Tower or Mission Planner?

[bheiland]

I can manually make the camera take photos, but it does not do this automatically the way that I would expect it to.
Thanks for the information on how to set the gimbal angle.

 

[Burkeam]

I personally like use MP and I don't mind hauling my laptop around as it is with me all the time. This guy is faster and more efficient on a pc then using a tablet. My application is surveying farm fields or scouting along miles of ditches. I have never had an issue with MP and did stumble a little on tower at 1st. I'll make it a point to give Tower a fresh look.

 

[Earldgrayjr]

I personally like use MP and I don't mind hauling my laptop around as it is with me all the time. This guy is faster and more efficient on a pc then using a tablet. My application is surveying farm fields or scouting along miles of ditches. I have never had an issue with MP and did stumble a little on tower at 1st. I'll make it a point to give Tower a fresh look.

I think a ground station (MP) is likely better for your application. Still Tower is nice to have around. As an example, I keep it running in the background Even when flying manual, with voice alerts on. It is constantly telling me battery percentage, rssi, etc. That keeps me from having to look for/at them in the application(s).

 

[bheiland]

There are a couple ways to control the gimbal. I am using the Beta, so things may be a bit different on the released app until it catches up.

First is the POI waypoint. You place it. And Solo will look there wherever it is. It is intended to be used in a sequence where you have another waypoint before and/or after it. solo will point toward the POI and tilt the gimbal toward the altitude you have set.

Second is the manual control. You place a waypoint, and then select it to edit. Hit the little white triangle and change the waypoint to set angle.

I see camera trigger in there also, but haven't used this yet.

Given you can take pictures manually from within Tower (through the icons on the live view) I assumed it would take pictures while also taking video, but it is possible you need to be in photo mode.

I just took the drop out and tried to take photos using Tower. Manually I can take images, but in the auto mode it still takes no images. I am using the latest Beta as well. I tested Gopro set to video and with it set to camera mode. I even tried two different Gopro cameras a hero3+ Black and a Hero 4 Black

 

[RichWest]

If you are wanting to trigger the camera and presuming the control is enabled within Tower for Solo...

This is just a typical WP mission example. Survey mission has several option when bringing up the Details in the side-box.

Set your first WP. Highlight that WP in the timeline and a side-box will open. At that point you can change the WP to a Camera Trigger and then adjust the trigger at the specified distance. This should carry out the camera operation until another camera command is given, I don't see a command to stop trigger....unless "0 Ft" is the command

I haven't tried this, but this is the Action to operate the camera within Tower. Again assuming the feature is setup to operate Solo's camera. This is based on the Release version of Tower.

@Jubalr Could you offer some insight to the various references on Tower's screen. Just so the conversation/language keeps simple for everyone to follow. For example Side-Box, Timeline, Action, and so on. I'm making those up since there is no official terminology. You're probably the best to help us define the common references to these various functions. You'd be every ones best buddy if you could help....not that you already aren't....

 

[Earldgrayjr]

Sorry if this is only slightly related.

FYI, a guy just posted a file that completely automates the map function in Tower. You give Tower your camera info (in an xml file) and put this file in the Solo. It then automates the Solo speed, gimbal tilt, and the camera shutter, to take all the pictures at the right times to stitch together a google style map (with something like Microsoft ICE) using the survey function in Tower...

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Pretty cool...

 

[Maddog]

Both applications are fantatstic, and they do many of the same things. MP has a LOT of diganostic and tweaking functions (as an example you can run one motor at a time, play back telemetry logs, graph the acceleromter values (historically or in real time) etc. etc. etc..)

What Tower lacks in tweaking and diganostic functions, it gains in portability. As was mentioned, you can run it on the same tablet at the same time as tower, and jump between the two. I do this a LOT, as I like the full screen video of the Solo app. FYI, Tower also has awesome verbal updates. I keep those on always.

Tower likely does the things you want it to, including controlling the Solo (pan) and gimbal (tilt) in a "mission" both in the "POI" waypoints as well as being able to control the tilt manually as an angle %. The only thing I don't like about Tower is that it (currently) doesn't do a great job of playing back log files. You can load tham and step through them, but MP plays them back visually, animating the craft on screan to the log values.

Mission Planner is also for a lot more than just Solo (or even quad copters) though, so there are a lot of options you will see that you will never actually touch, and some you could but shouldn't. Where as Tower is focused on Solo, and eliminates everything not needed by it, and takes advantage of things specific to Solo.

My advice is to actually get both (actually all three if you count the Solo app). They seem hard to start, but aren't after you get going. I use MP for flight logs, and testing/tuning, and Tower for creating and flying missions

Earl, how do you connect Mission Planner to Solo?

 

[Jubalr]

If you are wanting to trigger the camera and presuming the control is enabled within Tower for Solo...

This is just a typical WP mission example. Survey mission has several option when bringing up the Details in the side-box.

Set your first WP. Highlight that WP in the timeline and a side-box will open. At that point you can change the WP to a Camera Trigger and then adjust the trigger at the specified distance. This should carry out the camera operation until another camera command is given, I don't see a command to stop trigger....unless "0 Ft" is the command

I haven't tried this, but this is the Action to operate the camera within Tower. Again assuming the feature is setup to operate Solo's camera. This is based on the Release version of Tower.

@Jubalr Could you offer some insight to the various references on Tower's screen. Just so the conversation/language keeps simple for everyone to follow. For example Side-Box, Timeline, Action, and so on. I'm making those up since there is no official terminology. You're probably the best to help us define the common references to these various functions. You'd be every ones best buddy if you could help....not that you already aren't....

Great tips Rich! I haven't played with triggers yet, but just noticed the post below by Earl and will be trying the modified file on the FB mod group to see how it works.

Regarding the references; since there is no real documentation yet on Tower, I actually find your references above to be perfect and ones I hadn't considered. But they make perfect sense and I hope they are used should any documentation be written. Have any others in mind?

 

[Jubalr]

Sorry if this is only slightly related.

FYI, a guy just posted a file that completely automates the map function in Tower. You give Tower your camera info (in an xml file) and put this file in the Solo. It then automates the Solo speed, gimbal tilt, and the camera shutter, to take all the pictures at the right times to stitch together a google style map (with something like Microsoft ICE) using the survey function in Tower...

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Pretty cool...

Awesome find Earl. I hadn't checked in on the mod club for a while. DL'd the file and will give it a try when I get a chance..

 

[Earldgrayjr]

Earl, how do you connect Mission Planner to Solo?

Connect PC to the Sololink network. Start MP. Change connection type to UDP. Connect. accept default comms. Don't upgrade the APM. Be careful what you change

 

[Maddog]

Connect PC to the Sololink network. Start MP. Change connection type to UDP. Connect. accept default comms. Don't upgrade the APM. Be careful what you change

Ok, thanks!