Deviation for Devo F4?

Hi PB,

I'm back to, but with no to much time. but I think I can work on the device, and maybe I can try to work on a expansion for the memory. Maybe we can attach a micro SD memory to the spi port, like I'm using on my arduino. this can expand the storage, but need a lot of time. for now, I will try to set up the devof4, if we can do, I will return to work on the guy for devo f7.

There are stock firmwares available.. the 0.2A and 0.2B, one is 10mW and the other 100mW (just can't remember which is which). A few posts back the 100mW one was posted on here as I did try a mock up on my F4 which didn't work, so I needed it to get back to a working Devention system. The mock up was an F7 Deviation made up so the F4 would accept it to install, but it didn't work... the transmitter was totally dead. So basically, an F7 Deviation has been tried in it, and failed.

Really, having just 2 or 3 protocols added in I don't see as a problem, as just as I said before, in my opinion, this is a transmitter for homemade quads or hobby grade RTFs (like the Walkera Runner), not for toy RTFs because of the characteristics of the VRx (only works on B band), and really with even just DSM2 and DSMX added would be an advantage, as that would give CPPM capability on any model it's being used on.

The thing I think it would need more than a heap of protocols is a small expansion on channels and controls, especially in the realm of dual rates as the Deviation programming has them to set up, but for some strange reason they never actually added a switch to change between them in flight, meaning you would have to either hover in the case of a quad, or land on a plane, enter the menu and change from position 1 to 2 of the rates PER CHANNEL... so they added like a switch position 1 and 2 to be set up, but no switch!! Extra channels, even with just 2 more would be a huge change, as that would give the possibility of using it for quads and such with flight modes that can be changed, or even with the 7E Arduino mod to add pots for gimbal moving if PPM input were added, or in planes have a 4 channel basic plane but put each aileron on a seperate channel rather than sharing via a Y harness...

I just don't think it needs much more really, and I for one am not expecting it to get to the level of an F7 (because otherwise, why buy an F7?), but with a couple more channels (say 6 channels total... obviously, the more the merrier, but turning it into a 6 channel transmitter would make it very useful indeed), a couple of protocols that don't even require added modules, and some added switches like the typical 7E FMODE and THOLD ones, I think it would be great!!

Of course, all this software and hardware permitting.

OK, PB, now you're talking Dutch to me, and I only know English and Spanish

The system was changed by someone else on here and I just tested it out by putting it in the Walkera updating software... the software recognised it as a valid F4 firmware, just like it does when flashing a correct Deviation version to a corresponding transmitter, but i don't know what was done to it to make it so, I only know it was based directly on the F7 Deviation model that was on at that time.

According to the mapping a couple of pages back, the chip does have pins for D/R, THold, FMode, etc., but they are just not there, not added into the board. For toggling it wouldbe easy, as the existing F4 Devention software already allows you to set a position 1 and a position 2 for rates for all the channels, being that in position 1 those values are used, and in position 2 the other values are used, they just kind of forgot to add a way to toggle between those values once you're in flight!! You can't even just leave the menu on that page and toggle manually with the ENT button because first of all, if you're FPVing, then the menu isn't available, and secondly, it's per channel, so you could only do it to one channel.

I'll look back and find where that part of the experiment happened to see who it was who sent me the F4 Deviation try out and report back

OK, it was djtrance on the second page that sent the file to me, so he can probably tell you what was done with the file which didn't work, and FDR sent the link for the original F4 Devention firmware for in case it didn't work.

I compared links from www.deviationtx.com/forum/7-development/...vo-f4?start=60#44981 myself. I believe no harm will happen if F7 firmware would be uploaded to F4. It should work just without the extra switches.

You convinced me, I'm buying F4. They are dirt cheap now on eBay for some unknown reason.

As I said before, the one that was uploaded on mine was the F7 one, only changed (don't ask me how, I have no idea, djtrance can answer that) so the F4 would recognise it. When it was uploaded, the transmitter was just totally dead... didn't do anything at all. But reflashing the original D4 Devention software brought it back to how it was before. It wasn't that it broke it, it just didn't work.

PB I forgot that the devo has a encription. I don't know How to search it. maybe you can help us to know

Can't you use his branch?

djtrance wrote: you can see my code on bitbucket.org/djtrance/devof7_djtrance
if you can see in the target def, there are a line that say #define USE_DEVOFS 1
this mean that you are working on the special filesystem that PB did, because a fat file system doesn't have space for the models, in my case I have the fat filesystem because I has change the flash memory.

Maybe you can use that and put your code in there?

Just looking for answers here

Damn cheap, not even 50€.

Had to order one, too

Thanks for your great work, PB!

Right, I took the plunge and tried the firmware PB...

This firmware does do something... once it's installed with the Dfuse software, the screen comes up in its normal blue and reads "Deviation USB" in bold letters, and the computer recognises the drive

So to that point, hurray!!

The problem is, Windows then asks you to format the drive, no problem there, but it says it's only 64kb in size, so basically you can't fit even just the folders on it.

I tried the other DFU file (the "lib" one) just in case I had tried the wrong one, and the Dfuse program won't even recognise that as flashable

The transmitter itself doesn't respond as to buttons or anything, with this firmware it's just a giant 64kb pendrive. The transmitter took the original F4 firmware again no problems, so it's back to stock condition again. Hope this little leap of faith ( ) can be of help to you guys!!

Sounds like you have it all planned out hehehehe