On a low-cost/mid range FPV Arducopter

Could you, please, tell which exactly version of firmware (STD or not) AND MissionPlanner/QGroundControl did you use?

I used the apmplanner2 on linux. For firmware i used the Matek F405. I usually flash the firmware using betaflight. Moreover i mostly get everything work in betaflight (motor ordering/direction, gps, baro, RX, VTX) and afterwards i switch to ardupilot.

  1. Could you, please, share your parameters file?

  2. Is this the exact file (version, name, etc…) that you have flashed with Betaflight?
    https://firmware.ardupilot.org/Copter/stable-4.0.2/MatekF405/arducopter.hex
    Pay attention, there are several files here:
    https://firmware.ardupilot.org/Copter/stable-4.0.2/MatekF405/

  3. Also which of those is your exact apmplanner2:
    https://firmware.ardupilot.org/Tools/APMPlanner/

  4. Which exact version of Betaflight did you use?

I want to try to replicate exactly your setup that’s why I’m asking about exact versions. I’m a newbie in all this drone stuff so I don’t have too many ideas on how to approach/debug this issue…

Thank you!

Ok. My bad. It worked actually out of the box. It was me who interpreted wrong Ardupilot’s display. Thank you!

Perfect. All changes in the param file compared to the default one are documented above. From my experience it is better to change them by hand in the full parameter list and not to import the file.

My aducopter version was 4.0.0 - thus a bit outdated now.

@THKoelnMech, I created a topic about two problems that have in your parameter list:

  1. The names of some of the parameters in my firmware version are slightly different from those that appear in your list, and I afraid that is wrong parameters.

  2. In this list, some parameters have value higher than I can enter.

Maybe you use parameter file of 3.0. firmware in 4.0. firmware, and the quadcopter fly with the default values? or you really mean to “Force save (dangerous!)” option?

See this: Parameters' names and ranges have changed?.
Thank you in advance.

Update to at least 4.0.7-rc1. The parameter names sometime change, the firmware update automatically converts them.

  1. So using the version that generated the parameter file, load that parameter file.
  2. Update the firmware.
  3. You are done, the old values have been updated, and the firmware also.

I don’t have the old parameter list. It is my first configuration and I try to reproduce the parameters of @THKoelnMech manually. The names are less of a problem since I can guess them. The real problem is the values. It looks like the allowed ranges were changed, so how should I convert the values by hand?

Furthermore I actually used the version that @THKoelnMech was using, so I don’t understand where this discrepancy (in both names and values) comes from?

I managed to advance somewhat. However once I try to get into air - the drone tilts forward crashing. I’m not sure what is wrong. So may I have your full parameters file anyway, please?

Thank you!

Motor order and rotation is the usual reason.
You need to check the motors with MissionPlanner motor test - and keep in mind the MissionPlanner “A,B,C,D” order is different to the Arducopter servo output numbering of motors “1,2,3,4”

image

https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/connect-escs-and-motors.html#connect-escs-and-motors

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Hey… It’s flying… It’s flying!!!.. It’s my first DIY copter that I get into sky!.. I’ll move to the autotune now… Thank you very much @xfacta!

@THKoelnMech - did you manage to use the video transmitter with Ardupilot? Maybe sombebody else? - It’s an Eachine VTX with following specs:

5.8G 40CH 25/200/600mw switchable VTX
Transmitting power:0/25/200/600mW switchable
Channel: 40CH
Full video format: NTSC/PAL
Input voltage: 7V~24V
Power dissipation: +12V@260mA/600MW
Transmitting Distance: ≥0.5km@25mW, ≥1km@200mW, ≥2km@600mW
Size: 36×36×5mm
Weight: ≤7g (except antenna)

What FPV goggles did you use?

I’m not sure what Matek F405 board you have, but in general they will all work with your VTX. You won’t have Betaflight style control of the VTX but you will have OSD if you wire it as per the manufacture’s instructions.

I use FatShark Transformer goggles. They’re probably the last box goggles Fatshark made. Certainly not what all the cool kids are using. But they have a great image, and because I have a stereoscopic vision problem the single panel video works better for me. Watch Josh Bardwell or UAV Futures on Youtube for some reviews of different brands and styles of goggles. If the budget is tight you don’t need to fork out for HDOs with the latest module. There’s lots of good ones out there.

@Allister - thank you for your reply. What I have is Eachine’s clone of Matek F405. I use matekf405 or matekf405std ardupilot firmware. You can see the flight controller, the camera and how they are wired in this part of Joshua Bardwell’s video.

I don’t have goggles yet. At this stage I just want to figure out how to make the camera to dump videos on the memory card (blackbox that holds logs). How can I achieve this with ardupilot? Do I have to send certain commands via transmitter to the flight controller to activate/disactivate the camera? Or should it work on its own just as I start flying?.. so far I didn’t see any videos appearing in the blackbox (I was flying with the camera lid closed, maybe it is the reason that it didn’t capture any videos?..)

The camera is just an fpv camera. It doesn’t store any video. The video is just send by the VTX. The OSD on the matek f405 works as described above or in the docs. Thus, you can see gps coordinates, battery voltage, speed, etc in the video stream.
The sd card just stores the arducopter logs.

The VTX has no working smart audio to change vtx channel or transmit power.

In you want to record videos with the drone you must add a gopro or replace the camera by a foxeer mix or runcam split.

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Not possible. You would either need a camera like the Caddx Turtle that has it’s own DVR, or goPro. The SD card on the flight controller is only for the flight logs and terrain data. The F405 would not have the processing power to store video files and fly the drone at the same time.

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Thank you very much! I’m not that good at hardware/electronics and just starting with drones. Your help is difficult to underestimate!

Another question: I would like to attach a relay to the copter and be able to turn it on and off via radio transmitter. To this end I need to get one HIGH/LOW signal from the F405 flight controller somehow. Is it possible?

Google “Ardupilot Relay”…

No. This version of the flight controller has only 4 pwm outputs.

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@THKoelnMech - thank you again! Can I achieve this by adding some extra hardware? For example this (6 PWM channels) or this reciever? Or do I have to get a new flight controller? What not expensive flight controller can you recommend that supports attaching of a relay?

Maybe it is easier in you explain more precisely, what you World like to do with the drone.

The tyro is just a naked, budget freestyle drone.