Autopilot goes from VOR to ROLL when tracking VOR
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Hi,
While searching for solutions for switching from NAV to ROL on the MSFS KAP 140, I came across this thread.
I'm part of AVNX, and we develop touch panels for the air manager software. We created a free Cessna 152 and integrated a KAP 140 into the touch panel. We activated it via a mod by enabling the autopilot in the system.cfg file. The only problem is tracking a VOR in Nav mode. There, the autopilot occasionally switches from Nav (Nav Hold) to ROL (wing leveler).
To minimize this, I've adjusted the autopilot parameters several times in the system.cfg file. There, by entering values such as these, you can significantly influence the autopilot:
nav_proportional_control_ex1=10
nav_integrator_control_ex1=1
nav_derivative_control_ex1=5
nav_integrator_boundary_ex1=5
nav_derivative_boundary_ex1=10It works quite well now. However, the autopilot still occasionally switches from NAV to ROL, though much less frequently than before.
Since the interactions of these parameters are not described in the SDK, I would be interested to hear if anyone has already found a solution. I am currently 51 NM at 2500 ft outbound from a VOR, and it has only switched once.
@FlightEngineer1 Thanks for your input. As an old real-time industrial automation engineer, I really wish they'd expose the tuning parameters in real-time, so those of us who truly understand how to tune a PID loop using one of the formal methodologies (aka "the right way"), as opposed to just guessing, winging it, or using the defaults as so often seems to be the case with some other aircraft.
</rant>
Edit to add: and they've been missing filter constants forever. Geez.
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@FlightEngineer1 Thanks for your input. As an old real-time industrial automation engineer, I really wish they'd expose the tuning parameters in real-time, so those of us who truly understand how to tune a PID loop using one of the formal methodologies (aka "the right way"), as opposed to just guessing, winging it, or using the defaults as so often seems to be the case with some other aircraft.
</rant>
Edit to add: and they've been missing filter constants forever. Geez.
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Hi Mark,
You can view the operation of the autopilot parameters in debug mode. Unfortunately, that's not very helpful for me.
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Hi Mark,
You can view the operation of the autopilot parameters in debug mode. Unfortunately, that's not very helpful for me.
@FlightEngineer1 yeah, no. I want an external interface where it reads/writes those vars in real time over SimConnect. Old-school me wants an Excel plug-in so I can run proper Ziegler-Nichols analysis tools. I keep dreaming, and nothing keeps happening.
