2024-10-10, 06:11 PM
Sean,
I like the very thorough manual, that covers just about everything, including suggestions about how to set the gains and use profiles for various conditions. The only thing I can suggest right now is a kind of Startup Summary for people just installing Tinypilot (see the doc below for some ideas).
I think I have tinypilot and powered keypad almost installed in the original location of the RM Autopilot controller, (see pics almost installed https://www.dropbox.com/home/Pypilot) but this may be moved somewhere close to the companionway where I can see it using the remote control too. (I have never liked where it is now as the screen is difficult to see.)
When I powered up there was a message about "no main controller" which confused me a bit. I know there were LED lights but don't remember what they were.
I was able to select various menus, and tried calibration but it was taking a long time, so I turned the power off, and then back on and it restarted and came to the first screen. I couldn't control the wheelpilot.
What should I check if the motor controller is not being recognized and I am just seeing a Red Led and not seeing Green and Yellow flashing (Data transmitted with Tinypilot) and white or blue (Controller is engaged and commanding the motor.)?
I've reread the manual several times, trying to understand the Power Up and Startup Process. I've written what I think should be done in "Pypilot Tinypilot Initial Power up and Startup.docx" which will be uploaded to https://www.dropbox.com/home/Pypilot
Do I understand correctly that I need to "Configure" and the best way to do that with a Tinypilot is to wifi connect to it using OpenCPN on a laptop with the Pypilot plugin which has an automatic connection feature?
Then what Calibrations should I do of these? All of them?
• level - select only when the boat is level with the sensor mounted
• heading - adjust the heading offset of the compass
• lock - locking the compass calibration
• rudder - calibrating the rudder feedback.
Then I guess at that point I should be able to control the Wheelpilot manually and be able to set it into AP Compass or GPS mode?
Which leads me to the next question, how is it best to get the GPS signal and Nav route and WP data piped into Tinypilot? I have another wifi router with all the boat data on it (ais, depth, wind, gps) and I have it being sent via TCP Connection to my laptop and cell phone (after I have connected to that wifi SSID) so when Opencpn is runthe boat data including AIS appears. How would I get tinypilot to log onto that wifi? Or is there another way to do it? I would rather not have to have my cell or laptop running Opencpn and connected to tinypilot.
Or should would it be better to order your USB to serial dongle to have that data hardwired to the wifi router (which also has nmea0183 connections?)
Thanks,
Rick
I like the very thorough manual, that covers just about everything, including suggestions about how to set the gains and use profiles for various conditions. The only thing I can suggest right now is a kind of Startup Summary for people just installing Tinypilot (see the doc below for some ideas).
I think I have tinypilot and powered keypad almost installed in the original location of the RM Autopilot controller, (see pics almost installed https://www.dropbox.com/home/Pypilot) but this may be moved somewhere close to the companionway where I can see it using the remote control too. (I have never liked where it is now as the screen is difficult to see.)
When I powered up there was a message about "no main controller" which confused me a bit. I know there were LED lights but don't remember what they were.
I was able to select various menus, and tried calibration but it was taking a long time, so I turned the power off, and then back on and it restarted and came to the first screen. I couldn't control the wheelpilot.
What should I check if the motor controller is not being recognized and I am just seeing a Red Led and not seeing Green and Yellow flashing (Data transmitted with Tinypilot) and white or blue (Controller is engaged and commanding the motor.)?
I've reread the manual several times, trying to understand the Power Up and Startup Process. I've written what I think should be done in "Pypilot Tinypilot Initial Power up and Startup.docx" which will be uploaded to https://www.dropbox.com/home/Pypilot
Do I understand correctly that I need to "Configure" and the best way to do that with a Tinypilot is to wifi connect to it using OpenCPN on a laptop with the Pypilot plugin which has an automatic connection feature?
Then what Calibrations should I do of these? All of them?
• level - select only when the boat is level with the sensor mounted
• heading - adjust the heading offset of the compass
• lock - locking the compass calibration
• rudder - calibrating the rudder feedback.
Then I guess at that point I should be able to control the Wheelpilot manually and be able to set it into AP Compass or GPS mode?
Which leads me to the next question, how is it best to get the GPS signal and Nav route and WP data piped into Tinypilot? I have another wifi router with all the boat data on it (ais, depth, wind, gps) and I have it being sent via TCP Connection to my laptop and cell phone (after I have connected to that wifi SSID) so when Opencpn is runthe boat data including AIS appears. How would I get tinypilot to log onto that wifi? Or is there another way to do it? I would rather not have to have my cell or laptop running Opencpn and connected to tinypilot.
Or should would it be better to order your USB to serial dongle to have that data hardwired to the wifi router (which also has nmea0183 connections?)
Thanks,
Rick