Building my first quad using an APM module.

SPECS:

APM 2.6 with Power Connector
UBLOX Neo 6M 001 GPS module with external compass connected to the side port [6 pin] on APM and MAG connected to the I2C port on APM
EMAX 4in1 ESC and MT 2213 Motors x 4
Fly Sky FS T-6 6Ch Tx-Rx
Wolfpack 4200mAh 20C 3S Lipo

I'm using Mission Planner ver 1.3.7 with firmware version 3.1

I am done with calibrating the Compass, Accelerometer, Radio, and the ESC [hopefully!].

The only problem is with getting a GPS lock in the planner. The only status on the GPS module that is constantly ON is the Power Status blue LED. The APM's blue LED blinks constantly indicating its not getting a GPS lock. The Pre-Arm check fails at No GPS lock.

GPS module snap:

click here: http://imgur.com/3CL9H53

If I bypass the GPS check from the Pre-Arm validations, it's getting armed normally [APM's red LED is solid].


click here: http://imgur.com/z2PyecY


click here: http://imgur.com/2wUoljm

I tried to test the output of the GPS using the CLI in Mission Planner and it displays garbage.

click here: http://imgur.com/1rZd1Rg
Does this indicate that the GPS module is broken or is it something else?

One other odd thing that I've noticed is that while arming only two motors will start spinning. The moment I give a slight throttle, all the 4 motors starts spinning.
The firmware 3.1 has the motors spin when armed option enabled. Does this mean my ESC calibration is improper?

I did the ALL AT ONCE calibration from the copter page: ARDUCOPTERhttp://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/initial-setup/esc-motor/

Requesting your kind assistance in resolving these problems!!

please give me a call me 7678013993
or come over at my place will help you out i am from Mumbai as well

Testing inside or outsite?

inside - on a balcony

Test it in open ground to get good solid GPS lock, it takes lot of time to get a gps lock inside. I have faced this problem, just go outside the the gps lock would be very quick

I'll check on to that and update. Also, any idea about the only two motors spinning while arming problem??

This is normal. Try to set the speed of the motor from "Very Slow" to "Slow" in MOT_SPIN_ARMED parameter in Mission Planner.

@satyagupta

Its working.. I'm getting a GPS Lock!!!

AWESOME..



@phanivyas...

Thanks. Updated the params to "SLOW". All 4 Motors are now spinning when ARMED!

My sincere thanks for your help!!

You are welcome

Satya, I'm having the same problem.

The compass on the NEO 6M module I bought from you works fine. However, I tried to test the loiter mode and GPS for the first time today and it shows zero satellites.

I've checked and rechecked all hardware connections and software parameters. It still shows '0' satellites. I fly in a large open ground and I've tried the GPS at different times of the day now.

Am I missing something basic or is the module faulty?

Swapnil have you updated firmware to arducopter 3.2?

Yes, I'm using AC 3.2. Do we need to configure (/reconfigure) the Ublox 6m using u-center?

which module are you using? link or pic pls?

The name of the module is in the topic name.

http://www.quadkopters.com/product/flight-controllers/ublox-6m-gps-with-cover/

Ok. It is not mandatory to reconfigure it using u-center. Do this, open the case and check for any loose connectivity at the relimate connectors on the board or the antenna connector near the GPS chip.

If it has never worked since the beginning, then checking pinouts of apm---neo 6m may be necessary.

Ardupilot configures the module while booting up, so no point in changing settings via ucenter.
But you can check if your module is working or not by connecting to ucenter which should help to ascertain whether module is at fault.
Initially it may take upto half an hour to get a 3d fix while using these modules, so please keep that in mind.

I have APM 2.6 with NEO 6M external w/ compass. The setup was working fine but after updating to firmware 3.2 blue LED on APM stopped blinking as well as i don't see GPS connected to the APM. I rolled back to 3.1.5 and same setup started working again, which proved that there is something software glitch which causing NEO to stop working. Then i contacted few dev members and some of them believe that new firmware dropped support for NMEA protocol. reconfigure from u-center helped them to get same GPS working again. i can send procedure to change these settings , however Randy himself refused that but whatever reason it may be 3.2 not working with this GPS. all i can say is try firmware 3.1.5 from mission planner and check again. also check that wether blue led blinks or not with current setup?

dear friends
i have bought an apm 2.6 with an external compass ublox neo 6m .
when i connect the gps to the apm , im unable to access the mssion planner , if i disconnect its working fine and says no gps fix . i dont know what to do .plz help .i have an ambition to make quads . this is my first quad . what i want to sAy is gps module is not working.

dude,
i have bought an apm 2.6 with an external compass ublox neo 6m .
when i connect the gps to the apm , im unable to access the mssion planner , if i disconnect its working fine and says no gps fix . i dont know what to do .plz help .i have an ambition to make quads . this is my first quad . i dont know if my gps is notworking.

It hasn't worked since the beginning. But, I didn't focus on it so much as I was learning to fly in stabilize mode.
And, HALF an hour for a good fix initially?!! Wow, I didn't know that! I'll try it and report back.

Dharmik, thanks for all the info!
So, should I reconfigure the module to work with AC 3.2 or would it be better to roll back to 3.1.5?
Are there major differences between the two firmwares?

Okay, it was really really stupid of me, but I just realized that the blue led is not blinking at all. So, it's either a faulty GPS or a faulty connection, right?

No we can not say faulty GPS atleast at this moment. just roll back to 3.1.5 firmware which is avialable on "load previous firmware" tab in missiom planner and check whether it works or not. I am sure issue is regarding fw3.2. major differences are new features like hybrid mode and bug fixes but still 3.1.5 is good.

EDIT:
to check either GPS or connection is faulty check your. as long as i know if it is same GPS as i have it comes with two leds. red and green on GPS unit circuit. when you power up the APM blue led on the APM blinks and green led on the gps umit will turn on means GPS unit has power and either GPS has no 3D fix or HDOP is above 2.0. once you get 3D lock blue led will turn to solid and red led on the gps unit will start blinking as well.

I uploaded the AC 3.1.5 FW, but the blue LED on the APM is still not blinking. I'll open the GPS cover tomorrow and see what's going on inside.

I opened up the GPS cover and there were no broken connections or bad solder joints. Also, there were no LEDs.

With the 3.1.5 firmware the red LED flashes faster with the GPS connector attached. But Mission Planner still shows the 'No GPS' message. I don't know what to make of all this.

I also left the quad outside for an hour with the LiPo connected. Still the same results. I guess I'll have to use u-center to check the module. Has anyone tried that before?

Do you see any LED on the module? video might help.

No LED on the GPS ?? Pls post a close up pic of your GPS module opened.

Here's a pic.

The compass is working fine, so the module must be getting power. Maybe, it's just the GPS chip that is faulty.
I should have bought a better module. This is what you get for trying to save a few bucks. 

There has to be a gps antenna cable which goes to the top ceramic antenna. I couldn't see that in the pic.

The ceramic antenna is soldered on the back of the board.

Strange! How about any leds on the side of antenna? Your GPS looks a bit different than whats usually out there.

Just maybe, & I mean maybe tx/rx wires of gps may be inverted. Since mag works fine, we can be sure of two things that 3.3v power is working fine as well as i2c data lines. Also check the plugs on module and sockets on APM, can be case of bad soldering job too.

Anyways are the pins marked on module? If not I have put up some images so that you can identify whether they are properly connected or not. Trace the wires from APM to module.

The pinouts for 6m modules and apm 2.6 are


And try connecting it up with ucenter. You can do that directly if you have an FTDI, or use APM as passthrough to connect module to ucenter. Procedure on connecting it can be found http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-ublox-gps/

Thanks for the link Vishakh! I didn't know there was a passthrough method! I do have a FTDI board but I really didn't want to mess with that little GPS connector. That little thing gave me headaches while trying to update the telemetry firmware. Thankfully, the telemetry module had extra solder pads for all wires so I didn't have to buy a converter cable.

And, thanks for the pic. The board does have the pins marked. I'll check that before connecting to u-center. I might have found that picture if I had tried harder. I just give up easily and go into lazy mode when something doesn't work! It's weird how google gives me the best results when I'm trying to help someone else but when I'm stuck it just spits out gibberish!

I bought this module from quadcopters.com. I don't understand why it's different. Don't we all buy our quad stuff from there?

The connections are okay.

I tried the passthrough method but u-center shows no output. I also checked that COM port on arduino but still no output. The Tx, Rx pins aren't reversed or anything.

So either there's a bad wire somewhere or the GPS chip is bad. Maybe I should contact Satya...

Hey Swapnil, i did not get any notification from RCI hence never knew about your updates here

So the 6M that has be shown by SideWinder and the 6M that you bought are different in the terms of size rest everything is same. The one that comes with the cover has a slightly smaller size and the position of the components are different thats it.


I dont have 6M with cover in stock as of now but would get it back very soon, can you send it back to me will check and let you know about it.

Thanks so much Satya! I know this sucks and I wouldn't have usually thought about troubling you but I've tried everything and I've run out of options. The u-center software seems to connect but there is no output. I don't want to solder wires to the board and check individual outputs.

I'll send it back to you ASAP. You don't have to replace it or anything. Just see if you can make it work. I'll take it back even if it doesn't! 

I have the same problem too... till yesterday but when I installed the firmware 3.1.5 it was like a cake walk. And I have got the same gps module as you... hope this works. And is the red led, the only one on your module??

I tried 3.1.5 but it didn't work. I don't have any LEDs on my module either.
I've sent the module back to Satya. Hope he'll be able to sort it out.

I sent my module back to Satya (quadkopters.com) and he said that the module itself was faulty. And, even though it'd been a long time since I purchased the module, he replaced it with a brand new one at his own expence. Any other LHS would have told me that I had tampered with the module or somehow it was my own fault. But, Satya replaced it without any questions!

I received my new module and tested it with the 3.2 FW and it worked straight away. No warm up time! No error messages!

I'm really grateful to Satya for his understanding and generosity! 

Guys, facing an issue with GPS HOLD flight mode with APM 2.6 + UBlox 6m Neo setup.

I bought a new UBlox 6m from Quadkopters. Went through some online video to understand how the setup needs to be done.

1. Downloaded the APM / UBlox passthorugh.
2. Synced it in the APM + GPS system.
3. Connected the GPS to UCentre - with APM as the conjunction.
4. Synced in the UBlox configuraton file.
5. Calibrated the Compass - 180 (roll)
6. Calibrated Accelerometer / Radio.

I do get a good GPS lock (8 - 10) satellites. However when I get the copter flying in GPS Hold position - it just loiters around from 1 point to other . I have not set any WAY POINTS. More over I am not quite sure which way the GPS module needs to face. As of now the GPS led light faces the FORWARD Direction.

Inspite of getting a good GPS lock - when I am in the APM planner - the little quad on the screen wanders everywhere .

Need some expert advice - what am I missing ?

Ublox passthrough only needed if you want to flash new firmware on module. To know front side of module get compass and know north direction now connect quad to mission planner and set module as per compass's north side.

Thanks Dharmik.

Any suggestions on the GPS Hold mode

Please ensure that compass is at the bottom else you do not need to set 180 degree option. Since your module was not perfectly in the direction it might also causing issue.

I used a pocket compass and tried to match the direction ....all set correctly...
Still not getting a GPS lock .

okie there might be some other reasons as well. can you pist some clear pics of your module? have you flashed firmware of gps module? thaere are some that might create trouble ti setting up.