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Overview

The MANUAL parameter group configures the behavior of the Manual flight/drive mode, primarily for ArduRover.

In Manual mode, the pilot's sticks are passed directly to the motor mixers with minimal autopilot intervention.

Key Concepts

1. Steering Expo (MANUAL_STR_EXPO)

Similar to the MAN group in Plane, this adds an exponential curve to the Rover's steering stick. It makes the rover less twitchy when driving straight at high speeds.

2. Output Masking (MANUAL_RCMASK)

Allows the autopilot to ignore certain RC channels while in Manual mode, forcing those outputs to a fixed value.

Parameter Breakdown

  • MANUAL_STR_EXPO: Steering exponential percentage.
  • MANUAL_OPTIONS: Bitmask for specific behaviors (e.g., handling throttle in manual).

Developer Notes

  • Library: Rover/mode_manual.cpp.

MANUAL_OPTIONS

Bitmask
Default 0
Range 0 1

Manual Mode Options (MANUAL_OPTIONS)

Description

MANUAL_OPTIONS provides specialized behaviors for the MANUAL drive mode, primarily on Rovers.

  • Bit 0 (1): Enable Steering Speed Scaling. When enabled, the steering sensitivity is automatically reduced as the vehicle goes faster. This prevents high-speed "twitchiness" and rollovers caused by sudden sharp turns at full throttle.

Tuning & Behavior

  • Default: 0 (Full sensitivity at all speeds).
  • Recommendation: Enable this if you find your Rover difficult to drive straight at high speeds.
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MANUAL_RCMASK

Bitmask
Default 0
Range 0 65535

Manual R/C Pass-Through Mask (MANUAL_RCMASK)

Description

MANUAL_RCMASK allows advanced pilots to use "Old School" transmitter mixing when flying in MANUAL mode.

Normally, even in MANUAL mode, ArduPilot performs some processing on your stick inputs to map them to the correct outputs (e.g., mixing Elevons). By setting bits in this mask, you tell the autopilot to completely step out of the way for specific channels. Your transmitter's mixed signals will flow directly to the servos as if the flight controller wasn't there.

  • 0 (Default): Normal ArduPilot behavior.
  • Bitmask: Each bit represents a channel (Bit 0 = Chan 1, Bit 1 = Chan 2, etc.).

Tuning & Behavior

  • Warning: This is an expert-only parameter. If your transmitter mix is different from your autopilot's stabilized mix (e.g. FBWA), the plane will behave differently depending on the mode.
  • Safety: Ensure your "Failsafe" behavior is still correct. If the autopilot takes over during a failsafe, it will use its own mixing, not your transmitter's.
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MANUAL_STR_EXPO

Default 0
Range -0.5 0.95

Manual Steering Exponential (MANUAL_STR_EXPO)

Description

MANUAL_STR_EXPO makes Rover steering feel less "twitchy" when the control sticks are near the center.

Without Expo (0), the steering is linear—small stick movements result in immediate, sharp turns. This can make high-speed driving difficult. Setting a positive Expo value flattens the curve near the center, providing fine control for straight-line driving and subtle corrections, while still allowing for full lock-to-lock steering when the stick is pushed to the edge.

Tuning & Behavior

  • 0: Linear response (Standard).
  • Positive (0.1 to 0.95): Softer center-stick feel.
  • Negative (-0.1 to -0.5): Sharper center-stick feel (Aggressive).
  • Recommendation: Start with 0.2 for high-speed rovers to improve stability.
View Source
Manual Input Configuration (MAN) MAVLink Stream Configuration (MAV)