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OpenLRSng: Brotronics Broversity RX, the Missing Manual

Posted by Marc MERLIN on November 27, 2015 at 10:00pm

thumb1024_103_Brotronics_Broversity_RX_.jpg?width=640

If you're doing long range, and you're using ardupilot, you probably are using or want to be using the open source OpenLRSng.

The most interesting OpenLRSng receiver I found was the "Brotronics Broversity RX", but its documentation was minimal, so I wrote some and made a demo video:

http://marc.merlins.org/perso/rc/post_2015-11-14_Brotronics-Broversity-RX_-the-Missing-Manual.html

thumb1024_104_Brotronics_Broversity_RX_.jpg?width=640

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Comments

  • Marc MERLIN December 1, 2015 at 3:22pm

    Thanks Ben, I appreciate it. My direct Email is marc<at>merlins.org if you remember to ping me later.

    http://merlins.org/
  • Ben December 1, 2015 at 2:26pm

    I get your point, and of course we can discuss for a long time about our experiences with different hardwares :)

    It's certainly a good thing to have the choice between several suppliers, and I'll let you know when the other modules will be supported by Ultimate LRS.

  • Marc MERLIN November 30, 2015 at 8:08am

    Thanks for the info Marc and Ben

    I get your point that the Orange modules can be ok, or can be made to be ok. I just personally resist buying inferior questionable hardware, and indirectly harm people who are selling good hardware with proper parts and QA, buy not buying from them instead. I don't want them to go out of business and then be stuck with the dodgy hardware only.

    Great to hear that support for proper hardware is in the works in ultimate LRS (I think if you watched my video showing what the Broversity receiver can do, you can see why I wouldn't want to give it up and go back to a simple receiver without diversity and without backup lipo and buzzer)

  • Artem November 30, 2015 at 7:59am

    Ben, coax cable is not the only reason for $3 a piece, no one buys them for more... Those modules are liability... My estimate you'll be lucky to get one working out of those 10. 

  • Ben November 29, 2015 at 10:27pm

    Yes of course support for other hardware such as DTF UHF, Brotronics etc is planned for Ultimate LRS, probably before the end of the year.

    However notice that they all are using the same microcontroller and radio module that's used on the OrangeRX. I have worked with a lot of OrangeRX modules and it's trye that they often have a defective coax cable to the SMA connector. Once this one is replaced, they work very well. I've made a FAQ page mentionning this here : http://www.itluxembourg.lu/site/hobbyking-orangerx-433mhz-modules-faq/

    To me the main advantage of the more expensive modules is the USB support (without a separate FTDI), and some have an additional RF filter. It's fine, and they will soon be supported by Ultimate LRS. But all versions even the most expensive ones, are using exactly the same microcontroller and radio module, which is indeed made in China.

    Hobbyking OrangeRX 433MHz modules FAQ
  • Artem November 29, 2015 at 4:53pm
    Marc, rssi injection is available in ppm mode as well, this way it is only one wire connection between rx and fc.
  • Marc Dornan November 29, 2015 at 11:42am

    Orange RX are indeed fairly dodgy. You would never buy one and trust that it was ok. But the known issues are actually easy enough to correct and thereafter they seem to work very well. It is not for those that do not want to solder a bit. I believe Benoit is planning support for better hardware, which will likely be necessary before many people will take the jump. There is cheap and there is cheap though. HK just closed out the 1W Futuba 433Mhz for $3 and many people using ULRS snatched as many as 10 of them at a go. 

  • Marc MERLIN November 29, 2015 at 11:13am

    Thanks Artem. Yeah, I agree that it's a shame that people are spending so much time hacking Orange modules when for a few tens of dollars more, they could get quality hardware, and support people doing openlrsng work instead of a bad chinese clone.

    Glad to know analog RSSI worked for you on your module, maybe I didn't solder mine right when I tried and you're correct about RSSI injection, but I wanted to use the actual RSSI pins without burning a PWM port just to get RSSI out of it (as well as having an easy to read analog RSSI value that works with everything, not just APM 3.4)

  • Artem November 29, 2015 at 9:50am

    Also, marco, openlrsng supports rssi injection on any channel and I believe Ardu Plane supports injected RSSI in 3.4 version, so you really didn't need to cut the heatshrink open. Btw, analog RSSI works on mine, just have to solder the jumper. 

  • Artem November 29, 2015 at 9:45am

    Marc, try loading gitsly branch of openlrsng works really well with mavli k and you do not eed any special config tools, gitsly has his own chrom based config on his github. Its a shame that ultimate lrs doesn't support quality hardware. Beware of using cheap Hobby King crap orange hardware.... 

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