Developer

Adding more features to IOBoard

jdrones_ioboard_mavlink_frsky.png

IOBoard Let's make it better... We need testers...

Awhile ago we made first translating program for IOBoard and since that people have been using it as it was and/or modifying its open software. Now that we have more and more devices supporting FrSky telemetry, converting becomes more fun.

So let's make it. Current roadmap for IOBoard is:

- Have full support for MAVLink/FrSky conversion

- LED driver with configurable patterns

- OpenTX, er9X support

- TLD-02 display support

- Updated Configurator

Currently tested features on Taranis radio:

Heading, Temperature 1, Temperature 2 (shows satellites/fix type), Armed/Disarmed and Throttle values,

Lat/Lon, Altitude, Voltage, Cell volt (avg), Speed

jD-IOBoard can be found from jDrones store

Latest MAVLink/FrSky software is IOBoard_FrSkyMAVLink.v03a 

software can also be found from arducodes repository at google code

Let us know how it works and if you have ideas, post it on..

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Comments

  • Hi Jani, thanks for your answer. An option for fixed cell count would be great! I do not need it calculated automatically, for I don't use different batteries with the same machine.

    I would appreciate to test new solutions with my setup and give feedback.

    Markus

  • Developer

    @Markus, cell count can sometimes be wrong especially is your battery is really full. Due the limitations of FrSky telemetry protocol, cell count and cell voltage is manually counted and guessed "best way" as possible. As IOBoard get it's voltage value from flight controller it has to divide voltage and from voltage try to figure how many cells you have. Most of cases calculation is correct.

    Maybe we should add option in config parameters that you can use either automatic or fixed cell count? What you think?

    In anycase it's the total voltage that counts as there are no possibilities to get exact cell voltage from battery. I will check if we can find any better solution for voltage calculations. Would be important to get feedback of your measured battery values and reported cell values. 

    @brian, did you have GPS lock on flight controller while you tested??

  • Hi, I am wondering why my radio shows cell voltage for 4 cells although my battery is only a 3 cell lipo. See photo below. My Setup: er9x, TelemetrEZ, D8R-XP, IOBoard. The total voltage is correct, as the second photo shows, only the cell voltage is wrong because "the system" (which part of it?) thinks that I use a 4 cell lipo.

    3692939568?profile=original3692939608?profile=originalAny idea?
    All the best, Markus

  • Hi guys, I recently did the frsky mod for my 9xr transmitter. Hooked up the jdioboard 1.1 w/ firmware version .5. I got most information back to my transmitter now (frsky er9x) but i'm missing the latitude and longitude, they remain 0.00000 and 0.0000 when viewed on my 9xr. I've tried out side when i should have a gps lock. Any thoughts?

  • I tested this Hex file today to see how it faired in comparison, by Nils Hogberg.

    Interesting result was that FM (T1) display sort of worked but wrong order. Sat info and GPS Lat Lon and Brg worked well. No voltage or current reading though...

    http://vizual54.github.io/APM-Mavlink-to-FrSky/

    Apm-mavlink-to-frsky
    Apm-mavlink-to-frsky : Arducopter Mavlink telemetry to FrSky Taranis
  • Chris, the IO board TX line would connect to the Vario Data In RX line, and GND to GND also. If power comes from the APM to the IO Board already then that should be enough connections. The X8R and the Taranis needs to be in D16 mode and bound that way too AFAIK.

  • @Jure Jerman I'm just getting back to my telemetry setup after having it on the back seat for the last couple months. I have the IO board & FrSky Vario but I'm still not sure how to connect everything to the X8R and APM. Any chance you could send me a diagram of how you hooked everything up?

  • Jani, a question out of the blue for you. In your code, what is the transmitted bandwidth of the data being sent to the FrSky receiver ? 

    Just wondering if you knew about their telemetry baud rate verses bandwidth issues (9600baud V's 1200baud IIRC).

  • I am going to try this setup with OpenLRSng, since it supports 2-way communication while it can emulate FrSky telemetry on the downlink. It would be great to have an LRS solution with built-in telemetry, especially since I own a Taranis and the spoken messages are a great UX when you are FPV'ing :) So my initial setup would be like so:

    RC: Taranis --> OpenLRSng TX --> OpenLRSng RX --> APM

    Telemetry: APM --> jD-IOBoard --> OpenLRSng RX --> OpenLRSng TX --> Taranis

     

    I ultimately would like to see that OpenLRSng can parse MAVlink natively and translate it to the SmartPort protocol you need only a setup like this:

    APM <-> OpenLRSng RX <-> OpenLRSng TX <-> Taranis

    for both R/C and telemetry.

     

    One question comes to mind though: does this jD-IOBoard Mavlink/FrSky translation include the RSSI value?

  • Hello,

    I am using IOboard 1.1 (firmware version 0.5) with X8R  reciever. I am able to display most of the data on Taranis screen, LED's are working more or less as expected, but what is annoying is that voltage readings are two low (I have 3DR APM).  There were people complaining about that in the past, but I haven't found any solution.

    Any hint on that  would be more than appreciated.

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