How to Get APM/Pixhawk telemetry on your taranis!

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Check out this link for the official wiki

http://planner.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-how-to-get-apmpixhawk-telemetry-on-your-taranis/

So just as with all my tutorials, This is simplifying the process of doing whatever it is aimed at.

Very often you will find tutorials on how to do things but they are poorly explained or make assumptions on what you know already,
I try to make the tutorial "for Dummies" put everything in to answer every question.
So here we go!

IF you would like one pre made and programmed

Search the following in ebay:

Telemetry adapter for APM to smartport

and simply plug and play or you can build one yourself in which case you will need a few things, Most importantly a Teensy 3.1, A servo lead and a Telemetry Plug.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=131139237471 In the listing is the link for a telemetry plug

And this is the link for the teensy.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12646 

you will need the above and a Soldering Iron and shrink wrap if you want to make things tidy.

Get your teensy and solder on the plugs

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The servo plug is soldered on the same side as the Micro USB,

Red wire to the hole rite of the Micro USB.
Black to the hole left of the USB (GND)
white to the hole two down from the black (1)

On the telemetry side you solder the Yellow wire ( Number 2 on the plug to hole 9)

The green or blue wire depending on your cable (no 3 on the plug, goes to 10)

The black wire (5 on the plug, goes to the center hole on the back of the teensy.

the end result is this:

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Now you need to program it:

To do this you need arduino, i will let you download that just google arduino installer.

Once downloaded you will need to download the teensy installer

http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/td_download.html

pick the one appropriate for your operating system.

once downloaded just run the installer.

You now have the teensy software for your computer, now you will need to copy the library folder contents into the Arduino library folder which is in

C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\libraries or where ever you told arduino to install.          

The library folder is in this zip MavLink_FrSkySPort_1.2%20%281%29.zip  

Now that all this is done you will want to copy the other folder in the zip file and extract it to your desktop, then open MavLink_FrSkySPort in arduino, it should just open not ask to be put in a folder, if it does, you did something wrong

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Now that it is ready in arduino, go to tools and them select board and choose the teensy 3.1.

Then click upload3689581468?profile=original

This window will appear when you do , press the reset button on your teensy and it will start uploading.

It takes only seconds and that is it!

Now you plug it into the apm and SBUS.

And power it up using a UBEC , Do not use USB as it will not work.

The teensy will blink red while the APM initializes which can be up to 10s.

IT should then start blinking very fast, this indicates it is communicating.

If it continues to blink it means your APM is operating above 5v or it is not connected correctly,

IF it still blinks then your APM regulator might be blown. get a multimeter and check it out.

Now to get this telemetry on the taranis is simple, power on the taranis and when at the home screen press menu.

Then long press page twice to get to telemetry, scroll down to page two and change the - - - to each telemetry choice.

and the original creators post is here http://diydrones.ning.com/forum/topics/amp-to-frsky-x8r-sport-conve...

do thank him, his contribution made this possible

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Comments

  • Hi All...

    I've just wired up a Teensy LC (having flashed it using arduino as above) to Rx line on my Minim which is working perfectly, and the Smart port on the X8R.The teensy flashes slowly during boot, but then flashes rapidly thereafter, with no telemetry registering on the Taranis.

    I have set the scripts on the Taranis, and done a search for sensors. No sensors are found.

    Firstly, can one use a Teensy LC for this, and if so, is necessary to connect the both the Tx and Rx lines from the the Serial port as well as the ground?

    The Teeensy is powered from the X8R which is also grounded.

    I have already configured SR2 to the OSD, SR1 to the 3DR radio.

    Some guidance would be much appreciated.

    Best DP

  • Hi all,

    I just got a Taranis with an X8R receiver and I purchased the telemetry cable and software from Craft and Theory (http://www.craftandtheoryllc.com/frsky-telemetry-cable-and-user-int...). I have to say it works amazingly well. I get pretty much every bit of information I could want on the Taranis display.

    In the US it was delivered in about 3 days and for $25USD I'm extremely happy with the performance.

    I put up a quick video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwAhGofBopY that has a couple shots (poorly framed I admit) of the display while flying.

    JR

  • got my mistake... the tlemetry mode at my T X was set to D-cable... has to be Frsky sbus....

  • the Tinsy sems to work(led bllinks and flickers..) but i still get no telemetrie data on my Transmitter.
    I Bind the X8R in Telemetrie mode. but all i get when i start searching new sensores are RSSE A0 and A2...whats going wrong there?

  • Richard...I was having the same problem...connecting to a ground station somehow interfered with the teensy...I will try your solution.

    Thanks...

  • I had a problem I figured out I post here for reference. After updating to copter 3.3 the telemetry on my Taranis was messed up IF I also was connected to a ground station. I finally figure Out I needed to eliminate the teesny TX out to the telem RX in on the pixhawk. Note the last teensy I bought from droneshopbiz.com in fact no longer comes with this 3rd wire [ red ] 3702139916?profile=original

  • HI Richard,

    thanks!

    You are right! I figured also out that the native code, pixhawk direkt to frsky can only transmit some data and not all which is necessary for the LUA script .

    No, It was not me! 

    But because of this post I looked at droneshop and now it is a must have for me:-)

  • Andre

    All I know is if I want the Taranis to display ALL the telemetry the pixhawk has to offer I need the teensy board.

    BTW I think it was you that pointed out in another thread that drone-shop has a new  / fixed lua script that works trouble free with 3.3?? ... thanks if that was you. Haven't tried it yet. 

  • Thanks Richard,

    of course that I know!

    But Pixhawk can send frsky-Telemetri data to any serialport direct via a RS232 interface to the s-port. The frsky understand that signal and i got some telemetry data on my Taranis. I tried already and it works.

    See here

    My question is if the native stream from the pixhawk to the Taranis is good enough for the Lua skrips to get the full parameters like in this video?

  • I'm not expert, but...

    The Teensy is used to "translate" the PH data into a form the FrSky receivers / telemetry can understand, so that the data can be viewed on your RC radio, in my case, a Taranis.  If you don't need to see the PH telemetry on your radio...if you are happy seeing it on your PC / notebook / tablet, (using Mission Planner or Tower) THEN there is no need for a Teensy.

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