The more I learn about my APM the more I fall in love with it. We have a love/hate relationship but once you figure things out it's pretty amazing. The developer community is very active and responsive. Don't ever hesitate to ask questions about it if I can help.
My first quad was a KK and I loved it. After I learned how to fly with it I decided it was time to upgrade and I purchased a Naza. Now with the KK2.0 board you'll have even more capabilities and stability than I did. Plus it's much cheaper than Naza and APM
Ahhh I forgot to mention that! Glad to hear you got it working. Yes, I calibrated my ESCs using the manual method where I did each one individually. Next time I will try to do the automatic one where all 4 ESCs get calibrated at once. Let me know how your flight goes.
I know what you mean. But sometimes the journey is just as enjoyable as the destination. I've built a few quads from scratch and then one with a kit. I think you're approaching this the right way by knowing your parts before you put them together.
I've thoroughly enjoyed it. My only words of caution are to be ready for a bit of legwork to get it up and running vs the Naza. That being said, it has much more configurability than the Naza, which is a good thing if you're up to the task.
Good to hear. I think you'll really like it. Mine is out of commission right now, but with a little bit of time I'll have it up and running in a few days. I'll be anxious to hear how it compares to your YS-X6 since there's a considerable price difference between the two.
It sound like you're on the right track. I normally hold the quad in my hand and give it a little bit of throttle. Then I tilt and roll the quad to make sure the motors respond correctly. It's safest to do this without the props attached, but sometimes I leave the props on so I can feel it pull in the right direction. Then I set it on the ground (preferably in grass) and give it just enough throttle to lift off 1 or 2 feet. If you see that it's not flying properly then take the throttle down.
I actually wondered the exact same thing when my quad arrived in the mail. It's the 3D Robotics kit that I got with the ArduCopter board. The long motor shafts have caused any problems yet, but I am thinking about shortening them. It does look kind of strange to have that gap and could lead to a source of vibration. The prop do not come off during flight since the prop adapters are the collet type. When the bullet gets screwed down it causes the collet to grab the motor shaft really tight.
Thanks for getting back to me. At this point it's just the beginning of business endeavor and I wanted something that I could practice with but also shoot very simple photo's and make some extra cash(real estate mainly). I am hoping to make it into more complex equipment such as hexa's with professional grade gimbles that I can shoot action sports videos and such with. My budget has gone all over the place but I think I've decided to keep it under $1000 for my first one. What do you think?
Great question. I haven't touched the APM failsafe feature yet mainly because I've been experimenting with all the other features. It's never ending! Sorry to hear about the loss of your quad. That completely sucks. I'll plan on doing some videos in the coming weeks and I appreciate the suggestion. Were you able to salvage anything from the crash?
I really like both frames a lot. I don't think you could go wrong with either...and the big question is what type of camera are you planning on using and what gimbal? Both of these frames are durable and it's probably easier to get replacement parts for the F450 because a lot of online stores sell them. If you're doing hobbyist aerial then a quad is okay, but if you're looking to get more serious then you may want to consider a hex. Another thing to consider is the XP2 quadcopter for GoPro
From what I've read it has the external compass with better accuracy, but don't have one yet. If I do get around to purchasing one I'll post my thoughts, but I may just wait for a more significant update.
Mine is 2 years old and I haven't run into any problems with it. If/when it does break I'm probably going to order the 9XR from Hobby King. I'm hoping to do the er9x updgrade soon. I've heard a lot of good things about it.
Good question. There are a ton of sellers doing some pretty insane markup on eBay. I've seen Turnigy's listed for over $100 and not sure if they're selling. I got mine slightly used for $80 including the backlight and shipping. Got it in about 3 days. So I paid slightly more than I'd get from HobbyKing, but I got it quick and it had the backlight mod.
Let me make sure I understand what you're asking. The red/black cables from your ESCs should be soldered to the power distribution board with red going to positive and black going to negative. The 3 lines from the ESC should connect to the 3 lines of your motor. You'll need to swap the 3 lines appropriately on each motor to make sure you get the proper rotation for each motor/prop. Just connect all 3 to each motor and if it doesn't spin in the right direction simply swap 2 of the 3 lines.
Yes, when I figure out the best settings :) Right now I'm just using the auto trim feature which works pretty well. I have a video titled "How to Auto Trim APM 2.5 (ArduCopter Firmware 2.8.1) for Stable Flight" that shows how to set it up if you want to give it a try.
The last I checked you had the MediaTek and uBlox options from 3DR. I currently have the MediaTek and really like it. It's the cheaper of the two and I've heard uBlox has quicker first time to fix and better accuracy.
You're right. If you know how to configure your PWMs switches with any transmitter then you should be okay. I don't think it will be that difficult to get a Hexa going, but you have to tell me what setup you end up purchasing because I've been looking at some different options. The APM 2.5 is pretty reliable from my testing and if you check out diydrones there are all sorts of people flying with it.
Rahul, I'm sorry to hear that. Have you issued a request for replacement? I haven't ordered the ArduFlyer before, but I know James Powell on Garage Pilots flies with one. I would feel cheated too, but hopefully you can get it resolved soon.
Excellent video. It would be great if you would do another video explaining how to set up (attribute) the various flight modes to the different toggle switches on your radio.
thank you so much for this video. It helps to get my copter setup with turnigy 9x. by any chance are you planning to do any video setting up the APM 2.5 pid tuning.
Rahul, I know nothing about the HobbyKing 6H and HKpilot. I tried to Google them but came up empty. As for ArduFlyer there is a user James Powell on Garage Pilots that flies with this board and loves it. Apparently it's nearly identical to APM 2.5, but much cheaper.
I've been meaning to do that. The long motor shafts just look funny in the first place. I was wondering if you could loosen them and push them out the bottom instead of cutting them down?
I've read several horror stories about the APM acting up and randomly taking off or flipping over, but I haven't experienced this yet. I've been pretty impressed with the overall stability and reliability of the system. The documentation isn't too bad IMO. They have a Wiki that gets updated pretty frequently: code.google.com/p/arducopter/wiki/ArduCopter?tm=6 and yes it does support a gimbal, 3 axes in fact! code.google.com/p/arducopter/wiki/AC2_Camera Good luck!
Thanks for watching, as always :) The APM cost $199 with a MediaTek GPS. You can get fancy with a uBlox chip for $50 more, but I think the MediaTek is the way to go if you're starting out. I'm still a hug fan of the Naza, but the APM has been fun from a tinkering perspective. Hopefully I'll get it dialed in pretty soon.
IV had the naza but its not exciting I want something with more unf so I can play with the setting so thanks for letting me know i have now ordered my new ArduPilot ArduCopter APM 2.5 thanks for doing the video bud all the best ron
Yes, this is in Stabilise. I might read up on auto trim, but from what I remember you have to be able to get it in the air and at least hover it reasonably well for a short while This one just shakes so bad, it generally flips over a second or two after becoming airborne. I'm going to try and swap out the ESC's for some different ones and see how it goes.
To be honest I haven't tweaked the APM 2.5 default stabilization settings much. During the first few moments of flight it's supposed to tune itself and get the settings dialed in. I plan on tweaking it over time, but it's pretty good out of the box. Now I do need to point out that it's not as good as Naza out of the box. If you want very stable flight then the Naza is the way to go. It's what I started with before APM. I'm not saying you can't get there with APM. It will just take some work.
Hey Dennis. I had some success in the 9X setting reversal, but I'm having some minor issues with simply getting my quad to hover. It seems to have a tendency to pitch forward once off the ground. We have the exact same set up, so do you think you and I could chat by email? You're very knowledgeable and all of the videos have been helpful!
Dennis do you like your 3DR Quad kit? I want to buy the same kit with the apm2.5 w/ ublox gps but I'm deciding between the 3DR frame and DJI 450. What do you think? Aerial Photography is the end goal.
Dennis, your videos are my "go to" videos. I've built quite alot of multirotors without bugging you, but I have one question... I'm going to build an APM rig, my spare hex, but wondering if you have a list of hardware that you used on your rig. Thanks. You could pm me too if that's better.
David depuy Thanks so much for the kind words. Very much appreciated. If you would do me a favor and post in the forums at www.garagepilots.com then we can help you out over there. In the past few months I finished my Tarot 680 hexa and I'll be glad to share my components in the forums. Also, a few of my recent videos show the hexa in action but I haven't gone into details about the build....yet. I do plan on doing that on the channel soon, but the best way will be to get into the forums so I can give you a more prompt reply. Thanks for watching and good luck with your build.
Can you describe the difference between DJI naza and the Ardu Mega 2.5 in the way the stabilization is accomplished between the two. Now you have the Ardu Mega 2.5 for a wile and had the chance to fine tune the stabilization mode. Because i am deciding between the two at this time and rock solid stability is the number one thing to me.
Are you asking can if both switches can be configured for different flight modes? I just want to make sure I understand what you're asking before I put something together.
When you say "system settings" are you talking about the Mission Planner settings or in your Turnigy 9X settings? I believe I had a problem with doing this in the desktop software and had to actually do the reversing in my 9X settings. Let me know if this helps or not.
There is a power distribution board (PDB) that comes as part of the 3D Robotics kit. If you check out page 11 in the manual: stuff [dot] storediydrones [dot] com/ArduCopter3DRAssemblyInstructions You'll see the PDB. You connect the power and signal leads to the PDB and then the green, orange, white, and yellow connector attaches to the APM board. So the PDB simplifies the connection of the ESCs to the APM board as well as makes them unpluggable via Deans connectors on the PDB.
Well YOU my friend have sold at least (1) APM because it was "your" vid that 1st turned me on to this FC. I had never even heard of APM until I saw your vid on it. They should be paying you dude. :) haha Really! This is going to be my next build dude.
This is going to be my next FC. Right now I have the NAZA M w/ GPS and I love it but it cost too dang much. I want a quad that doesnt scare the hell out of me everytime I fly over water. haha
Yeah, most of these guys aren't in the marketing game. I've found the ArduPilot/ArduCopter community to be one of the best. If the documentation doesn't exist in the Wiki then the community is pretty responsive in trying to help out. Now as for the boards that come from China some of the documentation is just horrific!
You can never be happy with just one flight controller, right? Seriously, I'll let you in on a little secret although I'm not going to blame APM just yet. The other night I was doing some casual flying and then all of a sudden one of my motors stopped spinning. The quad plummeted from about 10 feet onto concrete and thankfully I only lost a prop. I'm going to check all my connections tomorrow. I don't think it's an APM issue, but just want to make sure. I'm going to start logging my flight data
Another question. I can see theres quite a bit of space between your propellers and your motor. Do you have any issues with the propellers coming off during flight?
I would say a $1,000 budget for your first quad should get you where you need to be. You may even be able to get a hexa in the air, but I understand wanting to get familiar with the technology first. I would definitely recommend looking at some of the QAV frames if you get a chance. They're designed mainly for FPV, but some of the video output is pretty amazing. Anyway, check them out and don't hesitate to pig me if you have more questions. Also, check out garagepilots . com for more info.
Just realized i didnt do my esc calibration. Im guessing thats what was causing the tip over, but i wont know until my replacement propellors come in. BTW did you calibrate your esc's before flight?
Interesting... Let me know how that goes. I am going back and forth with some guys, over at rcgroups.com about the APM 2.5+ and the Wookong - M. I told them, that I would like to have way points, because I need to program a route, and when the aircraft is flying along the programmed route, I can focus on filming. One guy was saying that it really should be a two man operation! However, what I liked more, was his idea of flying the aircraft with the camera hard mounted in FVP mode!!!
Dennis, can you show in a video how to connect to top back switch on the right and left of the turnigy 9x for different flight mode e.g loiter and stabilize
Dunno yet! I wanna build a bigger heavy-lift but I dont think its a good idea to go-big and to go-new at the same time lol. So I havent really decided on a frame. Any suggestions?
Hey Dennis, I'm trying to reverse the pitch stick in order to have that work correctly. I've gone into the system settings, switched pitch over to reverse but still no luck...
Yeah I really like the T960 Hex frame for the price. The Mantis frame is just crazy awesome but something like that is getting a little too big for me bro. lol
Dennis, Question. From your point which flight controller would you say is best to have out of the NAZA Lite with gps or The APM 2.5 with all its itmes like gps ect? There is so much talk going on about the NAZA and its fly aways and im looking for something like the NAZA as im spoiled and love the stable flight it gives and the hoover and RTH, also lov the CL,HL features the naza has. Now I here the APM 2.5 has all the same and more im just wondering which you would choose to place in a TBS kickoff like the Reptile ? PS im looking to fly for fun mostly some speed flights no tricks but wanting to add FPV to it and just enjoy some short run arounds in the parks and mountains here. I have a Phantom n 550 with naza lite & gps on it, 2 KK2.2 crafts both like the TBS one is the Aphid and the other is the Reptile and I lov my phantom and my 550 but im scared its going to fly off and im going to loose it all. so thinking on another flight board or looking for advice to stay with Naza and not go into another controller. Any input would be nice.. Thanks..
I really love the APM. I'm pouring all my energy into learning about it. I've heard about fly-aways with the NAZA, but have never experienced one. I also REALLY like the CC3D. It's amazing and apparently the REVO will has all sorts of GPS capabilities. I don't have any experience with it but if the REVO is anything like the CC3D it's gonna be awesome. Back to the APM, you just need to have patience to learn and experiment. It's open source and the firmware is constantly changing so you'll need to take that into consideration. If you have any more questions please post on Garage Pilots and a few of us can chime in with more thoughts. Take care.
Dennis Baldwin Any idea when the REVO will be available? I am going to build a QAV250 Mini FPV quad and I am confused about which controller to use. I do want max flight time therefore light controller, I want dialed in acro capabilities like in the NAZE32, but I would also like to have GPS especially as a fail safe option to return to home. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
Video is good you do. I have one in one such kopter. I tried it off the ground so it is not a stable mode of stabilization. Tried to hold him back and threw. Screws broke. Mozhezh help anything. It can be setup to me Throw your pomogut.Esli easy. I have firmware 2.8.1.
Something else. Ive gotten everything configured correctly. The Transmitter, tested all my motors, placed the propeller in the right setup, but when i attempted my first flight( didn't actually attempt it as i help the quad in place) it felt like it was tilting to the left. I didn't let go of the quad, but the tilt felt like it was strong enough to tip the quad over had i not held it in place. Whats the safest way to see if my quad is flying properly without crashing it.
I have an APM2.5 in my QAV400, my second quad. Having major problems... can't iron out shakes and stopping it wanting to flip over. Even with the PID's turned right down to almost nothing it still shakes like a crazy thing. ESC's calibrated, compass good, props balanced, tried reloading firmware. It just won't play ball :-(
Something else if its not too much of a bother. I have my 4 esc's(3 pins) connected to the power distribution board. Does the order of their connection matter?
@Dennis- My arduflyer has defected ch2(pitch) input :( i feel cheated. I mean first time I bought this costly controller and it has defects. I tested it with multimeter, and with radio calibration, my Rx is fine. The ch2 shows 0.02V and other channels show ~ 5.5V
Yep cant wait to get it up in the air I am sure there will be a small learning curve with programming and set up but shouldn't be that bad from what I have seen. The YS-X6 is a bad ass machine but is out of commission right now so I went with this as it looks almost like the same thing And with no limitations unlike the ys-x6 where you have to have a router to fly it and spend up to 3k more to unlock it it is a no brainier to get this They look almost the same has me wondering the difference
Are you using PPM Pulse Position Modulation or PCM Pulse Code Mod ? My quad will not arm ? Im using PPM but the manual says to jumper pin 2 & 3 and use only one single wire on pin 1 for Res. to board ? for PPM In your video looks like you got it hooked up with all 4 wires ???
Hi Dan, great question. I don't have my Turnigy 9X in front of me right now but I can tell you that yes I had all inputs connected. I think it was PWM and not PPM. Judging from the following article I don't think it's possible to get true PPM: multicopterworld.com/2011/11/turnigy-9x-ppm/ I'm not 100% sure though. When I get back to the garage I'll take a look.
Hmm, I can't seem to get my motors to spin up, Mission planner detects joystick movements, so I have my TX binded properly. I tried doing the arming thing, but I still get nothing. Do you have any idea what might be wrong?
Those seem to be the same kind of prop adapters i have, but i just cant seem to get a flight going where my quad doesnt tip over and a prop comes loose.
The more I learn about my APM the more I fall in love with it. We have a love/hate relationship but once you figure things out it's pretty amazing. The developer community is very active and responsive. Don't ever hesitate to ask questions about it if I can help.
My first quad was a KK and I loved it. After I learned how to fly with it I decided it was time to upgrade and I purchased a Naza. Now with the KK2.0 board you'll have even more capabilities and stability than I did. Plus it's much cheaper than Naza and APM
Found out that it was a problem with the 3.3 power regulator. Contacted 3DR, gave me a replacement, and it's working now. Thanks for your help Dennis!
Thanks, Ronnie. It really is a great build if you're looking at the APM flight controller.
Ahhh I forgot to mention that! Glad to hear you got it working. Yes, I calibrated my ESCs using the manual method where I did each one individually. Next time I will try to do the automatic one where all 4 ESCs get calibrated at once. Let me know how your flight goes.
Thank you for the feedback and suggestion. I'll see if I can get something put together soon that explains this.
I know what you mean. But sometimes the journey is just as enjoyable as the destination. I've built a few quads from scratch and then one with a kit. I think you're approaching this the right way by knowing your parts before you put them together.
Good to know and glad you're up and running again. No problem at all.
I've thoroughly enjoyed it. My only words of caution are to be ready for a bit of legwork to get it up and running vs the Naza. That being said, it has much more configurability than the Naza, which is a good thing if you're up to the task.
Good to hear. I think you'll really like it. Mine is out of commission right now, but with a little bit of time I'll have it up and running in a few days. I'll be anxious to hear how it compares to your YS-X6 since there's a considerable price difference between the two.
It sound like you're on the right track. I normally hold the quad in my hand and give it a little bit of throttle. Then I tilt and roll the quad to make sure the motors respond correctly. It's safest to do this without the props attached, but sometimes I leave the props on so I can feel it pull in the right direction. Then I set it on the ground (preferably in grass) and give it just enough throttle to lift off 1 or 2 feet. If you see that it's not flying properly then take the throttle down.
I actually wondered the exact same thing when my quad arrived in the mail. It's the 3D Robotics kit that I got with the ArduCopter board. The long motor shafts have caused any problems yet, but I am thinking about shortening them. It does look kind of strange to have that gap and could lead to a source of vibration. The prop do not come off during flight since the prop adapters are the collet type. When the bullet gets screwed down it causes the collet to grab the motor shaft really tight.
Thanks for getting back to me. At this point it's just the beginning of business endeavor and I wanted something that I could practice with but also shoot very simple photo's and make some extra cash(real estate mainly). I am hoping to make it into more complex equipment such as hexa's with professional grade gimbles that I can shoot action sports videos and such with. My budget has gone all over the place but I think I've decided to keep it under $1000 for my first one. What do you think?
Great work, Rahul! I've heard great things about that kit. Did your cables come yet? Looking forward to seeing your maiden flight.
Great question. I haven't touched the APM failsafe feature yet mainly because I've been experimenting with all the other features. It's never ending! Sorry to hear about the loss of your quad. That completely sucks. I'll plan on doing some videos in the coming weeks and I appreciate the suggestion. Were you able to salvage anything from the crash?
I will take your advice then. I've heard a few others complain about it so I'm going to stay away from it for the time being. Thanks for the heads up.
I really like both frames a lot. I don't think you could go wrong with either...and the big question is what type of camera are you planning on using and what gimbal? Both of these frames are durable and it's probably easier to get replacement parts for the F450 because a lot of online stores sell them. If you're doing hobbyist aerial then a quad is okay, but if you're looking to get more serious then you may want to consider a hex. Another thing to consider is the XP2 quadcopter for GoPro
From what I've read it has the external compass with better accuracy, but don't have one yet. If I do get around to purchasing one I'll post my thoughts, but I may just wait for a more significant update.
Mine is 2 years old and I haven't run into any problems with it. If/when it does break I'm probably going to order the 9XR from Hobby King. I'm hoping to do the er9x updgrade soon. I've heard a lot of good things about it.
Thanks for the feedback, Jason.
I know what you mean. Those Mantis frames are ridiculously huge. I'd still love to fly one to see what it feels like!
Good question. There are a ton of sellers doing some pretty insane markup on eBay. I've seen Turnigy's listed for over $100 and not sure if they're selling. I got mine slightly used for $80 including the backlight and shipping. Got it in about 3 days. So I paid slightly more than I'd get from HobbyKing, but I got it quick and it had the backlight mod.
Let me make sure I understand what you're asking. The red/black cables from your ESCs should be soldered to the power distribution board with red going to positive and black going to negative. The 3 lines from the ESC should connect to the 3 lines of your motor. You'll need to swap the 3 lines appropriately on each motor to make sure you get the proper rotation for each motor/prop. Just connect all 3 to each motor and if it doesn't spin in the right direction simply swap 2 of the 3 lines.
Yes, when I figure out the best settings :) Right now I'm just using the auto trim feature which works pretty well. I have a video titled "How to Auto Trim APM 2.5 (ArduCopter Firmware 2.8.1) for Stable Flight" that shows how to set it up if you want to give it a try.
The last I checked you had the MediaTek and uBlox options from 3DR. I currently have the MediaTek and really like it. It's the cheaper of the two and I've heard uBlox has quicker first time to fix and better accuracy.
I appreciate your feedback. I just love the way that thing looks! What TX module are you flying with?
Glad to hear it. Have you flown with it yet? I've heard it's identical to APM 2.5, just cheaper.
No problem, Phil. Thanks for watching!
Thanks Dennis. I am going to spend an afternoon on it today and check everything, even the basics, and try and figure out what the issue is :-)
Thank you. I greatly appreciate that. Yeah I've really been enjoying my T9X after I figured out how to program it.
You're right. If you know how to configure your PWMs switches with any transmitter then you should be okay. I don't think it will be that difficult to get a Hexa going, but you have to tell me what setup you end up purchasing because I've been looking at some different options. The APM 2.5 is pretty reliable from my testing and if you check out diydrones there are all sorts of people flying with it.
You're very welcome. Thank you for watching.
Rahul, I'm sorry to hear that. Have you issued a request for replacement? I haven't ordered the ArduFlyer before, but I know James Powell on Garage Pilots flies with one. I would feel cheated too, but hopefully you can get it resolved soon.
Wow. I didn't even realize this existed! Thanks for the tip and I'm off to do some research.
Yes. I have a video coming soon that will demonstrate this. Will let you know when it goes live.
Glad to hear it! What frame are you going to put it in?
I dealt with the same issue and ended up reversing in my transmitter channels as well.
Looks great what did the APM run you? I'm making a new quad and I mat want to buy a APM. good video, have a good day!
Very nice. Let me know what I can do to help. I think you'll really enjoy the setup and that's a good deal. Did it come with the XBee telemetry setup?
Finally fixed that, the solder joint was perfect.
I payed a professional who repairs TVs and mobiles to fix it, nd he succeeded. :)
Excellent video. It would be great if you would do another video explaining how to set up (attribute) the various flight modes to the different toggle switches on your radio.
You are correct using the switches for different flight modes
thank you so much for this video. It helps to get my copter setup with turnigy 9x.
by any chance are you planning to do any video setting up the APM 2.5 pid tuning.
Dude this video is sweet...Very concise and clear. LOVE IT!
Thank you. I appreciate you watching.
Rahul, I know nothing about the HobbyKing 6H and HKpilot. I tried to Google them but came up empty. As for ArduFlyer there is a user James Powell on Garage Pilots that flies with this board and loves it. Apparently it's nearly identical to APM 2.5, but much cheaper.
I've been meaning to do that. The long motor shafts just look funny in the first place. I was wondering if you could loosen them and push them out the bottom instead of cutting them down?
Outstanding video dude. Was particularly interested to see the setup with the Turnigy 9x - that's the radio I have.
I've read several horror stories about the APM acting up and randomly taking off or flipping over, but I haven't experienced this yet. I've been pretty impressed with the overall stability and reliability of the system. The documentation isn't too bad IMO. They have a Wiki that gets updated pretty frequently:
code.google.com/p/arducopter/wiki/ArduCopter?tm=6
and yes it does support a gimbal, 3 axes in fact!
code.google.com/p/arducopter/wiki/AC2_Camera
Good luck!
This is the video I was hoping you would expound on, the setup of the radio from start to flying on a 9x radio. Settings, acro, stick, etc.
Thanks for watching, as always :) The APM cost $199 with a MediaTek GPS. You can get fancy with a uBlox chip for $50 more, but I think the MediaTek is the way to go if you're starting out. I'm still a hug fan of the Naza, but the APM has been fun from a tinkering perspective. Hopefully I'll get it dialed in pretty soon.
IV had the naza but its not exciting I want something with more unf so I can play with the setting so thanks for letting me know i have now ordered my new ArduPilot ArduCopter APM 2.5
thanks for doing the video bud all the best ron
Yes, this is in Stabilise. I might read up on auto trim, but from what I remember you have to be able to get it in the air and at least hover it reasonably well for a short while This one just shakes so bad, it generally flips over a second or two after becoming airborne. I'm going to try and swap out the ESC's for some different ones and see how it goes.
To be honest I haven't tweaked the APM 2.5 default stabilization settings much. During the first few moments of flight it's supposed to tune itself and get the settings dialed in. I plan on tweaking it over time, but it's pretty good out of the box. Now I do need to point out that it's not as good as Naza out of the box. If you want very stable flight then the Naza is the way to go. It's what I started with before APM. I'm not saying you can't get there with APM. It will just take some work.
Hey Dennis. I had some success in the 9X setting reversal, but I'm having some minor issues with simply getting my quad to hover. It seems to have a tendency to pitch forward once off the ground.
We have the exact same set up, so do you think you and I could chat by email? You're very knowledgeable and all of the videos have been helpful!
You're welcome. If I do a video on the VR Brain then I will happily mention your name in the video :) Take care.
Such a nice clean build.
Thanks, and not yet, I will keep you updated.
but please do a guide of PID tuning and when are you getting VR brain?
I will definitely do a video on PIDs soon. What is VR brain?
Dennis do you like your 3DR Quad kit? I want to buy the same kit with the apm2.5 w/ ublox gps but I'm deciding between the 3DR frame and DJI 450. What do you think? Aerial Photography is the end goal.
Got it. Appreciate the clarification.
Dennis, your videos are my "go to" videos. I've built quite alot of multirotors without bugging you, but I have one question... I'm going to build an APM rig, my spare hex, but wondering if you have a list of hardware that you used on your rig. Thanks. You could pm me too if that's better.
David depuy Thanks so much for the kind words. Very much appreciated. If you would do me a favor and post in the forums at www.garagepilots.com then we can help you out over there. In the past few months I finished my Tarot 680 hexa and I'll be glad to share my components in the forums. Also, a few of my recent videos show the hexa in action but I haven't gone into details about the build....yet. I do plan on doing that on the channel soon, but the best way will be to get into the forums so I can give you a more prompt reply. Thanks for watching and good luck with your build.
Can you describe the difference between DJI naza and the Ardu Mega 2.5 in the way the stabilization is accomplished between the two. Now you have the Ardu Mega 2.5 for a wile and had the chance to fine tune the stabilization mode. Because i am deciding between the two at this time and rock solid stability is the number one thing to me.
Are you asking can if both switches can be configured for different flight modes? I just want to make sure I understand what you're asking before I put something together.
Have you gone through the mandatory hardware calibration items in Mission Planner? Those need to be done before you can arm your APM.
When you say "system settings" are you talking about the Mission Planner settings or in your Turnigy 9X settings? I believe I had a problem with doing this in the desktop software and had to actually do the reversing in my 9X settings. Let me know if this helps or not.
There is a power distribution board (PDB) that comes as part of the 3D Robotics kit. If you check out page 11 in the manual:
stuff [dot] storediydrones [dot] com/ArduCopter3DRAssemblyInstructions
You'll see the PDB. You connect the power and signal leads to the PDB and then the green, orange, white, and yellow connector attaches to the APM board. So the PDB simplifies the connection of the ESCs to the APM board as well as makes them unpluggable via Deans connectors on the PDB.
Well YOU my friend have sold at least (1) APM because it was "your" vid that 1st turned me on to this FC. I had never even heard of APM until I saw your vid on it. They should be paying you dude. :) haha Really! This is going to be my next build dude.
Sweet I will check the site out and thanks for the offer to help out you da man Dennis!
This is going to be my next FC. Right now I have the NAZA M w/ GPS and I love it but it cost too dang much. I want a quad that doesnt scare the hell out of me everytime I fly over water. haha
thanks for doing your video its good ,im thinking of buying the 2.5
Yeah, most of these guys aren't in the marketing game. I've found the ArduPilot/ArduCopter community to be one of the best. If the documentation doesn't exist in the Wiki then the community is pretty responsive in trying to help out. Now as for the boards that come from China some of the documentation is just horrific!
Are you flying in stabilize mode? Have you tried auto trim or save trim to tune it?
You can never be happy with just one flight controller, right? Seriously, I'll let you in on a little secret although I'm not going to blame APM just yet. The other night I was doing some casual flying and then all of a sudden one of my motors stopped spinning. The quad plummeted from about 10 feet onto concrete and thankfully I only lost a prop. I'm going to check all my connections tomorrow. I don't think it's an APM issue, but just want to make sure. I'm going to start logging my flight data
Another question. I can see theres quite a bit of space between your propellers and your motor. Do you have any issues with the propellers coming off during flight?
I would say a $1,000 budget for your first quad should get you where you need to be. You may even be able to get a hexa in the air, but I understand wanting to get familiar with the technology first. I would definitely recommend looking at some of the QAV frames if you get a chance. They're designed mainly for FPV, but some of the video output is pretty amazing. Anyway, check them out and don't hesitate to pig me if you have more questions. Also, check out garagepilots . com for more info.
Just realized i didnt do my esc calibration. Im guessing thats what was causing the tip over, but i wont know until my replacement propellors come in.
BTW did you calibrate your esc's before flight?
Interesting... Let me know how that goes. I am going back and forth with some guys, over at rcgroups.com about the APM 2.5+ and the Wookong - M. I told them, that I would like to have way points, because I need to program a route, and when the aircraft is flying along the programmed route, I can focus on filming. One guy was saying that it really should be a two man operation! However, what I liked more, was his idea of flying the aircraft with the camera hard mounted in FVP mode!!!
Dennis, can you show in a video how to connect to top back switch on the right and left of the turnigy 9x for different flight mode e.g loiter and stabilize
Dunno yet! I wanna build a bigger heavy-lift but I dont think its a good idea to go-big and to go-new at the same time lol. So I havent really decided on a frame. Any suggestions?
Hey Dennis, I'm trying to reverse the pitch stick in order to have that work correctly. I've gone into the system settings, switched pitch over to reverse but still no luck...
Dennis, Should I buy Hobbyking 6H with HKpilot( the new board) or I should buy arduflyer with GPS?
No problem. Good luck and let me know if what you find. Also let me know if you have any other questions.
Yeah I really like the T960 Hex frame for the price. The Mantis frame is just crazy awesome but something like that is getting a little too big for me bro. lol
Dennis,
Question. From your point which flight controller would you say is best to have out of the NAZA Lite with gps or The APM 2.5 with all its itmes like gps ect? There is so much talk going on about the NAZA and its fly aways and im looking for something like the NAZA as im spoiled and love the stable flight it gives and the hoover and RTH, also lov the CL,HL features the naza has. Now I here the APM 2.5 has all the same and more im just wondering which you would choose to place in a TBS kickoff like the Reptile ? PS im looking to fly for fun mostly some speed flights no tricks but wanting to add FPV to it and just enjoy some short run arounds in the parks and mountains here. I have a Phantom n 550 with naza lite & gps on it, 2 KK2.2 crafts both like the TBS one is the Aphid and the other is the Reptile and I lov my phantom and my 550 but im scared its going to fly off and im going to loose it all. so thinking on another flight board or looking for advice to stay with Naza and not go into another controller. Any input would be nice.. Thanks..
I really love the APM. I'm pouring all my energy into learning about it. I've heard about fly-aways with the NAZA, but have never experienced one. I also REALLY like the CC3D. It's amazing and apparently the REVO will has all sorts of GPS capabilities. I don't have any experience with it but if the REVO is anything like the CC3D it's gonna be awesome. Back to the APM, you just need to have patience to learn and experiment. It's open source and the firmware is constantly changing so you'll need to take that into consideration. If you have any more questions please post on Garage Pilots and a few of us can chime in with more thoughts. Take care.
Dennis Baldwin Any idea when the REVO will be available? I am going to build a QAV250 Mini FPV quad and I am confused about which controller to use. I do want max flight time therefore light controller, I want dialed in acro capabilities like in the NAZE32, but I would also like to have GPS especially as a fail safe option to return to home. Let me know what you think. Thanks.
Very good explanation. Keep it up.
Exactly!
I realy wants to get into quads, but i got one question, what quad would you get for your first time? This or the one whit the KK board?
Video is good you do. I have one in one such kopter. I tried it off the ground so it is not a stable mode of stabilization. Tried to hold him back and threw. Screws broke. Mozhezh help anything. It can be setup to me Throw your pomogut.Esli easy. I have firmware 2.8.1.
Just ordered one my self. I started with the ys x6 so very curios how it will compare How do like this set up
Thank you.
Something else. Ive gotten everything configured correctly. The Transmitter, tested all my motors, placed the propeller in the right setup, but when i attempted my first flight( didn't actually attempt it as i help the quad in place) it felt like it was tilting to the left. I didn't let go of the quad, but the tilt felt like it was strong enough to tip the quad over had i not held it in place.
Whats the safest way to see if my quad is flying properly without crashing it.
I have an APM2.5 in my QAV400, my second quad. Having major problems... can't iron out shakes and stopping it wanting to flip over. Even with the PID's turned right down to almost nothing it still shakes like a crazy thing. ESC's calibrated, compass good, props balanced, tried reloading firmware. It just won't play ball :-(
Something else if its not too much of a bother. I have my 4 esc's(3 pins) connected to the power distribution board. Does the order of their connection matter?
@Dennis-
My arduflyer has defected ch2(pitch) input :( i feel cheated.
I mean first time I bought this costly controller and it has defects.
I tested it with multimeter, and with radio calibration, my Rx is fine.
The ch2 shows 0.02V and other channels show ~ 5.5V
Yep cant wait to get it up in the air I am sure there will be a small learning curve with programming and set up but shouldn't be that bad from what I have seen. The YS-X6 is a bad ass machine but is out of commission right now so I went with this as it looks almost like the same thing And with no limitations unlike the ys-x6 where you have to have a router to fly it and spend up to 3k more to unlock it it is a no brainier to get this They look almost the same has me wondering the difference
Are you using PPM Pulse Position Modulation or PCM Pulse Code Mod ? My quad will not arm ? Im using PPM but the manual says to jumper pin 2 & 3 and use only one single wire on pin 1 for Res. to board ? for PPM In your video looks like you got it hooked up with all 4 wires ???
Hi Dan, great question. I don't have my Turnigy 9X in front of me right now but I can tell you that yes I had all inputs connected. I think it was PWM and not PPM. Judging from the following article I don't think it's possible to get true PPM: multicopterworld.com/2011/11/turnigy-9x-ppm/ I'm not 100% sure though. When I get back to the garage I'll take a look.
hye dennis,how do you connect the receiver of the dji with the amp 2.5?
Hmm, I can't seem to get my motors to spin up, Mission planner detects joystick movements, so I have my TX binded properly. I tried doing the arming thing, but I still get nothing. Do you have any idea what might be wrong?
Those seem to be the same kind of prop adapters i have, but i just cant seem to get a flight going where my quad doesnt tip over and a prop comes loose.
sure no problem. thanks to you too for all your vids.
also say my name in any of your new video, I will feel proud 8)