A Few Questions about Auto

ArduCopter Copter 3.1
1
  1. If taking off in Auto, what is the behavior difference when including vs excluding an Take Off command as the first line?
  2. Does the mission pause and then resume if I switch to Stablize or Acro and then back into Auto?
  3. If you define a ROI in the beginning by using a WP index, and the mission encounters a Loiter_Turns, what happens?
  4. Can I define an ROI by my arming home position?
  5. Loiter Turns: The documentation states “Will cause the craft to begin to orbit the current location when the command is invoked” Is orbit really what it does (radius?) or is it simply a rotation about the z axis?
  6. Is there a difference between a WP delay and a Loiter_Time?
  7. Can CIRCLE mode be called in an Auto mission?
  8. Between two waypoints that are close in distance but not in altitude, what is the behavior if the copter reaches the lat/long WP before reaching its defined Altitude? (caused by nav horizontal and climbing limits)

Thanks!
Brit

2

Hi,

This is what I can answer based on my experience:

  1. Takeoff in Auto mode is only possible when the first command is takeoff, so copter takes off automatically. You can’t manually takeoff in Auto because you can’t arm the copter in Auto mode and obviously can’t control the copter with stick when it is in Auto mode. So scenario is like this:
    a) If first command is takeoff, then you arm your copter in Loiter or Stabilize mode, then switch to Auto mode (while on the ground!) and then move the throttle stick up (can be then move full down again), and copters takes off and continues to the mission.
    b) If first command is not takeoff, then arm as before, do manual takeoff using throttle and then switch to Auto on a reasonable altitude.

  2. No. Mission will be restarted each time you switch on the Auto mode.

  3. I think, Loiter_time is more universal, as it allows specifying a radius, while WP delay can be ignored by fixed wing (as per documentation).

  4. WP navigation is 3D always. So copter will just fly up to the second waypoint after the altitude of the previous position is reached. I think, it wouldn’t make any sense otherwise :slight_smile:

Happy flying!

3

Thanks, ahanin, that makes sense. Perhaps reading the fixed wing description of Auto will help me understand how to think about it more generally. I appreciate that.

About Loiter_Turns, I observed yesterday that they seem to go in a radius that looked maybe as big as the Circle mode, and that it started and ended on the edge of the circle.

Anybody know more about this or the rest of the questions?