Hi, is this page applicable to Trad Helis or is it just for multirotors ?
Thank You
Only for multi rotor. Donāt use it for trad heli.
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Thank you for prompt reply 
Is there anywhere I can find āstarting pointā settings for an Align TREX 470, Main rotor disc diameter 34", 86cm ?
Thank You
Work step by step through the wiki. Iām doing it now with an OMP M4. Thereās a lot of reading and a lot of videos to watch. Bill has done a lot of great work and thereās a ton to absorb.
https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/traditional-helicopter-first-flight-tests.html
The M4 initial flights were on the defaults and then adjusted and trimmed as needed to get it ready for tuning. Then thereās a list of parameters in the wiki to load up once youāre ready to start tuning.
Edit: One thing not in the wiki is set FS_CRASH_CHECK,0. Apparently it doesnāt work well in trad heli. Thankfully Iāve never tested that yet.
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Can someone provide me with a .bin file of a properly configured heli?
I will add support for that in the ArduPilot methodic configurator using it.
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@amilcarlucas i think you and I need to chat about this. I havenāt used your tool but want to learn about how it could be applied to heliās. Iām sure there are areas where this would be very helpful and others that arenāt as easy to configure.
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@amilcarlucas @bnsgeyer I think the tool would be very handy for a helicopter, given all the steps in the tuning procedure. Iāve already made myself some param files to load for the initial tuning params and each step of the tuning so I got things right. Once I have this M4 done Iāll gladly share the results.
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I didnāt know this tool existed but would be very interested if it started supporting trad heli.
Is this thread going to be the best place to monitor and find out when trad heli is added? Id be happy to start another thread just for ArduPilot methodic configurator here in the trad heli section if that makes more sense.
There is already a ArduPilot methodic configurator GUI thread on this forum.
I suggest we use it to coordinate support for heli and other vehicles
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I look forward to using the heli configurator tool when ready, happy to help test the tool on 8 heliās. 3 Trex 550ās, 3 Trex 470ās, 1 Trex 450 and a Blade 300x.
I need .bin log files to create the tool
@amilcarlucas i am planning to get a sense of what your tool does and then meet with you to discuss some details of how heli differs in the setup from multiās. I am not sure that blindly feeding you bin files would be that helpful.
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It would allow me to build the initial support, and we can later improve it.
@amilcarlucas Here is a log for a T-Rex 500. This is just after i finished autotune. I kept all of the other Position controller variables at their defaults. It flies well in loiter and auto modes. I donāt fly nor did I configure this for acro mode.
Initial Heli support has been added to the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator 0.9.4 with this commit
As you can see there are almost no python code changes. Just two .json files:
configuration_sequence_Heli.jsonvehicle_components.json
and the . param files.
Pull requests are welcome to improve the above mentioned files.
Would be great to get some help on this topic
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@amilcarlucas thanks to you and @Allister for taking the initiative to get this started. How does you repo work? Do you have version releases or do users see changes immediately. It just concerns me if users are able to use this since it hasnāt been checked or validated.
Taking a quick look through the commit, there are parameter changes that are not meant for everyoneās heli. Tail servo set up is one that could break a users aircraft if the servo range is set incorrectly. Not everyone uses service with a 760 microsecond center-point. Also much of the tuning advice is appears to follow the multirotor advice/techniques. Heliās shouldnāt follow these practices.
So I am willing to help. Like I said before I need to install the app and use it to see how it would need to change for heli.
@amilcarlucas will you be at the dev conference in Japan? That may be a great time to really dig into this.
Officially it is all still beta (version 0.9.4 < 1.0.0). So there is only master branch and all releases are just tags in the master branch. All changes to the master branch are immediately built and released as ādevelopment versionā. This is known as continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD).
If the users find a problem they can always downgrade to an older version. I prefer they would not. I prefer they would just report the issue and I will fix it.
I did decided to release it so that you and Alister would not need to compile the code nor install the development stuff.
The .json files are very self explanatory and the .param files are simple .param files.
Iām still not sure if I will attend it.
Given the needed change to the order of operations for the trad-heli setup, what is the best way to move forward? Is commenting here enough? I donāt have any significant coding experience so github is like a foreign language to me.
Iāll install the latest version of the MC and give it a shot. Iām going to be busy the next few weeks so I wonāt have a lot of time but Iāll try and provide feedback as I can.
You can just install the 0.9.4 version and create a new vehicle using the āHeli/Allisterā template.
Then add information from your frame in the component editor window and save the changes.
Exit the program
Then you can rename and, using a text editor, edit the .param files that got created.
Zip them all and send them to me.
Whatās the best way to move parameters around in the configurator? I want to put all the SEROVx_FUNCTION params (in step 12) and the SERVOx_TRIM/Min/Max params (in step 7) all in the same place.
Edit: I think itās okay, I have an ideaā¦