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USECASES.md

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Ardupilot Methodic Configurator use cases

The software is meant to guide you a in sequence of procedural steps to configure and tune your vehicle in a safe and time-efficient way.

Hence the two main use cases are:

  1. Use the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software for the first time to create a vehicle configuration based on a pre-existing template
  2. Use the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software after having created a vehicle from a template to edit existing vehicle configuration files to configure and tune a vehicle

But there are other use cases as well:

Use the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software for the first time

  1. Close all other GCS software (MissionPlanner, QGroundControl, MAVProxy, DroneKit-Python, APM Planner 2.0, UgCS, LOGOS, Tower, AndroPilot, etc) the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator needs connection exclusivity.
  2. Connect the flight controller to the computer using a USB cable.
  3. Wait at least 7 seconds.
  4. Open the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software.
  5. The software should now automatically detect and connect to your flight controller. AMC FC info and parameter download
  6. Select source template directory to use. AMC template selection1
  7. Select the vehicle template that better resembles your vehicle, it does not need to fully match your vehicle. AMC template selection2
  8. Give a name to your vehicle. AMC new vehicle name
  9. Press Create vehicle configuration from template. AMC new vehicle create
  10. Edit all the components of your vehicle to match your own in the Vehicle Component Editor window. Please scroll down and make sure you do not miss a property. AMC component editor
  11. Press Save data and start configuration.
  12. The application will validate your input. If issues are found the problematic fields' background will be marked in red color. Correct those entries and press the Save data and start configuration button again.
  13. You should now see the Parameter file editor and uploader window. AMC parameter file editor and uploader

If something is not clear, read the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator user manual

Use the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software after having created a vehicle from a template

  1. Close all other GCS software (MissionPlanner, QGroundControl, MAVProxy, DroneKit-Python, APM Planner 2.0, UgCS, LOGOS, Tower, AndroPilot, etc) the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator needs connection exclusivity.
  2. Connect the flight controller to the computer using a USB cable.
  3. Wait at least 7 seconds.
  4. Open the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software.
  5. The software should now automatically detect and connect to your flight controller. AMC FC info and parameter download
  6. Open the vehicle configuration directory that you created in the Use the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software for the first time. AMC open vehicle configuration double-click and step inside the directory that you want to use, not just select it
  7. Edit all the components of your vehicle to match your own. Please scroll down and make sure you do not miss a property. AMC component editor
  8. Press Save data and start configuration.
  9. You should now see the Parameter file editor and uploader window. AMC parameter file editor and uploader
  10. Proceed as explained in Section 6

If something is not clear, read the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator user manual

Create a vehicle configuration based on a correctly configured vehicle

  1. Connect the flight controller to the computer using a USB cable.
  2. Wait at least 7 seconds.
  3. Open the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software.
  4. The software should now automatically detect and connect to your flight controller. AMC FC info and parameter download
  5. Select the vehicle template that better resembles your vehicle. AMC template selection1 AMC template selection2
  6. select the Use parameter values from connected FC, not from template files checkbox AMC template selection1
  7. Give a name to your vehicle. AMC new vehicle name
  8. Press Create vehicle configuration from template. AMC new vehicle create
  9. Edit all the components of your vehicle to match your own in the Vehicle Component Editor window. AMC component editor
  10. Press Save data and start configuration.
  11. The application will validate your input. If issues are found the problematic fields' background will be marked in red color. Correct those entries and press the Save data and start configuration button again.
  12. You should now see the Parameter file editor and uploader window. AMC parameter file editor and uploader
  13. Follow the procedure to configure the vehicle parameters

If something is not clear, read the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator user manual

Review and or edit configuration files without having the vehicle FC

  1. Open the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software.
  2. Select Skip FC connection, just edit .param files on disk button. AMC no connection
  3. Open the vehicle configuration directory that you want to edit or review. AMC open vehicle configuration double-click and step inside the directory that you want to use, not just select it
  4. Edit all the components of your vehicle to match your own in the Vehicle Component Editor window. AMC component editor
  5. Press Save data and start configuration.
  6. The application will validate your input. If issues are found the problematic fields' background will be marked in red color. Correct those entries and press the Save data and start configuration button again.
  7. You should now see the Parameter file editor and uploader window. AMC parameter file editor and uploader the Upload selected params to FC, and advance to next param file button will be grayed out because there is no FC connected.
  8. Follow the procedure to configure the vehicle parameters

If something is not clear, read the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator user manual

Use the correct default values

To get the correct default values for your board (if it does not support MAVFTP) you need to do:

cd VehicleConfigurarationDirectory
extract_param_defaults bin_log_file.bin > 00_default.param

Re-run the procedure after changing a vehicle component

  1. Connect the flight controller to the computer using a USB cable.
  2. Wait at least 7 seconds.
  3. Open the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator software.
  4. The software should now automatically detect and connect to your flight controller. AMC FC info and parameter download
  5. Open the vehicle configuration directory that you want to edit or review. AMC open vehicle configuration double-click and step inside the directory that you want to use, not just select it
  6. Edit all the components of your vehicle to match the component and/or connections changes you made in the Vehicle Component Editor window. AMC component editor
  7. Press Save data and start configuration.
  8. The application will validate your input. If issues are found the problematic fields' background will be marked in red color. Correct those entries and press the Save data and start configuration button again.
  9. You should now see the Parameter file editor and uploader window. AMC parameter file editor and uploader
  10. Now depending of the changes you made you will need to re-do some steps and can skip some others:
    • FC changed - Need to redo all steps
    • Frame and/or Take-off-weight - redo steps 19 and above
    • RC Controller - redo step 05 and the RC parts of step 12
    • RC Transmitter - Redo step 05 and the RC parts of step 12
    • RC Receiver - redo step 05 and the RC parts of step 12
    • Telemetry - redo step 06
    • Battery Monitor - redo step 08
    • Battery - redo step 08 and 19 and above if the weight changed
    • ESC - redo step 07 and 19 and above
    • motors - redo step 07 and 19 and above
    • props - redo step 07, and 11 and above
    • GNSS receiver - redo step 10
  11. Follow the procedure to configure the vehicle parameters

If something is not clear, read the ArduPilot Methodic Configurator user manual