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Gluon control station documentation

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Contents

Overview

The gluon control station is one of the most advanced ground control stations currently available for your UAV!

Downloading

The Gluon Control Station can be downloaded from the download section.

Maps

Several maptypes are supported (OpenStreetMap, Bing, Google, ...). All downloaded maps are cached to make sure they will be available at the field without internet connection. A maximum of 22MB will be cached.

First usage

Whether you will use it for offline use or for simulation, first you need to set your home position! This home position is saved on exit. When you start the GluonCS again, it will center on the home position.

So: pan (click and drag) and zoom to your local flight field, and set your home position there!


Hotkeys

  • c: Center on UAV
  • i: Zoom In
  • o: Zoom Out
  • First letter of block name: jump to block

Status

The "Cockpit" panel gives you an overview of everything you need to know: health status of subsystems, flight statistics. The active waypoint and block is colored in yellow.


Flightplan creation

Reading your flightplan from the module

Simple click UAV->Read to read the current flightplan from the module.


Writing your flightplan to the module

Before you can write your flightplan, you should first Read it from the module (so it can update only the lines that are different)!

There are 2 ways to send your flightplan to the gluonpilot:

  • One-shot writing: Click UAV -> Write

This method won't automatically retry. When one or more lines don't reach the module, it will show an error message.

  • Automatic synchronisation: Click Auto-sync to enable!

Every change you do (for example drag and drop a waypoint) will be automatically synced with your module (even when airborne!). When a line doesn't reach the module (e.g. when airborne), it automatically retransmits until it is received. Hence this is the preferred method!


Don't forget to do UAV->Burn to save the flightplan to non-volatile memory!


Navigation / Script commands

There is a wide variety of script commands. All of them are documented in the program itself, so please read it carefully! Waypoints can be edited by double-clicking on them.


Waypoints

If you don't like scripting-like commands, you can easily add waypoints (FLY_TO, FROM_TO, CIRCLE, ...) to your flightplan. By right-clicking on the map, you can also add waypoint (absolute or relative). Double-clicking a waypoint on the map allows you to edit it.

This are the currently supported waypoint commands (parameters: point A in absolute or relative coordinates, altitude):

  • FROM_TO: fly along the line from the previous waypoint to point A
  • FLY_TO: adjust the heading towards waypoint A
  • CIRCLE: fly a circle
  • CIRCLE_TO: fly along the circle that contains both the previous waypoint and point A
  • CLIMB: fly in the take-off direction until the desired altitude is reached
  • FLARE_TO: cut throttle and flare in the line between the previous waypoint and point A
  • GLIDE_TO: cut throttle and adjust heading to touch point A (approximate)


Structure

Gluonpilot introduced blocks so you can split up your flightplan in different tasks: for example takeoff, route, standby and land.

  • BLOCK: define the start of a new block
  • GOTO: jump to line n
  • CALL: jump to line n
  • RETURN: return from a CALL function


Conditional

  • IF (x <>= value)
  • UNTIL (x <>= value)

Possible variables:

  • Altitude [m]
  • Speed [m/s]
  • Heading [deg]
  • Flight time [sec]
  • Satellites in view
  • Home distance [m]
  • PPM alive [1 or 0]
  • Channel 1 [us]
  • Channel 2 [us]
  • Channel 3 [us]
  • Channel 4 [us]
  • Channel 5 [us]
  • Channel 6 [us]
  • Channel 7 [us]
  • Channel 8 [us]
  • Battery voltage [V]
  • Time in block [s]
  • Absolute altitude error [m]
  • Absolute heading error [°]
  • Absolute altitude & heading error [m*°]

Misc

  • SET_LOITER_POSITION
  • LOITER
  • SERVO_SET
  • SERVO_TRIGGER
  • SET_BATTERY_ALARM


During flight block commands are ignored, but they get a button in the GCS which allows you to change current waypoint and jump to another block.


Testing your flightplan

Using the simulation mode you can easily verify and test your flightplan on your warm and cosy desk.

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