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AT 209 - Lab 11 - Motors and Controls
In this week’s lab, we focused on calibrating our DATX controller to verify that the control inputs we provide accurately match the outputs delivered by the system. We also used an electrical tester to validate our wiring diagram from last week and confirm that all connections were correctly implemented. To complete these tasks, we used a test motor and an ESC to evaluate system behavior and ensure proper functionality. Just like last week’s I had to leave this weeks lab a but early as I had a flight.
Step 1: Calibrating our DATX:
Ryan and I were assigned to calibrate the DATX controller. At first, we struggled to locate the correct calibration page, and after a few minutes of exploring the menu and pressing various buttons, we finally found it and began the calibration process. Wanting to be sure we had done it correctly, we asked Professor Rose to verify our work. He informed us that the calibration was incorrect because the controller had full trim up and trim right applied. Neither Ryan nor I realized the controller even had trim buttons, since we didn’t build the controller in the earlier lab and were part of the software team at the time. After neutralizing the trim settings, we recalibrated the controller, and this time the calibration was perfect.
We are also assigned to answer a few questions. CRSF (Crossfire Shot) is a full-duplex digital communication protocol that supports two-way data transfer, integrated telemetry, and very fast update rates, while SBUS is a one-way serial bus protocol that sends control signals from the receiver to the flight controller using a single signal wire. The main differences between the two are that CRSF uses four wires instead of one, offers much lower latency, and provides advanced capabilities such as return telemetry and additional feature support that SBUS does not. Multi-Bind on the TBS Tracer allows a single transmitter module to stay paired with multiple receivers at the same time, enabling the pilot to switch between different aircraft without needing to rebind the transmitter for each one.
Step 2: Avionics Setup
We used Week 9 lab as a guild and set up the avionics to resemble the believer. This was just to ensure that all of the parts worked properly. We were tasked to find which RCMAP_X and SERVO#_FUNCTION were. We created a table for this and it is located in both our group 4 documenet as well as in this doc as a table.
Parameter and Mapping
Name
Current Setting
Column 3
Notes
SERVO1_FUNCTION
FlaperonRight
Open
SERVO2_FUNCTION
FlaperonLeft
Open
SERVO3_FUNCTION
Throttle
Open
SERVO4_FUNCTION
Throttle
Open
SERVO5_FUNCTION
VTailLeft
Open
SERVO6_FUNCTION
VTailRight
Open
SERVO7_FUNCTION
RUDDER
Open
RCMAP_BRAKE
0
Open
RCMAP_FLAP
5
Open
RCMAP_PITCH
2
Open
RCMAP_ROLL
1
Open
RCMAP_THROTTLE
3
Open
RCMAP_YAW
4
Open
There are no rows in this table
Table 2
Input
Output
Notes
Right Stick
Flaperon Left &Right, VTail Left & Right
Open
Left Stick
Flaperon Left &Right, VTail Left & Right
Open
Pitch Up
Vtail Left & Right
Open
Pitch Down
Vtail Left & Right
Open
Throttle Up
Servo Output 3/4
Open
Throttle Down
Servo Output 3/4
Open
There are no rows in this table
Step 3: Motor and Control Setup
For this part we were tasked to answer a few question.
The RCMAP_X parameter allows a user to change how RC input channels are assigned, enabling non-standard RC channel mapping by redirecting specific inputs to different functions. The SERVO#_FUNCTION parameter defines what each servo output controls—such as the aileron, rudder, elevator, or throttle—and these functions can be assigned to any output channel, with multiple outputs able to share the same function if needed. For power sources, servos are powered through the ESC, motors are powered by the ESC and battery, and the Cube/FCU can receive power from the battery or a BEC.
This was the part I missed. Once we meet again I’m going to ask what they did so my knowledge for this part is good.
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