AI deck firmware update

Discussions about the AI-deck
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JasonLee
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Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2021 5:39 am

AI deck firmware update

Post by JasonLee »

I understand that I need to flash GAP8 firmware and NINA firmware using olimex arm-usb-tiny-h to use AI deck.

I connected AI deck and PC, but there is no response such as the light on the AI deck.

Is there anything to prepare before using olimex arm-usb-tiny-h?

And also, is it possible to fly multiple crazyflies using my own wifi and AI deck?
gemenerik
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Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:11 am

Re: AI deck firmware update

Post by gemenerik »

Hi Jason!
JasonLee wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 3:43 am I connected AI deck and PC, but there is no response such as the light on the AI deck.

Is there anything to prepare before using olimex arm-usb-tiny-h?
The JTAG debugger does not provide power, so you will have to power it some other way. Easiest is to mount the AI-deck on a Crazyflie and turn that on.
JasonLee wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 3:43 am And also, is it possible to fly multiple crazyflies using my own wifi and AI deck?
Can you elaborate? Are you trying to control multiple Crazyflies from the ground over WiFi? That should be possible, but may require a custom ESP32 (NINA) firmware. The easiest way to set up a swarm controlled from the ground is with the Crazyradio PA.
JasonLee
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Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2021 5:39 am

Re: AI deck firmware update

Post by JasonLee »

Thank you for replying and sorry for late

Yes, I'm trying to control multiple CF using Wifi. Because I think wifi is better way to control multiple CF than bluetooth (Crazyradio PA).

Does it mean that the custom firmware you mentioned changes the port in the link below ? If not, can you tell me how to do it detail ?

https://github.com/bitcraze/AIdeck_exam ... wifi.h#L27

Once again, thank you for replying!
gemenerik
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Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:11 am

Re: AI deck firmware update

Post by gemenerik »

JasonLee wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:54 pm Thank you for replying and sorry for late

Yes, I'm trying to control multiple CF using Wifi. Because I think wifi is better way to control multiple CF than bluetooth (Crazyradio PA).

Does it mean that the custom firmware you mentioned changes the port in the link below ? If not, can you tell me how to do it detail ?

https://github.com/bitcraze/AIdeck_exam ... wifi.h#L27

Once again, thank you for replying!
The set up is not trivial. The default firmware we are flashing to the ESP32 broadcasts JPEG compressed images from the GAP8. This is basically useless for your application. Instead, you will have to write a custom firmware that communicates with ground and with the Crazyflie (STM32). I have not written any ESP32 firmware myself so I cannot give you the details, but I'm sure there is a lot of documentation available.

You will need to configure your ESP32 to connect to an existing network. Then, you will need to write communication protocols for ground to ESP32 over WiFi (most likely someone has done something similar already), and then from ESP32 to the STM32 over UART2. On the STM32 you need to feed your data into the commander.

Hope this helps you get started!
gemenerik
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Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2021 11:11 am

Re: AI deck firmware update

Post by gemenerik »

If you can afford to wait, we are looking into building a solid pipeline for any STM32 <-> NINA <-> GAP8 communications. Perhaps sometime in the future an implementation like the one you mention will be much easier to implement.
JasonLee
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Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2021 5:39 am

Re: AI deck firmware update

Post by JasonLee »

Thank you for replying!

As far as I understood, Crazyflie must have crazyradio to communicate with my PC and there is no way to communicate with my PC using esp32 of AI deck yet.

Did I get it right?

If correct, is there no message (data) that is currently communicated through UART?
kimberly
Bitcraze
Posts: 1050
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2018 11:13 am

Re: AI deck firmware update

Post by kimberly »

Hi!

The AIdeck is an early access product so hardware wise all of those is possible but software/firmware wise we still have have to implement quite some features as Gemenerik already mentioned.

To answer you questions about the state of thing right now:

- The Crazyflie needs to have an Crazyradio, or micro usb cable to communicate with the PC. The future plans will be that this will be possible through the AIdeck or a wifi deck, but this is not the case now or the immediate near future.
- The only communication through the ESP to computer only contains information from AIdeck's gap8 chip itself, namely the wifistreamer example.
- There is only very basic Uart communication functionality between the Aideck and the crazyflie. Between the ESP (Nina module) and CF2, there is an debug readout available there is a define: DEBUG_NINA_PRINT in the aideck driver in the crazyflie firmware that needs to be uncommented first and the crazyflie needs to be reflashed. Between the gap8 and CF2 only a simple single character uart read out is enabled in the aideck driver. of which the example on the gap8 can be found here.

So to add more functionality to the aideck than the one that I've mentioned before, you will need to either implement that yourself or wait until the new features come out. But just to let you know, the functionality that you mentioned before (multiple crazyflies with aideck and own wifi) is not something that we have in our immediate plans for getting the AIdeck out of early access.
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