Hi
Is anyone aware of a replacement for the ageing and lagging MinimOSD platform?
The other FPV systems have overtaken us!
Does it need replacing?
What do other OSD’s do that MinimOSD Can’t?
We need:
-Vector graphics, nice for ladders and horizons
-Colour
-Higher resolution, for accurately drawing remaining battery etc
-More flash memory to accommodate more features, such as radar, remaining flight time, second battery voltage, ladder, hdop, variometer - also check out the Vector OSD from eagle tree.
Gabor and team of minimOSD-extra fame has done spectacular work, but the code is now so outgrown the hardware - to the extent that one needs to load an old version, load the character set, then load the new version.
Development has stalled because of this and there are so many new facilities becoming available on each APM release that we’re not able to bring to the OSD. For example a screen showing auto tune stats or an overlay showing the position of the vehicle relative to it’s flight path or the position of the camera’s P&T position relative to the plane.
In my mind it should be quick win just to take the existing hardware and just upgrade the video chip, cpu and memory?
I would also be interested in supporting this effort.
It isn’t just what minimOSD can’t do that others can’t, it is what an open source community based project could do with the capabilities that other OSDs have that minimOSD doesn’t (which was already outlined above). I would go out and buy one of the newer OSDs but they require that you buy their autopilot as well, and I want to stick with one I can configure and program (like Pixhawk). RVOSD and Eagletree have fantastic displays!
As I fly fixed wing here are some sensors/features I am adding to pixhawk that would be nice to add to an OSD. Primarily, I am interested in these:
- range detection (using a sonar sensor I found accurate to within a centimeter)
- angle of attack indication (using a lightweight rotary encoder)
Range detection can be used to get actual height above ground, and the angle of attack has a lot of possibilities with an OSD. It is usually indicated with a small circle with crosshairs at the 90, 180, and 270 degree location - and tells you exactly what flight path you are on when landing. In addition to this, the AoA is the best direct way of detecting a stall and setting up approach at any weight. Aircraft stall at different airspeeds at different weight but always stall at the same AoA regardless.
Some other capabilities that would be nice in an OSD for fixed wing are RPMs and engine temperature (for cowl flaps) - but this is pie in the sky thinking right now.
Currently herewith the list of contenders to replace minimOSD, please add more if you know of any:
AlceOSD.
It has impressive new features, but is very difficult to manage and not easy to read. The hardware and software is continuously being improved, I have on of the first versions. Looks promising, but we need more than one developer to ensure it’s a long term solution.
groups.google.com/forum/?utm_me … um/alceosd
Play UAV OSD
I have no experience with this, looks very new so might need some time to become a real alternative. Also looks like development has slowed down.
playuav.com/wiki/doku.php?id … vosd:start
Anything else being developed?