Idea for easy & safe PID tuning

ArduCopter Copter 4.0
1

Hi there.

i would like to share an idea to improve tuning process, making it safe and easier. I can’t develop it, but if it’s good, i think dev team can do it.

basically, there should be a second PID param set on top of normal PID parameters (ATC_RAT_PIT_P, ATC_RAT_RLL_P at most). In the first you set a basic values (“default”) which can fly the drone, in the second you set the “experimental” values, which you eventually even tune with CHx_OPTs. Then you set a switch channel (with a new CHx_OPT option), which switches between the two sets, on the fly.

Basically you have a failsafe system which let you try new settings with possibility to switch back to a working one at once, without the need to take off and land whike drone is not very controllable. Trying different settings while in air would be much safer and faster because of the confidence given by this workflow.

Let’s have a talk about it

2

Would transmitter based tuning meet this idea?

3

you can do something similar following that instructions, but my idea of the process is way simpler (at least to me) with less operations (moving knob at center, etc) and it would let “see” value change in a better way. Personally i don’t like playing with knobs, i rather prefer to let an assistant with GCS sw to put in values in the secondary PID set params, and “fire” them during flight with a switch, eventually reverting them quickly with the same switch, ready to be flipped under my finger.

4

Ardupilot does this indirectly already during Autotune process. But sudden switching to different PIDs with large difference in values make end things in catastrophe! For me transmitter based tuning works pretty well.