Copter-4.3.0-beta1 has been released for beta testing and can be installed using MP or QGC’s “beta firmwares” link or it can be directly downloaded from firmware.ardupilot.org.
The changes vs 4.2.3 are in the ReleaseNotes and copied below
- New autopilot support
a) AtomRCF405
b) CubeOrange-SimOnHardWare
c) DevEBoxH7v2
d) KakuteH7Mini-Nand
e) KakuteH7v2
f) Mamba F405 Mk4
g) SkystarsH7HD
h) bi-directional dshot (aka “bdshot”) versions for CubeOrange, CubeYellow, KakuteF7, KakuteH7, MatekF405-Wing, Matek F765, PH4-mini, Pixhawk-1M - EKF enhancements and fixes
a) EK3_GPS_VACC_MAX threshold to control when GPS altitude is used as alt source
b) EKF ring buffer fix for very slow sensor updates (those that update once every few seconds)
c) EKF3 source set change captured in Replay logs - Gimbal enhancements
a) Angle limit params renamed and scaled to degrees (e.g. MNT1_ROLL_MIN, MNT1_PITCH_MIN, etc)
b) BrushlessPWM driver (set MNT1_TYPE = 7) is unstabilized Servo driver
c) Dual mount support (see MNT1_, MNT2 params)
d) Gremsy driver added (set MNT1_TYPE = 6)
e) MAVLink gimbalv2 support including sending GIMBAL_DEVICE_STATUS_UPDATE (replaces MOUNT_STATUS message)
f) “Mount Lock” auxiliary switch supports follow and lock modes in RC targetting (aka earth-frame and body-frame)
g) RC channels to control gimbal set using RCx_OPTION = 212 (Roll), 213 (Pitch) or 214 (Yaw)
h) RC targetting rotation rate in deg/sec (see MNT1_RC_RATE which replaces MNT_JSTICK_SPD)
i) Yaw can be disabled on 3-axis gimbals (set MNTx_YAW_MIN = MNTx_YAW_MAX) - Navigation and Flight mode enhancements
a) Auto mode ATTITUDE_TIME command allows specifying lean angle for specified number of seconds (GPS not required)
b) Auto mode support of DO_GIMBAL_MANAGER_PITCHYAW command
c) Auto mode LOITER_TURNS command max radius increased to 2.5km
d) AutoTune allows higher ANGLE_P gains
e) Guided mode support DO_CHANGE_SPEED commands
f) Manual modes throttle mix reduced (improves landing)
g) Payload touchdown detection reliability improved
h) Takeoff detection improved to reduce chance of flip before takeoff if GPS moves
i) TKOFF_SLEW_TIME allows slower takeoffs in Auto, Guided, etc - Notch filter enhancements
a) Attitude and filter logging at main loop rate
b) Batch sampler logging both pre and post-filter
c) FFT frame averaging
d) In-flight throttle notch parameter learning using averaged FFTs
e) Triple harmonic notch - RemoteId and SecureBoot enhancements
a) Remote update of secure boot’s public keys (also allows remote unlocking of bootloader) - Safety enhancements
a) Arming checks of FRAME_CLASS/TYPE made mandatory (even if ARMING_CHECK=0)
b) crash_dump.bin file saved to SD Card on startup (includes details re cause of software failures)
c) Dead-reckoning for 30sec on loss of GPS (requires wind estimation be enabled)
d) Dead-reckoning Lua script (On loss of GPS flies towards home for specified number of seconds)
e) Disabling Fence clears any active breaches (e.g. FENCE_TYPE = 0 will clear breaches)
f) “GPS Glitch” message clarified to “GPS Glitch or Compass error”
g) Pre-arm check that configured AHRS is being used (e.g. checks AHRS_EKF_TYPE not changed since boot)
h) Pre-arm check that gimbals are healthy (currently only for Gremsy gimbals, others in future release)
i) Pre-arm check that all motors are setup
j) Pre-arm check that scripts are running
k) Pre-arm check that terrain data loaded if RTL_ALT_TYPE set to Terrain
l) Pre-arm messages are correctly prefixed with “PreArm:” (instead of “Arm:”)
m) RC auxiliary switch option for Arm / Emergency Stop
n) RC failsafe made pre-arm check (previously only triggered at arming)
o) RC failsafe option (see FS_OPTIONS) to continue in Guided obeyed even if GCS failsafe disabled
p) TKOFF_RPM_MIN checks all motors spinning before takeoff
q) Vibration compensation disabled in manual modes - Scripting enhancements
a) CAN2 port bindings to allow scripts to communicate on 2nd CAN bus
b) ESC RPM bindings to allow scripts to report engine RPM
c) Gimbal bingings to allow scripts to control gimbal
d) Pre-arm check bindings (allows scripts to check if pre-arm checks have passed)
e) Semicolon (
and period (.) supported (e.g both Logger:write() and Logger.write will work) - Sensor driver enhancements
a) Benewake H30 radar support
b) BMI270 IMU performance improvements
c) IRC Tramp VTX suppor
d) Logging pause-able with auxiliary switch. see RCx_OPTION = 165 (Pause Stream Logging)
e) Proximity sensor support for up to 3 sensors
f) Precision Landing consumes LANDING_TARGET MAVLink message’s PositionX,Y,Z fields
g) RichenPower generator maintenance-required messages can be suppressed using GEN_OPTIONS param
h) TeraRanger Neo rangefinder support
i) GPS support to provide ellipsoid altitude instead of AMSL (see GPS_DRV_OPTIONS)
j) W25N01GV 1Gb flash support - Bug fixes
a) Accel calibration throws away queued commands from GCS (avoids commands being run long after they were sent)
b) Airmode throttle mix at zero throttle fix
c) Cygbot proximity sensor fix to support different orientations (see PRXx_ORIENT)
d) Loiter fix to avoid potential wobble on 2nd takeoff (was not clearing non-zero attitude target from previous landing)
e) Lutan EFI message flood reduced
f) Missions download to GCS corruption avoided by checking serial buffer has space
g) Payload place fix so vehicle flies to specified Lat,Lon (if provided). Previously it could get stuck
h) Safety switch disabled if IOMCU is disabled (see BRD_IO_ENABLE=0)
i) Script restart memory leak fixed
j) Takeoff vertical velocity limits enforced correctly even if PILOT_TKOFF_ALT set to a significant height - Developer items
a) Custom controller support
b) Fast loop task list available in real-time using @SYS/tasks.txt
c) Parameter defaults sent to GCS with param FTP and recorded in onboard logs
d) ROS+ArduPilot environment installation script
e) Sim on Hardware allows simulator to run on autopilot (good for exhibitions)
f) Timer info available in real-time using @SYS/timers.txt
While we think this beta is safe (many developers have been flying it), this is the first beta release of 4.3.0 so it includes a lot of changes and certainly the chance of issues is much higher than with other beta releases so please be careful and be ready to re-take control in a more manual mode like Stabilize or AltHold.
We are very much looking forward to any and all feedback on this new major release and we will be answering and investigating all reports.
Thanks to all the developers who contributed to this release!
