PixHawk and Marvelmind Integration Manual PixHawk/APM Integration with Marvelmind mobile beacon
The guide assumes that: 1) The user has configured the copter according to the recommendations available at http://ardupilot.org/copter/index.html 2) The balancing of propeller-driven stream was executed and setting up PIDregulator coefficients is done 3) The copter robustly flies using the GPS receiver 4) The Indoor “GPS” is set well and tracking of the mobile beacon installed on the copter is robust. For more details: ‐ https://marvelmind.com/pics/marvelmind_navigation_system_manual.pdf) ‐ https://www.
1. Marvelmind software installation and configuration Follow the instructions below to install Marvelmind system: ‐ https://marvelmind.com/pics/marvelmind_navigation_system_manual.pdf ‐ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOce7B2_6Sk Place stationary beacons on walls vertically in a way that provides optimal ultrasound coverage. It is recommended to start with a 10 x 6 m room or so. Larger rooms are even more preferred, because that would reduce noise from the copter and echo.
• Connect modem to your PC • Run the Dashboard • On the map, the program should have beacons, as shown below in the screenshot. • Each beacon has its own address from 0 to 99, which can be reassigned. To do this, go to the right Dashboard parameters panel and choose Device address (0..99) • Next, you need one of the beacons and assign a mobile "Hedgehog", to be installed on the copter.
• To start with the system, click "Freeze map". Do it only, when the table of distances (top-left corner) is white. Mobile beacon will start emitting at a certain frequency set in the Ultrasonic Settings (default: 31kHz) ultrasonic pulses, and the map will show its movement when the mobile beacon moves.
2. Autopilot setup To configure the autopilot, download and install the Mission Planner software http://firmware.eu.ardupilot.org/Tools/MissionPlanner Also, you need to download special software and settings for autopilot: Autopilot software: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7tPlrvOUY3xb3ktM1gyRG1mTEk/view?usp=sharing Parameter file: https://drive.google.
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• Find an unpacked file named "ArduCopter-v2.
• Next step is to connect to the autopilot. Choose the port through which Pixhawk is connected to the PC; Then set speed in the adjacent tab = 115200 and press button "CONNECT". After that, download the loading parameters from the autopilot. • After reading the parameters, go to the "CONFIG / TUNNING" menu and select the "Full Parameter Tree" item. Find the "AHRS" parameter group to expand the branch and set the value in the "AHRS_EKF_TYPE" parameter to 3.
• After reboot, connect to the autopilot again and read the parameters. Then go to the "CONFIG / TUNNING" menu and select the "Full Parameter Tree" item. On the right, we click the button "Download from file". Pixelfok.ru, select it and click the "Open" button.
• In the appeared message we press the button "Ok". After that, all the parameters that have been changed are highlighted in green. To record them in the autopilot, press the "Write Params" button, then restart the autopilot. • Connect the autopilot again to the PC, connect, read the parameters. We now turn to setting the frame type of the copter. To do this, select the "INITIAL SETUP" menu, then select "Frame Type" in the "Mandatory Hardware" submenu.
• Next, configure the accelerometers, for which we move on to the next item "Accel Calibration". Locate the copter immovably and strictly in the horizon (This will further determine the stability in flight) and do not move copter during the calibration at the level of the horizon. Press the lower button "Calibrate Level".
4. Compass calibration To calibrate the compass, go to the menu item "Compass": 1. To enable and set in the drop-down list choose Compass 1 (Arrow1,2) 2. Turn off Automatic rejection (Arrow 3) 3. In the Compass # 1 group, select "Use this compass" (arrow 4) • Next, you need to calibrate the compass.
• When finished, the program will ask you to restart the autopilot. To do this, go to the FLIGHT DATA tab, select the "Actions" panel in the "PREFLIGHT_REBOOT_SHUTDOWN" pop-up list and click "Run". Mobile beacon can send GPS data via UART and USB (virtual UART). The NMEA protocol must be enabled in the device with the dashboard, as shown below.
5. Setting up the equipment Connect the PPM or SBUS-output of the radio to the RC-input of the autopilot as shown ground power signal ground power If your receiver does not have a PPM or SBUS output, you can connect it via PPM encoder, described in detail here. Further, apply power to the autopilot, and the receiver itself must be turned on. Note that some receivers, especially those with telemetry, consume enough power to feed through the RC port of the autopilot, so that the autopilot can reboot.
If everything is connected correctly, then you will see cylinders with green stripes. If moving sticks on the equipment, they will change their length. Note that when moving a stick which is responsible for "Pitch" up the green column fill should decrease. If this is not the case, place the reverse of the corresponding channel on the equipment.
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7. Flight mode setting Remove the propellers and connect the battery to the copter; • • Set the 3-position control switch to channel 5 Connect the copter to the PC via the USB port and press the "CONNECT" button; Then go to the INITIAL SETUP | Mandatory Hardware | Flight Modes When switching the three-position switch, various flight modes will be highlighted in green. Select your flight mode for each switch position.
8. Preparing copter for flight Connect the mobile beacon to the Pixhawk v2.4.8 autopilot to the GPS port as shown in the figure below.
• Connect the "Marvelmind" modem to the PC, start "Dashboard", and press the "Freeze map" button • Install the copter in its original position, from which it must take off • Next, go to the FLIGHT DATA page • On the bottom panel in the "Quick" tab, find the parameter "Yaw (deg)" • Subtract the displayed number from 360. This will be the correction for the magnetic north of the position of the Copter. It must be entered in the compass settings.
• Reboot the autopilot. Finally, the parameter "Yaw (deg)" should be within 0 ± 5 degrees.
9. Dashboard setting up • Connect the Marvelmind modem, as well as the autopilot telemetry modem to the PC • To exclude mutual radio interference of equipment, you may try to use different frequency bands, for example, 915 MHz for autopilot modems and 433 MHz for the Marvelmind modem.
• To do so, visit https://www.google.com/maps/, for example. Find the place of flights on the map, click on it, information about this place includes coordinates of this place.
• Choose the "hedgehog" in the lower device panel • Next, in the "Interfaces" parameter, set the UART speed to 115200 baudrate, and the "NMEA" • Next, select one of the beacons on the bottom panel and set the "Number of periods" parameter to 50, press "Ctrl" on the keyboard and press "Write all"
Now it is necessary to coordinate the conditional north of the sub-map in the "Dashboard" with the conditional north of the Copter. • Freeze the map by clicking the "Freeze map" button and select the sub-map by pressing "Submap" Move the cursor to the "hedgehog" and hold down "CTRL" on the keyboard, hold down the left mouse button and move the cursor to the intersection of the axes of the sub-map, and release all buttons. In this case, the "hedgehog" should be in this place.
• Start moving the nose with the nose forward from its home position, the remaining track on the sub-card will show the deviation from the vertical axis. tilt angle • If on the map the copter moves in the opposite direction, then mirror the map by pressing the button • In the map properties, select the angle so the copter location to the conditional north coincides with the "Y" axis and on the map it moves upwards.
10. Building a route with “Mission Planner” Open the "Mission Planner" and connect to the Copter, and the card in the "Dashboard" should be frozen, and the main Pixhawk LED should flash green. • Go to the page "FLIGHT PLAN" and maximize the map in the place where the copter will be displayed, set the takeoff point: Move the cursor over the copter and select "Set Home Here" from the context menu. After that, the "H" mark appears above the Copter icon on the map.
• • Further, without turning the copter on the "Yaw", move the copter physically to the next point of the route, on the map the copter will move to this point. Click the left button on the map where the copter is located, set the height leaving the point as "WAYPOINT" and so on. After building a route, move the copter to its original position, so that it is in the center of the "Dashboard" map and at the "H" point of the "Mission Planner" map. Then click the "Write WP" button.
• Reboot the autopilot (Do it every time before the flight or when the telemetry readings on the left panel or horizon level begin to change their values when the copter is in the initial and stationary state). • Switch flight mode to "PosHold" • Boost the autopilot - the gas stick, move it down and to the right and hold it in this position until the buzzer’s long sound (if any), while the main LED stops flashing and turns green.
11. Contacts For additional support, please send your questions to info@marvelmind.com Please, also check this forum for more information.
