Author Topic: A testament to Felix's Mega  (Read 6276 times)

syrinxtech

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Re: A testament to Felix's Mega
« Reply #15 on: August 08, 2020, 05:30:14 PM »
Conditional compiles for LoRA vs. RFM96 done.

Made one small change to opening for 3x4 keypad on 3d-printed box cover.

Lots of reading on RC trucks.

syrinxtech

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Re: A testament to Felix's Mega
« Reply #16 on: August 10, 2020, 02:11:05 PM »
Added OTA to the rover and cmd/control unit.  All covered by the conditional compile for the RFM69.

Started working on integration of Nextion 3.2" display into cmd/control unit.

Finished conversion of file delete from "delete by name" to "delete by number".  Briefly considered converting to Nextion for keypad input but I like the look of the keypad.

Need to get back to fan unit for rover.  Spent a couple of days playing with different ideas for the DS1631 chip.

syrinxtech

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Re: A testament to Felix's Mega
« Reply #17 on: August 16, 2020, 10:10:44 AM »
A couple of major changes to the project.

1. After fighting with the Moteino, the keypad and the Nextion (mainly due to the one serial port) on the command/control box, I ditched the Moteino and went with an ESP32 with an external RFM69 radio.  This also meant pitching LoRA, which I was OK with seeing as how most of the gains in LoRA distance would be negated by the trees and terrain.  If I was using this in a drone or balloon which is mainly vertical, I would have definitely kept the LoRA.  I know there are ways to work around the one serial problem, and I have done it on other projects, but after spending 2 days banging my head I decided to cut my losses and switch to the ESP32.  This change also gives me Internet access via wireless which I can use to stream log messages to the Internet for analysis and storage.  It also gives me BT in case I want to work on a phone app.  I had to remember how to handle the packing of the structs between the Mega and the ESP32, but I was able to get everything working.
2. The Nextion UI is almost done.  I have added all the necessary code to enter the 3-digit command into the keypad, send the command to the rover, and accept the log/data output and display it on the Nextion.  I'm thinking about taking on a scrolling window which would allow me to view older messages.
3.  I need to wire up a HW radio instead of the W model I have now.
4.  Still need to finish the fan circuit and finish testing.

syrinxtech

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Re: A testament to Felix's Mega
« Reply #18 on: August 19, 2020, 10:21:58 AM »
Updates:

1.  Finished initial configuration of Nextion display and integration of 3x4 keypad.  Created pop-up windows with help information.  Finished screens for all input and log data coming from rover.
2.  A couple of bug fixes.
3.  Starting to work on possible PCB board design for the command/log box.
4.  Starting to work on 3d printing options for box design vs. commercial box.

syrinxtech

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Re: A testament to Felix's Mega
« Reply #19 on: August 30, 2020, 09:51:10 PM »
Weekend update:

1.  After a lot of work getting the physical keypad to work, I decided I liked it better using the Nextion for the keypad entry as well.  Just finished designing the keypad and coding the various features (ie, can't have a zero as first number, making sure there are 3 numbers before the OK button works, etc).  I'm using the 3.2" Nextion model....wish it was the next size up but it's certainly workable.  The buttons are 50x50 pixels.  Once the command number is entered, it is passed through Serial2 to the ESP32 for processing.
2.  Started work on the 3d print design for the box.  It will be about the size of an iPhone since I'm using the Nextion screen in portrait orientation.
3.  Finished gathering the parts to build the control box.  Still deciding on whether to use an external antenanna or just rely on the antenna wire.

syrinxtech

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Re: A testament to Felix's Mega
« Reply #20 on: September 11, 2020, 11:19:11 AM »
Finishing up the Nextion design:

1.  For log review, I went with a screen design that allows the last two log messages to be displayed on the screen.  Each individual window scrolls the log message.  As new messages come in they rotate between screens.
2.  I added a "999" code to erase both log windows.
3.  We moved the ESP/RFM69 and Nextion from a breadboard to a proto board which greatly reduced Nextion reboots caused by cables moving around.  Much easier to work with now.


syrinxtech

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Re: A testament to Felix's Mega
« Reply #21 on: October 30, 2020, 02:14:25 PM »
A couple of updates:

1.  Added a voltage monitor to the command/control unit.
2.  Added a "Settings" button on the main Nextion screen.  This takes you to a screen to see the battery voltage and a slider to adjust the screen brightness from 5-100%.
3.  Final 3D printing and circuit board design for the command/control unit.  It incorporates the Nextion screen, on/off rocker switch, USB jack to plug in for battery recharging, and micro SD card to update the Nextion code.
4.  Going to integrate OTA updates for ESP32 so you won't have to take off the back cover to update code.


syrinxtech

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Re: A testament to Felix's Mega
« Reply #22 on: November 04, 2020, 11:10:38 AM »
Today's updates:

1. The command/control box is done.  My brother-in-law did a fantastic job of 3D printing the enclosure and laying out the various components.  I'll try and get some pictures to upload.
2. Converted the Adafruit GPS from polling to interrupt-driven.  Using the "TimerOne" library, every millisecond the GPS is checked for input and data is read if necessary.  Once a NMEA sentence is completely read, it is processed.