CF2 Does Battery drain when switched off

[lxrocks]

Just charging the battery for the first time and I was wondering about conserving battery when not using the CF2.

So I have 2 questions.

I assume that if the battery is connected and the CF2 is switched off, then it is still draining power - all be it slowly. To completely conserve battery when not using, I should disconnect the battery from the CF2.

Does cfclient have to be running with usb device selected in order for the battery to charge ? ie the client turns on the usb power to charge.

thanks

[chad]

Does cfclient have to be running with usb device selected in order for the battery to charge ? ie the client turns on the usb power to charge.

If it's anything like the CF1, you can just plug it into a wall charger with the USB cable and it will charge. No client application (or computer even) needed.

[tobias]

The current consumption when switched off is about 10uA so a full battery will last over a year in off mode. If it will not be used for over a year it is better to disconnect the battery but I hope it will be used a lot more often then that .

[chonchonchon]

I get the opportunity to add a second question ...

The CF is still charging the battery if the CF is powered down ?

Thanks for the info

[tobias]

The CF is still charging the battery if the CF is powered down?

Yes it does but it only charges with 100mA then, instead of ~400mA when turned on. This is something we plan to change but there might be some confusion with the LED indications then as M2 (blue) is the only usable LED then and it might be confused with bootloader mode.

[chonchonchon]

thanks for the reply.

another question jumps out ...

CF2.0

when I press buton for 3 sec and release --- CF is in bootloader mode ... this is OK (2x blue led randomly lit not in phase at 1hz) !
at this point if you press button again, you go back to init mode and wait... (red heartbeat).

power off...

then I press but dont release the button, the blue led start blinking like bootloader, then after 4x blinks the led blinks quicker (like 0.5hz), then I release the button --> at this point, the CF is in DFU mode ?

...and if you press the button again, now the leds are blinking more faster (like 0.2 hz) --> another mode ?

... at this point, the only way to restart the CF is by removing battery and usb cable. ---> How to exit this mode without power off ?


More info about this famous bootloader sequence ?

thanks for your work !
i'm really amazed with my new toy

[tobias]

Hehe, you have probably found some functionality we aren't even aware of

I think it is best if Arnaud who coded this explain the details but it has to do with that there needs to be three different programs to handle everything the right way. The "master boot switch", the bootloader, and the firmware. Each of the programs handle the button in one way or the other.

When you enter DFU more, by 5s long press at startup, I know it is not possible to exit the mode without removing the power. I can't remember why it is this way though.

[chonchonchon]

I think it is best if Arnaud who coded this explain the details but it has to do with that there needs to be three different programs to handle everything the right way. The "master boot switch", the bootloader, and the firmware. Each of the programs handle the button in one way or the other.

Hello tobias, thanks for the reply !

Yes, I hope Arnaud will join this thread to add some information and maybe explain the 2 seconds options.

I think it's more a debug option

I understant that THE button is used in different way belonging to the "MODE", but i read a lot of post of lost user about this "menu" (maybe because they are lost and locked in the 3th menu)

Then ... it could be very great to have a logical diagram of the "MENU" using the button OR in fact, what is really missing (when starting from scratch as a beginner)
is a clear overview of the full project, how to quickly check if all is working or not with the CF out of the box.

Could you ask Arnaud to add some info here ? (I dont know how to do this on forums)

Thanks !!

Chon

[arnaud]

Hi Chon,

Yes documentation is still missing on the different boot modes. What you discovered is made on purpose for recovery.

The boot modes are:
short press: firmware
long press (>3s): Bootloader
Very long press (>5s): STM32 DFU

When in DFU mode pressing again the button resets the STM32 in firmware mode.

The reason of that is to avoid being able to 'brick' the CF2: it is possible to bootload the bootloader and the worst case would be to flash a bootloader that constantly resets the STM32. In that case the recovery is to start in DFU mode (the MBS that handles the button is write-protected), to flash a STM recovery firmware that can flash the NRF51 and then to press the power button to start this recovery firmware.

So this is really a recovery option. We could code a reset function in the STM so that when flashing regular firmware by DFU pressing the button would reset the copter instead, I guess it would make sense if we use DFU more (currently we use it until we get the bootloader to work on mobile/bluetooth devices).

There is some info on the boot sequence in the firmware readme: https://github.com/bitcraze/crazyflie2-nrf-firmware

[chonchonchon]

Hello Arnaud,

thanks for the info and for your time to write it.
The link you provided give a very good overview of the entire process, didn't see this page before. (added to fav :] )

I have one more question about the boot preocess : When the CF do the stability check? After the motor check ? or before ?

Personal remark > The time between CF PowerOn and the time when the rotor try to cut your finger is very short you have few second to put it on the table.
Proposal > Wait until gyro is stable for 2 sec minimum, this mean CF is on stable surface, then start calibration and rotor check.
In that case, if you have the CF in hand, the motor check will not run until you put it on a stable surface.

I didn't upload any new code on my CF at this moment. I'm looking around to collect infos before proceeding.
I'm still blocked with the VM0.5 (i can't run it) but i'm able to play the VM0.4 (OS working but can't upload bootloader --> I try the new cfClient [2014-12-01] under windows, it's working perfectly)

I dont know if I need to spend time to try solving and booting the VM0.5 or just sit and wait until VM0.6 is out... but how long ? do you have an idea ? like few days or few weeks ?

The problem : I have a CF near me, looking at me, he tell me ... please, update my brain ... but i can't

thanks

Chon