Hi-
Would really appreciate some help from anyone out there on this one, because I’m about to go crazy figuring it out. Build is a 680 hex with a Pixhawk brain. I’ve got the standard Tarot 2-axis gimbal that I’m trying to mount. I have it plugged into a BEC. Fire it up, starts fine, levels out and holds position well. No problems whatsoever out of the box. Next step, setting up the tuning knob on my Futaba T8J for tilt. How hard could this be? Wasn’t a problem setting up my old Naza Lite for this. So I go to Ardupilot’s very informative website:
and followed those instructions to a tee. Even procured a version of Windows so I could set everything up since the Tarot software doesn’t run on a Mac. After a slightly frustrating time dealing with Windows, I finally got everything set up exactly how APM tells you too. Upgraded to firmware 1.5. Set gains, stick position, by uploading the APM file. I clicked to flash it. Message said "flash successful. All looks good, so I head back to Planner on my Mac to set the tilt. At first, it wouldn’t let me change the “tilt” command from “default”. Dis/reconnected to MavLink and i was able to make the changes on the APM website’s guide. Set the in/out channels, servo/angle limits. Built a special wire harness to hook the T and - to the CH9 pin on the pixhawk. But no matter what I do, I cannot get my Tx control the tilt. I have it programed properly too, like I said, I’ve had some experience doing this with a Naza. Any advice on what I’m doing wrong? I can upload some videos if people have more questions.
Have you gone to radio calibration and confirmed the dail or swtich you’re using is controlling channel 6? Also, the tarot does some strange thing when any other leads are connected to the CTR. Make sure you’re only running ground and “T” for tilt. Also go back to mission planner/initial setup/camera gimbal and confirm Tilt is RC9 and and input channel is RC6. And lastly you should be in RC1 on the pixhawk pins. There’s also another mission planner page that has a channel 6 option, mAke sure that is set to none.
It sounds like you are trying to run your tilt signal through the Pixhawk. While I suppose that’s possible, I have a couple of gimbal setups on APM and Pixhawk and run my tilt signal direct from the RC Rx to the Tarot control board. Make sure you have a good, common ground from the Pixhawk and you only need to run a single tilt wire from whatever RC Rx channel you prefer.
Thanks PAS and OtherHand. I appreciate the advice. PAS, I have done everything you suggested. I’m 100% sure that the wiring is correct. i have one pin going to “T” and one to “-”. I removed all other pins in the servo connectors. Those hook into signal and ground on the pixhawk. And I did go through the tuning page and make sure CH6 was set to “none”. Still no action. I really can’t figure it out. I’d like to go through the pixhawk so that I can use the ROI feature. I just don’t understand why the instructions I followed on the APM website don’t work.
OtherHand, your suggestion of going directly to the receiver seems like it might be the only option i have. My question about that is, I’m using a Futaba R2008SB Rx, with the 8-channel T8J Tx. I know that the s-bus takes channels 1-8. How can I hook my Rx directly to the Tarot control board if I’m using the s-bus with an 8CH Tx? Would it work if I made a splitter for the s-bus port, with one going to the pixhawk and another going to the Tarot? Or could i plug the tarot cable into another port on my Rx? Thanks again for the help with this. I’ll upload some pics of my setup later today. I’m supposed to be working right now
Ok, OtherHand… Took your advice and just hooked it in to the Rx directly and I’m up and running. Still wondering why it won’t work through the pixhawk. And why I wasted 2 days following Ardupilot’s setup directions. I’d probably never use the ROI anyway. Thanks for all the help with this. I can finally get a good night’s sleep tonight!
Ah, Futaba and SBus. I switched from that to EzUHF so I forgot that could be a problem.
If I remember my Futaba RXs right, you don’t do any special switching from normal PWM mode to S-Bus do you? So I presume your normal 8 PWM outputs are still live with the PWM signals? If so just leave your SBus connection where it is and plug in your tilt control to PWM channel 8 of your R2008SB. I think that should work.
The Tarot itself can’t read SBus signals, only good ol’ PWM, so that’s what you need to feed it to get it to tilt.
