Control Tarot T4-3D using pixhawk with px4

PX4 Autopilot
1

Hi everyone,
I’m a newbie with pixhawk and px4. I’m trying to control Tarot T4-3D via pwm aux 5 and 6 in pixhawk. I follow the tutorial by setting some parameter: MNT_MODE_IN, MNT_MODE_OUT = aux, PWM_AUX_FUNC5 = gimbal pitch and PWM_AUX_FUNC6 = gimbal yaw. And I use Actuator tab in QGC to test. But the gimbal doesn’t respond when I slide. What is the problem with my setup?

2

Hi, does the gimbal work using the serial dongle and software that came with it? Here you can confirm that it’s configuration is set to use PWM. https://youtu.be/TVvRtNKdChY
I would also use a known working servo instead of the gimbal to test your output.

3

Hi, the gimbal still work with software. Today I set the receiver type (in software) to Convention and the pan angle can controlled by QGC now, but pitch is still cannot controlled. Btw, the above video is not available. Do you have any advice?

4

Ok, video link above is fixed. One interesting problem I discovered when I was initially testing my T3D was that in PWM mode you MUST set the TILT to Channel 1 and PAN to Channel 2 even though you are using PWM and not SBUS. Make sure yours is set correctly.

Also, can you swap the pan input and the tilt connection to see if you can control the tilt? This will show you if it is a problem with the gimbal or the px4. This is why I prefer to use a servo or scope to troubleshoot PWM problems. You can also use a PWM servo tester on the gimbal PWM inputs to test the gimbal.

5

Yay, it works. But I still can’t control this gimbal by mavlink message. I think when use actuator test feature in qgc, it sends MAV_CMD_ACTUATOR_TEST message to px4. But when I send this message, gimbal doesn’t respond. What I have to do?

6

oooh you got me there… I’m pretty sure that gimbal doesn’t support mavlink commands. I’m not sure if the PX4 translates those mavlink commands to PWM… will be an interesting test to run… I might do later this summer.

BTW: I think there is a Tarot AP that can lock the gimbal to a point in space. So you can set a target and fly the drone around that point with the gimbal always pointing to it. But I’m not %100 sure… I’ve never tried it, but I did read a bit about it on the Tarot site.

7

Okay, many thanks for your supporting!

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