Greetings,
I am preparing to take advantage of the MP's antenna tracking ability and I am interested in what peoples experiences are with the two common controllers, Maestro and the Ardupilot legacy board. What are the Pros and Cons for each and why did you choose the board you did?
Also there are a few things that are unclear to me.
1) For those who are using Maestro, where did you get the source code for accepting input from the MP. Links for downloading source code would be appreciated.
2) What is the most recent version of the source code for the Ardutracker code? I have found the link in the wiki to version that reports it has been deprecated but I have found no other version available. That version is listed as ver 1.0, but I have seen posts where people make reference to a version 1.1. Links to downloading the most recent version would be appreciated.
Regards,
Nathaniel
Replies
did you think about this:
Maestro 6-channel USB servo controller bottom view shows tx and rx and vin and gnd
so i think we can use that to get the telemetry radio to convert it to wireless .
i have everything like your setup and i will start working on that and hope i will not burn my Maestro controller and i hope it will work.
let know what you think about it?
here are some pic of the Maestro and the TTL 3DRobotics 3DR Radio Telemetry Kit
https://www.pololu.com/picture/view/0J1954
http://www.pyramidmodels.com/shop/shopimages/AC632-B.jpg
Does anybody happen to have any ideas how it might be possible to have a "wireless" antenna tracker? I want to build a tracker tripod that can be positioned some distance from where I have my GCS/laptop set up.
I'm considering a few options such as using Ardustation or Ardudstation Mega. But I'm also wondering if it might be possible to do something using the tracking functions of MP. I already have the Pololu servo driver, but have no idea how it could be set up wirelessly. Some kind of wireless USB link between the laptop and the Pololu, but that seems messy. Either that or have the Pololu directly into the laptop, but feed it through a PPM Encoder, then to a 2.4GHz FrSky transmitter, with an Rx in the tracker, but that's pretty messy too...
just to throw this out there.
how common is the 180 + 180 design antenna tracker. ive always used the 360, 90. but just want to see how common the 180,180 is.
Hi, thanks to everybody for your useful informations on how to set up this stuff. Works well now..
The label in Mission Planner should be "PWM Range" instead of "PMW". That could help a lot for beginners..
Just have a look on YT:
Meastro 6Ch
regards Christian
Question - features request:
Is possible to implement 180/180 (pan/tilt) operation as a selectable option for tracker mechanical construction? (Or in what module of MP it can be located?)
Now - its necessary to have 360 deg (-180/+180) rotation in pan and 90 deg (0/90) in tilt.
Optional solution is to have 180 deg (-90/+90) rotation in pan and 180 deg in tilt - 0/90 for first half, same as with 360 deg pan, and 90/180 for "second half" of pan: -180/-90 and 90/180. On this second half pan and tilt have "inverted" sides.
Best,
Marek
Hi
I use another procedure which works for me fine. Yet I am planning to test the live calibration method that you are using (since I also have minor error with the tilt). At the moment I do 5.5Km with immersionRC diversity equipment
In the MP, I set angels (360,90) and PWM (1010, 608) center (1504,1504), The values chosen so -180 to +180 results a pan of 360 degree and -45 to +45 results in vertical to horizontal (90 degree) motions
On the field:
1) Connect the AT servo bat and then USB. Both servos go to their centers, Antenna goes to 45 degree tilt and pan center.
2) face the antenna to the middle of field (let say South)
3) start the APM under the tripod of the AT and connect the plan to MP via modem
4) After the GPS locked, I connect the AT (So tracker uses home location and Alt.)
5) Then taking the plan 30m from home antenna goes to 0 degree (vertical) and then I trim the pan to look at the plan
6) When the plan is about 30m from the AT I moving around and the antenna is pointing and moving to the right direction (pan). On the ground the antenna looks vertical
Then I am ready to takeoff (manually, I noticed that auto takeoff changing the home location)
When flying it looks like the pan works good but the tilt not, it is not following the plan correctly
Note that: Since most of the time the angle is about 3-5 degree (let say Alt. 200m distance 4000m) and the antenna beam is 30 degree, it is not a major problem
The problem is how to trim the tilt correctly (without being airborne)
You are invited to test this procedure and let me know what you think
Regards
Avi
I'm not ready to get a tracker going yet, but it would be helpful when manually adjusting my antenna to know the exact azmuith to point it. Mission Planner must know this already, but where do I find it? I could simply attach a magnetic compass to the antenna and not have to guess which way to point it when it needs an adjustment.
Thank you
Hi Nathan,
Here are a few pictures of my Tracker:
IMG_4490[1].JPG
IMG_4492[1].JPG
Did I put the right values in MP from the Pololu software? (the 318 value for PWM on Pan, and 889 on tilt) or should it be computed by simply (Max - Min) for example: one method is to take the range: max - min which would be: (1632 - 1376) = 256 Take that and divide it in half to get the (+/-) and we then have: 256 / 2 = 128, and key that into the"8-bit range (+/-)" field. It will round the number up to 158.75 and then take the new rounded up value and multiply *2, to get 318, and then enter that into PWM Range in MP. The other method is simply (Max - Min) 1632 - 1376 = 256 See the difference of 256 versus 318 depending on the method, and whether you are using the actual Pololu rounded up number?
My pan servo is a 3.5 Turn HiTec HS-785HB which would be 1,260 degrees I guess. Can you do that? Or maybe I could do 720 degrees (+/- 1 full turn each way) so that the resolution would be better and not so coarse? Or may go with a regular servo that can only do like 180 degrees like this one:
SM8166 Servo
You DO want the Plane "Home" away from the tracker correct? In other words, don't power up the plane (which sets the home) right next to the tracker correct? Tracker and home need space between them on the map? You are always using trim in MP to adjust the pan down from the 45 degree neutral point down to horizontal pointing at the plane correct? Each time you fly?
I'll post the pics later. I might be able to do a video of the tracker, but not until this weekend.
Thanks for the help!
But tilt is another story. I'm confused as to how to get it to track tilt successfully. I assembled my tracker so that the physical middle position of the servo travel, the antenna is at 45 degrees. Such that it can move +/- 45 degrees to give me 90 degrees travel (0 ~ 90). I adjusted the PWM limits in the Pololu software to where I have 0 degrees, up to 90 degrees of travel. So PWM 1,296 is 0 degrees (antenna pointing straight out horizontally), and PWM 2,176 is pointing 90 degrees straight up, this means the center position is 1,736, and the range is 880. What is the correct way to enter this data in Pololu and in Mission Planner so it will track tilt correctly? Is Center PWM in Mission Planner the 1,736 or is it the 1,296 since the tilt only needs to move from 0 degrees up to 90 degrees and not really +/- 45 degrees. Has anyone got this work?
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