Picloc 3x setting experience etc.
- Thread starter BorisS
- Start date
GeorgeM
Member
Newton & Mombasa : If you are getting drift in Roll or Tilt, there could be something wrong in how the unit is initializing.
Do this:
1) Take Picloc out of your camera mount.
2) Disconnect everything external to Picloc.
3) Using only your USB as power source, power the box up, flat on a table, and tick 'Gyro' and 'Auto Accelerometer' calibration tickboxes.
4) Click Button to Calibrate.
5) Untick 'Auto Accelerometer' Calibration after the above step is done
6) Press EEPROM Save, and let the unit restart, without touching the box.
Now...
7) Check that your GYRO X,Y,Z and Accelerometer X,Y values are = 0, and that Accel Z = around 265 in the Sensors TAB ( the coloured meters )
8) Leave the box running for 1 - 5 minutes.
9) Re-Check the values and if there is a large change... then there's something wrong with the sensors, and they need to be sent back for a free replacement.
if the change in the accelerometer values is +-5, its still OK.
Gyro should remain centered around Zero.
If in doubt, do a factory calibration ( RED button ) and repeat steps above. Attn.. Doing a factory calibration removes all settings you previously had for your gimbal.
Take note of these with pencil+paper.
The File 'Load+Save' settings of PiclocTOOLZ is to be activated soon.
Thanks
George
(... back to the den.)
Do this:
1) Take Picloc out of your camera mount.
2) Disconnect everything external to Picloc.
3) Using only your USB as power source, power the box up, flat on a table, and tick 'Gyro' and 'Auto Accelerometer' calibration tickboxes.
4) Click Button to Calibrate.
5) Untick 'Auto Accelerometer' Calibration after the above step is done
6) Press EEPROM Save, and let the unit restart, without touching the box.
Now...
7) Check that your GYRO X,Y,Z and Accelerometer X,Y values are = 0, and that Accel Z = around 265 in the Sensors TAB ( the coloured meters )
8) Leave the box running for 1 - 5 minutes.
9) Re-Check the values and if there is a large change... then there's something wrong with the sensors, and they need to be sent back for a free replacement.
if the change in the accelerometer values is +-5, its still OK.
Gyro should remain centered around Zero.
If in doubt, do a factory calibration ( RED button ) and repeat steps above. Attn.. Doing a factory calibration removes all settings you previously had for your gimbal.
Take note of these with pencil+paper.
The File 'Load+Save' settings of PiclocTOOLZ is to be activated soon.
Thanks
George
(... back to the den.)
GeorgeM
Member
Newton & Mombasa :
I have added another file from what I'm doing today.
Go to the firmware folder of v56, and you should find Firmware with today's date.
Look at the Readme file too: Accelerometer noize is taken away.
If there is a gradual buildup during the procedure mentioned above, this means that the offending sensors must be checked.
George
I have added another file from what I'm doing today.
Go to the firmware folder of v56, and you should find Firmware with today's date.
Look at the Readme file too: Accelerometer noize is taken away.
If there is a gradual buildup during the procedure mentioned above, this means that the offending sensors must be checked.
George
GeorgeM
Member
Bernhard.. the X1 has my preferred range on the Servo Acceleration slider ( in the Servo Tab ).
The X3 simply has a multiplier of 3 on this value.
Pick your preferred one. That's why there's a selection. Start with X1 if I were you.
As I usually say.... the acceleration is only introducing noise into the servo output.... use sparingly.
The X3 simply has a multiplier of 3 on this value.
Pick your preferred one. That's why there's a selection. Start with X1 if I were you.
As I usually say.... the acceleration is only introducing noise into the servo output.... use sparingly.
zellevision
Freelance
Just great! Had (have) this USB glich... but always manage to connect with a little bit of tape on the USB cable..
New FW, super... hooked up, made the update, factory default, started all over again... as Im working with the PL suddenly the servos (all 3) does a jump and all goes quiet. Now all I have is the with bright light on the PL, no action, no nothing. Can connect with the toolz but cant get any signals from the gyros. Everything in toolz are like at the FW update, kinda "nothing". Everytime I connect the USB to pc, I get the "boink" and can connect, but just the brown line in status... and only the white led goes on. Tryed with flashmagic, nothing. Ideas? :upset:
New FW, super... hooked up, made the update, factory default, started all over again... as Im working with the PL suddenly the servos (all 3) does a jump and all goes quiet. Now all I have is the with bright light on the PL, no action, no nothing. Can connect with the toolz but cant get any signals from the gyros. Everything in toolz are like at the FW update, kinda "nothing". Everytime I connect the USB to pc, I get the "boink" and can connect, but just the brown line in status... and only the white led goes on. Tryed with flashmagic, nothing. Ideas? :upset:
zellevision
Freelance
Hi G.
Yes, the firmware load went perfect. After that I followed you *txt, did the factory restore, re-calibrated the gyros, hooked it up to my servos + rx, and was doing the configuration, and had done it for like an half hour.. when the "hyperjump" on the servos happened. After that all I get is the white led. No flashmagic connection (autobaud thing), and with toolz I can connect but no values comes up.
FW: 2012_04_06_P3X_v56_67_PRO_X1
SW: 0.56
Flashmagic v6.03
graham_newton
Member
So I loaded the latest FW (69). I have not flown with it yet. But the issue I am seeing is:
On both Axis, roll and tilt: when I rotate the mount say 20 degrees and stop, the mount carries on moving for about 5 seconds in the direction it was going. (rotates through about 4 degrees)
Then when I put the gimbal level again, the camera tray again takes about 5 secs and +-5 degrees of slow movement to come back to the level point.
This only happens when gimbal is absolutly still, which does not happen in flight, which is why I think I get this roll (and tilt) drift during flight.
Any ideas?
On both Axis, roll and tilt: when I rotate the mount say 20 degrees and stop, the mount carries on moving for about 5 seconds in the direction it was going. (rotates through about 4 degrees)
Then when I put the gimbal level again, the camera tray again takes about 5 secs and +-5 degrees of slow movement to come back to the level point.
This only happens when gimbal is absolutly still, which does not happen in flight, which is why I think I get this roll (and tilt) drift during flight.
Any ideas?
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
Three minutes with v56.67 was enough.
On the good side, having done initial calibrations on a flat, level desk, it fired up with everything more or less central and level, whereas v56.43 required huge amounts servo trim to bring the camera plate level. I still get little jerks but not nearly as large or violent as before but then the next point probably explains that.
The AUX1 OFF/Auto/RTH function is permanently in RTH mode and cannot be switched out of that condition. A trip to the RADIO tab shows it to be about 1000us off and it does not register any yellow bar at all. The Pan channel has the same problem - no yellow bar and about 1000us off centre. In practice this means the Pan axis spins wildly and completely uncontrollably.
Swapping the 3X for another loaded with vE055 brings functionality back to these two items.
I will try v56.67 with another 3X in case there is a hardware problem.
On the good side, having done initial calibrations on a flat, level desk, it fired up with everything more or less central and level, whereas v56.43 required huge amounts servo trim to bring the camera plate level. I still get little jerks but not nearly as large or violent as before but then the next point probably explains that.
The AUX1 OFF/Auto/RTH function is permanently in RTH mode and cannot be switched out of that condition. A trip to the RADIO tab shows it to be about 1000us off and it does not register any yellow bar at all. The Pan channel has the same problem - no yellow bar and about 1000us off centre. In practice this means the Pan axis spins wildly and completely uncontrollably.
Swapping the 3X for another loaded with vE055 brings functionality back to these two items.
I will try v56.67 with another 3X in case there is a hardware problem.
graham_newton
Member
I have the same problem with RTH and pan. must be FW.
Whan you said "Three minutes with v56.67 was enough" what did you mean? it was enough to tell that your sensors where bad or good?
Whan you said "Three minutes with v56.67 was enough" what did you mean? it was enough to tell that your sensors where bad or good?
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
Three minutes was sufficient to demonstrate that whatever might have been fixed, previously working functions have been corrupted. This has been my experience so far generally of v.56 over HD55. Additions and improvements at the expense of the basics.
I will add that I am currently only concentrating on the Pan> Tilt> Roll, all 360, Copterworks mount. However, v56.43 did precisely the same things originally on the Pan> Roll> Tilt AV200 mount as the CW mount.
So, some questions for George. May as well post them here so that everyone can see the answers. These are in specific relation to v.HD55 (to which I have once more returned having discovered that even E055 has an issue with the STOP function and the Tilt axis) but apply to all versions.
1. What precisely is the "Process Deadband" option and under what circumstances should it be enabled or disabled?
2. Should "Gyro Calibration On Every Startup" be left enabled or disabled once initial Gyro and Accel calibration has been performed?
3. Tx stick ATV limits under FUNCTIONS all work very well, even including bad boy Pan. But ATV's under SERVOS do essentially nothing at all with 360 servos - although they work well with the AV200 style proportional/external pot. arrangement.
For any who are confused by this: Separate stabilisation ATV's are needed because, for example, if your Tx stick ATV's are set to prevent the propellers or rotor blades coming into top frame, the stabilisation ATV's must also be set to prevent this. Generally speaking I like to set stabilisation ATV's to a slightly greater range than Tx ATV's so that there is still a degree of compensation available at Tx travel limits.
By enlarge, I am finding with the CW P>T>R mount that adding any Derivative (Acceleration) at all introduces only instability, in the form of servo chattering. At low levels this does not have any particularly physical ill-effects, high levels make the system 'nervous' but I cannot induce oscillation. In neither case is the speed nor responsiveness of the axis changed. Setting Accel and Smooth (Derivative and Integral) at ZERO or 1000 makes no change at all to the speed at which the servos move the camera plate. Tilt and Roll both compensate adequately fast WITHOUT Acceleration and do not suffer any hyper-sensitivity as a result. In fact the attitude compensation is extremely smooth and controlled.
News that File Save/Load is soon coming is very welcome. I hope also that RTH speed can be controlled at some point along with the removal of Startup jerks.
For the time being I am staying with velcro for attaching the 3X. I learned a long time ago with the TRv3's that vast quantities of expensive, difficult to obtain gel and equally overpriced gyro tape will be trashed in the long process of getting to a Happy Place with the constant mounting and removal of the PL box.
UPDATE:
HD55 is back on there and so far is the best of the bunch for the CW gimbal. The Magnetometer is totally useless. Regardless of the gimbal/PL heading at boot-up, the Pan axis just goes around and around when switching out of Manual Pan mode. Hitting RTH with magnetometer engaged sends the gimbal pointing South. But of course it doesn't stop there, it continues circling at a slower speed.
Waiting for a usable combination of the relative stability of HD55 and the extra functionality of v56.
Last edited by a moderator:
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
On the AV200, with its standard servos & ext. pots on Tilt and Roll, the Acceleration slider DOES change reaction time and allows the camera plate to achieve its compensated position quicker. Tuning it is a matter of getting the last bit of delay lag down to nearly nothing. Much more Acceleration than this starts to make the mount too reactive.
However, on the Copterworks Heli mount, which has three 360 servos and the axis hierarchy places Roll inside Tilt, I am not noticing any appreciable change in speed of the camera plate by increasing the amount of Acceleration. As I said, whether Acceleration is zero or 1000 makes no difference. But, even with zero Acceleration, stabilisation speed is ample and the camera plate follows the heli movement very well.
Note that this is once more bench settings with HD55. I have changed the firmware so many times I cannot remember what was loaded for the three test flights so far with PL 3X. I changed it again today from E055 to HD55 because I discovered that the Tilt axis started a backwards drift after returning to centre when the RTH switch was left engaged.
HD55 has an issue if you want to use proportional servos in proportional mode (the axis moves only a couple of millimeters) and its magnetometer is way off the reservation somehow, but other than those two issues it is the only one that works on the CW mount.
However, on the Copterworks Heli mount, which has three 360 servos and the axis hierarchy places Roll inside Tilt, I am not noticing any appreciable change in speed of the camera plate by increasing the amount of Acceleration. As I said, whether Acceleration is zero or 1000 makes no difference. But, even with zero Acceleration, stabilisation speed is ample and the camera plate follows the heli movement very well.
Note that this is once more bench settings with HD55. I have changed the firmware so many times I cannot remember what was loaded for the three test flights so far with PL 3X. I changed it again today from E055 to HD55 because I discovered that the Tilt axis started a backwards drift after returning to centre when the RTH switch was left engaged.
HD55 has an issue if you want to use proportional servos in proportional mode (the axis moves only a couple of millimeters) and its magnetometer is way off the reservation somehow, but other than those two issues it is the only one that works on the CW mount.
) Good job though!
MombasaFlash
Heli's & Tele's bloke
For some reason I cannot get the video to play smoothly.
Anyway, I am going to hazard a guess. You have bought the whole caboodle from Kopterworx and Krleas (in disguise wearing 'normal' coloured specs) has come over to give you a hand. I can even see the ginormous 25kg SJ-8 flightcase in the garage.
But never mind all that. WHAT IS THAT CAMERA? JC Almighty that is a clean picture. Is that really a totally unprocessed, out-of-the-can video? You can see every daisy at the end of the garden from 100 feet up fer chrissakes.