LibrePilot Forum

Users => Applications - FPV => Topic started by: taitex on May 22, 2016, 11:59:55 am

Title: Oplinks not binding
Post by: taitex on May 22, 2016, 11:59:55 am
I've can not get my Oplinks to bind. I have a new Eachine Falcon 250. With a CC3D. I have two Oplink transceivers. I've used LibrePilot to update everything. I've attached pictures of all my configuration screens.

I think I have followed all the correct configuration instructions for the Oplinks (see screens) but they will not Bind after powering on & off, switching which is master and slave, etc.. for several hours of trying.

Finally they did Bind one (blue bar on the Master Oplink screen). But no telemetry data was being sent between them. So I tried hitting the Bind button. This Unbinded them :( which on the forums I later read is just an old button that I should not have used.

I still can not get them to bind again.

On one video instruction setup viewed I notices someone who had a USB plugged into there CC3D under Librepilot. On the Configuration screen they were seeing the CC3D image when the hardware was plugged into the USB. At the same time, the Oplink icon was displayed in the lower left of the column. This indicated that Librepilot was seeing the Oplink slave attached to the CC3D. I have never seen this. I have the two connected via the Main Port on the CC3D and Oplink. This has me wondering about why I can't see the Oplink slave.
Also, notice a warning icon on my Firmware info screen attached. I don't remember seeing that prior to taking the screen shots.

Any suggestions would be great and appreciated as this is my first drone and I'd like to get telemetry working so I can fly it.

Thanks

Here are the configuration images: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=F43FD2F9178513C0!111896&authkey=!ADSjN6S_ZRka1IA&ithint=folder%2cjpg
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: hwh on May 22, 2016, 11:12:26 pm
Welcome to LibrePilot.

...notice a warning icon on my Firmware info screen attached. I don't remember seeing that prior to taking the screen shots...
The warning icon is explained on the page you downloaded the GCS software from.  It's a cosmetic thing, ignore it.

...Here are the configuration images...
Your screen captures show you're trying to configure and run oplinks with OpenPilot 15.05 firmware in them under LibrePilot 15.09.   It all needs to match.

With the oplink disconnected click on "upgrade and erase" on the firmware tab.  Connect the oplink when it tells you to.

When both have been upgraded configure them as you did before.
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: taitex on May 23, 2016, 05:29:53 pm
Thank you very much. I updated the Oplinks to match and now I can get them to bind. BUT I don't seem to be getting any telemetry data to the master!

I assume when the blue light transfers from the master to the slave, a 'bind' has occurred?

On the Flight Data screen, the link meter shows the correct OPML ID: of the slave but the Quality is ?? and the Level meter shows nothing.

Running the Com Speed of both Oplinks at 115200 seems needed to reliably display Oplink Configuration Bind status. In this area the Link Quality is 128. Not sure why this screen doesn't reflect the same as the Flight Data screen?

I've tried putting the Optlink on both the Master and the Flexi ports on the CC3D. I've tried swapping out cables to connect the Optlink to the CC3D.

The master Oplinkstatus shows transmitting data but not receiving any.

The when viewed through the CC3D USB port, the slave Oplinkstatus doesn't show any status changes.

It seems as if the CC3D is not passing data to the port.

Not sure what else to try to get the telemetry data out to the GCS. I assume if all is working correctly, the Flight Data screen will update when moving the slave given the telemetry data being sent over the Oplinks?



I did notice that when the Save button is used on the Configuration screen to update Oplink, the button gets a green check mark for about a second, then the check mark disappears when it is done. Saving to the CC3D and the check mark remains. Does this mean the CC3D configuration is not properly Saved? The settings are there the next time I boot the board so maybe it is only a UI issue.



I also noticed on the HwSettings group in the System tab there are values RM_<MainPort,FlexiPort>. The HW setting tab on the Configuration menu does not seem to set them. Is this correct to be disabled or do I need to set the appropriate one to Telemetry?


NOTE for OTHERS: When doing an Update & Erase on the Oplink to the lastest Firmware, the Oplink my not have a Device ID. If you Save a Com Speed setting to 115200 and reboot (power cycle) the board will then get a Device ID.
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: taitex on May 24, 2016, 04:44:31 pm
Here are my configuration screens: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=F43FD2F9178513C0!111896&authkey=!ADSjN6S_ZRka1IA&ithint=folder%2cJPG
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: f5soh on May 24, 2016, 06:36:24 pm
If you get the binding after set the baudrate to 115200, the binding issue using 57600 is related to one or both RFM22 modules not well tuned.
The Master is not talking (Tx) on exact same frequency as Slave (Rx) and cannot bind.
Using a bigger baudrate/bandwidth the Oplink can finally bind because after a short preamble, one oplink tune his freq according to other, like AFC.

Using 15.9 the only telemetry baudrate active is 57600, sadly we do a mistake and hardcoded this baudrate.

So currently with 15.09 you cannot use your Oplink pair at 115200.
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: taitex on May 25, 2016, 05:54:15 pm
Does this mean that my Oplink modules are garbage? Is there any way for me to 'tune' them?
Do I have to just keep buying them until one day I find a pair that happen to work? Suggestions? I thought mine were the real deal (not Chinese knock offs) as they are in nice translucent smoked plastic cases with the Open Pilot logo and OPLINK silk-screened on them.

Separately, I have NEO-6M GPS with I've configured according to the instructions here:
https://librepilot.atlassian.net/wiki/display/LPDOC/Configure+a+GPS+for+CC3D
It clearly is working gauging by the output in u-Center 8.21. How do I tell if the CC3D is getting the data (that it might pass onto the Oplink if they worked)?
Under System->DataObject both GPSPositionSensor and GPSVelocitySensor labesl flash Red but none of the data underneath them ever changed. This is true even when the GPS isn't plugged in. The under GPSPosition, the Status is NoGPS. I'm running it on the FlexiPort at 19200 baud with UBX protocol.
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: f5soh on May 25, 2016, 06:16:52 pm
Quote
they are in nice translucent smoked plastic cases with the Open Pilot logo and OPLINK silk-screened on them.
The Oplink you describe are clones, original Oplink never got a plastic case.

The one using original Hardware show a "RF22S" on small chip, seems others show "SI4432"

For GPS, you should monitor the SystemHealth panel and got a Green GPS alarm when the fix is ok.

A GPS red cross mean the data is not received.
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: f5soh on May 25, 2016, 06:31:29 pm
CC3D setup for GPS is described here: https://librepilot.atlassian.net/wiki/display/LPDOC/Setup+a+CC3D+for+GPS
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: taitex on May 26, 2016, 06:52:12 am
GPS data being received now... thank all for the help. Guess I need to go buy better Oplinks now
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: taitex on June 14, 2016, 06:02:56 pm
I bought a Revolution board to replace my CC3D as it give me extra features AND will allow replacing one side of the Oplink. So I'm no longer using two Oplinks but now a Revolution and an Oplink.
Still no binding!!
I've insured both are running 15.09 firmware.
I've tried both of my Oplink's as Coordinator.
I've tried the Revolution with only USB power and with USB plus battery power.
I've tried the Coordinator from a Desktop PC (to have plenty of USB power) and a laptop.
Nothing seems to work. No data transferred. No "Remote modems" binding shown.
See configuration screens attachments.

Likely something stupid that I'm missing. What should I be looking for?
Do I need to go out and my more Oplinks and hope?
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: taitex on June 15, 2016, 05:24:39 am
Just found this post: https://forum.librepilot.org/index.php?topic=1418.0
That sounds like my problem. I'll close this thread out and go buy a REAL Oplink as I don't have the skill to solder and replace the part.
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: hwh on June 15, 2016, 07:35:41 am
Unfortunately, "real" oplinks are no longer made.  The project that produced them shut down last November.  Other than a few used ones available from time to time in the "for sale" sections of forums there is nowhere to buy a "real" oplink.  The same is true for the cc3d and revo flight controllers. The only available supply of them is Chinese clones.
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: taitex on June 15, 2016, 01:54:08 pm
Finally, I tried one configuration I thought of last night. I made the Revolution the Coordinator. The other times the Coordinator was always the Oplinks. This time in BINDS!!
The first few minutes, the binding comes and goes every second. Then after a while it will stabilize for between 5 and 20 seconds before unbinding.  Clearly flaky with the Link Meter going up and down. And this is indoors with the receiver and transmitter a foot apart. Both Oplinks behave this way.
An unusable solution.

If no one is producing usable Oplinks, how is one to get reliable telemetry to the ground from flight controllers running Librepilot code?
Are there other telemetry units compatible with Librepilot?
Please see the attached images... is this a "real" oplink as it doesn't have it's chip numbers scratched out? If it is, it may work for me now but over the long term, I need something reliable in both its availability and performance to base my project on Librepilot. Suggestions?
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: hwh on June 15, 2016, 05:58:05 pm
The fact that it works better with the air part the coordinator make me think that the ground one is off frequency.  The coordinator transmits initially and the non-coordinator listens for it.  If the transmitter is too far off frequency the receiver doesn't hear it.

Currently no other telemetry is supported.

People are producing usable oplinks, it's just hit or miss whether any particular one you buy will be good or bad.  :(
The forums probably give us all the wrong impression, people who have problems post, anyone who purchased one and didn't have problems doesn't post.  The Chinese wouldn't be making them and offering them for sale if they weren't selling a lot of them and we get relatively few posts with problems.

The ones you posted pictures of aren't "real" oplinks in the sense that they weren't made by the original project. None of the available ones are.  However, the RFM22b radio transceiver module (the green board) in that picture looks like a genuine Hope RF brand one and probably has a better than average chance of being good.
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: darkdave on July 08, 2016, 02:23:48 am
Ok after reading this I just have some laymen questions:

1. What should all our baudrates be for Oplink operation? 57600 ? (Never ever use any other speed settings)

2. Is there any advantage in having two oplinks (air and ground vs revolution and standard oplink)?

David
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: hwh on July 08, 2016, 03:02:38 am
...1. What should all our baudrates be for Oplink operation? 57600 ? (Never ever use any other speed settings)...
Other than testing I always leave them at the default 38400.  The higher the baud rate the shorter the range.  On the other hand the higher the baud rate the more tolerant it is of one of the oplinks being off frequency.  That's why it's recommended to try a high baud rate if two oplinks won't connect at all.

...2. Is there any advantage in having two oplinks (air and ground vs revolution and standard oplink)?...
No, it's the same thing.  Of course if the boards built in oplink is bad then an external one would get around the problem.
Title: Re: Oplinks not binding
Post by: TheOtherCliff on August 03, 2016, 11:19:09 pm
I always switch to 57600 baud, but I sometimes play with adding or increasing telemetry data.  The change in range is not that large.

Also, we may have recently found that with current code, an OpLink works better as coordinator than a Revo/Sparky2 does.  That is because we really want both channel hopping and stabilization to have a very high priority.  OpLink doesn't have stabilization to worry about.