diff --git a/website/docs/faq/index.md b/website/docs/faq/index.md index 6c6ad8e8..0ee46353 100644 --- a/website/docs/faq/index.md +++ b/website/docs/faq/index.md @@ -45,6 +45,35 @@ Turn off the power, then check the screws. - Vibration during operation tends to loosen the screws around the wrist. - Loose screws around the elbow can cause play in the joint and make the arm's motion unstable. +## The arm doesn't reach the commanded position or the end effector sags. + +The default control gains are set low for safety. +With low gains, gravity leaves a steady-state error in each joint, and the error grows at the end effector when the arm is extended. + +Increase the position gain (Kp) first. +This fixes most of the steady-state error and the sagging. + +We recommend tuning in the following order: + +1. Kp +2. Kd +3. Gravity compensation +4. Friction compensation +5. Integral gain (Ki) and disturbance observer (DOB), only if still needed + +OpenArm software controls the arm motors only in MIT mode (PD control with feedforward torque). +It doesn't provide an inner position or velocity loop with integral control or a disturbance observer. +If you implement them yourself, we don't recommend combining Ki and DOB because they can interfere with each other and cause oscillation. + +For reference, see the gains used in our software: + +- [Default gains for ROS 2](https://github.com/enactic/openarm_description/blob/main/assets/robot/openarm_v2.0/config/arm/control/control_gains.yaml) +- [Higher gains used with OpenArm Cell](https://github.com/enactic/openarm_driver/blob/5c73d835b31875057695f1b8688e0bf9c0bf87b0/src/openarm_driver/configs/openarm_cell_higher_pd_zero_offset.yaml#L87-L89) + +See [Control Gains](../api-reference/ros2/control.mdx#control-gains) for how to change the gains. +Start with low gains and increase them gradually. +With high gains, a command far from the current position can move the arm dangerously fast. + ## The cameras disconnect. In the standard configuration in the [OpenArm 2.0 BOM](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14RM-fIPml0HTMnt2zcTXjNxJj9s2R_mG), the head stereo camera (ZED mini) and both wrist cameras share one USB hub and one USB repeater cable.