Control servos with pixhawk

Archive
1

Right,I am new to Pixhawk and Arducopter.

It seems to be working as far as flight and flight modes, android apps and telemetry are concerned but I want more (obviously).

Where I am lost is that I want to be able to control a servo with a switch on my remote.

Up to now I have only been able to identify RC10 and RC11 and cannot control them from my remote but can actuate them through gimbal stabilisation settings.

1 - what are the other outputs called on the pixhawk and the in the software?

2- how can I program it to be activated through a switch on my remote?

(my radio setup is a dx8 and a spektrum satellite receiver)

Thanks

2

@vipecrx
Here is a link to the pin-outs on the various 3DR navigation controllers: http://planner.ardupilot.com/wiki/analog-and-digital-pins-for-apm2-px4-and-pixhawk/
Regards,
TCIII GM

3

Thank you, that gives some explanations but doesn’t really link it to what I am seeing on the Mission Planner software. I have a choice of “RCXX” outputs, from 5 to 11.

4

Thank you. That gives some information about the pixhawk.

However, it doesn’t link to what I can see on the mission planner software. I have a choice of"RCXX" outputs, number 5-11".

5

Hi vipecrx,

Take a look to this wiki:
copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-camera-gimbal/

6

so, if I get this right:

I am Limited to the one output (shutter) to control a servo.
Is that right?
Is there no other way to use one of the gazillion outputs available on the pixhawk?

7

You have to set the number of outputs
copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/arduco … Parameters

and then RC9- to as many as RC14 are enabled.

8

Thank you, I will try that tomorrow/at the weekend!

9

Right so, after looking a little more your answer has two main problems:

1st: What you said happens, just doesn’t. The available RCxx don’t change.

2nd: It doesn’t answer how to control these.

All I want is to be able to control servos through the available outputs, from my RC radio (and not the shutter as this is only good for, well…shutters).

10

These AUX out pins are pretty useless at the moment. I also expected to be able to use them for LED control and/or RC channel passthru.
LED out disappeared - I guess the idea was to use the “external LED” - which is unobtainium since we first heard of it …
RC passthru is a weird mess - only thru crutches like CAM trigger / gimbal control.
Maybe dump that gimbal code (servo controlled gimbals are pretty extinct anyway) and re-do the RC channel passthru in a simple, user-friendly way ? Very excited to see the dev efforts to get S-Bus channels 9-16 in - but what shall we do with these :wink:
And while we’re at it - how about giving out FrSky Telemetry protocol on one of these pins ? This got high interest:
http://www.diydrones.com/forum/topics/amp-to-frsky-x8r-sport-converter?id=705844%3ATopic%3A1539556&page=1#comments

11

Thanks, that’s what I was getting at with my reading…

I can still only get 4 outputs working (through the gimbal control part). I guess that, as long as don’t have a gimbal I’ll be ok…