122 lines
6.3 KiB
Markdown
122 lines
6.3 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**, then drag to
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orbit, use the mouse wheel to zoom, or switch between shaded and edge-focused
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rendering. 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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## 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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Heartbeat loss, disconnect, and disarm remain immediate safety stops and are
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intentionally not eased.
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In addition, transmitted pilot demands have a small 4% input deadband and a
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0.8-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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