Photogrammetry with gluonpilot

[kempo]

Hi Tom,
I have made several trials using the instructions above but I did not managed to make it work.
My objective is to do pictures with the camera only when I am in autopilot mode , doing the survey. If I will exit the Autopilot mode I want to have the camera shut down , so : Autopilot on / camera lens will expand and it will start to do pictures , Autopilot off/camera lens will retract. I need this procedure to protect the camera lens at landing (dust, grass…).

What have I done, in chronological order:

1. Download the .lua file shared by you and loaded on the camera card on Scripts folder;
2. Put the card in the camera and loaded the GP.LUA script ( I have left the parameters “Use tagging”=0 and “Use separate log”=1 );
3. Using the custom cable I have connected the Canon camera to Channel 6 on Gluonpilot;
4. Connect the Xbee to the laptop;
5. Open the Gluonpilot Ground station;
6. Power up the RC transmitter;
7. Power up the Gluonpilot V2;
8. Make the link between the groundstation and the Gluonpilot V2;
9. I have create this flightplan:



10. I have Write the flightplan to the Gluonpilot after this I have burned it to flash;
11. I have moved the switch from the rc transmitter from manual mode to autopilot mode(Canon camera shut down) and I have tried to activate the trigger block – nothing happened to the camera;
12. I have moved the switch from the rc transmitter from manual mode to autopilot mode(Canon camera started in playback mode – lens retracted-GP.lua chdk loaded) and I have tried to activate the trigger block – nothing happened to the camera;
13. I have moved the switch from the rc transmitter from manual mode to autopilot mode(Canon camera started normal with power button – lens expanded-GP.lua chdk loaded) and I have tried to activate the trigger block – nothing happened to the camera;

What have I done wrong? What is the process flow that can assure success ?

Thank you,
Alex

[kempo]

Hi Tom,
I have made several trials using the instructions above but I did not managed to make it work.
My objective is to do pictures with the camera only when I am in autopilot mode , doing the survey. If I will exit the Autopilot mode I want to have the camera shut down , so : Autopilot on / camera lens will expand and it will start to do pictures , Autopilot off/camera lens will retract. I need this procedure to protect the camera lens at landing (dust, grass…).

What have I done, in chronological order:

1. Download the .lua file shared by you and loaded on the camera card on Scripts folder;
2. Put the card in the camera and loaded the GP.LUA script ( I have left the parameters “Use tagging”=0 and “Use separate log”=1 );
3. Using the custom cable I have connected the Canon camera to Channel 6 on Gluonpilot;
4. Connect the Xbee to the laptop;
5. Open the Gluonpilot Ground station;
6. Power up the RC transmitter;
7. Power up the Gluonpilot V2;
8. Make the link between the groundstation and the Gluonpilot V2;
9. I have create this flightplan (the objective of this flightplan is to do trials on the ground):



10. I have Write the flightplan to the Gluonpilot after this I have burned it to flash;
11. I have moved the switch from the rc transmitter from manual mode to autopilot mode(Canon camera shut down) and I have tried to activate the trigger block – nothing happened to the camera;
12. I have moved the switch from the rc transmitter from manual mode to autopilot mode(Canon camera started in playback mode – lens retracted-GP.lua chdk loaded) and I have tried to activate the trigger block – nothing happened to the camera;
13. I have moved the switch from the rc transmitter from manual mode to autopilot mode(Canon camera started normal with power button – lens expanded-GP.lua chdk loaded) and I have tried to activate the trigger block – nothing happened to the camera;

What have I done wrong? What is the process flow that can assure success ?

Thank you,
Alex

[fba]

I don´t use Canon cameras and CHDK scripts. But I hope this can be usefull for you and others.

To switch on/off the camera I use the RC-flysoft optocoulper on output servo 8 (http://www.rc-flysoft.com/Manuals/SWTwinMan_03en.pdf).

I handle the camera power board. I soldered the power button pads (power & ground), and the shutter pad too (only shutter and not ground because you have done on power pad before), to the two outputs RC-flysoft optocoupler. Output 1 is link to On/off button and output 2 to the shutter button. You must link the two GND on RC flysoft device. So a servo wire from the camera gives you acces to the power, shutter and ground pads. Use the multimeter to check all works as you expected. Every time power and GND are join is like you push the button and the same for the shutter. And RC flysoft device is your remote finger

Now it´s time to programe the flysoft device, see the manual, 1500 ms from the receiver (stick at the middle or gluon command) for neutral position (nothings happen), 1000 ms (stick down) join the optocoupler number one so the camera is power up, doing once again the camera is power down. Similar for the output 2, 2000 ms (stick up), joins the optocoupler 2 so every time servo trigger at 2000 ms the output 2 is join and close the circuit to take a photo (like you do when push the shutter button). No auto function to avoid the camera starts/stops by self must be program on RC-flysoft. Remember this values for gluon scripts

Limits from servos signals are 1000 to 2000 micro s, use this to works fine not 0 ms

There are others cameras that have IR remote shutter (Sony,Pentax, Nikkon...) but this system works for all the cameras and it´s pretty easy.

In advance, I need test at flight but works on bench. Many cameras (usually with button batteries on powerboard, SIGMA has it, nikon too I think so ...) has a voltage drop between power button and shutter button when the camera is Off, around 2.9V , so I use an arduino to blink a LED on the plane when the camera is off that I will see before land to secure the lens is inside or push the button for on/off block on Gluon station soft.

And more in advance, I will try to use the telemetry data read from the same arduino (see early post) to power off the camera when the height is below 40, 70... meters, for secure and retract the lens to use it on thinest fly-wings . But this is not such important, it´s a "pijada"

Be carefull the 6 servo output is roll stabilization on firmware 0.9.
Output pads for signals 7 & 8 are inside the main board behind the servos connector and I´m not remember but... maybe can be reversed labeled.

[kempo]

Good evening Francisco,

Thanks a lot for the advices .

First i want to see if it possible to do the job using Gluonpilot , if not I will invest in additional parts.

Thank you again,
Alex

[Tom]

Hi Alex,

You should add a Standby block or the gluonpilot will directly jump to the "trigger" block. Also you should enable remote trigger in CHDK menu. You don't need to do anything with your RC-transmitter, just click the trigger button in the GCS.
Also, make try to use Delta mix in your tests on the ground. Some other mixes already use channel 6 (older aileron versions).

Regards,

Tom

[kempo]

Hello all,

It seems that finally I have made it , now I can start /stop a CHDK script using blocks from flightplan.

Below a movie , sorry for the quality , I will do another one to better show how i'm activating / stop the script :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQWplUkkhec

[Tom]

Your X5 installation is identical to mine

Now watiting for the first flights?

[kempo]

Your X5 installation is identical to mine

Now watiting for the first flights?

Hi,

I am waiting for good weather to restart the flights, meanwhile i have tried to do a manual for setting up CHDK-Gluonpilot:

http://www.myap.ro/gluonpilot-v2-photom ... -settings/

Please tell me if you think that is useful , any observation ,comment is appreciated.

Thank you,
Alex

[Tom]

Thanks a lof for the testing & documentation!!! I think one of the problem is that every camera-type behaves a little bit different on CHDK.

Will you use the internal GPS of the camera for geomapping?

[kempo]

Thanks a lof for the testing & documentation!!! I think one of the problem is that every camera-type behaves a little bit different on CHDK.

Will you use the internal GPS of the camera for geomapping?

Hi Tom,

The best way it will be to correlate the gps coordinates from autopilot with the pictures, but i don't know if it is possible. It will be nice to have a tool that is able to do this.

The gps from autopilot is much more accurate than the camera gps I suppose.