Andropilot - discussion for Android ground controller users/developers - Discussions

Troy Backus January 22, 2013 at 7:07pm

awesom, just tested on my Asus Transformer TF101 with keyboard dock. 3DR radio plugged in and it started talking right away. Can't wait to test it this weekend while flying!!!

Developer

Kevin Hester January 22, 2013 at 6:44pm

New alpha released:

You can download a binary from github. Or wait a few hours and it will be up on the play store.

As always feedback is welcome...

Recent release notes:

# 1.0.10
* Fixes for auto crash reports on devices I don't have to test with...

# 1.0.9
* Minor changes to work with ICS

# 1.0.8
* Switch to ACRA for even better crash reports

# 1.0.7
* Get exception reports through google

# 0.1.6
* First cut at showing waypoints (read only and not fully decoded)
* Long press to enter guided mode to the place you clicked on the screen (quick hack, hardwired to 100m AGL) Real code will pop up a menu/dialog

Earl January 22, 2013 at 6:35pm

Good idea HFB

It would be a different app but yes, you could take the 3dr rx data and run it into a prog that grabs lat and long and puts a spot on google maps. At plane end just a gps outputting NEMA 183 data at 4800 baud into a 3dr radio set for 4800 baud. Same on ground end, 3dr radio set to 4800 baud. The program would need to grab (parse) the lat, lon and do something with it.

Earl

I STILL cant see any data on my host usb port on my pipo s2 but with an o'scope I see it is coming out the 3dr dadio and going into the usb port!

T3

healthyfatboy January 22, 2013 at 5:53pm

So I have a question regarding this app. Obviously, everyone wants to use it as a laptop replacement for a ground station but I'm wondering if it could be also used for basic tracking purposes? I fly FPV and sometimes I don't want to load up my planes with a lot of expensive electronics. Once you start adding things like video equipment and an AP, it gets too expensive for me to risk. Sometimes, I just want to fly with a basic setup and then stick a GPS to a 3DR radio and go fly. Ideally, I would have the radio send the GPS coordinates back to a computer so in the event I lost it in the trees somewhere, I could go recover it. Having something as small as a phone and radio would make a great tracker system. Any idea if the app would be able to handle something like this?

Earl January 22, 2013 at 4:04pm

Just got back from school. UNM VERY old student 67yo --- astrophysics

I ordered one of the BT devices because I need one for other projects also.

I sure want to get the usb host port on the Pipo S2 to work. Must be a driver issue. The usb serial monitor program wont connect to it either. I have several usb detector programs on the android and they see the usb port ! I also see a driver in /proc/tty/driver/usbserial on the Pipo. I recall some discussion on the Pipo net about the usb port also.

The usb kbd works ok with the Pipo if I plug it into the host port directly but doesn't work thru a powered or unpowered hub. Strange. The 3dr radio powers up on that port but again not with an extension hub powered or unpowered. I can make the 3dr radio reset with an android program but again can't seem to get data in/out of port with a serial terminal. I use Terminal IDE to access the linux system ok on the Pipo. I have rooted the Pipo. I can log in as SU also. I have busybox also.

Any ideas on how to enable the usb port or have the terminal get input from the usb port? I am a little familiar with linux. Help, this is driving me mad!

Earl

Rob_Lefebvre January 22, 2013 at 3:29pm

Some more testing reports. I updated to 0.1.9 on my TF700, and it's still crashing when I rotate.

And I don't know if this is related, but driving home tonight, my phone strangely rebooted by itself. First time it has ever done that. When it came back up, I got a notification telling me the SD Card is corrupted, and it must be formatted. I think there was another notification that Andopilot had updated, and I think the timestamp was the same time the phone crashed and rebooted. Weird.

Rob_Lefebvre January 22, 2013 at 1:41pm

BTW, if anybody wants a really nice, custom dongle that will work for your application perfectly, I've used these guys before:

http://www.usbfirewire.com/

It would be pricey at $50, but you could have a micro-male USB, with a right angle connector (front, back, left or right) with a short lead, and then a female USB-A socket on the end. That would allow you to make a real slick installation with the 3DR Radio sticking on the back of the device and the antenna peaking over the top.

Or, is there any circuitry inside these OTG dongles?

Rob_Lefebvre January 22, 2013 at 1:35pm

Ah hah! So I'm not the only one who wants to do the Bluetooth link:

http://code.google.com/p/copter-gcs/

I can't find much detail on the electronics side, however. But maybe if you have a chance to look at the code you could figure it out? Again, sorry, I'd love to help but it's well outside my current skills and I'm swamped with Arducopter development already.

Rob_Lefebvre January 22, 2013 at 8:02am

Ok, so question... How does this work? Is the intention that we would go to the field with our RC Controller, and an Android device. So we'd take off, flick to... guided mode? And then use the tablet? Do we have to switch to an auto mode, or can you wrestle control over to auto through Mavlink? (that's actually a little scary!) Do you want to get it to the point where we theoretically don't need an RC controller anymore? Turn on the quad, connect Mavlink, arm through the tablet, auto takeoff, fly in guided or a mission, auto land, etc?

Also, are you planning to enable setting parameters through the tablet? That would be awesome, and the most useful thing for me. I'm still likely to fly with R/C control, and I only get the laptop out for tuning params. Doing it on a tablet would be convenient.

I can still see a use-case for a laptop running classic MP for more complicated missions. But the tablet is cool for some simple things.

Would you also consider turning making a "follow me" mode? This is sort of already in progress, with a dedicated "FollowMe Box". But I think a phone already contains everything we need. Put the thing in follow-me, put your phone in your pocket, go ride a bike and it follows you. Etc.

Oh, also, please allow us to turn off the Mavlink datalogging. I don't always want that, and it would fill up the card needlessly.

Developer

Kevin Hester January 22, 2013 at 7:39am

Hi ya'll,

Thanks for the testing. I now have automated logs from the remaining problem:

Caused by: java.util.NoSuchElementException: None.get
at scala.None$.get(Option.scala:313)
at scala.None$.get(Option.scala:311)
at com.geeksville.andropilot.MainActivity$$anonfun$setModeSpinner$1.apply(MainActivity.scala:382)
at com.geeksville.andropilot.MainActivity$$anonfun$setModeSpinner$1.apply(MainActivity.scala:372)
at scala.Option.foreach(Option.scala:236)
at com.geeksville.andropilot.MainActivity.setModeSpinner(MainActivity.scala:372)
at com.geeksville.andropilot.MainActivity.onCreateOptionsMenu(MainActivity.scala:395)
at android.app.Activity.onCreatePanelMenu(Activity.java:2476)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.preparePanel(PhoneWindow.java:393)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.invalidatePanelMenu(PhoneWindow.java:747)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.restorePanelState(PhoneWindow.java:1677)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.restoreHierarchyState(PhoneWindow.java:1627)
at android.app.Activity.onRestoreInstanceState(Activity.java:928)
at android.app.Activity.performRestoreInstanceState(Activity.java:900)
at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnRestoreInstanceState(Instrumentation.java:1130)
at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2037)

I'll put a new version with a fix out tonight...

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