Took the Sidescan system for 1st test run after the installation on the blue boat. Installation and setup went well though I am not a fan over excessive use of heat shrink on the Omniscan v2 push fit connectors.
The system worked well, though I have much more reading up to do to understand what I am seeing and for the best settings.
However at the end of the installation and configuration, while on the blueos Web page for the boat, a message popped up asking to change 5 parameters..
Visio_type 0-1, ek3_src1_posxy 3-6, ek3_src1_velxy 3-6, rng_fnd1_mas 20000-50000, ek3_src_options 1-0.
Was I wrong to allow these changes, and could this contribute to resulting EKF variance errors, Pre-arm AHRS not using configured AHRS type, and flight mode change failed?
I had assumed that as BlueOS and Ardupilot were asking, it would be to do with fine tuning of the sidescan, but perhaps that was wrong?
CC
Further reading on this, it seems that the popup message about changing the 5 ardupilot parameters, comes from the SonarScan app, thinking that an optical sensor, visual odometry camera stuff is present, particularly for indoor or non gps systems.
Is this an extra in the standard blueboat configuration, or just a confusion with a parameter set for flow_type not being at 0?
I don’t have any camera or optical system, at least not that I am aware of.
Should I just reset the 5 parameters, to pre-sidescan, and then ignore the message? If I don’t I then have the problem of a failing EK3 system.
CC
Hi @ChrisCole -
Apologies, this seems to have been an issue With SonarView changing parameters it shouldn’t. Cerulean Sonar is aware and fixing the issues! For now, you can simply ignore, and if you did change the parameters when prompted by SonarView:
- backup your parameters (via Autopilot Parameters / Save)
- load the default BlueBoat parameters under Vehicle Setup.
- load your saved parameters, only restoring the compass / accelerometer / gyro calibration parameters, and not the ones that SonarView was trying to change.
Hi
Is it likely that while SonarView changed those 5 parameters, then other parameters would have been automatically changed or deleted?
So, if so, just returning the 5 parameters wouldn’t recover to the previous state, and a full rebuild would be required? Thing is the blueboat is standard, and I don’t know all the parameters of the compass, accelerometer, or gyro.
After all that I have only reset the 5 parameters, and tried a startup in the back garden. Found 18 sats in no time, hdop at 0.7. Switched to “armed” and no error messages, and EK3 looks happy enough. So it seems the only parameters affected were those 5. I will do a full run on the water, next week, once clear of the wet and windy weather. (I can’t risk running on a club session at the pond, as there are some very valuable boats there, and loosing telemetry, hence control, is too much a risk!) (I do need to explore using an rc transmitter fall back, that takes control, when the telemetry drops out. 2.4ghz rc seems more reliable for even just manual control.)
So it all looks good again. (The search for Keith’s sunken boat begins again!)
Many thanks CC
Hi @ChrisCole -
As you found, no other parameters are likely to be affected, and the steps I described (saving, resetting, loading) should be all that’s required to correct.
I haven’t found RC controllers to give much better range, as the receiver is typically located even lower than the standard BlueBoat antenna! If you need more range, the cheapest / easiest way to accomplish this is raising the antenna height with the new mast product (this should ~ double performance!)
Beyond that, a directional antenna can give you ranges of 1-2km, depending on BaseStation height, and a cellular modem can give connection dependent only on cell tower coverage!
Hi Tony
I don’t know what is causing me a problem, as in 5 years on this small patch of water, no more than 100m, I have never had an rc communication issue, even when receivers and aerials are buried below deck on model boats. Even on occasions when in excess of 20 boats are on the water, at the same time. BUT with the BlueBoat, I regularly have telemetry losses, which of course means loss of control from the base station, especially as no more than a couple other boats are on the water, during BlueBoat tests.
The base station is mounted on a 5ft photographic tripod, with the aerial upright and the face pointing to the middle of the pond. The tripod is also on a bank 2ft above the water level. The base station is connected to the laptop by the usbc cable.
Of course in the UK, we are limited to an antenna gain of 6, while in the US you have 1. I did change the value from 6 to 3, but there was no reduction in losses. Even increasing to 8, in case the signal was too strong, didn’t help. So distance/range isn’t the issue, but something else is causing a breakdown. As I say, the BlueBoat is standard, with only the sidescan addition.
Don’t know what else could be causing these issues.
Hi @ChrisCole -
Have you ever left either the BlueBoat or BaseStation turned on with no antenna attached for a significant period of time? This can damage the radio as the RF power has nowhere to go… even at the reduced UK gain!
It’s not something I would have done without realising, as I have been aware of the dangers of any amplifiers running without load or aerials. Certainly the BlueBoat assembly guide has it all assembled before power is added, and there is no reason to disconnect that aerial. The base station always has the aerial attached, I don’t disconnect it, just for that reason.
So it may have happened, but I don’t remember running either without their aerials.