Deviation for Devo F4?

I understand fully PB, and have done since the beginning. I know it's a long process to get it working and am not rushing anyone with it, I know you are busy with other stuff, and I appreciate your interest in this project. First thing is to get it working, then take it from there bit by bit. I know nothing of programming, but I have no problem with being a guinea pig with the test firmwares.

I'll try out the new one tonight and let you know how it goes, and thanks to everyone who is putting their bit into this project; I only wish I could do more!!

Big hugs all around!!

Hi, was able to upload and start Deviation! I can also play around in the Menus, but binding to a Ladybird fails at the moment. I know it's a test build and just wanted to give you some report.
Great work so far!!
And thanks a lot for having a look at such a cheap transmitter

I've only just gotten back home from a very tiring day of charity work, and I'm too tired to even think straight, let alone follow some instructions on how to install the firmware... I might end up using a hammer if I did it now.

So best I get some sleep tonight and try it out tomorrow, and I'll fiddle about with it to see if i can figure out what works and what doesn't as it is.

Good night world, see you tomorrow!!

How will de filesystem be uploaded? If I enter USB mode with your test3 build, Windows asks for formatting but has only 64kb. If formatted, ther are only 32kb accesable. And if you do so, deviation is hurt in some way. I got a black screen while entering a menu point and had then to re-upload your dfu's

PhracturedBlue wrote: After Epitaph remarked on turning his Transmitter into a 64K pen-drive

*her

OK guys, I have some news here, as I have been experimenting a little to see what does work and what doesn't.

So, I installed the new Deviation PH posted yesterday, and my Tx came back to life (YAY!!!). Anyway, I tried out some binding stuff and I have managed to bind it successfully to a Walkera Devo RX601, and also to an OrangeRX 6ch DSM2 R620, so that's 2 protocols that I know are working.

Then with both receivers I started to see what was being received and what wasn't with a spare servo I had, and I have all 6 channels on both receivers working properly (I just assigned channels 5 and 6 to work with aileron and elevator stick for that), with full response as you would expect with both receivers.

So, for the moment, I have found it to work with at least 6 channels (don't have a larger receiver right now to test more), with no problems whatsoever with both a DEVO and a DSM2 receiver.

EXPO seems to be working correctly also, and unfortunately I can't try out D/R as the switch I added doesn't work via software. Now, with this said, I know there is limitations with switches for the time being, and we might not be able to add any switches at all to the board... but... what about the PPM via Arduino solution which is being used to add proportional channels and extra switches to other Deviated radios like the 7E? There is PPM selectable on the menu, and the transmitter has the same trainer port as the 7E, so we might be able to add switches and pots via that solution to control everything else if all else fails... I'll set up an Arduino Uno I have to test this theory as soon as I get a chance, because if that works, that would mean we would have a final solution!!

Now... issues I found... the only one I found was with the video. In the model menu I initialized the video feed, and the whole screen went blue, no letters or anything at all... and the bad thing is that no option would let me get out of that mode, none of the buttons made it go back, so the only way I had of getting back to the menu was to reflash the transmitter again from the beginning!! Now, I haven't tried this changing the channel before initializing, but surely there should be a way to exit that and go back to the menu if you have the wrong channel selected, not to mention the fact that even turning the transmitter off, removing the battery, then inserting it and turning it back on still gave the same results of a blank blue screen... So there seems to be some issues on that function.

But all in all, considering that there were going to be issues as this is just an experiment, I would say this have been a VERY successful test!!

Now, considering the limited memory this transmitter has, will there be an issue making 10 complex models with model.ini files that are larger than usual, as in there not being enough space? If so, can any kilobytes be gained by removing things from the Deviation version, like for example, module and protocol support, or simplifying the input possibilities?? I mean, we're not expecting an F12E out of this, it's a €25 transmitter with video feed, and already with 6 channels, DEVO, DSM2 and probably also DSMX (just I don't have a receiver handy to try it with), and probably input one way or another, I think it's more than enough of a radio!!

Really nice!
I personally want to have more support with protocols then more models.

I personally see it the other way around... more models than protocols, because I just can't see the point of having a ton of protocols on this transmitter, as this is an FPV based transmitter with a limitation to using the B band for video, a band which none of the toys that use the other protocols use. I just honestly can't see the point... for toys, there's the 7E and other transmitters. The only other protocol that I might se useful in this apart from Devo and the DSM ones is the FrSky protocol which would mean adding the CC2500 module, but as for the other module protocols, I'm sorry I just can't see the logic in it

PB,
I really apreciate the work that was put into deviation firmware and fully understand that this is an expirimental firmware for my remote at this time so thank you for the answer.

Epitaph could you please elaborate on the steps you took in order to upload the firmware to your F4 so I could try and copy It and check if it will work on my F7

All I did was follow PB's instructions, using the latest test firmware he uploaded for us to try. Ad for the F7 there is an entire thread devoted to that transmitter, and you would have to get the firmware from there as the firmware posted on here is for the F4 and as such the updater won't let it work because you it will say you are trying to upload an F4 FW into an F7

The F7 FW is on the Nightly Builds download page here

I thought they were posted on the nightly builds because they were working, but still experimental.

Any thoughts as to the video issue I mentioned??

On the video setup which is per model you have first the enable button, then the channel select, then brightness and contrast. But once you press enable the screen goes blue and there's no fine white or anything anywhere, and there's no way to go back to the menu... not even turning the transmitter off and on again, it just stays on the blue screen with nothing else. Now, I don't know if this is so also if the VTx and VRx are on the same channel, maybe you get the video feed instead of the blue screen, but there should be a way to go back to the menu without having a camera active (if the menu appears along with the video feed, being the case), or having to reflash the transmitter. I tried all the buttons, long holding them, combinations of buttons, nothign makes the transmitter leave that blue screen.

Also, maybe the video should be set up independently of the model, and not model specific, because when you're at fly-ins, you have to find the channel that's available for you to fly on, and you shouldn't have to change that channel on every FPV model you own in each model setup individually, but rather a global one that the transmitter would use... it would make it much easier to change channel should you find interference on the frequency you are using at that moment at the place you are at, hence why VTx's have their channel selection so easily set up, not to find a channel, but to change it easily if there is a problem on one at a particular venue.

Pb,
The problem with the video, is when you have not a video signal on the video rx. I have the same problem but, how in the F7 you can use de mix or other function to turn it on or off, is not problem, because you can turn off the video rx and you can see the menu. this can be a problem into the F4, because the are not to much button stick etc. on this device. other problem that there are with the firmware, is that when you shut down the tx an turn it on, the device don't remember the video config. is not a big problem, in my F7 I set up the video channel every time when I turn it on the video rx.
I don't have this code on bitbucket because my hard drive has die, but I'm setting up my computer, and maybe tomorrow I can return to work.
How I can se about the firmware on the devo F7?. The devo is working well with dsm2 and with devo protocol. I have tested a lot with my ladybird2 and I have not problem with it. the menus need a lot of work. there are some function that I want to use to change some of the function that can write some graphics on the screen. well is not a graphics like other devo is most like a different type of dots. but is hard to work with this, because there are not to much space on the screen to write all of thing that there are on devo 10.
we must fix some problem with the clear screen function that doesn't work well all the time, you can see this problem in the binding process when you haven't paired model, and turn it on the radio.

the good new is that all of the code can work on devo f7 and f4

SirDomsen wrote: Damn cheap, not even 50€.

Epitaph wrote: it's a €25 transmitter with video feed

May I ask where you guys/gals are finding them for these prices? Cheapest I can find on ebay is about aud$130, which is about euro$90?

RoGuE_StreaK wrote:

SirDomsen wrote: Damn cheap, not even 50€.

Epitaph wrote: it's a €25 transmitter with video feed

May I ask where you guys/gals are finding them for these prices? Cheapest I can find on ebay is about aud$130, which is about euro$90?

I got mine from here
m.ebay.de/itm/Walkera-DEVO-F4-2-4G-4CH-T...315979761?nav=SEARCH