Cube Orange Automatic Reboot Issue

[Shivesh_Gaur]

Hello everyone!

I am using a cube orange with here 3 and after one successful flight I started facing an issue in which my cube reboots itself automatically in sometime after arming. This resulted in crashing of my drone as the motor stopped in the air due to the cube reboot and the drone faced a free fall. I found this issue when I tried raising up the throttle while holding the drone in my hand and at any random throttle level (some time below 50% and some time around 60-70%) the cube reboots. Tried this several times with different TX-RX, batteries, firmware & formatting memory card to cross check…but unfortunately the problem existed in every attempt. Also the memory card is well inserted.

Kindly guide me to a solution regarding the same.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Looking forward to your support.

Thanks in advance.

[Alvin]

Can you share the log of when this happens?

[Shivesh_Gaur]

Thanks for your reply.

Sending you the log file of last 2 flights attached here.2022-04-05 12-53-42.bin (236 KB) 2022-04-04 17-51-21.bin (208 KB)

[RoboMotic (AMV)]

Hi!

Do you have any perferial connected to the cube? Like a distance sensor, or something that could be taken power from the cube?

Some years ago I had a problem like this using a TF mini powered from the Cube.

Bye

[xfacta (Shawn)]

The battery voltage goes to literally nothing, and the 5vdc Vcc becomes unregulated when the battery voltage drops below about 10volts. The Cube is losing power.
So either your wiring is totally wrong somehow, or your battery is very bad and you need to dispose of it safely.

You will need to closely examine your wiring, and maybe post a couple of photos or draw out a diagram for us.

You only have the voltage monitored, why not current too?
Set these for 3 cell Lipo:
BATT_ARM_VOLT,11.00
BATT_CRT_VOLT,10.50
BATT_LOW_VOLT,10.80
MOT_BAT_VOLT_MAX,12.60
MOT_BAT_VOLT_MIN,9.90
BATT_FS_CRT_ACT,1
BATT_FS_LOW_ACT,2
Only ever change them if you change number of cells or battery chemistry.

It looks like you have all defaults. Connect to MissionPlanner and go to the Initial Parameters screen, enter your battery details and prop size. Accept all the changes it offers, I already put the battery related ones above.
If you describe your aircraft and components in more detail, we can probably help some more.

[Alvin]

Clearer pictures on Cube’s voltage. This doesn’t seems like hardware fault. You Cube was not getting enough power. Details explained by xfacta above.

[Shivesh_Gaur]

Hi,
In peripherals, only a camera triggering cable & gimbal power cables is connected but that too not in use as the camera & gimbal are removed seeing the abnormal behaviour of the drone. Only the basic electronics are mounted with cube orange including motors, esc,s, buzzer, safety switch & a here 3 GPS.

[Shivesh_Gaur]

Thanks for your reply.

With reference to your suggested parameters, I updated the same on Cube orange from Mission Planner’s Full parameter list. Also made the required changes in the Initial Parameter tab of Mission Planner. The battery I was using was 3s 2200mah Lipo during the tests.
After updating, again I took a test flight by holding the drone in hand…and again the same issue occurred. Cube reboots at around 70-90% throttle, all motors stopped.
However, I downloaded the log file and attaching here for your reference.2022-04-07 14-12-48.bin (284 KB)
As you shown some confusion on the Lipo battery being bad, so I replaced that Battery with a fresh & new LiPo of same specs (2200mah 3s) and took another test flight, this time from ground without holding the drone in hand. A strange thing happened, at around 50% throttle the drone started to lift itself but it started bending backwards so I just cut the throttle to 0% in order to prevent crash…but instead of stopping, the drone took off in air and was flying for around 2-3 seconds with throttle @ 0% and the it flipped and crashed on ground. The log file of this flight is also attached for your kind reference.2022-04-07 16-17-22.bin (392 KB)
My Drone details are as follows:
size : 480mm diagonal
frame : Carbon Fiber
motors : sunny sky X2212-13 Kv 980 II
ESC : 30 A
FC : Cube Orange
GPS: Here 3
Props : 10"x4.5 fiber
Tx-Rx : Initially used Herelink then replaced and currently using radio link AT10.

Regarding the wiring connections, I am attaching a wiring diagram.

Looking forward to your next suggestions.

Thanks.

[xfacta (Shawn)]

Is the “power module” in series with the battery? The current must flow through the power module, then on to feed everything else.
Well, technically it doesn’t have to, but that is best and that is how to measure the current (as well as voltage). It’s extremely handy to measure current.

[xfacta (Shawn)]

Looking at the most recent log…
The aircraft lost control because the power fails, I presume the ESCs hadn’t turned off causing the motors to run longer than they should have.

The battery should connect to the power module, then that should connect to your PDB (everything else) as per the Cube docs

[Shivesh_Gaur]

Yes, the battery is connected in series with power module (same as shown in your diagram). However, I am not sure about the current measurement through battery monitor. I only used voltage monitor, as choosing other options from the dropdown menu was not showing correct battery voltage. May be I was not doing it correctly. Kindly suggest me what to choose in measurement and power module type for my setup, if that is recommended to opt.
Regarding the ESC issue, as you mentioned, should I recalibrate all the ESC’s once again?

[xfacta (Shawn)]

Have you got a photo of your wiring and PDB?

[Shivesh_Gaur]

Pics of wiring & PDB attached for your kind reference.

[xfacta (Shawn)]

I suggest the soldering needs to be better. The soldering has to be perfect, the currents involved give rise to significant voltage drops if everything is not correct.

The carbon fibre is conductive and you’ll need to secure the PDB to ensure it never touches any of the frame. Some conformal coating spray does wonders once you’ve checked and sorted out the soldering.
Those bolts securing the arms will need washers under the nuts, I assume you’ve got a bottom plate to go on there.

If the ESCs have three wires in their servo connectors that go to the Cube carrier board, then remove and terminate the middle one (5v) on each connector. You can leave one in place to put 5v on the + servo rail but if you leave all four connected together that will cause problems for the ESCs.

Tidy and secure all the wiring near the Cube. None of it can be touching the Cube. None should be pulled so tight it will transfer vibrations, or so loose it will flap around in the prop-wash. It’s pretty easy to make you first quadcopters look like a ball of flying cable ties but everything does need to be secure or it WILL vibrate and cause all sorts of problems.

To measure current set this in the Full Parameter list then reboot:
BATT_MONITOR,4

[Shivesh_Gaur]

Tried another test flight by isolating the PDB with the CF frame discs by applying a thin foam layer below and above the PDB and also by removing the +5v wire from the servos of ESC’s. Also, checked the value of BATT_Monitor to be 4…but no success. The problem continued and this time the cube lost its power completely instead of rebooting at higher throttle value. Even with the BATT_Monitor = 4 in full parameter list, mission planner is not able to display the measured current.
Log file of this test flight is attached here for your reference.2022-04-12 17-05-05.bin (348 KB)

[xfacta (Shawn)]

Then your wiring is wrong somehow or the battery is failed.
The issue is with the wiring and battery voltage, not the Cube itself.

[Shivesh_Gaur]

I tried changing the power module and the problem resolved. There was something wrong with power module I guess.
I need to purchase a spare power module for my cube orange now. Can you pls suggest me some link from where I can buy this power module separately.

Thanks for all your support.

[BrunoB (Bruno Lotto Bagarini)]

Hello @Shivesh_Gaur,

I would recommend you the Mauch Electronics Power Module, they have great quality to power your system:

100A / 200A Hall Sensor PM for Pixhawk / APM

[Shivesh_Gaur]

Hello @BrunoB

Thanks a lot for your suggestion.