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doodle labs and joystick setup

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  • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

    @Eric-Katzfey Also, there is a parameter called VOXL_ESC_T_ON. How is that set? It determines which button will be used for turtle mode. The code is here: https://github.com/modalai/px4-firmware/blob/ea098200d3c09b7af548bf7be29fda245fad8f17/src/modules/mavlink/mavlink_receiver.cpp#L2083

    Jetson NanoJ Offline
    Jetson NanoJ Offline
    Jetson Nano
    Veteran
    wrote on last edited by Jetson Nano
    #16

    @Eric-Katzfey Hey hope you are doing fine, I checked the code and various branches of PX4, I noticed I was able to see the parameter VOXL_ESC_T_ON but the option only showcased button 1 for assignment . what to do if I want to assign another button.

    Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
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    • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

      @Eric-Katzfey Hey hope you are doing fine, I checked the code and various branches of PX4, I noticed I was able to see the parameter VOXL_ESC_T_ON but the option only showcased button 1 for assignment . what to do if I want to assign another button.

      Eric KatzfeyE Offline
      Eric KatzfeyE Offline
      Eric Katzfey
      ModalAI Team
      wrote on last edited by
      #17

      @Jetson-Nano You set that parameter to match the button you want to use.

      Jetson NanoJ 1 Reply Last reply
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      • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

        @Jetson-Nano You set that parameter to match the button you want to use.

        Jetson NanoJ Offline
        Jetson NanoJ Offline
        Jetson Nano
        Veteran
        wrote on last edited by
        #18

        @Eric-Katzfey Thank you for reverting back, The options only show one option button 1. I tested with button one but the drone was not taking in the command for enabling the turtle mode.
        I want to know whether the code was tested out, so that I can be sure about not missing out on any parameter or setup

        Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
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        • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

          @Eric-Katzfey Thank you for reverting back, The options only show one option button 1. I tested with button one but the drone was not taking in the command for enabling the turtle mode.
          I want to know whether the code was tested out, so that I can be sure about not missing out on any parameter or setup

          Eric KatzfeyE Offline
          Eric KatzfeyE Offline
          Eric Katzfey
          ModalAI Team
          wrote on last edited by
          #19

          @Jetson-Nano It's a parameter that you can set to any number you want. In QGC you can look at the joysticks tab and see as you press each button which number it is. Then set the parameter to that number.

          Jetson NanoJ 1 Reply Last reply
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          • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

            @Jetson-Nano It's a parameter that you can set to any number you want. In QGC you can look at the joysticks tab and see as you press each button which number it is. Then set the parameter to that number.

            Jetson NanoJ Offline
            Jetson NanoJ Offline
            Jetson Nano
            Veteran
            wrote on last edited by
            #20

            @Eric-Katzfey I am not able to setup multiple buttons, it is only showing one option of button 1.
            Also after assigning the button one and trying to enable and use turtle mode, it is not working.
            Is there any particular version of px4 that this works with.
            My setup is VOXL 2 ---> TELEM 1 --> Flight core v2 --> TELEM 2 --> FPV ESC
            In normal setup the motors are working and rotating, but when I try to keep the drone upside down and enable the turtle mode , the QGC is still showing not ready message. Also I am not able to ARM because of this.
            Is there anything I am missing out?

            Jetson NanoJ 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

              @Eric-Katzfey I am not able to setup multiple buttons, it is only showing one option of button 1.
              Also after assigning the button one and trying to enable and use turtle mode, it is not working.
              Is there any particular version of px4 that this works with.
              My setup is VOXL 2 ---> TELEM 1 --> Flight core v2 --> TELEM 2 --> FPV ESC
              In normal setup the motors are working and rotating, but when I try to keep the drone upside down and enable the turtle mode , the QGC is still showing not ready message. Also I am not able to ARM because of this.
              Is there anything I am missing out?

              Jetson NanoJ Offline
              Jetson NanoJ Offline
              Jetson Nano
              Veteran
              wrote on last edited by
              #21

              @Eric-Katzfey could you please help me out here

              Eric KatzfeyE 2 Replies Last reply
              0
              • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

                @Eric-Katzfey could you please help me out here

                Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                Eric Katzfey
                ModalAI Team
                wrote on last edited by Eric Katzfey
                #22

                @Jetson-Nano Let's try to walk through this and see where it is going wrong. Please provide answers to all of the following questions. Go to the joystick tab in QGC and press the button on the joystick that you want to use for turtle mode. Which number lights up when you press the button? Next, go to the MAVLink console and provide the output of these commands: ver all, listener manual_control_setpoint, param show VOXL_ESC_MODE, param show VOXL_ESC_T_ON, and param show COM_RC_IN_MODE. If VOXL_ESC_T_ON is not set to the number of the button you just discovered on the joystick tab then change it to the value you want. For example, by default VOXL_ESC_T_ON is set to 9. If you want to use button 10 instead then do param set VOXL_ESC_T_ON 10. If you had to change that parameter then reboot and verify that it is now set correctly. You should see the aux1 value in manual_control_setpoint change from 0.0 to 1.0 when you press the button that you have chosen. Can you verify that you are seeing that?

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

                  @Eric-Katzfey could you please help me out here

                  Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                  Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                  Eric Katzfey
                  ModalAI Team
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #23

                  @Jetson-Nano If all that seems to be working then press the turtle button and arm (with drone right side up, not upside down) and verify that with turtle mode enabled the propellers are spinning in the opposite direction and the drone won't lift off. Of course, you must be extremely careful when running this test!!! Make sure that the drone is in a location where it cannot cause damage or injure someone if it goes out of control. It would be best to completely remove the propellers and just verify that the motors are spinning in the opposite direction of normal flight.

                  Jetson NanoJ 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

                    @Jetson-Nano If all that seems to be working then press the turtle button and arm (with drone right side up, not upside down) and verify that with turtle mode enabled the propellers are spinning in the opposite direction and the drone won't lift off. Of course, you must be extremely careful when running this test!!! Make sure that the drone is in a location where it cannot cause damage or injure someone if it goes out of control. It would be best to completely remove the propellers and just verify that the motors are spinning in the opposite direction of normal flight.

                    Jetson NanoJ Offline
                    Jetson NanoJ Offline
                    Jetson Nano
                    Veteran
                    wrote on last edited by Jetson Nano
                    #24

                    @Eric-Katzfey
                    I followed the steps you suggested, i am attaching the Screenshots. I tried what you suggested the result is still the same, I am not able to arm the system. I tried with various options for VOXL_ESC_MODE, still the same.

                    Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-29-56.png

                    I clicked the assigned button here, AUX 1 values are changing but only when i keep the voxl_ESC_MODE to UART passthorugh

                    Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-30-08.png

                    Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-19-46.png

                    Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-19-43.png

                    Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-36-35.png

                    Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

                      @Eric-Katzfey
                      I followed the steps you suggested, i am attaching the Screenshots. I tried what you suggested the result is still the same, I am not able to arm the system. I tried with various options for VOXL_ESC_MODE, still the same.

                      Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-29-56.png

                      I clicked the assigned button here, AUX 1 values are changing but only when i keep the voxl_ESC_MODE to UART passthorugh

                      Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-30-08.png

                      Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-19-46.png

                      Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-19-43.png

                      Screenshot from 2025-08-14 14-36-35.png

                      Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                      Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                      Eric Katzfey
                      ModalAI Team
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #25

                      @Jetson-Nano Here are the steps I am using for testing. Here are my VOXL_ESC parameters:
                      6d7b7752-038a-4078-8455-ce8b3f4e46dc-image.png
                      My VOXL_ESC_BAUD is set non-standard because I am using an ESC simulator. I have flight mode set to altitude mode. If I check the ESC commands I see no output:
                      c4703501-1b3d-4d39-aeec-43e3e5cf3c10-image.png
                      Then I arm and check ESC commands and see values:
                      ecde7a30-8903-4116-819c-abd998b4d8b1-image.png
                      Then I disarm, press button 9, arm, move both sticks around and see these ESC commands:
                      c0b19cce-bed1-4358-96c8-87595e4dd924-image.png
                      Notice that most motors are 0 except for 1 or 2 and are of opposite sign than normal. In this case pitch was centered and roll was full right. Hope this helps.

                      Jetson NanoJ 2 Replies Last reply
                      0
                      • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

                        @Jetson-Nano Here are the steps I am using for testing. Here are my VOXL_ESC parameters:
                        6d7b7752-038a-4078-8455-ce8b3f4e46dc-image.png
                        My VOXL_ESC_BAUD is set non-standard because I am using an ESC simulator. I have flight mode set to altitude mode. If I check the ESC commands I see no output:
                        c4703501-1b3d-4d39-aeec-43e3e5cf3c10-image.png
                        Then I arm and check ESC commands and see values:
                        ecde7a30-8903-4116-819c-abd998b4d8b1-image.png
                        Then I disarm, press button 9, arm, move both sticks around and see these ESC commands:
                        c0b19cce-bed1-4358-96c8-87595e4dd924-image.png
                        Notice that most motors are 0 except for 1 or 2 and are of opposite sign than normal. In this case pitch was centered and roll was full right. Hope this helps.

                        Jetson NanoJ Offline
                        Jetson NanoJ Offline
                        Jetson Nano
                        Veteran
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #26

                        @Eric-Katzfey
                        Thank you for reverting back, I will check these out and get back to you. Also I will flash the FC once more and see if I have any luck.
                        I would like to know which is the version of PX4 you are using.

                        Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

                          @Eric-Katzfey
                          Thank you for reverting back, I will check these out and get back to you. Also I will flash the FC once more and see if I have any luck.
                          I would like to know which is the version of PX4 you are using.

                          Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                          Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                          Eric Katzfey
                          ModalAI Team
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #27

                          @Jetson-Nano I was using v1.14.0-8.106.1

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

                            @Jetson-Nano Here are the steps I am using for testing. Here are my VOXL_ESC parameters:
                            6d7b7752-038a-4078-8455-ce8b3f4e46dc-image.png
                            My VOXL_ESC_BAUD is set non-standard because I am using an ESC simulator. I have flight mode set to altitude mode. If I check the ESC commands I see no output:
                            c4703501-1b3d-4d39-aeec-43e3e5cf3c10-image.png
                            Then I arm and check ESC commands and see values:
                            ecde7a30-8903-4116-819c-abd998b4d8b1-image.png
                            Then I disarm, press button 9, arm, move both sticks around and see these ESC commands:
                            c0b19cce-bed1-4358-96c8-87595e4dd924-image.png
                            Notice that most motors are 0 except for 1 or 2 and are of opposite sign than normal. In this case pitch was centered and roll was full right. Hope this helps.

                            Jetson NanoJ Offline
                            Jetson NanoJ Offline
                            Jetson Nano
                            Veteran
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #28

                            Hey @Eric-Katzfey ,
                            sorry for the late reply, I tested it out by keeping the drone straight and enabling turtle mode, it is working. I should also press both the turtle mode button and arm button together to get it working.
                            The major issue still is there, When i try to arm the system by keeping it facing down or in an angle, the drone is not accepting the command and is not arming.
                            I am attaching screenshot for your reference.
                            Please help me out here. I am using the px4 firmware version 1.14.0 dev 8.104.4
                            Since it is working when I keep it straight and arm, I feel there is something wrong in the logic somewhere or in the parameters.

                            Screenshot from 2025-08-22 12-00-46.png

                            Eric KatzfeyE 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • Jetson NanoJ Jetson Nano

                              Hey @Eric-Katzfey ,
                              sorry for the late reply, I tested it out by keeping the drone straight and enabling turtle mode, it is working. I should also press both the turtle mode button and arm button together to get it working.
                              The major issue still is there, When i try to arm the system by keeping it facing down or in an angle, the drone is not accepting the command and is not arming.
                              I am attaching screenshot for your reference.
                              Please help me out here. I am using the px4 firmware version 1.14.0 dev 8.104.4
                              Since it is working when I keep it straight and arm, I feel there is something wrong in the logic somewhere or in the parameters.

                              Screenshot from 2025-08-22 12-00-46.png

                              Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                              Eric KatzfeyE Offline
                              Eric Katzfey
                              ModalAI Team
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #29

                              @Jetson-Nano I'm sure it is related to your parameter settings. Take a look at our parameter settings for FPV drones and compare against what you are using: https://gitlab.com/voxl-public/voxl-sdk/utilities/voxl-px4-params/-/blob/dev/params/v1.14/platforms/D0008_v5.params?ref_type=heads

                              Jetson NanoJ 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • Eric KatzfeyE Eric Katzfey

                                @Jetson-Nano I'm sure it is related to your parameter settings. Take a look at our parameter settings for FPV drones and compare against what you are using: https://gitlab.com/voxl-public/voxl-sdk/utilities/voxl-px4-params/-/blob/dev/params/v1.14/platforms/D0008_v5.params?ref_type=heads

                                Jetson NanoJ Offline
                                Jetson NanoJ Offline
                                Jetson Nano
                                Veteran
                                wrote on last edited by Jetson Nano
                                #30

                                @Eric-Katzfey Thank you for reverting back, I am able to get the turtle mode working now, The error was due to the safety parameters, once i changed it to the FPV setup, it was working.

                                Once again thank you for the support. It was really helpful.

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