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Flightmode Settings

James Cotton edited this page Mar 10, 2014 · 32 revisions

On the input configuration page:

Input configuration

You can select which behavior the different flight mode switches trigger, and use this to change modes while flying.

Flight Modes

Stabilized{1,2,3}

So, for example, Stabilized1 in the photo above will use Attitude for Roll and Pitch and AxisLock for Yaw. To understand what these individual axis selections do, please read below.

Altitude Hold

In this mode, by default you will be flying in a vario mode. That means that if your throttle is high the aircraft will climb and if it is low it will descend. There is a deadband around mid throttle where it will hold the current altitude and an exponential component to the range to make it less sensitive in the middle.

In Altitude Hold mode there is compensation for the bank angle to allow the MR to hold altitude as it flies forward. This can be disabled with AltitudeHoldSettings.TiltCompensation.

To change the stick sensitivity, change AltitudeHoldSettings.MaxRate. Set this to zero if you do not want to be able to climb or descend and just want it to hold altitude. Set AltitudeHoldSettings.Expo to change the stick sensitivity in the middle.

ReturnToHome. PositionHold and PathPlanner

Ask on the forums and make sure you fully understand how to attempt this before using these modes.

Individual axis modes

None:

No stabilization on this axis. Inputs are directly passed to outputs.

Rate:

TauLabs will aim for a target rate of turn around the axis. This target is defined by the manual control. When the manual control is neutral, TauLabs will try to maintain zero rotation. E.g. on a multirotor, in "rate mode", the angle of the elevation/aileron sticks determines the rate of change of the pitch and roll axis. If you let go and return to a neutral position, the airframe will keep going in that (possibly inverted) direction. It's up to the pilot to return the craft to level, so it behaves like a "real" aircraft.

Attitude:

TauLabs will aim for a target attitude. This target is defined by the manual control. When the manual control is neutral, TauLabs will steer towards level flight. This applies an offset (from TrimAnglesSettings) to the requested attitude. For details on how to trim this go here

E.g. on a multirotor, in "attitude mode", the angle of the elevation/aileron sticks directly determines the set point for the pitch and the roll axis of the multirotor. If you let go and return the stick to a neutral position the multirotor would level and drift to a halt in hover.

AxisLock:

TauLabs will try to keep the total amount of rotation on the selected axis on 0 when the stick is not touched. When TauLabs detects 5 degrees of rotation, it will try and undo that. Axis lock essentially grabs the current position of the axis when you let go of the stick and tries to stay there.

This feels similar to rate mode but can provide a more locked in feeling.

WeakLeveling:

Weak leveling is basically rate mode with a slow component to make the attitude go towards zero. In weak leveling your aircraft slowly drifts back to level - sort of rate mode with an assist. Note that it's not recommended for yaw because it basically will turn your nose facing forward again.

Horizon:

This new mode is based on MultiiWii Horizon mode. It smoothly transitions from attitude mode in the middle to rate mode on the stick extremes. It uses the tuning from the separate modes so once they are both well tuned it should work well. This is useful for FPV where you might want tight self leveling and control plus rate mode.

VirtualBar:

This mode is released in the upcoming firmware, for helis it can be compared to a standard flybarless controller and for multi rotors a much more aggressive roll and flip rate can be achieved. More information can be found here.

RelayRate / RelayAttitude:

These modes are used by relay tuning for automatically tuning your airframe. Not recommended for normal use.

POI:

This is used for tracking a point-of-interest, usually provided by a tablet.

CoordinatedFlight:

This mode is used for planes with a rudder and will apply rudder during turns to try and have zero side slip. This mode should only be used on planes yaw axis.

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