Posted by Chaac Muul on December 26, 2014 at 1:30pm
The IRIS onboard radio does not communicate with the 915 MHz 3DR Radio connected to a PC running Mission Planner. Direct USB cable to PixHawk does work. The onboard telemetry radio is unmarked.What is the best way to determine if the onboard telemetry is transmitting on 915 MHz not 433 MHz?The original purchase order was 433 MHz, but changed before shipping to 915 MHz. Could the order have shipped with mismatched radios?
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unplug the df13 cable going to the onboard telemetry modem from the pixhawk
then plug a micro usb cable into the onboard telemetry modem and your windows GCS PC
and use the windows 3DR radio config 1.3 utility to load the config from the onboard telemetry modem..
then unplug the onboard telemetry modem from the microusb and restore the df13 connection to the pixhawk and power up.
. now plug in the GCS modem and save the loaded air modem config to it.. you should see both the GCS modem and the IRIS modem come online in a linked state once the save is complete and another load initiated from the GCS modem.
Once this test is past then you can use the linked set of modems with Mission planner, droidplanner etc
good luck
hzl
ps post your success or failure here and we can go on if necessary
pss make sure that the attenae connection matches the modem as clones(just in case some are sitting around)differ from actual 3dr product rpsma vs sma forget which one is which
Chaac Muul > hotelzululimaJanuary 2, 2015 at 3:43pm
I had problems "unplugging" the DF13 6-wire cable from the PixHawk port. I believe that someone must sell a plug puller to protect the connector and wires. I will search and report if such a tool exists.
For those that have a similar need, I found a helpful demo "PX4 Plug Tutorial " on YouTube:
Unfortunately, I did a lot of damage with needle-nose pliers, tweezers, and a small screw driver without noticeable loosening of the plug. Have made repairs, but I should have a spare set of connector cables anyway.
Chaac Muul > hotelzululimaDecember 27, 2014 at 11:42am
hzl, thanks for your detailed reply. A quick question: Do you have a link to where I can download the 3DR radio config 1.3 utility?
You also opened a concern that probably belongs to a new thread: I was cosidering a solution of buying a pair of "3DR telemetry radios" for a quarter of the list price on 3D Robotics Online Store. "Clones" I would assume....
hotelzululima > Chaac MuulDecember 28, 2014 at 2:34pm
btw as an aside on other procedures.. I have never had a radio fail to straighten out
by simply cloning the air radio setting to the ground radio(whicd is what the procedure I gave you does..)
again good luck and good flying
hzl
ps HK/Hextronics are SMA and I believe the 3dr radios are RPSMA.. the antenna will not swap ok from one type to the other without an adapter..
Chaac Muul > hotelzululimaJanuary 2, 2015 at 4:53pm
Good news! Problem solved. 3DR Radios communicating. Followed your advice:
1. Updated Mission Planner (Removed APM Planner 2.0 to avoid any potential conflict).
2. Downloaded 3DR Radio Config 1.3.2 and flashed both radios separately using USB cable.
3. Checked that all radio parameters matched with both Config 1.3.2 and Mission Planner.
4. Ran a simulated flight with props removed. Radio telemetry appears to work properly.
Had a great flying session on Sunday over artificial turf in an empty baseball stadium. Multiple take-offs and landings with GPS fixes
Radio Telemetry worked perfectly.
The 3-position Mode switch on the IRIS transmitter is broken, so I only have two choices "Loiter" and "Alt Hold" by flipping the right mode switch. I noticed a tendency toward the end for the IRIS to spin after landing in "Loiter" Mode. A suggested remedy would be to switch to "Alt Hld" Mode, as the GPS may be at fault.
hotelzululima > Chaac MuulDecember 28, 2014 at 2:31pm
I use their(HK) and hextronics telemetry radios so they do seem to be ok..
good luck
hzl
ps the first link has all you want to know about the radios to start with..
Stone1295 > Chaac MuulDecember 27, 2014 at 12:46pm
Ah ok. Confirmed at home, red stickered antennas are 915 and 433 are blue.
You don't need any special tools to configure your radios.
Open up Mission Planner, plug in your radio using an appropriate USB cable (micro to normal) and then on Mission Planner click on Initial Setup. In the upper right select the appropriate COM port and double check that the baud rate is set to 57600. DO NOT click on Connect.
On the Initial Setup tab of Mission Planner click on Optional Hardware and then 3DR Radio. Click on the green Load Settings button. After about 30 seconds the setting will populate the boxes. Take a look at the Min Frequency and Max Frequency boxes - they should say something like 915 and 928. The other box to not is the one that Net ID. Net ID is your radio ID and it can be set to whatever value you'd like as long as both the ground and air radios match each other. It allows your two radios to communicate with each other if you're flying with a bunch of other folks that are using similar equipment without jamming each other.
Write down the values in all of the boxes on a sheet of paper.
Now open up your IRIS. It's just 3 screws; one in the battery bay, and 2 up front by the arms. Be careful of the wires that connect your GPS. You don't need to unplug anything, you just need to be careful of the cables. Unplug your radio and plug the USB cable into the IRIS's on board radio. Select the appropriate COM port and speed but DO NOT click on connect. Go back to the Initial Setup tab and Optional Hardware and finally click on the 3DR Radios just like you did last time.
Compare the settings between what you wrote down to what you see. Most likely the issue is the Net ID but you can confirm the frequencies here too.
Once the settings are the same for both radios put your IRIS back together and plug your ground radio back in to the USB cable. Remove the props from your IRIS, turn on your Transmitter, and plug a battery into your IRIS. Attempt to connect to the IRIS using the appropriate COM port and speed settings.
Replies
HI Chaac,
most likely mismatched configs rather..
easiest way to solve this is to:
open up the iris
unplug the df13 cable going to the onboard telemetry modem from the pixhawk
then plug a micro usb cable into the onboard telemetry modem and your windows GCS PC
and use the windows 3DR radio config 1.3 utility to load the config from the onboard telemetry modem..
then unplug the onboard telemetry modem from the microusb and restore the df13 connection to the pixhawk and power up.
. now plug in the GCS modem and save the loaded air modem config to it.. you should see both the GCS modem and the IRIS modem come online in a linked state once the save is complete and another load initiated from the GCS modem.
Once this test is past then you can use the linked set of modems with Mission planner, droidplanner etc
good luck
hzl
ps post your success or failure here and we can go on if necessary
pss make sure that the attenae connection matches the modem as clones(just in case some are sitting around)differ from actual 3dr product rpsma vs sma forget which one is which
I had problems "unplugging" the DF13 6-wire cable from the PixHawk port. I believe that someone must sell a plug puller to protect the connector and wires. I will search and report if such a tool exists.
For those that have a similar need, I found a helpful demo "PX4 Plug Tutorial " on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfu8M8t2fWY
Unfortunately, I did a lot of damage with needle-nose pliers, tweezers, and a small screw driver without noticeable loosening of the plug. Have made repairs, but I should have a spare set of connector cables anyway.
http://www.buddyrc.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=ab+clips
These are designed for the removing the JST-XH connecors from balance chargers.
You also opened a concern that probably belongs to a new thread: I was cosidering a solution of buying a pair of "3DR telemetry radios" for a quarter of the list price on 3D Robotics Online Store. "Clones" I would assume....
btw as an aside on other procedures.. I have never had a radio fail to straighten out
by simply cloning the air radio setting to the ground radio(whicd is what the procedure I gave you does..)
again good luck and good flying
hzl
ps HK/Hextronics are SMA and I believe the 3dr radios are RPSMA.. the antenna will not swap ok from one type to the other without an adapter..
Good news! Problem solved. 3DR Radios communicating. Followed your advice:
1. Updated Mission Planner (Removed APM Planner 2.0 to avoid any potential conflict).
2. Downloaded 3DR Radio Config 1.3.2 and flashed both radios separately using USB cable.
3. Checked that all radio parameters matched with both Config 1.3.2 and Mission Planner.
4. Ran a simulated flight with props removed. Radio telemetry appears to work properly.
Thanks everyone for your help!
Radio Telemetry worked perfectly.
The 3-position Mode switch on the IRIS transmitter is broken, so I only have two choices "Loiter" and "Alt Hold" by flipping the right mode switch. I noticed a tendency toward the end for the IRIS to spin after landing in "Loiter" Mode. A suggested remedy would be to switch to "Alt Hld" Mode, as the GPS may be at fault.
https://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/wiki/3DRadio for general radio info in detail to reg settinss
config utility here http://vps.oborne.me/3drradioconfig.zip
and its also part of mission planner nowadays...
Avoid HobbyKing MiniMOSD clones
I use their(HK) and hextronics telemetry radios so they do seem to be ok..
good luck
hzl
ps the first link has all you want to know about the radios to start with..
Ah ok. Confirmed at home, red stickered antennas are 915 and 433 are blue.
You don't need any special tools to configure your radios.
Open up Mission Planner, plug in your radio using an appropriate USB cable (micro to normal) and then on Mission Planner click on Initial Setup. In the upper right select the appropriate COM port and double check that the baud rate is set to 57600. DO NOT click on Connect.
On the Initial Setup tab of Mission Planner click on Optional Hardware and then 3DR Radio. Click on the green Load Settings button. After about 30 seconds the setting will populate the boxes. Take a look at the Min Frequency and Max Frequency boxes - they should say something like 915 and 928. The other box to not is the one that Net ID. Net ID is your radio ID and it can be set to whatever value you'd like as long as both the ground and air radios match each other. It allows your two radios to communicate with each other if you're flying with a bunch of other folks that are using similar equipment without jamming each other.
Write down the values in all of the boxes on a sheet of paper.
Now open up your IRIS. It's just 3 screws; one in the battery bay, and 2 up front by the arms. Be careful of the wires that connect your GPS. You don't need to unplug anything, you just need to be careful of the cables. Unplug your radio and plug the USB cable into the IRIS's on board radio. Select the appropriate COM port and speed but DO NOT click on connect. Go back to the Initial Setup tab and Optional Hardware and finally click on the 3DR Radios just like you did last time.
Compare the settings between what you wrote down to what you see. Most likely the issue is the Net ID but you can confirm the frequencies here too.
Once the settings are the same for both radios put your IRIS back together and plug your ground radio back in to the USB cable. Remove the props from your IRIS, turn on your Transmitter, and plug a battery into your IRIS. Attempt to connect to the IRIS using the appropriate COM port and speed settings.
-Mike
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