Yuri's Mower Updates

This embarrassing to admit too but I did forget to read the values back from the mower on the day I had the problem. It works like a champ now when I use it correctly. Thanks for the response. It is not the first time I have ever made a mistake and it probably won’t be the last.

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Good afternoon colleagues with Ardusimples,

I hope you are well, here in Spain we are having a bit of heat, let me explain our problem, which will surely be nonsense but we have been fighting for a week and with a thousand combinations of trial/error.

I have purchased Ardusimple SimpleRTK3B boards (Big Board) with their corresponding IP67 antennas. The last connection that we have tested is the one that we put in the drawing.

After reading many tutorials I am using this manual, but I don’t know if it is the right one to use as a reference:

Our idea is that the two boards are connected to a Pixhawk6c through the GPS1 and GPS2 ports respectively, at a speed of 460, in turn the pixhawk is connected by telem2 to a raspberry that is connected by 4G to the internet and has the service from mavproxy running NTRIP and we see that one of the GPS receives the RTCM3 corrections and here everything is fine in GPS1, the issue is that the other GPS does not receive the RTCM3 corrections from NTRIP, we see that there is traffic in the ports, and the corresponding packages, but nothing. It does not take FLOAT or FIXED, the GPS that is injected is immediately set to RTK. We have also done the tests with two u-centers connected to each GPS and injecting one of them, first we try injecting NTRIP to GPS1 and see what happens, and then we try to inject it to GPS2 and see what happens and they do not send each other. the corrections.

Can you give us an idea, or some more specific guide for what we want to achieve?

What rover or base configuration files do you use? In addition to putting firmware 1.32 or have I missed some parameter that I have not taken into account? Your inspirations will be a gift for me, since I am now super blocked.

A flying smile.

Are you configuring a Rover? If so you would probably be better off using the Ardupilot rover documentation and taking advantage of the automatic GPS board parameter configuration process.

RTK GPS Correction (Fixed Baseline) RTK GPS Correction (Fixed Baseline) — Rover documentation
GPS for Yaw (aka Moving Baseline) GPS for Yaw (aka Moving Baseline) — Rover documentation
Make sure parameter GPS_DRV_Option=0 this tells the Autopilot to send the correction signal over to the other board.

I am more concerned about the the second GPS not indicating FLOAT or FIXED. It should be indicating something or it may be pointing to a wiring problem. Do the indicator lights flash on the Ardusimple board?

Are you using SimpleRTK2B or 3B boards? Your post
mentions both.

Are you trying to configure GPS for Yaw (moving baseline) or just trying to achieve some system redundancy?

Your post seems to have some conflicting objectives.

Thanks @SJohnson for your quick response from across the pond, I answer your questions, with the negative experience with the compasses, which mark one day to one side and another day mark where they want, I decided to mount the system in GPS by yaw. I think I have made a mixture of concepts and that’s why my explanation is a bit confusing. The system we are setting up is a Rover Largo where we have two RTK GPS and an external compass. And we take the NTRIP corrections from a proprietary server over the internet. We also have a fixed base developed, but we are not going to implement it yet. On the subject of the indications about not getting fixed rtk or float, I think it was my fault of concept. I have read many docs and forums having mixed concept. I see that I have to put in GPS1 the Base configuration and in GPS2 the Rover configuration. I think this would be the first part I am going to redo today and tell you. And about your question about the lights … yes they do flicker. Let me perform the configuration again and give you feedback.

Ahhh I have one more question, is it necessary, whether or not to connect by UART2 the two Ardusimple boards ?, it is not clear to me if it is optimal.

Thank you @Yuri_Rage for your interest. If I made a mistake in writing, I have the SimpleRTK2B (big board) model, as I replied to @SJohnson I want GPS guided by YAW.

The quick answer is no the UART2 wire does not have to be connected if the parameter is set to GPS_DRV_Option=0. You should be able to get it to work without the wire. I will let Yuri address what is optimal. He is the expert on this topic.

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The ArduSimple guide is old and essentially useless.

Use uBlox to reset your modules to default.

Then follow this up to date guide instead:
https://ardupilot.org/rover/docs/common-gps-for-yaw.html

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Thanks for your rich contribution, I liked the term “Useless”. Today we will perform this configuration, but I have a new doubt. On which firmware version is better to perform this scenario (I now have the 4.2.3).

A flying smile

4.2.3 or newer is fine.

Great @Yuri_Rage, we will continue now with version 4.2.3 and I will plan a migration to the latest version.

My last doubt, the famous interconnection cable of the two SimpleRTK2b boards must be put between TX of the Base and RX2 of the Rover ?

Yes, but it’s unnecessary. It won’t solve your problem.

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Good afternoon @Yuri_Rage, @SJohnson and Ardurover-Lovers, today’s tests have gone quite well, yesterday I was configuring and creating a small user manual for this technology, to better understand how it works. I’m old school, I like to document and put everything clean. So today I went out into the street with a small prototype, I attached a link with a photo to see the placement of the provisional antennas. I also attach the param of the parameters that I have put at the end, in principle they are what they put in the guide that you gave me as a reference.

The problem I have encountered is that I have managed to take GPS1 (base) RTK Fixed and GPS2 (Rover) RTK float, and then the YAW did not move, I moved the robot around a square. But just when the two GPS have picked up RTK Fixed, then it has started to mark Yaw in the MAVLink Inspector.

Is this how both GPS’s have to be in RTK Fixed for YAW guidance to work?

Do I have to make any parameter changes to make it work with RTK Fixed and RTK Float?

Would it be advisable to set EK3_SRC1_YAW = 3 so that if there is no good GPS guidance, the compass can be used as a backup?

Is it better to upgrade to ArduRover 4.4 FW?

First of all, I want to thank you for all the help you give to the community and let’s see if you can give me a light pencil.

A flying smile :innocent:

GPS2 must have an RTK Fixed state for reliable yaw. No parameters will change that. It’s a measure of fix quality. You can improve the chances that it will obtain and retain a good fix by ensuring a good, clear view of the sky with good antenna placement on the vehicle (away from other components, usually as high as possible).

Using a compass backup is use case dependent. On some of the vehicles I use, that isn’t a very feasible option due to high levels of mag field interference. If your compass can be made reliable, then it is wise to use it as a backup/additional source.

Updating to 4.4 won’t change the physical characteristics that affect that. It will change the navigation algorithm, which I understand is on the cusp of release, so it may be worthwhile to update.

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@Yuri_Rage
Hello Yuri! I wanted to consult with you if it’s possible to contact you via email or through social? My email airfly.vitalii@gmail.com. My name is Vitalii, I’m from Ukraine.

I’m not inclined to collaborate that way. If you can’t post your project publicly, I would rather stay uninvolved.

EDIT:
To be more clear, I am tiring of feeling taken advantage of by various “hobbyists” in conflict zones foreign to my locale. Not only is it counter to ArduPilot’s credo, but I absolutely cannot be involved with such projects due to conflicts of interest with my own career. I’m not an idiot. Do not treat me like one.

If you just want to make a lawnmower, have a go at Lua scripting, or make a cool honest-to-God hobby-oriented flying machine, send me a private message within this forum, and I’m open to consulting, both paid and pro-bono depending on scope.

No, I will not engage with you on social media (unless Github counts…).

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I had no intention of manipulating you or causing conflict, and I absolutely don’t consider you an idiot. I simply couldn’t find enough information online to answer my questions, and your materials are some of the best I’ve found. I wanted to ask a few questions. I didn’t see an option to message you privately on this forum, but I’ve found it now. Thank you for your response.

Why not ask your questions publicly and take advantage of community support?

As I was waiting for a response, I managed to find a solution and write the script. I hadn’t used Lua scripting before, and I had a simple question about connecting script execution to one of the channels. I didn’t want to bother the entire community with such a minor issue. I’ve solved it now, the script is working. In the future, if I have more questions, I’ll definitely reach out to the community.

If I was harsh in my response, it’s because literally EVERY post I’ve seen in the past year that leads with “I’m from Ukraine” immediately transitions to a poorly veiled question about creating a vehicle for use in combat.

While I’m not a pacifist by any stretch, and I do empathize with the plight of those in the region, I absolutely cannot involve myself in those projects, and I’m quite weary of the folks attempting to coerce such involvement.

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