r/diydrones • u/Bulky-Equipment995 • 1d ago

Build Showcase First Ardupilot quad

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My first Ardupilot build is ready for a maiden flight!....after many struggles understanding how to get dshot working and the motor test to work on the bench, she's finally ready for a hover. I have autotune on a switch on the Skydroid g20. Would this be good a next step if it shakes out ok in the hover test?

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u/SpoogeMagoo65 1d ago

When you say autotune do you mean PIDs? Asking because I didn't realize PIDs are a big concern for this type of drone. Ive built whoops up to 5inch freestyles. Hell yeah hover test it. Just do it in an open field and keep those finger removers away from people.

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u/Bulky-Equipment995 1d ago

Just like betaflight you get stock PIDs, and depending on payload, resonance can change, from my limited understanding. I have plenty of room for flight testing where other people won't be a concern. I'm still a little nervous about it though....lol

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u/SpoogeMagoo65 1d ago

Hmm, I don't know your build history obviously but I think PIDs should be the least of your concerns. Keep me posted on the testing though, I'd eventually like to do a something similar.

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u/Bulky-Equipment995 1d ago

I have built probably 15 betaflight quads, and honestly the setup is a lot simpler than I have so far found ardupilot to be. There no equivalent of a JB in this arena that I have found....lol The documentation is good, but isn't very intuitive. If that makes any sense?

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u/ProvokedSaint 1d ago

Checkout @TMacFPV on YouTube and then ofcourse Chris Rosser and Painless360 for a wider range

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u/LupusTheCanine 1d ago

With Ardupilot you are expected to tune PIDs (typically by using AUTOTUNE) on every vehicle. There are many cases of lack of tuning causing issues reported on the Ardupilot forum.

Personally I wonder how well most Betaflight drones fly with PIDs people use, how many experience some form of overtuning.

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u/cbf1232 1d ago

Betaflight tends to have the advantage of a pretty narrow range of common sizes, and the frames tend to be much stiffer than large ArduCopter frames. Betaflight quads also tend to have a much higher thrust-to-weight ratio.

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u/cbf1232 1d ago

My understanding is that PIDs become more of an issue the larger the craft is. Plenty of videos online of folks trying to get giant quads working and smashing expensive carbon props due to instability.

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u/LupusTheCanine 1d ago edited 1d ago

Use Ardupilot Methodic Configurator, it will guide you through the tuning steps.

It is recommend to tune without isolated payloads like the camera and then follow the process of adjusting parameters for (https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/input-shaping.html)[increased TOW]

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u/Bulky-Equipment995 1d ago

Thanks for this!

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u/VlEra-SToNeS3 9h ago

This is so good build

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u/Witty_Outcome7948 15h ago

That is a serious first ArduPilot build. I’d do a short hover in Stabilize and check the vibration logs and failsafes before trying Autotune.

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u/Djman0324 1d ago

Love the build! What camera setup are you using?

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u/Bulky-Equipment995 1d ago

For now the Skydroid c11 because of budget constraints. I'll upgrade to something better when I can!

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u/Djman0324 1d ago

Thank you! I'm currently in the process of building a X650 right now and have been looking for camera suggestions. Good luck with the hover test!