Overview

The FWD parameter group configures voltage compensation for the Forward Propulsion motor on QuadPlane vehicles.

QuadPlanes often use two separate electrical systems: one for the vertical lift motors (VTOL) and a dedicated high-capacity pack for the forward motor (Fixed-Wing). To ensure consistent thrust as the cruising battery drains, the autopilot needs to know which battery to monitor for the forward motor.

Key Concepts

1. Dual-Battery Voltage Compensation

The autopilot scales the throttle output based on the battery voltage. If the forward motor is on a separate battery, it must be told which monitor instance (BATT1 vs BATT2) to look at.

• FWD_BAT_IDX: Selects the monitor index.

Parameter Breakdown

• FWD_BAT_IDX: Battery monitor index for forward thrust.
• FWD_BAT_VOLT_MIN / MAX: The voltage range used to calculate the compensation scaling factor.

Integration Guide

• Setup: If you have a single battery for everything, leave these at default.
• Setup (Dual Pack): If your forward motor has its own battery monitor, set FWD_BAT_IDX to that monitor's ID.

Developer Notes

• Library: ArduPlane/QuadPlane.
• Context: Only relevant for VTOL / QuadPlane configurations.