Try to format the microSD card or try with another formated card if you have an additional one available, don’t write any file to it, then remove the power from the Pixhawk, insert the card, power up with the safety switch pressed.
If this doesn’t allow you to connect to mission planner, then send an email to help@3drobotics.com to get further assistance.[/quote]
RogelioN,
Thanks for your time and trouble, but this hasn’t helped either. I’ll contact 3dRobotics help as you suggest. I’m coming to believe that there’s some real problem with the unit.
Best regards,
-bob[/quote]
I thought I’d chime in again as I came across the following: For a reference, I detailed my problem in the first post of this thread. While here, I feel obligated to make it known that the “home office” was very helpful, friendly, and their idea of customer service is in line with what we all hope for from all vendors. Simply excellent, in my opinion.
I returned the original PixHawk and was sent a new one. Very nice.
After getting it going I found that the motors would not spin, even with a steady green light. This appears to be some other issue, and I couldn’t get it solved.
I reloaded all software, brand new fresh copy of MP, etc. etc. This did not help the problem, but all else
appeared to be OK.
I then again reloaded firmware and ended up with the same problem I had with my original PixHawk…no more “big”’ LED, cannot get it to go to “Connect” in the wizard. This is EXACTLY the
same problem I had with my first that was returned.
As I did with my first PixHawk I tried Craig’s solution with no positive results. I tried every combination of this that I could come up with and with the thought that I’d wear out my connectors I gave it up and decided to contact Customer Service once again.
Before contacting them again I decided to try something else…I removed all connections but the power (from the current sensor module), switch, and buzzer. I powered it up and it worked as it should’ve.
Adding radio receiver did not change anything, but when I got to the Compass/GPS it played somewhat dead - no LED and no connection to Mavlink.
It appears to me that the problem from the start is the connection to the Compass (12C). I can get everything to work OK if it’s not connected. This appears to be intermittent, but fails more often than not.
I haven’t found the “shooting gun” yet, but suspect a poor cable connection, either at the PixHawk or the Compass/GPS. I tried two of these, and two sets of cables and get the same results. Sun Spots? Solar flairs? Poltergeists?
I have to say I have had no luck getting the Pixhawk to do anything consistently. I have never gotten it to see my AR8000 and DX7s or the Satellite SPKT/DSM. I have a Mac so most of the time I have been using APM or QGroundControl, but I spun up a Windows PC with Mission Planner, no better situation. I just concluded I need to send it back to 3DR when I ran across your post that makes me think a new one will not work either. Very, very frustrating.
@dsonnen,
I assume that you have gotten a successful upload of whatever flight control firmware that you have selected? Also, at startup you get the musical melody and the arming switch is pulsing 3 times periodically.
Did you try holding the arming switch down while powering up and wait until the periodic chirps had quit to indicate that the IO section had been successfully programmed?
The fact that your Spektrum Remote Receiver is not recognized by the Pixhawk is an indication that there might be a problem with the IO section of the Pixhawk.
I have successfully programmed four Pixhawk FC for use with rover chassis and each one has recognized the attached Spektrum Remote Receiver without a hitch.
@TCIII - Thanks for your reply. I was gone for a week, so this is the first chance I have had to reply. I have gotten successful uploads for arducopter and done startup with the arming switch held down. I have got GPS lock and basic communication via USB - move the pixhawk get data to APM and QGround… What I have never once gotten is any communication between the pixhawk and the Spektrum DX7s / AR8000 either directly with the PPM encoder or through the Spektrum Satellite connected directly to the Pixhawk unit (SPKT/DSM). No amount of iterations and configurations ever sees the RC Transmitter. I have bound the Transmitter to the receiver(s) over and over again successfully. I think the Pixhawk unit is defective. I ordered another and also opened a ticket with 3DR. At this point I am going to try again with the new unit when I get it - assuming it works, I will go through the return process for the first one. I will come back and post here once I have resolved.
Update: April 11th 11am - New pixhawk arrived from 3DR, Satellite SPKT/DSM worked out of the box no problem. Detected RC transmitter, was able to bind, solid orange. GPS, Accel Calibration fine, etc. Definitely something wrong with the first pixhawk I received. I will work with 3DR to return the first one. Not really cool to send a defective key component like the Pixhawk, I have wasted hours and hours, but I can’t stop smiling now, so I guess all is forgiven.
