help with APM 2.5

Malooga56

Junior Member
Hi All:

I'm new here and apologize if this has been addressed - please refer me to articles etc. I recently bought all the stuff to build a quadcopter, and decided on the HKPilot mega 2.5 board. I've installed the misson planner, it loaded the firmware for the quad, set the basic settings etc. When I power up, the board continues to beep fast with the motors twitching (twerking?) to the beep. I have done both the automatic and the manual esc calibration. When this beeping is taking place, I can't arm or disarm...nothing works. The only way I can control the motors is to power up with my radio set to full throttle, wait for three beeps, power off, then power up again, wait for two beeps then throttle down. Then I can control the motors with my radio.....but.....when I throttle up and lift the quad and start rotating, the gyros aren't kicking in and compensating by changing motor speed. It almost seems as if I've done the calibration, but it needs to be saved somehow. I have a Spektrum Dx6i radio, Turnigy Plush 30a esc's, and I believe they are Turnigy 960kv outrunner motors. I'd love to get out flying but I can't get past this. Any help would be humongously appreciated.

Thanks again,

Alex
 

vk2dxn

Senior Member
Hey Alex

To answer the last part of your post you are in ESC cal mode hence why there is no compensation.

Have you done the radio end point cal?
I find with my HKmega 2.5 to arm it the apm needs to have sat lock then hold rudder left for something like 5-10sec and you will see both led's flash. Centre the rudder and after a few sec the sat loc led will remain solid with other led blinking. Hold rudder left again for 5-10sec and the blinking led will turn solid. The apm is now armed
 

Malooga56

Junior Member
Hello:

Thanks...I did the radio calibration in mission planner...just wondering now...the gps was on backorder...I don't have it yet, but I would think that you still should be able to operate without the gps???? Is there something I should be doing after I do the esc calibration that saves everything potentially getting the board ready for the next time I power up...i.e. I should theoretically be able to power up, arm and away we go??? I will try your arm process without the gps...see if I have success. Should be getting gps shortly then will try again....don't know what to do after that if it doesn't work.

Appreciate all the help,

Alex
 

vk2dxn

Senior Member
Alex I have never tried the apm without gps but it would urge you to get one for it as the apm will have limited functionality without it. It would have been cheaper to get a KK2