January 15, 2017, 01:33:59 pm
Yeah I've made sure my RC failsafe is off and let the FC deal with it.
To be honest the whole time in flying I'm half expecting it to fly away so I'm sort of prepare for it, although apart from flicking back into attitude mode and hoping I've got control is all I really have planned for a fly away lol


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