APM 2.5 Quad Copter firmware, can’t get any bars in the Mission Planner radio calibration mode. I have tried various receivers, same result. Nothing in the CLI mode Radio setup either. Have also reloaded code on the atmel U2 chip, (jumper J2 and shorted pins as instructed, then loaded latest code). I have NOT done the compass calibration because I am waiting for my external compass to arrive from 3DR. Is compass calibration a requirement that needs to be completed before the radio calibration will work?
The receiver is binded and I tried directly connecting a servo to one of the channels, servo activated with the TX as normal. Have loaded up firmware a few times, and reset EEPROM.
Have tried Spektrum, OrangeRX, and Dynam receivers. Connected to input ports 1-5 per 3DR instructions. Power is from ESC with jumper 1 in place and battery connected, as well as USB. With battery and ESC disconnected (USB only with jumper) same problem, no bars in radio calibration mode. Will figure out how to make a memory dump.
Like Stefan is indicating above, additional information on your hookup would help.
It seems to me that their are only a few possibilities.
You normally should not have to have the battery connected when you are testing this with power being provided by USB except as noted below.
Possibly your receiver is hooked up wrong to the APM by the servo cables (You definitely need to have at least one of the servo leads with a power and ground so the servo connector can power the receiver.)
Possibly the receiver isn’t getting power from the APM via the same servo cables. (should be obvious generally by led on receiver indicating it is up and running or not.) (Also, although rare, some receivers may draw too much power from the APM for the USB to provide adequate power to the receiver). At least some of the receivers you have mentioned should not draw too much power.
Assuming your radio is working correctly (as you have stated) then all that is left is the APM not working properly). But if you are able to do the other interactions with the APM in Mission planner via the USB connection it is pretty unlikely that the APM is broken.
A photo of your wiring connections from receiver to APM would help.
Well my external compass arrived from 3DR, wired up per instructions, still cant see compass. And still cant get any bars on the radio test. I pulled jumper 1 and provided external power directto the receiver. I erased and reloaded the Atmel again. Binded RX while connected to the APM 2.5 inputs 1-4. Disconnected ESC. Reloaded the USB driver, re-installed DirectX runtime. Made sure to put the 3.3v jumper in on the ext compass (it camefrom 3DR with the 5v jumper). I can reload firmware, I can erase the EEPROM, the GPS gets a 3D fix, Accelerometer passes. It really doesnt look like a board trouble, how come I can talk to the Arduino, reload the Atmel, reload firmware and yet I still cant get the calibration bars or get the compass to work?
[quote=“keninvic”]APM 2.5 Quad Copter firmware, can’t get any bars in the Mission Planner radio calibration mode. I have tried various receivers, same result. Nothing in the CLI mode Radio setup either. Have also reloaded code on the atmel U2 chip, (jumper J2 and shorted pins as instructed, then loaded latest code). I have NOT done the compass calibration because I am waiting for my external compass to arrive from 3DR. Is compass calibration a requirement that needs to be completed before the radio calibration will work?
The receiver is binded and I tried directly connecting a servo to one of the channels, servo activated with the TX as normal. Have loaded up firmware a few times, and reset EEPROM.
Thanks for any help.[/quote]
I had a problem like yours once when I was new to the apm board. Just a thought, did you hook the radio to the correct side of the apm board. I put the radio on the output side by mistake and had no radio signal on the flight planner. Just a thought. It sounds like you check everything.
I had to ask.
It just looks like a bad board. I had a problem with 2 input resistors for the radio side. The resistors were pooly solder to the board on the apm board. I bypassed the resistor with a wire and got input on my throttle channel. I just had to resolder the surface mount resisters to the board with great care. I have a solder work station and i repaired my board.
Thanks, I will get out my magnifiers again and look for some cold solder joints. I have had some luck with the magnetometer. I had read alot about the 3.3V reg failing, I tried to get a reading from the reg output, it was about 2.3V, But not sure as my probes are too fat, heated up the pins in case there was a cold solder joint, didnt try to measure there again, too tight, but I could easily measure 3.3V on the external compass. Compass still failed init, then I put a 5v ubec on the receiver, compass now works! So USB power is not enough to fire up the external compass. GPS, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyro, EEPROM erase, Firmware loads, they all work, not so for the TX calibration, Still no green bars. I even tried loading in Arduplane, tried TX calibration with Arduplane, same problem, clearing memory and then reloading Arducopter QUAD, still no bars. CLI SETUP RADIO just hangs. Tried all this on another computer today, I binded the RX while connected to USB with external power to the RX, still no bars. Bad board? Maybe, what else is left? Whatever happens I will conclude this story here.
Just a hunch since I got caught earlier with SBus IN signal not being seen. Have you tried powering on with the ARM switch depressed then connecting and going to Calibration screen? This seemed to work for me after updating to 3.1.1-Rc1. Seemed it reset something after update.
re: ARM switch… I havent got that far, what arm switch? I cat get past the TX calibration, no bars at all.
Here is what I do know, the 3.3v regulator is bad, why? I have no idea, but it explains why I am having the compass init problem. It does not explain why the TX calibration has no bars, if that regulator cansomehow cause the TX calibration to fail, someone enlighten me please.
I measured +5.5 (a little less other side of the protection diode) all around the board, ESC side, Receiver side, voltage is good all around.
This board just isnt going to work for me, will order another.
