Hi,
watch this very small video.
it shows my setup of tuning the tarot 685 quadcopter with APM 2.5 and 3.0.1 firmware.
I am following the DAVE C's tuning guide.

the main problem i am facing is the batteries... :|



hope you enjoy and comments would be appreciated



thanks

Nice tuning rig you have there!!!!

Didn't understand this statement "the main problem i am facing is the batteries... :|"

is it that the lipo's are of small capacity??

Also You should now try and fly without the strings. Get a feel of the whole setup and be very careful.
ofcourse there could be some broken props etc.. just be ready for it.

nice !! - are those anchoring strings made of elastic ?

@dream fly thanks, Yes i will soon go to a park to test it.
the problem is with lipos as they are of very very less capacity(3300mAh each and 4S)! i charge keep them charging after every 2min of tuning.
i dont care if props break, but my props never broke and the landing gear broke.

@saikat thanks! no these are cotton i guess, but pretty hard. dont break even if u apply a lot of pressure. these are the ones used in pajamas

3300 mah seems a lot to me (at least 6+ minutes of flying time) depending on the total weight of the craft (approx 800 gm to 1 kg) 
What's the total weight of the quad?
can you also post your complete setup

Motors, escs, etc

2 min using 3300mah is somthing very poor..
Please post the details..
You should get atleast 8min+ for the quad..
I think it is a fs680 hexa with two arms removed?

2814 700kv motors
25A plush turnigy ESCs
nanotech 3300mAH 25C 4S
11x4.7" props
tarot 690s frame converted to quadcopter
upgraded tarot's landing gear( but one still broke)


I should get around 6min+ ! ya!
but i never charge battery completely. now i started charging them complete and get around 5+. i dont have a low voltage alarm, so cant risk them discharging too much.

i recently did to one battery :"( but its healing one.

Update- i tuned the PID of Roll/pitch. now starting with rudder and throttle tuning

thanks for your reply arun and dreamfly.

Rahul let me tell you something, As far as you are using apm, Just do the calibration couple of time, install everything properly
imp: use a low voltage alarm
Then go to a field and fly it, I am sure that it will fly for the first time itself without any issues..
make sure all controls work properly and correctly..
then after the first flight depends upon the vibration and all tune the pid's
the stock pid will do the job after calibration anyway..

that's the problem sir
i did just that, but the pitch control was so insenstive that it didnt move the quad if u changed the pitch; and so it crashed
vibration i almost fixed after putting 2 pieces of foam tape.
it flied ok on my first try but i wasnt satisfied. my motors are heavy lift and so they require tuning i guess.

how is your arduflyer quad flying? and do you think its safe to test GPS for the first time in a small area or it can go out of control and fly away?

+

when i charge the batteries in the charging mode and balance mode, there is no difference. both balance very well??
i have IMAX B6. i am charging at .9A with 5A 12V power supply. is it ok? can i charge at 1.5A also, safe or no?

I charge at 1.5 A.  It's faster too.
I know you are trying to play safe which is good.  That also means a slow learning curve. 
When It comes to GPS  that's a real risky area. Better to way until there are absolutely no issues at all.
What Transmitter are you using??   When you want to minimize Risk.  Always use well known brands.  Futaba, Hitec  etc.
Unfortunately I have no APM experience but I guess like all controllers the basics are the same.

sweet, i will charge at about 1.5A now. do you think the lipos battery can live for 4-5months if i charge and use twice daily?
I have turnigy 9xR, no problems faced till now, its an awesome radio!
let me first fly in stabilize mood, then will switch to GPS.

I have been flying with turnigy 2000 Mh flying almost every weekend and I think I have made more than 100 flights (discharges) with no power drop.  Ofcourse they will eventually drop and die.... but might be after 200 - 250 flights (discharges).  Yes you better get a low voltage indicator/sensor.
Also remember than a Lipo needs special care.  Never keep a lipo charged for more than 4 - 6 hours. Always keep the lipo in storage state if you want to extend it's life. Try and charge it only when you need to use it.... say just before you want to fly.. Very very important.  Or else you will decrease it's longivity.

okay, what is storage state?
if i want to discharge a 4S lipo, what voltage should i drop it to?

For storage mode you should discharge it to 3.85v / cell

your charger should be able to do this by just going to the store mode.  Read the manual.  or if you don't have one then like  Santhosh-r mentioned just discharge/charge to 3.85 v/cell (you will need something to test this anyway). A multimeter can also be used.  But I am sure your charger should have this facility.

okay
thanks santhosh-r and dreamfly

Another problem i am facing is when going to alt hode mode(in this setup)
at low values of alt hold parameter it just stops flying and 2 motors or 3 slowly rotate.
when i go back to stabilize it goes fine
then when i increase the value, it goes way out of control. what must be the issue?

R u still testing this on your "RIG" ?
Well.  what I would suggest to you for now is since you are a beginner (Are You?)  Just start with one style of flying. Get to know that "mode" for a while and when you are comfortable with that then try out another.  Don't try to mix and match all at once.  I think "altitude hold mode" what you are mentioning is related to the Baro settings if I am not wrong.  Well I guess you first have to start flying in "stabilized mode" and learns some tricks out there.  Then once you are thru with that start tweaking the "Baro" for altitude hold.  Just my 3 cents.

alright. yes i am still testing
i think the tuning for the basic settings will take 1 week or 2 for good stabilization.
I charge the batteries 3 times a day( i got only 2)