Basic PID tuning

[joebar.rc]

Hi guys,

Now that some are progressing towards actual flights, I thought it was time for some basic attitude PID tuning.
Only attitude roll and pitch, not navigation (altitude and nav).
Topics covered in this video: high and low frequency oscillations, angle stick command response and recovery response.

Hope you can use it;

[youtube]Y--fGjodSek?hd=1[/youtube]


Altitude (as part of position hold) tuning is another topic. This can only be done outdoors and is more difficult to demonstrate but I've tried to demonstrate some basic errors.

The AutoQuad defaults work well on moderate powered 1 - 1.5Kg multirotors. When the motor power is increased or the multirotor is significant heavier then the 'default' the navigation - altitude PID's need some adjustment.

Most of the time you can adjust the speed P and speed I params, those represent the actual motor output based on the altitude PID controller. So if you have powerful motors, and suffer from altitude hold problems you could look at those params.
In the vid I'll demonstrate the effect of the speed P, speed I and position P params.



Note: different weather situations can require different params. Gusting wind conditions are difficult for altitude hold because of the sudden change in lift.

Menno

[JussiH]

Menno, great work as usual, and gives really good pointers on the way the attitude controller works.

One comment though: I would describe the low rate D as a "low frequency vibration" and maybe add a clip showing the high frequency oscillation that will result from too high rate D.

[joebar.rc]

Added basic Altitude tuning demonstration

[GoFaster]

Thank for the vids Menno.
I have a very slight wobble in a fast descent - although much much less than other FC's I've flown. Would Tilt Angle P be the right param to tune, as opposed to Tilt Rate P (which is defaulted to 0), as the the software fights to keep the copter's Angle at level/zero,

[joebar.rc]