MinimOSD meets ArduCAM OSD Config

We know you love DIYDrones... so here is the Valentine's gift from the Dev Team! Yeah, we love you back. LOL =)
Anyway, in fact the title of this post could also be "ArduCAM OSD Project meets Michael Oborne"!!!

This tool makes setting up the awesome MinimOSD board super easy!

You can also buy from your local distributor, like JDrones.

Now you can:

enable and disable panels;
positioning panels by drag or numeric input;
save and load layouts from file;
save and load layouts from board's EEPROM;
test video mode switching with adaptive layout;
update firmware;
update character set;
customize background picture;
set grid on/off;
test the layout with telemetry logs from Mission Planner;

If you want to know more about each feature, check this wiki page.

To upgrade your MinimOSD board just went to our download area and grab the "OSD Config" and "MinimOSD 1.9 Pack".
An update pack contains two files: the Firmware (.hex) and the CharSet (.mcm).

Pay attention to the right update order. The tutorials are linked below:

"Update Firmware" (it adds support to upload the character set);
"Update Charset".

I'm super happy with the progress of ArduCAM project.
Now with Michael aboard... the sky is the limit just the start!

Enjoy your new toy! ;) There is much more coming out.

Note: The battery remaining icon was temporarily disabled due it's a work in progress on APM code.

Just wanting to let peeps know if it's not already in the thread - you can easily upgrade the firmware on the minim without an FTDI cable - if you already have an Arduino Uno or similar unit.

Just wire up a +5, GND, TX and RX (tx1 and RX1 - or digi pin 0 and 1.) - to the corresponding pins on the minim detached from the APM that is.

Connect the RESET on the UNO to GND - this will prevent the onboard ATMega328 from booting it's bootloader and interfering with the TX/RX.

For my cable I've just used a 10cm servo cable and an extra lead that is then just hot glued and heatshrinked together.

Next open up your OSD_COnfig and right as you press the OPEN button from having selected your appropriate Firmware, press on the reset button on the minim and it will start the upload.

The reason you need to use the Reset button is the normal FTDI cable is five lines where one connects to the Reset and the software does that process for you right before it sends the hex file to the unit for programming. So what you are doing is pressing reset, loading the bootloader which readies the unit for flashing.

You don't have to do the same for the charset, just upload it with cable connected, no reset required.

OK so why would you do this rather than the FTDI...? well I ordered mine and it is stuck in transit but I wanted to see minim interacting with APM over the weekend and I've got 3 different Arduino boards here that I fiddle with - so I find this more satisfying, and the reality is there is more diversity in this sort of setup. But each to his own.

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Comments

Nick Dayton December 25, 2012 at 3:51pm

Hey Everyone - I am using MinimOSD to output the overlay (w/background image) to an LCD screen in a human powered submarine (www.uw-hps.com). My goal is to setup an artificial horizon display similar to Mission Planner for the operator of the sub.

I have Video Out passing to an LCD screen via an RCA video cable. Presently, the overlay displays on black and looks great. I need the horizon though. I have attempted multiple times using ArduCam to upload my custom background with no success.

All voltages from supply and APM 2.5 seem kosher. Any thoughts? Does the board constantly need power to keep jpeg in memory?
Leigh Green July 20, 2012 at 8:32am

Just wanting to let peeps know if it's not already in the thread - you can easily upgrade the firmware on the minim without an FTDI cable - if you already have an Arduino Uno or similar unit.

Just wire up a +5, GND, TX and RX (tx1 and RX1 - or digi pin 0 and 1.) - to the corresponding pins on the minim detached from the APM that is.

Connect the RESET on the UNO to GND - this will prevent the onboard ATMega328 from booting it's bootloader and interfering with the TX/RX.

For my cable I've just used a 10cm servo cable and an extra lead that is then just hot glued and heatshrinked together.

Next open up your OSD_COnfig and right as you press the OPEN button from having selected your appropriate Firmware, press on the reset button on the minim and it will start the upload.

The reason you need to use the Reset button is the normal FTDI cable is five lines where one connects to the Reset and the software does that process for you right before it sends the hex file to the unit for programming. So what you are doing is pressing reset, loading the bootloader which readies the unit for flashing.

You don't have to do the same for the charset, just upload it with cable connected, no reset required.

OK so why would you do this rather than the FTDI...? well I ordered mine and it is stuck in transit but I wanted to see minim interacting with APM over the weekend and I've got 3 different Arduino boards here that I fiddle with - so I find this more satisfying, and the reality is there is more diversity in this sort of setup. But each to his own.
Owen Booth July 11, 2012 at 1:45am

All of you with problems with the MinimOSD overlay missing from your video, check out:

http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/missing-overlay-on-gopro-hero2-si...
Patrik Ekblad June 30, 2012 at 5:50am

By the way I also have 2.4 Xbees from http://www.buildyourowndrone.co.uk/ connected all the time.

Tanks in advance.
Owen Booth June 30, 2012 at 12:29am

Thanks heaps Sandro, Took a quick flight this arvo and got it working pretty good, just GPS not locking on, only finding two SATs. That's a separate issue, next challenge, I'm really happy though, thanks again
Developer

Sandro Benigno June 29, 2012 at 7:26pm

@Owen and @Eagle. Thanks for your kind words! (blushed)

So, great news after all, Owen! I'm really happy that it's starting to work for you. =)

About powering: is always better to use a dedicated power source for a video setup.
MinimOSD Rev. 1.1 helps a lot. It has it's own switching regulator which works pretty much like your external uBEC.

A suggestion about the start-up: after APM start running and get a solid GPS lock, just press MinimOSD's reset button. It will restart with the APM ready to send data and the OSD will set Home Position on that local where you press the reset.
Owen Booth June 29, 2012 at 4:10pm

Haha! Soldered up the blobs again, applied charset update (yep, DIYDrones FTDI cable) and it bloody works!

Random though, it doesn't all the time, is there a sequence for powering up?

If I:

-Plug in main engine battery (which feeds APM 2 via an ESC BEC as is standard)

-Plug in video battery, which powers camera an vid TX, it sometimes works, but I have to unplug the video battery and re-plug it in several times before it'll work.

Am I best to feed the MinimOSD board by way of a dedicated 5v BEC, rather off of the APM telem output?

For others confused, it works with the TELEMETRY TX output feeds into the MINIMOSD RX input.

Making progress though Sandro, you have the patience of a Saint! cheers!
Developer

Sandro Benigno June 29, 2012 at 2:44pm

@Patrik, looks like your APM is sending the chars which enables the CharSet update. I'll try to replicate it later.

It remembers me an old APM issue, when sometimes the XBees was getting bricked if connected to telem port during start-up time.

Your board is the first version from early this year. Just the regulator was changed recently to a switching one in order to improve the cooling (when using 3S video batteries).
Developer

Sandro Benigno June 29, 2012 at 2:31pm

@Owen: Looks like the CharSet Update wasn't finished well. Those "corrupted looking characters" are the result of insufficient power from your USB adapter. The internal memory of the Max7456 is picky about it. So, try to change to other USB port or keep your board feed externally when doing that. BTW... are you using the DIYDrones FTDI cable?

For the Rev. 1.1 board I suggest you tying back the two stages and feed your board entirely by the video I/O side. Your board will not get so hot anymore due it has now a switching regulator.
Patrik Ekblad June 29, 2012 at 8:42am

If I power MinimOSD and APM simultaneously the OSD boots up and then say update charterset.
If I soft reset MinimOSD everything work.
If I power MinimOSD after booting APM everything work.

I am using ArducamOSD 1.9 mavlink 10, charterset 1.9 , AC2.6

APM2, MinimOSD V0.1

I this a bug or am I doing something stupid?
How old are my hardware MinimOSD V0.1?

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