Idea for a new contoller mode

[hackbard23]

I was doing some shots of a gokart race and i found it quite disturbing that the Gimbal tilt is on the backside of the controller.
I wish it would be swapped with the up/down of the left stick, as it is in CableCam where you can override the Gimbal movements.

With that i could steer the flight of SOLO with the right stick and have full control over the point where the gopro is looking at, with the left stick.
changing altitude would then be on the paddle, where normaly the gimbal is assigned, as i don´t really need to change altitude so often, when i´m making films at a racing course.

Is this possible, or is it a hardware restriction on the controller ?

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Without re-writing various pieces of the controller's firmware, that's not something you can change.

 

[Jubalr]

I was doing some shots of a gokart race and i found it quite disturbing that the Gimbal tilt is on the backside of the controller.
I wish it would be swapped with the up/down of the left stick, as it is in CableCam where you can override the Gimbal movements.

With that i could steer the flight of SOLO with the right stick and have full control over the point where the gopro is looking at, with the left stick.
changing altitude would then be on the paddle, where normaly the gimbal is assigned, as i don´t really need to change altitude so often, when i´m making films at a racing course.

Is this possible, or is it a hardware restriction on the controller ?

Unless I misread your post, you are describing how MPCC currently works. Set up you cable cam and with free look, the left stick now controls both tilt and yaw of the camera. Use the right stick to control the speed Solo travels on the cable.

 

[hackbard23]

@Jubalr:

Yes, but i don´t want to use MPCC, i would like to fly everywhere with the right stick.

left stick up/down: Gimbal tilt
left stick right/left: yaw

paddle up/down: throttle

right stick up/down: nick solo
right stick right/left: roll solo

GPS: ON

 

[Jubalr]

@Jubalr:

Yes, but i don´t want to use MPCC, i would like to fly everywhere with the right stick.

left stick up/down: Gimbal tilt
left stick right/left: yaw

paddle up/down: throttle

right stick up/down: nick solo
right stick right/left: roll solo

GPS: ON

Well, that's certainly a first. Like PP said, wouldn't be easy.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

I believe you can remap them by editing some files on the controller. Note I said can, not should. Much the same way you can edit them to reduce the proportion of the gimbal tilt. However, there is no documented procedure for doing that. I've only seen the files and briefly glanced them over thinking "I wonder what would happen if I changed that". So you would be a test pilot, and you would be sacrificing your warranty if that matters.

Also, if you do that it will reverse itself in the smart shots. So you can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

[Jubalr]

I believe you can remap them by editing some files on the controller. Note I said can, not should. Much the same way you can edit them to reduce the proportion of the gimbal tilt. However, there is no documented procedure for doing that. I've only seen the files and briefly glanced them over thinking "I wonder what would happen if I changed that". So you would be a test pilot, and you would be sacrificing your warranty if that matters.

Also, if you do that it will reverse itself in the smart shots. So you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Hey @Pedals2Paddles , I wonder if these changes could be made through re-mapping the controller inputs as described here.. Since you are telling the PH where the inputs are coming from, the re-mapping should still apply through all smart & flight modes and fly the same.
Looks like any CH# can be used for the 4 controller inputs. So should theoretically be able to map throttle to 6, 6 would then need to be assigned to 2.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

Noooooooooooo. Don't do that. Awful things will happen. That would only be applicable if you have a conventional RC receiver connected directly to a Pixhawk or other Arducotper based flight controller. With the solo, your controller is connected to the companion computer onboard the solo. And that companion computer is feeding control input to the pixhawk.

 

[Jubalr]

Noooooooooooo. Don't do that. Awful things will happen. That would only be applicable if you have a conventional RC receiver connected directly to a Pixhawk or other Arducotper based flight controller. With the solo, your controller is connected to the companion computer onboard the solo. And that companion computer is feeding control input to the pixhawk.

I haven't taken a controller out of the Solo yet, but the PH2 as shown here still has the inputs on the FC and not the companion computer (CC). I know the CC is processing much of the flight operations, but is it not sending the information as roll/elev yaw/power and not as ch1, 2 etc.? Or on the Solo does it work as you mentioned above and the motor inputs are input directly into the CC? If so, it would certainly be an advantage the new PH2 has over the Solo version.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

The Pixhawk in the solo is getting control input channels 1-7. And all the affiliated arducopter parameters apply (min/mid/max points for example). I assume the Solo's computer is feeding it those channel inputs by PPM, just as you would if coming straight from a PPM compatible RC receiver. It gets more complicated in smart shots, using a combination of guided mode and conventional control PPM control inputs. But suffice to say, if you change the input on the Pixhawk to not match what the companion computer is trying to command, ugly awful things will happen.

Oh, one other interesting thing... In the file on the controller that mapped the sticks to pitch/roll/yaw/throttle/gimbal/etc, it appeared as if you could ADD more. It contained Mode 1 and Mode 2 mapping, which you can select from the menu on the Solo app. It appeared as if you could add your own new ones too. For example "Mode 3" or whatever you want to call it and provide custom mapping. If the app is written to be dynamic, you would then see your new custom mode as an option in the Solo app. Now that would be pretty epic. You could switch between normal and throttle-stick-camera-control on the fly.

 

[franknitty69]

this is technically possible via button remapping. this is one of the first steps in all smart shots. this is why in cable cam and orbit the sticks and paddles do different thing.

so a special 'fly' smart with the buttons remapped is something that would work. it would be very easy to add this new smart shot to solo, but there isn't a way to trigger it because the smart shots are hard coded into the solo app. 3DR was supposed to implement a type of plugin api for smart shots where the app would recognize new smart shots, but they said f-u instead.

 

[hackbard23]

could the remap also be possible for the paddle? or is the paddle hardwired to the gimbal tilt ?

 

[franknitty69]

the paddle is available to be remapped along both sticks and buttons a and b. power, fly and return home are dedicated to those functions.

the paddle click in doesn't appear to be available for remapping.

 

[yt lee]

@Jubalr:

Yes, but i don´t want to use MPCC, i would like to fly everywhere with the right stick.

left stick up/down: Gimbal tilt
left stick right/left: yaw

paddle up/down: throttle

right stick up/down: nick solo
right stick right/left: roll solo

GPS: ON

You could if you know how to program.

 

[PdxSteve]

You could if you know how to program.

That's like saying you can have a different camera/gimbal like you keep complaining about solo not having, if only you were an engineer and new how to build your own.