Hey guys, I am brand new to ArduPilot. I am working with a CUAV Nora+ flight controller with ArduPilot Plane 4.4 installed. I do not have the aircraft parameters entered yet into the controller, really because I do not have the aircraft yet. It appears that the flight controller remains in an Unarmed or Safe state until these parameters are entered? I would like to test my PWM outputs and GPS accuracy, but it looks like these are typically unavailable until the aircraft is armed and out of Safe mode?
Currently, I want to test my RTK GPS system accuracy. I have a C-RTK 9Ps as the ground RTK station, and a C-RTK 2HP dual antenna GPS as the Flight controller GPS. Is there a quick way to test GPS positioning accuracy over the flight controller telemetry? I know that everything is connected correctly and is working, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to request the flight controller position (from Mission Planner) until the aircraft is armed and out of Safe mode.
Not sure about your statement “unavailable until armed and out of safe” - if this is true, then turn off the failsafes. Sounds like other comms issues. Are you getting any telemetry ?
The key thing to look for is RTKFIX status (which is 6) which confirms high accuracy. 3dfix or RTKFloat are ok fixes but not what you are looking for. For RTKFix - you need the corrections to be fed into the GPS, i use ntrip from a local server via mission planner , you can use a locally attached RTK gps like the f9p but it needs to be surveyed in first.
You definitely dont need a vehicle to test the accuracy - make a bench test rig and take it for a wander. Its a good way to test telemetry and other aspects also. Cheers
It is not true ever. The GPS should function normally regardless of arming state or failsafe options, and the autopilot will report position/state via telemetry.
As for testing PWM output, you can temporarily set ARMING_CHECK=0 and force arm the autopilot. Set it back to 1 when done testing.
Okay, I’m just not seeing how to display the GPS on my DATA screen then.
In the mean time, I have been trying too calibrate the Flight Controller. All calibration for the Accelerometers and compasses appeared to check out. But I am still seeing a “PreArm AHRS: EKF3 Yaw inconsistant by xx deg” message. It is also looking for a hardware safety switch. Do I have to use a safety switch?
This is showing after the compasses are calibrated. Also, I have been setting this up outdoors. My base station is receiving excellent GPS signal, but I don’t know if my Flight Controller is receiving GPS positioning. It does appear that the dual antenna GPS compass has been calibrated. I check the dual antenna GPS compass by setting it as priority 1 in the Setup menu. And check the yaw data under the Data Quick view.
Alright, I resolved the issue. The GPS port was not actually configured. I had to manually set the parameters as given in this documentation
I was confused because it a UAVCAN compass was available. I believe that to be the dual antenna compass given by the GPS CAN input, but the HUD did say, “No GPS”.
All is working now after setting those port parameters. Positioning shows up on the data screen now.
Also, what I thought was a virtual compass from the dual antennas on UAVCAN was actually an internal backup magnetic compass in the C-RTK2 HP. I didn’t realize earlier that this had it’s own magnetic compass.
