APM 2.6 setup problems

[AndyP57]

I'm having some strange problems setting up an APM 2.6 board within Mission Planner.

The Firmware updates fine, then connecting to the board through USB, the calibration of the board saves ok. The problem arises when I try to calibrate Radio. Regardless of how I connect the Rx to the board (The standard 1 to 1 connections or cPPM using channel 1 with a jumper over the signal pins of channels 2 and 3), Mission Planner doesn't 'see' the radio so I don't get any green bars to calibrate the throws. The Rx is bound correctly to my Tx (Tx is Spektrum DX6 and Rx is Orange R615X)

Occasionally MP refuses to connect to the board with the radio connected but that isn't every time. Even when connected and correctly seeing everything else on the board, the radio is a 'stopper'

Has anyone else seen this problem and if you have, what's the cure.
Thanks in advance

 

[makattack]

Which channel pin are you using from the orx to the apm pin 1? I'm nitty familiar with that rx, but the manual states the ppm signal is on the bind port:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uploads/672761531X1606554X18.pdf

 

[AndyP57]

Yes, That's the one. Rx Bind port to APM Port 1 with signals 2 and 3 connected on APM. I've got cPPM working fine on a KK2 board and have also connected conventionally to the APM with the same results.

 

[makattack]

I assume you're running the latest version of arducopter that's compatible with APM? I know earlier versions had problems with PPM on receivers that output less than 8 channels. The ORX apparently outputs only 6. Have you checked the continuity of the jumper you're using?

Only other possibility to explain the problem is that the PPM output might be incompatible between the ORX and APM software. I believe the PPM processing bit is flashed into a separate controller that isn't updated with the regular APM flight software. I suppose different timing pulses might cause that... but I don't know. You might check the diydrones forum for more APM help.

 

[timpainter]

Hi
Just a thought , Has the rc processor input been re flashed for serial receivers ( sbus etc) ?

Tim

 

[Phoenix Defender Group]

Do you have a different receiver you could borrow to try it with? It does seem to be a compatibility issue, I know that when I used my dynam receiver with the APM it didn't work but when I moved up to my R9D from radio link It worked flawlessly. Te issue is not all PPM/PWM signals are the same and not everything is cross compatible. It sounds like you may need to switch your receiver for a spektrum one.