Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Firmware/software/electronics/mechanics
absoloodle37
Member
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun Jun 09, 2013 3:04 am

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by absoloodle37 »

Have you been able to reliably use this mount/camera combo for FPV? Any videos yet? I'm still trying to fix the VREG on my CF and am not sure about using the VCOM & DGND anymore--even without a switch. I think I'll try using a separate battery for the Video TX/camera and keep the two systems completely separate.
omwdunkley
Expert
Posts: 162
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2013 9:56 pm
Location: Munich

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by omwdunkley »

absoloodle37 wrote:Have you been able to reliably use this mount/camera combo for FPV? Any videos yet? I'm still trying to fix the VREG on my CF and am not sure about using the VCOM & DGND anymore--even without a switch. I think I'll try using a separate battery for the Video TX/camera and keep the two systems completely separate.
Hi,
previously I was using the 5.8 setup quite reliably. Battery life was very short though. Next week Ill start flying again. The new set of frames I just ordered arrived so I will use them from now on. They work quite well with the wide angle lens. So far the frame has not broken while flying (I broke a few pins by accident during transportation) and the camera has stayed in quite steadily. The frame could be updated in a number of ways (eg make the arms more circulate to better distribute the impact force, but I dont have time for that right now.

Seperate battery? I think you will go over the maximum payload. Let us know how that goes though :)
tobias
Bitcraze
Posts: 2339
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:17 pm
Location: Sweden

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by tobias »

I'm still trying to fix the VREG on my CF and am not sure about using the VCOM & DGND anymore--even without a switch
I don't think using the VCOM & DGND should be any problem if you are not using a switch. Don't want to grantee it though. When I tested omwdunkleys CF's I turned them on/off with the push button several hundred times without any problem. The problem with using VCOM is that if the FPV gear isn't switched of during charging the charging will take lot of time since there will only be ~250mA over for charging (out of 500mA). There is a possibility to put the power management chip in high current mode though. That would allow USB current to be ~740mA (so an power adapter should be used).

Put power management chip in high current mode by instead setting pmSetChargeState(chargeMax) in pm.c
viking
Beginner
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:07 pm

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by viking »

Hello, I am very new and noob in the crazyflie and in programming in general but I am also very passionate to learn. Let me just tell you your solution is just amazingly cool! Would it be possible to get the code or is there any chance you will share it later? I am very interrested to try and reproduce your FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD. That little project will definitly help me to better understand the crayflie. I would like to use your idea as a tutorial for the crazyflie.

DiL
omwdunkley
Expert
Posts: 162
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2013 9:56 pm
Location: Munich

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by omwdunkley »

viking wrote:Hello, I am very new and noob in the crazyflie and in programming in general but I am also very passionate to learn. Let me just tell you your solution is just amazingly cool! Would it be possible to get the code or is there any chance you will share it later? I am very interrested to try and reproduce your FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD. That little project will definitly help me to better understand the crayflie. I would like to use your idea as a tutorial for the crazyflie.

DiL
Hey Viking, thanks for posting :)

No problem about being noobish, we all were at some point ;) Passion and willingness is all you need :)
Glad you liked my setup! Unfortunately its very hacked together and quite complicated to get running. Its not a one program kinda thing. It uses ROS on ubuntu to combine lots of little sub programs that all communicate with eachother. Getting this up and running will probably be quite difficult if you are new to the world of ROS, ubuntu, svn/git, qt/c++/cmake/python. However I happily walk you through some of the steps!

For now I suggest you leave the video of it. Get a HUD up and running as you like it, feed it information from the flie and let it react. Once you have that up and running you can add video to it. What do you think?
What kind of system are you running?
I suggest for now you try to stick with python. It is easy to get into for beginners (no need to compile, nice syntax, etc), there are tons of resources aimed at beginners, and the CF library is written in python and documentation exists for it. Infact, the crazyflie-pc-client even contains a little HUD that reacts to roll and pitch. I could show you how to code a minimalistic driver that displays that HUD element. This way you could code some python, add some more things to log, and design the look of it yourself.

If youre interested in this id be glad to help. Maybe start a seperate thread, state your goals and I am sure some other people would join in too.

The above is really not that hard - most of the code/documentation is there already. But I know how it is at the beginning; finding your bearings and a work flow can be a little daunting until you back and laugh :)

Cheers
viking
Beginner
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:07 pm

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by viking »

Thank for your reply and so quick. So you are amazing too and thank you for all the help you kindly propose to teach me and all other one that are interested to follow your project.

I will follow your advices and I will try to build in Python the HUD and feed in information from the flie as a first start. I remarked also that HUD in the CF-pc-client and would love to be teaches on how to code a minimalistic driver that display this element.

Also, I am actually running on Windows 7 and XP (yes not very proud of it but that the system I know the best..). Btw, since I bought a RaspBerry and recently the CF, I start to better understand Linux and I am thinking of migrate to it :lol: . Funny because I never felt free on Microsoft systems as I feel free on Linux. Blame on me that I did not get any interest on it before... We progress within our errors, isn't it?

My poor noobs knowledge in coding are poor... Good in visual basic(total useless for that project) ; C/C++:a little bit better than a beginner and on Python: Total beginner. ... :lol:
Ok, I know I have a lot of work.

About to find my bearings in the CF, it is difficult I must admit. Without a complete "Noobs start the CF" guide for the coding part(only the FAQ and the Forum exist know), I do not know if I have to start to study the firmware(in C) or direct dive in head down in the Python world to find out all the secrets of the CF-PC-Client part...including this interesting HUD!

This is the reason and the idea when I came into your post, to take your project as a first start. Your project involves the complete system of CF including the hardware and electronics part, touching the firmware and also the PC-client part ... Just perfect to start. I am also a very documenting person and will certainly document everything to easy reproduce a draft guide that I will share on the site when finish and with your authorization of course. I will be very pleased to have you as teacher as well! :ugeek:

Thank you and best regards
viking
Beginner
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:07 pm

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by viking »

also, I saw two type of transmitter you use :

Transmitter: http://www.fpvhobby.com/transmitter/21- ... itter.html
Transmitter : http://www.fpvhobby.com/180-4-ghz-nano-size-vtx.html

The first one is much heavier than the second one.
Wich of this two receiver would you advice?
Last edited by viking on Tue Dec 10, 2013 5:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
viking
Beginner
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 10, 2013 2:07 pm

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by viking »

Sorry I meant transmitter..
omwdunkley
Expert
Posts: 162
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2013 9:56 pm
Location: Munich

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by omwdunkley »

Hey man no prob:)

I am by no means a teacher...or an expert. I can just share with you what I picked up along the way :)
Dont worry about python, you'll pick it up in a matter of days! I swtiched to ubuntu during my first year at uni and have never looked back :)
Im going on holiday soon but hopefully I can point you in the right direction before I do. Maybe you can do a few python tutorials in the mean time ;) I wont be able to help with any windows specific stuff. It might be a good idea to start using the virtual machine (VM) they provide, look here: http://wiki.bitcraze.se/projects:virtualmachine:index. This should get you up and running with everything you need to develop for the CF! it is basically ubuntu with a bunch of pre-installed programs and pre-downloaded code.

Start a new thread and link it in your reponse - then we can stay on topic ;)

viking wrote:Thank for your reply and so quick. So you are amazing too and thank you for all the help you kindly propose to teach me and all other one that are interested to follow your project.

I will follow your advices and I will try to build in Python the HUD and feed in information from the flie as a first start. I remarked also that HUD in the CF-pc-client and would love to be teaches on how to code a minimalistic driver that display this element.

Also, I am actually running on Windows 7 and XP (yes not very proud of it but that the system I know the best..). Btw, since I bought a RaspBerry and recently the CF, I start to better understand Linux and I am thinking of migrate to it :lol: . Funny because I never felt free on Microsoft systems as I feel free on Linux. Blame on me that I did not get any interest on it before... We progress within our errors, isn't it?

My poor noobs knowledge in coding are poor... Good in visual basic(total useless for that project) ; C/C++:a little bit better than a beginner and on Python: Total beginner. ... :lol:
Ok, I know I have a lot of work.

About to find my bearings in the CF, it is difficult I must admit. Without a complete "Noobs start the CF" guide for the coding part(only the FAQ and the Forum exist know), I do not know if I have to start to study the firmware(in C) or direct dive in head down in the Python world to find out all the secrets of the CF-PC-Client part...including this interesting HUD!

This is the reason and the idea when I came into your post, to take your project as a first start. Your project involves the complete system of CF including the hardware and electronics part, touching the firmware and also the PC-client part ... Just perfect to start. I am also a very documenting person and will certainly document everything to easy reproduce a draft guide that I will share on the site when finish and with your authorization of course. I will be very pleased to have you as teacher as well! :ugeek:

Thank you and best regards
omwdunkley
Expert
Posts: 162
Joined: Thu Jun 06, 2013 9:56 pm
Location: Munich

Re: Working FPV Camera setup with realtime HUD

Post by omwdunkley »

viking wrote:also, I saw two type of transmitter you use :

Transmitter: http://www.fpvhobby.com/transmitter/21- ... itter.html
Transmitter : http://www.fpvhobby.com/180-4-ghz-nano-size-vtx.html

The first one is much heavier than the second one.
Wich of this two receiver would you advice?
Good question...Ive had some problems with my 2.4GHz one, but it looks like thats just me. Other people have been using them successfully. It is a lot smaller...hopefully other people will share their opinions too :)
Post Reply