By my understanding, single copter mainly operates in vertical position with the offset circa +/- 30 - 40 degrees.
I am wondering, is it possible to expand the single copter’s flight capabilities in horizontal flight? I mean, transition to horizontal flight using the copter software without switching to plane or tailsitter modes. I would imagine that transition requires massive amount of power in case of copter’s traditional design. I am guessing turning off limits in copter mode is not the way only. Any suggestion or direction I have to follow, please.
I don’t think so, at least for attitude, velocity and position controlled modes in acro you can fly in any orientation you want. Copter guidance isn’t suitable for horizontal flight.
You should use tailsitter plane configuration Tailsitter Planes — Plane documentation
I’ve added small wings to my single copter. What parameters, should I change to allow it fly horizontally, and even nose down like a plane?
The default parameter, I believe, is 45 deg from vertical. If I set it to 0 degrees it will allow it to pitch 90 deg making it fly horizontally, like a plane.
I would like to disable that all together so I can even point down / fly nose down.
Please let me know what should be done to accomplish that.
Once again Copter firmware isn’t suitable for horizontal flight. You can increase attitude limits but it will still be flying like a multirotor.
Coincidently I’m interested in the same thing. It’d be great if someon who knows the ArduCopter software well, could offer his advise.
Being able to also fly in an “airplane mode” offers several advantages over a tail-sitter. Especially if the predominant mode of operation is a single copter.
Beside, trying to implement and learn new software (ArduPilot) in a single copter (!) will take a long time, and spells… crushes that will total the copter.
In my case I am adding two very small wings to my single copter. No controlling surfaces on the wings.
If flying in Acro allows for that, it is great news. However, the description of Acro says: “holds attitude, no self-level”. I just wonder how “holds attitude” would work when fluing “like an airplane”. Deffinately it cound not be done by autmatic throttle adjustment. Unless there is a way to disable the “holding attitude” for Acro only, I don’t see Acro as an option.
There is also a Sport mode, but the same thing: “works like Alt-Hold, but holds pitch and roll when sticks centered”.
Lastly - is it feasible to disable Angle_Max? If so, will it do what we are looking for? Something tells me it will not.
Attitude is not Altitude former is orientation in space and later is height over datum.
Acro “Holds attitude” mens that it keeps orientation in space, throttle is under manual control.
It will fight any attitude disturbances.
Thank you Lupus for the clarification.
This makes all the difference in the world. So Acro it is. Now I can give it a try!
Out of curiosity - what will likely happen if one switches from Arco to Stabilize or to Alt-Hold while flying horyzinatlly like a plane? Will the copter manage to right itsel up, or it’s too much to ask of it?
Will try to switch after bringing the copter to a semi-vertical flight, but it’d be good to know.
It depends on the design. Flight controller will do its best.
I was about to test my copter when I discovered one thing that is really troubling to me:
In the description of Acro mode it says: “Release the sticks and the vehicle will maintain its current attitude and will not return to level”.
I would want the vehicle not to try to maintain its attitude or try to correct for anything.
So my question is: is there a mode in Arducopter that makes the autopilot do… NOTHING?
I’d like that mode to give me total controll of the copter manually. Attitude, altitude, everything.
Autopilot does nothing when it comes to controlling the vehicle. I want to do everything manually. Myself. Just like in the good old days when flying model aircraft. It’s me, my radio, and my model plain. I’m sure you know what I mean.
If there is no such mode, which I think there should be as a base line mode, is there anything that I can do, any parameters that I could change, to make Acro or any other mode work the way I just described?
PS. I see so many parameters, which I maxed out, such as Loit_Angle_Max, PSC_Angle_Max, Avoid_Angle_Max. I need to be able to fly my single copter nose up, noce down, or hirizontal in the Acro mode.
I hope the above parameters do not apply to Acro, because the max lean ange that I can set is 80 degrees from vertical. I thrully hope that is for Loiter only.
There is none for multirotors as they are uncontrollable without computer input.
You mean a traditional heli? The good old days was also the same traditional heli? Not using a flybar and a gyro for the tail?
A SingleCopter is a thing with one fixed-pitch (essentially standard multicopter) propeller and (currently only four) vanes/flaps to control pitch, roll and yaw. Like this for instance.
Regarding the concerns of the topic starter, I have recently communicated with a guy who essentially wanted to build a tailsitter with singlecopter-like flaps. I needed to introduce another type of control surfaces to ArduPlane’s tailsitter code for this to work properly (e.g. to have enough yaw authority).
(Because of the way Plane’s tailsitter logic works, it is impossible to use singlecopter’s code directly, so I had to implement this in Plane, which is duplicating the functionality, but alas)
The GitHub branch with the corresponding changes is here: GitHub - mbuzdalov/ardupilot at rudderons, you may take the change and play with it. It reportedly worked, but of course I cannot provide guarantees…
This is what I was considering too. A tailsitter software.
It takes however so much time to learn new software (and so many crashes), that I decided against it.
If I understand it correctly, tailsitter uses only two eilerons or elevons to counter the torque from the motor, while Arducopter in single copter uses all 4 flaps.
Also, the primary mode of operation for me would be just hoover, so a tailsitter could be an overkill.
Your concept however is very interesting and sooner or later I will give it a try. Thanks for sharing. I only need to convince one software guy who helps me in this project to implement your changes as I would not know how to do it.
My question however still remains: is there a mode that practically passes thru the signal from the radio without trying to make any corrections whatsoever?
I know a guy who is a champion in flyig acrobatic model planes. He volunteered to test my winged copter. The plan was to take off vertically in Stabilize and switch to Acro at about 45 deg lean to fly it like a plane.
Then go up almost verticaly, switch back to Stabilize and land as a single copter.
My concern is the Acro mode. Will Acro let him fly like a plane?
I maxed out Loit_Angle_Max, PSC_Angle_Max, Avoid_Angle_Max. That should allow to lean up to 80 deg from vertical in Sabilize (I hope).
Yes. It’s called the “No Flight Controller” Mode. Very easy to implement.
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Hmmm… very interesting.
Any suggestion how to switch mid flight from say… Stabilize to No Flight Controller, and back to Stabilize or to RTL for landing?
Can I make changes here to implement a tailsitter with this set up?
If I got your request right - you may clone this branch and do whatever you like with it, as long as Ardupilot’s license permits. It’s Git and GitHub anyway.
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I’m very impressed Max.
What you did in a few weeks took me a few… years.
I watched your video. You are changing so many parameters to make the flight stable.
I keep working witch just PIDs while you altered a lot of other parameters.
I guess asking how you knew what to change and in what direction would be silly?
If I don’t know what’s obvious to you, it means it’s over my head…?
If there is a good tutorial, Youtube lessons, or something else that I could use to learn, I’d really appreciate pointing me in that direction.
I wanted to use the auto-calibration, but the duration of flight of single copters is too short for that.