Additional gluonpilot hardware

[Tom]

Strange, I configure my 868MHz XBee at 20mW, and never flew out of range...

Yes I'm planning a GCS, but I'm afraid it will be for this winter... For the time being, you'll have to use the Google Earth relay server in the config tool.

[icebear]

Thanks for the comments.

Don't get me wrong - I think the range could be great - just wondering if 1500 meters is possible with wire antenna...

I did a first test with two 2.4 GHz Xbee's today.

I manage to communicate with the PC Xbee at 115200 baud but when trying to connect to the Xbee on the Gluonpilot side I get a lot of errors with ????'s - see screendump below;

I used only Vcc(5v), GND, Rx and Tx and connected the PC XBEE through the FTDI cable and the Gluon XBEE at the FTDI cable headers (Vcc, GND, Tx and Rx).

Any ideas what could be the issue here?

[06:56:39.70] Gluon?v+???L'?bonfig:?22??????56???tion:?5?????4??u
[06:56:39.70] ???out??has?
[06:56:39.70] ???u????hz???????
[06:56:39.70] 22?sh?oading??????tion...done
[06:56:44.60] O?*???timeout...done
[06:56:44.60] Control??initi+K???..done
[06:56:44.90] Sensors??iitializing...done
[06:56:44.90] G??sk???????.ne
[06:57:10.28] ConsoleGluon?v??L'?cfig:?22??????56?????tion:?5?????4??u
[06:57:10.28] ????o??hz
[06:57:10.28] A??u????hz???????
[06:57:10.28] 22????foading??????tion...done
[06:57:15.20] OG...timeout...done
[06:57:15.20] Control?itializing...done
[06:57:15.48] Sensors??initializing...done
[06:57:15.48] G??sk+??lizing...done
[06:57:15.57] Consolet??????lizing...done
[06:57:15.57] Dat?task+????????..done
[06:57:15.57] Telemetr????initi+K???.
[06:57:16.07] TR;29176;329??????;2664
[06:57:16.07] TP;-53?;?????;-?
[06:57:17.00] TT;1523;154??;156?????;
[06:57:17.00] TG;r?L????????;??
[06:57:17.10] TP;-529;112;??????;2
[06:57:18.50] 154????????;17?;
[06:57:19.50] ;r??L????????;T????????42;17;2?H?TR;291?????????'&?;3294?????????????;156???TP;-529;142;22;3TR;29176;3294'??'&?;26??????
[06:57:19.50] TT;1523;1542;1147;1566;17?
[06:57:19.90] TP;-529;113;????;3
[06:57:20.01] TR;291????'?96;266???4?&??
[06:57:20.01] TT;1524;154????????;17?;
[06:57:20.01] TG;r?????;???
[06:57:20.42] TP;-529;1?42;15;2
[06:57:20.51] TR;291???????????'??
[06:57:20.51] TT;1524;154???????;17?
[06:57:21.01] TP;-529;1N????????;-4
[06:57:21.21]
[06:57:21.21] !
[06:57:21.51] TR;291???????????'?
[06:57:21.53] TP;-529;1??42;22;2?
[06:57:21.53] TT;1524;1542;114???????2;??
[06:57:22.00] TG;r?L?????????;??TR;291????;2??????'&??;32972
[06:57:22.09] TT;1523;154??????????v??;??T?;113;???????j?
[06:57:22.50] TR;291????????;266??
[06:57:22.50] TT;1524;154?;5?7?
[06:57:22.60] TP;-529;11???????;1
[06:57:23.20] T???????4;2
[06:57:23.51] TR;291??????????4;26???
[06:57:24.10] TR;291?????;2???????'?;32924
[06:57:25.00] TR;291???????????4;26???
[06:57:25.54] TR;291???????????4;26??
[06:57:25.54] T;1524;154??????????7?
[06:57:25.95] T???????43;22;2
[06:57:26.04] TR;291?????????4;26?????
[06:57:26.32] !
[06:57:26.53] T?????6;??????;?TR;291????;2???????4;26??????
[06:57:27.01] T?????7;??????;-4
[06:57:27.50] TT;1524;154??????????;TR;291????????66'&???????4;32
[06:57:28.04] TR;291?????????'&??????4?&??
[06:57:28.04] TT;1524;154???????;17?;

[Tom]

I have no idea... works here. Vcc = 5V, XBee: 3V3 ?
I did use another power source for the XBee. The Xbee is correctly configured for 115200 baud?
Remark that the read throughput over the air is something like 19200 baud if I'm not mistaken. You'll need to disable some telemetry messages to get the throughput down.

[icebear]

OK, thanks - I will try to disable some telemetry messages to see if it helps-

I use adapter boards which feed 3.3v to the XBee from the 5v source. Very neat - both Sparkfun and Droids have them.

Björn

[lukasz]

Hi Tom,

Are you planing to sell some kind of sets?
If we buy larger number of xbee modules + adapter boards we could count on some kind of discount.

Also if we ship larger quantity to Europe than the shipping would be cheaper.

[Tom]

Hi Lukasz,
Yes I'm planning to become a small-scale sparkfun reseller. Some parts are about the same price as reseller, but some other parts (such as the FTDI cable) are a lot cheaper then! I hope to be able to make the gluonpilot kits cheaper than the components bought separately.

[lukasz]

Thanks for information.
Such kits would be a great idea for people that would like to start play with Gluopilot.

Let me know once you start to sell such kits as I would be interested in xbee's and regulator boards for it.

[lukasz]

I didn't want to set up a separate topic and I decided to ask this question here.

Is there an option to add video link through xbee module having at the same time telemetry?

Not sure if xbee transfer speed would be sufficient for a video link.

[Tom]

No video links are typically analog.
If you want video and telemetry, you'll need an 868MHz Zigbee and a 2.4GHz video, or a higher frequency video link.

[lukasz]

This is what i thought so
Just wanted to confirm.