Quad Zero Post #4: Calibrations
In-between
post there have been multiple snags in getting the quad copter in the air. Each
are listed below in order of headaches:
1.
Power Sources: I would like to thank Ohms Law to
convincing me that overloading the Pi Zero with too much voltage will indeed
fry the voltage regulator. This will cause the PCB to smoke and make your board
useless. DO NOT CONNECT THE POWER MODULE AND THE 2A POWER SUPPLY AT THE SAME
TIME. I blame my lack of attention and ignorance for this mistake. My solution
is to order a new Raspberry Pi Zero but in the mean time I will continue the
build using a Pi 2 B+. This does have its advantages in more CPU power and
faster processing. I will like to compare the two computers for future builds.
2.
ESCs: My original ESCs were HiTech 18Amp with no
BEC power connection which became important in powering the ESCs for ultimate
control. I then traded them for 12A Afro ESC.
3.
Wi-Fi Dongle: This part of the project had me
researching network protocols and taught me a lot about specific IEEE protocols
that help me pick the appropriate adapter. Because of the Wi-Fi hotspot on the
PXFmini emitting a 5 GHz band and my failure of creating a similar frequency
band, I choose Netgear AC600 Dual Band wireless AC adapter. This adapter is
capital of emitting 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency band.
Once these changes were made the Wi-Fi hotspot from the
PXFmini was visible and I was able to connect using APM Mission Planner 2.0.
Once the connection was made the accelerometers and gyroscopes were active and
receiving positioning from the quadcopter.
Steps to configure the copter along with the radio controller and ESC
can be found on the link:
Rotor Direction:
To
successfully control the quadcopter the Rotors have to spin in two different
directions (Clockwise – C & Counter Clockwise – CC.) The figure below
indicates what motors spin in the desired direction.
To test this without
the propellers attached, I placed small sticker tabs on each rotor and
determined the rotation. To change the direction switch any two leads and
double check the direction. Now is time to test!
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