Sorry @martinbj ,
just going through the github readme as today i’ve a bit more time to check it and i notice that effectively the automatic connection and packet forwarding are features commands that were not present also into the previous readme.
The code you see there is related to the docker container rather than the Nucleus. It allows the docker container to automatically start whenever the ROV boots which is essential for it to properly function with BlueOS. This is what makes the extension available for use whenever you boot the ROV.
In the current and previous version of the extension you will still have to navigate into the extension and connect to the Nucleus
1 Like
I take it that you wish for the Nucleus to automatically connect and start sending packages when you boot the ROV then?
This is something that has been considered in the past as it would further ease the use of the Nucleus together with the extension, and it would be great if the user wouldn’t have to navigate into the extension at all after boot.
One problem with this is that the extension then will always claim the Nucleus and prevent other connections to the device. This could prove troublesome if someone wish to for instance make some configurations on the Nucleus while it is mounted on the ROV or simply connect to the Nucleus with other software they might have.
Since it is hard to predict the different preferences and use cases of all users, it was decided to make the extension more conservative and not perform any actions the used might not want.
Do you think it is possible to do all warm up settings automatically so you have the DVL ready as soon the extension boot up?
We always think in the scenario when the Rov is in operation. The less things to do before to come back operational in between dives, battery swap or power cycle after an overcurrent trip if powered from surface are the best.
Considering also the blueos start up time is so long that make the things worse
which settings are you referring to when you say warm up settings? like configuration of the ROV for it to support the extension etc? and/or settings in the Nucleus?
Warm up settings are all the steps you have to do from when the extension boot up to have the DVL operational through Cockpit and use the position hold.
Sorry for my bad interpretation
We intent to avoid preforming any automatic settings of the Nucleus or the ROV at boot time. This is again due to us not knowing how the user intend to use the ROV and Nucleus, and doing automatic settings could potentially mess with configurations a user has done which they need for other purposes.
However, any relevant settings configured in the ROV only has to be done once, and the ROV will retain these settings across boots. Similarly on the Nucleus, if it has been configured for this purpose, these configurations will remain across power cycles.
So if everything is correctly set up once, you will not have to do it again when you start up the ROV.
Also, we intend to add some configuration panels in the ROV to simplify the configurations that are relevant, so that the first setup becomes easier.
Ok about the settings and parameters
But what’s the reason to do the connection steps and start the packet forwarding to have the dvl ready every time you boot up the ROV?
Hi @SubseaLED
Marin has already answered this question!
I agree with you, it may be nice if the extension automatically got things connected and working - I’d point out to @martinbj that if a user wants to access the device with other software, it is trivial to disable the extension (under Installed Extensions in extensions manager) - this should release the unit from any connection.
I’d also comment that BlueOS boot up times should be around 1 minute - if you’re experiencing longer, you may not be on the latest stable version (1.4.2) or have sufficient SD Card space (newer BlueROV2 / BlueBoat come with 128GB)
Hi @tony-white ,
Yeah uninstalling the extension or disable it it’s a good way to go.
Regarding the blueos boot time, i confirm it is around 1 min. and it is really long.
Old companion with Pixhawk took seconds.
I’ve seen the guys are working to improve it and i hope soon.
Image if a system reboot happens while flying in 1 knot current during operations…
Hi @SubseaLED -
While you may have heard the thruster initialization beeps seconds after connecting a Pixhawk based system, the Pi 3B running Companion used in those legacy systems took 2-5 minutes to boot up before the video stream and control was available! Thus, Navigator systems boot up quicker, and provide a beep notification when everything is ready to use!
I’ve never had the “system reboot” happen when operating the vehicle… maybe an insufficient topside power supply could cause this?
An auto connection could be considered. we can keep that in mind for future development.
Hi @tony-white ,
Insufficient power supply is not the cause of an our reboot as both of our power supply , the 1.5kw and 3kw have current limiter feature and the voltage provided is always above the low limit used by the electronics.
System reboot could happen if you have a breaker trip on surface or maybe due to short spike from a dirty main inlet supply , very frequent if you work onboard vessel with DP system and the power provided is not the best.
Also, we had a lot of client using the surface powered bluerov in water for longer than 12 hours.
Sometime a quick reboot is necessary to refresh the raspi RAM. Never happens in our case but it’s a possibility.
Also LIM fault can switch off the system. Sometimes the fault is on the tether. But rebooting the system and releasing the tension on the tether could give you just the time to escape from inside of a platform avoiding to remain trapped inside.
i’m pretty sure the first bluerov we had was equipped with raspi3 with companion and boot time was seconds. Not sure how many but was a matter of 10-20 secs.
Hi @SubseaLED -
That power supply preventing power loss with a current limit is quite neat! Not all units I’ve seen do that…
I wonder if using a modern battery powered portable UPS From ecoflow or jackery, between your “dirty” boat power and the topside power supply could help prevent undesired loss of power? Assuming it was rated for the 1.5 to 3kw… This doesn’t help for the LIM case of course!
I’ve been using the BlueROV2 since literally the first unit ever made! I don’t recall it ever booting to a usable state faster than 1-2 minutes - but newer versions of BlueOS are striving to get that time under 1 minute, especially when using a Pi5!
Hi @tony-white ,
Yeah the problem is that it is 3Kw subsea at the output side. Then the topside is a bit over due to the switching loss, tether loss etc. At the end you have such as 3600W of power required from the topside main inlet.
A good UPS start to be quite huge.