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Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 8:42 pm
by jhsa
Ok, so no way.. :) or are there alternatives? maybe some kind of serial display??

João

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 9:36 pm
by RCHH
MikeB wrote: Sat Apr 15, 2017 6:00 pm To really use the Horus, particularly the display, will take a while. At present, I'm just displaying a 128 by 64 image in monochrome, but double size so using 256 by 128 pixels. The display is actually 480 by 272 16-bit colour!
Reading the SD card and voice/beep output is now working. Also, I don't have an RF module, so testing that will be a problem.

Mike.
You mean one of these:


Image

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 9:58 pm
by MikeB
Probably, but that doesn't look like it would connect to my prototype main board.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 10:03 pm
by RCHH
Ahhh! Indeed. It was from one of the development boards. I have one of those here as well. Problem is, thinking about it, even that is different to the production versions, and has different firmware again.

Offer still stands for you to have my production Horus Mike ...

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 10:56 pm
by MikeB
My prototype board is rev 0.9.
I'll investigate possibilities.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 12:41 pm
by MikeB
Quite a lot more working on the Horus (prototype). I have the mixer running and the complete menu system operating.
The display does use up quite a bit of processor time. It looks like just clearing the whole display to nothing takes 3mS.

Normally, we update the display every 10mS (100 times per second). I have tested updating less often and it works fine, so I'll probably reduce the rate to 50 times per second (20mS). I have this working and it looks OK to me. One or two menus may need sorting as they rely on being called every 10mS.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 4:58 pm
by RCHH
Would it run on a production release Mike? Would be happy to give it a go.

I know there are two versions of OpenTX and FrOS for Horus. One for the beta test and another for the production versions because of hardware differences.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 10:54 pm
by MikeB
It looks like the main difference for this testing is just the backlight control, which is on a different pin and uses a different timer for the PWM.
Hopefully, I'll be able to build a version that handles that. I'm close to being able to put up a version for first testing. One thing I don't have working is any EEPROM. I need to implement this using a file or files on the SD card. The firmware can be tested without that, just any changes to settings won't be saved.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 4:50 pm
by AlessB
To Mike:
Earlier, when selecting voice alarms, the haptic was play when selecting, now when selecting no play, you can check only when the voice alarm is on.
Or it seemed to me?

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 5:18 pm
by MikeB
I'm not sure I understand what the problem is. I just tested and I always get the vibration responding, even if I set "On No Telemetry" to "Mute".

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 5:33 pm
by MikeB
RCHH wrote: Tue Apr 18, 2017 4:58 pm Would it run on a production release Mike? Would be happy to give it a go.
Sorted some code so the firmware should drive the backlight correctly by detecting whether it is on prototype or production hardware.
I've also got the radio setting and a single model being loaded and saved from/to the SD card.
The RTC is running, although it seems to lose the date/time when I flash new firmware.
Since the clearing of the LCD is done by a special, graphic DMA, I've managed to get this done in the background, so I've saved the 3mS of otherwise wasted processor time.

I'll need to do a couple of other changes to get it running on a production unit. I don't have any gimbals connected at present, so I've "mapped" sliders and the "mouse" input to where they would normally be to see other things working.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 6:38 pm
by RCHH
Holy moly Mike ... is this the definition of 'will take a while'?

I really wish I could even begin to grasp the knowlede needed to help with the coding for these firmwares.

What is it written in?

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 2:39 pm
by MikeB
Based on existing firmware for the Taranis and X9E, much doesn't need changing. What is going to take quite a bit of time is making use of the colour display fully. Currently, only black and white is really supported, and only for 128 by 64 and 212 by 64 displays.
The Horus is 480 by 272, 65536 colours (5-bit red, 6-bit green and 5-bit blue). To make good use of the display needs deciding what it should look like, then writing code to make it do so.
What I probably need to do is add (for the Horus) extra screens that do make use of the display, and slowly add more to replace existing screens.

Nominally, the firmware is written in C++, but most of it is actually just "ordinary" C.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 2:59 pm
by RCHH
Off I go to find 'C and C++ for old fart dummies', read the intro page and be even more in the dark! Lol!

I think it is something I really ought to start learning.

Horus OpenTX I believe is coming on well recently, but I still have the production FrOs on mine and have not tried OpenTX since a development version. It was red and white I recall? Not a nice look to me.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 8:06 pm
by RCHH
RCHH wrote: Fri Apr 21, 2017 2:59 pm Off I go to find 'C and C++ for old fart dummies', read the intro page and be even more in the dark! Lol!

I think it is something I really ought to start learning.
...
Well, I have had a look at C and C++.

Seems I know it, but did not know I knew it! To a point! It is very nearly .php coding languge, with extensions in C++!

So I need to have a looksee at some code and work it out from that about how to code specifically for hardware, which is something I have never done before.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 11:05 pm
by MikeB
To be strictly accurate I think .php is nearly C/C++, since C came first!

The sources for er9x/ersky9x (and eepe/eepskye) are here: https://github.com/MikeBland/mbtx.

I've got one gimbal wired on to my Horus board and that is working OK. I've also extended the display area to look like the Taranis, so simulating 212 by 64, rather than 128 by 64. I've also added an option to draw text in a colour, so the double size model name is now BLUE.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 9:01 am
by jhsa
I can see that soon it will be worth it to buy an Horus. :)
Shame that it is too expensive for me :(

Also, I liked more the looks of the first prototype.. There were only pictures of it I think..

João

Sent from my thor using Tapatalk


Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 2:48 pm
by MikeB
I've posted some firmware for the Horus on the test versions thread. This is just to test if it runs on a production Horus (it is supposed to auto-detect that). The main problem will be the backlight won't come on if that doesn't work.
It doesn't contain any drivers for RF modules, so you can't control anything. It should handle loading/saving settings and models from/to the SD card, although I may improve how that works in due course.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 3:37 pm
by RCHH
Great news. Downloaded. Will get on it when the little one is in bed about half seven this evening. Manic here today! hahaha!!
What is the flashing process Mike?

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 6:28 pm
by MikeB
At the moment it has to be done using zadig. If you want the voice output you will also need to put the ersky9x voice files on the SD card.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 6:59 pm
by RCHH
Fingers crossed ... if the worst comes to the worst, it will be a nice looking door stop! lol :P

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 7:44 pm
by RCHH
No go Mike. Uploaded firmware to Horus without issue - no errors showing. On pressing the 'on' button, it sets the LED to red. Pressing again sets it to a sort of 'purple' and then a long press sets it to blue. On releasing the button, LED goes off. Nothing shows on the screen at any time.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 8:07 pm
by MikeB
OK, I'll force the code to be the "production" version to get the backlight working.
From the red/blue LEDs, I think it is otherwise working. While I do some edits, you might look on the SD card and see if you have a sub-directory off the root called "RADIO" containing files "radio.bin", "Mnames.bin" and "model01A.bin".

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 8:41 pm
by RCHH
Mike I can confirm the files you mention are indeed present.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 9:17 pm
by MikeB
I've posted another version (A2). I've forced the "production" version. I did notice, however, I failed to enable the clock to the timer used for the production version backlight, so this may explain why there was no backlight.
If you do get something on the display, please go to the "DiagSwtch" menu and let me know what you get for the "Type" shown at the top right (0 or 1).

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 10:40 pm
by RCHH
No difference Mike. No errors when flashing but only the same LED colours sequence.

Formatted the SD card and the same files are there, and are correctly timestamped for when the flashing process was carried out.

How exactly are you flashing your board? I can make sure I am following you exactly then.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 11:18 pm
by MikeB
If the SD card is getting those files, then the flashing is working OK.
When pressing buttons, do you hear any beeps (volume should be set to 2 so they will be quite quiet)?
A couple of things you might try:
1. Put the throttle stick to the mid position, then press and hold the power button for a couple of seconds. The red LED should be on. Now pull the throttle stick back to idle, the LED should go "purple" (red and blue both on).
2. Press the EXIT button a couple of times, just to clear any possible warnings, then press LEFT LONG, then press MENU.
You should now be in the Display setup menu, you just won't see it!
Press DOWN once (this should be the brightness setting). Try pressing LEFT and RIGHT to change the setting and see if the backlight comes on.
Press DOWN once more (to the "Light Switch" setting). Try pressing and holding the LEFT button, then try pressing and holding the RIGHT button.
Press DOWN once more. Press the RIGHT button a couple of times.
When you try these, does the backlight ever come on?

I can see some odd responses to the "Light switch" setting I'll need to investigate.

Mike.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 11:23 pm
by RCHH
Okie dokie. It is going in the right direction.
So far there are no beeps etc. but will try the steps below right now. Won't be long.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 11:25 pm
by bob195558
jhsa wrote: Sun Apr 23, 2017 9:01 am I can see that soon it will be worth it to buy an Horus. :)
Shame that it is too expensive for me :(
João
Hi João,
You need a Taranis first, as I think if you had one, would help with new modifications with erSky9x on Taranis. :D

Bob B.

Re: ERSKY9x Questions

Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2017 11:46 pm
by RCHH
Righty.
Got the following:

Power on so RED LED is on. Throttle stick centre. Lower stick - no change.
Press the black thumbwheel at right side of TX twice, and LED changes to PURPLE.

At this point no matter what is done, no backlight shows. Files are on the card again with the right timestamps.

I think the sequences of LEFT, RIGHT, DOWN etc. if it can be clarified and written so as to be concurrent with the button names on the Horus.

So we have:
left button cluster: Page Up, Page Down. (lpus a totally inactive 'joystick' thing!)
Right button cluster: MOL, TELE, RTN, SYS (clockwise) and the centre rotary knurled button/push button combination.