Ardustation 2 Version 2.0.15 Release - Adds Mavlink 1.0 Support - Discussions

I've just uploaded the latest Ardustation 2 release - 2.0.15 which adds Mavlink 1.0 support. This is to support the upcoming releases of ACM and APM with Mavlink 1.0. You can still use this release with Mavlink 0.9 by commenting out the "#define MAVLINK10" statement in the main ardustation2.pde file.

This version will also warn you if it detects the wrong Mavlink heartbeat being transmitted. Ardustation 2.0.15 will display an error message on the LCD when it detects the wrong heartbeat and direct you recompile with the opposite state of the #define MAVLINK10 statement. The start up message displayed on the LCD will indicate if you have compiled for Mavlink 1.0 or Mavlink 0.9.

I've have tested Mavlink 1.0 with ACM 2.6 Gamma, APM 2.4 (with Mavlnk 1.0 enabled) and with the Mavlink 1.0 version of the Mission Planner.

As always, please let me kinow if you have any issues with this release.

heyno@heino.com or comment on this forum post.

http://code.google.com/p/ardustation-ii/downloads/list

and is also available in my git clone here:

http://code.google.com/r/hrpull-ardustationii/source/checkout

and you will need a git client to pull the clone down.

Heino

Ok, trying to use Ardustation for the first time. I have to power from a BEC because the LM317 doesn't seem to be working right.

So I've got everything connected, and the Xbees are talking (I can see the heartbeat). But other than that it's not going well.

I'm using Arducopter 2.7.1, and Ardustation 2.0.15.

When I do Get Params, it gets up to 49 of 51 and then gets stuck. If I then Edit/View Params, is shows a bunch of stuff that don't make any sense. I think it's showing AC params with Arduplane names.

(Edit: Oh wait, now the names appear properly. Weird)

Then, the menus don't seem to be as shown here:

http://code.google.com/p/ardustation/wiki/UsersGuide

Most importantly, I don't have the PIDS menu, which was the biggest reason I'm doing this.

Am I doing something wrong?

Bearing_Home=calc_bearing(Latitude_Home, Longitude_Home, latitude, longitude
);
Bearing_Home = 180-(Bearing_Home/2.0);
// Offset for servo limit
Bearing_Home = Bearing_Home + offset;
if (Bearing_Home > 180.0)
Bearing_Home = Bearing_Home - 180.0;
else
{
if (Bearing_Home <0.0)
Bearing_Home = Bearing_Home + 180.0;
}
Pan.write(Bearing_Home);

Replies

Adrian January 10, 2013 at 2:08am

ANYONE?
Adrian January 8, 2013 at 11:34am

Hi

When I use "Antenna test " from ardustation on PAN settings from 90 to 95 my 360deg winch servo goes 90deg - how can I correct that / where in the code.

Thanks
Admin

Thomas J Coyle III November 26, 2012 at 12:24pm

@Heino,

I have compiled and loaded Ardustation 2.0.15 on my ArduStation and I got the correct screen at statup. I am using 900MHz Xbees on the station and on my ArduRover. I got a heartbeat right off the bat when I turned on the APM1/Oilpan on the rover. After the GPS got sat lock everything was a go and I was getting good data. Then I received a message that I was using the wrong version of Mavlink and should recompile to 0.9. After restarting the station after each occurrence of the Mavlink message the station would go longer without the message. Is this due to a packet issue or what? Would upgrading to 2.0.16 help to alleviate this problem?

Regards,

TCIII
Tom Griep August 29, 2012 at 4:49pm

Heino,

If you want, I can send you the changes, it is pretty easy, remove the camera settings from the Case statement and adjust the TOTAL_PARAMS to 49 and a few other places it needs to be adjusted.

I can't give you what I have been working on directly because I have been modifying the code a lot. I am using an ATMega644 processor instead of a ATMega328. I did this mainly because I had one laying around, I wanted 2 serial outputs, one that I can dedicate to Telemetry and the other for debugging. And also I might need it for more I/O.

I also added some features like enabling the buzzer for a low voltage alarm, a ability to set a voltage level in EEProm for the alarm level. Soon I am going to add a graphic LCD to get more screen space so that will take some time.

Tom
Tom Griep August 29, 2012 at 1:56pm

Go here to see what I found about the 49 0f 51 error.

http://www.diydrones.com/forum/topics/ardustation2-apm-acm-2-0-15-m...

The deal is that it times out but still works so you can ignore it.
Larry August 16, 2012 at 6:04pm

Ardustation Users, is the Ardustation compatable with the newer 3DR radio telemetry receivers? I notice the Ardustation seems to have a place on the back for an XBee, how would I interface it to a 3DR instead. I intend to use the Ardustation to control a antenna tracker. What are the largest (strongest) Servos anyone has used to date?

Comments and advice appreciated!

Larry
Rob_Lefebvre August 12, 2012 at 7:57am

Ok, trying to use Ardustation for the first time. I have to power from a BEC because the LM317 doesn't seem to be working right.

So I've got everything connected, and the Xbees are talking (I can see the heartbeat). But other than that it's not going well.

I'm using Arducopter 2.7.1, and Ardustation 2.0.15.

When I do Get Params, it gets up to 49 of 51 and then gets stuck. If I then Edit/View Params, is shows a bunch of stuff that don't make any sense. I think it's showing AC params with Arduplane names.

(Edit: Oh wait, now the names appear properly. Weird)

Then, the menus don't seem to be as shown here:

http://code.google.com/p/ardustation/wiki/UsersGuide

Most importantly, I don't have the PIDS menu, which was the biggest reason I'm doing this.

Am I doing something wrong?
Andre S August 7, 2012 at 8:05am
Hello Heino,

Hope you are still reading this :)

I finally built myself a simple (and not yet fully functioning) antenna tracker and wanted to get going on the antenna tracking side. However, I have some conceptual problems to understand the code at that part. So let's say one has a 180 degrees Pan servo. Accessing this via the servo library allows one to control the servo over a range of [0,180] degrees, as I understand. Also, if I understand correctly, the Ardustation computes the bearing from the home location to the current location of the plane and maps that to the control (the angle from 0 to 180) for the pan servo.

So if we assume that the tracker was initially oriented to point north (center point servo, so 90 degrees servo input), which corresponds to 0 degree bearing, then should one not just subtract 90 degrees from the bearing to get the proper servo control? Instead, inside Antenna.pde the code does something else:
```
Bearing_Home=calc_bearing(Latitude_Home, Longitude_Home, latitude, longitude
);
Bearing_Home = 180-(Bearing_Home/2.0);

// Offset for servo limit

    Bearing_Home = Bearing_Home + offset;

    if (Bearing_Home > 180.0)

       Bearing_Home = Bearing_Home - 180.0;

    else

    {

        if (Bearing_Home <0.0)

           Bearing_Home = Bearing_Home + 180.0;

     }

     Pan.write(Bearing_Home);
```
Particularly the division by 2.0 I don't quite understand. Sorry for that strange question but I'm trying to learn here :-) Thanks and best regards,

Andre
Jani July 15, 2012 at 10:59am

Hi Heino

Thx for great work with Ardustation!

Can you give advice how to get Flightmodes with mavlink 1.0 because it has changed after 0.9.

I was trying to use packet.custom_mode and packet.base_mode , but i'm not sure if it's the right way.

Regards Jani
steve July 15, 2012 at 9:28am

Heino,

Do you know why my APM Planner 1.1.97 mav1.0 shows altitude 158 and the display on the ardustation is 290. Its tracking ok but it seems with this altitude difference, it would cause it to under or overshoot the plane. I'm doing this with the plane sitting on the ground next to the tracker.

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