Channel beep facility

This test builds provides a new mixer type: beep. Unfortunately, it doesn't (quite) fit on the 7e. Could show up later.

deviationtx.com/downloads-new/category/242-mwm-mixer-beeps

Mixer behavior

When the mux type of a mix is set to beep, the value of the mixer does not change. Instead, the value is compared to the computed value, and if they are equal (for some definition of equal - see below) the 6th telemetry alarm is played. Another sound will be added if this works ok.

Mixer usage

This can only be used in the Advanced GUI, using a complex mixer. Set the mux type to beep to use it.

You can now calculate a value using curve type, etc, just like you do with any other mixer. For instance, setting the curve type to Fixed with a scale of 0 will cause the alarm to play when the mixer value reaches 0. It should only play the first time the value is zero, and not if it remains at zero.

You could also set the SRC to a different channel, and so it would only play beeps when the value matched that channel. For instance, setting the source to a switch would cause the beep at 100% when the switch is on, and -100% when the switch is off.

I'm sure there are lots of other uses for this, but the ability to have beeps at calculated values is new, so we'll have to see what you can find.

What does equal mean

The values displayed on the transmitter are all percentages of some maximum value. The values used internally have much finer grain than that. Equality is tested somewhere in between the two. This means that there are two odd things:

1. It won't beep even if the displayed value matches your test value if the internal value doesn't.
   
2. A small change in the value may not cause it to beep even though the internal value changes.

Using the internal values made it to fine, and getting the values to be equal was a PITA, and might even be impossible in some case. Using the percentage values made the beeps to broad to be useful. The calculation of those intermediate values can probably use some more tuning.

Transmitters, stick pots and users vary. Perhaps the equality ranges could be adjusted in the calibration section of the transmitter.

Is this just a test build or will the beep mixer be on all builds from now on?

This is just in the test build. After some testing and any necessary fixes, I'll submit a pull request to get it added to all builds. But without some feedback, that won't happen.

So if you're using this and it's working well, let me know. If it has problems, let me know! Hopefully I can fix the latter.

I installed the DFU on my 6S and it seems to work as advertised. The throttle beep seems to be very sensitive to the value, but it works great with the switches. I think it would be nice to have multiple tones available when you use it for the switches.

I would like to use the THR beep to indicate when my stick is near the middle when flying my APM quad. When you switch out of a GPS/Barometer assisted mode, if the throttle stick is not in the middle, you may be surprised by the results you get, either zooming up into the heavens, or dropping like a rock.

For a throttle beep: I set up a mixer on VIRT1 with two pages, the first is a 1-to-1 curve with source THR mux type replace, the second is a fixed curve at 0 mux type "beep". If I raise the THR slowly to 0%, then 1%, it will always beep, as long as I hit those values. It sometimes beeps on the way back down, too, but I couldn't tell why (maybe the slight movement of the Pot output when moving slowly?). However, if I move THR fast, the beep doesn't seem to happen reliably. Making a second "beep" mixer with a fixed value close to the first one works more reliably at any speed.

In the ini file apparently it kept the SRC for mixer 2 and 3 to the Gear0 and Gear1 I used testing switches. The screen shows a source of none and it's not changeable. Also, the muxtype is showing blank, which could make editing this file a bit tricky!

This is the code that worked using two beeping mixers:
For the switch beep: I used VIRT2 with three mixers the first 1-to-1 with source GEAR0, the second a fixed curve at -100 mux type beep, and a third mux type beep with a fixed curve at 100. So this makes it beep if the switch changes. I also tried it with MIX, although the mix is a bit trickier, you can set it up to beep on the extremes.

Here are the ini settings I used to beep the MIX switch at position 0 and 2:
Overall its a great addition to Deviation, and I'm looking forward to making use of it!

I just tried this on the knobs on my devo 10.
For the most parts it works great.
On aux4 i set the beep on value 0, no problems at all.
On aux 5 i set 2 beeps; -50 and 50, most of the time the beeps works but sometime there is no beep, i have to turn the knob a few times to the end points and then suddenly there is the beep again.
I am very happy with this feature. helps a lot to find the mid points or any point you want. for the most part.

Muxtype being blank: that's a bug. I've uploaded a new version that fixes that: deviationtx.com/downloads-new/category/248-mwm-mixer-beeps . This also includes builds for the FPV transmitters.

It should behave the same whether you're going up or down on a stick, as all it cares about is the value. However, whether or not it beeps when the stick is moving is pretty much arbitrary. The stick value needs to be "close enough" to the mix value when it's sampled and the mixer runs, otherwise it won't beep. If I make it less sensitive, it'll be - well, less sensitive. I could set it so any value within 5% would beep, then it would always beep, but that would be less useful.

You don't need to put these on virtual mixes. You can use this in a regular channel mix, anywhere along the way. It doesn't change the final output in any way. Or if it does, it's a bug!

Does your AUX5 read -50/+50 reliably? If it's going to 49%, that might not be "close enough". There could also be issues with the software getting hung trying to beep to frequently. If that can be reproduced, that'd be great.

I want to back off on the "this'll be added" just a bit. If it works reliably, I'll certainly add a pull request. But I agree about wanting to be able to have different sounds for different switches/values/etc. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet, so the pull request will probably be different from this. Being able to pick a tone would be best, and it'd be nice if that were integrated with the telemetry alert system, so you could pick sounds there as well. And there's been at least one request for continuous beeping, which would be a nice option. I hate to add a field to the mixer data structure just for this, but don't see a way around it. Suggestion welcome!

I just made it a simple test. Used 2 channels (6 and 7) ch6 had source aux 4. On the second page mux=beep fixed 0.
Ch 7 had source aux5 second page mux=beep, fixed -50. Third page mux=beep, fixed 50.
No scalar so knobs go from -100 to 100.

Edit.
I will test for frequent repeat later today.

Thanks for this, working fine in my Devo 10. Only test I did was add a "beep" at 50% "physical" throttle (collective), so when I'm setting up a heli and doing a test flight I know when I'm physically at half stick, without having to look down at the transmitter to see a output number, or, where the stick physically is, it's working great.

i did another test today.
It seems i moved the knob to fast the first time. when i go slow everything works fine.
I also tried to do a lot of beeps in a short time, by moving the knob just a little bit around the "beep-value"point. It keeps on beeping.
So al works fine until you move the knob to fast.

I think I've figured out how I want to handle both the sensitivity issue and selection. I'm going to kick them both out to virtual channels. This may lead to adding virtual channels.

Sensitivity is eay to explain. I'm going to make the sensitivity be 1%. If you need things to be more of less sensitive - for instance, to catch a faster movement - then put the value on a virtual channel, scale it appropriately, and use a beep mixer to check that value. If you can see a user for dinner values than 1%, or think using a virtual channel for running the sensitivity is a bad idea - especially if you have another option - let me know.

I'm going to use a new page for selecting the tone to play. It will let you select sounds to play for the various events that can happen, and any other options like a repition that I can figure out how to do there.. The events list may include transmitter things like low battery, power off, etc. The telemetry alerts will be on the list by number so you can change those. Then the channels for beeps on that channel. So if you want different beeps on the same channel, you'll needed to put all but the first on a virtual channel. I know, painful for a single channel used to select flight modes. But this is a first attempt. Again, if you have problems or alternatives, let me know

Is it possible to use trims for selecting up and down through a list of flight modes and have each mode emit a different number of beeps?

Just like the various toy quads.

Yes to using the trims to select flight modes, but that seems silly when you've got perfectly good button pairs like up/down to use instead. The one thing you can't do is make it "roll over" (or at least I couldn't figure out how last time the question came up), so that going up a mode from the highest mode takes you to the lowest one. On the other hand, if you just want multiple rates, you can have hundreds of them, at which point you can use a knob to dial the rate - which some of the toy quads also do.

No way to do different beeps yet. I'm still working out how to handle selecting different sounds in the UI. And it's not clear how you'd handle beeps for a knob that dialed the rate.

Okay, okay. Every time I mention programming buttons someone says it's just like programming trims. Thought I was heading that off ...

Was just trying to ask if it was easily possible to beep a selected number of times for one event.

Thanks for your efforts. Most appreciated.

This test build is now dead. I've finally got the audio voice alert code working well enough to test it, and that's what this facility was designed to work with. Please see deviationtx.com/forum/builds/5089-voice-alerts-test-build for information on those builds.

If you're using the channel beep facility, it will continue working as is. If you add the voice alerts hardware and configure it, it will play the 6th telemetry alert, just like now. Only you can put in whatever audio file you like for that.