174 lines
9.4 KiB
Markdown
174 lines
9.4 KiB
Markdown
# SUB Control
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A deliberately small, low-bandwidth MAVLink controller for bench-testing an
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ArduSub vehicle over a USB serial connection. It sends no parameter-list
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request and no telemetry-stream request.
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The desktop window uses a local HTML/CSS/JavaScript interface rendered by the
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Windows WebView. Python remains the only launcher and owns the MAVLink worker,
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arming, logging, output limiting, and parameter writes. It does not run a web
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server, open a browser tab, or require an internet connection.
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The WebView is frameless and uses the compact title bar drawn by the interface.
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The vehicle rail includes a local STL viewer: choose **Load STL** to start with
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an orthographic top-view silhouette, then drag to orbit or use the mouse wheel
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to zoom. A cached STL copy is stored locally under the ignored `runtime/`
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directory so the model can be restored on the next launch.
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STEP/STP CAD solids must first be tessellated/exported as STL because the
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embedded renderer intentionally does not include a full CAD kernel.
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Binary and ASCII STL faces are preserved in full; large assemblies are not
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rendered by skipping triangles. Imports are limited to 30 MB to keep startup
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and interactive orbiting responsive.
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## Safety first
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- Remove propellers for initial tests and restrain the vehicle.
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- Verify the ArduSub frame and `SERVOx_FUNCTION`, motor direction, ESC range,
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leak/failsafe, and emergency-stop arrangements before arming.
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- The application starts disarmed and limits pilot demand to 20% by default.
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Once armed, control movement is sent directly with no additional gate.
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- Closing or disconnecting sends neutral controls and a disarm request, but a
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physical power cutoff is still required.
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The controls are pilot-demand axes, not direct PWM values. ArduSub performs
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the frame mixing and generates the configured ESC outputs. For ArduSub,
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`MANUAL_CONTROL.z = 500` is neutral vertical thrust.
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## Run on Windows
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1. Install Python 3.11 or newer. A virtual environment installs packages, but
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it does not install Python itself.
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2. Open PowerShell in this folder and run `./run.ps1` (or right-click it and
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choose **Run with PowerShell**).
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3. Select the autopilot's COM port, then click **Connect**. Baud and control-rate
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settings are under the small `•••` link button (normally 57600 baud / 20 Hz).
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4. Confirm `ArduSub` and a live heartbeat are shown.
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5. Click **Set MANUAL**, then **ARM** only when the bench is safe.
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6. Move the controls. Once armed, no additional enable button is needed.
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`run.ps1` automatically creates a private `.venv` on the first run, installs
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the versions declared in `requirements.txt`, and starts SUB Control. Later runs
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reuse the same environment and update missing dependencies when necessary.
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The `.venv` directory is intentionally ignored by Git: virtual environments
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contain machine-specific executables and can be recreated from
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`requirements.txt`.
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## Repository layout
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The Gitea repository is named `argo`. `SUB Control` is a normal directory inside
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that repository containing this application. A Gitea **Project** is a planning
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board for issues and tasks; source code is not attached to a Project board.
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Git tracks the folder automatically because its files are committed on the
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repository's `main` branch.
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Keyboard controls for SimpleROV-3: W/S forward/back, A/D yaw left/right,
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Q/E alternative yaw control, and R/F rise/dive.
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Releasing movement keys eases their controls back to neutral.
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## Three-thruster limitation
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The common ArduSub `SimpleROV-3` arrangement controls forward, yaw, and depth.
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It cannot independently control lateral, roll, or pitch. Accordingly, the main
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pad is mapped to forward/yaw, while the vertical slider controls depth thrust.
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## Link behavior
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- MAVLink GCS heartbeat: 1 Hz
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- `MANUAL_CONTROL`: selectable 10 or 20 Hz (default 20 Hz). Lower rates are
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intentionally excluded because they make short return ramps become abrupt
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steps at the flight controller.
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- No full parameter download
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- On connection, inherited bulk telemetry streams are stopped. Only
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`SYS_STATUS` at 1 Hz and `SERVO_OUTPUT_RAW` / `RC_CHANNELS` at 2 Hz are
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requested, in addition to the normal heartbeat and event-driven status text.
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- Arm/disarm uses `MAV_CMD_COMPONENT_ARM_DISARM` and displays `COMMAND_ACK`
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- Link health is based on received autopilot heartbeats
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- Battery voltage is read from `SYS_STATUS` at 1 Hz and shown as pack voltage,
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estimated per-cell voltage, and a voltage-only percentage. Cell count,
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capacity, C rating, full/empty cell voltages, and warning percentage are
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configurable and saved locally in `battery_settings.json`. Capacity consumed
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cannot be measured without a current sensor.
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- Servo configuration scans `SERVO1_FUNCTION` through `SERVO16_FUNCTION` and
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ArduSub's `MOT_1_DIRECTION` through `MOT_12_DIRECTION` one at a time, waiting
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for each response and retrying missed replies. A selected output can be
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assigned to Motor 1–12 or set unassigned. Motor direction is toggled with the
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corresponding `MOT_n_DIRECTION` value while disarmed; `SERVOx_REVERSED` is
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intentionally not used for Motor functions. It never downloads the full
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parameter list.
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The diagnostic scan also reads `SERVO1`–`SERVO3` MIN/TRIM/MAX and ArduSub's
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joystick gain values into the local session log; these values remain
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read-only in the application.
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- Every session creates a local text log under `logs/`, including operator
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actions, outgoing manual-control values and commands, acknowledgements,
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status text, and all received MAVLink messages. This does not use ArduPilot's
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onboard logger or add any link traffic.
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The car-style virtual joystick maps only to forward/reverse and continuous
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differential turning; it never sends lateral motion. The joystick and vertical
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slider ease back to center over 400 ms after mouse/key release, so neither can
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be left commanding motion.
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Focus loss, stale telemetry, disconnect, and disarm clear commanded inputs
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without easing. This is a neutral-command request, **not proof that motors have
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stopped** when the communication link is unavailable.
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In addition, transmitted pilot demands have a small 4% input deadband and a
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0.25-second full-range slew limit. This makes both acceleration and deceleration
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arrive at the flight controller as a sequence of stable intermediate values.
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Forward and yaw are normalized as a SimpleROV-3 motor pair before the output
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limit is applied, preventing their mixer contributions from adding beyond the
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selected horizontal limit.
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ArduPilot may ignore manual input when `MAV_GCS_SYSID` does not match this
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application's system ID (default 255), or when `MAV_OPTIONS` does not allow
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MAVLink input. Those parameters must already be correctly configured.
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## Engage, confirmation, and interruption handling
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The compact window opens at 1100 × 650. Empty sidebar areas drag the window;
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the STL viewer, buttons, and sliders are separate interactive regions. Output
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limit and Motor setup sit below the main controls. Recent activity retains the
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last three events, oldest at the top and newest emphasized at the bottom.
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Routine hold instructions are kept in tooltips;
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pending confirmations and safety warnings still appear above the controls.
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The full-width text control displays `engage` / `disengage`; disengage sends the
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same immediate disarm request described below.
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- Hold **ENGAGE** for 1.4 seconds (or hold F2). Early release, leaving the
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button, interrupted touch, and focus loss cancel the hold without sending arm.
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- **ENGAGING…** means a request is pending. A send result or accepted command
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ACK alone does not prove that the vehicle armed: a fresh autopilot heartbeat
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reporting the requested state is the final confirmation. A heartbeat can
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confirm state even if the ACK packet was lost.
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- **DISARM** is one tap or F3, with no long hold. While confirmation is pending,
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**DISARMING…** stays red and driving is disabled. Disarm can also interrupt a
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pending Engage request. No forced-arm/disarm bypass is used.
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- Confirmation timeout: 5 seconds in the backend (6-second UI fallback).
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Rejection and timeout remain visible. Late heartbeat updates still determine
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the displayed state; the UI never substitutes an animation state for telemetry.
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- A heartbeat older than 3 seconds is stale. A missing bridge reply after
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1.5 seconds shows **STATE UNKNOWN**, preserving the last-known state without
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claiming disarm. Battery readings older than 5 seconds are marked stale.
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- The web frontend renews an input lease locally every 250 ms. If it stops for
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1 second, the worker clears stored demands and sends neutral at its configured
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control rate. This adds no MAVLink stream or parameter download. Focus loss
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clears both captured touch pointers and queued input; reconnect never replays
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the old joystick position. Normal release still eases back to center.
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- Link loss cannot deliver a stop over a broken tether. Verify the vehicle's
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own failsafe and use independent physical power isolation for bench tests.
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### Regression checks (no hardware)
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Run from this project folder after setting up the Python environment:
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```powershell
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.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m unittest discover -s tests -v
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node --test tests/control_ui.test.cjs
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```
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Node is needed only for the frontend regression tests, not to run the app.
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The tests use mocked transport and synthetic pointer events, including independent
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joystick/vertical pointers. Validate physical multi-touch on the intended screen
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and FC failsafes on a restrained, propeller-free setup before powered operation.
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