I am brand new to this. My autopilot is a Mini Pix from RadioLink, with a GPS which includes a compass. I am using Mission Planner and the Radio link version of Ardupilot. The base rover platform is a Traxxas Stampede truck with a plywood base for electronics mounted on top in place of the body.
My test area is the street in front of my house withe good GPS coverage.
Auto is setup to only work with a GPS lock. I have set the waypoint radius to 1 meter.
I have set two waypoints parallel to the street center about 10 meters apart. I am arming the rover when it is sitting about 3 meters West from the first WP and pointed toward it (east). This should be my Home position, right?
When I select auto the following occurs:
The rover immediately turns right about 40 degrees and heads slowly in that direction (I have max speed set at 1m/s.). After about 2-3 meters it starts wondering at random with a Southerly bias. It always ends up in the neighbor’s front yard, where I shift to manual and bring it back.
I am thinking a compass problem. Mine is mounted well forward on centerline and pointing forward in the same direction as the autopilot. It went through calibration just fine and seems to indicate a proper heading. Not sure where to go from here. ???
Any suggestions for troubleshooting would be highly appreciated.
As always post a link to the .bin log file where those events happened.
You could have chosen a better Flight Controller…
Do you have experience with the Mini Pix? If you can tell me why you think it is the problem, maybe that will help me find the problem. I have no clue about the .bin log file. Help me out there.
Thanks.
I wouldn’t buy anything from Radiolink:
Radiolink
But the .bin flight log is on the Flight Controller, it can be downloaded using Mission Planner. You would only have one if you have armed the Flight Controller. Also, the parameters file can be saved from Mission Planner.
What is your experience with RadioLink? With some facts about their quality and service maybe we could all make better decisions.
What will the .bin log tell me?
https://ardupilot.org/rover/docs/common-radiolink-minipix.html
With your minimal experience, the .bin log won’t tell you much (yet), but it will likely show us possible causes for the problem. What you’ve posted so far is too vague, and the log is very specific.
Keep an eye on responses to log file reviews, and you’ll learn to appreciate them quickly!
Here is the related documentation:
Many posts on the forum here with users of that Flight Controller particularly struggling. With Ardupilot being Open Source firmware this is about all I additionally need to know:
Long before attempting an Auto Mission you would have worked thru these steps including the links ending with tuning the Navigation Controller. That done?
Rover Tuning Process
Just trying to establish where you are on the configuration/tuning curve. Perhaps it’s too early to ask for .bin or parameter file.
I wish I would have known that in advance. I still want to make what I have work, if I can.
I think you can. There are 3 main tuning steps that need to be taken though before trying an Auto Mission. Speed/throttle, Turn Rate, Navigation. A good initial indication that things are configured properly is if it drives OK in Acro mode. Do you know what version of Ardurover is on there? It’s shown on the messages tab of Mission Planner after connecting. We can get it from the .bin file also.
It says Mission Planner for RadioLink 1.3.52 Ardurover V3.4.2 (151316c6).
Thanks for trying to halp me.
That is an extremely outdated version of the firmware. You could try following the instructions on the linked documentation to flash the latest stable version.
For the same price as I’m seeing those Radiolink boards, you could get a very nice Matek controller that will alleviate your frustration quite a bit. I realize that may not be a viable option for a budget project.
What do you think of this for my Rover:
Amazon.com: Matek System F411-WSE F4 Flight Controller with OSD Inav Firmware Dual Camera Inputs for RC Plane Fixed Wing FPV Aircraft Glider Sailplane Airplane Similar with F411-WING F722-WING F405-WING : Toys & Games
Never mind, I see that the firmware is I Nav. I want to use Ardurover. I found the Ardupilot model. It is $30 more, but that is okay.
I substituted Acro mode for Auto to try tomorrow. I have also been reading up on downloading the logs. I’ll let you know how that goes, thanks.
EDIT:
An F765 or H743 model would be preferable if you’re willing to spend about $10 more.
That FC won’t run Ardupilot, not enough flash memory. I would go with a H743-Wing V2. If you want a bit smaller package an H743-Slim. For an even smaller package an H743-Mini. These are all proven FC’s. The cheapest option from Matek is the F405-STD. Holybro makes some supported boards in their Kakute Line also.
My mistake above. I was thinking of the F405. Good catch.
I had to check that. July of 2018! Extremely outdated is right!
I did study the acro mode before attempting. The rover would not move in acro mode. I’m going out now to try and create a log file in Auto mode.
You should’ve been using Acro mode for your initial tuning steps.
Have a read through First Drive with Rover — Rover documentation