Update OpenLRSng to FW 3.8
Problem: Trying to update the OpenLRSng firmware to version 3.8 failed to due error message "PSP Command Not recognised" after trying to connect the USB to serial adapter to the Tx module
Solution: Flashed the Tx module with the bootloader via the Arduino IDE and USBasp. On doing this I was getting another error message "AVRDUDE: Warning: cannot set SCK period". After trying driver / firmware updates to the USBasp and not being able to solve this error message, i found it didn't really matter after trying a firmware update to 3.8 and it worked anyway!
Firmware Upload HKPilot Mega V2.5 Flight Controller
The first time I tried to upload the ArduCopter firmware to the Hobbyking HKPilot Mega V2.5 Flight Controller I got an error "Communication Error - no connection". Even though I specified the correct COM port identified via the Computer Management in Windows 7. Under the "Ports (COM & LPT)" it shows up as "Arduino Mega 2560 (COM35)" along with two others "Standard Serial over Bluetooth link".
Convinced I had the settings right I was beginning to wonder if I had a dud board. The solution I found was to disable the other two COM ports in the Computer Management.
After disabling these COM ports, the firmware uploaded to the board with no errors.
GoPro Hero 2 firmware downgrade to v124
After applying the latest firmware update to enable Protune mode I encountered a number of problems;
- Occasionally on startup the camera would hang showing the video icon and nothing else.
- In Protune video mode, the camera would not create a second video file after reaching a maximum file size of 1.85GB on the first file.
- Startup would take noticeably longer.
I've since downgraded the firmware back to the original version available to download here http://software.gopro.com/Firmware/v124/HD2-firmware.bin
After the firmware downgrade I had my reliable old camera back.
How to update the HobbyKing QuadController firmware
The HobbyKing QuadController board retails for about $30 USD. You can save a few bucks by checking for a buddy code on the swarm page. The board forms the base of building a cheap multirotor.
By default the board comes with some version of firmware pre-configured for +Copter. The problem is, I don't know anything about the origin or version of the pre-loaded firmware. The HK manual goes into lengthy detail on how to update the firmware before it even shows how to mount and use the board so I guess it's assumed, if not recommended to update the board before use? A lot of people won't like the default + configuration and to fly in the X config, or even Tricopter config for that matter, a firmware flash is required.
As usual, the hardware and software I have doesn't match that used in the manual so of course I can't simply follow the instructions step by step. Life wasn't meant to be easy. For a start, my Atmel USB programmer wasn't the same and wasn't recognised by the software mentioned in the manual "AVR Studio 4". The programmer I bought on eBay is called a "USBASP USBISP AVR Programmer USB ATMEGA8 ATMEGA128". More info (drivers etc http://www.fischl.de/usbasp/) Now this is a 10 PIN device and of course the HK board has a six pin interface so you'll need one of these "10PIN to 6PIN ISP Adapter board for ATMEL AVRISP USBASP" to be able to plug it into the board.
The next problem to overcome is the AVR Studio 4 software not recognising my USB programming interface. This is where the "KK Multicopter Flash tool" comes in handy. Not only does it recognise my programmer, it puts a nice GUI frontend on the AVRDUDE software and automatically shows a list of compatible firmwares for the HK board. Just select the one you want and it will download it. The software author makes mention on his page that the HK board comes in a state that protects the firmware can't be overwritten and he also gives the specific command required to unlock it.
Once that's done open the Flash tool (java required), select Programmer: usbasp (USBasp, http://www.fischl.de/usbasp/), Controller: Hobbyking Quadcopter Control Board (4kB flash) and select the firmware flavour you want to use.
I had to copy the contents of the folder "...kkmulticopterflashtool_0.21\lib\avrdude\windows" to a new folder I created "C:\WinAVR\bin" because the KK Flash Tool assumes WinAVR is installed in that path.
Hit the little green running man button and away it goes. All going well it should end with a message something like "...flash verified. avrdude.exe done. Thank you."
Next step, mount it and fly.