Trouble with Gyro

[visuvius]

Hi Everyone,

I received my Gyro today and tried to set it up but I don't think its working right. I followed the instructions on theoddrobot.com and also referenced the lengthy Gyro thread here.

My problem is that it seems like I've connected everything properly but it doesn't seem to affect the robots movements like in everyones videos. I verified that I connected it properly (AD0 and AD4) and I've adjusted the setup screw to where both the red and green lights are on at the same time.

Everyone speaks of the jitters or the robot shaking when the gain is turned up too high. The thing is, no matter what I adjust the gain to, the robot does not respond. I realize that shaking is something that we try to minimize but in this case I'm trying to get it to shake just to make sure the thing is working, and I can't get it to do that.

I do notice that when I hold the RN1 and tilt him forward and backward, the light on Gyro flickers to red and then back to red/green so it seems like something is happening. This is the code I am using, posted right before MAIN:

'Gyro Setup
GYROSET G6A,0,1,1,1,0,0
GYROSET G6D,0,1,1,1,0,0

GYRODIR G6A,1,0,0,1,0,0
GYRODIR G6D,1,0,0,1,0,0

GYROSENSE G6A,0,250,200,250,0,0
GYROSENSE G6D,0,250,200,250,0,0

I've also tried the code on theoddrobot.com to no success.

Like I said, when I push him forward and backward, it doesn't seem like the leg servos are compensating. It definitely does not match any of the Robonova Gyro videos I've seen posted. What could be the problem? Do I have a faulty gyro? Is there a definitive way to tell? I did get the thing on ebay.

Here is a link to the item with pictures of the gyro in question

Please help.

[NVR2FST]

Im thinking you are not having a gyro problem if it is showing the led when you knock the gyro off its axis. It is probably a connection issue or the code. Sorry I cant help much more than that. Somebody here will certainly help you. If it was on a helicopter receiver I could help more. Im watching for your success because I am about to connect mine . Are you positive you have the servo out wire connected in the right direction on the controller so that the signal and ground are not reversed?

[NVR2FST]

I just saw the pic of the gyro on the chat and compared it with yours, the e-bay pic you showed. The wires are coming out in different positions. Did you notice they are both the same model # but different name on them? Is there a notch in the top of your gyro where the wire could have came out at one time? Whoever posted the picture "you showed on the chat" could have moved his wire where he wanted it. Did you notice that on the e-bay picture the gyro was opened? Maybe they snapped it back together wrong. Or sometimes companys that sell a product will make small changes to make theirs look "different" than others of the exact same part. I see so much of this with chinese imports. So many companys will sell the same exact part and just put their name on it and change something on it such as color. My machining equipment is made in china but many different companies put there name on it and change the colors.

[visuvius]

Are you positive you have the servo out wire connected in the right direction on the controller so that the signal and ground are not reversed?

I'm pretty sure I've got the gyro connected properly. I hooked it up once while paying a lot of attention to the pictures on oddrobot.com, took it apart and hooked it up again, verifying everything. The big difference I see between the gyros in the pictures and the one I've got is that in the pictures, one servo wire is coming out from the bottom of the unit and the other from the top, whereas with mine, they both come out the bottom. I carefully took the thing apart and made sure I had the right wire going to the right AD port. Hope that makes sense.

The pictures in the auction will show you what I'm talking about.

Still got nothing

[Midas]

It's not an original GWS PG-03! It' a cheap Chinese forgery.

[NVR2FST]

What I was asking was if you had the signal and ground reversed.

[visuvius]

What I was asking was if you had the signal and ground reversed.

They are not reversed.

[NVR2FST]

Just a thought. Receivers on RCs are one way only connectors. The Controller on Robonova can go either way. Sorry, wish I could help more. In the morning I will connect mine and try the code you are using and see what I get. By then somebody will look at your code and see if it is correct.

[Pev]

I think the first thing I would do is buzz out the connection cables with a multimeter and see if any of them are broken or have dry solder joints onto the board.

Pev

[i-Bot]

I assume your snip of code is within a larger program, and the robot is in standard pose with the motors on. If so it should work.

Is it correct that this is not a PG-03 Gyro ?
The Robonova will only work with a Gyro which is exactly the same as the PG-03. Two gyros that work identically on a heli, will not both work on the Robonova. This is because in the Heli, the timing of the pulses into the gyro and the pulses out are asynchronous. In the Robonova, a set relationship between the timing of the input and output pulse is assumed in the software.

Some people have been lucky with non PG-03 Gyros, but many dissapointed !

[Tim]

Sounds like this won't be too helpful because you are sure you have the connectors round the right way, but on the off chance you change your mind . . . if you're happy popping the case off (some aero modellers do this for weight reasons anyway and I've done it to get the gyros hidden inside RN-1), you can at least tell quite quickly which of the three pins is the signal pin.

The pins for the servo plug(output from the gyro), and the wires from the receiver (input to the gyro), are right next to each other. There are tracks joining the ground wire to the ground pin, likewise for the power wire/pin, but there are separate tracks going to the signal pins. In my PG-03, the signal wires were on the in-board side.

Cheers
Tim

[NVR2FST]

I hooked up my gyro (align RCE-500x) When I have it connected, Robonova leans backward a little, enough where he will fall. It is a heli gyro but it is not in HH mode. The gyro has an extra single wire for the gain channel. Is it possible to connect this to a signal channel on the controller and use some code to use this? At this point with him leaning backward some, if I push on him there is no activity on the servos. His right leg will twitch every so often. I have the code I copied directly from Visuvious' post and placed it in the overall template just after "Main".

[visuvius]

I think the first thing I would do is buzz out the connection cables with a multimeter and see if any of them are broken or have dry solder joints onto the board.

Pev

Time to go buy a multimeter!

I assume your snip of code is within a larger program, and the robot is in standard pose with the motors on. If so it should work.

Is it correct that this is not a PG-03 Gyro ?
The Robonova will only work with a Gyro which is exactly the same as the PG-03. Two gyros that work identically on a heli, will not both work on the Robonova. This is because in the Heli, the timing of the pulses into the gyro and the pulses out are asynchronous. In the Robonova, a set relationship between the timing of the input and output pulse is assumed in the software.

Some people have been lucky with non PG-03 Gyros, but many dissapointed !

Indeed it is within a larger program. Also, the Gyro says "PG-03" right on it, however, apparantly its a knockoff. If you look at the picture it says "Cyclone " instead of GWS. Ebay is sort of hit and miss, sometimes you win some sometimes...you don't.

Sounds like this won't be too helpful because you are sure you have the connectors round the right way, but on the off chance you change your mind . . . if you're happy popping the case off (some aero modellers do this for weight reasons anyway and I've done it to get the gyros hidden inside RN-1), you can at least tell quite quickly which of the three pins is the signal pin.

The pins for the servo plug(output from the gyro), and the wires from the receiver (input to the gyro), are right next to each other. There are tracks joining the ground wire to the ground pin, likewise for the power wire/pin, but there are separate tracks going to the signal pins. In my PG-03, the signal wires were on the in-board side.

Cheers
Tim

I am going to check this again when I get home. I actually did take it the gyro apart to see which wire was which (there is a picture of it taken apart in the ebay auction linked above). If I accidentally switch that input and output wires to the board, will I cause any kind of serious damage to it?

[i-Bot]

You can check if the gyro works by putting it in line with one of the servos. Input to Gyro from C3024, output of Gyro to a single servo. Then servo should respond to movement of the Gyro.

If this works Gyro is OK, but probably not compatible.

The correct zero setting of the Gyro for the Robonova is often quite a way from the setting which gives red/green zero.

[NVR2FST]

Cant say for sure if you can damage anything but the positive terminal will always be in the center no matter how you connect it. That is a good thing .As a matter of fact I have been flipping mine around all morning and everything is fine. All you need is a continuity tester to make sure the wires are good. A meter really is a must have tool though. Oh and as for it being a "knock Off"....It probably is made at the same factory just like the rest. These Chinese companies mass produce all kinds of products and sell them to just about anyone who then put their name on it. Just look around many things you buy that are imported look very similar to other same products, just different company names. Hell if you place a large enough order of ,lets say, an electrical component or part from a chinese manufacturer you could even put your own name on it! This has become a Norm.