Summary

Objectives

• Proof of flight for Anaconda
• Proof of flight for Quad
• Integration test with full system (tracking antenna + data relay + gimbal + DJI + picpilot)
• Test out new DragonLink UHF system
• Test out Taranis

Notes and Problems Encountered

• Data relay couldn't connect to router - faulty static IP network configuration
  
  • Didn't have keyboard of monitor, no way to interact with the relay. Managed to fix it since there was a keyboard inside the shed
• RF Issues still persistent
  • Tried DragonLink's low power range test mode. Should have gotten range of 10m, got less than 1m. 
  • Unplugging picpilot and powering dragon link off of battery alone got 10m range. Plugging dragonlink off of ESC alone got close to 10m, but results were inconsistent
  • Found out weather station transmits at 433Mhz, but not continuously (every minute) using spectrum analyzer
• No GPS on plane. DMA seemed to be working. Values received were very weird (~5.73 instead of the usual -80)
  • Couldn't test tracking antenna because of this
• Gimbal mount was too high. Couldn't mount the Xbee and IMU properly. Xbee on the plane got snapped off because of this
• Taranis RC controller had weird behavior for a certain amount of time. Seemed like the up menu button was continiously being pressed. Cant tell if its because the 3 cell 1C battery was used in place of the usual NiMh one
  • Resolved after a few minutes
• Took out everything from the plane before flight. Flew as an rc plane only (no picpilot, no imu, gps, or telemetry).
  • Almost crashed the plane. Didn't test CG and it was way off because there was no gimbal at the front. Had to put the batteries all the way to the front to get a successful proof of flight for the plane
• Quad didnt fly
  • Rate control seems off
  • The frame seems to twist with the throttle on?
  • Toppled as soon as it got lift
  • Might have been due to improper IMU calibration or wrong gains
  • Pitch control seems to be incorrect. Roll and yaw control seem to be doing right things (in rate mode using controller)
  • Blue 6 cell battery (5000mAh, 25C) didn't seem to have enough power to turn on all 4 motors with props on. Had to put 12000mAh 10C battery on
  • Tried weighing down the quad with a heavy rock using duct tape. Didnt work out, quad was totally unbalanced

Tasks Before Next Test

Mechanical:

• Need to relabel left and right tail PWM labels (theyre the other way around currently)
• Glue the tail jacks in place, as they fell out again
• Flaps seem loose? Not sure if they'll work. Should test them out
• Re-attach gimbal case to the middle of the plane.
  • May need to reprint
  • Make sure xbee and IMU can be mounted correctly, and without tape

Autopilot

• Investigate issues with GPS. Try to get it to lock and connect
• Investigate inconsistency with DMA communications. Have to restart the picpilot sometimes to get it to work
• Enable flap control through autopilot for steve

Other

• Adjust Taranis for low, medium and high sensitivity of inputs for both anaconda and quad models
• Adjust Taranis for correct flap output on channel 8
• Fix data relay network configuration
• Perform RF test with DragonLink range test mode in bay. Figure out WTF is going on with these RF issues. Use spectrum analyzer to debug cause
• Add CG guide on flight checklist (we have to remember this everytime). A picture would be nice
• Update flight checklist channel hookup guide, as its now incorrect with PPM and the new radios we have

Quad

• Need to determine and verify the angle/rate control switch for quad. ie which one is rate, which one is angle? Does it work?
• Verify that the CC3D controller for quad is oriented correctly (IMU is doing right things). Can do this while plugged into USB and viewing telemetry with LibrePilot GCS
• Perform a throttle test with all the props on. Make sure we can get to 100% throttle with the batteries we have
• Put the Quad on the roll test rig and make sure it can stabilize correctly

Videos

Proof of flight for SPIKE:

Bucket Quad first test (topples):

SPIKE Flight (almost crash from bad CG without gimbal):