Copter-3.6 is now available for beta testing! The firmware is available through the Mission Planner’s beta firmwares link. Other GCSs may also make it available or you can directly download the binary from firmware.ardupilot.org and then upload using the ground stations’s “custom firmware” link.
Changes from 3.5.5 are in the Release Notes and also copied below:
- ChibiOS support including F4BY, OpenPilot Revo Mini, TauLabs Sparky2 boards. Note: default for Pixhawk family of boards is still NuttX. Upload instructions are here.
- Flight mode changes:
a) New Loiter with faster roll and pitch response, braking
b) SmartRTL (returns home using outgoing path)
c) Follow mode (allows following without relying on ground station commands)
d) FlowHold (position hold with optical flow without lidar) - Battery failsafe allows two stages of actions and monitoring of multiple batteries
- New sensors/drivers:
a) Marvelmind for Non-GPS navigation
b) RPLidarA2/A3 for object avoidance
c) Winch for lowering packages without landing
d) Septentrio GPS driver robustness improved - New frames:
a) dodeca-hexa copter (12 motors on 6 arms)
b) Variable pitch quadcopter support (aka HeliQuad)
c) multicopters with vertical boosting motor (see MOT_BOOST_SCALE parameter) - Miscellaneous changes and enhancements:
a) Auxiliary switch to enable/disable RC overrides from ground station joystick
b) Barometer temperature calibration learning (see TCAL_ENABLED parameter)
c) Camera triggering by distance only in Auto mode if CAM_AUTO_ONLY set to 1
d) Compass noise rejection using COMPASS_FLTR_RNG parameter
e) Compass interference compensation for up to 4 motors (see COMPASS_PMOT parameters)
f) Command Line Interface (aka CLI) removed to reduce firmware size
g) Flight mode channel can be changed using FLTMODE_CH parameter
h) IMU notch filter to ignore specific frequencies (use INS_NOTCH_ENABLE parameter)
i) LAND_ALT_LOW parameter allows setting altitude at which vehicle slows to LAND_SPEED in Land and RTL modes
j) Mission cleared automatically on each reboot if MIS_OPTIONS parameter set to 1
k) Object avoidance configurable to “stick” to barriers (previously would always slide past)
l) PILOT_SPEED_UP, PILOT_SPEED_DN allow different max climb and descent rates in AltHold, Loiter, PosHold
m) Safety switch configurable (i.e. only allow arming but not disarming via switch)
n) Servo output rate configurable (see SERVO_RATE parameter)
o) Vehicle rotation rate limits (see ATC_RATE_P/R/Y_MAX parameters)
p) SI units in parameters, mavlink messages and dataflash logs - TradHeli improvements:
a) H3-135/140 swashplate support
b) Reversed collective option for leading/trailing edge control
c) AltHold angle limiter fix
d) Five point spline-smoothed throttle curve - parameter and log message name changes:
a) ACCEL_Z_ renamed to PSC_ACCZ_
b) ACC_ parameters renamed to PSC_ACC
c) POS_ parameters renamed to PSC_POS
d) VEL_ parameters renamed to PSC_VEL
e) FS_BATT_ renamed to BATT_FS_
f) BATT_AMP_PERVOLT renamed to BATT_AMP_PERVLT
g) PILOT_VELZ_MAX to PILOT_SPEED_UP (and PILOT_SPEED_DN)
h) RC_FEEL_RP replaced with ATC_INPUT_TC (functionality is same, scaling is different)
i) WPNAV_LOIT_ params renamed to LOIT_
j) NTUN dataflash message renamed to PSC
Although many developers (including me) have been flying this software for months this is the first release candidate so there are likely to be some problems so please be careful and report any issues by creating a new topic in this Copter-3.6 category.
If upgrading from 3.5.5 there should not be any need to re-do calibration and as much as possible parameters should be automatically copied over from the earlier release.
For those who wish to try ChibiOS, upload instructions are here.