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I am having an issue with my pypilot. It worked well last season. I think. Maybe I never noticed the issue.
This year there is an issue with my compass. The heading degrades.
If I am stationary at my dock my compass reports the same heading. It never degrades When I am at anchor and my boat spins, my compass seems to slowly develop an error. I see this same behaviour when I am sailing. If I am heading 90 degrees and I set the compass offset so pypilot reports that heading, pypilot seems to hold a course just fine. But after a few hours and after engaging and disengaging pypilot a few times, if I point in the same compass direction I will get a different value, say 125. It seems to slowly degrade but after a few hours and various points of sail the heading appears random.
I feel like I need to reset my calibration. It is not locked.
I am not getting any interference warnings.
Suggestions?
I purchased the hardware direct from Sean about a year or two ago.
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Can you confirm which version of software?
Also maybe the compass calibration is off? Are you able to view the plots and/or possibly lock the compass calibration once it is reporting accurate headings to see if it improves anything?
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As always Sean, thank you. But tell me, in future, what is the best way to download the most recent, stable version of the software? Why does pypilot.org still point to dated versions?
Here is my update only compass issue. I did a fresh install and my problem was not fixed. My poor pypilot's performance just got worse and worse.
I think I identified the issue: magnetic interference. I had a metal ended bungie holding the hardware in place. I removed it and it seems the issue is fixed.
A few questions:
-I recall when I first installed my pypilot a year ago I was constantly getting compass errors. I dont recall the exact wording but they showed up on the main command page where it shows errors at bottom of screen. I have not seen a compass error for months. In particular, I did not see one when I was experiencing this issue. Was the magnetic interference warning tweaked? Why did I not get a warning?
-Is there a way to "sniff out" possible magnetism issues? Obviously magnetic fields are invisible. It's hard to know what parts of my boat could be causing interference. For instance, is tehre a phone app that may hint at interference? Does pypilot give these details?
-Any other tips on not magnetic hygiene?
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There are ways to detect magnetic issues but it is complicated. I could do a lot more to improve it, but it is not a priority, instead it is suggested to keep the unit in a clean location.
Right now, the "C" should flash if there are some issues but this is a simple detection.
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I see no C one the web server. On the hardware screen there is a solid C
AT this point my pilot is working well enough to hold a course for hours and allows me to make incremental changes to my direction.
However, if I start the day pointing 0 degrees and then I sail around with the AP on, by the end of the day if I point North, it will no longer read 0 degrees. Is it realistic to expect this? I note my phone's compass is able to do this. Is it unrealistic to expect pypilot keep a consistent idea of North? Perhaps the gimble sensors cause errors over time to accrue.
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did you lock the calibration?
Could you check the calibration coefficients and compare them? You could in this way determine if the calibration has changed. How far from 0?
It could accumulate error over geographic position, but not in the distance you can sail in a day. Otherwise it is more likely the magnetic field changes in the boat. Is it a steel boat? Over time the hull itself can re-magnetize.
