Hiya just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share your experiences within the RC world, I have learned so much about arducopter, APM 2.6, QX7, of which I'm using myself, in fact it's cable management this evening, I only have a tarrot 280 FPV, it's a wee one but working well, I'm just learning about parameters atm, I just can't wait to get it outside for it's maden voyage. Anyway, a huge thank you from me. Xx
Thank you thank you thank you. This video series has been brilliant. I have just completed my first home made copter. I c ame back to this series over and over again. The way you describe things in an easy to understand manner explaining what every thing means with out assuming that the viewer knows any thing is fantastic. I now have a working copter with out this series I dare say it would have taken a lot longer to get here. There is of course more to do to my copter so please expect me to come back more and more. Thanks again John.
Wonderful to hear, so pleased it helped you get in the air. There are few feelings like flying a model you made from scratch. You'll be able to repair things far easier too as you know every inch of the model inside out! Happy flying!
Hey man, a big shout out! Cheers! Ive been watching since Christmas taking notes and being careful. I have a Bayangstoys X16 flying in a custom frame, and am ready for the next step. I chose the AMP 2.8 for cost reasons...cheaper to lose. lol With Flysky cheap radio gear, and the wizzardy of my IT smarts kid, the whole nine yards just powered up and calibrated the first time. I haven't fried a single thing...yet. I'm a retired airplane mechanic and private pilot so nothing is weird or strange. But oh the details. The bloody damned details. The "bayang flier" has dug holes more than once. You UA-cam guys have been good teachers.
And one more cheers dude. It has flown 3 times today. Absolutely zero issues. All I know is Phoenixdrone, aka X16 crash recovery project. The weather is trash here so just the yard and driveway, but wow the difference is big. It flies so well I've hot rodded it with confidence. Damn near wrecked it twice as it weights 1200 grams and boogies. The yard runs out fast. Anyways cheers man! This is an affordable blast. And most of fly 2 came out of your head. Pixhawk on a fixed wing is next. I'm ex F-111. I think I'll take a swing at a foamy swing wing. I have a soft spot for twin boom airplanes. All of them look good. So a twin boom swing wing twin. Probably similar to a C-337. Center-line thrust is where it's at.
Question kind sir? Everything seems fine until I power a camera from it. It is a cheap wifi camera from a toy quad, but the pics are usable so what the heck. However every time I've hung it on the APM quad the electronics freak a bit it seems. So, APM 2.8 powered by the included power module, with GPS and external compass. Both jumpers are correctly removed, and I'm powering the output side from the #1 esc BEC. PPM and signal wires only for the number 2, 3, and 4 esc. I have a nav light LED system powered from the #6 UART (GPS) signal pin. The craft flies terrific and has passed all checks, and it's ready to play with. Then I hang that camera on it and it freaks out. The first time it wouldn't connect in mission planner using USB power, it took the battery. Before I figured it out, I flew it...GPS wondered...the dog distracted me...it hit a tree. Thankfully the tree didn't catch fire or nothing, and the drone didn't make a hole in the roof. SOOOooo, I figure that camera draws more current than the input side of the board can deliver through the power module. So I tested the theory, disconnected it (after the rebuild), and walla! It connects to mission planner again, and flies great again. But there is a solution...right? Of course there is. I moved camera power to the output side, on the 2A BEC, that should do it. And it seemed to...until I got a hundred meters away. Then I got a real world ops check of the signal out failsafe apparently. What ever! And I got several ops checks as well cause I wouldn't give up. So I landed, swapped batteries, and unplugged that camera, and ol quad-li-mod flies great again. What now? The camera is all in one wifi mounted directly below the RX. The RX antennas are at 90 straight up and directly to starboard. the horz antenna is within an inch maybe an inch and a half away from the wifi antenna. Both are 2.4gHz right? Is the wifi TX walking all over my RX? If I unplug the camera the drone works great. Oh FS-i6X and the fs-6i or what ever receiver.
I got my Cheerson Cx-20 connected to Mission Planner last night so looks like I got an Open Source ver. Today we go through your APM video series. Thank you so much for all the effort and saving me time to enjoy my models and not be stuck in research or worse; crashing. CHEERS !
Dear Painless360 thank you so much for your videos especially the APM 2.6. I watched though all 8 once and am in the process of watching though them again and when I do actually get my 2.6 flight controller ill probably watch them again. I am currently building a S500 frame with a 2.6 flight controller to use as kind of a starter camera platform and ive never built one before. I bought a blade 350qx2 for me and my dad to have fun with but we are rapidly outgrowing it and quickly finding its shortcomings. anyways I wanted to thank you again for your videos. take care
+Painless360 Thanks man. Ive been following your video series to try and help me get my multirotor off the ground and no luck yet man :( I cant get my APM 2.6 board to pass radio calibration. On the mavlink screen all the channels just sit static and dont move and im not sure what to do. Ive tried about all i know how to do. The rc cars are much easyer but i really want this to work. Are you on any forums and maybe I could ask for some more indepth help?
Make sure you've selected the right connection in the setup and the wires are connected properly. I do provide one-to-one help over Skype (see the website) if needed.
davidgriffin14 Yep, he's finally back home after spending the last 8 months down in London filming. I'm not exactly sure what it's all about but he seems very excited...
Sir, your videos are invaluable for using Arducopter FCs. I have the 2.8 version, with external compass. I also connected the MinimOSD. The TX is the Flysky FS-i6s. ( PPM ),10 channel, with the FS-iA6 10 channel RX. I'm about to install the Arducopter 2.8 FC in a Cheerson CX-20 frame, with the stock motors, ESCs, and power board. The Open Source FC, went tits-up on me, so hopefully this combination will work as well, if not better than, the original FC. Thank you for your great instructional videos!
I'm new on multirotor world, but not to the heli world... I was looking for a great FC for my second quad or hexacopter with gimbal... This videos tutorial are AMAZING! Simple and direct to the point of interest! Thank you very very much... I hope to be able to program this unit, as a novice.. thanks!
thank you very much! :D and the last question: where do you advice me to buy an APM kit with everything? I mean, APM 2.6, GPS, OSD, Telemetry radio to the ground station's laptop, or if you can advice me about the "shopping list" because a'm just a little bit noob of this hobby sector.. :D thank's, you rock!
AleZakko Most of the ones you will find on the internet are clones of the official 3DR boards so the normal rules apply.Personally I would not use HobbyKing for APM as they have had too many issues with their 2.6 clone and ended up replacing it with a 'fixed' version and calling it 2.7. That has shaken my confidence re quality control and testing..I would look to a local supplier who can also provide hep and support if needed, if looking on the internet then go for a specialised RC supplier on eBay or somewhere that does decent packages like Banggood.com (www.banggood.com/APM-Flight-Controller-Set-APM-2_8-6MH-GPS-OSD-Radio-Telemetry-etc-p-960341.html)Best of luck with it.
Thank you very much for this video series. I just got an AMP 2.6 board with GPS, current sensor and telemetry. It's old but I got it for free. I'm also going to set up my FPV equipment and go out to have some fun!!! Thanks a lot again
Hy "Painless360" :) Thank you very much for these great Video Tutorials , I Own an APM2.6 Arducopter for 2 weeks for my second quad project ( My first one is fited with a KK2.1.5 ), and I'm happy to find such a great tuto like this , this is clear and useless for me ( I'm french guy and speak a poor english :) ). I just stay in troubles with my OSD connected to the APM , but I will find the solution later :) For now I have to perfect flying with the KK2.1.5 ( I bought my first quad toy 7 month ago , and after tasting 3D flight had build a 450 frame with FPV that I fly with it for 3 hours now ) and in the same time ( when my battery pack is charging ) I learn all about APM settings and how to work with it :) Thanks again and Happy Fly :)
Thanks :) I think now that's is my Arduino ftdi adapter wich cause the issue , I'm waiting for new one ... I watch all your video , to learn more about APM :)
Painless360 Finaly It was both FTDI adapter AND Microcontroler of the OSD were out , cause I tried with the new adapter and I was able to communicate with the OSD , but when I wanted to upgrade the firmware of the OSD with the configuration tools ( 1/ reload the right bootloader :OK ( W ISP ), 2/ upgrade the firmware ( Arduino IDE : OK ), 3/ update char set NOK at this point the upgrade "bricked" the Atmel328P in the OSD , because ( I duno why ) the update had setup the Atmel fuses to wrong state , so I still cannot do anything with the OSD now ... Have had made something wrong ? duno , but I ordered a new one and let it to the factory state and won't try to update to a newer firmware in the future ... Thank you for your great tuto , they are very helpfull for me :)
i'm looking for a flight control board and i think i found it!!! One more great video from your channel! Waiting for the next videos. Thumbs up and thank you from a brazilian who lives in Japan.
I am really Thankful for these Tutorials! I've had troubles getting started as a newcomer, but these videos are just extremely well explained! Thanks a lot!
At least I found a problem,I have a apm 2.6 and in compas calibration I must select 2nd dot (external compas),witch is 180 degrees reverse and all is perfect now.Thanks 360 painless jou are the best.
Question.. I have a "GPS Module with compass - Powered by Ublox 7M" Is it compatible with my APM 2.8 when installing the GPS module i have two connectors. 1 with (4) Wires and another with (2) Wires. I know the one with 4 Wires go to the GPS port and the other connector with the 2 wires, which port does it go to? The one near the GPS port or to the one labeled (I2C)? also do i need to remove or move the jumper beside the GPS port? Thank You in advance.
I thought it might be the cable so I have a brand new very tight cable now all the lights are working. flashing amber but still can not get past the small white screen " waiting for UDP"? very frustrating
Sounds like the cable was part of the problem. I'd flash it again now you have a better one. I've not seen that error here but there are a few places talking about it in the forums.. Best of luck!
Just got everything in and was ready to program but mission planner is different than the setup you show. I've watched this a few times. yet with the 2.6 v I'm not sure how to get the compass calibrated. Only getting 3 of of 180 points. I love a challenge but will have to try again tomorrow. My brain is at capacity tonight. I just hope the rest of the build goes smoothly. Still have osd, voltage meter, sonar and the other fun stuff to do. Your videos are great and I without them I would not have got this unit. Thanks for taking time out of your day to make these videos.
You need to connect the separate compass to the board for the calibration (see the note in the video at 8:56). If you have an APM 2.6 then there should be two wires coming out of the GPS unit - one for GPS, one for compass. Good luck with the build..
Painless360 thanks. I walked away from it for a minute and came back to do it again. It's up and running now. Just was getting to excited and moving to fast. Like a kid on Christmas morning.
Hey! I made a quadcopter using the following:- 1) F450 Frame 2) APM 2.8 3) 1000 Kv Motors 4) 3500 mAh Lipo 5) FlySky - CT6B It's a 'X' build. The main issue I'm facing is that whenever I try to raise throttle to 50% it doesn't take off and the moment I raise it to 100%, the quad flips to the right. Been over a year I'm trying to fix this issue and haven't had any success. To try and fix the above issues, I ended up doing the following... 1) Calibrating the ESC's again 2) Calibrating the accelerometer and compass (Mission Planner) 3) Checked if the propellers are as per the right motors ( CW - Pusher, and CCW - Normal) (Made sure the alphanumerics are facing up as I installed them) I really can't figure out what is wrong, any help or advice?
Hey Mr Pain I have a problem with my arducopter everything works fine except one thing in mission planner section it couldn't get to connect to it, the TERMINAL section doesn't work, when I click on connect it starts typing garbage things, and also the throttle is at constant speed rate and wont go higher even if you put the stick to full throttle, I've calibrated all the ESCs with all the methods once manually one by one and once again all at once, the throttle speed after calibrating works great it reads all of the speed rate after, but when ARMING the ardu and getting ready to fly, the throttle keeps its constant speed rate when you first move the stick and the motors start off, it keeps that speed rate when it first starts the motor and never go further, can you help me with, I am getting pissed of this FC :(
I'd focus on the throttle issue first - Terminal isn't critical for flight. Connect a servo to the throttle channel on the rx and confirm that it moves with the throttle stick on the Tx. Then check that you can see the throttle channel move in Mission Planner Recalibrate all of the ESCs, using the one by one method (the all-in-one has caused me issues in the past) Best of luck with it. This is a great flight controller and a lot of fun when it's working..
ayman fatani I made and do every steps you provided me with, and it gets to work, but unfortunately my xR wire been cut by one of the propellers, lol its my black day i guess, can i use any servo wires or does it have its own type of wire ? thanks for helping but i am still a noob :p
ayman fatani The antenna is a shielded wire, so you cannot use any old wire. If there is still a fair bit of antenna wire left, you can fix it by trimming back the shield to expose the core. If you're using 2.4Ghz, then trim it back to expose 31mm of the core.
Great video, thanks for making this!!! Only thing that caught me up for a while was that for the arduplane the mode switch is connected to pin 8 not pin 5 (for the arducopter). Thanks for the great video!
Things don't allays go right do thy. At 7:52 on this video, can't get connected. This is what I get. You cannot load new firmware while connected via MAVlink. Please press the Disconnect button at top right to end the current MAVlink session and enable the firmware loading screen. I probably did something stupid but what should I do ?
The firmware should be on the board by this point. It looks like Mission planner is trying to upload the firmware again. Make sure that you have followed the steps at 4:05 to install the firmware you need. Good luck with the build!
Please help: When I do like what you did at 4:50 and I choose my setup which is Copter 4.0.4 OFFICIAL an error pops-up saying: Failed to discover board id. Please reconnect via usb and try again.
Hi Simon, not yet. All of mine have been installed inside the case that includes a piece of foam to cover the sensor. I have discussed it when talking about the Multiwii boards though. I am in the middle of creating a few videos for the APM 3.1 and this is covered in these specifically for the APM..
When ever I go to calibrate my radio, insuring that the receiver is bound, the motores are disconnected and the reciever is properly connected to the flight controlller, the mavlink instantly disconnects. I have tried all I know to do with no success. Any help would be appreciated.
when I reach the part of getting samples for the compass it doesn't seem to do anything. I move the board different directions but no samples are detected. not a single one. it says error 99?
Thanks for the video!! I have a question. I followed your steps and stuck at the compass calibration. When I clicked the "Live calibration", it popped up a new window but no display of x, y and z axis. Then I just skipped to radio calibration. I connected all according to the APM site connected Rx and Tx. Before I started the calibration, I connected all 5 servos to the Rx and checked all channel functionality. After I connected with Planner I saw all the green bars as your video. When I clicked the calibration button only 3 channels would show the red sticks (throttle, aileron and aux) and the rest 2 channels won't move and no names (yaw, roll) displayed. Did I do something wrong? -_-a Any words would be appreciated! Thanks!!!
delsol7878 Hi, make sure that you have the two missing channels plugged in and the servo cables are the right way round. The APM is only showing what it can 'hear' on the connected inputs so you don't need to tell it what radio you are using.If this is an APM 2.6 then check that the cable from the external compass is plugged in and not loose. This would cause what you are seeing. Best of luck with the build!
I received this board, and from the get-go I have never been able to manually calibrate the compass. I recall reading somewhere that the version I have of the board doesn't have an on board compass? That may make no sense, I apologize if it does, I'm relatively new to this. Can you shed any light as to why this is happening? When I have the GPS connected, the "bad compass health" warning goes away, but without it it comes back.
Hello, I've got some problem while calibrating my Radio with APM 2.8. I connected APM through USB cable with my PC and opened Mission Planner, It was connected flawlessly but when I connected Radio Receiver with APM, Turn On Radio Transmitter and connect APM with PC. Com port did not exist. It got connected when I turn Off Radio TX. am I doing something wrong?
I was able to fix the problem. I pressed the reset button on the APM and then I reloaded the firmware and the beeping stopped. Now I can arm the copter. I will do a flight test tomorrow. The thing is what cussed this problem with the beeping in the first place, I think that this beeping coused the copter to go down. Will it happen again while I'm flying? ??? Why did this happened in the first place ????
Hello I have a problem when i try to set u the accelerometer when i try to do it i get the 40 sec time but i dont get asked to turn the board around only the count down i have the ardupilot 2.8 & using the apm planer 2.0.0 looks different from the one u have don this video when try to calibrate at the end i get success executed CMD 241 but i have not move the board if i move it around the same thing the jumper is on the first pins next to the gps i got this board like this thnx hope u have some idea how to sort this out
+Freddy Beko This video is almost two years old, we have setup flight controllers using later versions of Mission Planner that may be closer to what you're looking at. See our series on the APM 3.1 and Pixhawk.. Best of luck.
hi, calibrating my apm v2.5 with spektrum receiver was no problem, butb with my new Taranisreceiver (x6r) only the throttle-channel (1) was recognised. What's wrong? Both receivers are ok.
thank you very much, I have been following all of your videos I guess I got confused since on the calibration of the radio shows to be ok. It is very well explained and very easy to follow thanks again.
Lion Silver I no other power is connected other than the power on the output rails then the board should not power up if the J1 connector is unplugged. Check for a connection over the J1 terminals with the solder..
+Jorge Gómez could be a few things, depending on versions. Disable things like the BT adapter on your computer and later versions of the code removed the console from the stuff you uploaded. Check the release notes.
Don't know what I'm doing wrong? I have tried 3 of these boards and I can't get the throttle to stop running while it is armed! I have gone through the Wizard setup, calibrated the APM 2.8, and calibrated each ESC individually. Then completed each motor testing in the MP. Everything works like it should until I arm the unit and the motors spin while the throttle is at its lowest. Is there a setting I am missing? I am going crazy trying to figure this out.
I have another problem, while I'm flying the quadcopter turns off, the power goes off, the props stop turning and it crashes. Any idea why it loses power?
Phillip Hatzis Hi. Again it is impossible for me to help with that limited information. Are you talking about main flight battery/motor power? Receiver power? What do the logs say in MP? Happy to help but you need to explain what trouble shooting you have already done and be specific on the problem. Videos can help showing the issues too. Best of luck with it..
Hi good simple instructions. I was Ok up to the receiver install. Several blogs say do not install the receiver while only powered from PC using USB. Also the video is for a coptor and I am doing rover. You show every pin used for the receiver setup but I have R8EF S-bus or PPM and you do not show that config. Any help appreciated
I've not used APM for many years. See my last few years of videos on flight controllers. All I figured out are in this series.... There are more up to date flight controllers supported by modern firmware - see my Kit Picks video..
HI I have a doubt how to do battery monitor calibration in mission planner, I dont know I get ugly values when I do as per the wiki of arducopter can you help me out how to do step by step.. like how to do voltage divider calced and can you explain what is math behind it....? Thanks in advance...
Hello, i just got the apm board and ive had a crash where my quadcopter just dropped out of the sky when in guided mode. any ideas on what happened? I have flown it in guided just before the crash and it was preforming very well.
Hello again, I just encounter another problem. The other day as I was flying my quadcopter suddenly it felled out of the sky and crashed. Since then when I try to connect my battery the motors keep beeping continuously. The APM will not arm and I cannot figure out what the problem is. Can you help me once more? Thank you for your time !!!!
Could be lots of things. Impossible for me to help with that limited information. I would work from first principles and reconnect the board to the PC and confirm that the Rx channels are all working well and go from there.. Treat it like a new build and work through each system -radio/receiver, power, ESC/Motor connections etc. Best of luck.
Hi hope you can advise I am setting up a fixed wing plane and am having a problem when checking out the control movements in stabilised mode.When I pitch the model nose down the elevator moves the wrong way and gives a down command.The elevator moves correct on the transmitter and the artificial horizon is showing the correct attitude of the plane. Any thoughts as to what I have done wrong.
Bob Crow - in the parameters list in mission planner find the channel you need and then change the channel parameter from normal reverse. it worked for me
quick question... my apm 2.6 is displaying the wrong altitude through the minim osd. it's always displaying in the 100's while it sits on the ground. any ideas?
+NUWEST00520041 That is what it sees as the altitude. Its not relative, it is the altitude above sea level. These are never perfect but have a look at the documentation around using the Baro and GPS altitude.. Best of luck.
I am setting up an APM 2.8 and I installed the firmware and got my hex to fly but only in stabilize mode. When I try to set the modes to loiter it gives me a error message that says Error Setting Parameter. The only mode I can select is stabilize. My GPS has a 3D fix inside the house with 11 sats. Help?
I've not seen that here and the detail on the forums (from my quick search) isn't great either. I'd start by reloading the firmware again and running though the setup again too in case something hiccupped first time. Best of luck!
I had a problem, when I turned tranmister (Flysky fsi6s) and connects the battery, I could not armed, and quadcopter rotate very fast and crashed, several times I experienced, but when I connect the battery and then I turn on the transmitter, I could be armed and quadcopter no problem.
I'd check that the radio is setup for the model correctly and the throttle moves the throttle channel etc. See how later in this video series. Best of luck..
I have looked all over the internet and UA-cam including your videos and can not find a procedure for enabling an Aux switch on my controller to enact an emergency stop for the motors. I saw a video that demonstrated those very items but there was no instruction on how to accomplish it. Please help if you are able.
hi, I think I've fried my apm and would rather find out why before doing again! I have the power module with jumper removed. my esc's are opto's so have seen I didnt need to remove the 5v wire but plugged in and bang. I was connected to the laptop too but did this all the time with my 2.5 powered by esc with jumper?
From what you have mentioned I can't see any glaring problems but the devil is in the detail. Happy to take a look at it and explore what went on in a support call if you need it. (see the painless360.com website for details and rates)
well the new FC arrived, removed the 5v lines from the esc's and the bloody thing still went bang!! would a faulty esc cause it as they just make a beeping when powered rather than the "tones"?
i was follow your instruction, my quad can take off, the problem is when my quad on height about 5 meters, all motors is stop working, then falling down to the ground, i check the batt, still 16.1 volt, my battery is 5800 mAh, 4s, 14,8 volt, what's going on on my quad, please reply my question, thank you
how to setup APM 2.6 with 4S battery? because the problem is, when i set the low battery on fail save above 10.5 volt, the APM doesn't armed, the APM armed when i set 10.5 volt low battery on fail safe setup plz reply Thank you
Hi - Awesum tutorial. Ok so I have small question - I have the APM 2.7 and the Turnigy 9x Radio kit with the 9x8cV2 Receiver. I have done the bind on the Radio and the RX - Using the APM input to supply the 5V. The radio is set to sent PPM - And the receiver is PPM - But when I try connect to calibrate the radio it tell me that he transmitter is not switched on and it not receiving a signal... All the channels are connected 1 - 5 correct
I have the APM 2.6 with no compass. I do not plan to use GPS on my quad initially (not until I am able to get it built, in the air and flying reliably at low height). Do I have to buy a Ublox, now or can I just skip the Compass calibration?
Ive just got the 2.8.. though am confused a little. do i do the initial mandatory calibration of the compass with the GPS/compass dual antenna all plugged in or does the initial setup have to be done without this plugged in.. I only ask as following intital set up may people have problems with the compasses (getting two sets of figures) and finding it impossible to deactivate the on-board compass so that the external GPS/compass aerial to be recognized.
+Eren Sadıkoğlu make sure you've selected the right compass/APM setup at the top of the Compass Calibration screen. What troubleshooting have you already done? Best of luck.
Thank you for this video in helping setup the APM 2.8 on my hexcopter. I need help on an esc problem. Followed your video instruction to setup the esc individually. After all is done, #4 and #6 motors would come on after the motor unlock. The other 4 motors remain still unless the throttle stick is move up. I tried to re-calibrate these two esc a few times and with same result. What's wrong? Please help. Thank you.
Thank you! And thank you for unbelievably fast reply. I will check out the other video and see if I can't get past this stumbling block. thanks again ROG
hi can you help with this i have a tarot 690 which has been flying ok with afro esc i have put some 45 amp rc timers esc opto type on it and now it feels lick it will flip when taking of i have gone back to basics and re set every thing ??
Hi Steve, the first thing to do is calibrate the ESCs so that they have exactly the right throttle range. Try that first and see if it helps.. Best of luck.
I have been using your videos to setup my APM 2.6 and all seemed to be going well until now. When I go into terminal mode and press connect it displays "com port open" then displays version info, free ram, etc. But instead of display the little menu, it scrolls data continually. I have pressed enter 3 times and nothing happens and pressed reset button and the APM restarts but does same thing. I went thru the same routine with my second APM and terminal works fine. Any ideas. Wally
mate i have a problem i have my reciever and apm connected by the usb,it connects no problem until i turn on my transmitter and then mission planner disconnects,why would this be.Any info would be great.Thanks
i know how to change waypoint speed or should i say i know where the setting is but what speed in mph does the preset 500 give me and how or what do i change that to ? just to make it go faster round waypoints
hi, i see you have used the internal compass. i have tried using the external compass (g-model ublox neo) and calibrated it before flying. but the issue is that the the drone follows plus configuration when flying even though i selected x frametype
I connected oll the wires from the apm 2.8 to the receiver. but when i push the sticks on my radiocontroller nothing moves on the computer screen at radio calibration? Do you know how to connect? or how does it work?
I am unable to configure radio on my QX7 ACCESS with R9 MX receiver using SBUS or S.Port on my APM 2.8 flight controller. Using Mission Planner 1.3.77 with latest APM flashed with firmware 3.2.1 for my QUAD_X_4. Just the Bars on the Radio configuration setup screen won't move when I try to calibrate while I am moving sticks on my Radio. I have tried using both jumping PIN 2 & 3 on Input on APU and also without it, just connecting, S.Port/SBUS, V_in and GND pins in APM. Please help with the Radio setup.
ok this is what happen when i get to the install the receiver to do the radio set up the amp 2.6 will not boot up to mission planner i keep on getting a time out count down and it will not work and when i unplug the receiver and boot up the apm 2.6 to mission planner it work the artificial horizon and everything works
after uploading v3.2.1 in my amp2.5, every thing works well except flight mode.flight mode is not changing. It shows 0 pwm. but switches are working in radio calibration. Is this firmware problem?
Hey, I've got the same setup with the taranis and mission planner1.3.25 I am at the flight modes part and everything has been pretty good up till now. When I flip my switch up and down there is no green highlight moving around. There is only one green staying still on flight mode 4. I have checked that I got the switch done in the calibration but it still seems to not be working. This is not a simple as I was hoping it would be when I ordered it. Thanks Jeff
Jeff Heslop Then you need to make sure that you have the input configured for that switch (sounds like you have if you can see if moving in the monitor screen), there is a mix to attach that input to an output in the radio. Then make sure that you are connecting the mode channel on the APM to the right output on the receiver. Best of luck.
Hello I need your help if possible. Already a few months I use a plane skywalker with apm 2.8 controller for make agricultural surveys. The missions work very well without any problem. The problem is this, I use two camras canon S110, these cameras are placed in the fuselage skywalker under the apm is a perfect place, fit the two cameras (RGB and NDVI) perfectly, the problem is the quality of images, these images appear a bit blurry, I think it is a vibration problem. Is there any solution to minimize this problem? Thanks
+Paulo Cardoso the vibration will come from the prop and motor. See our video on balancing the prop. You can also use vibration damping mounts for the cameras too. Best of luck!
Hey, im trying to set up this board (hk pilot 2.7, but just about the same) when i do the magnetometer/compass calibration it doesnt create a sphere on the monitor, but it just piles up a big bunch of dots down in a corner.. i guess im not doing it right? i did the movements as shown ++, but it never gets enough samples! what to do? (Thanks for fast awners, need it for my V2)
Adolph Hitler it should work in the same way. Check the connection to the external compass and reset the board to try again. If it still doesn't work then the compass may have a problem..
re start and new cable firmware partialy installs and is stopped at the same point, forums discuss the same issue I am yet to find a resolution. I have built a lovley 550 discovery like quad for this board and it looks like the only way it will ever fly is if I go outside and huck into the sky. too bad I was really looking forward to trying this ardupilot board, one of the folks from Crazyponey sent it to me at a discount in hopes I would write a kind review. Oh well no review is better than a bad one. Back to the building table. I wish my laptop would work as flawlessly as yours seam to.
It's all about proper driver setup, once you've got the right ones installed you should be golden. Most of the manuals/wikis and now even a lot of the GUIs give you links to the right drivers. We do have another little netbook we use for the more 'experimental' things so we don't break the main machines! Best of luck!
Firstly I have installed latest version of ardupilot.and required to apm ac v3.2.1. Que: I have neo 6m v2 gps. And it will be work with apm 2.8 upgrade version. ?Enable to find 3dr gps . I am trying to making last 2 months. But... I don't know about drone.before 2month.
i have built up two apm systems but one is coming up with hi gps hdop and will not arm unless it drops below 2 it seams to have started sins i put the latest firmware in as i will need to fly inside it is a bit of a pain. i have been told that you can turn of the gps sensitivity down ?? im sure that i have set i up right as i have had batt failsafe cut in and came back to wear it tuck of from
This is usually due to vibration, a damaged GPS unit or interference from the main electronics. Try and move the GPS as far as you can from the power and control systems and try again. Shielded cables and mount can also help sometimes. Good look getting it sorted..
Please guide, Can we fly QuadPlane with APM 2.8 board with old Mission Planner firmware 3.2.1 Documents says that APM 2.8 no longer support with latest firmware. Please guide
I have a quick question that no one seems to be able to answer I am on my second return on a APM 2.6 and it will not allow me to calibrate the compass any suggestions Thanks Liam
Hi what can you do when going through Radio Calibration and My Aileron isn't moving correctly not on mission planner or on the TX monitor function. All help appreciated.
I'd connect that channel to one of the others in the Rx to test that the input on the APM is ok, if it is then I'd connect a servo to that output on the Rx and see if it moves. If not then it'll be the Rx or some setting on the radio for that channel. See my troubleshooting tips video. Best of luck.
Thanks I switched the channels around Throttle and Aileron and then the throttle does what the Aileron was doing. so switched Aileron with Elevation and the pitch doesn't work. I put the servo into the Aileron and it doesn't work properly it only moves slightly on right movement of the TX stick or if the stick is moved up and left to spring back it will move. It does nothing when the stick is moved to its left side top or bottom. Hope you will be able to help me diagnose the problem. Thanks
ICanDoRedstone Then you are limited to two flight modes unless you can 'mix' two channels together to give you three or more positions on the channel that controls the modes. I have a video for the DX7 and getting more flight modes that may help.. Best of luck.
Lol that wookie in the background at 11:15. Great video, I'm waiting for my board to arrive, but can't wait to test it out!
Hiya just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share your experiences within the RC world, I have learned so much about arducopter, APM 2.6, QX7, of which I'm using myself, in fact it's cable management this evening, I only have a tarrot 280 FPV, it's a wee one but working well, I'm just learning about parameters atm, I just can't wait to get it outside for it's maden voyage. Anyway, a huge thank you from me. Xx
Despite the age of the video and board, thank you sir! I'm resetting mine following the series.
Thank you thank you thank you. This video series has been brilliant. I have just completed my first home made copter. I c ame back to this series over and over again. The way you describe things in an easy to understand manner explaining what every thing means with out assuming that the viewer knows any thing is fantastic. I now have a working copter with out this series I dare say it would have taken a lot longer to get here. There is of course more to do to my copter so please expect me to come back more and more. Thanks again John.
Wonderful to hear, so pleased it helped you get in the air. There are few feelings like flying a model you made from scratch. You'll be able to repair things far easier too as you know every inch of the model inside out! Happy flying!
Dude I appreciate all the help full videos you upload you've helped me out a lot with my quadcopter
Thanks for the feedback - glad they helped! Working on APM in a plane, Naze32 on a quad and about to start CC3D series too..
Happy flying!
Hey man, a big shout out!
Cheers! Ive been watching since Christmas taking notes and being careful. I have a Bayangstoys X16 flying in a custom frame, and am ready for the next step. I chose the AMP 2.8 for cost reasons...cheaper to lose. lol With Flysky cheap radio gear, and the wizzardy of my IT smarts kid, the whole nine yards just powered up and calibrated the first time. I haven't fried a single thing...yet. I'm a retired airplane mechanic and private pilot so nothing is weird or strange. But oh the details. The bloody damned details. The "bayang flier" has dug holes more than once. You UA-cam guys have been good teachers.
Happy flying! :D
And one more cheers dude. It has flown 3 times today. Absolutely zero issues. All I know is Phoenixdrone, aka X16 crash recovery project. The weather is trash here so just the yard and driveway, but wow the difference is big. It flies so well I've hot rodded it with confidence. Damn near wrecked it twice as it weights 1200 grams and boogies. The yard runs out fast.
Anyways cheers man! This is an affordable blast. And most of fly 2 came out of your head. Pixhawk on a fixed wing is next. I'm ex F-111. I think I'll take a swing at a foamy swing wing. I have a soft spot for twin boom airplanes. All of them look good. So a twin boom swing wing twin. Probably similar to a C-337. Center-line thrust is where it's at.
Happy flying and I'd find a huge space to let that sucker off the hook! :D
Question kind sir?
Everything seems fine until I power a camera from it. It is a cheap wifi camera from a toy quad, but the pics are usable so what the heck. However every time I've hung it on the APM quad the electronics freak a bit it seems.
So, APM 2.8 powered by the included power module, with GPS and external compass. Both jumpers are correctly removed, and I'm powering the output side from the #1 esc BEC. PPM and signal wires only for the number 2, 3, and 4 esc. I have a nav light LED system powered from the #6 UART (GPS) signal pin. The craft flies terrific and has passed all checks, and it's ready to play with. Then I hang that camera on it and it freaks out.
The first time it wouldn't connect in mission planner using USB power, it took the battery. Before I figured it out, I flew it...GPS wondered...the dog distracted me...it hit a tree. Thankfully the tree didn't catch fire or nothing, and the drone didn't make a hole in the roof. SOOOooo, I figure that camera draws more current than the input side of the board can deliver through the power module. So I tested the theory, disconnected it (after the rebuild), and walla! It connects to mission planner again, and flies great again. But there is a solution...right?
Of course there is. I moved camera power to the output side, on the 2A BEC, that should do it. And it seemed to...until I got a hundred meters away. Then I got a real world ops check of the signal out failsafe apparently. What ever! And I got several ops checks as well cause I wouldn't give up. So I landed, swapped batteries, and unplugged that camera, and ol quad-li-mod flies great again. What now?
The camera is all in one wifi mounted directly below the RX. The RX antennas are at 90 straight up and directly to starboard. the horz antenna is within an inch maybe an inch and a half away from the wifi antenna. Both are 2.4gHz right? Is the wifi TX walking all over my RX? If I unplug the camera the drone works great. Oh FS-i6X and the fs-6i or what ever receiver.
These vids really are amazing and the time you put in the camera work/editing is noticed & appreciated.
absolutely!
I got my Cheerson Cx-20 connected to Mission Planner last night so looks like I got an Open Source ver. Today we go through your APM video series. Thank you so much for all the effort and saving me time to enjoy my models and not be stuck in research or worse; crashing. CHEERS !
+one two happy flying!
11:15 ... Chewie is that you?
Dear Painless360 thank you so much for your videos especially the APM 2.6. I watched though all 8 once and am in the process of watching though them again and when I do actually get my 2.6 flight controller ill probably watch them again. I am currently building a S500 frame with a 2.6 flight controller to use as kind of a starter camera platform and ive never built one before. I bought a blade 350qx2 for me and my dad to have fun with but we are rapidly outgrowing it and quickly finding its shortcomings. anyways I wanted to thank you again for your videos. take care
Sean Scott Thank you, good luck with the new project!
+Painless360 Thanks man. Ive been following your video series to try and help me get my multirotor off the ground and no luck yet man :( I cant get my APM 2.6 board to pass radio calibration. On the mavlink screen all the channels just sit static and dont move and im not sure what to do. Ive tried about all i know how to do. The rc cars are much easyer but i really want this to work. Are you on any forums and maybe I could ask for some more indepth help?
Make sure you've selected the right connection in the setup and the wires are connected properly. I do provide one-to-one help over Skype (see the website) if needed.
at 11:15 chewbaca is in the background! lol
davidgriffin14 Yep, he's finally back home after spending the last 8 months down in London filming. I'm not exactly sure what it's all about but he seems very excited...
Sir, your videos are invaluable for using Arducopter FCs. I have the 2.8 version, with external compass. I also connected the MinimOSD. The TX is the Flysky FS-i6s. ( PPM ),10 channel, with the FS-iA6 10 channel RX.
I'm about to install the Arducopter 2.8 FC in a Cheerson CX-20 frame, with the stock motors, ESCs, and power board. The Open Source FC, went tits-up on me, so hopefully this combination will work as well, if not better than, the original FC.
Thank you for your great instructional videos!
I hear Chewbacca throughout the tutorial XD
Right? What the hell? :D
I'm new on multirotor world, but not to the heli world... I was looking for a great FC for my second quad or hexacopter with gimbal... This videos tutorial are AMAZING! Simple and direct to the point of interest! Thank you very very much... I hope to be able to program this unit, as a novice.. thanks!
Best of luck with the build, this is a great board and gives a great blend of full features and easy setup.
Happy flying!
thank you very much! :D and the last question: where do you advice me to buy an APM kit with everything? I mean, APM 2.6, GPS, OSD, Telemetry radio to the ground station's laptop, or if you can advice me about the "shopping list" because a'm just a little bit noob of this hobby sector.. :D thank's, you rock!
AleZakko Most of the ones you will find on the internet are clones of the official 3DR boards so the normal rules apply.Personally I would not use HobbyKing for APM as they have had too many issues with their 2.6 clone and ended up replacing it with a 'fixed' version and calling it 2.7. That has shaken my confidence re quality control and testing..I would look to a local supplier who can also provide hep and support if needed, if looking on the internet then go for a specialised RC supplier on eBay or somewhere that does decent packages like Banggood.com (www.banggood.com/APM-Flight-Controller-Set-APM-2_8-6MH-GPS-OSD-Radio-Telemetry-etc-p-960341.html)Best of luck with it.
great! thank you very much!!!
11:16 Real Chewbacca :)
I just set up an apm 2.8 on a flame wheel from start to finish using your videos.. Thanks for all the help
Glad the videos helped! Happy flying!
Thank you very much for this video series. I just got an AMP 2.6 board with GPS, current sensor and telemetry. It's old but I got it for free. I'm also going to set up my FPV equipment and go out to have some fun!!! Thanks a lot again
Hy "Painless360" :)
Thank you very much for these great Video Tutorials , I Own an APM2.6 Arducopter for 2 weeks for my second quad project ( My first one is fited with a KK2.1.5 ), and I'm happy to find such a great tuto like this , this is clear and useless for me ( I'm french guy and speak a poor english :) ). I just stay in troubles with my OSD connected to the APM , but I will find the solution later :) For now I have to perfect flying with the KK2.1.5 ( I bought my first quad toy 7 month ago , and after tasting 3D flight had build a 450 frame with FPV that I fly with it for 3 hours now ) and in the same time ( when my battery pack is charging ) I learn all about APM settings and how to work with it :)
Thanks again and Happy Fly :)
Bonjour DJ Garfield! I am pleased the video helped. Good luck with the OSD..
Happy flying!
Thanks :) I think now that's is my Arduino ftdi adapter wich cause the issue , I'm waiting for new one ... I watch all your video , to learn more about APM :)
:) Merci!
Painless360
Finaly It was both FTDI adapter AND Microcontroler of the OSD were out , cause I tried with the new adapter and I was able to communicate with the OSD , but when I wanted to upgrade the firmware of the OSD with the configuration tools ( 1/ reload the right bootloader :OK ( W ISP ), 2/ upgrade the firmware ( Arduino IDE : OK ), 3/ update char set NOK at this point the upgrade "bricked" the Atmel328P in the OSD , because ( I duno why ) the update had setup the Atmel fuses to wrong state , so I still cannot do anything with the OSD now ... Have had made something wrong ? duno , but I ordered a new one and let it to the factory state and won't try to update to a newer firmware in the future ...
Thank you for your great tuto , they are very helpfull for me :)
You are welcome. Happy flying!
i'm looking for a flight control board and i think i found it!!!
One more great video from your channel!
Waiting for the next videos.
Thumbs up and thank you from a brazilian who lives in Japan.
Thanks for the comment, I'm working on the next one! :)
I am really Thankful for these Tutorials!
I've had troubles getting started as a newcomer, but these videos are just extremely well explained!
Thanks a lot!
At least I found a problem,I have a apm 2.6 and in compas calibration I must select 2nd dot (external compas),witch is 180 degrees reverse and all is perfect now.Thanks 360 painless jou are the best.
This guy is awesome.. Really a significant helping hand for the beginners.
Loved your video man.
+Kunal Panchal thank you. Spread the word!
Putting 2.6 on an Align Trex 800E. you have helped a great deal and I thank you.
Set up my first APM board using this tutorial. Thanks so much!
You're welcome! Glad they helped. You can support the channel by becoming a Patreon, visit www.patreon.com/painless360. Happy flying!
Question.. I have a "GPS Module with compass - Powered by Ublox 7M" Is it compatible with my APM 2.8 when installing the GPS module i have two connectors. 1 with (4) Wires and another with (2) Wires. I know the one with 4 Wires go to the GPS port and the other connector with the 2 wires, which port does it go to? The one near the GPS port or to the one labeled (I2C)? also do i need to remove or move the jumper beside the GPS port? Thank You in advance.
Mr. Painless360 Please Help.. Thank You
I thought it might be the cable so I have a brand new very tight cable now all the lights are working. flashing amber but still can not get past the small white screen " waiting for UDP"? very frustrating
Sounds like the cable was part of the problem. I'd flash it again now you have a better one. I've not seen that error here but there are a few places talking about it in the forums.. Best of luck!
hi its about transmitter at 15:28 you said is some moving inputs opposite sides.. So it;s opposite how to reverse it to correct way?
+Tech Nova we confirm that later in the series. Happy flying!
Just got everything in and was ready to program but mission planner is different than the setup you show. I've watched this a few times. yet with the 2.6 v I'm not sure how to get the compass calibrated. Only getting 3 of of 180 points. I love a challenge but will have to try again tomorrow. My brain is at capacity tonight. I just hope the rest of the build goes smoothly. Still have osd, voltage meter, sonar and the other fun stuff to do. Your videos are great and I without them I would not have got this unit. Thanks for taking time out of your day to make these videos.
You need to connect the separate compass to the board for the calibration (see the note in the video at 8:56). If you have an APM 2.6 then there should be two wires coming out of the GPS unit - one for GPS, one for compass.
Good luck with the build..
As Painless said, you have to connect additional GPS module (ublox neo 6m) and rotate that module when calibrating compass.
Painless360 thanks. I walked away from it for a minute and came back to do it again. It's up and running now. Just was getting to excited and moving to fast. Like a kid on Christmas morning.
***** thanks, took a couple times but i got it done.
setting up my apm 2.6 right now, these videos help a bunch. Hope it goes well
Thank you, for all your tutorials. I finally got to build my first quad. I'm probably done with buying ready to flay Quads. Thanks again!
+Greg Matas You're welcome! Happy flying!
Hey! I made a quadcopter using the following:-
1) F450 Frame
2) APM 2.8
3) 1000 Kv Motors
4) 3500 mAh Lipo
5) FlySky - CT6B
It's a 'X' build.
The main issue I'm facing is that whenever I try to raise throttle to 50% it doesn't take off and the moment I raise it to 100%, the quad flips to the right. Been over a year I'm trying to fix this issue and haven't had any success.
To try and fix the above issues, I ended up doing the following...
1) Calibrating the ESC's again
2) Calibrating the accelerometer and compass (Mission Planner)
3) Checked if the propellers are as per the right motors ( CW - Pusher, and CCW - Normal) (Made sure the alphanumerics are facing up as I installed them)
I really can't figure out what is wrong, any help or advice?
Could be lots of things - see my video on what to check if your quad flips on take-off..
Hey Mr Pain I have a problem with my arducopter everything works fine except one thing in mission planner section it couldn't get to connect to it, the TERMINAL section doesn't work, when I click on connect it starts typing garbage things, and also the throttle is at constant speed rate and wont go higher even if you put the stick to full throttle, I've calibrated all the ESCs with all the methods once manually one by one and once again all at once, the throttle speed after calibrating works great it reads all of the speed rate after, but when ARMING the ardu and getting ready to fly, the throttle keeps its constant speed rate when you first move the stick and the motors start off, it keeps that speed rate when it first starts the motor and never go further, can you help me with, I am getting pissed of this FC :(
I'd focus on the throttle issue first - Terminal isn't critical for flight.
Connect a servo to the throttle channel on the rx and confirm that it moves with the throttle stick on the Tx.
Then check that you can see the throttle channel move in Mission Planner
Recalibrate all of the ESCs, using the one by one method (the all-in-one has caused me issues in the past)
Best of luck with it. This is a great flight controller and a lot of fun when it's working..
Thanks buddy i ll try again and see if it could get any better, my respects
ayman fatani I made and do every steps you provided me with, and it gets to work, but unfortunately my xR wire been cut by one of the propellers, lol its my black day i guess, can i use any servo wires or does it have its own type of wire ? thanks for helping but i am still a noob :p
ayman fatani The antenna is a shielded wire, so you cannot use any old wire.
If there is still a fair bit of antenna wire left, you can fix it by trimming back the shield to expose the core. If you're using 2.4Ghz, then trim it back to expose 31mm of the core.
Senator315 Thanks bro yeah there's some of it left, i soldered it again to the xR and worked fine 😊
Great video, thanks for making this!!! Only thing that caught me up for a while was that for the arduplane the mode switch is connected to pin 8 not pin 5 (for the arducopter). Thanks for the great video!
Pete Abdu Thanks for the feedback - there is a small series on the Arduplane - ua-cam.com/video/1bmyse5pMSU/v-deo.html
Happy flying!
Things don't allays go right do thy.
At 7:52 on this video, can't get connected. This is what I get.
You cannot load new firmware while connected via MAVlink.
Please press the Disconnect button at top right to end the current
MAVlink session and enable the firmware loading screen.
I probably did something stupid but what should I do ?
The firmware should be on the board by this point. It looks like Mission planner is trying to upload the firmware again.
Make sure that you have followed the steps at 4:05 to install the firmware you need. Good luck with the build!
+Dale Fischer did you ever figure out the problem? I can't find a solution to it
Hi again, many thanks as your suggestion did the trick and all calibrated now. Looking forward to flying it.
Good news - best of luck with the first test hovers/flights..
Please help:
When I do like what you did at 4:50 and I choose my setup which is Copter 4.0.4 OFFICIAL an error pops-up saying:
Failed to discover board id. Please reconnect via usb and try again.
Sorry, I don't use APM any more - they are very out of date flight controllers.. Best of luck!
Feeling at ease with APM already, cheers!
Thank you so much for the video and patience in response to emerging issues! Good luck to you!
Have you posted anything on how to protect the Baro from wind on the APM 2.5/2,6 and 2.7?
Hi Simon, not yet. All of mine have been installed inside the case that includes a piece of foam to cover the sensor.
I have discussed it when talking about the Multiwii boards though. I am in the middle of creating a few videos for the APM 3.1 and this is covered in these specifically for the APM..
OK Thanks. I ended up researching on google and making up a video myself.
Painless360 Hello guys maybe you can help install futaba transmitter T6ex ardupilot to 2.6 x Quadcopter
The radio is a mature product but should work great - what's the problem?
When ever I go to calibrate my radio, insuring that the receiver is bound, the motores are disconnected and the reciever is properly connected to the flight controlller, the mavlink instantly disconnects. I have tried all I know to do with no success. Any help would be appreciated.
when I reach the part of getting samples for the compass it doesn't seem to do anything. I move the board different directions but no samples are detected. not a single one. it says error 99?
Thanks for the great video. You just helped me settle on a fc for a video/camera platform. This looks a lot easier than the multiwii. Thanks again.
thanks Painless360 works well for me, just plug and play and no problem, rtl working very well, thanks again
Thanks for posting! Can't wait to see the next one.
Thanks for the video!!
I have a question. I followed your steps and stuck at the compass calibration. When I clicked the "Live calibration", it popped up a new window but no display of x, y and z axis.
Then I just skipped to radio calibration. I connected all according to the APM site connected Rx and Tx. Before I started the calibration, I connected all 5 servos to the Rx and checked all channel functionality. After I connected with Planner I saw all the green bars as your video. When I clicked the calibration button only 3 channels would show the red sticks (throttle, aileron and aux) and the rest 2 channels won't move and no names (yaw, roll) displayed.
Did I do something wrong? -_-a
Any words would be appreciated! Thanks!!!
delsol7878 Hi, make sure that you have the two missing channels plugged in and the servo cables are the right way round. The APM is only showing what it can 'hear' on the connected inputs so you don't need to tell it what radio you are using.If this is an APM 2.6 then check that the cable from the external compass is plugged in and not loose. This would cause what you are seeing. Best of luck with the build!
I received this board, and from the get-go I have never been able to manually calibrate the compass. I recall reading somewhere that the version I have of the board doesn't have an on board compass? That may make no sense, I apologize if it does, I'm relatively new to this. Can you shed any light as to why this is happening? When I have the GPS connected, the "bad compass health" warning goes away, but without it it comes back.
Hello,
I've got some problem while calibrating my Radio with APM 2.8. I connected APM through USB cable with my PC and opened Mission Planner, It was connected flawlessly but when I connected Radio Receiver with APM, Turn On Radio Transmitter and connect APM with PC. Com port did not exist. It got connected when I turn Off Radio TX. am I doing something wrong?
Possibly, what troubleshooting have you already tried?
I was able to fix the problem.
I pressed the reset button on the APM and then I reloaded the firmware and the beeping stopped.
Now I can arm the copter. I will do a flight test tomorrow.
The thing is what cussed this problem with the beeping in the first place, I think that this beeping coused the copter to go down. Will it happen again while I'm flying? ???
Why did this happened in the first place ????
I experience a problem. I fly my drone and as soon as I flip the switch to put the drone in Loiter mode, it crashes !.... can you help me ?
Hello
I have a problem when i try to set u the accelerometer when i try to do it i get the 40 sec time but i dont get asked to turn the board around only the count down
i have the ardupilot 2.8 & using the apm planer 2.0.0 looks different from the one u have don this video
when try to calibrate at the end i get success executed CMD 241 but i have not move the board if i move it around the same thing the jumper is on the first pins next to the gps i got this board like this
thnx hope u have some idea how to sort this out
+Freddy Beko This video is almost two years old, we have setup flight controllers using later versions of Mission Planner that may be closer to what you're looking at. See our series on the APM 3.1 and Pixhawk.. Best of luck.
thnx i have figure out the problem
the amp Planer 2.0.20 is not good after i have uninstall & install the 2.0.18 i have manage to get it working
hi, calibrating my apm v2.5 with spektrum receiver was no problem, butb with my new Taranisreceiver (x6r) only the throttle-channel (1) was recognised. What's wrong? Both receivers are ok.
+Peter Boy PPM vs PWM?
thank you very much, I have been following all of your videos I guess I got confused since on the calibration of the radio shows to be ok. It is very well explained and very easy to follow thanks again.
Easy to do. Glad you got it working. Happy flying!
Is it normal for the APM to still receive power from the output rails with the JP1 jumper removed?
Lion Silver I no other power is connected other than the power on the output rails then the board should not power up if the J1 connector is unplugged. Check for a connection over the J1 terminals with the solder..
A question.
When I try to see the information of serial information I get extrange character. Can you teel why-
+Jorge Gómez could be a few things, depending on versions. Disable things like the BT adapter on your computer and later versions of the code removed the console from the stuff you uploaded. Check the release notes.
Try changing the baud rate.
I did it, but with not sucess.
Don't know what I'm doing wrong? I have tried 3 of these boards and I can't get the throttle to stop running while it is armed! I have gone through the Wizard setup, calibrated the APM 2.8, and calibrated each ESC individually. Then completed each motor testing in the MP. Everything works like it should until I arm the unit and the motors spin while the throttle is at its lowest. Is there a setting I am missing? I am going crazy trying to figure this out.
+Bill Conroy You're not using the playlists are you ;) ua-cam.com/video/cXSNgCQ9WJw/v-deo.html
I have another problem, while I'm flying the quadcopter turns off, the power goes off, the props stop turning and it crashes. Any idea why it loses power?
Phillip Hatzis Hi. Again it is impossible for me to help with that limited information. Are you talking about main flight battery/motor power? Receiver power? What do the logs say in MP?
Happy to help but you need to explain what trouble shooting you have already done and be specific on the problem. Videos can help showing the issues too.
Best of luck with it..
Hi good simple instructions. I was Ok up to the receiver install. Several blogs say do not install the receiver while only powered from PC using USB. Also the video is for a coptor and I am doing rover. You show every pin used for the receiver setup but I have R8EF S-bus or PPM and you do not show that config. Any help appreciated
I've not used APM for many years. See my last few years of videos on flight controllers. All I figured out are in this series.... There are more up to date flight controllers supported by modern firmware - see my Kit Picks video..
While calibrating the compass, I am getting error 99. APM 2.8, both with the inbuilt compass as well as with an external compass. Any idea why?
HI
I have a doubt how to do battery monitor calibration in mission planner, I dont know I get ugly values when I do as per the wiki of arducopter can you help me out how to do step by step..
like how to do voltage divider calced and can you explain what is math behind it....?
Thanks in advance...
Hello, i just got the apm board and ive had a crash where my quadcopter just dropped out of the sky when in guided mode. any ideas on what happened? I have flown it in guided just before the crash and it was preforming very well.
Hello again, I just encounter another problem.
The other day as I was flying my quadcopter suddenly it felled out of the sky and crashed.
Since then when I try to connect my battery the motors keep beeping continuously.
The APM will not arm and I cannot figure out what the problem is.
Can you help me once more?
Thank you for your time !!!!
Could be lots of things. Impossible for me to help with that limited information. I would work from first principles and reconnect the board to the PC and confirm that the Rx channels are all working well and go from there..
Treat it like a new build and work through each system -radio/receiver, power, ESC/Motor connections etc.
Best of luck.
Hi hope you can advise I am setting up a fixed wing plane and am having a problem when checking out the control movements in stabilised mode.When I pitch the model nose down the elevator moves the wrong way and gives a down command.The elevator moves correct on the transmitter and the artificial horizon is showing the correct attitude of the plane. Any thoughts as to what I have done wrong.
The setup is all covered in the Arduplane manual - ardupilot.org/plane/docs/reversing-servos-and-setting-normalelevon-mode.html - best of luck!
Thanks for the link will have a good read tonight, going to need lots of luck
Bob Crow - in the parameters list in mission planner find the channel you need and then change the channel parameter from normal reverse. it worked for me
quick question... my apm 2.6 is displaying the wrong altitude through the minim osd. it's always displaying in the 100's while it sits on the ground. any ideas?
+NUWEST00520041 That is what it sees as the altitude. Its not relative, it is the altitude above sea level. These are never perfect but have a look at the documentation around using the Baro and GPS altitude..
Best of luck.
I am setting up an APM 2.8 and I installed the firmware and got my hex to fly but only in stabilize mode. When I try to set the modes to loiter it gives me a error message that says Error Setting Parameter. The only mode I can select is stabilize. My GPS has a 3D fix inside the house with 11 sats. Help?
I've not seen that here and the detail on the forums (from my quick search) isn't great either. I'd start by reloading the firmware again and running though the setup again too in case something hiccupped first time. Best of luck!
I had a problem, when I turned tranmister (Flysky fsi6s) and connects the battery, I could not armed, and quadcopter rotate very fast and crashed, several times I experienced, but when I connect the battery and then I turn on the transmitter, I could be armed and quadcopter no problem.
I'd check that the radio is setup for the model correctly and the throttle moves the throttle channel etc. See how later in this video series. Best of luck..
I still didn't get the AUX 1 ? what is it used for and what what AUX 1 is connect in the receiver. your help will be very grateful !!! thanks
Happy to explain on a one to one support call. See the website for the charges and details..
I have looked all over the internet and UA-cam including your videos and can not find a procedure for enabling an Aux switch on my controller to enact an emergency stop for the motors. I saw a video that demonstrated those very items but there was no instruction on how to accomplish it. Please help if you are able.
I've not set it up. ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-auxiliary-functions.html covers it. Let me know if you figure it out.. Best of luck
hi, I think I've fried my apm and would rather find out why before doing again! I have the power module with jumper removed. my esc's are opto's so have seen I didnt need to remove the 5v wire but plugged in and bang. I was connected to the laptop too but did this all the time with my 2.5 powered by esc with jumper?
What did you plug in when it went 'bang'?
A 3s lipo, l think I've seen a contradiction to what to do with the j1 should I have left it in?
From what you have mentioned I can't see any glaring problems but the devil is in the detail. Happy to take a look at it and explore what went on in a support call if you need it. (see the painless360.com website for details and rates)
well the new FC arrived, removed the 5v lines from the esc's and the bloody thing still went bang!! would a faulty esc cause it as they just make a beeping when powered rather than the "tones"?
Possibly, if the wires were connected the wrong way inside it.. Best of luck..
i was follow your instruction, my quad can take off, the problem is when my quad on height about 5 meters, all motors is stop working, then falling down to the ground, i check the batt, still 16.1 volt, my battery is 5800 mAh, 4s, 14,8 volt, what's going on on my quad, please reply my question, thank you
+magfur ramdhani Happy to help but please watch ua-cam.com/video/olIqTiSJHIY/v-deo.html and come back to me with more detail of what you've tried..
how to setup APM 2.6 with 4S battery?
because the problem is, when i set the low battery on fail save above 10.5 volt, the APM doesn't armed, the APM armed when i set 10.5 volt low battery on fail safe setup
plz reply
Thank you
What does the error show as in Mission Planner when you try and arm it with the LVZ set to above 10.5v?
What is the maximum size of propeller I can use in s500 frame?
I’ve never used one but a quick google search looked like 10 inches
Hi - Awesum tutorial. Ok so I have small question - I have the APM 2.7 and the Turnigy 9x Radio kit with the 9x8cV2 Receiver.
I have done the bind on the Radio and the RX - Using the APM input to supply the 5V.
The radio is set to sent PPM - And the receiver is PPM - But when I try connect to calibrate the radio it tell me that he transmitter is not switched on and it not receiving a signal... All the channels are connected 1 - 5 correct
Haha don't worry - I worked it out !!
I have the APM 2.6 with no compass. I do not plan to use GPS on my quad initially (not until I am able to get it built, in the air and flying reliably at low height). Do I have to buy a Ublox, now or can I just skip the Compass calibration?
I've never installed an APM without the compass here. If you can do that please let me know.. Best of luck!
Hi! I have tried to do the live calibration, but hasn't worked. The points aren't recognized... please, can you help me? I'm using the Ardupilot 2.6.
+Tiago Santos de Santana Sounds like the mag isn't connected - I would check the connections and wiring. Best of luck!
Ive just got the 2.8.. though am confused a little. do i do the initial mandatory calibration of the compass with the GPS/compass dual antenna all plugged in or does the initial setup have to be done without this plugged in.. I only ask as following intital set up may people have problems with the compasses (getting two sets of figures) and finding it impossible to deactivate the on-board compass so that the external GPS/compass aerial to be recognized.
+Lee Pearce the way that works for ya is on the video. Personally I'd always disable the onboard compass and use external if possible. Best of luck!
There is a two type of apm shown in shopping as ardupilot and arducopter.Both are same or different.
Ardupilot is a family of software. Arducopter, Arduplane.. Etc. All in the documentation..
hi, I have got a problem. i want to calibrate compass but its write error 99 and do nothing
+Eren Sadıkoğlu make sure you've selected the right compass/APM setup at the top of the Compass Calibration screen. What troubleshooting have you already done? Best of luck.
Thank you for this video in helping setup the APM 2.8 on my hexcopter. I need help on an esc problem. Followed your video instruction to setup the esc individually. After all is done, #4 and #6 motors would come on after the motor unlock. The other 4 motors remain still unless the throttle stick is move up. I tried to re-calibrate these two esc a few times and with same result. What's wrong? Please help. Thank you.
apm 2.6 calibrated and configured, but when I get off the ground and try to go forward it goes backward. Cannot figure out, can you help please.
We cover channel direction in the video. you need to reverse the direction of the elevator channel on your radio. Best of luck!
Thank you! And thank you for unbelievably fast reply. I will check out the other video and see if I can't get past this stumbling block.
thanks again
ROG
hi can you help with this i have a tarot 690 which has been flying ok with afro esc i have put some 45 amp rc timers esc opto type on it and now it feels lick it will flip when taking of i have gone back to basics and re set every thing ??
Hi Steve, the first thing to do is calibrate the ESCs so that they have exactly the right throttle range. Try that first and see if it helps..
Best of luck.
I have been using your videos to setup my APM 2.6 and all seemed to be going well until now. When I go into terminal mode and press connect it displays "com port open" then displays version info, free ram, etc. But instead of display the little menu, it scrolls data continually. I have pressed enter 3 times and nothing happens and pressed reset button and the APM restarts but does same thing. I went thru the same routine with my second APM and terminal works fine.
Any ideas.
Wally
mate i have a problem i have my reciever and apm connected by the usb,it connects no problem until i turn on my transmitter and then mission planner disconnects,why would this be.Any info would be great.Thanks
+SheaProdigy id suspect a power related issue. Check the non USB voltage and J1 setting. Best of luck!
i know how to change waypoint speed or should i say i know where the setting is but what speed in mph does the preset 500 give me and how or what do i change that to ? just to make it go faster round waypoints
Google should have found this for you - ardupilot.org/copter/docs/auto-mode.html hope it help.
thans painless360
hi, i see you have used the internal compass. i have tried using the external compass (g-model ublox neo) and calibrated it before flying. but the issue is that the the drone follows plus configuration when flying even though i selected x frametype
I've not used an APM for many years.... best of luck
I connected oll the wires from the apm 2.8 to the receiver. but when i push the sticks on my radiocontroller nothing moves on the computer screen at radio calibration? Do you know how to connect? or how does it work?
Keep watching - we cover this in the series.. Best of luck!
which part of the series? thanks ;)
Keep watching... ;)
hey whats up I was wondering if you can help me I have a SP Racing Flight Controller but it won't connect to my computer what do I do
I am unable to configure radio on my QX7 ACCESS with R9 MX receiver using SBUS or S.Port on my APM 2.8 flight controller. Using Mission Planner 1.3.77 with latest APM flashed with firmware 3.2.1 for my QUAD_X_4. Just the Bars on the Radio configuration setup screen won't move when I try to calibrate while I am moving sticks on my Radio. I have tried using both jumping PIN 2 & 3 on Input on APU and also without it, just connecting, S.Port/SBUS, V_in and GND pins in APM. Please help with the Radio setup.
The first thing to confirm is is that the reciever is bound. How do you know that is good?
ok this is what happen when i get to the install the receiver to do the radio set up the amp 2.6 will not boot up to mission planner i keep on getting a time out count down and it will not work and when i unplug the receiver and boot up the apm 2.6 to mission planner it work the artificial horizon and everything works
after uploading v3.2.1 in my amp2.5, every thing works well except flight mode.flight mode is not changing. It shows 0 pwm. but switches are working in radio calibration. Is this firmware problem?
Hey, I've got the same setup with the taranis and mission planner1.3.25 I am at the flight modes part and everything has been pretty good up till now. When I flip my switch up and down there is no green highlight moving around. There is only one green staying still on flight mode 4. I have checked that I got the switch done in the calibration but it still seems to not be working. This is not a simple as I was hoping it would be when I ordered it. Thanks Jeff
Jeff Heslop Then you need to make sure that you have the input configured for that switch (sounds like you have if you can see if moving in the monitor screen), there is a mix to attach that input to an output in the radio. Then make sure that you are connecting the mode channel on the APM to the right output on the receiver.
Best of luck.
Hello I need your help if possible. Already a few months I use a plane skywalker with apm 2.8 controller for make agricultural surveys. The missions work very well without any problem.
The problem is this, I use two camras canon S110, these cameras are placed in the fuselage skywalker under the apm is a perfect place, fit the two cameras (RGB and NDVI) perfectly, the problem is the quality of images, these images appear a bit blurry, I think it is a vibration problem.
Is there any solution to minimize this problem?
Thanks
+Paulo Cardoso the vibration will come from the prop and motor. See our video on balancing the prop. You can also use vibration damping mounts for the cameras too. Best of luck!
Hey, im trying to set up this board (hk pilot 2.7, but just about the same) when i do the magnetometer/compass calibration it doesnt create a sphere on the monitor, but it just piles up a big bunch of dots down in a corner.. i guess im not doing it right? i did the movements as shown ++, but it never gets enough samples! what to do?
(Thanks for fast awners, need it for my V2)
Adolph Hitler it should work in the same way. Check the connection to the external compass and reset the board to try again. If it still doesn't work then the compass may have a problem..
Who the fuck calls himself Adolph Hitler?! Seriously?! I am surprised you even got an answer with a fucked up name like that!?
Im warning you, i have got a full tank of zyklon B right next to me if you dont calm down. Haben Sie verstande?
re start and new cable firmware partialy installs and is stopped at the same point, forums discuss the same issue I am yet to find a resolution. I have built a lovley 550 discovery like quad for this board and it looks like the only way it will ever fly is if I go outside and huck into the sky. too bad I was really looking forward to trying this ardupilot board, one of the folks from Crazyponey sent it to me at a discount in hopes I would write a kind review. Oh well no review is better than a bad one. Back to the building table. I wish my laptop would work as flawlessly as yours seam to.
It's all about proper driver setup, once you've got the right ones installed you should be golden. Most of the manuals/wikis and now even a lot of the GUIs give you links to the right drivers. We do have another little netbook we use for the more 'experimental' things so we don't break the main machines! Best of luck!
Firstly I have installed latest version of ardupilot.and required to apm ac v3.2.1. Que: I have neo 6m v2 gps. And it will be work with apm 2.8 upgrade version. ?Enable to find 3dr gps . I am trying to making last 2 months. But... I don't know about drone.before 2month.
Sorry, not sure I understand the question..
i have built up two apm systems but one is coming up with hi gps hdop and will not arm unless it drops below 2 it seams to have started sins i put the latest firmware in as i will need to fly inside it is a bit of a pain. i have been told that you can turn of the gps sensitivity down ?? im sure that i have set i up right as i have had batt failsafe cut in and came back to wear it tuck of from
This is usually due to vibration, a damaged GPS unit or interference from the main electronics.
Try and move the GPS as far as you can from the power and control systems and try again. Shielded cables and mount can also help sometimes.
Good look getting it sorted..
Please guide, Can we fly QuadPlane with APM 2.8 board with old Mission Planner firmware 3.2.1
Documents says that APM 2.8 no longer support with latest firmware.
Please guide
+Yogesh Sonar ua-cam.com/video/Vbz3vN3JH6Y/v-deo.html&app=desktop
i have apm2.8 mounted on wooden frame and it is not being stable...what to do??
Check for vibration and that the FC is at the COG and on anti vibration mounts. You can use the log files to see what's going on too..
I have a quick question that no one seems to be able to answer
I am on my second return on a APM 2.6 and it will not allow me to calibrate the compass
any suggestions
Thanks
Liam
what does'not allow me to calibrate the compass' actually mean? what error do you have? where does it fail?
Hi what can you do when going through Radio Calibration and My Aileron isn't moving correctly not on mission planner or on the TX monitor function. All help appreciated.
What troubleshooting have you already tried?
Painless360. I've made sure that the trim is set to 100% correctly checked the cable connections between rx and AMP that's about all I can think off
I'd connect that channel to one of the others in the Rx to test that the input on the APM is ok, if it is then I'd connect a servo to that output on the Rx and see if it moves. If not then it'll be the Rx or some setting on the radio for that channel. See my troubleshooting tips video. Best of luck.
Thanks I switched the channels around Throttle and Aileron and then the throttle does what the Aileron was doing. so switched Aileron with Elevation and the pitch doesn't work. I put the servo into the Aileron and it doesn't work properly it only moves slightly on right movement of the TX stick or if the stick is moved up and left to spring back it will move. It does nothing when the stick is moved to its left side top or bottom. Hope you will be able to help me diagnose the problem. Thanks
Hello, I have a question. What can I do because my 7 chanel radio does not have a 3 position swich?
ICanDoRedstone Then you are limited to two flight modes unless you can 'mix' two channels together to give you three or more positions on the channel that controls the modes.
I have a video for the DX7 and getting more flight modes that may help..
Best of luck.