Picloc 3x setting experience etc.

[Knilch]

Hey Malcolm!

Having had the same issues with pan I am pretty certain that you need to adjust the center of your pan servo in the menu. In stabilized mode Picloc will keep heading, therefore servo trimming is nonrelevant but when you deactivate it, the servo has to be trimmed to remain centered.

I don't know how you achieved that 360° servo, I replaced the poti with two identical resistors, but as you might know, there always is a tolerance. That tolerance probably is responsible for a shift in the center position. After readjusting it now keeps its position whether in stabilized mode or not.

 

[Highviz]

Hey Malcolm!

Having had the same issues with pan I am pretty certain that you need to adjust the center of your pan servo in the menu. In stabilized mode Picloc will keep heading, therefore servo trimming is nonrelevant but when you deactivate it, the servo has to be trimmed to remain centered.

I don't know how you achieved that 360° servo, I replaced the poti with two identical resistors, but as you might know, there always is a tolerance. That tolerance probably is responsible for a shift in the center position. After readjusting it now keeps its position whether in stabilized mode or not.

Hi Knilch,

Thanks for the reply. Which stabilised mode are you using? - slew or non slew? I just moved the existing pot out of the servo and fixed its position. I can get it rock steady connected direct to a receiver, pretty good if trimmed in the menus with no RC connected or connected in manual mode. The problem seems to be that the system does not recognise the centre position when powering back up again (even after saving settings prior to shut down). In non - slew mode, toggling in and out of stabilise will eventually result in it holding centre in manual, but in slew mode, no amount of re-trimming will stop the mount from spinning once switched to manual. I'm at a bit of a loss!

Malcolm

 

[Knilch]

Hey Malcolm!

I am using it in slew mode and it works perfectly after trimming. My two resistors soldered into the servo essentially give the same result as a fixed poti so I can't see what's the reason for the strange behavior you are experiencing there.

Does the center position of the pan servo change in the software when restarting?

 

[Highviz]

Hey Malcolm!

I am using it in slew mode and it works perfectly after trimming. My two resistors soldered into the servo essentially give the same result as a fixed poti so I can't see what's the reason for the strange behavior you are experiencing there.

Does the center position of the pan servo change in the software when restarting?

Ok -thanks. Must be something I am doing wrong. I'll check the centre position in software again and work my way through the pan set up once again!


Malcolm

 

[luftaufnahmen ostsee]

Hallo,

does anybody know what exactly happens when calibrating ACC? What happens for example if PICLOC is not level?

Thank you in advance.

Derek

 

[Highviz]

Hey Malcolm!

Does the center position of the pan servo change in the software when restarting?

OK - have been back through the pan set up again and still can not get it working correctly.

All tests below carried out with mount hanging from pan gear - ie as it would be in flight. Servo centering set to give no movement at 0uS.

In non slew mode it turns to its start position and stabilises it around that point. Stick movement only gives a few degrees travel left and right of this start point. Adjusting atv's etc does not increase this travel. When switched to manual pan via the aux switch I get good smooth 360 control of pan. If started (or switched out of e-stop) while in manual pan mode, the mount will rotate as though there is a trim offset (speed of this varies randomly). If started in stabilise pan mode, with the mount suspended, it will stabilise, then if switched to manual, the trims are good and it does not rotate of its own accord. The trim positions in the set up tab remain constant when stopping and starting the system.

In Slew mode:- In stabilise pan mode, it moves to it's start position, stabilises and stick movement gives a slow authority over pan position, although not as smooth and progressive as found in the non slew manual mode described above. Increasing stick authority to max in the set up tab still does not give very much pan speed and the movement slowly pulses as it rotates. When switched to manual pan mode, the mount rapidly rotates about 120-180 degrees, then stops and oscillates around this point. Stick input has no effect. When I enable slew mode in the menu tabs with the mount not suspended and in manual pan mode, the pan servo rotates continuously. This can be trimmed out in the servo tab, but once suspended again it reverts to the behaviour described above. ie jumps round to a position 120-180 degrees from the stabilised point and oscillates there, with no control from the Tx stick.

So has anyone got the latest firmware working on a 3X standard (not Pro) that can give me some more ideas?

Thanks

Malcolm

 

[holco]

Any news about this baby George?

Mario

Bit of both....
Name's meaning is a secret for now ... Name could have been Picloc-3X SR; Picloc-3X RS; Picloc-3XSR ; Picloc-3SRX ; or Picloc-3RSX.
I chose the latter.
It is equivalent to the Picloc-3X Standard.... but in a smaller and more efficient form factor.
Uses the best available sensors which I can afford to put in it, without pushing the price any higher.

 

[GeorgeM]

Hi Holco.....
Ok... here we go....

these are pre-production units which I'm testing and continuing to improve new firmware, until the production units arrive.

The Production units are somewhat different. Can't say more right now.

Hope everyone likes them.

 

[GeorgeM]

@ Highviz,

Is your PAN axis set as 360 Servo ( 360 tickbox Okayed ) ? .. and is it using the default Servo Output 3 as the PAN output ?
Can you post a picture of the Servo 3 Tab ( pan Axis ) and also your Slew Setup Tab, with PAN settings showing ?

 

[GeorgeM]

@Derek - Calibrating the Accelerometer in non horizontal, will make it believe that 'this' is the 'good' horizontal.

The stabilization algorithm still works OK to a certain extent.. eg +-30 degrees.... and Picloc will think that aimed down... or un-horizontal horizon is the way it's supposed to go.
And on startup, it will go to that position as calibrated.

 

[achta]

Bravo George,

i think all the people the talk Bad about Picloc3X will come back to Picloc Solution
we will see, i am sure....
also we work the last Year with picloc3X, and it helps us a lot...
thanks George ...

 

[GeorgeM]

Wow.. Achta.... very hot on my post !!

Thanks for the kind words.
As you know, I am fully committed to support customers first and foremost... despite all hardships survived this year...
With these new Piclocs, I really hope it ease a lot on my support required in the following months, so that I can concentrate more on new stuff and not firefighting.
New PiclocToolz is self explanatory, for example.

I also want to apologize ...truly apologize.. for missing to reply to emails, and sometimes I only get to reply to second attempts ( when I see them ).

Someone earlier on.. remarked about emails.. and the first line on my website....
Well... I hope I will do better this season... as my current inbox unreplied is up to:

And that's filtered email.... no Junk. Nada. All valid.

Once again... my deep apologies.

 

[Highviz]

@ Highviz,

Is your PAN axis set as 360 Servo ( 360 tickbox Okayed ) ? .. and is it using the default Servo Output 3 as the PAN output ?
Can you post a picture of the Servo 3 Tab ( pan Axis ) and also your Slew Setup Tab, with PAN settings showing ?

Hi George,

Yes pan is set as 360 servo

No - I am using S1 as pan (S1 pan, S2 roll, S3 tilt) - I think I moved these around while working out that the tilt and roll controls are transposed.

Here are my current screens - but as you can tell from my earlier posts, I have of course also tried it with pan set to slew......and different atv's and different deadbands and different stick authority etc etc !

Hope you can point me in the right direction

Thanks

View attachment 5515View attachment 5516

 

[GeorgeM]

Hi Malcolm,

Stick power at 60 is ( IMHO ) verrrrrry high..... is perhaps your PAN channel from your TX having very narrow endpoints ?? (possibly from the days when you were using a Gyro on the Pan axis ?? )
PAN stick should show around +-200 to +-400uS movement in the radio tab, and then this is 'diluted' inside Picloc by the 'stick power' adjustment.... around 6 to 16 max..perhaps ?
Picloc secretly has an exponential compensation built in.

Also.. your P-Gain should be enough, not too low, not too high.... ya know what i mean

Shall we meet up briefly on Skype to solve it very quickly = now if you like ?? contact me by email....

gm.

 

[PaNt]

Hi Holco.....
Ok... here we go....

these are pre-production units which I'm testing and continuing to improve new firmware, until the production units arrive.

The Production units are somewhat different. Can't say more right now.

Hope everyone likes them.

And George what about 3xpro?? will they have the same Firmware??! Or you wont support them after the new products..! You are going to do it like Apple every year a newer product..

 

[GeorgeM]

Or you wont support them after the new products..!

Nope....they do run the same firmware.
(LOL... otherwise... it would be a sure way of making MANY enemies !!!

The processor in Picloc-3X v1 (2011) is still plenty powerful.... so I kept using it in v2.
There will be no more X3gain , X1gain, etc etc....
Just one published firmware from now on.
One for PRO, and one for STD ( both v1 and v2 Piclocs).

V1 Piclocs will be called in for an upgrade if one likes.
More on this laters......

The new RSX will have its own firmware, because it's a very new processor architecture that is different from the 3X ( also... new processor doesn't physically fit in the RSX, and I cant drill a hole through it !!LOL!!

 

[Highviz]

Hi Malcolm,

Stick power at 60 is ( IMHO ) verrrrrry high..... is perhaps your PAN channel from your TX having very narrow endpoints ?? (possibly from the days when you were using a Gyro on the Pan axis ?? )

No - Tx is set to give +/- 100 endpoints. This is a brand new mount, so never run on standard gyros.


PAN stick should show around +-200 to +-400uS movement in the radio tab, and then this is 'diluted' inside Picloc by the 'stick power' adjustment.... around 6 to 16 max..perhaps ?
Picloc secretly has an exponential compensation built in.

Yes - Seems to give around +/- 200 for full stick movement when monitored on the ppm sum tab

Also.. your P-Gain should be enough, not too low, not too high.... ya know what i mean

Have played with various settings. Initially set on the ground, then reduced a bit after test flight.

Shall we meet up briefly on Skype to solve it very quickly = now if you like ?? contact me by email....

Yes please! - e-mail sent



gm.

Hoping that it can be sorted out - Malcolm

 

[PaNt]

Nope....they do run the same firmware.
The processor in Picloc-3X v1 (2011) is still plenty powerful.... so I kept using it in v2.
There will be no more X3gain , X1gain, etc etc....
Just one published firmware from now on.
One for PRO, and one for STD ( both v1 and v2 Piclocs).

V1 Piclocs will be called in for an upgrade if one likes.
More on this laters......

The new RSX will have its own firmware, because it's a very new processor architecture that is different from the 3X ( also... new processor doesn't physically fit in the RSX, and I cant drill a hole through it !!LOL!!

XMm nice.. Lets see then... i will the first i wll send it for upgrade We are w8ing George..!

Pls try to do the best about all of us that we have baught these unit a year ago..! And dont targer for the new products only...!

 

[Piranha]

Hi George! Finally nice NeW stuff! Is there any chance To get picloc from you! I am waiting more than year

 

[GeorgeM]

Yes sure...Piranha....

This new Picloc will LOVE to work in -30degrees and below that you'll have there soon
Even the v1 Piclocs with the mod that I'll offer.

Send me an email to reserve one..... hurry up.