thUndeadMod v3.4 - openLRS S**T just got real :)

[WSWhitby]

Yea papa(John) I get the picture without resorting to more graphics. Yep you are on the mark when it comes to my Hex/Quads. The only reason I intended to fit UHF was to avoid 35MHz and the problem with a long wire antenna, I had 2.4 Video gear as I was convinced by some expert or other on this or another forum that 2.4 was the way to go on video, lets not even get into power levels and legality ;) So to cut that long story short I subsequently bought some 5.8 gear, usually my approach to any problem throw some PayPal at it. As it happens I have no problem with 35Mz on my lumbering HobbyKing FPV plane, not very adventurous when it comes to long range and I have difficulty employing a spotter that can see this model outside about 1 Km.
Looks like the antenna discussions go on. It would be nice to see it done and dusted so newcomers as well Old Hands have  reasonably reliable equipment without the doubts about how long an antenna should actually be, seems amazing that the topic as gone on for so long. Carry on the good work philbin I will join you in testing and publishing some results as soon as I get the gear.

Regards to all

John

[WSWhitby]

Hi thUndead,
Glad to see you on line, pity you feel you have to give up the development of OpenLRS just as I have made the investment in some gear, not got it yet but its on its way. You have done so much more than any one else including the professional, that I will thank personally even if I don't know if it will work or not lust yet. I am sure it will, if not what the hell move on!
Just one small point, you say in the change log that you have changed the Baud rate to 4800 yet in the config.h file I see that you have "#define SERIAL_BAUD_RATE 115200 //115.200 baud serial port speed" is this a different baud rate or am I missing something. I am not a coder so its possible I have missed some thing.

Regards

John

[thundead]

Hi John :)

Glad people still appreciate my firmware :) i'm sure the olrs will work just fine on your new and shinny gear and  as always feel free to drop me a PM if you get stuck. The baudrate you saw in the config file is for the serial output (usb connection) and not for the actual data transmission over the rf module. Although I stopped dev for now, the new orange olrs from hk is pretty tempting and might just get back in the game :)

Regards,
Mihai.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

[WSWhitby]

Hi Mihai,
I have ordered two orange RX's along with TX and Turnigy 8 X from HK, should arrive some time in the new year; thought the RX's were on back order the last time I checked. I was going to use one of then as a Frequency Analyzer whilst doing some test on various antenna, but as a contribution to your unhealthy fund I will send you one as a token of appreciation for all your work, much better for you than Red Bull and what ever the other things are, just PM me with your address and I will send an "Orange" as soon as I get them.
Thanks for the reply and keep up the good work

Regards and of course Happy New Year

John

[thundead]

Haha cheers :) i'll drop you a pm as soon as i get back from holidays ( 28ish) in the mean time happy holidays and all the best!

Mihai.

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

[jiberjaber]

Finally! Success!...  I have the PPM out on the receiver driving the Dragon OSD, I dont know what I had done wrong before but it now works.  I think the readme might be wrong from what I can see? (happy to be corrected). 

I took a look through the code, in  check_modes() Serial PPM out only happens with ch1 and ch3 shorted and using my scope, it appears to be on ch 4, connected to the DOSD and Bingo!

Readme says short pins 2 and 4 there is also no 6 blinks, but working it is! :)

Only thing I am having trouble with is the RSSI, has anyone used this with DOSD yet ?  I can get a voltage reading occasionaly, circa 3.5V when messing around probing with my multimeter, I suspect either a dry joint or some capacitive filter is required, how is everyone else doing it?

Looking forward to trying this out at last, its been months since I bought them of Mihai! Just need some good weather. :)

[WSWhitby]

Hi All,
Happy new year !
I have now received the "Kit" Open LRS Futaba 100mW module and V2 Rx all from Flytron and so the fun has started!
Well it looks as if I fell at the first hurdle. Set up on bench with thUndead V4 final used to generate the FW 6 CH, Serial PPM Type set to 1, Frequency to 459 set 2, hop list [1,5,3,2,6,3] Header set to 'Pigs' Both config.h files checked and showing same hop list, frequency ect, Flashed with Arduino 0022, set to the correct board and the 3.3 FTDI. All lights flashed as expected and in each upload AVRDUDE reported Done. Now the rub I fitted the module in an old FM Futaba T9CP and set the modulation to PPM. Energized the Rx with a Futaba Rx  Nicad  and plugged a servo in to output 5,then 6, then 7 and final 8. Switched on and yes you have guessed it right the servo twitched, the Red LED on Rx flickered and the blue LED also intermittently flickered, then despite my stirring all the Tx controls and and thrashing all the switches, nothing happened.
This story is already to long but I must add:
I have carried out the above with different values of most of the variables, all with similar results. I have tried single frequency and thUdead 3.6 all with similar results.
What am I doing wrong?
Are my settings in the Tx OK ie modulation PPM ?
What should be the arrangement of LED's for normal operation be?
What am I doing wrong? asked again !
I will continue playing and try down loading a previous version of the code for both.
Meanwhile any suggestions welcome.

Regards

John

[WSWhitby]

Hi "papa",
Always glad to see someone on the case :)
I think I have made a giant leap forward  :-\
To cut another long story short I reloaded mod4 without FH and low and behold it seemed to work, no range checks or full tests but simple stuff as detailed in first tests. I then reverted to 4 Hops, no joy.I then loaded the last non thUndead and its configuator, played about with the 3 channels and most importantly the Step size and again low and behold the system sprung to life when I selected 10KHz. Back to thUndead 4 source and found _spi_write(0x79,0x60) and -spi_write(0x,0x50). From data sheet of si4432 RF chip it seems that you write to reg 0x97 to control the step size. Changed the value of both writes to 0x10 recompiled and uploaded and bingo.
Whilst I have a very healthy disregard for anyone who modifies code without knowing squat, I broke my own rules and it seems to have worked.
I would like comments from as many of you experienced code writers and users as I may inadvertently screwed up some thing else.
Quick ask of thUndead. Is it easy/possible without great effort to make the step size adjustable from the config orator or config.h?
Case not yet closed but I am now able to check Range, Serial PPM and mixed signals, who knows I may be flying before next winter. :laugh:

regards

John

Note and :-[ and  :'(

Just noticed whilst comparing code that I have made a F***** above. The frequency hopping step size registers concerned in the si4432 RF chip are not as I said above but are of course as you all spotted 0x7A. If the mistake confuses you think how much it confused me.

Still Trying (Very trying)

John

[WSWhitby]

papa,
As stated in my original post tried 3.6 and had same problem.  :( I am just about to check the code generated by 3.6 and see what the step size is. Also thUndead claimed in a post last year that the only differences between 4 and 3.6 were not "Under the Hood" they were in the configurator. Ill check that at the same time using DiffMerge, till then got to believe the guy who wrote it  ;) If 3.6 is superior to 4 and I have no reason to think one way or the other, then as a semi logical person I would like to know why  :D as a reason or reasons must exist don't you think?

Hi jiberjaber if your "tuned in" I too am having problems with serial PPM and do not have a "scope" so I am unable to check outputs on 4 or 8 or 9 seems to be different instructions in the readme's. It could be a timing problem, I am using Eagle tree OSD Pro and it works fine with a Serial PPM stream from a FriSky Rx. If you have any details let me have them otherwise I can see a lot of trial and error. Which is fine but at the end you still dont know if you have solved a problem or just randomly got lucky.

Regards

John

[WSWhitby]

papa,
Interesting however not had time to check code tonight but what you say seems to ring true. Off to watch University Challenge, to exercise the little grey cells, then dinner then darts and dominoes, hectic life.
Will compare codes and report back.

Regards

John

[phibin]

im not sure if this would have any relevance...

but i had lots of headache when trying to use my futaba 9vap.
it would work on single ch with poor range,
but would glitch and miss packets with and hopping.
i think that must of had something to do with the ppm out to the module on my old 9vap.
(the 9vap is "not compatible" with some 2.4stuff like spektrum modules etc)

now i use a 9c with it and its seems rock solid so far on 3.6 as per papa's recommendation.

simon.

[WSWhitby]

Hi John (papa not me),
The gear I ordered from HK is being held up for lack of Orange openLRS Tx module. I am very tempted to cancel that item and get delivery of the 9x included in the order. Which brings me to my question , you mention a conversion unit/circuit that allows the Futaba module which I have, to be fitted to the 9x. Where did you acquire same? I think timing way be the reason I am not able to use Rx mode 1, mixed Serial and parallel servo output. Supplementary question which Firm ware are you running on your 9x ? I have ordered a scope, secondhand cheapo from Ebay and it will arrive all being well Wednesday so I should be able to check the Futaba and the receiver, for the quality and timing of the frames of PPM data. It would be nice to check the system with a 9x to try and get the whole picture but that may not be possible for a week or two! So much checking to do and never the right test gear, sounds like my time working for a well known Servo motor and controller manufacturer.
By the way the reason why my setup was not working is defiantly down the the hopping frequency. I have changed and changed back again 4 times twice with v4 and twice with v3.6. The results in my case are conclusive 10kHz OK 50/60KHz pants.

Regards

John
   

[simondale]

Flytron make Futaba to JR adaptors. I use one with my Flytron OpenLRS and 9x.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[WSWhitby]

Hi Simon,
Cheers will head over to Flytron and order one, unless you have them in stock or will have shortly, in which case the business is yours.

Regards

John

[simondale]

Hi John,

You're very kind but no we don't sell them any more.  You'd be best getting it direct from Melih and Bora at Flytron.com

All the best

Simon