Nimbus Tricopter VTOL

I’m trying to install my new digital speedometer from Foxtech.
I connect it on an I2C splitter with the compass.

Here are my settings on QGC:

I try to calibrate it but it’s not proceed to finish calibration.
Also I don’t see any data related to airspeed on the interface and I didn’t get any error message about speedometer health.

Has anyone experienced such issue?
Thank you

Disable ARSPD_SKIP_CAL. Only the SDP33 has its own internal calibration so you need to calibrate your MS4525D0 unit on startup.

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Hi guys,

I’m doing last checks before my first test flight.
I notice a strange behavior of my titling servos.

While I change flight modes(QHOVER, QLOITER, CRUISE, FBWA) works as expected.

After I disarm and disconnect from battery the one servo remain up and other One is falling down. I attach the following video of this issue.

I don’t know if there is a problem of my settings or something wrong with servos.

Your advice is important for me. I want to make sure everything works as expected before my first flight.

It shouldn’t be a problem. The servos can often act differently depending upon their location. One motor may be slightly forward and the other straight up.

Good luck!

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Hi Greg: Well i’m back in the keystone state, i have contacted my old club i used to belong to and i was surprised to find out they still use the same flying field near saltsburg wow 30 yrs under our gov the just opened us to yellow so pretty soon i’ll be able to maybe fly how ever i’m still not able to get a GPS in telemetry to be able to use the. yaapu script. ok here’s wishing you and the family Covd 19 free and better weather than we have here. B.K

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Hi Butch,

We have good weather in upstate NY this week so I plan to try some flying on Friday. I will test my MFE Freeman VTOL for the first time. It’s hard to believe that Memorial Day weekend is coming up!

For the GPS issue, first see that GPS is detected in Mission Planner. You can use the USB cable or the 3DR telemetry link. If not, then you have a hardware or setup issue.

If MP works but not the FrSky telemetry for GPS, then try posting a question on the Yaapu Telemetry thread. Add your version numbers to the post.

Good luck and fly safe!

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Hi guys,
Hope your flights go well.

I want to buy a 3axis gimbal and camera to use with my Nimbus, but prices are too high.

At first, I focus at a Tarot T4-3D which is quite cheap and I was planning to buy also a used GoPro camera. But after some research, I realise that with GoPro cameras can’t zoom during flight. I need camera to zoom at least X10 during flight.

Has anyone any suggestion about 3-Axis gimbals and cameras at an affordable price that can be used with Pixhawk 2.4.8? Also i use QGC.

Thank you

Petrou,

You have conflicting goals; zoom camera and affordable price.

The best you can probably do is a 10x optical zoom like this Tarot Peeper Camera at FoxTechFPV. Another similar one is here.

Cheers!

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Hi all.
First time poster and I am about to purchase my first UAV a mapping VTOL (diving in the deep end) and am probably going to go with the foxtech Nimbus as they are RTF and should help me get acquainted while also using mostly standard components that offer flexibility for re-configuring once I am ready.

I don’t know much about Radio Controllers but have reservations about the ones that come with Foxtech builds.
Either:

My main use for the VTOL is mapping, so autopilot missions.
I had hoped to use a more universal controller like a Taranis.
Has anyone had experience with either of the controllers above?
What features will I be forgoing/adding with these versus a Taranis or other controller?

Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan

Hi Dan,

Welcome to the Nimbus thread and APM VTOL Plane forum!

Both of those systems are meant for long-range mapping that integrate the radio link and data link into one RF signal. The T12 is a Skydroid system. You can read more about it in the main Skydroid thread. I have the older M12 system that doesn’t have a built-in camera link. It works well. I use it on my Tarot 680 Pro hexacopter because it has the mini gimbal controller on the transmitter to control my pitch and yaw on the hexcopter gimbal. You don’t need this gimbal function for mapping since a gimbal is seldom used in that application.

I don’t know anything about the DA16 system. Once you pick a system, I have found that using other systems can be disorienting. My Skydroid M12 has labels on all the switches because all my other VTOLs, copters, and planes use either the Horus X10 or the Taranis X9D+ as they are similar.

One feature that may be different between these data radio systems and the FrSky systems is the 6-position knob used for selecting one of 6 flight modes in APM. My Skydroid M12 has a 3-position toggle switch for modes and a 4th mode can be assigned to a secondary switch. I don’t think Plane has this feature like we got used to in Copter.

Good luck!

Hello Daniel, welcome to the forum.

I’m also new to UAVs. I’m using Herelink for controlling my Nimbus Grey 2.

It has QGC and Solex installed which are very helpful and much easier from Mission Planner.

Also the airunit it’s very lightweight and has also two antennas with a maximum range of 20km. You can control the UAV and receive HD video at the same time. You don’t need another module for video.

Also it is very easy to install it. Just 2 cables from airunit to your Pixhawk.

Good luck!

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Hi guys,

Today I make my first flight.
I take off my Nimbus in QLOITER mode and was looking good. It was very steady and was listening accurately to movements of Herelink.
I increase elevation to 40meters above ground and i switch to “CRUISE” flight.
During flight I get the following Failsafes multiple times:

  • Failsafe Long Event on: type2 / reason = 3.
  • Failsafe Long Event on: type1 / reason = 3.
  • Failsafe Long event off: type 3/ reason = 5.
  • Throttle Failsafe On.

After Failsafe, I try to switch to QLOITER and after to RTL but the Nimbus was switch automatically to LAND.
I attach my Log file here.

Im trying to find out what was the problem…
Any advice @GregCovey?

Thank you

Hi Petrou,

I would not recommend using CRUISE mode or RTL mode on your first flight. Simply use QLOITER and FBWA so that you have more control over the flight. I didn’t see any voltage, current, or AS sensor data in the log.

The Auto Analysis pointed out some large compass change. I’m not sure if that is really an issue.

AutoAnalyzer1

Once you get into those automated modes like RTL and LAND, I have seen a cascade of bad things happen if you try to switch out again.

You have the following settings in the .param file but I could not properly graph the throttle input. Perhaps the Herelink does something different so you could post your failsafe issue on that thread. Once you were in CRUISE mode, it looked to be flying fine.

FS_GCS_ENABL,1
FS_LONG_ACTN,1
FS_LONG_TIMEOUT,5
FS_SHORT_ACTN,1
FS_SHORT_TIMEOUT,1.5

THR_FAILSAFE,1
THR_FS_VALUE,950

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Thank you @GregCovey.

Those Failsafe are caused because of losing the connection with the Radio. I’m I correct?

Might this happen because of wrong battery calibration OR bad cable connection?

Yes, this particular failsafe was from the loss of radio signal so the throttle value went below 950. However, I wasn’t able to graph the scenario so I am not sure what was going on. I know the Herelink does both R/C control and APM telemetry in a single link. It just didn’t graph properly.

It was working fine during QLOITER and CRUISE modes before it went bad so I don’t suspect a bad cable. A low battery warning would give a different failsafe message. Unfortunately, I could not graph either voltage or current. Are you using a Mauch Power Module?

I’m using XT60 Power module.

Any idea why your voltage and current levels didn’t graph? Can you see the levels in the Mission Planner HUD?

Here is an example from another plane setup.

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I can see my voltage and the current. When my battery is full the voltage is 25 volts.

At battery calibration, I was measure 1.5Α and proceed with that value.
The amperes at the time of sensors calibration was at a range of 0.7-1.5A. I don’t know if this is correct…

About my logs, I have no idea why voltage and current didn’t graph and I’m trying to figure out why…

Perhaps swapping to another flash card is worth a try. I use SanDisk Ultra Plus 16GB. microSDHC UHS-I

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Hi GregCovey: Here’s hoping you and the Family are doing Great and your getting some decent flying weather.I am trying to figure out how or if i can put different flying field Maps on the yaapu script so i won’t have to bring my computer so i wouldn’t have to use it to down load the maps and install them on the yaapu telem script every time i go to a different flying location, So do you know if this is possible ?,
Thanks B.K