Dev Call Oct 25, 2021

Development Team
1

Issues & Pull requests

Plane

Copter

Rover

2

Attendee count (max): 21

Randy is unable to attend but reports there are 2 items requiring investigation with 4.1.1-rc1 before it can be upgraded to stable. These are listed in the 4.1.0 issue (see “Items Requiring Investigation”):

  • FPort disconnection after 25min
  • QGC can’t download parameters over wifi (USB connection on Windows is OK)

UTC2259 - SITL: add copter-tailsitter by IamPete1 · Pull Request #10966 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Adds Copter tailsitter
  • Tested by test-all-frames
  • Quadplane copter tailsitter
  • Merged

UTC2303 - AP_Hal_ChibiOS: Matek F765-Wing new alt configs for extra GPIOs by kniuk · Pull Request #18873 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

UTC2305 - Compass: use GSF for in-flight compass learning by tridge · Pull Request #18927 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • in-flight compass learning with GSF

  • Less code

  • Faster

  • More accurate?

  • Would be lovely to get testing on this from someone - just post a log somewhere so we can get this merged!

UTC2306 - HAL_ChibiOS: removed boilerplate lines from hwdef.dat by tridge · Pull Request #18964 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Remove a whole lot of boilerplate from hwdef files
  • Moved stuff to defaults
  • Rapid review requested
  • Hwdef.h are not identical
  • Builds are not the same either?!
    • D-shot pass-through was actually compiled in on peripherals
    • RTC support was in on f303 peripherals
    • Much more consistent between boards
  • Include …/periph.inc
  • Peter will look at it after the call and merge it if it looks OK

UTC2310 - Plane: Fix bug with mode return on short fs exit and add FBWB action by Hwurzburg · Pull Request #18965 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Circle mode is the default for short failsafe
  • This allows for fbwb instead
  • Mode restore functionality?
    • PH doesn’t like it
    • Manual → circle GPS changes to RTL, RC comes back and switches to manual?
      • Nope

UTC2313 - Plane: Quadplane: continue in mode loiter to Qland on failsafe, as wi… by IamPete1 · Pull Request #18966 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Continue in loiter to qland on failsafe
  • Mergeable soon

UTC2314 - Sim vehicle single mavproxy by mday299 · Pull Request #18973 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Sim-vehicle with multiple vehicles but one mavproxy
  • Needs testing
  • Tridge’s repo is in trouble

UTC2318 - AP_BatteryMoniter: add mask param to sum battery backend. by IamPete1 · Pull Request #18975 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Mask param to sum battery backends in a virtual backend
  • Peter Hall’s alternative to tridge’s PR to add the compassmot parameter
  • Bat3_mon to analogue, set scalars?
    • Then change to sum
    • Then fetch parameters?
    • You will end up with garbage in the mask?
    • Offset the index?
    • Start at 20 instead of 1
  • Complex and interacts with something tridge is working on
  • Need to look at the way parameters work in here
    • Conflicts with analogue backend

UTC2326 - Add RC option to plane for emergency remote landing that forces FS actions to FBWA by Hwurzburg · Pull Request #18981 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Emergency remote landing force fbwa on-a-switch
    • Out of battery? Flip switch to stop battery failsafes changing out of your mode
  • Tridge did a patch sometime to emergency-land
    • So it flared
  • Would people bet set up for this?
    • People running really long-range missions probably
  • Magic landing mode which runs full landing logic
  • We may rework this quite considerably before release to do proper remote landings

UTC2334 - Increase manual throttle resolution by making scaled channels values float by shellixyz · Pull Request #18985 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Named-value-floats
  • Casting issues which MdB pointed out
  • Is_equal
  • Tridge is fairly happy with it
  • Changing throttle input side?
    • We only care about output
    • Scaled value has to be float (control input)
  • Some flash cost
    • Floating point
  • Any Flight testing?
    • Bench-tested by giacomo
  • Marked NeedsTesting
  • Peter and tridge might fly it this weekend

UTC2337 - AP_HAL_ChibiOS: add param for second IMU primary in Swan-K1 hwdef by Hwurzburg · Pull Request #18990 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Swan-K1 uses second IMU

UTC2338 - AP_Param: Class Conversion Function by hendjoshsr71 · Pull Request #18994 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Param conversion functions from Josh
    • Politely declined the concept of becoming AP_Param maintainer
      • Parameter system was written when tridge’s brain was younger…
  • Use eedump to verify things work
  • Set some arsp params
  • Copy aside
  • Run upgrade
  • Dump again
  • Compare copied and new to see if things are good
    • Don’t want to copy default parameters
    • We’re over-committed on parameter storage
  • Valgrind needed
    • Actually already done
  • Need to test both cases (top-level / non top-level)
    • Arsp is top-level in plane but not rover/sub
  • Eedump you can see the IDs
    • No garbage collection….

UTC2347 - Plane: Backport rangefinder landing double offset fix by samuelctabor · Pull Request #18997 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Backport of rangefinder double-offset fix
  • Small change
  • Test is backported
  • Merged!

UTC2349 - GCS_MAVLink: add board ID to AUTOPILOT_VERSION mavlink msg by peterbarker · Pull Request #19001 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Use top 16 bits?
    • Yes, that’s OK
  • Can be merged once the thing is shifted

UTC2353 - RCOutput: fix motor stopping with rev thrust and full throttle by shellixyz · Pull Request #19002 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Fix stopping with rev thrust and full throttle
  • Merged

UTC2354 - ArduCopter: fix few broken frames by shiv-tyagi · Pull Request #19010 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • PH has provided feedback
  • Can just save a bunch of code

UTC2356 - Move EFI from Plane up to AP_Vehicle by peterbarker · Pull Request #19012 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • EFI up to AP_Vehicle
  • Need Josh’s thing to go in

UTC2358 - AP_RangeFinder: move voltage_mv out of instance state by peterbarker · Pull Request #19013 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Removes millivolt entry for backend
  • A whole bunch of functions are getting bigger
  • Makes the code much larger
  • We need to understand why!

UTC0004 - AP_Scripting: fix field write `'skip_check` types and update docs by IamPete1 · Pull Request #19014 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Unbreaks a whole bunch of field types in scripting bindings
  • Skip-check read/write
  • Tagged on wrong piece
  • Has to be on the type
  • merged

UTC0004 - AP_Motors: add build options for each frame class by Hwurzburg · Pull Request #19033 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Build option for each frame class
  • Reduces flash usage
  • So a define for every frame type
  • Next step is to get rid of libraries which aren’t used e.g. 6dif
  • Saves up to 4kB if you only build y6
  • Tridge likes it
  • Peter likes it
  • Leonard’s good with it
  • Would be nice to have a default-frame-class parameter
  • Also adds y4 and y6 options

UTC0010 - Tradheli: improved collective setup to aid in accurate collective defaults by bnsgeyer · Pull Request #19038 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Improved collective setup to aid in accurate collective defaults
  • Use blade gauge to find values in degrees to set in parameters
  • Also mid param will be renamed to zero thrust
    • HCOL_ZERO_THRUST
  • Parameter conversion could be problematic
  • Might be able to come up with something…
  • MK says users should measure and set when they upgrade
    • Bill gets to say that’s OK as maintainer

UTC0017 - Scripting: allow for aerobatics in AUTO mode in plane by tridge · Pull Request #19039 · ArduPilot/ardupilot · GitHub

  • Scripted Plane acrobatics
  • Scripting gets a verify function for mission items
  • NAV_SCRIPTING
  • Loop and axial role, video on PR
  • Use guided input methods instead?
  • Can pass several parameters through
    • Has a timeout
  • Yaw controller?
    • No yaw controller in Plane but you kind of need one for acrobatics
  • Might need to new entry points to properly support this in Plane
  • We probably need a new message
    • Need to be able to stall the aircraft.
    • Wingovers etc etc
  • This might be the best option for now
  • Some sort of heartbeat?
  • Tridge will work with PH on this a bit
  • [11:24 AM] Peter Hall: the closet we have now from scripting is set_target_angle_and_climbrate
  • [11:24 AM] Peter Hall: That is copter only ATM tho.
  • [11:25 AM] Peter Hall: There is a guided rate mode I think, we just don’t have the scripting binding.
  • [11:29 AM] Peter Hall: Looks like copter MAV_CMD_NAV_GUIDED_ENABLE works as we want. It still runs the mission.
  • [11:30 AM] Peter Hall: We just need a way to bounce it out of that submode.
  • This can be used to demonstrate to acrobatic pilots what they need to do in a competition
    • Andyp
  • Flight Plotter

UTC0031 - https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot/issues/19043

  • Bdshot-label and dshot dma issues
  • Lots of problems with bdshot
    • Label it as experimental?
  • EuDevCall so it can be discussed with Andy

UTC0037 - https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot/pull/19044

  • Fixes with motor outputs
  • Add to whitelist
  • Merged!

UTC0042 - Plane update

  • https://github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot/issues/15941
  • Fport loss of coms
  • Crash from Tim French
    • Forward-transition when not expected was bad
    • Need some heuristics
  • The Plane SITL thing is actually significant on a tailsitter
  • Need a simple fix for 4.1
  • Tempcal is also an issue

UTC0048 - tradheli update

  • In-flight shutdown fixes are all merged
  • Autotune is at stand-still
    • Randy needs to go through it with Bill

UTC0049 - off-the-floor

  • 28 topics
  • CustomBuildServer
    • Vagrantfile coming….

UTC0051 - close