ArduCopter4.5.1
Frame Class and Type #
- When using MicoAir743 with Ardupilot firmware for the first time, the frame class and type need to be set to match the physical frame first, which is undefined by default.
- Open the mission planner and connect to the board, select Initial Setup->Mandatory Hardware->Frame Type.
- For the quadcopter mostly use, select the Quad “Class” and X “Type” here.
ESC Type #
Ardupilot supports multiple ESC protocols: PWM (Normal), OneShot, DShot (always recommend DShot300), and etc. DShot is a digital protocol signal that can accurately transmit motor control signal and doesn’t need “ESC Calibration” at all.
* If using Bluejay ESC, it must be set to DShot300/600, otherwise the ESC will not be able to recognize the signal.
Motor Order #
Configuring Motor Order #
- For different frame types, ardupilot has specifies the motor order, refer to the ardupilot wiki for details.
- Each output pin shoud be connected to correct motor, but usually when using a 4IN1 ESC, the output sequence may not be as we expected, so the configuring steps are necessary.
Testing Motor Order #
- After adjusting the motor order, the motor testing function provided by the Mission Planner can be used to verify whether the order is correct.
- Remove the propeller before testing!
Changing Motor Spin Direction #
In the previous steps, it can be checked whether the motor rotation is correct: 1 and 2 motors rotate counter-clockwise, and 3 and 4 motors rotate clockwise. If the rotation direction does not match the expected, there are two methods to modify it.
Method 1 (Physical) #
Swap the sequence of any two of the three motor wires connecting to the ESC.
Method 2 (ESC Configuration) #
- Set SERVO_BLH_AUTO to 1 (enabled) and set SERVO_BLH_MASK to 15 (enable Channel1-4), click write parameters and then reboot the flight controller.
- Note that these two parameters need to be restored to their default values after the ESC configuration, otherwise the ESC cannot be worked normally.
- Go to esc-configurator.com, We will use this web tool to configure ESC parameters.
- This tool can currently support BLHeli-S/Bluejay/AM32 ESC.
- Click on Open Port Selection in the upper right corner, select “MicoAir743“, and then click on Connect.
- After successful connection, click on Read Settings in the bottom right corner to read the configuration of the 4 ESC.
- you can change the motor rotation direction (Normal or Reverse) in the Motor Direction option.
- Remember to click Write Settings after configuration.
Setup Receiver #
SBUS & ELRS #
- Connect the receiver to the RC interface (UART6), SBUS receiver only needs to connect the SBUS signal pin to Rx6 (Nothing do with Tx6).
- The ELRS receiver needs to cross connect Rx and Tx, that means, the receiver’s Rx should connected to the flight controller’s Tx, and Tx is connected to the Rx.
- Configure the SERIAL6_Protocol to 23 (RCIN), which should be the default setting.
- When the wiring and settings are correct and the receiver has bind with the radio controller, the Radio Calibration page should display the channel value.
Initial Tune Parameters #
After version 1.3.81 of Mission Planner, a convenient feature is provided: some PID and filtering parameters can be generated based on frame size and battery parameters, avoiding the complex tuning process in the initial stage.
Switch to the Initial Tune Parameters page, usually setting two main parameters:
- Airscrew size in inch: The propeller size, such as the commonly used 5-inch FPV frame, where 5-inch refers to the propeller size, can be filled in here. If it is 7 inches, fill in 7 and so on.
- Battery cellcount: The count number or your batter cells, fill in 4 for 4S batteries or 6 for 6S batteries.
Click on Calculate Initial Parameters to generate preset parameters (mostly filter parameters), and then click Write to FC to write the parameters into the controller.
Sensors Calibration #
Calibrating Accelerometer #
Switch to the Accelerometer Calibration page and click on Calibrate Accel:
Put your drone level and click on Click when Done:
Afterwards, place your drone stationary in other directions (LEFT/RIGHT/NOSE DOWN/NOSE UP/BACK), and click Click when Done again, and finally complete the Accelerometer calibration. The interface will display Calibration successful.
Reboot the flight controller after accelerometer calibration.
Referring to this image will make it easier to understand the six step:
Calibrating Compass #
Switch to Compass page, Click Start at the bottom left to start compass calibration.
- Note that during the compass calibration process, it is necessary to stay away from interference sources such as metals and magnets.
- Rotate the drone continuously along each axis.
The progress bar of the Mag 1/2/3 below will refresh in real time until the progress reaches 100%. If all goes well, it will display MAG_CAL_SUCCESS on the right.
Reboot the flight controller after compass calibration.
Radio Calibration #
Please ensure that the remote controller has turned on and the receiver has been recognized correctly.
PITCH Reversed #
Before calibration, it is necessary to check whether the PITCH channel has been set correctly. Turn the PITCH joystick to the bottom, and the PITCH channel green bar on the Mission Planner should move to the opposite direction, as shown in the following figure:
If not, the PITCH (RC2) channel needs to be set reversed: RC2_REVERSED = 1.
Channel Calibration #
Click Calibrate Radio on the Radio Calibration page to start the rc channel calibration.
After starting the calibration, turn the joysticks and swtich to the limit value several times (up, down, left, right), and then finally finish the calibration.
Flight Modes #
Ardupilot defaults to using Channel5 as flight modes switch channel, you can change it by setting FLTMODE_CH.
The mapping between switch position and flight mode can be set in the Mission Planner Flight Mode screen.
Commonly use flight modes:
- Stabilize: the most basic flight mode, you can control the attitude and throttle manually which may need some practice.
- AltHode: In this mode, the drone altitude can be automatically controlled by the flight controller. When the throttle stick is centered, the altitude will remain unchanged.
- Loiter: In this mode, the drone can be hovered automatically, sensors such as GPS or optical flow which can provide position feedback must be needed.
- PosHold: Similar to loiter mode but providing more flexible control.
- Acro: In this mode, you can directly control angular velocity which is extremely difficult but can be very flexible, usually used for FPV drones.
Arming Check #
Before the first flight, it is necessary to set the arming check parameters, otherwise the flight controller is likely failed to disarmed. Under default parameters, all checks is enabled and it is not easy to meet all checks at the beginning.
Find the ARMING_CECK parameter in the list of Full Parameter List in Mission Planner, and click Set Bitmask to configure.
It is usually recommended to only check a few necessary items, such as Barometer, INS, etc.
Disarmed and Flight #
MicoAir743 (Ardupilot) uses joystick gesture to disarmed and armed in default.
