3DR Video/OSD Kit stopped working

Archive
1

Greetings,

I purchased the 3DR Video/OSD kit a few months ago. I’ve had a few successful flights with it connected to the Pixhawk. It is wired just like in the instructions:

3drobotics.com/wp-content/upload … nual-D.pdf

Yesterday, I went to test my systems, and noticed it was not working.

After a couple of minutes (which probably involved disconnecting and reconnecting the battery), I got a camera image up on my monitor, but no MinimOSD overlay. It went away after about 45 seconds. Since that time, nothing.

So far I’ve tested the following:

I connected camera directly to power and my monitor. Camera, battery, and monitor all work.
I did a continuity check on the three leads from transmitter to MinimOSD board - all good.
I did a continuity check on the three leads from MinimOSD board to camera - all good
I checked voltage at the cable coming into the transmitter – 11.6 volts.
I checked the voltage at the cable coming into the MinimOSD – 11.2 volts

There is a single red light on the transmitter.
There is a single red light on the receiver.

When I power the Pixhawk, but not the video side, I get a solid red light, and a solid amber light on (what I believe to be) the digital side of the MinimOSD board. Once I plug in the battery to the VideoTX/MinimOSD/camera, I get an additional red light on (what I believe to be) the analog side of the MiniOSD board.

All of the channel selection switches are in the default position (all in one direction), as I have not removed the heat shrink. On the receiver, all the switches are UP. I’ve also tried with them all switched DOWN. No change in behavior.

I don’t see any damaged components on the MinimOSD or the transmitter.

If I had another transmitter, I’d swap it in to test, but I don’t. I’m not sure what else I can try. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

John

2

Sorry, but what is not working. Do you have video but just no OSD or does video and OSD go away.

If it just the OSD that goes away then there is a problem with the OSD board.

If you get video then the transmitter and receiver are fine.

If you see the OSD board booting up and then waiting for Mavlink the board is probably fine but the firmware may have gone south. I have had instances where the board doesn’t come up correctly the first or second time I plug it in.

Also did you order the programming cable for the OSD board. That would help in seeing if the programming and board are working.

On my OSD board the two LED’s are red.

Mike

3

I get nothing – no video and no OSD display.

I do have an FTDI programmer that I purchased elsewhere. I haven’t tried to use it yet.

Thanks,

John

4

Even if the code does not work on the OSD board the video still comes through.

Looks like the OSD may have gone south.

Mike

5

[quote]Even if the code does not work on the OSD board the video still comes through.

Looks like the OSD may have gone south.[/quote]

On other thing I can try is to physically bypass the MinimOSD board. I don’t have any pin headers at home, so I’ll have to come up with something to jumper them across, as the cables are buried deeply in my quadcopter.

[attachment=0]MinimOSD.jpg[/attachment]

That ought to rule in/out the OSD board.

Thanks for the pointers.

John

6

I made some jumper pins, and it fired right up. The video was transmitted just fine from the camera, through the transmitter, to the receiver, and on to my monitor.

It appears that the MinimOSD is not working, even though the appearance of the LEDs seems correct.

John

7

Hmm…

This thread in DIYDrones seems to imply that killing the analog side of the MinimOSD is not unusual, especially if you are powering one side from APM/Pixhawk, and the other from the battery (as I am).

diydrones.com/forum/topics/minim … 1#comments

8

[quote]I made some jumper pins, and it fired right up. The video was transmitted just fine from the camera, through the transmitter, to the receiver, and on to my monitor.

It appears that the MinimOSD is not working, even though the appearance of the LEDs seems correct.
[/quote]

I ended up trying a 3rd party MinimOSD that was already soldered to allow one 5V power feed from the digital side to power the whole board. It works fine.

The MinimOSD software appears a bit different. Now to go research that and see what options make the most sense. I’m not sure if the firmware is actually different, or if the difference in displays is all based on software configuration options.

[Disregard the date and time stamp on the indoor test. That test was captured via my DVR capture device, while the outdoor image was a photo of the monitor screen.]

John

John