[jwgera]

I am very frustrated in trying to set up my helicopter with Librepilot and cc3d atom.  I have referred to documentation and other user's setups but still have not succeeded. Documentation is very lacking. I believe I could figure it out if I could understand what all the setup functions do in Librepilot.  For instance what is the Collective bar in Vehicle-Basic Settings- Collective bar for when collective pass through is checked? There are many functions with little or no explanation of what they are for and how to use them. Another example is understanding the relationship between the Configuration-Input channels and the Configuration - Output channels. Where is the collective in each and roll 1 and roll 2?   Another is the throttle and collective curves, is there only one set or are there more for different modes?

Is there some documentation somewhere that can explain exactly what each function in Librepilot does and how it related to similar functions? I feel if I understood what each function does, I could get this working.

Thank you in advance
John

[daveapplemotors]

Hey John,
Welcome to LP.

Yes, heli setup is daunting without any wizard. We try to make up for a lack of documentation with this forum one question at a time. I am sorry I am not a coder. Otherwise I would fix it. The coders are all flying multirotors these days. I have set up 3 @ 250 helis to fly well with LP.

And there is a serious bug in the swash leveling routine that leaves servos paralyzed. "Jerry save" is a work around.

What kind of heli are you setting up? PM me if you like.

input -- what your TX sends
output -- what the servos and ESC can use

collective -- curve2source == -1 ,-.5 ,0 ,.5 , 1 --gets you full positive and negative pitch for IU1 and IU2. Normal (or sport) set in your TX.

One really good thing about LP is arming==Set arming to "throttle off and left rudder" for instance. And leave it there. It is safer on the bench and a good thing when you are out flying. "Always armed" is dangerous and "never armed" is useless. Another is the ability to use different flight modes for comparison. You can test 2 or 3 sets of PIDs while airborne. 

[Mateusz]

Contributions to wiki are welcome

[jwgera]

Thank you David for your reply.

I have looked through several of your posts with advice but I guess I am missing some things
that are obvious to others.

eg. my tx is a Spectrum dx6i.  Should I use the airplane or the heli model type? some control boards
seem to say use the airplane since all the setting will be in the control board. What do I use with the cc3d?

My helli is a 250 ccpm generic brand. I have removed the gyro and installed the cc3d atom per cc3d wiring instructions.
If I am to use the tx heli setup, how far do I go in a traditional tx setup and how much is done in Librepilot?

Thank you
John

[daveapplemotors]

Use heli mode in TX. Setup LP with defaults in TX, NO expo, D/R, tail mix; be sure throttle and pitch curves are factory defaults. AND before you fly change to: normal pitch (45, 47, 50, 75, 100), and throttle (for normal, IU1 and IU2), EXpo and dual rates to your preferences, and I use tail mix, too.

I hope that helps a bit.

[karla]

Contributions to wiki are welcome

Does anyone know if someone is working on a next version Heli wiki?

[utoedter]

I am very frustrated in trying to set up my helicopter with Librepilot and cc3d atom.  I have referred to documentation and other user's setups but still have not succeeded. Documentation is very lacking. I believe I could figure it out if I could understand what all the setup functions do in Librepilot.  For instance what is the Collective bar in Vehicle-Basic Settings- Collective bar for when collective pass through is checked? There are many functions with little or no explanation of what they are for and how to use them. Another example is understanding the relationship between the Configuration-Input channels and the Configuration - Output channels. Where is the collective in each and roll 1 and roll 2?   Another is the throttle and collective curves, is there only one set or are there more for different modes?

Is there some documentation somewhere that can explain exactly what each function in Librepilot does and how it related to similar functions? I feel if I understood what each function does, I could get this working.

Thank you in advance
John

Hey John,

I wrote a tutorial in german, but via google translate it shall be readable in english. Have a look here:

https://frickelnundmehr.wordpress.com/startseite/trex-clone-und-cc3d/

Happy flying

[jairbj]

Hey John,
Welcome to LP.

Yes, heli setup is daunting without any wizard. We try to make up for a lack of documentation with this forum one question at a time. I am sorry I am not a coder. Otherwise I would fix it. The coders are all flying multirotors these days. I have set up 3 @ 250 helis to fly well with LP.

And there is a serious bug in the swash leveling routine that leaves servos paralyzed. "Jerry save" is a work around.

What kind of heli are you setting up? PM me if you like.

input -- what your TX sends
output -- what the servos and ESC can use

collective -- curve2source == -1 ,-.5 ,0 ,.5 , 1 --gets you full positive and negative pitch for IU1 and IU2. Normal (or sport) set in your TX.

One really good thing about LP is arming==Set arming to "throttle off and left rudder" for instance. And leave it there. It is safer on the bench and a good thing when you are out flying. "Always armed" is dangerous and "never armed" is useless. Another is the ability to use different flight modes for comparison. You can test 2 or 3 sets of PIDs while airborne.

Hi friend, could you share your PIDs? I'm paining to configure my walkera v200d03 with LP.

I'm also suffering for a strange yaw behavior. If I takeoff without change the yaw stick it maintains the yaw very well (axis lock on yaw) but if I pull the yaw stick to the right, when I release the yaw start to rotate to the opposite way until I land it.

[daveapplemotors]

https://forum.librepilot.org/index.php?topic=557.0

Here is a link to where we post our UAV files . "Post your UAV files here".


PIDs are down buried in the StabilizationSettingsBanks -- you have 3 to play with. Usually Stab..Bank1 is the best flying. You will find many different settings

  <object name="StabilizationSettingsBank1" id="0xF03FDBA2">

            <field values="4,2.0999999,50" name="RollPI"/>
            <field values="5,2.5999999,50" name="PitchPI"/>
            <field values="3,1.39999998,50" name="YawPI"/>

[jwgera]

Ok, I am starting from the beginning and trying to incorporate what I have learned.
If the experts see something wrong --- let me know.


step 1   after installation of cc3d, receiver, esc, Blades off, etc

ESC setup:
brake:on
Battery type: lipo
CutoffType: cut off
Cutoff voltage : middle
Startmode:soft
Timeing mode : low
Governormode: on

step 2  Tx initial setup:
Spektrum dx6i transmitter set to:
New model: Helicopter
d/r expo 0&1: 100% inh
Travel adj : 100%
sub trim: 0
Gyro: inh
Throttle curve =default (all 1-> 100 except throttlehold=0)
Pitch curve = default   (all 1-> 100)
SwashMix 60,60,60
mix1=inh
mix2=inh
revo mix:0
reverse=no
swashtype:ccpm120
Throttle cut =inh
d/r combo=inh
bind tx to rx


Step 3    Librepilot setup:
connect to computer usb and mainport
Upgrade firmware (erase all setting)
select pwm
cancel wizard
lp:configuration-Vehicle - select helicopter
   basic settings:
   servow ch1, servox ch2, servoy ch3, tail ch4, engine ch5
   swashplate w=180 x=300 y=60
   collective Pss throught checked
lp:configuation-Attitude: level helicopter
lp:configuration-Input
   set channels 1,2,3,4,5,1
   Manual Calibration (move slowly)
   Reverse to match desired tx stick directions
lp:configuration-Ouput
   set min and max (narrower to allow collective travel and min and max)
   use slider bar to set mid points

TBCont

...More on next post....

[daveapplemotors]

Hey John,

I am not sure if "swashtype:ccpm120" is the correct setting. On my DX6 (black) the swash type is "Normal".

Re GCS:

For fine settings like swash leveling and PIDs I do not use the GCS.
Instead I edit the UAV directly. It's faster, too. Near the top of this 10 page document is "Actuator Settings"--I spend a  lot of time here fiddling with servo limits and zero pitch. Just don't wreck a lipo spending too much time like I did once...

PIDs are down about two thirds of the way down the document under "StabilizationSettingsBank1" and 'bank2' and 'bank3'. Use all three banks. Switch back and forth for comparison.

[jwgera]

David,

ref: "I am not sure if "swashtype:ccpm120" is the correct setting. On my DX6 (black) the swash type is "Normal".

This brings up my original question about what each tx and cc3d settings do. Which setting are used
and which are ignored. ie is swashplate type used from the tx or from cc3d)  Same question for all the other settings. Which ones count and which ones do we ignore.

I am wondering if the swash plate type matters in the tx since ccpm 120 is defined in LP-configuration-Vehicle-Basic settings.  According to http://www.rchelicopterfun.com/ccpm.html , It would matter in a conventional helicopter setup, but since the CC3D is doing the work, I suspect it is ignored.
Have you tried setting the tx to ccpm120 and discovered any difference?

What do you think?

John

[jwgera]

Here is my updated and continuing post of my setup.

Setup:
install cc3d, ecs, receiver
********************
Spektrum dx6i transmitter set to:
New model: Helicopter
d/r expo 0&1: 100% inh
Travel adj : 100%
sub trim: 0
Gyro: inh
Throttle curve =default (all 1-> 100 except throttlehold=0)
Pitch curve = default   (all 1-> 100)
SwashMix 60,60,60
mix1=inh
mix2=inh
revo mix:0
reverse=no
swashtype:ccpm120 (I don't believe this is used)
Throttle cut =inh
d/r combo=inh
bind tx to rx
************************
ESC setup:
brake:on
Battery type: lipo
CutoffType: cut off
Cutoff voltage : middle
Startmode:soft
Timing mode : low
Governormode: on
************************
Librepilot setup
connect to computer usb and mainport
Upgrade firmware (erase all setting)
select pwm
cancel wizard
lp:configuration-Vehicle - select helicopter
   basic settings:
   SwashplateConfig:  ccpm 3 servo 120
   servow ch1, servox ch2, servoy ch3, tail ch4, engine ch5
   swashplate w=180 x=300 y=60
   collective Pass throught checked
    Collective, Pitch, Roll Slide bars all set at 50%  (not sure of their purpose)
lp:configuation-Attitude: level
lp:configuration-Input
   set channels 1,2,3,4,5,1
   Manual Calibration (move slowly)
   Reverse to match tx stick directions
lp:configuration-Ouput
   set min and max (narrower to allow collective travel at min and max)
   use slider bar to set mid points
lp:configuration-Vehicle-Swashplate Leveling
   Start  note: use notepad to create the values and paste whole humber in to avoid
                damaging the servos with out of range values while typing them in)
   Neutral Leveling: Change values till level at mid point of collective travel
   continue wizard and change leveling values for max and min positions.
   (select SwashplateConfig  "ccpm 3 servo 140", then "ccpm 3 servo 120" and save)

Test tx movements perform correct movements of swashplate and rudder.
Manually hold helicopter and rotate helicopter in each direction to varify that
the rudder and swashplate are moving in the direction to bring the helicopter back
to its original position.

tbc

[daveapplemotors]

Wow. Am I reading that right? You got it so everything works? servos react the right directions when you rotate the heli?

Good luck on flying. Use conservative PIDs at first. I used low headspeeds to start with. But you gotta increase PIDs with headspeed so maybe it's better to start with target headspeed. Make sure it hovers neutrally to begin; set it perfectly mechanically.

[jwgera]

David,

Yes servos move in the right direction.  I just need to set "something" to get swashplate travels correct.

That is:  collective blade pitch -12 to +12,      cyclic blade pitch and blade roll  from  -7 to +7 degrees

Conventionally that would be set in the swash mix on the transmitter.  I don't know where to
set these in LP.

Oh I just think it dawned on me that perhaps it would be set in LP: Configuration-Vehicle- BasicSetting
on the Collective, pitch,roll slide bars.  Is that right?


John