Deviation for Devo F4?

Can someone please write a short guide that explains how to install djtrance's version on Devo F7 (what tools do i need, which files, etc.)
I really like to help with this build.

Also if someone can help me see the code itself maybe I can do more than just debugging,
I have background in c and assembly.

I refuse to let this thread die;)

The most recent code is in djtrance's own github repository, github.com/djtrance/deviationtx .

As far as I understand, it's a relatively small patch over the standard repository, namely github.com/djtrance/deviationtx/compare/...b63a1a...master.diff

It fixes some sizes and possibly replaces some symbols with others and gives symbolic names to some others.

I did not try it myself - I don't have Devo F7, only F4, so I can apply same changes to it theoretically.

To install it you need to
1. Build it, the instruction is elsewhere: www.deviationtx.com/wiki/development ,
2. Install the firmware DFU file with DFUse Walkera utility,
3. Switch on with Ent pressed (on the right panel) to start in USB mode and replace devo.fs file's contents with defo.fs from build. This is a tricky part - you should not just copy file to Devo - it will try to create a new file and then rename it to devo.fs. This will not work because this limited-resource Devo just emulates the filesystem for your computer, but it does not have space for two such files. I have MSYS installed (as part of my build system) and I use dd command in the following manner: 'dd if=devo.fs of=D:\devo.fs'.

For the code - there is no guide for its structure, but briefly - it is concentrated in 'src' subdirectory of the main repository, some basic files reside directly there, all protocol specific code is in 'src/protocol', many platform specific things are in 'src/target' directory. The code for Devo F7 specifically is spread over 'src/target/common/stm32', 'src/target/common/devo', and 'src/target/devof7'. You also need to look at 'screen/text' for LCD drivers and 'pages/text', and maybe 'pages/common' for page-handling code. Higher level GUI resides in 'src/gui' and 'src/gui/text'. These pieces are common for groups of different platforms and so arranged by physical resolution of the screen, not by specific platform. As Devo F7 effectively uses text overlay the 'text' part is used.

Many of these directories have Makefile.inc file which guides build process (apparently, they're included in the main Makefile).

Hope it helps,

Victor.

you must not install the firmware on your devo F7. How I say before, my devo F7 has more memory than the stock F7. but you can use the emulator for test it.

thank you both for the answers!

do we have a list of what's working\not working in the current F7 deviationtx firmware (not djtrance's)?

no, there are not a list, but maybe you can do it, and with this information and can work on my free time to fix the firmware. actually I have not tu much time to test the firmware and I'm ussing the devo10, but I want to use the devo F7 again.

has some one tested the firmware?

I was really busy trying to push the code for my adapter, F series could benefit from it especially - it will allow to have regular filesystem, not this small and inconvenient devofs. But I plan to test it in my F4 - I can move your changes from F7.
What should I pay attention to?

you only need to change the gui part of the code. you don't need to use my filesystem configuration.

I made a small list of the things I (and some of the other people in the post) have found.
hope it helps.

Nice job on the list!
Are those screen shots taken from the emulator?

Perhaps, for the % matter, "PCT" or "Percent" can replace it.

Nice report, I wanted to clear one confusion though.

F-series can't present its content as traditional filesystem through USB - there are just no resources for this. But USB is the only way to modify the configuration - change the protocol set or backup model files, change hardware configuration. It is done by unpacking/modifying/packing the only file visible through USB - devo.fs.

thanks!
arnold,
those are pictures from the emulator,
about the '%' sign, in the original firmware there is just the number with nothing written next to it..

victzh,
yeah I wasn't sure about the USB part..

do you guys think it is possible to make a 'lite' deviationtx firmware for f4 and f7 mainly for quadcopters?
I know that only things I want in my build is to be able to add channels and add modules
for everything else the original firmware is just fine,
what do you think? does this apply to you as well?
if not than what are your needs from deviationtx on f7/f4 (with the known limits of those remotes)
I might be wrong but maybe we are barking at the wrong tree

Every separate version is extra support, both in user support and keeping it in line with main version. Can you tell us what is most unsatisfactory aspect of current Deviation for F4/F7, maybe it makes more sense to remove such deficiency than to make a new version.

Happy new Year!

I just installed the 12-23 Deviation version from the nightlies. Not much flight time yet (dunno if it's solved) but the most annoying thing with the F4 was the instable devo.fs. Sometimes (mostly if you trimmed some channels while flying) some values disappear. e.g. mixer 3 from,ele and ail is just gone. Hardest fail I had was that the F4 forgot,the configuration of the throttle hold button. A pain,if you realize this while in a dangerous flight situation!

Don't know if that's solvable (or it is solved? not yet run too much tests) though, I did a bug report some time ago...

Second worse thing is that the screen calibration is wrong. The channel values in channel monitor from the column at the right side are not displayed correctly (missing numbers)

third issue is that there are the buttons and switches left from,the f7, the f4 actually has no switches (well, mine has due to the arduino inside )

fourth is that the main,page is,not configurable it it should be, no way to put timers and telemetry values at the screen at the same time (3 small boxes allowed only?)

fith: Voltage alert not configurable for the f4. Min value too high for NiMh batteries.

Wish: Sort of a panic function: If you configure video channel/switch wrong, you get a blue screen until,you have a signal from vtx or switxh video display off. (like video always off on power on or something)

cheers
Domsen

Hi,

sadly I have to report that the Devo.fs problems are not gone. At least mine did not save anymore suddenly (no undervoltage issue!). Well better than mixer changes, but this way, theF4 is not really usable. If you have no PC at the field for being able to reup devo.fs to the F4 , it can suddenly get unusable (or you have a crash / flyaway due to suddenly changed mixers).

Isn't there anything what can be done?

I hope that my new design for 4-in-1 module + flash solves these problems once and forever. Devo FS appears to be too fragile and despite PhracturedBlue spent a lot of time debugging it sometimes it still fails to save state, and worse - screws up all other files. Traditional FAT is more reliable, not mentioning more convenient.

That is why I'm trying to finalize this, not put efforts into Devo FS. Support for this module is in nightly builds, and while there are still problems - Multimodule stopped working with my changes, you need separate version for Devo F4 and F7, while unified version for F12E (and Radiolink AT9) is possible it's not implemented yet - it is plausible solution for fragile Devo FS.

hello everyone,
it's been a while since we last wrote something in this matter.

I was minding my own business when I suddenly had an Idea,
what If we make Deviation run on a Raspberry pi?!
now that I don't use the devo f7 as my main remote I don't mind taking it apart for science and try to replace the main board with a raspberry pi
think of the opportunities, the gimbals and switches won't have a problem working with a raspi after simple coding and soldering, and the only things left is the screen and the Vtx (easycap?!), which I'm sure we can somehow rewrite the code so it works too,

does this sound possible to you guys?

YARIMbe wrote: ... does this sound possible to you guys?

I don't wish to sound negative, but ...
No.

I agree. Raspberry pi is another level of complexity. Start with quite limited GPIO available, need for external ADC, totally different display interface. Also, to achieve timing you need either program the bare metal or use RTOS - I don't even know is it available for RPi. So the number of obstacles is too high to worth even thinking about it.