Picloc 3x setting experience etc.
- Thread starter BorisS
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Pheliciano
Member
Hello fellow Picloc-ers. I've been following this thread for some time now while I've been setting up my octocopter and now I need to ask for your help directly.
I have a Picloc 3X Pro which I have mounted on an AV200 gimbal which I've upgraded with 1001copters' pot & gear kit. The servos are the stock Savox servos that come with the AV200. The picloc's powered from a 4S lipo via a Dimension Engineering SWADJ3 set to 7V.
Following the advice and experience on this site I've managed to get the stability looking pretty good, but it's not as good as some of the results I've seen on here I still have some issue with the roll when the copter rolls from one side to the other. The first couple of degrees don't seem to be corrected for when the copter changes its direction of roll. Here's a video of what I'm talking about:
The video was shot with a GoPro2 with the Ragecams 4mm lens upgrade.
Does anyone know what could be causing this slackness? Could it be down to the servos? It's not a huge movement, but I've seen other people's videos using the same kit I'm using, where the footage is absolutely rock solid, so I know it's possible!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Felix.
I have a Picloc 3X Pro which I have mounted on an AV200 gimbal which I've upgraded with 1001copters' pot & gear kit. The servos are the stock Savox servos that come with the AV200. The picloc's powered from a 4S lipo via a Dimension Engineering SWADJ3 set to 7V.
Following the advice and experience on this site I've managed to get the stability looking pretty good, but it's not as good as some of the results I've seen on here I still have some issue with the roll when the copter rolls from one side to the other. The first couple of degrees don't seem to be corrected for when the copter changes its direction of roll. Here's a video of what I'm talking about:
Does anyone know what could be causing this slackness? Could it be down to the servos? It's not a huge movement, but I've seen other people's videos using the same kit I'm using, where the footage is absolutely rock solid, so I know it's possible!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Felix.
Last edited by a moderator:
GeorgeM
Member
Felix, when using potentiometers ( you mention the 1001 upgrade kit with 3 turn pot .. which makes roll quite fast ) the only gains you need to adjust are these two:
P-Gain... to get the camera to stay level when you move the gimbal gently +-45 degrees... or less if you are on the AV200 roll ( because this is limited mechanically to much less angle).
Then give D-Gain ( acceleration ) to make the servo artificially boost it's target position so that it arrives faster.
The I-Gain must be Zero for servos that are proportional.. ( with pot ).
This algorithm is being made much better in the upcoming firmware release.
But there are still some bugs which I need to resolve prior to publishing.
If you, on the other hand... are using Picloc on the AV200 with the servos without directly connected pots ( ie.. Picloc mounted on the Camera tray ), the settings and methodology are different.
If you're using it this way, I'll explain differently.
gm.
P-Gain... to get the camera to stay level when you move the gimbal gently +-45 degrees... or less if you are on the AV200 roll ( because this is limited mechanically to much less angle).
Then give D-Gain ( acceleration ) to make the servo artificially boost it's target position so that it arrives faster.
The I-Gain must be Zero for servos that are proportional.. ( with pot ).
This algorithm is being made much better in the upcoming firmware release.
But there are still some bugs which I need to resolve prior to publishing.
If you, on the other hand... are using Picloc on the AV200 with the servos without directly connected pots ( ie.. Picloc mounted on the Camera tray ), the settings and methodology are different.
If you're using it this way, I'll explain differently.
gm.
Last edited by a moderator:
Pheliciano
Member
Hi George, thanks for the response. I'm using pots, so I'll tweak the settings and let you know how it works.
I've heard about the idea of mounting the picloc on the camera tray. Does this offer any advantages over mounting to the chassis?
I've heard about the idea of mounting the picloc on the camera tray. Does this offer any advantages over mounting to the chassis?
Pheliciano
Member
Okay, I tweaked the settings to be as follows for both the roll and tilt:
D Gain: Initially at 40, I upped to around 100
I Gain: 0
The P gains are both where they need top be to keep the camera plate level at both ends of travel.
Here's the result:
It seems pretty much the same... Any ideas?
D Gain: Initially at 40, I upped to around 100
I Gain: 0
The P gains are both where they need top be to keep the camera plate level at both ends of travel.
Here's the result:
It seems pretty much the same... Any ideas?
Last edited by a moderator:
I have installed picloc on the camera plate and cannot make it work. firmware: 56.76 X1, settings are: hierarhy: pan/roll/tilt, tilt in arrow direction, servo ratio 1:4 Savox 1290MG
The problem is I can't increase P enough to compensate tilt.
Here is what I try to do:
I have laser level, pointing horizontally to the wall 5 meters from copter, set tilt P, I, D to 0.
I tilt the copter 30 degrees, and start increasing P until laser beam returns to the previous position.
When P value equals 200, laser beam returns only 20-30% from desired position, so I have to increase P even more(I guess to 800-900). But when P value is around 500, picloc starts vibrating, so I have to decrease it.
In result I cannot level it.
I guess there must be a simple solution, but I can't find it.
The problem is I can't increase P enough to compensate tilt.
Here is what I try to do:
I have laser level, pointing horizontally to the wall 5 meters from copter, set tilt P, I, D to 0.
I tilt the copter 30 degrees, and start increasing P until laser beam returns to the previous position.
When P value equals 200, laser beam returns only 20-30% from desired position, so I have to increase P even more(I guess to 800-900). But when P value is around 500, picloc starts vibrating, so I have to decrease it.
In result I cannot level it.
I guess there must be a simple solution, but I can't find it.
yeehaanow
Member
All summer I've had the PL working great. No issues. Well, now that the warm weather is fading away my picloc isn't so happy. It works fine for about 4-5 minutes, then will drift and act strangely. What usually happens is the roll will lean to one side and change the center point. The tilt will sometimes not go the full travel anymore, or the roll will be coupled to the pan, as in- when I pan, the PL will roll.
While on top of a mountain with cold winds up high it was especially bad, so I wrapped the PL in foam to try to insulate it. That helped a little, but it still does it. The only fix is to land and reboot. I can go right back up again, but it's a pain to have to do this. I try to let it sit outside for a while before flying, but I'm worried about what will happen this winter.
I'm still on .55 firmware from last december, and it's on a cinestar gimbal with pots, and the arrow is mounted facing forwards.
Anything I can do?
While on top of a mountain with cold winds up high it was especially bad, so I wrapped the PL in foam to try to insulate it. That helped a little, but it still does it. The only fix is to land and reboot. I can go right back up again, but it's a pain to have to do this. I try to let it sit outside for a while before flying, but I'm worried about what will happen this winter.
I'm still on .55 firmware from last december, and it's on a cinestar gimbal with pots, and the arrow is mounted facing forwards.
Anything I can do?
GeorgeM
Member
Yeehaanow.... I understand you.... and also understand what you would like.
Unfortunately re-calibration of the Gyro is only possible when sitting still, so airborne re-calibration is a no-go.
In v55 Firmware and Toolz, there is no Gyro/Accelerometer mix adjustment ( like in v56 and in v57 firmware and toolz ).... which would help in this situation.
But the downside of this adjustment is that when you accelerate your craft, this will show as a lean of the camera towards the acceleration. So not really a serious workaround.
2 tips:
a) Leave Picloc out in the open to acclimatize well to the colder air after taking it out from your warm car. Better to leave it running but in E-Stop mode ( not consuming power from the servos )... but internally Picloc's Gyro is doing its thing and building a profile of the temperature. Then reboot Picloc( disconnect Power and reconnect ) just prior to flying.
b) With the promised upcoming gyro upgrade for Picloc-3X (version 1's), this temperature issue will be history. Will be available soon. ( Will not say when, but soon )
Thanks !!
gm//
Unfortunately re-calibration of the Gyro is only possible when sitting still, so airborne re-calibration is a no-go.
In v55 Firmware and Toolz, there is no Gyro/Accelerometer mix adjustment ( like in v56 and in v57 firmware and toolz ).... which would help in this situation.
But the downside of this adjustment is that when you accelerate your craft, this will show as a lean of the camera towards the acceleration. So not really a serious workaround.
2 tips:
a) Leave Picloc out in the open to acclimatize well to the colder air after taking it out from your warm car. Better to leave it running but in E-Stop mode ( not consuming power from the servos )... but internally Picloc's Gyro is doing its thing and building a profile of the temperature. Then reboot Picloc( disconnect Power and reconnect ) just prior to flying.
b) With the promised upcoming gyro upgrade for Picloc-3X (version 1's), this temperature issue will be history. Will be available soon. ( Will not say when, but soon )
Thanks !!
gm//
yeehaanow
Member
Thanks for the help George!
I will try that, which makes more sense than what I was doing. I wasn't leaving it on between flights.
It may not be necessary with newer gyros, but if there was a way for it to change the G/A mix in flight just to reorient itself, on command perhaps, maybe that would be akin to re-booting in the air?
I guess I should not be scared and update the firmware already. I've been too afraid to change anything because it's been working very well. Looking forward to the upgrade.
I will try that, which makes more sense than what I was doing. I wasn't leaving it on between flights.
It may not be necessary with newer gyros, but if there was a way for it to change the G/A mix in flight just to reorient itself, on command perhaps, maybe that would be akin to re-booting in the air?
I guess I should not be scared and update the firmware already. I've been too afraid to change anything because it's been working very well. Looking forward to the upgrade.
GeorgeM
Member
Tim,
OK. Yes.. the function you mention has been on my wish list for too long.
It is already possible through the jetibox link, but not everyone has a jetibox.
I will add it to the upcoming firmware, as a selectable item to be assigned to a channel.
I think I need to shift all Picloc's AUX functions to something like what MultiWii uses for its selectable functions (ie... L M H ) .
I hope not to infringe on any patents/ideas by doing this. I've always been very careful not to.
I'll figure out how to do this.
gm//
OK. Yes.. the function you mention has been on my wish list for too long.
It is already possible through the jetibox link, but not everyone has a jetibox.
I will add it to the upcoming firmware, as a selectable item to be assigned to a channel.
I think I need to shift all Picloc's AUX functions to something like what MultiWii uses for its selectable functions (ie... L M H ) .
I hope not to infringe on any patents/ideas by doing this. I've always been very careful not to.
I'll figure out how to do this.
gm//
Hello George,
I have mounted Picloc 3x on a big quad with 360 servo and camera head Made self.
The problem is that the speed of servo is low for level camera mount in roll and tilt also if i put Gain to
max value and acceleration also.
I placed Picloc on camera plate with connector in back position.
My servo are Hitec hs-985mg.
can you explain me how are the right configurations settings?
Thanks
Marco
I have mounted Picloc 3x on a big quad with 360 servo and camera head Made self.
The problem is that the speed of servo is low for level camera mount in roll and tilt also if i put Gain to
max value and acceleration also.
I placed Picloc on camera plate with connector in back position.
My servo are Hitec hs-985mg.
can you explain me how are the right configurations settings?
Thanks
Marco
these servos are too slow..!
Yeah, what PaNt said. You definitely need faster servos.
JR8917HV. Expensive but well worth it. Servo choice will also depend on your reduction ratio. 5/1, around there. When selecting servo, go digital only, speed less than .08 sec, minimum deadband. Check the specs of the JR and look for something similar. Other brand: Savox (a few choices there), Spectrum H6040.
E
George is this gyro upgrade a firmware upgrade or a newer version of the Picloc 3X?
tahoelight
Member
I've read on this forum about quite a few folks having Jitter issues on the tilt axis. I have always fought the jitter and it seems to be as bad as ever right now. I just spent a couple hours drilling new holes in the AV200 camera plate to balance Canon 5D/16-35mm lens and I still have really bad jitter. I will admit I cannot seem to get the camera perfectly balanced at all tilt configurations.
All jitter issue talk seems to end with a skype with George without posting what the fix is on the forum. Anyone have any advice?
All jitter issue talk seems to end with a skype with George without posting what the fix is on the forum. Anyone have any advice?