Vertical Robotics Competition
  • Welcome to VRC!
  • Before We Get Started
    • Phase I Overview
    • Helpful Links
  • Primary Goal: Assembly and Configuration
    • VRC Drone Kit Contents
    • VRC Drone Assembly
      • Arms and Motors
      • Landing Gear, PDB, and Rails
      • ESCs, FC Power Module, and Receiver
      • Flight Controller Enclosure
      • Mounting the Flight Controller
      • Top Plate and Arms
      • FC and ESC Wiring
      • Propeller Adapters
    • RC Transmitter Setup
      • Basic Usage
      • Binding the RC Receiver
      • Setting the Output Mode
      • Setting Up Channels on the RC Transmitter
      • Setting Up Failsafe
    • FC Setup and Calibration w/ QGC
      • PX4 Firmware
      • Airframe
      • Sensors
      • Radio
      • Flight Modes and Kill Switch
      • Power
      • Safety
      • Motor Test
  • Sphero RVR
    • RVR Assembly
    • RVR Programming
  • Battery
    • Overview
    • Charging
    • Storage
  • Checkpoint #1: Flight Test
    • Before You Fly
    • Flight Test
    • After You Fly
  • SECONDARY GOAL: PCC
    • Laptop Setup
      • Setting Up Windows
      • Install Git Bash
      • Clone the VRC Repo
      • Install Anaconda
      • Install VS Code
      • Install SD Card Formatter
      • Install Balena Etcher
      • Install PuTTY
      • Install QGroundControl
    • Peripheral Control Computer (PCC)
      • Physical Assembly
      • Video Tutorial: Flash & Test PCC
      • Flash the PCC
      • Test the PCC
  • Overachiever Goal
    • Vehicle Management Computer (VMC) Setup
      • Preparing the Jetson
      • Flashing the SD Card
      • First Boot
  • 3D Printing Project
    • Project Overview
    • Sr. Design Project
    • Rotor Guards
  • Diving Deeper
    • Control Loops
    • Glossary
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  • Power Setup
  • ESC Calibration

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  1. Primary Goal: Assembly and Configuration
  2. FC Setup and Calibration w/ QGC

Power

PreviousFlight Modes and Kill SwitchNextSafety

Last updated 4 years ago

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Power Setup

For correct display of battery percentage, you should always specify the correct number of cells in the battery. In our case this will be 4 since we are using a 4 cell LiPo battery. You should also calculate the value for the voltage divider to calibrate the voltage readings coming from the power module. This can be done by measuring the overall voltage with the Venom cell checker. Then you can input the measured voltage into the Calculate Voltage Divider prompt.

These settings will provide you with an accurate battery percentage while the drone is idle on the ground, so you can determine whether it is still safe to take off and when you need to land. PX4 also has a fail-safe that prevents arming when the battery percentage is too low. The video below walks through the power setup.

ESC Calibration

To ensure that all motors correctly respond to commands coming from the FC, you should perform an ESC "calibration". It makes sure that the ESCs are aware of the minimum and maximum pulse-width modulation (PWM) values that the FC provides. This can be done by pressing the ESC calibration button and following the on-screen prompts. The calibration process requires a USB connection since it involves steps where you have to disconnect and reconnect the battery. The video below covers this in detail.