From the parameter files you uploaded yesterday the Ardupilot-21092020-1037 file has the correct trim values for steering and throttle, but the RCMAP settings seem to be default. The RCMAP settings are correct in the Ardupilot-Parameters-28082020-1634 file. I do not know how you/QGC got the parameters all mixed up. I would try the 1037 file and update it with the RCMAP values from the 1634 file. And check the RCX_options.
Okay, so here is the latest parameter file, which should have all the right settings now:
QGC-AP-22092020-1904.param (24.9 KB)
However, the throttle is still not responding â neither in Motor Setup nor with the Graupner.
RC6_OPTION = LearnCruise, RC7_OPTION = ArmDisarm, the other RCX_OPTION donât have anything assigned.
I still donât understand why QGC resetted the parameters after a firmware update ⊠that shouldnât have happened.
I can only say what I said before:
Is MP showing RC input?
Is the rover armed?
Is the rover in manual mode?
Is MP showing RC output on the throttle channel?
Does the ESC beep normally after power up?
ESC beeps after powering up.
Vehicle is connected with MP over MAVLink telemetry.
Mode is manual.
Rover is armed.
CH1, CH2 and CH3 show value changes when I move the sticks.
No matter if I arm with the Graupner of with MP, only the steering reacts, not the throttle.
The value changes only happen when Iâm indoors.
When Iâm outdoors, where I have a proper GPS connection, there are no changes for the input and output values of any channel.
UPDATE: If I check under Mandatory Hardware » Servo Output, I can see that MP is registering the full servo outputs for throttle and steering ⊠somehow, the vehicle only registers the steering but not the throttle.
If there is a PWM output for throttle (servo output 3) and the motor is not running, there might be something wrong with the connection between the Pixhawk and the PM07, the PM07 and the ESC or the ESC and the motor (unlikely, because the motor does the beeping). Is the ESC plugged into the correct output? Is the ESCs servo plug in the correct orientation? Any extension cables in between?
Perhaps the servo trim value needs to be adjusted, so the ESC arms itself.
The connections are the same as they were when the throttle was still working, so I donât understand where the problem comes from.
Which servo trim value do you recommend should be adjusted?
The throttle trim value (servo output 3).
As another test you, can connect the ESC directly to the receiver and see if it works.
Okay, I will try both and tell you what happens.
Currently, the ESC is directly connected to the brushed motor and the PM07. The receiver is connected to the PM07. Connecting the ESC directly to the receiver isnât possible somehow (the ESCâs black nib has a plastic piece on top that makes the connector taller than the corresponding slot of the receiver). However, the current setup should work, as it had worked perfectly fine before.
Changing the throttle trim value didnât change anything.
What still bothers me, is that under servo outputs, the min and max values for CH3 (throttle) are 1500 ± 200 ⊠but under RC Calibration, they are 1500 ± 400.
The ESC blinks green and there is a fast beeping noise (beep beep beep), I think it comes either from the motor or the receiver. According to the datasheet that came with the ESC, a normal LED display with a motor that doesnât work can mean that
Motor cables are not connected or motor is defective. Check motor connection or replace the motor if needed.
What bothers me is that this all worked fine before I updated the firmware, so I have no idea why things arenât working anymore all of a sudden.
The receiver is connected to the Pixhawk4, not the PM07.
The receiver can not beep. The motor windings act as a beeper/speaker for the ESC. Fast beeping most certainly means, the ESC is in some way unhappy with the input signal.
The ESC needs an input signal that is within its neutral range after power up, otherwise it will not arm itself. It should arm as soon as the input is within neutral range.
This is why I told you to play with the servo trim value for servo output 3.
Or, to eliminate a source of error, connect the ESC to the receiver. You can cut away the plastic ridge on the connector, so it fits into the receiver.
The RC input values get linear mapped to the corresponding servo output values by ardurover. So the different ranges are fine. We set servo output 3 to 1300 to 1700us to slow the rover down.
Yes, sorry, I got it mixed up with the steering servo.
We connected the ESC to the receiver, and tried every available channel on the receiver, but the motor never reacts to any input from the transmitter.
We are thinking that either the ESC is broken or, which would be way worse, the motor. We will measure the voltage of the ESC and motor later to figure out if any of them is broken, and which one.
It seems that the new ESC broke during one of the crashes.
We measured the voltage, nothing got there, so we tried the throttle with the old ESC, which worked. The LiPo is charging so we canât do much more rn. Iâll try to get my professor to order another ESC ⊠
That would be unfortunate. I just noticed something. According to the manual the ESC is rated for a 2S 7.2V lipo. I seem to remember the lipo you use is 3S, is this right?
Yes, it is a 3S LiPo. But there is also a Hobbywing UBEC connected to it, instead of using the internal BEC.
That doesnât matter. You are supplying battery voltage to the ESC over itâs rating. Tell your professor to buy a 3S capable ESC or you will blow another one.
I am sorry I did not notice this earlier. I just could not believe the ESC got damaged in a crash, so I looked for other reasons. I have done many things with (to:-)) my RC cars, but I never managed to brake an ESC by crashing.
Okay, Dave, but what did I do to you that your replies are worded so mean?
Donât worry! I will forward this information to my professor and ask him to find the right ESC.
I only considered the crash as the primary source since I managed to make the steering stand weirdly due to the crash, so it seemed like the most plausible issue.
Thank you as always for your replies and help!
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Btw, does any of you have a recommendation for a 3S ESC?
Iâve searched on eBay, and there are some that look okay, but they would be delivered from China, and delivery time is somewhere between 5th to 29th of October ⊠which is not ideal, since my thesis is limited to the end of October.
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Alternatively, could I put a voltage regulator between the ESC and the LiPo?
Or can I use the Pixhawk 4 with a 2S LiPo? (According to the datasheet, there seems nothing speaking against it).
Not sure what was mean, just stating facts as I know them.
The Hobbywing ESCâs are good quality and reasonably priced. The WP1060 model would be a good choice for your vehicle I think.Thye are ~$25 and available from many sources.
The âTell your professor to buy a 3S capable ESC or you will blow another oneâ isnât worded in a way that it comes off as friendly, necessarily.
Okay, that model sounds interesting. My professor ordered a 2S LiPo now since it could power the Pixhawk 4 and wouldnât cause the ESC any overvoltage problems, but I will still forward this information to him. Thank you!
Since it worked with the 3S lipo and now it does not anymore, I doubt the 2S lipo will ârepairâ anything. If the ESC got damaged by overvoltage, it will not be reversible.