Just did a quick test...

Lots of weird lines on the screen

OSD test (0 min 14 sec)

Not perfect yet, but getting there.

Dennis, you just LOVE toying with people's desires. Ha!!! Great Job and something that is vitally needed.

Well, a friend mentioned it would be nice when flying through clouds
Just need to test if an accelerometer is good enough.

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

Well, a friend mentioned it would be nice when flying through clouds
Just need to test if an accelerometer is good enough.

The MPU6050 are very cheap and there is a Gyro all in one package.

Originally Posted by rimshotcopter

The MPU6050 are very cheap and there is a Gyro all in one package.

Ordered... At that price I can just as well use both accelerometer and gyro

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

Just did a quick test...

Lots of weird lines on the screen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAFR7...ature=youtu.be
Not perfect yet, but getting there.

Dennis,
Is this still the same project that we started this thread with as in this schematic? -
Thanks,
Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,
Is this still the same project that we started this thread with as in this schematic? -
Thanks,
Rick

No sorry, it's with a MAX7456 OSD chip instead. It gives a lot of extra CPU-time to do whatever you want

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

No sorry, it's with a MAX7456 OSD chip instead. It gives a lot of extra CPU-time to do whatever you want

Hi Dennis,

Would it be possible for you post the schematic and code you are working with so far, even though it is not polished ?

Even though it is not perfected....it is fun to follow

I have a https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9168 so maybe I could incorporate it also for others to follow

Thanks again for sharing,

Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Hi Dennis,

Would it be possible for you post the schematic and code you are working with so far, even though it is not polished ?

Even though it is not perfected....it is fun to follow

I have a https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9168 so maybe I could incorporate it also for others to follow

Thanks again for sharing,

Rick

The breakout-board from sparkfun will be compatible and just needs a few wires to an Arduino or similiar

I'm not quite sure what I'll do with the project yet, but there is already quite a few MAX7456 OSD's out there if you need some inspiration.

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

The breakout-board from sparkfun will be compatible and just needs a few wires to an Arduino or similiar

I'm not quite sure what I'll do with the project yet, but there is already quite a few MAX7456 OSD's out there if you need some inspiration.

Dennis,

Your open source work inspires me (not sure about the others !! -
I have been looking for a simple schematic (as you say "needs a few wires" ) and small piece of code (that works to connect an arduino to this sparkfun board to get me started. Can't find one !

Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,

Your open source work inspires me (not sure about the others !! -
I have been looking for a simple schematic (as you say "needs a few wires" ) and small piece of code (that works to connect an arduino to this sparkfun board to get me started. Can't find one !

Rick

+1 to that!

I would like to know how to connect the few wires from the MAX7456 to an uno and a very simple code that would insert something like "hello world" onto the screen.

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,

Your open source work inspires me (not sure about the others !! -
I have been looking for a simple schematic (as you say "needs a few wires" ) and small piece of code (that works to connect an arduino to this sparkfun board to get me started. Can't find one !

Rick

Thanks
Remember the reset-line must be pulled high on your board.

The code from Sparkfun gives a good idea about the communication with MAX7456. It's not copy-paste compatible with Arduino, but close
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9168

I plan to release everything sooner or later, but not until I have a descent version available.

Schematic will be available when the PCB arrives and have been confirmed to work

Originally Posted by RickEis

I would like to know how to connect the few wires from the MAX7456 to an uno and a very simple code that would insert something like "hello world" onto the screen.

Listed at the bottom of the page is some sample code and a schematic.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9168

Well, I have looked at the schematic and code at the bottom of Sparkfuns page but it appears I am missing some knowledge on connecting it and getting the code to compile with the arduino - So I am looking for some help Have you got something that works with the arduino and sparkfuns board?

Originally Posted by RickEis

Well, I have looked at the schematic and code at the bottom of Sparkfuns page but it appears I am missing some knowledge on connecting it and getting the code to compile with the arduino - So I am looking for some help Have you got something that works with the arduino and sparkfuns board?

I looked also and was disappointment. My Bad.

That Ok rimshotcopter

So can you show a schematic and write a code that will compile and make my screen say "hello world" ?

Originally Posted by RickEis

That Ok rimshotcopter

So can you show a schematic and write a code that will compile and make my screen say "hello world" ?

Sorry I do not have one but here is another ODS with open source code: http://code.google.com/p/rushduino-osd/

Originally Posted by RickEis

That Ok rimshotcopter

So can you show a schematic and write a code that will compile and make my screen say "hello world" ?

Sorry, but I don't have a simple code available - only the mess I'm working on

narh, what the heck.. For those of you who want to have a look, feel free. But please be aware that it's in no way meant as a release-version

It should by no mean be used as a fully working version (though it most likely does work flawless ).

A few notes on schematic...
- MAX7456 crystal must be 27 MHz,
- C5 and C6 must be 47 uF
- Crystal-caps depends on the crystal.
- RSSI, current-sensor and RX+TX series resistor is just "random value" to get the footprint.
- Decoupling capacitors on Vcc (buttom right) is just to get the footprint for PCB-design. I will use what I have around and find suitable.
R5 and R6 should be 75 ohm resistors (video-impedance). I just put 82 ohm as the 75-ohm value wasn't in my library.

A few notes on firmware
- Very early version not tested very well.
LOS limit moved to around 50 kilometers
LOS will change from meters to km when above 10 km
UART uses interrupt for best performance.
Serial.print can't be used

Only ~30% memory used so far, plenty of space left.



If you have any questions or need help with the code, please wait until an actual release with a bit of explanation etc

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3947315/MAX7456_OSD.rar

PCB-design etc. will most likely be available later.

The main firmware is pretty much done - so I'm open to ideas

Awesome work Dennis
Attached is a picture of the components which would be awesome to use if compatible with your program !
I'm hoping one of your (smarter then I) readers can use this image to sketch in the wires illustrating the connections, while you are continuing to polish your project.
Rick

Dennis,
Your program is the first larger program for this MAX7456 that compiled for me.... and I have tried a lot, attempting to get this up and running -
Looking forward to hooking it up soon
Rick

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

The main firmware is pretty much done - so I'm open to ideas

I see code for artificial horizon, but see no hardware to support it?
And I'll repeat my self, add possibility to send data to the ground, please

Originally Posted by dziedrius

I see code for artificial horizon, but see no hardware to support it?
And I'll repeat my self, add possibility to send data to the ground, please

The code for artificial horizon is not done at all. The rounding-errors should be fixed and tilt should be implemented with better resolution - but it's a start.
I will later add some gyro and accelerometer support and a little filter to keep it running smooth.

Sending data to the ground is not really an option with MAX7456. Using the audio-channel is a possibility, but as I use Lawmate, I don't really have good audio-channel to use.

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

The code for artificial horizon is not done at all. The rounding-errors should be fixed and tilt should be implemented with better resolution - but it's a start.
I will later add some gyro and accelerometer support and a little filter to keep it running smooth.

Sending data to the ground is not really an option with MAX7456. Using the audio-channel is a possibility, but as I use Lawmate, I don't really have good audio-channel to use.

Why it is not an option with MAX7456? At the moment I don't see how those two things correlate, I just thought that MAX7456 will offload main processor, so it will be easier to add.

Haven't checked, but I think MAX7456 does not support VBI, so there's no ability to send data through video channel also - and I guess that cheap EasyCap ripoffs will struggle with VBI decoding.

Originally Posted by dziedrius

Why it is not an option with MAX7456? At the moment I don't see how those two things correlate, I just thought that MAX7456 will offload main processor, so it will be easier to add.

Haven't checked, but I think MAX7456 does not support VBI, so there's no ability to send data through video channel also - and I guess that cheap EasyCap ripoffs will struggle with VBI decoding.

MAX7456 is designed to overlay graphics in the video. When using a part of the video-signal to transmit data, it would be preferable to "hide the data". Sure, you can still use a microcontroller to output some data, but atm SPI is used by MAX7456, serial by GPS and I2C by extra sensors. Not saying it ain't possible, just not straight forward. As I personally don't use antenna-tracker etc. I don't care too much about extra downlink information. My videolink will provide the necessary information.

Originally Posted by RickEis

Awesome work Dennis
Attached is a picture of the components which would be awesome to use if compatible with your program !
I'm hoping one of your (smarter then I) readers can use this image to sketch in the wires illustrating the connections, while you are continuing to polish your project.
Rick

Hook it up and let us know how it works
You should note that you will get some chinese-characters, until you load my character-set for MAX7456 (included in the code but out-commented as they only have to be uploaded once).

Connect it like this, upload the code and you should see the magic start . You don't need a camera connected, it will automatic generate sync-pulses etc. if no video-signal is present.

MAX7456 -> Arduino
CS - > PB2 (10)
SDIN - > PB3 (11)
SDOUT - > PB4 (12)
SCLK - > PB5 (13)

GND - > GND
5 V - > 5 V
Reset - > Vcc

- if anyone plan to actually test the software, please let us know how it works

Dennis,

Again, it all compiled first time !!!! - amazing job !!! You would not believe how many things I have tried that would not compile.

This evening, if all goes well, I plan to hook it up like this (see attached photo), unless I have something wrong ?

Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,

Again, it all compiled first time !!!! - amazing job !!! You would not believe how many things I have tried that would not compile.

This evening, if all goes well, I plan to hook it up like this (see attached photo), unless I have something wrong ?

Rick

Thanks
Your drawing looks right - just remember to connect GPS TX and RX to RX and TX on Arduino to get data. The signal from the current-sensor should also be connected, but start with just Arduino and MAX7456 shield.

wow, that looks nice. Its been like 2 years since I first looked at this project, and I still haven't implemented this osd on my plane due to so many problems

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

Thanks
Your drawing looks right - just remember to connect GPS TX and RX to RX and TX on Arduino to get data. The signal from the current-sensor should also be connected, but start with just Arduino and MAX7456 shield.

Dennis,

I came home and wired it up. Before I plugged the OSD into the video stream, I made sure I had a good picture with the camera etc. Then I plugged in the OSD and no change. So I redid the diagram just to be sure and rewired it....still no numbers etc.
Hmm...I'm suspicious of the connections to the mini pro.
I can't make sense of the your original schematic verses what you emailed me here?
Looks like HSYNC, VSYNC and LOS all need to go to VCC through 1K resistors ....yes?

MAX7456 -> Arduino
CS - > PB2 (10)
SDIN - > PB3 (11)
SDOUT - > PB4 (12)
SCLK - > PB5 (13)

GND - > GND
5 V - > 5 V
Reset - > Vcc

Hey Dennis,
It also compiled first time with Arduno Uno V3
However same results - ie. no numbers
Hooked it up as follows

MAX7456 -> Arduino UNO
CS - > PB2 (2)
SDIN - > PB3 (3)
SDOUT - > PB4 (4)
SCLK - > PB5 (5)

GND - > GND
5 V - > 5 V
Reset - > Vcc

Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,

I came home and wired it up. Before I plugged the OSD into the video stream, I made sure I had a good picture with the camera etc. Then I plugged in the OSD and no change. So I redid the diagram just to be sure and rewired it....still no numbers etc.
Hmm...I'm suspicious of the connections to the mini pro.
I can't make sense of the your original schematic verses what you emailed me here?
Looks like HSYNC, VSYNC and LOS all need to go to VCC through 1K resistors ....yes?

MAX7456 -> Arduino
CS - > PB2 (10)
SDIN - > PB3 (11)
SDOUT - > PB4 (12)
SCLK - > PB5 (13)

GND - > GND
5 V - > 5 V
Reset - > Vcc

In that drawing you should connect 5 v directly to Vcc and not Raw (Raw should only be used if you connect a supply > 5 volt). If you connect to Raw it will use onboard voltage regulator. With just 5 volt input it will only give ~4 volt out. MAX7456 can't run below 4.75 volt.

When you tested with Uno, did you connect directly to the USB-port (for power) or same problem with 5 volt connected to Raw?

I will just check my connections when I get home..
(Just to be sure, you should be using 16 MHz crystal and not 8MHz)

Just checked schematic..
http://arduino.cc/en/uploads/Main/Ar...-schematic.pdf

The pro mini schematic don't use the same pinout.. Explains the problem.

I think your Uno is a better candidate.

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

Just checked schematic..
http://arduino.cc/en/uploads/Main/Ar...-schematic.pdf

The pro mini schematic don't use the same pinout.. Explains the problem.

I think your Uno is a better candidate.

Dennis,
OK...when I get a few minutes I will hook it all up like this (see pict) and power it from the USB for now. I'll let you know what I find
Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,
OK...when I get a few minutes I will hook it all up like this (see pict) and power it from the USB for now. I'll let you know what I find
Rick

Where did you find those connections? I doubt that's right, the picture you made earlier looked right for Uno (except for 5 v connected to Raw).

Just a few quick picture...

Long story short - it's alive (have been tested)

A few prints (only some of them is the OSD project)


- and the first test-version mounted with just the minimal required components. The missing components is extra capacitors, voltage-divider etc.

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,
OK...when I get a few minutes I will hook it all up like this (see pict) and power it from the USB for now. I'll let you know what I find
Rick

One thing to try out is to use a 10kOhm pullup resistor between 5V and the RESET pin. This is something I picked up from the Aeroquad forum which uses the same board for OSD. WIthout it the MAX board keeps resetting.

If you can't get it working, lI can try to dig out some of the old code I have laying about for arduino. Its been over a year since I played with the MAX board, but it shouldn't be that difficult to get a picture from it when hooked up to the DUE.

- Thomas

Originally Posted by thnilsen

One thing to try out is to use a 10kOhm pullup resistor between 5V and the RESET pin. This is something I picked up from the Aeroquad forum which uses the same board for OSD. WIthout it the MAX board keeps resetting.

If you can't get it working, lI can try to dig out some of the old code I have laying about for arduino. Its been over a year since I played with the MAX board, but it shouldn't be that difficult to get a picture from it when hooked up to the DUE.

- Thomas

10K pull-up resistor is the "normal" thing to do with reset-pins etc. but as the direct connection to Vcc is recommended in the datasheet, I would be surprised it that's the problem.

Nevertheless - it's worth a try

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

10K pull-up resistor is the "normal" thing to do with reset-pins etc. but as the direct connection to Vcc is recommended in the datasheet, I would be surprised it that's the problem.

Nevertheless - it's worth a try

OK - hooked it up as in the last schematic - started with a good video - then I inserted our project - no difference - I did note that when only the output to the screen was connected the screen went from no signal to a gray screen when connected - then when I hook up the camera the screen shows what the camera see's - no OSD yet ?

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

can I buy that, please?
what about a kickstarter like they did with the CC3D?

Originally Posted by RickEis

OK - hooked it up as in the last schematic - started with a good video - then I inserted our project - no difference - I did note that when only the output to the screen was connected the screen went from no signal to a gray screen when connected - then when I hook up the camera the screen shows what the camera see's - no OSD yet ?

But SCK, MISO, MOSI and SS is still on pin 13, 12, 11 and 10? I don't quite understand why you use pin 5, 4, 3 and 2?

Originally Posted by FPVdude

can I buy that, please?
what about a kickstarter like they did with the CC3D?

I don't really think it's worth starting production, but I don't mind to share the PCB-design etc. if anyone can solder the parts

It's mainly the MAX7456 chip that's a bit tricky.

I have a new PCB-design that was ordered some time ago. It have been shipped and will hopefully arrive next week.

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

But SCK, MISO, MOSI and SS is still on pin 13, 12, 11 and 10? I don't quite understand why you use pin 5, 4, 3 and 2?

Dennis,

So you like this one

Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,

So you like this one

Rick

Just checked the connections again and compared with Arduino Uno schematic, my schematic and the breakout-board for MAX7456. As far as I can see that should be correct.

If you see a few posts back (okay, perhaps a lot) you can see that I also had the MAX7456 connected to the same pins on my Arduino-board

Edit:
Hard to see the exact connections, but as you can see I used pin 13, 12, 11 and 10.

Dennis,

Got it !! The last schematic was it

Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,

Got it !! The last schematic was it

Rick

Perfect
I'll later post a little more details etc. on the project - mind if I use your picture now that you have confirmed that it works?

Now, to get rid of the chinese-letters, in the main function you can find 3 if-sentences called
if (1==0) {
bla bla
}

If you first change the 2 first to 1==1 upload the code and wait 10-20 seconds (it will upload text-characters etc). Make them 1==0 again and then do it with the last one upload and set it to 1==0 again. Not user-friendly, but hey, you are using a pretty early version

I can only dream at this point. Wow!

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

Perfect
I'll later post a little more details etc. on the project - mind if I use your picture now that you have confirmed that it works?

Now, to get rid of the chinese-letters, in the main function you can find 3 if-sentences called
if (1==0) {
bla bla
}

If you first change the 2 first to 1==1 upload the code and wait 10-20 seconds (it will upload text-characters etc). Make them 1==0 again and then do it with the last one upload and set it to 1==0 again. Not user-friendly, but hey, you are using a pretty early version

Dennis,
Of course you can use any of these pictures - I consider them more yours then mine anyway I could never have done this !! I'll keep updating the schematic as we add the components.
What do you mean, "you are using a pretty early version". If you are talking the MAX7456, it is new ! - just received it a few days ago for this project
Ya this Chinese letter thing is not too friendly - let me try and see if I can do it
I see you included a bunch of stuff for it in your download. We really need to make it easier for simple folks like me
Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,
Of course you can use any of these pictures - I consider them more yours then mine anyway I could never have done this !! I'll keep updating the schematic as we add the components.
What do you mean, "you are using a pretty early version". If you are talking the MAX7456, it is new ! - just received it a few days ago for this project
Ya this Chinese letter thing is not too friendly - let me try and see if I can do it
I see you included a bunch of stuff for it in your download. We really need to make it easier for simple folks like me
Rick

No worries, it's easier in the next version.
You don't need all the extra material I have included, all the characters, arrows etc. is already included in the code

By pretty early version I referred to the software-version

Rick, you can upload this version.
It will automatic upload the characters for MAX7456. Just note that MAX7456 must be connected while you program the controller

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3947315/MAX7456_OSD_2.rar

Looks sweet DF!

Originally Posted by msev

Looks sweet DF!

Thanks. I just measured the weight, its around 6 gram atm. Not bad at all.

Dennis,

Easy enough!!! (see pict ! )
This was with the old version and your instructions -
I'll try your new version in a bit .

Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,

Easy enough!!! (see pict ! )
This was with the old version and your instructions -
I'll try your new version in a bit .

Rick

Haha, great!
The new version just does it all automatic first time it boots.

There is also a lot of minor changes, but it looks the same

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

Just checked schematic..
http://arduino.cc/en/uploads/Main/Ar...-schematic.pdf

The pro mini schematic don't use the same pinout.. Explains the problem.

I think your Uno is a better candidate.

We need this to work with the Pro Mini also - You thinking it won't ?
I can't figure the pins - guess I need to study them a bit more ?

For example
GPS -> Arduino UNO

GND - > GND
5 V - > 5 V
IN - > PD1 (??)
OUT - > PD0 (??)

Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

GPS -> Arduino

GND - > GND
5 V - > 5 V
IN - > TX
OUT - > RX

Note that in some designs the TX and RX may need to be reversed.

Does SimpleOSD Open works with ArduCam Configurator OSD? Can i load minimOSD firmware on it?

Dennis,

V2 compiles first time with both mini pro and uno and looks excellent as in the pict I posted previously
I'm assuming V2 loaded the English text with the mini pro because I had only done it manually with the Uno - so I think it worked perfectly

When I input video, it threw the text around (see Pict).
- problem maybe ntsc verses pal?

Also I hooked gps-out to rx0 uno and gps-in to tx1 uno and "still waiting"
I believe the baud rate for my gps is 38400 - change the 9600 in config.h
//#define BAUD 9600
#define BAUD 38400
not sure if that was the right place to change things ?

Tried mini pro again - tried to read Arduino Mini Pro schematic -
(hard to understand for me
UNO -> MINI PRO
cs=pb2=pin 10 -> pin 12 ?
sdin=pb3=pin 11 -> pin 11 ?
sclk=pb5=pin 13 -> pin 9 ?
sdout=pb4 =pin 12 -> pin 10 ?

Didn't work - gray screen

// General configuration
#define VideoSignalType_PAL
//#define VideoSignalType_NTSC

// Unit system
#define UnitSystem METRIC
///#define UnitSystem IMPERIAL

// gps baud rate


Rick

Dennis,
Is this looking correct for the UNO ?
I have a hayday reading these arduino schematics
Probably because I never have
Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

We need this to work with the Pro Mini also - You thinking it won't ?
I can't figure the pins - guess I need to study them a bit more ?

For example
GPS -> Arduino UNO

GND - > GND
5 V - > 5 V
IN - > PD1 (??)
OUT - > PD0 (??)

Rick

GPS should be the same for all boards.
TX -> RX
RX -> TX

The pin-config for MAX7456 is the same for most Arduinos, just to mention the most used boards; Arduino Uno, Arduino duemilanove and Arduino Nano (which I would pick).

Arduino mini pro uses pin 9, 10 and 11 - but it doesn't seems like SS is available. It can probably be fixed with another software-version, but I would suggest using Arduino Nano instead.

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,
Is this looking correct for the UNO ?
I have a hayday reading these arduino schematics
Probably because I never have
Rick

GPS is correct, but I would prefer if you connected the sensors like this:
(just move all 3 connections 1 place)
A0 = Battery voltage (from resistor divider)
A1 = RSSI
A2 = Current sensor

It can be changed in software, but that's what I'll be using as default.

Please be aware that the voltage you have connected from the current-sensor MUST be connected with a voltage-divider. Otherwise you will end up with a dead Arduino.

(Vin is battery-voltage, Vout goes to A0 pin on Arduino. For max 4S li-po, with good safety margin, something like R1= 10K ohm and R2 = 3.3 K ohm could be a possibility)

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,

V2 compiles first time with both mini pro and uno and looks excellent as in the pict I posted previously
I'm assuming V2 loaded the English text with the mini pro because I had only done it manually with the Uno - so I think it worked perfectly

When I input video, it threw the text around (see Pict).
- problem maybe ntsc verses pal?

Also I hooked gps-out to rx0 uno and gps-in to tx1 uno and "still waiting"
I believe the baud rate for my gps is 38400 - change the 9600 in config.h
//#define BAUD 9600
#define BAUD 38400
not sure if that was the right place to change things ?

Tried mini pro again - tried to read Arduino Mini Pro schematic -
(hard to understand for me
UNO -> MINI PRO
cs=pb2=pin 10 -> pin 12 ?
sdin=pb3=pin 11 -> pin 11 ?
sclk=pb5=pin 13 -> pin 9 ?
sdout=pb4 =pin 12 -> pin 10 ?

Didn't work - gray screen

// General configuration
#define VideoSignalType_PAL
//#define VideoSignalType_NTSC

// Unit system
#define UnitSystem METRIC
///#define UnitSystem IMPERIAL

// gps baud rate


Rick

Yup, just define another baud-rate in the config-file
The "jumping text" is caused by wrong PAL/NTSC settings.

NTSC/PAL settings is not implemented, same goes for unit-system

If you actually plan to hook it up and do a real test - please let me know and I'll fix you a software-version with NTSC ASAP.

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

GPS should be the same for all boards.
TX -> RX
RX -> TX

The pin-config for MAX7456 is the same for most Arduinos, just to mention the most used boards; Arduino Uno, Arduino duemilanove and Arduino Nano (which I would pick).

Arduino mini pro uses pin 9, 10 and 11 - but it doesn't seems like SS is available. It can probably be fixed with another software-version, but I would suggest using Arduino Nano instead.

How does this schematic look for the Nano?

You said, "If you actually plan to hook it up and do a real test - please let me know and I'll fix you a software-version with NTSC ASAP."

A Nano should be here Monday and I hope to have everything running with the Uno, then I can load it all onto the Nano and fly -

Any other ideas beside the baud rate that would prevent the gps from working now?

I have a couple of these http://www.digikey.com/product-searc...ds=620-1238-nd
Do you think one of these would work better then the other sensor I have been showing in the schematics? Not sure what size Cf and Rf is supposed to be?

Rick

Daniel, are you experimenting with the Max7456 yet?

Did you notice that coordinate 0/0 are out of the screen?

Originally Posted by flyandi

Daniel, are you experimenting with the Max7456 yet?

Did you notice that coordinate 0/0 are out of the screen?

Daniel? Do you refer to me?
In that case, yes .

The hardware and software is pretty much ready for a test-flight, just need some sparetime
If you look at the last couple of posts you'll notice, that I have done a little more than a quick test.

Originally Posted by RickEis

How does this schematic look for the Nano?

You said, "If you actually plan to hook it up and do a real test - please let me know and I'll fix you a software-version with NTSC ASAP."

A Nano should be here Monday and I hope to have everything running with the Uno, then I can load it all onto the Nano and fly -

Any other ideas beside the baud rate that would prevent the gps from working now?

I have a couple of these http://www.digikey.com/product-searc...ds=620-1238-nd
Do you think one of these would work better then the other sensor I have been showing in the schematics? Not sure what size Cf and Rf is supposed to be?

Rick

Sorry, been busy the last couple of days...

The schematic you have drawn for Arduino Nano should be right
Nano uses same pins as Uno, duem etc:
D13 = SCK
D12 = MISO
D11 = MOSI
D10 = SS

The voltage-divider is also connected right

You can connect the voltage from urrent-sensor to Vin (called Raw sometimes) if you want to use the onboard regulator.

The current-sensor from Allegro is pretty bad at driving capacitive load, so you will need a large capacitor and pretty small capacitor. Can't remember the values, but did a quick calculation and showed a simulation a while ago.

ACS756 verses Sparkfuns AttoPilot 90A

Originally Posted by RickEis

ACS756 verses Sparkfuns AttoPilot 90A

Looks good. If you can get both, I'd love to see the performance differences.

Interesting, I actually have the AttoPilot 90A. I've started to add some code to the Multiwii to use it but haven't finished. I found it actually to work quite well.

Originally Posted by Legot

Looks good. If you can get both, I'd love to see the performance differences.

Legot,

I have both and just soldered the ACS756 as you see in the pict. I need to solder the capacitors ect after I figure which size CF and RF as in the schematic (see report 2164 above)?

The specs say, "CF is for optimal noise management, with values that depend on the application". So what does that mean ?

Not sure if it would wire up the same nor if the code would work as is.

And I'm not sure how we would compare ?

Rick

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

Sorry, been busy the last couple of days...

The schematic you have drawn for Arduino Nano should be right
Nano uses same pins as Uno, duem etc:
D13 = SCK
D12 = MISO
D11 = MOSI
D10 = SS

The voltage-divider is also connected right

You can connect the voltage from urrent-sensor to Vin (called Raw sometimes) if you want to use the onboard regulator.

The current-sensor from Allegro is pretty bad at driving capacitive load, so you will need a large capacitor and pretty small capacitor. Can't remember the values, but did a quick calculation and showed a simulation a while ago.

Dennis,
You said, "You can connect the voltage from urrent-sensor to Vin (called Raw sometimes) if you want to use the onboard regulator."
Are you suggesting powering the Arduino's with a 3 or 4 cell ~ 11 + Volts? I guess I have been concerned about frying the little guys. And I heard switching BEC's are more efficient (for the larger V drops) then the linear voltage regulators (used by the Arduino's). So,,,,I have been using switching 5 ~ 5.5 V BEC regulators to power Arduino's. I got concerned and looked into when I saw folks frying their $200 APM2 boards Maybe my concern is not valid ?
Don't linear voltage regulators get hot going from 11 + down to 5 ?
Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Legot,
The specs say, "CF is for optimal noise management, with values that depend on the application". So what does that mean ?
Rick

CF is basically a smoothing capacitor. Its placement between VOUT and GND allows it to fill in dips in the analog signal (which is a voltage) that comes from VOUT so that the readout can be more reliable and accurate.

In the Performance Characteristics charts on the datasheet it shows that using a 10nF capacitor for CF, there is a maximum of 10mv noise (pretty much nothing since the Atmega328 ADC has increments of about 40mv). In the Common Operating Characteristics chart, it shows that the Output load capacitance shouldn't exceed 10nF, so CF should be 10nF or lower.

RF seems to be a simple current limiting resistor so the output of the IC doesn't burn. I would just use something around 1k ohm, its not a particularly critical value at all (correction, see post 1944).

Originally Posted by RickEis

Legot,

I have both and just soldered the ACS756 as you see in the pict. I need to solder the capacitors ect after I figure which size CF and RF as in the schematic (see report 2164 above)?

The specs say, "CF is for optimal noise management, with values that depend on the application". So what does that mean ?

Not sure if it would wire up the same nor if the code would work as is.

And I'm not sure how we would compare ?

Rick

Rick...
Have a look here:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showp...postcount=1944

Looks like a 10 nF capacitor and a 10 K resistor will be close.

Originally Posted by RickEis

Dennis,
You said, "You can connect the voltage from urrent-sensor to Vin (called Raw sometimes) if you want to use the onboard regulator."
Are you suggesting powering the Arduino's with a 3 or 4 cell ~ 11 + Volts? I guess I have been concerned about frying the little guys. And I heard switching BEC's are more efficient (for the larger V drops) then the linear voltage regulators (used by the Arduino's). So,,,,I have been using switching 5 ~ 5.5 V BEC regulators to power Arduino's. I got concerned and looked into when I saw folks frying their $200 APM2 boards Maybe my concern is not valid ?
Don't linear voltage regulators get hot going from 11 + down to 5 ?
Rick

A seperate 5-volt BEC/UBEC is probably the best idea, if you also use it for MAX7456 and GPS

They do get hot, but it depends a lot on the load and input-voltage.

But just stick to the BEC/UBEC, that's the best solution

Having trouble getting MAX7456_OSD_2.rar to see gps - The gps is working fine with the "TinyGPS" program -
I have set the baud rate in V2 to 38400 as in the "TinyGPS" program.

This is the gps I have (see attached). Maybe there is the DIYdrone firmware that is allowing it to work with the TInyGPS but not the MAX7456_OSD_2.

I see if working with Remzibi's OSD that DIY says one should install the Factory default firmware - It says, "Factory default firmware (If you're using Remzibi's OSD, you should use this!" maybe the problem?

Originally Posted by RickEis

Having trouble getting MAX7456_OSD_2.rar to see gps - The gps is working fine with the "TinyGPS" program -
I have set the baud rate in V2 to 38400 as in the "TinyGPS" program.

This is the gps I have (see attached). Maybe there is the DIYdrone firmware that is allowing it to work with the TInyGPS but not the MAX7456_OSD_2.

I see if working with Remzibi's OSD that DIY says one should install the Factory default firmware - It says, "Factory default firmware (If you're using Remzibi's OSD, you should use this!" maybe the problem?

The OSD expects standard NMEA-strings. If the GPS uses some binary protocol, Sirf or something else, it will simply be ignored. I think Remzibi uses same GPS-settings, so that's most likely your problem.

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

The OSD expects standard NMEA-strings. If the GPS uses some binary protocol, Sirf or something else, it will simply be ignored. I think Remzibi uses same GPS-settings, so that's most likely your problem.

Got it !
Thanks Dennis
Updated the gps firmware.
It appears V2 see's the gps now (see pict)
I'm hoping the flight video w/coordinates will help if the copter/plane goes down in the woods
Can we toggle on/off?
Rick

Originally Posted by RickEis

Got it !
Thanks Dennis
Updated the gps firmware.
It appears V2 see's the gps now (see pict)
I'm hoping the flight video w/coordinates will help if the copter/plane goes down in the woods
Can we toggle on/off?
Rick

Looks good
The delay is mainly to make sure the GPS have a good fix before setting home-postion. It can be changed in config-file.

GPS-coordinates is not exactly on top of the TO-DO list. It will require a lot of new small characters (or using same large font as the one that's used now).

On this DIY OSD, is everything connected the same way as the Minim OSD?
Like, would this work?
http://dx.com/p/minimosd-ardupilot-m...rotocol-149351

its only $27, with FTDI!!!!!!!!!

MinimOSD is for Mavlink only .. it doesn't have any processing .. it's just a display board and all data needs to be transmitted calculated...

I am currently in the process of hacking the MinimOSD and rewrote the entire software :-) Tested today and I flew 22000mph :-D I got a the wrong conversion value .. hehe .. more in my thread "Hack the MinimOSD" - search on RCG .. it's late and I am lazy :-D

Happy Holidays!

Originally Posted by Dennis Frie

GPS is correct, but I would prefer if you connected the sensors like this:
(just move all 3 connections 1 place)
A0 = Battery voltage (from resistor divider)
A1 = RSSI
A2 = Current sensor

It can be changed in software, but that's what I'll be using as default.

Please be aware that the voltage you have connected from the current-sensor MUST be connected with a voltage-divider. Otherwise you will end up with a dead Arduino.

(Vin is battery-voltage, Vout goes to A0 pin on Arduino. For max 4S li-po, with good safety margin, something like R1= 10K ohm and R2 = 3.3 K ohm could be a possibility)

Dennis,

I hooked things up as in the schematic for the UNO and plugged a 3 cell into the current sensor after I soldered in the resistors (see Pict). On the other end of the sensor I plugged in a 5 volt BEC which powered the UNO, GPS and MAX.

The CUR on the OSD=0.0 ...maybe it is too small to measure? but I would think it might be 0.1 or something. I'll have to hook up a motor tomorrow to see if it measures any higher current.

The MAH is 0.0 . I'll leave this connected for a while to see if it measures anything

The VLT on the OSD =4.8 ~ 4.9.
I was expecting it to be the pack voltage + 12 Volts?

Any ideas?

Rick

Originally Posted by FPVdude

On this DIY OSD, is everything connected the same way as the Minim OSD?
Like, would this work?
http://dx.com/p/minimosd-ardupilot-m...rotocol-149351

its only $27, with FTDI!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by flyandi

MinimOSD is for Mavlink only .. it doesn't have any processing .. it's just a display board and all data needs to be transmitted calculated...

I am currently in the process of hacking the MinimOSD and rewrote the entire software :-) Tested today and I flew 22000mph :-D I got a the wrong conversion value .. hehe .. more in my thread "Hack the MinimOSD" - search on RCG .. it's late and I am lazy :-D

Happy Holidays!

Yes, all the pin-config etc. should be the same for MinimOSD. I have one one my desk and just did a very quick test. Firmware loads fine etc. - but the MAX7456 have another character-set loaded and some settings have been changed.
It behaves a little weird, but I believe that's just caused by the settings on MAX7456

Rick, in config you have to change
#define VOLT_GAIN 1

It should match your voltage-divider. If you used 3.3K and 10K try with something like 5.12

The value is calculated something like this;
// Calculated by (1024)/(50*divider)

Edit: Think I might have done it different this time, might by 1/x instead. That gives something like 0.195 in your case

Guys, to keep this thread on track for those making the OSD this thread was originally about, I've created a new thread for the MAX7456 version.
A lot earlier than planned, but the last many pages of this thread is MAX7456 talk
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...0#post23349412

Hi Dennis!

Thanks for your time that takes this project.
My question is, if you could give some short advice to me for exploring the distorted display like in the attached picture.
The artificial horizon is okay even the attitude (0 0 0 °) - so what can i do?

Originally Posted by cbob

Hi Dennis!

Thanks for your time that takes this project.
My question is, if you could give some short advice to me for exploring the distorted display like in the attached picture.
The artificial horizon is okay even the attitude (0 0 0 °) - so what can i do?

It's not my software you are using. Perhaps a heavily modified version, but not mine

What hardware do you use? LM1881 or analog comparator? If you use LM1881 it should do all the work. If it's the analog comparator, have you checked the potentiometer etc?

I use the LM1881 on a breadbord.
I wonder, why a "middle" area is working but not the upper and the lower?! Could that be a timing problem? I use the newest (repacked) software.
Ah, and maybe this is important: I do not have no "sensores" attached to Conn2 - no battery no gps, no rssi.

Hm, interesting thing: with mobidrone version 2.0 it works ?;-/
Maybe I have to adjust some parameters? Number of lines? It depends on the video signal?

Dennis, please may I ask you to give me an example of how to set up a Pin change Interrupt handler within the DIY ODS code? I know about using external Pins two and three but I also understand any of the other pins can be configured for an internal interrupt on change.

Here is an Library for Pin change however, I don't want to use the library but inline C code. Hope that makes sense.

http://arduino.cc/playground/Main/PinChangeIntExample

Thank you.

Originally Posted by cbob

Hi Dennis!

Thanks for your time that takes this project.
My question is, if you could give some short advice to me for exploring the distorted display like in the attached picture.
The artificial horizon is okay even the attitude (0 0 0 °) - so what can i do?

I had this problem when I started using an edited version of the 0.18 firmware. The problem is that your lines are too "wide" - you are drawing pixels outside the screen. Decrease some delays, remove pixels, or remove som time consuming calculations to fix it.

This thread got quiet, is anyone still using it?

Originally Posted by Legot

This thread got quiet, is anyone still using it?

morphed to this

I am, I've been trying to figure this out myself but I can't get the video tracking quite right.

I'm using the lm1881 and it's all just breadboarded up now, source camera is a keychain 808 #16v2, new firmware, all that jazz. I cannot seem to get the current and voltage reading section onto the screen, I've seen it down there with flickering but when everything clears up its gone. Is there a certain line of code I need to alter in order to, well, decrease vertical spreading?

What's the reasoning for moving on to this later MAX7456 in a nutshell?

Originally Posted by Tw34k

...
What's the reasoning for moving on to this later MAX7456 in a nutshell?

I'm using the original OSD, and the only thing I don't like is the dimming that is needed to show white text on bright backgrounds. My dimming is not dark enough, which makes the text hard to see sometimes. I think the MAX7456 is using a black border around the outline of the characters.

The code for the original OSD is also quite messy and takes up a lot of space. It consists of a lot of "should I put a pixel here or not?". In some cases this is nice, as you can draw anything on the screen. But you don't have time or space to do more advanced things.

The Max7456 char set can also be easily modified. You can create your own symbols and letters.

Originally Posted by Legot

This thread got quiet, is anyone still using it?

I'm still using it, but I believe most of new features will be only introduced for max7456 osd since it has more code space

In a nut shell:

They are two separate OSD projects. This one is very simple, inexpensive and limited while still being an excellent DIY Open source OSD - (if it fails the rest of the system can keep running ie very safe)

The other project, the DIY MAX7456 OSD is almost unlimited, with a lot of extra CPU-time to do whatever you want. It incorporates a different set of hardware and various optional sensors. (If if fails most likely your flying craft will too

Both excellent and amazing projects and both can be built by a novice such as myself

Yeah, I know about the MAX based one.

Just wondering if everyone has abandoned the tried and true 1881 based so quickly.

Originally Posted by Legot

Yeah, I know about the MAX based one.

Just wondering if everyone has abandoned the tried and true 1881 based so quickly.

I haven't, but I cannot seem to understand what is causing my 'screen fitment issue'. The circuit is breadboarded so connections are of course not ideal, once powering up the OSD I get this overlay with a constant flicker.



As you can sort of see the current and voltage line that's normally along the bottom has offset and started showing from the top of the screen.

Once I "jiggle my connections" I will eventually get this image which comes in clear but is missing the bottom portion of the overlay.



Any ideas?