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Trust each sensor

The estimator is two cards on INAV Advanced nav. Position weights say how hard the barometer, GPS, rangefinder and optical flow pull the position. Attitude gains say how hard the accelerometer and the compass pull the horizon and the heading.

The demo counts the accelerometer as half trusted at 15 degrees per second of spin, and fades that trust across 5 degrees per second either side. Up to 10 the picture keeps full trust. From 20 it ignores the accelerometer.

Saving either card reboots the flight controller, because these values are applied at boot. A higher weight trusts that sensor more and reacts faster, and it also passes on more of that sensor's noise. The defaults suit most craft.

Free. Hardware connections need Chrome or Edge on a computer; phones use the FlySpark app.

  • Free
  • Nothing to install
  • Demo without hardware

In short

The position and attitude estimator sets how hard each sensor pulls an INAV estimate. The demo counts the accelerometer as half trusted at 15 degrees per second of spin. Saving these fields reboots the flight controller.

Key facts

  • The estimator is on INAV Advanced nav. It shows when the board has the baro weight or the accelerometer P.
  • Set home on and Zero altitude on both start at First arm. The other choices are Never and Every arm.
  • Position usable within starts at 10 m. Navigation waits until the estimated error is below that.
  • Altitude baro weight starts at 0.35 and GPS altitude weight at 0.2. Both run from 0 to 10.
  • Accelerometer P and compass P start at 2000, which the footer reads as 0.2. Both step by 100.
  • Accelerometer trust cut-off starts at 15 degrees per second. Fade width starts at 5, either side.
  • GPS heading weight starts at 100 percent. With a compass, 0 is compass only and 100 matches the GPS course.
  • Saving the estimator reboots the flight controller. iPhone has no USB host.
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Try it

Spin past half

The demo counts the accelerometer as half at 15 °/s, and fades that trust across 5 °/s either side.

Full

100%

°/s

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Features

  • 01

    Home on the first arm

    Set home on and Zero altitude on both start at First arm. Never and Every arm are the other choices.

  • 02

    Navigation inside 10 m

    Position usable within starts at 10 m, in steps of 0.5. Navigation waits until the estimated error falls below it.

  • 03

    Baro weight 0.35

    Altitude baro weight starts at 0.35. GPS altitude weight starts at 0.2. Both run from 0 to 10, in steps of 0.05.

  • 04

    2000 means 0.2

    Accelerometer P and compass P start at 2000. The footer says the gain is stored times 10 000, so 2000 is 0.2.

  • 05

    Half trust at 15

    The trust cut-off starts at 15 degrees per second, and the fade width starts at 5 either side of that.

  • 06

    GPS heading at 100%

    GPS heading weight starts at 100. With a compass, 0 uses the compass only, and 100 counts the GPS course as much as the compass.

When navigation may start

Set home on starts at First arm. The hint says that choice keeps home after an accidental mid-air disarm. Never leaves the home you already have. Every arm sets home again each time you arm. Zero altitude on uses the same three choices and also starts at First arm. That second field has no hint on the card.

GPS altitude without barometer starts off. The hint says turning it on allows altitude hold and return to home on a board that has no barometer. Use GPS velocity starts on. Off works speed out from positions instead. The hint says to try off if the GPS lags, and that it must be off with the Pedestrian GPS model.

Position usable within starts at 10 m. The step is 0.5 m and the value is shown to one decimal. The hint says the estimated error must fall below this before navigation is allowed. Barometer uncertainty starts at 1 m, in steps of 0.1 m. Gravity calibration tolerance starts at 5 cm/s², from 0 to 255. Calibration at power-on waits until the error is below that.

How hard each sensor pulls

The weight fields use two decimals and step by 0.05, except accelerometer drift, which uses three decimals and steps by 0.005. A higher weight trusts that sensor more. The footer says it reacts faster and passes on more of the sensor's noise.

Altitude from the barometer starts at 0.35, and altitude from GPS starts at 0.2. Climb rate from GPS starts at 0.1. Climb rate decay without a reference starts at 0.5. Those four run from 0 to 10. The decay hint says it is how fast climb rate fades when the barometer and GPS are both lost.

Rangefinder altitude weight starts at 3.5, and rangefinder climb rate starts at 6.1. Both run from 0 to 100. Position from GPS starts at 1, and speed from GPS starts at 2, both from 0 to 10. Speed decay without GPS starts at 0.5, and its hint says that is how fast speed fades when GPS is lost.

Optical flow position starts at 1, and optical flow speed starts at 2, both from 0 to 100. Accelerometer drift learning starts at 0.01, from 0 to 1. Leave the defaults alone unless a log shows one sensor fighting the others.

The horizon and the heading

Accelerometer P and compass P start at 2000 and step by 100, from 0 to 65535. Accelerometer I and compass I start at 50 and step by 5, over the same range. The footer says these gains are stored times 10 000, so 2000 is 0.2. A higher P corrects drift faster from the accelerometer or the compass, and it lets vibration and acceleration tilt the horizon.

Accelerometer trust cut-off starts at 15 degrees per second, from 0 to 30. The hint says that is the rotation rate at which the accelerometer counts half. Fade width starts at 5 degrees per second, from 0 to 10, and the hint says the weight fades over that range either side.

The picture uses the demo pair, 15 and 5. Full trust holds up to 10 degrees per second. Half is at 15. From 20 the accelerometer is ignored. Between 10 and 20 the picture fades in a straight line, and the horizon leans only as that trust falls. That straight line is the picture, not a claim about the firmware's own curve.

GPS heading weight starts at 100 percent, from 0 to 500, in steps of 10. The hint says that with a compass, 0 is compass only and 100 counts the GPS course as much as the compass. Wind-correct GPS heading starts on, and only a plane, boat, rover or other platform shows that switch. A multirotor hides it.

Where you set it

Open Advanced nav and find Position estimator, then Attitude estimator. The block is there when the board has the baro altitude weight or the accelerometer P. The compass alignment itself is on the Compass tab. These gains are only how hard the compass pulls once it is aligned.

Chrome or Edge connects over USB or Bluetooth. Android adds Wi-Fi. iPhone uses Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and has no USB host. Save only when you are ready for the flight controller to reboot.

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Read the estimator before you change it

  1. Open the two cards

    On INAV, open Advanced nav. Position estimator is first, then Attitude estimator.

  2. Leave the weights

    Baro altitude weight starts at 0.35 and GPS position weight at 1. The footer says the defaults suit most craft.

  3. Read the half-trust point

    Accelerometer trust cut-off starts at 15 degrees per second. Fade width starts at 5 either side.

  4. Save knowing it reboots

    Saving these fields reboots the flight controller. They are applied at boot.

Troubleshooting

Common problems and fixes

  • Problem

    The estimator cards are missing

    Fix

    The board has neither the baro altitude weight nor the accelerometer P. Those two settings are what bring the block onto Advanced nav.

  • Problem

    Navigation will not start

    Fix

    Position usable within starts at 10 m. The estimated error has to fall below that before navigation is allowed.

  • Problem

    The horizon tilts in a turn

    Fix

    A higher accelerometer P corrects faster and also lets acceleration tilt the horizon. The trust cut-off starts at 15 degrees per second, where the accelerometer counts half.

  • Problem

    The heading ignores the GPS course

    Fix

    GPS heading weight starts at 100, which counts the GPS course as much as the compass. 0 uses the compass only. Wind-correct is a fixed-wing switch and starts on.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the INAV position estimator?

The weights that pull position and altitude from the barometer, GPS, rangefinder and optical flow, plus when home and altitude are zeroed.

When is home set?

Set home on starts at First arm, which keeps home after an accidental mid-air disarm. Never and Every arm are the other choices.

When may navigation start?

When the estimated error falls below Position usable within. The demo is 10 m, in steps of 0.5.

What do the weights mean?

A higher weight trusts that sensor more, reacts faster, and passes on more of its noise. The defaults suit most craft.

What is 2000 on accelerometer P?

The footer says gains are stored times 10 000, so 2000 is 0.2. Compass P starts at the same 2000.

When is the accelerometer only half trusted?

At the trust cut-off, which starts at 15 degrees per second. Fade width starts at 5 either side, so the picture is full up to 10 and ignored from 20.

What is GPS heading weight?

With a compass, 0 uses the compass only and 100 counts the GPS course as much as the compass. The demo is 100, and the field runs to 500.

Does saving reboot the board?

Yes. Both cards say the flight controller reboots after saving, because the values are applied at boot.

Does a plane and a quad share these cards?

Yes. Wind-correct GPS heading is the exception: it is shown for a plane, boat, rover or other platform, and a multirotor hides it.

Can I set this in Chrome?

Yes, on INAV. Chrome or Edge uses USB or Bluetooth. Android adds Wi-Fi. iPhone uses Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and has no USB host.

References

Sources

The official documentation behind the background facts on this page.

  1. INAV WikiINAV on GitHub · github.com
  2. INAV ConfiguratorINAV on GitHub · github.com
  3. Betaflight WikiBetaflight · betaflight.com

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Ready to try it?

Free. Hardware connections need Chrome or Edge on a computer; phones use the FlySpark app.