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Using Pixhawk with a Fatshark headtracker

Posted by Bill Salopek on November 17, 2017 at 12:04am

It's amazingly difficult to find information on this subject.

I'd like to control the pitch, roll, and yaw, of my gimbal (Storm32 controller), from the control outputs of a Fatshark Trinity headtracker (mounted in Dominator V3's), using a Pixhawk, Taranis X9D, and X8R receiver.

I do not want to use Mavlink, telemetry, or serial port instructions for the Storm32, as those ports are already overly busy handing the GPS, OSD, etc...so I want to use plain ole RC channels.

The Trinity headtracker outputs control instructions on combinations of channels 4 thru 8...and since Pixhawk uses 1 thru 5 to control throttle, etc, and flight modes, that leaves 6, 7, and 8.

I can not figure out how to get the Pixhawk to pass thru control instractions from the Taranis radio (which originate from the Trinity headtracker via the trainer port input) 

Since I have a hexacopter, which occupies channels 1 thru 6 for the motors, I've tried to use 7 and 8 for gimbal control (still needing 1 more for the 3rd channel), and then also tried to use RC9-16.

NO LUCK AT ALL.

I can see in Mission Planner, for example, channel 8, reacting to the radio's input, but the Pixhawk channel 8 output, DOES NOT CHANGE (why?).

Anyone have any ideas on how I can proceed?

Thanks...

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Replies

  • Keith whitehead October 3, 2019 at 9:30am

    wish there was more clarification or a video on this. id like to head tracking with ardruplane also. im still confused how you got it to work

  • Bill Salopek November 17, 2017 at 5:51pm

    OK...what I did was use a y-cable from the SBUS out port on the X8R...sent one to the Pixhawk of course, and the other to the SBUS input on the Storm32 card...in this way I avoided using PWM.  Other possible solutions I heard for using PWM is that the Pixhawk needs to be ARMED to send control outputs on channel 8? (and maybe others), and/or, I needed to connect the Pixhawk

    I defined channels 6, 7, and 8 on the Taranis, as head tracking roll, pitch, yaw (those might be out of order)...and it worked.

    --

    Bill

  • Bill Salopek November 17, 2017 at 8:15am

    I wanted to clarify a bit...

    The Pixhawk IS recognizing the control inputs from the radio...but it is NOT passing those control inputs thru to the gimbal.

    I can see, for example, RC8's input PWM value change...I can also see the bar move on the radio calibration page in Mission Planner...but the OUTPUT from the Pixhawk does NOT change.

    What gives?

    Thanks...

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