Comments

• 

  Dr Mike Black July 18, 2012 at 1:13am

  HI Harry,

  Yes were on the same page, if the pin read was in teh slow loop (because it deosnt matter if it takes 1/2 a sec to switch between Auto/Lioter/Circle (deosnt matter what modes we chose))

  A basic read in.....

  If (mode = Auto && PWM >=1650 && PWM <=1850) {

  SELECT MODE (do an inverted bunt)

  }

  If (mode = Auto && PWM >=1350 && PWM <=1450) {

  SELECT MODE (Visit the see of tranquility)

  }

  If (mode = Auto && PWM >=1450 && PWM <=1550) {

  SELECT MODE (Stay  in Auto)

  }

  As long as the pin is set in the front end, and we chek for PWM on start up....this might actually work

  (obviously im not using the correct syntax, but you get my meaning)

  I will have a better read of where the 'Byte' is fed too, and see of it can a guide, but the final mode selected is controled by us.

  Timers....lol....yeah teh ones used on this are pretty accurate, and i dont really want to be using an ICSP to start screwing about with the Atiny, if we can do it as a work around...sounds fine to me.

  (personally, when interupts are written, then there is always a reason why summet is a particular way, once we start mucking about with it, teh variables that we dont know (the actual programmer did when setting it in the first place) all fall out of place, and turn into a spaghetti western)

  Kind regards,

  Mike.
• Harry July 17, 2012 at 6:26pm

  Doc, I've read your first response again and I think I'm starting to see it clearer.  I know youre not fiddling with that code yet, but you seem to be saying that the ATtiny will continue to do its limited 3 position and the finer PWM's in between would get picked up on D7.  Is that it?  I dont do low level yet with timers, counters and strange looking variables, but that is where the heady programming gets done.
• 

  Dr Mike Black July 17, 2012 at 2:01pm

  lool.....sorry *Locating stuff......

  Brain is half a paragraph ahead of my fingers!..lol

  apologies...

  @ Harry, I will have a little play see if we can read in on a spare d pin..ya neverknow, that might give a relatively simple solution....

  (and i forgot to bring the code home! :(   , will try to remember tomorrow)

  regards, 

  mike
• Moderator

  Brian July 17, 2012 at 12:30pm

  OcaWhat'n?
• Harry July 17, 2012 at 11:38am

  I got my 406 to behave, but it was a struggle.  Gotta love what youre doing to those other units, Doc. 

  I also appreciate your input on the Mux muss.  My added case statements do nothing, but I also wondered if some kind of multi-mode sequence switching were possible.  It'll take more than I am capable at the moment.   I'll take a kludge if it works.
• 

  Dr Mike Black July 17, 2012 at 12:41am

  HI Guys,

  Brian!..lol....yeah totally with you on the 'Cam with Matress' thing...superb!

  You should have a go at ocationg stuff, its very hard, good fun though.

  Vid, yes, we have 2 downlinks, std vid link, for locating and HD storage for picking the bones out later.

  Harry!...yeah this is is a bit of an arse....however, given that CTRL is mux based, and returns a 'byte' with its state, im wondering as opposed to changing hardware, which can be a hiding to nothing, we have some spare D pins available.

  D6 is used (in my code anway), but D7/D8....

  If we have a conditional state where, once in Auto mode, we read of the Rx to one of theses pins, we could (in theory) make Auto become Loiter & circle for example.

  All that would need to be done is make sure that Auto == true then read teh pin to see what PWM is on it.

  Doable, but my only concern is slowing down the uC, as in it MUST have PWM on that pin at start up or it will be polling nothing, which generally upsets uC's especially 328c's.

  (We have created, what we call a Sigma Sequencer, which turns your 6/7 ch Tx into a 14ch Tx, if interested will post it here, but it is unrelated) my point though, is that i had to control the polling carefully, as in read the pins on startuo, if no PWM on a pin, dont poll it again, untl next start up)

  As you say though, its all mux controlled, and reprogramming the mux sounds like its the answer, if not a PITA to actually do, however, i wonder if Jordi is around? (not seen him for a while) he would be able to answer this im sure.

  My 2.6.5 DrB is kept at work on our servers there, so will zip it up and post it once there today, assuming i get 5 to do so.

  @Anwar...having a thought here.....if memory serves, teh 406 unit, has to be started on 4800, then progged to Sirf 57600, if you are trying to get it to talk at 9600, the AP is set to teh wrong speed.....

  Forgive me...something there just rang a bell, just cant remember why!?

  Also summet to ponder........

  As you know i use ublox..a lot!....anyway i have a few screwey units, that have been getting worse and worse at locking up....

  Discovered that ALL problems with ublox GPS units is Antenna related, as in they weak, crack the joints onto the board, pop the top miniboard that houses the helix..

  So i did an experiment, ripped off the antenna, from a poorly locking unit, solderd on a bit of wire...locked up lovely...

  So having this epiphany, i thought that given that all my MTK units are nothing short of crap in the AP field, i would extract the patch off the top and soldered that onto the unit(took 10 secs to remove, and 2 mins to get soldered on)

  WOW....8 sats indoors, goo dstrong signalsm adn fast!..

  So....as a sub note to those with ublox units, that are degrading....whip one of those on there....

  Looks a bit funny, but it works!Kind regards,

  Mike.
• 

  Anwar Ali Khan July 16, 2012 at 10:47pm

  @Mike, OK thanks, send me your code 2.6.5. I will try that one. If I don't succeed then I will go for a new AP and GPS.

  @Harry, You are doing something very complicated. Wish you good luck.

  @Brain, You are lucky to get a Go-Pro. Here Chinese mobiles with video are very cheap. I will use them as disposable video cams (quality/colors not so good).
• Moderator

  Brian July 16, 2012 at 9:08pm

  Mike, It's always better to go fly, even over a build...  I love your flying area, I've got a good spot to fly and have thought of having a friend go hide something and see if we can identify it from video footage.  

  Is your video a down link to a ground station? I must use an offline analysis of my video as it's on-board via key chain cams (which work well) and soon my GO-Pro...  Speaking of which, this is funny strange... I got the camera for free as part of a promotion from a mattress company.  You get a free "Go Pro Naked" video recorder for purchasing a set of their mattresses...  Just what are they saying!
• Harry July 16, 2012 at 6:48pm

  Hey Doc, looking forward to your 2.6.5DrB.  I managed to get my JR XP6102 to give 5 positions on the gear switch.  That's the easy part.  What still has me puzzled is the code in Ardupilot.  I also managed to get that to seemingly have 5 switchable modes and compile, but I dont see where the PWM of channel 5 is created or defined.  The thought ocurred that POSITION_# is handled in some library, so if I were to #define 20 different POSITIONS a library then divides up the normal range of a channel into 20 different PWM values.  That's the only way I think what I did would work.  That's whats puzzling, plus without actually seeing how channel 5 is handled, how do I know what switch sequence goes with what mode.  I dont want to go to the field and just start randomly throwing switches tyring to figure it out then.    
• 

  Dr Mike Black July 16, 2012 at 2:50pm

  HI guys,

  Anwar, it looks ok to me, but i have also had issues with 2.7.1 (probably as i was forced to be away for nearly a year from this project) however, i will post my version 2.6.5DrB, which is an offshoot of an earlier version. This version def works ( you have seen the vids)

  Perhaps you will have more luck with that, the only things you will need to change is the servo directions.

  You do realise that the code for the NMEA is 'commented out' i.e " */ " this will render that part of the code inoperatve.(also it is, and has to be followed by a closed comment out "  /*   " or it with again render that part  of the code useless.)

  Also you can remove the part about the locosys, as id deos not apply to you.

  HI Brian, ..no..lol....the fuse us now manufactured, so hoping to get started later in the week, but have other jobs to attend to up to weds.

  We did go on a log mission to work out what was in the garden, we have concluded that it it a painted 'elephant'

  
  We had some in the city centre on show, bloody great things that were sold off by the council in the end, painted in bright colours, Indian elephant things 8 foot tall.

  Anyway here is the latest footage, 6.7km flight, 3 circuits of the garden with the suspected elephant in.

  Wierd thing really, a friend had delivered this 'item'to thier house hence the mission to see of we could identify it,but we were not told of what the 'item was'

  So good fun really.

  Also thanks to harry for the kind words, (also doing the same thing as you in another thread, trying to get 5 modes on the 3 mode system)

  kind regards,

  
  Mike.