CN-06 crap?

[wildernessbob]

I have a CO-06 v2 and the APM 2.5 and the gps has been nothing but trouble from day one. I can connect it to my computer and get HDOP 2.89 and 6 sats in my metal sided and roofed house no problem, then i can take it out on batteries and it';s still fine, but if i put the toys away for a week or more and then try to go flying, it will not lock at all. no matter how long i wait, i';ve tried unplugging it and plugging in again, no go. if i connect it to the computer again everything checks out fine. 38400 baud, etc. it seems to be when i leave it for a week or more that the issues occur. this is driving me nuts. what the hell is going on?

[HowDoIfly]

I know you say "no matter how long I wait" but did you wait 40mins or more? It';s taken that long for mine to update itself after a day or so of non-use.

[wildernessbob]

nope, i have not waited that long. and really, i don';t think i will. why will it lock so quickly when connected via usb? i have also read that the tx wire from the apm should be disconnected to stop it from reconfiguring the gps, any thoughts on that? i really think there must be an issue here, i just cant see all of you out there waiting 40 min. for a lock so that you can go play. is this the gps orthe combination of the gps and fc? should i be looking at another gps?

[Hands0n]

I am using CN06-V2 with APM 2.5 and have no such problems. I haven';t cut the TX wire (APM to GPS) - it really isn';t necessary to do that, all it does is overwrite the CN06 config with what the APM wants as optimal. You';d had already stored taht in the CN06-V2 EEPROM.

I';d suggest just re-checking that the serial speed of the GPS matches that of the APM 2.5 and that the config, with that speed, is consistent with what is set on the FC.   Also worth checking in uCentre that the config has indeed been committed to EEPROM - when first connecting after whatever period causes this to happen do so using uCentre first and examine the CN06 to see what it is set to at that time before anything else.

HTH

[HowDoIfly]

I';m just saying, when I first got mine, it took that long to get it';s first fix and thought you might like to know.

But from the details you';re giving, perhaps a long wait won';t fix it. It';s your call if you want to try it or not.

[wildernessbob]

I am using CN06-V2 with APM 2.5 and have no such problems. I haven';t cut the TX wire (APM to GPS) - it really isn';t necessary to do that, all it does is overwrite the CN06 config with what the APM wants as optimal. You';d had already stored taht in the CN06-V2 EEPROM.

I';d suggest just re-checking that the serial speed of the GPS matches that of the APM 2.5 and that the config, with that speed, is consistent with what is set on the FC.   Also worth checking in uCentre that the config has indeed been committed to EEPROM - when first connecting after whatever period causes this to happen do so using uCentre first and examine the CN06 to see what it is set to at that time before anything else.

HTH

i have checked the baud rate, and it stays at 38400, but beyond that you lost me.

[wildernessbob]

I';m just saying, when I first got mine, it took that long to get it';s first fix and thought you might like to know.

But from the details you';re giving, perhaps a long wait won';t fix it. It';s your call if you want to try it or not.

thanks, point made, i';m just getting to the end of my rope here. this hobby is loosing it';s charm when i spend more time trying to get the same results as everyone else, but just keep beating my head against the wall.

[HowDoIfly]

thanks, point made, i';m just getting to the end of my rope here. this hobby is loosing it';s charm when i spend more time trying to get the same results as everyone else, but just keep beating my head against the wall.

Tell me about, been trying to get low vibes like everyone else but, despite balancing motors, props and trialling all sorts of absorbtion materials, I';m still not within recommended tolerances for APM latest firmware.

If you leave the GPS unpowered for that long, it will need to download recent data from one of the satellites and I believe it can only do this at a rate of about 5kb/s i.e. The more data it has to download, the longer it';ll be before it can think about accurately locating itself.

Additionally, the GPS has a backup battery that allows a quicker "warm boot". Mine was reading almost flat so left it powered up overnight to give it a full charge.

[Hands0n]

i have checked the baud rate, and it stays at 38400, but beyond that you lost me.

Whoops, I made an assumption that you';d already done some of this.

First, grab yourself a copy of uCentre from here http://www.u-blox.com/en/evaluation-tools-a-software/u-center/u-center.html

You can use that to see what your CN06 is doing.  If you set the app to autobaud it will find out automatically what speed your CN06 serial is running at.  If it is 38400, same as your APM then thats one possible issue out of the list.

You can use uCentre to see if your CN06 is doing what it is supposed to.  All you need is to connect the CN06 to a FTTD serial/USB device - have you got one? I';m assuming you have as you said you';d hooked it up to the USB. 

[Hands0n]

Tell me about, been trying to get low vibes like everyone else but, despite balancing motors, props and trialling all sorts of absorbtion materials, I';m still not within recommended tolerances for APM latest firmware.

Not wishing to hijack this thread - have you got another one started on here?  What method have you used to mount your APM to the air frame? And is it in an Ardupilot case or bare board?

[wildernessbob]

Whoops, I made an assumption that you';d already done some of this.

First, grab yourself a copy of uCentre from here http://www.u-blox.com/en/evaluation-tools-a-software/u-center/u-center.html

You can use that to see what your CN06 is doing.  If you set the app to autobaud it will find out automatically what speed your CN06 serial is running at.  If it is 38400, same as your APM then thats one possible issue out of the list.

You can use uCentre to see if your CN06 is doing what it is supposed to.  All you need is to connect the CN06 to a FTTD serial/USB device - have you got one? I';m assuming you have as you said you';d hooked it up to the USB.

i do have the ucenter and that';s how i know the baud rate is correct, but i have no idea if there is anything else i need to set or check.

[Hands0n]

i do have the ucenter and that';s how i know the baud rate is correct, but i have no idea if there is anything else i need to set or check.

So have you worked your way through this process to get the CN06 configured appropriately for the APM (and its derivatives) http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=718.0   It is the 3DR config file that you need to send to the GPS first.

[wildernessbob]

yes, i have uploaded that. i';ve tried it both ways with the default as well. i think the 3D config works better, when it';s working. are there other settings i need to make for it to be compatible with the apm?

[Hands0n]

Nope. Once the 3DR settings are on the CN06 they are all the APM needs.  I';m not sure where the suggestion to disconnect the APM';s TX to the GPS comes from. I can';t see the point as all the APM will do is to re-affirm those same settings each time you first arm the FC.  So it wouldn';t do any harm, unless you wrote different configuration file to the CN06-V2. 

The only other thing is, when you use uCentre to write the 3DR config, did you tick the box to write to non-volatile memory? I missed that a few times when I first started out with this kit ...

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[wildernessbob]

ah, i don';t know. i';ll check the next time i go there. it sure would be nice to find a problem and fix it. i';ll keep you posted.
thanks

[Hands0n]

ah, i don';t know. i';ll check the next time i go there. it sure would be nice to find a problem and fix it. i';ll keep you posted.
thanks

Okay, cool.

There is also another thread on the same subject - it has a slightly different config file that you could try also - just in case http://www.multi-rotor.co.uk/index.php?topic=1177.0

It also explains at the bottom of the first post how to set the CN06-V2 back to factory default. Maybe do that before loading up or reloading the config file.

I don';t think you';re doing anything wrong as such. It may very well be that the CN06 is flaky.  I don';t suppose you have access to another that you could try with? 

[wildernessbob]

if i don';t get results from what you';ve suggested, i';ll get a new one. lets hope it';s not necessary.
wb

[Hands0n]

Best of luck with the work. I know it can be a bit frustrating but when it clicks it is gooooooood. 


I tend to buy two of everything I can afford to if its cheap enough. I picked up some real cheap CN06-V2 from China, they took an eternity to get here but were less than half the price of locally sourced kit. And they';re actually very good quality, the soldering is spot on, print on the components is legible, no obvious signs of fakery.  And they fly absolutely fine - uCentre seems to love them (left one "cooking" over 24 hours in the conservatory where they could see the satellites). Seemed 100%