As a followup to a conversation in this thread: http://www.diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/3dr-gps-mag-back-in-stock
I have successfully used this $15 sparkfun HMC5883L breakout board: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10530
as an external compass on my APM 2.5.
Used the instructions here: http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-external-magnetometer-for-improved-performance/
The process is even simpler than those instructions, since the sparkfun board is already wired for 3.3V. Just connect four wires and cut a jumper on he APM to disable the onboard compass.
I wasn't able to source the correct cable from sparkfun, but got one that was 1mm OC instead of the 1.25 OC that the APM uses on the i2c port. A little very minor pin bending and hot glue to hold it in seemed to do the trick.
The HMC583L is the same sensor that's on the APM and on the 3DR external compass/GPS module.
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Comments
Marcelo 72% is a bit too much. You should try to keep it way below 60%. Good values starts under 30% and really good is under 20%.
5th connection DRDY...not used
I can't remember what online page I ordered from...I'll try to find it in my history.
Earl
5 days total from online order (@ midnight) to receiving it here in Albuquerque! I think that is awesome!
Earl
Fergot...it's an HMC5883L just what is needed.
Earl
Look at this...
if you just enter to terminal.. it should say COMPASS INIT ERROR after initial reboot. If it does not then you can go to "test" area and test compass there.
One way detecting it in Mission Planner is by just looking heading value.. If compass works your heading stays steady. If not it will move slowly and keeps moving same direction constantly. Drifting is something like 2 degrees / minute or so. Depends a bit on your location.
The GY-271 works fine with my APM 2.5
Make sure you have wires correctly configured.
At the I2C port - GND is on the outside, then SCA, then SCL, then power on the inside (Or black, Green, Yellow, Red)
At the GY-271 end - GND, Power, SCL, SDA (or Black, Red, Yellow, Green)
I have board mounted with components down and with terminals forward (suits same setting as 3DR external mag option)
Hope this helps
If you have a 5883L compass the orientation is not random but fixed in the chip. Most boards like sparkfun are marked the same way as the 3DR and jDrones boards with easy to see X/Y/Z arrows.
Josh: It's not that complicated. 'Standard' direction is Y pointing backwards, x pointing left, and components up (orientation 0, just like it's fixed to the APM PCB). With y facing forwards, x right, components up the orientation is YAW 180. Always adjust the compass orientation based on the board in it's normal position/orientation. If you then apply AHRS_ORIENTATION as well, this is automatically applied to the compass direction.
You can verify this against the picture in the OP blog
Josh. If you use jDrones compass board then you can find orientations from our document site and they are in here too: components up, connector forward = "on board apm* and if components down, connector forward = *external compass* or roll 180 degrees.
If you use some else compass... sorry you are out of luck as it can be what ever orientation. Only jDrones compass board and 3DR gps÷compass board are
designed in way that we know their main orientations. All others are fully random so you need to find it by your self, in that case you just need to test and fly untill you have correct orientation set.
Steven, Our girls are answering tickets every day and so am I or at least I try but yeas sometimes some tickets might go unnoticed or if they are locked to for example my pool there might be some delays. And to compensate your delays we sent that free board to you and I hope that you are happy with it. No matter what or whos company it is, when order quantities are getting higher for sure sometimes some customer feels bad but majority are really happy and we can see that because of returning customers.
Mike, jDrones has always been in Thailand (and yes I am not Thai) but we are not Chinese copy cats. Reason why our stuff are perfect for ArduCopter and Ardupilots is that we are one of the core developers for this project. Originally whole ArduCopter was created by us and my team in here. And we still continue that development every day.
Also our products are safe to use as we know where development goes. Chinese copies can stop working when ever as they just copy things without any knowledge. Yes they are many times cheaper but can you be sure that your electronics will work after 2 weeks? Also they don't pay any of the development costs what we pay.
In generally there are only two companies who really know how to manufacture these electronics and those are jDrones and 3DRobotics, why.. we designed them :)
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