Category Archives: PX4

DIY Bluetooth Telemetry Bridge for Pixhawk or APM

Posted by on April 19, 2015 No comments

I am using my HK Pilot32 (Pixhawk) since last year with my phone and DroidPlanner 2(now Tower). I have tested it as well with one HC-05 Bluetooth module as with 433Mhz Telemetry module. Using it with the Bluetooth module I don’t need to attach anything to my smartphone. But with the 433Mhz I have much better range. How can I get the great range without attaching something to the phone? Idea: using the 433Mhz telemetry module to transmit the data from the Pixhawk to the Bluetooth module and this one to my phone. Well I was not the first one with this idea, and I find a Bluetooth telemetry bridge from Event38. Looks good but the 150$ price is just too much in my opinion. So I decided to stick with my idea and made it by myself.

Parts needed:

Both the HC-05 Bluetooth module and the HM-TRP 433Mhz module work on 3.3V. But to use these with simple small 3.7V LiPo Battery, we need not the bare HC-05 Module. Take the one with integrated voltage regulator and pins already soldered (like the second or third one on the picture below).

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If you already have a 433Mhz Kit from 3DRobotics or HobbyKing you need to unsolder the HM-TRP module from the receiver module (the one with the USB Plug). Or as said you can buy only the bare HM-TRP module from Aliexpress. Download the datasheet for the module to check how it looks like and the pins descriptions.

What we need to do:

First both modules should use the same baud rate for communication. The standard for the 3DR Robotics module is 57600. So we need to change the baud rate for the Bluetooth module to be the same. You can check how to do this here.

Then take the 4 tiny cables and solder the pins from the HM-TRP module to the pins of the Bluetooth module as described:

  • 5V HM-TRP Module – 5V Bluetooth Module (before last Pin on the left side)
  • GND HM-TRP Module – GND Bluetooth Module (last Pin on the left side)
  • TX HM-TRP Module – RX Bluetooth Module (2 Pin on the left side)
  • RX HM-TRP Module – TX Bluetooth Module (1 Pin on the left side)

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A bit tricky was to solder the antenna to the tiny module. First you need to remove the plastic black cover. Cut the coax cable and remove the PVC shield. Then take the metal shielding and without cutting it, form it as a cable and solder it to the GND Pin of the HM-TRP module. The tiny cable under the shielding layer is the cable for the Antenna. Solder this one to the ANT Pin of the HM-TRP module.

That is all!

I used hot glue to place the HM-TRP 433Mhz module on the backside of the Bluetooth module, so it looks better and its more compact. Now you can connect the pins of the Bluetooth module to the battery and have your own Bluetooth Telemetry Bridge.

Disable the safety switch on Pixhawk

Posted by on February 5, 2015 No comments

On Pixhawk and all other flight controllers based on the PX4 board (like the HKPilot32x or the AUAV X2) you should press the safety switch button before arming. As this is a safety feature it is recommended that it is enabled. But if for some reason you wish to disable the safety switch function before arming the board, you can do this in Mission Planner.

Open MissionPlanner, connect the Pixhawk and go to the “Config/Tuning”-Tab. Then click on the “Full Parameter List”. On the right side there is a “Find”-button. Click and type safety. You should get this result:

PixhawkSafetySwitchDisable

Change the value from “1” to “0” and then click on “Write Params”. That is it. Now you can use your Pixhawk board carefully without the safety switch.

OpenPilot CC3D released by HobbyKing

Posted by on September 25, 2014 No comments

In the past two months HobbyKing released the HK Pilot32 (alternative of the Pixhawk) and the Acro version of the Naze32 board (info and pictures in my previous post).

Today they released another great and popular flight controller: the OpenPilot CC3D. It is also an 32bit controller like the HK Pilot32 and the Naze32. Hardware and software are completely open sourced. More about the project you can find on the OpenPilot website.

The CC3D version is more like the Naze32 Acro. It is also so small: just 36x36mm and only 6 grams. The processor is the same as on the Naze32, STM32F1 and not the faster STM32F4 like on the HK Pilot32. Gyro and accelerometer on the CC3D is the popular MPU6000. The Naze32 Acro has the MPU6050. Both OpenPilot CC3D and Naze32 Acro haven’t any barometer or magnetometer like the OpenPilot Revo or the HK Pilot32.

So both flight controllers are a kind of competitors. The OpenPilot CC3D is priced at 31.99$ and the Naze32 Acro at 24.99$. Although you don’t need to solder any pins on the OpenPilot CC3D. It comes ready to fly. So far HobbyKing is doing great job by offering another open source flight controller. It will be a good alternative for my SG Adventure Mini Quad 🙂

Source: HobbyKing.com

AUAV-X2 – Neue Vision des PX4/Pixhawk Autopilots

Posted by on September 6, 2014 4 comments

Es geht im Folgenden um ein neues Autopilot-Systems, der auf der Grundlage des OpenSource PX4 (oder besser bekannt als Pixhawk) basiert ist. Es handelt sich so zu sagen, um keinen “clone” (wenn man auch bei einem Open Source Projekt um “clone” sprechen kann), sondern um eine Neue Vision des PX4.

Die Flugsteuerung wurde von dem Bulgare Nikolay Arsov auf Basis von PX4 weiterentwickelt bzw. modifiziert. Die erste Version AUAV-X1 ist schon ausverkauft, aber in der nächsten Wochen kommt dann die zweite Version, nämlich das AUAV-X2 auf dem Markt. Das Board unterstützt laut der Entwickler sowie das QGC als auch MissionPlanner, genauso wie der Pixhawk oder mein HK Pilot32. Über MissionPlanner kann man das ArduCopter also problemlos draufspielen.

Was spricht für diese Flugsteuerung:

  • Das Board ist etwa doppelt so klein wie PX4, Pixhawk oder HK Pilot32; Größe: 30mm x 43mm
  • Die Stromversorgung ist komplett anders als beim PX4. In der AUAV-X1 Version wurde das TPS63061 DC-DC Konverter benutzt. Soweit ich weiß, wird der auch in X2 weiter benutzt. Somit kann man die Flugsteuerung mit einer Spannung von 3,3V bis 12V versorgen, z.B. direkt von einer 2S LiPo Akku. Einen separaten BEC braucht man in diesem Fall nicht.
  • Statt die kleinen Molex-Stecker werden nur Servo-Pins benutzt. Das finden ich als enormer Vorteil, da die kleinen Molex bzw. DF13 Stecker manchmal leicht kaputt gehen.
  • Hier nach meiner persönlichen Ansicht etwas richtig Gutes: Man kann die Sensoren (Beschleunigungsmesser, Gyroskop) selbst auswählen. Diese befinden sich schon auf einem zweiten kleinen Board (microIMU) und je nach Auswahl des Kunden wird dieses in das Autopilot integriert. In Betracht kommen die typischen Sensoren von Invensese wie bei dem PX4/Pixhawk sowie das neue Invensense MPU9250 oder Maxim MAX21100. Mögliche Variante sind unter anderem auch die  ST Micro L3GD20H + LSM303D.
  • Die gängigen externe Module wie das Neo-6M GPS oder das Telemetrie-Modul werden problemlos unterstützt.

Was anders ist als der PX4:

  • Ein RGB Led wie beim Pixhawk oder HK Pilot32 gibt es nicht. Ob das wirklich einen Nachteil ist, kann ich ehrlich gesagt nicht beurteilen.
  • Das CAN2-Port wird nicht benutzt. Dieses wird aber auch kaum von jemandem benutzt.

Die Flugsteuerung wird auch mit einem Buzzer und einem Sicherungsschalter ausgeliefert. Was ich noch in der heutigen problematischen Wirtschaftslage in Europa gut finde ist, dass die Flugsteuerung in Europa produziert wird und nicht wie die meisten anderen in China. Allerdings bekommt man kein Power Module dazu und soweit ich weiß keine MicroSD-Karte. Der Preis von 130 $ finde ich mehr oder weniger angemessen, wenn man berücksichtigt, dass die Flugsteuerung wie gesagt in Europa produziert wird. Bestellen kann man es von hier: http://arsovtech.com/?page_id=164 oder https://store.auav.co/. Mehr kann ich im Moment über das AUAV-X2 nicht sagen, da ich noch kein Board bei mir habe. Wenn ich eins kriege, werde ich noch mehr berichten, wie sich dieser auch im Flug verhält. Auf jeden Fall aber ein spannendes Projekt!

Update 24.11.2014: In diesen zwei deutschsprachigen Foren wird über das AUAV-X2 heiß diskutiert. Es sind auch gute Anleitungen auf Deutsch dabei sowie direkte Kommunikation mit dem Entwickler Nick.

http://www.kopterforum.de/topic/17957-auav-x1x2-px4pixhawk-clone/

http://fpv-community.de/showthread.php?55875-AUAV-X2-ein-echter-kompat-Mini-PIXHAWK-aus-Bulgarien

AUAV-X1:

AUAVX1BOTAUAVX1TOPAUAV_SMD

AUAV-X2:

AUAV-X2AUAV-X2_BuIMU V2

Naze32 Acro from HobbyKing

Posted by on September 2, 2014 No comments

As I mentioned in the last post, I ordered the Naze32 Acro flight controller from HobbyKing about 2 weeks ago and today I received my package from the customs. I knew that the flight controller is a small one, but didn’t expect that it is so small in real. Made some photos of the 32bit board before and after the soldering job. I am really not sure, if this flight controller from HobbyKing is a good choice for starting with the hobby, as the most of the beginners can not use solder iron at all. Of course there are plenty of online resellers, that sell the board with presoldered pins for a bit more money. (for European buyers: http://www.pitchpump.de/shop/flugsteuerung/ ).

The quality of the HobbyKing Naze32 Acro is good. Everything looks fine and clean… and it works. Before you start, you should download the drivers for Windows from here and install them.

Then you can use the open source Chrome Baseflight Configurator to config the Naze32. Here you can also download a manual from the developer.

My SG Adventure quadcopter is now equipped with my Pixhawk “clone” – HK Pilot32 and I don’t have so much free time to rebuild the frame with the Naze32. But there are some photos of the small one 😉

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And these are after I soldered the pins on the board.

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Update 21.10.2014: There is a version with pins already soldered on it. Read about it here.

Naze32 Acro Flight Controller available by HobbyKing

Posted by on August 20, 2014 No comments

Two weeks ago HobbyKing released their Pixhawk “clone” – HK Pilot32. I ordered mine as I wanted to step in the 32bit world of flight controllers (click here for my first impressions and photos of the 32bit controller).

Last week, I guess on August, 13th HobbyKing made also the AfroFlight Naze32 Acro 32bit controller available on their site. It is also a 32bit flight controller. As it is getting more and more popular in the last two years, I wanted to test it too, so I ordered one. This Acro version of the Naze32 does not have any barometer or magnetometer as my old one HK MegaPirate AIO board or the HK Pilot32. It is basically like the KK2.0 or the new KK2.1.5 controller, but instead using an 8bit Atmega processor, it has an 32-bit ARM Cortex M3 on board. The gyro and accelerometer is the same as on the KK2.1.5 and HK MegaPirate AIO – Invensense MPU6050. The Naze32 Acro does not have a display like the KK2.1.5 board, but it should be not so hard to set it up with the PC. So the AfroFlight Naze32 Acro is definitely a competitor to the KK board, as the price for the Naze32 is at the moment by 24,99 $ and for the KK2.1.5 it is 29,99 $. And the Naze32 is only 7.3 grams. Well, I still cant tell for sure if the Naze32 is a better controller to start with multirotors. But I will tell you this in a few weeks when I receive my package and test this shiny 32bit flight controller.

Update 02.09.2014: The Naze32 Acro arrived today 🙂 Here some more details.

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HK Pilot32 – The Pixhawk "clone" arrived

Posted by on August 11, 2014 16 comments

Last week HobbyKing released the HK Pilot32, a controller for Copters, Planes and Rovers, based on the open source project PX4. I mentioned in my last post that I ordered one for me.

Update 21.04.2015: This one looks the same package as the one from HobbyKing, but the price is much better.

And today I received my package from HobbyKing, only 6 days after I made the order 🙂 The shipping time with DHL Express to Germany was just amazing!

Here are some photos from the HK Pilot32 and my first impressions with this flight controller:

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On the label you can see that the hardware version is as the Pixhawk from 3DRobotics – PX4 2.4.3.

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Overall the quality of the case is good and it doesn’t look cheep. Screws are on top of the case, which is not a bad idea. I miss that there are no holes in the bottom of the case, so I could mount it with screws on my SG Adventure carbon frame. Now I must use the mounting foam.

There are the HKPilot Mega 10s Power Module, Buzzer, Safety switch button, I2C Splitter module, 4GB SD Card (in the HK Pilot32), SD Card reader, Micro USB cable and other tiny cables as well.

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I wanted to see the quality of the production, so opened the plastic case by unscrewing the bolts. The solder connections look fine. I don’t know why, but some of the chip labels were slightly erased. Hope these are new, and not used before.

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And here one last photo of the case itself. There is some foam on the down size. This is were the barometer on the board is, so you don’t need to do this yourself, as for the Crius or APM board.

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Then I connected the board to my computer and the drivers were automatically installed on Windows 7.

Opened Mission Planner, connected the PX4 and there came a message, that a new firmware for the board is available. The HK Pilot32 came preloaded with the open source ArduCopter 3.1.3. The latest stable (not beta) version is at the moment ArduCopter 3.1.5. Downloaded and installed it without a problem, just as on the “original” Pixhawk.

So far everything is fine. Later I will test it on my carbon quadcopter and post how it works. Overall I am very happy going to the next 32bit level 🙂

Update 12.08.2014: Yesterday I replaced my  HK MegaPirate AIO board and FrSky D8R-II Plus receiver with the newly arrived HK Pilot32 and the smaller FrSky D4R-II receiver (It was flashed with the new 27ms CPPM firmware exact as I did it with the D8R-II Plus).

HK MegaPirate AIO = 15 grams; FrSky D8R-II Plus = 13 grams. HK Pilot32 = 33 grams with case; FrSky D4R-II = 5 grams. Overall 10g more of weight.

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Connected the motors as shown on the 3DRobotics site and calibrated the ESCs. I also did some small adjustments on my GPS-cable to fit in the HK Pilot32. Calibrating the flight controller and configuring the settings in the Mission Planner was an easy job. What took me a bit more time is to realize, that the new 32bit controller can not be used without the safety switch (Update: Here is how to disable it). With the actual 3.1.5 firmware of ArduCopter if you don’t connect the safety switch, you can arm it, but the motors don’t spin. So Google helped me finding that fact out. Connected the safety switch, hold it for about 3 seconds (until solid red) and then armed the copter. I tested it a bit at home and it was perfect, but the real tests outside are coming 🙂 So here two more photos of my carbon quad before and after.

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