Turnigy PLUSH & BASIC regulators. Setting the direction of rotation of the propellers and checking the correct operation of the sensors. Mandatory electronic node

Description of the kit, list of modifications

INSTALLATION, SETUP, TESTING, TUNING

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

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

check return mode "

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

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

Installation of the power section.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Firmware download and initialization

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Initialization of initial parameters

If you bought a kit by ordering on our website under specific type Aircraft - save the flight controller settings to a file. (menu “config/tuning” item “advanced parameters” button save “SAVE”)

(we load the most stable versions firmware, installing default settings and initial calibration of the inertial system and compass)

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

· download the latest firmware version for your aircraft type.

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

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

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

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

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

Calibrations

Calibration of radio control signals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Compass calibration:

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

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

Video of the calibration process (in English):

YouTube Video

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

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

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

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

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

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

To achieve the perfect calibration required for precise work inertial system, we recommend that when calibrating the accelerometer, use a flat surface with verified horizontality using a bubble building level. At the moment of pressing the confirmation key, the controller must be fixed in a state of rest; you cannot hold it in your hands or try to calibrate it on a surface subject to even minimal vibrations.

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

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

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

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

Using an external compass

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

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

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

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

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

ESC Calibration

Setting the control signal ranges of engine speed controllers (colloquially ESC calibration) is important for proper operation. A sign of incorrect calibration of the regulators may not be simultaneous start motors with slow addition of gas after arming.

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

Automatically setting up ESC for everyone at once is the simplest.
Manual method Customizes each ESC individually.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Checking that the engines are turned on

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CW – propeller rotating clockwise, CCW – counter-clockwise

quadcopter x and plus diagrams

"H-frame" quadcopter

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

8 motor configuration coaxial "octaquaid"

Pre-flight checks

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

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

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

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

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

Checking the controllability of the device in idle mode.

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

Before the first flight

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

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

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

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

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

I Stage of flight settings

PID setting stabilization and their verification.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

II Stage of flight settings

Checking the vibration level and trying the altitude hold mode

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

enable logging before flight:

should select "IMU"

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

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

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

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

The top picture shows extremely unacceptable vibrations,

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

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

Automatic log analyzer

III Stage of flight settings

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

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

The quality of holding a position depends on:

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

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

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

Common problems:

"Completely inadequate"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Adjusting controllability and stability by pitch and roll:

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

RATE coefficients

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

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

STAB coefficients

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

P I D components in relation to an arcopter

present in most coefficients.

P is the main proportional coefficient.

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

IMAX - long-term error correction level

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

Typical faults:

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

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

Repair: replacing a 3.3 volt stabilizer

Sign: In cold weather, the level shown by the APM moves away from the horizontal when horizontal position apparatus.

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

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

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

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

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

Possible reasons:

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

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

http://apmcopter.ru/

Manual

educational multi-rotor device controlled by Arducopter

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The article describes how regulators are calibrated. Calibration is necessary so that the regulators “remember” the minimum and maximum gas levels and subsequently work correctly when the level changes.

Before you begin the regulator calibration procedure, you must ensure that the procedure has been done. If the equipment has been reconfigured, this calibration must be done again.

If we have calibrated the equipment and connected the motors with regulators to the APM controller according to the type of frame selected, then we can proceed to calibrate the regulators.

Let's consider 2 ways to calibrate regulators:

With connection to APM controller
Separate calibration of each regulator

Before you start, be sure to TAKE OFF propellers, disable USB from controller and disconnect battery.

Calibration of regulators with an APM controller

1. Turn on the equipment and set the gas level to maximum.
2. Connect the battery to the copter. The LEDs on the APM board (red, yellow, blue) began to blink alternately. This means that the controller is ready for the regulator calibration procedure after subsequent removing and supplying power from the battery.
3. Leave the gas level at maximum, disconnect and then reconnect the battery.
4. The controller is now in the controller calibration mode (on the board you can see that the red and blue LEDs have begun to turn off alternately).
5. You must wait for the controls to play the melody. Next there will be signals corresponding in number to the connected battery (3 times for a 3S battery, 4 times for a 4S battery, etc.), then there will be 2 more signals, meaning that the regulators have detected a high level of the gas signal (around 2000 µs).
6. Sharply reduce the gas to minimum.
7. You should now hear a long beep from the regulators indicating that minimum level gas and that calibration is complete. Now you can try adding a little gas to get the motors to start rotating. Then set the gas level to minimum again.

Video showing the calibration process:

Calibration of each regulator

1. Connect one of the regulators to the receiver on the gas channel (usually the 3rd channel).
2. Turn on the equipment and set the gas level to maximum.
3. Connect the battery to the copter.
4. You must wait for the controls to play the melody. After two signals, sharply reduce the gas to minimum.
5. You should now hear beeps corresponding in number to the connected battery (3 times for a 3S battery, 4 times for a 4S battery, etc.), then a long beep from the regulators indicating that the minimum gas level has been detected and that calibration is complete. You can try to slightly increase the gas to start the engine.
6. Disconnect the battery. Repeat steps 1-5 for the remaining controls.
7. If the process goes wrong, then you need to make sure that the equipment produces a signal without reverse. If necessary, reverse the gas channel in the equipment. You should also try reducing the gas level with the trimmer by 50%.
8. Set the gas level to minimum. Next, disconnect the battery to exit the regulator calibration mode.

Many regulators when turned on with high level gas enter programming mode. The signal level is remembered as maximum. When moving the throttle stick from the minimum position, the signal level is remembered as minimum.
If after calibration the motors do not start to rotate simultaneously or rotate with at different speeds, then the calibration must be repeated.
If you cannot perform calibration using the APM controller, then perform it manually (second method) for each controller.
The calibration procedure is different for some regulators. Read the regulator documentation.
For more accurate calibration, you can connect all regulators to the receiver at the same time. In this case, the influence of “floating” of the equipment signal will be eliminated.

Selecting control settings

Brake: OFF. Engine braking after setting the gas to zero. May have on/off values
Battery Type: Ni-xx(NiMH or NiCd). We do not select the type of Li-Po batteries, because... the regulator will stop the motors when the battery voltage drops, and at least there is a chance to try to land the copter.
Cut Off Mode: Soft-Cut. When the engine is turned off smoothly, the controller reduces the speed gradually.
CutOff Threshold: Low. The motor will be turned off only when the minimum voltage on the battery is reached.
Start Mode: Normal. We select the average value from the available ones (golden mean). Soft and hard starts are not recommended.
Timing: MEDIUM. A parameter on which the engine power and efficiency depend. Can range from 0° to 30°. Physically, this is the electrical advance angle of winding switching.

On this moment We consider the regulator calibration procedure completed. Try starting the engines for now we will not, because the procedure has not yet been completed initial setup controller.

Speed controllers for brushless motors TURN I GY series PLUSH and BASIC

Functions:

Extremely low output impedance, super high wear resistance.
Multiple protection functions: Voltage drop protection/Overheat protection/RC signal loss protection.
3 launch modes: Normal / Soft / Super Soft, compatible with fixed wing aircraft and helicopter.
The throttle range can be configured to be compatible with all transmitters currently available on the market.
Smooth, linear and precise throttle response.
Separate 1C voltage regulator for microprocessor (except PLUSH-6A and PLUSH-10A) with good noise immunity.
Supported motor speed (Maximum): 210000 rpm (2 poles), 70000 rpm (6 poles), 35000 rpm (12 poles).
A pocket programming card can be purchased separately to easily program the ESC at the airfield.
With the programming card, the user can activate the ESC music function, and select one of 15 melodies.

Specifications:

Continuous current

Short-term
current
(> 10 sec)

Battery

User programming

Size
L*W*H

Linear

Switch

Linear

BEC load capacity

Linear mode BEC

BEC switch mode (5V/3A)

Standard Micro Servo Motors (Max)

Note 1: BEC stands for "Battery Elimination Circuit". This is a DC VOLTAGE regulator for powering the receiver and other equipment from the main battery. With built-in BEC, there is no need to install additional receiver power circuits.

IMPORTANT! An ESC labeled "xxx-xxx-OPTO" does not have a built-in BEC. Therefore, a UBEC (Basic BEC) or a BEC built into another regulator must be used to power the receiver. Also, a separate BEC is required to enable the programming card when setting programmable ESC values (see the programming card user manual).

Programmable elements:

Brake installation: Enabled / Disabled, default Disabled
Battery Type: Li-xx (Li-ion or Lipo) / Ni-xx (NiMH or NiCd), default value is Li-xx.
Undervoltage protection mode (Cut-off mode): Soft cut-off (Gradual reduction in power output), or cut-off (Engine stops immediately). The default value is Soft Cutoff.
Undervoltage protection threshold (Cut-off threshold): Low / Medium / High, the default value is Medium.
1. For lithium batteries, the number of cells is calculated automatically. Low/medium/high cut-off voltage for each bank: 2.85V/3.15V/3.3V. For example: For a 3-bath LiPo, with the cutoff threshold set to “Average,” the voltage cutoff will be calculated as 3.15*3=9.45V.
2. For nickel batteries, the low/medium/high cut-off voltages are 0%/50%/65% of the starting voltage (i.e. the starting voltage of the battery), and 0% means the under-voltage cut-off function is disabled. For example: For a 10 cell NiMH battery, the fully charged voltage is 1.44*10=14.4V, when the cutoff threshold is "Medium", the cutoff voltage will be 14.4*50%=7.2V.
Startup mode: Normal / Soft / Super Soft, (300ms / 6s / 12s), default value is "Normal".
Normal mode is preferred for fixed wing aircraft. Soft or Ultra Soft are preferred for helicopters. The initial acceleration of Soft and Super Soft modes is less and typically takes 6 seconds for Soft Start and 12 seconds for Super Soft Start from starting position to full throttle. If the throttle is at zero (throttle stick moved down) and opens again (throttle stick moved up) within 3 seconds of starting, the restart will be temporarily changed to normal mode to avoid a possible crash caused by slow response. gas. This special mode is suitable for aerobatic flight when a quick throttle response is required.
Synchronization: Low / Medium / High, (3.75°/15°/26.25°), default value is Low. (Note 2)
Typically, low or medium timing is suitable for most engines. To get more high speed and higher output power, select high timing.

Note 2: After changing the timing settings, test your RC model on the bench before taking off!

Before use:

Note 3: In the following instructions, we use the words "Key Position" and "Bottom Position" to describe the position of the throttle stick.

Key position: the gas value in this position is 100%.

Bottom Position: the gas value in this position is 0%.

Run ESC in next sequence:

Alarms:

Input voltage is emergency: ESC starts checking the voltage when the battery is connected, if the voltage is out of the acceptable range, it will sound Emergency Signal: "beep-beep,beep-beep,beep-beep". (Each "beep-beep" has a time interval of approximately 1 second)
When the ESC fails to detect the receiver signal, an alarm will sound: "beep-, beep-, beep-". (Each "beep-" has a time interval of approximately 2 seconds)
Throttle stick is not in the down position: When the throttle stick is not in the down position, a very fast alarm will sound: "beep-, beep-, beep-". (Each "beep-" has a time interval of approximately 0.25 seconds.)

Protection functions:

Start Failure Protection: If the engine does not start within 2 seconds after turning on the throttle, the ESC will enter cut-off mode. In this case, the throttle stick MUST be moved to the down position to restart the engine. This situation occurs in the following cases: the connection between the ESC and the engine is not reliable, the propeller or engine is blocked, the gearbox is damaged, etc.
Overheat protection: When the ESC temperature is more than 110 degrees Celsius, the ESC will reduce the output power.
Signal Loss Protection: If the throttle signal is lost for 1 second, then 2 seconds, the ESC will enter cut-off mode and stop the engine.

Programming example

Setting the start mode to “Supersoft”, i.e. value #3 in programmable element #5

Problem solving

Problem	Possible reason	Action
After turning on the power, the engine does not run, no beeps are heard.	The connection between the battery and the ESC is not ok	Check the power connection. Replace wires and connectors if necessary.
After turning on the power, the engine does not work, the alarm sounds: "beep-beep, beep-beep, beep-beep". Each "beep-beep" has a time interval of approximately 1 second.	Input voltage is abnormal, too high or too low	Check battery voltage
After turning on the power, the engine does not work, the alarm sounds: "beep-, beep-, beep-". Each "beep-" has a time interval of approximately 2 seconds.	No control signal from receiver	Check the receiver and transmitter, as well as the ESC connection cable
After turning on the power, the engine does not work, the alarm sounds: "beep-, beep-, beep-". Each "beep-" has a time interval of approximately 0.25 seconds.	Throttle stick is not in the down position	Move the throttle stick to the down position.
After turning on the power, the engine does not run, a special signal "56712" sounds and is emitted after 2 buzzers ("beep-beep-")	The direction of the throttle channel is inverted, so the ESC has entered the programming mode	Set the direction of the gas channel correctly
The engine runs in the opposite direction	Incorrect connection between ESC and motor.	Swap any two wires between the ESC and the engine.
The engine stops during operation	Throttle signal lost	Check the receiver and transmitter, gas channel cable
	ESC enabled undervoltage protection mode	Land the RC model as soon as possible, and then replace the battery
	Some connections are not reliable	Check all connections: battery connection, throttle signal cable, engine connections, etc.

Normal startup procedure:

Setting Throttle Range: (Throttle Range must be reset when using a new transmitter)

Move the throttle stick to the up position and turn on the transmitter.
Connect the battery to the ESC and wait about 2 seconds.
A "beep-beep" signal will sound indicating that the high throttle point has been correctly confirmed.
Move the throttle stick to the down position. N beeps will sound indicating the number of lithium cans.
A long beep will sound indicating that the low throttle point has been correctly confirmed.

Programming ESC from Transmitter (4 Steps)

Enter Programming Mode
Select a programmable option
Set the value of the selected option
End programming mode

Entering programming mode
Turn on the transmitter, move the throttle stick to key position, connect the battery to the ESC, wait 2 seconds. A "beep-beep" signal should sound. Then wait for another 5 seconds. A special signal “56712” will sound, indicating that the programming mode is turned on.
Selecting a Programmable Option
You will now hear 8 tones in a cycle in the following sequence:
1. "beep" brake (1 short signal)
2. "beep-beep" battery type (2 short beeps)
3. "beep-beep-beep" cut-off mode (3 short beeps)
4. "beep-beep-beep-beep" cutoff threshold (4 short beeps)
5. "beep-" startup mode (1 long beep)
6. "beep-beep-" Synchronization (1 long, 1 short beeps)
7. "beep-beep-beep-" reset all settings to default values (1 long, 2 short beeps)
8. "beep-beep-" output (2 long signal)

Setting the value of the selected option

You will hear several beeps in a loop. Set the value to the desired value by moving the throttle stick to the up position when you hear the corresponding signal. A special signal "1515" will indicate that the value has been set and saved. (Holding the throttle stick up will return you to step 2 and select other items. Move the throttle stick down for 2 seconds and you will exit programming mode.)

Options/signals	1 short beep	2 short beeps	3 short beeps
Brake	Switched off	Included
Battery Type	Li-Ion/Li-Poly	NiMh/NiCd
Cut-off mode	Power reduction	Complete shutdown
Cutoff threshold	Short	Average	High
Startup mode	Normal	Soft	Super soft
Timing	Short	Average	High

Ending programming mode
There are 2 options to exit programming mode:

If at least once during the process of using a quadcopter you have asked questions about the purpose of this or that part - about the ESC Motor, for example - then our article is just for you.

ESC Motor, also known as Electric Speed Controller, is a speed controller installed on brushless motors. The main task of this part is to transfer energy from the battery to a three-phase brushless motor and convert it into DC energy. Another task of the electric speed controller is to limit the current that passes through the phases during switching.

In order to understand the operation of the ESC controller in more detail, you should first learn more about the design of the motor, which we will do in the article below.

How does a brushless quadcopter motor work?

A brushless motor has three phases (or windings) in its design. Conventionally, they are called by the Latin letters A, B and C. All conductors are connected in phases with terminals at the end. In the picture below you can see two connection methods:

The processes occurring inside a brushless motor during operation are similar to the reaction of a frame with current under the influence of a magnetic field - the same one from school physics experiments. When placed in a magnetic field, the frame began to rotate, and did not perform this movement constantly, but up to a certain point. For constant rotation, a current direction switch was needed.

By analogy with physical experience: in a brushless motor, the frame is the winding (or phases), and the switch is the electronics, which at certain moments supplies constant voltage to the required phases of the starter.

In order for the engine to operate continuously, the electronics must be able to recognize the position of the rotor. She does this using sensors - optical, magnetic, discrete, and so on. The latter, by the way, are used in most modern models.

In a brushless motor having three phases, three sensors are installed respectively. It is thanks to them that the control electronics always have accurate information about the position of the rotor, and at what moment and to which phases voltage needs to be applied.

But also among brushless motors there are also types in which sensors are not provided. In this case, the electronics determines the position of the rotor by measuring the voltage on the winding, which is not in operation at the time of testing.

When are sensors not installed?

Brushless motors, which have in their design the sensors discussed above, are considered the most modern, functional and technically equipped, but at the same time the simplest. All this makes them most preferable for installation in a radio model. However, nothing is ideal in the world, so this type of engine also has certain disadvantages.

Firstly, for correct operation, a wire must be laid from each sensor in the engine to provide power. Secondly, if at least one of the sensors fails, the entire engine will not be able to work. Thirdly, replacing the sensor requires complete disassembly of the entire engine, which means it is an expensive service at a service center.

Motors with sensors are mainly installed in those quadcopters whose startup involves heavy loads on the motor shaft.

If loads on the shaft are not provided, then a motor without sensors can be used. This subtype is also used in models in which the design does not allow the placement of an engine with sensors.

However, when installing engines of this kind, it is worth considering that at the moment of starting, oscillations or rotation of the engine axis may occur in different directions.

What characteristic would you like to improve in quadcopters?

Mandatory electronic node

Let's return to the electric speed controller. This mechanism is needed to regulate the speed of rotation of the electric magnetic field and at the same time to supply voltage to those phases that are necessary.

The design of the ESC is a microcontroller with a built-in program and MOSFET power switches.

ESC is characterized by the maximum current supplied from the battery to the motor.

Because of this, novice radio amateur designers often give preference to regulators with high current reserves - this is not always true. So, you can often choose a controller with a smaller margin, but it will work better. In addition, the advantage will be lower cost and lower weight.

But where controllers differ is in quality—unfortunately, there are often cases when manufacturers even skimp on thermal paste. Due to negligence in production, regulators quickly burn out. It is for this reason that if you are choosing between two ESCs with identical characteristics, but different prices, give preference to the more expensive one.

There are two types of speed controllers: BEC and UBEC. BEC - Battery Eliminator Circuit - a regulator that has a built-in voltage stabilizer in its design. The average power rating of this model is 5V, which is what powers the receiver and much other quadcopter equipment.

UBEC - Universal Battery Eliminator Circuit - removable voltage stabilizer. Some radio modelers in the design of quadcopters prefer the Universal Battery Eliminator Circuit, as they believe that this option is more reliable, since it does not depend on the temperature of the regulator.

UBECs are also divided into two types: pulse and ion. In general, they are almost identical, but the first ones are especially good for their high efficiency (which, by the way, increases with the price of the product) and lower overheating. However, in the case of this type of stabilizer, it is extremely important not to parallelize the power supply. When working with ionic stabilizers, such an installation, although not recommended, is still allowed.

The microcontroller installed in all regulators has several adjustable parameters - brake, voltage, startup time and its rigidity, and so on.

Regulator calibration

Although the calibration of regulators depends on specific model quadcopter on which this controller is used, there is one method common to all - setting and calibrating all regulators at once.

It is worth noting that if you have a quadcopter from DJI, then you will not need calibration.

Important note - before you begin calibrating the controllers, calibrate the radio and connect the controllers to the motors.

Before starting work, always make sure that they are safe - remove the propellers and disconnect the quadcopter from the network or USB.

Further work will take place in several stages.

In the first step, turn on the remote control remote control and move the stick responsible for supplying power to the maximum position. If, after connecting the lithium polymer battery, the lights on the flight equipment begin to light up cyclically in red, blue and yellow, then you have done everything correctly and the APM is ready for the calibration procedure.

In the second step, without touching the power stick, disconnect and reconnect the battery. This procedure will enable the calibration mode for the autopilot. Confirmation of this will be the alternate flashing of red and blue LED lights, as if on a police car.

Only after the signal sounds exactly as many times as your battery has cells (for example, for 3S there should be 3 signals), you can remove the power stick to the minimum position.

If after this you hear a single but continuous signal, it means the calibration process is complete.

As a check, give the engines a little gas - if they start to rotate, then everything is done correctly.

At the third stage, the speed controller calibration mode is exited - for this, the power stick is set to the minimum position and the battery is turned off.

More detailed instructions You can watch the video below to see how the controllers are calibrated.

They are responsible for the rotation speed of the engines, regulated by the flight controller. Most regulators should be adjusted to know the minimum and maximum PWM value that the flight controller sends. This page contains instructions for calibrating ESCs. Please calibrate the radio before calibrating the ESC motors.

About calibration

ESC calibration will depend on which brand you use. Therefore, refer to the regulator documentation to obtain specific information(for example, tones). Calibrating "all at once" works well for most speed regulator motors, so this good idea to try to do this right away and if that fails, try the "ESC calibration one at a time" method.

For most motor speed controllers, you can use the "all at once" calibration method.
DJI Opto controllers do not require or support calibration, so skip this page entirely
Some models of ESC controllers do not allow calibration, and will not disarm unless you adjust the sticks on your radio so that at the minimum position the value is about 1000 PWM. Please note that if you change limits, trims and everything that is responsible for the position of the stick on the equipment, you will need to recalibrate the radio.
To begin this procedure, you must complete “radio calibration” and “connecting speed controllers to motors.” Next, follow these steps:

Calibrating “all at once” ESC regulators

Check the safety of the work!

Before calibration ESC regulators, please make sure that your quadcopter does not have propellers and is not connected to a computer via USB and Lipo battery disabled.