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  4. Voxl 2 mini UARTs from Linux

Voxl 2 mini UARTs from Linux

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved VOXL 2 Mini
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  • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

    @Brendon There is a UART available to the apps processor on VOXL2 mini on connector J10. But by default this is shipped with the default configuration of that being a SPI port instead of a UART. So, we are looking into the best way to support switching modes between SPI and UART so that customers can choose what function to have on J10. In order to use a SLPI UART you won't be able to have PX4 running on VOXL2 mini.

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    Brendon
    Contributor
    wrote on last edited by
    #3

    @Eric-Katzfey I don't need PX4 running on this board at all, so it would be fine to change the configuration.

    Can you share how how we can change the configuration to get that working?

    Thanks!

    Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
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    • B Brendon

      @Eric-Katzfey I don't need PX4 running on this board at all, so it would be fine to change the configuration.

      Can you share how how we can change the configuration to get that working?

      Thanks!

      Eric KatzfeyE Online
      Eric KatzfeyE Online
      Eric Katzfey
      ModalAI Team
      wrote on last edited by
      #4

      @Brendon We have tested UART on J10 but don't really have anything we can share at the moment for allowing you to switch it from SPI to UART. We also have some internal code to allow access to one of the SLPI UARTs from the applications processor when PX4 isn't running. However, this also isn't really in a shareable form right now. These are both features that we are targeting for our next 1.0.1 SDK release. If you cannot wait a few weeks for that to come out then we can discuss ways to get you enabled sooner.

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      • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

        @Brendon We have tested UART on J10 but don't really have anything we can share at the moment for allowing you to switch it from SPI to UART. We also have some internal code to allow access to one of the SLPI UARTs from the applications processor when PX4 isn't running. However, this also isn't really in a shareable form right now. These are both features that we are targeting for our next 1.0.1 SDK release. If you cannot wait a few weeks for that to come out then we can discuss ways to get you enabled sooner.

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        Brendon
        Contributor
        wrote on last edited by
        #5

        @Eric-Katzfey We are all setup to do a few high profile test flights which absolutely need a 1 Mbaud UART available, and ideally a second lower speed one, but we can work around that for now. The final version needed for test flights in October needs both.

        A separate effort we are working on needs just a single UART and would benefit from a second. That is lined up for delivery by mid August.

        So anything you'd be able to share that can get us closer to our goals would be very helpful and faster than the parallel workarounds we are exploring. @Chad-Sweet has been briefed on our use cases.

        Eric KatzfeyE 2 Replies Last reply
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        • B Brendon

          @Eric-Katzfey We are all setup to do a few high profile test flights which absolutely need a 1 Mbaud UART available, and ideally a second lower speed one, but we can work around that for now. The final version needed for test flights in October needs both.

          A separate effort we are working on needs just a single UART and would benefit from a second. That is lined up for delivery by mid August.

          So anything you'd be able to share that can get us closer to our goals would be very helpful and faster than the parallel workarounds we are exploring. @Chad-Sweet has been briefed on our use cases.

          Eric KatzfeyE Online
          Eric KatzfeyE Online
          Eric Katzfey
          ModalAI Team
          wrote on last edited by
          #6

          @Brendon Okay, we will discuss internally and figure out the best way to support you on this.

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          • B Brendon

            @Eric-Katzfey We are all setup to do a few high profile test flights which absolutely need a 1 Mbaud UART available, and ideally a second lower speed one, but we can work around that for now. The final version needed for test flights in October needs both.

            A separate effort we are working on needs just a single UART and would benefit from a second. That is lined up for delivery by mid August.

            So anything you'd be able to share that can get us closer to our goals would be very helpful and faster than the parallel workarounds we are exploring. @Chad-Sweet has been briefed on our use cases.

            Eric KatzfeyE Online
            Eric KatzfeyE Online
            Eric Katzfey
            ModalAI Team
            wrote on last edited by
            #7

            @Brendon This new system image changes J10 into a UART on VOXL2 mini. We have only done a simple loopback test on it but seems functional. Go ahead and try it and let us know if it is working for you. It will be exposed on the apps processor as /dev/ttyHS0. https://storage.googleapis.com/platform-nightlies/voxl2-mini/voxl2-mini_SDK_nightly_20230727b.tar.gz

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            • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

              @Brendon This new system image changes J10 into a UART on VOXL2 mini. We have only done a simple loopback test on it but seems functional. Go ahead and try it and let us know if it is working for you. It will be exposed on the apps processor as /dev/ttyHS0. https://storage.googleapis.com/platform-nightlies/voxl2-mini/voxl2-mini_SDK_nightly_20230727b.tar.gz

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              Brendon
              Contributor
              wrote on last edited by
              #8

              @Eric-Katzfey Fantastic. We had an engineer pull this down on Saturday and so far it seems to work. I'll give you an update if we run into issues or are able to do the flight tests using this UART instead of the workaround.

              Thanks very much guys, it looks like you saved us a lot of rework.

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              • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

                @Brendon This new system image changes J10 into a UART on VOXL2 mini. We have only done a simple loopback test on it but seems functional. Go ahead and try it and let us know if it is working for you. It will be exposed on the apps processor as /dev/ttyHS0. https://storage.googleapis.com/platform-nightlies/voxl2-mini/voxl2-mini_SDK_nightly_20230727b.tar.gz

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                david.moro
                Contributor
                wrote on last edited by
                #9

                @Eric-Katzfey, can you confirm this is a feasible way to connect to an external mavlink autopilot? We have it working on a VOXL2, but the MINI form factor might be more attractive for us.

                Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
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                • D david.moro

                  @Eric-Katzfey, can you confirm this is a feasible way to connect to an external mavlink autopilot? We have it working on a VOXL2, but the MINI form factor might be more attractive for us.

                  Eric KatzfeyE Online
                  Eric KatzfeyE Online
                  Eric Katzfey
                  ModalAI Team
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #10

                  @david-moro Yes, absolutely. That is the main use case envisioned for that connector on the VOXL2 mini and moving forward it will be UART by default.

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                  • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

                    @david-moro Yes, absolutely. That is the main use case envisioned for that connector on the VOXL2 mini and moving forward it will be UART by default.

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                    david.moro
                    Contributor
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #11

                    @Eric-Katzfey. Awesome, thanks! Do you expect any issues using the OV9782 sensors for tracking?

                    Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • D david.moro

                      @Eric-Katzfey. Awesome, thanks! Do you expect any issues using the OV9782 sensors for tracking?

                      Eric KatzfeyE Online
                      Eric KatzfeyE Online
                      Eric Katzfey
                      ModalAI Team
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #12

                      @david-moro It would be better to start a new thread with that topic.

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