Typhoon H 480 PX4 v1.10 (Stability issues ;-)

[Pöllö]

Here is a tested FW upgrade procedure for Ubuntu LINUX PC. Brief description:
- Download binaries
- Find out which TTY port is used. Edit flash_typhoon_bootloader script.
- Make scripts executable.
- Power down MCU board.
- Start flash_typhoon_bootloader script
- Power up MCU board (connect drone via USB cable). Flashing starts soon...

Looking good! Thank you very much for your help! ;-)

Br,

TR

 

[h-elsner]

Updated docs. The main reason for update flashing procedure was a problem with compass modules (new Step 5 Set hardware and calibrate sensors).
For Typhoon H exists two different compass chips. Older GPS boards have HMC5883, newer boards have IST8310 applied as compass chip. External Compass Orientation has to be set to the correct value depending on you compass hardware.
HMC5883: ROTATION_YAW_270
IST8310: ROTATION_YAW_180

Thanks to @Pöllö for pointing that out.

br HE

Edit: Updated flashing procedure description. Other docs are obsolete and replaced by User Manual. See post #120.

 

[Pöllö]

Thank you very much HE for your good documents, once again! ;-)

I was able to flight-test the latest firmware build, with typhoon_bind application in place, ~20 times, so I felt confident to push it to the Git.
Here are the binaries: tonirosendahl/Thunderbird

When flying the Thunderbird, please let the drone sit a minute or two on ground (approximately the time the CGO3+ takes to connect), so that the PX4 registers its home position. There is nothing to prevent you taking off before it, or even without GPS lock, but if you rush it, the GPS'-assisted flight modes will not work and the RTH will also not work as there is no home position set. Also, if you are planning to fly further, please do a RTH test before proceeding. Flip the mode switch to RTH, see that the drone climbs to 30 meters and starts coming back. After that you should be covered. ;-)

Br,

TR

 

[Pöllö]

My near-future plans for the development, now that the Thunderbird seems to be quite stable:

1) Fix telemetry data according to feedback from HE
1½) Go wild with the RGB LED, maybe.. ;-)

2) Add support for SD card (this enables logging and full mission support)

3) Find out how to retrofit later model Typhoons with the SD card reader that Yuneec left out. It is rather easy if you have worked with SMD components, but as they might not be for everyone, I think we might need some easier way.

4) Study, how the SR24 is used to scan, bind and transmit data to the drone(s). Maybe write a nice little USB-UART passthrough app for the ST16, so that the ST16/SR24 could be used as a transparent serial link to transmit raw Mavlink data from QGroundcontrol to Typhoon(s).

5) Support for native CGO3+ data link (instead of current PWM-based implementation) and study possibilities to use other cameras... ;-)

 

[PatR]

Not trying to be cynical as I well understand how “exploration and adaptation” can be fun snd rewarding, but wouldn’t it be faster and easier to build a hex from the ground up, incorporating all the features desired?

The only benefit I can see with modifying the H system is having video and telemetry on the transmitter screen. The Yuneec cameras really aren’t all that great, payload weight variability is quite limited, and battery availability is severely restricted while “standard” battery adaptation is restricted by airframe design and lifting capability.

The use of a laptop, tablet, or remote Diversity type monitor to provide images and telemetry separately isn’t that burdensome.

 

[Pöllö]

Not trying to be cynical as I well understand how “exploration and adaptation” can be fun snd rewarding, but wouldn’t it be faster and easier to build a hex from the ground up, incorporating all the features desired?

The only benefit I can see with modifying the H system is having video and telemetry on the transmitter screen. The Yuneec cameras really aren’t all that great, payload weight variability is quite limited, and battery availability is severely restricted while “standard” battery adaptation is restricted by airframe design and lifting capability.

The use of a laptop, tablet, or remote Diversity type monitor to provide images and telemetry separately isn’t that burdensome.

Actually, it is not.

It is not that easy to scratch-build a compact, lightweight hexacopter with a properly stabilized camera in an easy to deploy form-factor to a price point of < 500 euros including the camera. Try it. I've built and developed these since 2010, beginning with the ATMega based ones, as soon as affordable MEMS sensors became available. After you have had your share of airframe and electronics design, manufacturing, PID tuning, fighting with vibrations, gimbal tuning, testing etc, you'll find out pretty soon, why the TH is actually quite rewarding target for tweaking and the Yuneec cameras and stabilization are not that bad at all. And why it is pretty nice to have existing commercially developed, tested and certified (FCC, CE) hardware for your experiments and development, instead of a rats nest of mix-and-match RC parts of varying quality of engineering from Chinese vendors, with unpredictable EMC/RF characteristics. The TH is probably the last and most advanced ready-made airframe that can be repurposed this way. No way of doing this with other vendors drones. I am not sure about the Yuneec's later models.

When it comes to hauling laptops, tablets, analog diversity receivers, antenna setups, monitors etc. around; those were the thing in the past. I'm not going to do that again, ever (except that I am thinking to replace the ST16 eventually with a laptop running for example the QGC). Those setups are nowadays limited to some very niche professional rigs, that are being surpassed by commercial, not custom-built options. I've had also my share of those in the past.

I am sorry to say this, but could it be possible to leave this thread only for discussion regarding the development and use of this firmware, if there is someone who likes to use a native PX4 with the features it supports, in a low-cost ready made airframe?

Maybe I should just go and buy a Mavic. ;-)

 

[PatR]

Rather than post more questions I’ll acquiesce to your request.

 

[Pöllö]

Rather than post more questions I’ll acquiesce to your request.

If you have some questions regarding the firmware itself, please ask and I'll try to answer them. Or PM me. Or why not try it? ;-)

 

[Sureshot]

After all this great work on the H's firmware, has anyone found a way to use the ST16's Aux button?

 

[Pöllö]

After all this great work on the H's firmware, has anyone found a way to use the ST16's Aux button?

Hi Sureshot and thanks! ;-) The AUX button is available on channel 12 in PX4 in ST16's default configuration. It can be assigned to switch flight modes (being a button instead of a toggle switch however limits its usability a bit) or as an passthrough channel for other future functions, for example controlling a remote camera shutter on a different gimbal/camera etc. A little coding may be however required for this... ;-)

 

[Mrgs1]

Hi Sureshot and thanks! ;-) The AUX button is available on channel 12 in PX4 in ST16's default configuration. It can be assigned to switch flight modes (being a button instead of a toggle switch however limits its usability a bit) or as an passthrough channel for other future functions, for example controlling a remote camera shutter on a different gimbal/camera etc. A little coding may be however required for this... ;-)

View attachment 19657

What about GPS on/off?

 

[Pöllö]

What about GPS on/off?

It is not needed for that. When you switch the flight mode to "Stabilize", which is assigned to the "S" setting in ST16's mode switch in the .param file I supplied with the binaries, the drone does not use the GPS data for anything (same than turning off the GPS in stock Typhoon, except the ability to get the motors to absolute maximum or idle power). When the mode switch is flipped to "A", the drone goes to GPS-assisted Position mode (which is like stock Typhoon, although a way smoother). "H" is Return to Home, like in stock firmware.

The drone may start in Stabilize-mode, regardless of the switch position. This is especially the case, if you take off while the GPS is still in "Acquiring" mode. You can do it, if you do not need GPS or RTH capability. If you want to take-off in GPS-assisted Position mode, you have to flip it manually to "A", or if you power it on when the switch is in "A" position, it is safer to cycle the switch, just to be sure. I may have to do something for this, like making the RGB led to indicate the active flight mode.

[ Stabilize/Sport | Assisted | Home ] ;-)

(The Acro/Rattitude modes, where the Typhoon is capable of doing full aerobatics, are not mapped anywhere by default, for safety reasons. It is like the arming of the drone, I am still not going to tell which the super-secret stick gesture is. You have to take a look into PX4's documentation, which hopefully encourages one to study about the PX4 a bit. And if you want to fly aerobatics, you have to enable/assign the modes by yourself (those selections on the screenshot above). Also, there is NO kill switch assigned at the moment as I do not like those. AUX is a good candidate for that. That red button has caused a little unnecessary harm here too I think. ;-)

Edited: I forgot to mention this before, I'll write it now here as this is pretty important. The reason why the Rattitude mode is not there by default, is that it really requires you to handle the drone carefully but promptly. It is a kind of an assisted acro mode, where a sudden and sharp stick deflection initiates a flip, which then gets auto-stabilized when you release the stick. It's like the Stabilize/Stock TH without the GPS, but this time nothing stops you from tumbling the drone. When the stick is deflected, the drone will flip until you release the stick, or the planet Earth spoils your fun, whichever happens first. If you are flying it like a stock Typhoon, you may will flip it accidentally and this may lead to a crash. It will not take that much altitude to recover, the Typhoon/Thunderbird is very aggressive in this mode, but still, the risk is there. My advice with this mode is to perform a smooth takeoff, with slow and steady stick movements (both sharp AND near-full stick deflections will flip it), gain plenty of altitude (room to play and recover from "uncommanded" aerobatics) and then... fly it like it's stolen! It handles very nice, and it is fun to fly. But before this, remove the CGO3+. It WILL hate you, life, your aerobatics, particularly me for developing this firmware and the world in general, if you fly acro with it. If you are able to keep ~1 G loading on the drone while doing aerobatics (steady large loops and barrel rolls etc.), it will be fine, but sudden and sharp movements are no good for it. ;-)

 

[PatR]

If you have some questions regarding the firmware itself, please ask and I'll try to answer them. Or PM me. Or why not try it? ;-)

No questions about the software really, but thanks for the thought.

I have three other custom/home built aircraft (quad, X8, hex) using “non consumer drone” FC’s, one of which employs an open 3DR Pixhawk. As I can easily obtain an American made Pixhawk or PX4 it would be far simpler to change out the FC’s if desired.

 

[R G]

Toni,

You have my respect for successfully porting PX4 to the H. Have you considered integrating the QGroundControl app to the ST16? That would make your Thunderbird project irresistible to me.

RG

 

[Pöllö]

Toni,

You have my respect for successfully porting PX4 to the H. Have you considered integrating the QGroundControl app to the ST16? That would make your Thunderbird project irresistible to me.

RG

Hi R G and thank you very much for your kind words! ;-)

Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for a while for the QGroundControl on the ST16. For some reason, it seems to be on a bit crashier side on the ST16. It somewhat works, but it can be sluggish and crashy every now and then, losing also the serial link after few minutes. Also, to make the wireless data transmission work, I have to learn how to interface the SR24 transceiver and joysticks/buttons on a ST16. However, if you are going to use it for some occasional parameter change, and upload the mission after creating it as soon as the Thunderbird supports the SD card or other non-volatile memory, could tolerate a little crashy operation, and the restriction to use USB for connecting the drone for now... you can use it right away with those limitations. See the attachment. ;-)

Br,

Toni

 

[h-elsner]

Testflight with Position Hold was successfully after set correct orientation of compass depending on HW chip (I had an old HMC5883).
Nice flight! I'm happy.

br HE

 

[Pöllö]

Testflight with Position Hold was successfully after set correct orientation of compass depending on HW chip (I had an old HMC5883).
Nice flight! I'm happy.

br HE

Hi HE, that is very nice to hear! It really made my weekend, I'm glad you are enjoying the Thunderbird! ;-)

I received the board on Friday, and today I soldered SWD wires and I'll start writing the support for SD card for the Thunderbird. This should make possible not only the logs, but also a full mission capability.

By the way, if someone is going to do the wiring like I do, please make sure that everything is secured in place. These wires are capable of doing nasty things if they get shorted mid-flight (VCC, GND, RESET). That's why those ugly looking blobs of hot melt glue are there.

Thank you very much! ;-)

Br,

TR

 

[Pöllö]

This new board gave me also a possibility to test the flashing to a fresh board. In ~5 minutes, the Typhoon transformed into the Thunderbird. The only glitch I had, was that I forgot the QGroundcontrol's .param file from the binary zip I posted earlier here. I'll put it there for the next release. Before that, you just have to download it separately. Here it is: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/t...ird/Typhoon_H_480/typhoon_h_parameters.params

So, probably the third Thunderbird ever is now ready to take off (just some little pieces missing like some calibrations and few motors ;-). But before that, let's make that SD card support there.

In the attachment is a photo of my flashing process. If you are flashing the board attached to the bottom ESC board, you have keep that power button pressed with a battery inserted during the RDP protection level change and bootloader programming, to supply the MCU board 5 VDC. If you happen to release the button in the middle of the process, just start again. You can not brick this thing. (Well, if you have a programmer/debbuger in your hands, there is no such thing like bricking a device. ;-) When the bootloader is there, you can remove all the SWD wires and continue flashing via the USB and Python scripts, as described in HE's wonderful documents! ;-)

 

[Pöllö]

Hmm.. it seems that the SD card is wired to the SPI, which is nice. ;-)

Which however is not that nice, is that the cost-reduction board without the card slot, is missing plenty of SMD components. We may have to figure out some clever hack for those having boards without the slot, to add it without the need to hand-solder ~20 SMD components. One trick would be to use a SD card reader board for Arduinos (containing level converters etc. onboard), and wire that to those exposed pads; 4 wires to solder to the bottom side pads (MISO, MOSI, CLK, SS) and two wires to VCC/GND (pin header). This, if it works, would be easier than it looks, as you can short out those three pads in a horizontal row (the long one is reserved for the card slot, two small ones for a resistor). Before doing that, we must be certain that there are no other things missing AND that the PX4 would tolerate if the card gets disconnected mid-flight, if you were not that good in small-scale soldering jobs. ;-) These things are going to be real rat rod Typhoons after this. But who doesn't like rat rods?! ;-)

 

[h-elsner]

Today I did another test flight with strong wind. Position Hold is rock solid. RTH land point is 0.5 to 1 m away from start location. For windy conditions better than stock Typhoon H.
RTH Landing is perfect without bouncing. Also manual landing feels better than stock Typhoon H especially with wind as it was today. Top speed was 82km/h. If it is fast too far away, RTH works also in case you are flying without GPS simply by flight mode switch. No fiddling around with touchscreen any more. Switch between GPS and no GPS with flight mode switch (or another) was a long awaited feature!

The descent speed is a little bit too conservative, only ~1,2m/s. This could be more. Yaw speed is too harsh with standard settings n but this can be tuned by channel settings on the ST16.
Also landing gear will not go up. I'm still a beginner. I have to check, what I can/must tune by QGC and if channel for landing gear is set correctly. I will report.

br HE