christopher small Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 Thanks Pete,I was told to calibrate for every launch site,this is the calibration you do by turning in circles etc ,hadn`t heard of mission planner till this week.Thats good set it up and go. What can the flight logs tell you? Hi Mark,will watch the video on calibrating the ESC later,but if the motors all start up together then that's ok I believe. I shall make sure it gets a fix on where it is,don`t want it returning to the last field which could be 5 miles away,and an angle of 3500 to stop it blowing away sounds good to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 I haven't heard of calibrating for every launch site. The important thing is to ensure that, before launch, you give the GPS enough time to acquire sufficient sats to give an HDOp of <2. To ensure all is good to go, with Loiter and Stabilise Mode settings on the Tx, put the Tx switches to Loiter Mode and try to arm the quad. If it does not, then you do not have a satisfactory GPS fix. This should already be set in the Pre-Arm parameters on the Nova. You can usually arm the quad in Stabilise Mode fairly quickly and fly but you may not have a good enough fix if you go to a GPS-assisted mode. I now make a point of not flying until I can arm in Loiter Mode. The flight logs can tell you everything you need to know about how the quad is performing but I have to say interpreting the graphs can be a bit of a head-scratcher. It records (depending on how it's configured) position data, mode changes, stick inputs etc, and possibly most important vibration levels if you set IMU to be recorded (958:Default+IMU in the parameters). That's useful to know as an unbalanced prop can affect the flight quite severely. There's a lot to learn, that's for sure. Your bible should be the Arducopter Site - it's got most of what you need to know buried somewhere within... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 This is where i learnt the most ... starts with the very first version that didn't even have a USB socket **LINK** I started when it was at about 200 pages and read it all probably up to about page 500 as things developed It is now at almost 4000 pages which i guess shows the popularity of this quad. There are references / links in the thread to setting one up with your own radio, the Taranis / teensy stuff and things like that. ... and lots of chances to learn by others mistakes. .. but 4000 pages is way too much for me now. Hope all goes well with the setup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher small Posted March 20, 2016 Author Share Posted March 20, 2016 Fitted the ESC this morning only 6 wires to solder,the wires on the old ESC where they were soldered to the board the blobs of solder were bridging across onto the ICs.Put it all back together and all 4 motors started up at the same time,so hopefully its ok.Next job Calibration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher small Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 How do I find Mandatory Hardware in initial set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 You need to connect the quad to MP first. Plug your USB lead into the underside of the Nova. The lights and alarm should start - you can silence the alarm by connecting a 3S Lipo flight pack. Up in the top right hand corner, you will see a drop-down list labelled 'COM'. Click on the down arrow and you should see the unit listed. Select that and click on the 'connect' symbol. It should put up a small box showing the connection being made. Once it's connected, click on Initial Setup and you should see 'Mandatory Hardware' in the left column. If you have problems connecting the quad, we'll have a look at the options - it can be a bit long-winded. Hopefully you won't... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher small Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 Thanks Pete,I hope to have it flying this weekend,If I can get Friday afternoon off I shall get it calibrated ,or try to. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I have looked at a few but this video seems to do things correctly so hopefully will help **LINK** Covers radio, compass and accelerometer calibration Any questions just ask ... really only takes 20 minutes or so but i can't stress enough the importance of a long usb lead and making sure it stays in place throughout. Also use the "disconnect" button when you are finished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher small Posted March 22, 2016 Author Share Posted March 22, 2016 Mark,I`m sorry but I cant get your link to work Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 The link doesn't work but I've been able to find the video - the only problem being that it's in French... However, the screenshots should be of some assistance: Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Sorry ... not sure what happened with the link... i know it is not in English but the video shows everything correctly .. just play it with no sound. .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher small Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Just tried calibrating the compass ,does it need to face directly to north,can`t get a constant reading on my compass.and does each turn of the Nova need to face north? On the 3 screens the first one has the rotating globe with the white dots to aim for,the other 2 screens are empty nothing happening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Start off with it pointing as near north as you can to start calibration. You just then need to rotate it in all directions. I make sure the USB plug is taped to the leg so it won't come out, then hold it in front of me and rotate it through all attitudes, trying to catch the white dots. Keep going and once you've hit all the dots, it should stop accepting data and put up a box to say the calibration is complete and list the offsets. I've never made a point of ensuring it faces north on each turn. You can verify that it's working by returning to the flight data screen and viewing the HUD. At the top of the screen you will see the bearing the model is facing. If that accords with your knowledge of where N, S, E and W is from your location it should be fine. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher small Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 its catching the white dots I seem to find hard, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 To be on the safe side pop the top off the puck and make sure the compass is secure and square to the quad. Make sure you do it all away from magnetic things like speakers and metal items. ..outside, just you and a laptop is good Dont over worry about the dots just turn as much as you can and get as many dots as possible. Once done make sure you check it against known directions in case it is reversed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher small Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 That's probably where im going wrong ,I`m upstairs surrounded by radios and speakers.How long does it take? I was on for 45 minutes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Each calibration only takes a couple of minutes. ...everything done in 10 to 15 minutes start to finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher small Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Have done my compass calibration, checked it on flight data screen HUD all 4 points of compass seem ok,should I have clicked on APM external compass?or Live calibration? Also done Accelerometer and radio calibration ,I suppose the only way to see if I have done it properly is to try the GPS modes return to home ,stable etc. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 I click on the 'APM and External Compass' button and then 'Live Calibration'. If your compass seems to be pointing in the right direction, I would expect it to be OK. Worth setting up failsafe, too. I set it to RTL for all eventualities. Off out to a village quiz now - back later.... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stringer Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 Sounds like you are OK...the nova compass is actually an internal apm one ... although physically external it is soldered to the controller where an internal one would normally be .. another nova quirk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher small Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Thanks to you and Pete I am almost there,I haven`t done the flight modes,I presume they will be the same as on the top of the White Nova Tx.All I need to do now is the FailSafe for RTL ,how easy is that to do ?and a decent day tomorrow,But it looks like being wet and windy again,and most of next week,weather is always bad when the clocks go forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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