Hey everyone,
I’m working on this new arduplane project but for some reason, mission planner doesn’t recognize when I move the sticks on the transmitter. I can also see erratic movements in the mission planner radio calibration tab but the servos are not moving at all and those are not coming from the transmitter as far as I know.
I updated the firmware to 4.3.5 and the communication seems to have stopped between the receiver and flight controller. Before I updated it, I had another firmware version and everything was working just fine. The receiver and flight controller are bound (the plane is not in failsafe), the receiver is correctly wired to the flight controller. I have changed some of the parameters so that the ELRS receiver works. Does anyone know what the issue is or has anyone encountered a similar issue???
When you say you switched versions, does that mean you updated from a prior version of ArduPlane or did you switch from ArduCopter/Rover, etc. If you did the update properly from a previous working version of Arduplane then nothing should have changed. However if you flashed Copter or any other firmware then everything is reset.
With plane the default is the there is no servo outputs until the plane is armed. You can set specific channels to output prior to arming. Since planes can be configured in so many ways there’s no default so it’s up to you. I will usually turn on all my flight control servos so I can move them before arming. You can’t do that for the throttle.
Sort out the RC link first. Make sure you have RX <> TX and TX <> RX. Check that the serial port (UART) you’re connected to is set to SERIALx_PROTOCOL,23 (RC IN). If you’re using a different serial port than is normal you may need to make sure that there is only one serial port set to RC IN.
Some boards also need to use BRD_ALT_CONFIG options depending on what UART and setup you’re using.
If you want specifics tell us what FC you’re using, what UART you’re trying to connect the RX to, upload you’re parameter file, and maybe a photo of the RX/FC.
Phoenix.param (19.1 KB)
Here is my parameter file.
I’m using a Matek F405 WTE. The receiver I am using is an expresslrs receiver and I have it correctly connected to uart 2 with Tx to Rx and Rx to Tx.
When I said switched, I meant I just updated from a previously working version of ardupilot.
I have the parameter file from before the update too which I will attach incase it is useful to be able to compare the two.
OLD phoenix.param (19.0 KB)
How can I set certain channels to output before arming?
I’ve only looked at the first parameter file. Based on that set:
BRD_ALT_CONFIG,1
SERIAL6_PROTOCOL,23
Always a good idea to have a look at the Matek site. They’ve got lots of tidbits for the setup. Flight Controller F405-WTE – Matek Systems
Use BRD_SAFETY_MASK to turn on specific channels. It won’t work for throttle channels. Complete Parameter List — Plane documentation
I have set the parameters you have suggested and now I can see the green bars moving in mission planner as they should be. THANK YOU!
The next issue however is that the servos still aren’t moving when I move the sticks on my transmitter. I used BRD_SAFETY_MASK to allow outputs 3, 4,5 and 6 to move before arming but still, nothing. What other settings should i try changing to get the servos to move???
First make sure you can see the approprate output bars moving on the servo tab in the setup page of Mission Planner. If those are working then check your servos. How are you powering them? If the FC is just powered by USB the servos won’t work. You’ll need battery power.
Oh right, sorry. For some reason I thought that the servos could be powered through a USB connection. I have now connected the battery and everything seems to be working just fine.
Thank you so much for all your time and help.