APM 2.5/2.6/2.7 - Adding an OSD for FPV using MinimOSD - complete setup

[@TheSlumpen]

I had som problems making the connection between the PC and the MinimOSD. The computer says "Failed to talk to bootloader", "update Eeeprom" It was an easy fix but worth mentioning. The FTDI-adapter needs its own drivers and that was something i had missed out on. I´m quite sure there are other snags along the way, but this solution worked for me. Thanks for making these tutorials!

[@drz4000]

got it working...put telemetrey on the non working apm, connected. then took it off and put the osd back on. works!

[@Painless360]

Glad it's working. I wonder what it was?

[@kitecraft]

Hi. I wanted to thank you for your excellent videos. This one especially helped me. In fact, I didn't even realize that I could change the OSD layout and options until you showed the ArduCAM OSD downloads. This video de-mystified the APM2/MinimOSD/Fatshark wiring for me. Thank you! All of your APM2 videos have been very helpful as well. I just bought a Predator 650 and HKPilot Mega 2.7 and your videos have really been great. Thank you.

[@Painless360]

kitecraft Thanks for the feedback - glad they helped! Happy flying!

[@MrSiciro]

Thank you for your videos sir. I love your professionalism and your knwoledge

[@Painless360]

+Barry Bolton Thank you! Happy flying!

[@chemistt]

I am very happy that I subscribed to your channel man. I dont know how I bumped into it but I was very lucky I guess. Its awesome to see that everything you do is thought through and that we dont have to learn the lessons the hard way. KEEP IT UP! :)

[@Painless360]

+kennuardo hartinger Thanks for the comment - happy flying!

[@clairestrudwick2126]

hi. sorry I did use you as my first port of call instead of researching elsewhere first. after a lot of looking I have resolved the com port error by manually installing a ftdi driver and now have firmware etc all done thanks to following this tutorial. now to check out your 12volt video so I can connect the fpv.

[@Painless360]

+Claire Strudwick Well done, happy flying!

[@PunakiviAddikti]

You can use your arduino board as an FTDI adapter! You'll need to take out the atmega chip or upload a piece of code that pretty much disconnects every pin and makes the chip inert. Now just connect rx, tx, reset, 5V and ground. That's it, you can upload now. Now if you're using arduino IDE to flash the firmware, you will have to remove the chip completely.

[@amiramziv9864]

Hi Painless360 Thanks so much You had made a great video with excellent explanations.Very clear and informative.I followed the video step by step, connected mine and it is working!!! the wiring from the Minim to the APM Telem Port are important and you had showed the correct wiring.Originally the wires come in bad order from the store and your diagram helped me to fix that problem. Keep up with the good work

[@Painless360]

Thanks for the feedback! Glad you got it all sorted.. Happy flying!

[@nateback796]

Thank you so much for helping me through this. It works for the knock off Mini-OSD as well!

[@Darus2013]

Thanks this was awesome just working on my f450 build and later 550!

[@copyandpastification]

I spent all day trying to figure out why the OSD was disappearing when pushing the throttle or switching on the TX... well problem sorted again THANKS to PAINLESS360.... thanks a mill buddy

[@Painless360]

+Addin Thatt you're welcome! Happy flying!

[@PaoloMaker]

Great Video as always with that series, just when i was about to use the minimOSD and wondering how to make a clean connection. Thanks for sharing

[@stevecowell2415]

Thanks for another well paced and informative video, really useful in helping me set up my quad. Steve C

[@janvantonder3437]

Excellent video! Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom!

[@davegiles5869]

OK thanks for your help I have now found an explanation of pins for all Pixhawk plugs on the Ardu web site and so I can work out the rest from your diagram and the ardu information. Thanks

[@Painless360]

Glad the video helped.. Happy flying!

[@HughD]

I wish you'd do this for the Pixhawk. It's not as straightforward as the APM and there are issues around which telemetry port to use, some parameter settings, etc. I finally got mine working, but it's so much better for future reference to have one of your excellent videos to refer back too.

[@Painless360]

We will cover this in the series.. thanks!

[@Spingenoir]

+Hugh Dinwiddie Hi can you point me in the direction as to how to get the telemetry to feed into the minimosd from the pixhawk. Pretty sure all I have left to do is edit some settings on mission planner. Thanks.

[@HughD]

+Spingenoir This was the key to getting it working for me. SR0 is the USB, SR1 is telemetry port 1, and SR2 is telemetry port 2: code.google.com/p/minimosd-extra/wiki/APM I've done some other things like powering the MinimOSD from a UBEC rather than the telemetry port, too, that may have helped. One of the reasons I posted this is +Painless360 has the ability to dig in and make things more understandable.

[@lokiamir5029]

First of all, Thank you Painless. Your videos are awesome. I have done exactly as you have said however, I have a major issue. My quadcopter lifts of without a problem but when hovering, if I want to climb, it simply won't or it takes a lot of time. Then, when I either use yaw input or roll, I starts falling (descending) rapidly and bounces of the ground. This is my setup: Reptile 500 frame Sunnysky 800kv Afro 30 A APM 2.6 Turnigy Nanotech 4500 3S Gemfan 10x5 Other stuff which makes my AUW I have also tried HQ Props 10x45 and 10x47 I would be most grateful if you could point me in the right direction

[@Painless360]

Amir Tahami What troubleshooting have you done already? Which flight modes do you use when you see this?

[@lokiamir5029]

Sorry for the late reply, just recovering from a really bad cold. The issue, which I was so ignorant to see was that the battery was a 3s battery. Switched to 4s and everything is working for now, but, I still need to trim and tune it and then we'll see. Thanks

[@hastlaAT]

All very helpful - thanks. My question is now, is there the possibility to combine miniosd + telemetrie kit? Thanks for an answer!

[@Painless360]

hastlaAT You can buy a cable that connects it all together, the trick it to not connect the wire connected to the Tx on the MinimOSD. There are reports of connecting both to the same output on the APM causing the signal to be pulled down and cause issues though. Happy flying!

[@100SteveB]

Great video, what i learned from this got my minimosd working great. Only thing i am not sure about is the stall speed setting, i set it at 70mph like you did, but found i had a constant stall warning whilst flying, i dropped the stall speed value down to zero and that solved the problem. How is it meant to work, i would have thought that if you go slower than the value you enter, then a stall warning will be given? If so, setting it at 70mph is guaranteed to give a stall warning unless you are travelling over 70mph?

[@svsoftair]

very professional videos always, thank you

[@harrymoman2682]

Great Video Thanks for Sharing and taking the time to show us

[@Copterlord]

Hey sir, great video i was wondering if I could use minim osd with apm2.8 without an power module

[@NickB2513]

Another excellent video!! Thank you so much for this, you make the hobby so much more accessible, more interesting and most importantly more fun! Although, my bank balance does suffer after watching your vids lol

[@Painless360]

+Nick Boylan Sorry about that ;)

[@leslieappleton7759]

Great videos. Very clear.

[@slipperysquid]

Excellent video sir! Really helped me out. Do you need to solder the connection on the back for pal? or is it ok just to leave it?

[@Painless360]

slipperysquid The PAL pads are no longer needed - the setup is all done in software.. Happy flying!

[@gwhite131]

Thanks for your videos. Is there a video or instructions on how to install a wifi telemetry board.

[@Painless360]

On an APM? Sorry, not tried that..

[@gwhite131]

I was having issues connecting. But it as usual, it was my ignorance getting in the way. I was powering the unit via USB and it would never connect. Then I had a brain fart... I unhooked the usb and WALA, it worked as described. I was able to connect to it with my android phone using droid planner. Sweet! It works i image very similar to the 915hz units without the range. which at the moment I do not need since I am still tuning.

[@Painless360]

Well done working it out. Happy flying!

[@joryprivett9996]

Thank you. This video made setting up a breeze. Everything went exactly as you showed it. Just one question though, instead of patching the two solder points to bypass the 12v regulator can you just input 5v into the video side to power the Max chip?

[@Painless360]

Possibly but that’s the way that always works for me.. happy flying!

[@juandemin2930]

excellent!!! thank you very much!!!

[@drz4000]

Me too. I have a mini apm that doesn't output telemetrey data either. There's allot of buzz about setting the s0 and s1

[@dgb5820]

I’m new to this and will keep watching until I understand the best config for a rover with mission panning 4 cameras if possible as well as Lidar and Sonar. Also want to achieve 1cm accuracies, driving a 2x32 Sabertooth

[@Painless360]

Pixhawk is a better place to start... Best of luck

[@dayworkhard]

This is cool! Great tutorial! BTW, I have not received my cam yet. I want to try that whether it works even without a cam (Video input). But I just can not see the OSD drone info on the video monitor. The monitor is just flashing ,white and black ( not snowflakes ). Do you know how to fix this? Thanks!

[@Painless360]

+dayworkhard I've never tried it without the camera. Only one way to find out - give it a go! Let me know if it works..

[@LuideMulumba]

Thanks for the great tutorial! Slight issue though; my OSD is flickering. I've read somewhere that it has to do with the ground connections. Could you kindly advise how to do this? I've connected everything up as you did in the video.

[@Painless360]

That’ll be a power issue. Connect the GND wires from all of the FPV pieces (camera, minimise, vtx etc) to one place.. best of luck!

[@1kdoc]

Thanks. Just done what you said. Got osd working, it shows sat and direction, it also displays battery voltage but it just won't show any battery percentage, amp draw or current. Has this got something to do with firmware? I'm using PM to power the apm board and separate power source for Rx and FPV gear, ESC are all switching and all red wires removed.

[@Painless360]

MaydayRC You need an external set of circuitry again for AMP draw. If you are using an APM power module then this data should be supplied to the APM automatically using the supplied power cable. I would check that out next.. Hope this helps.

[@1kdoc]

+Painless360 I do have a APM power module and it is connected to the board, I think it is working properly as all data shows on log. I think the problem might lie with the firmware. I'm gonna try change it and report back.

[@Painless360]

OK, best of luck. I'd double check the setting in the code and GUI.

[@1kdoc]

Painless360 Ha!! I have found out the reason why! I changed the battery monitor setting to voltage only when testing and forgot to switch it back to "voltage n current". For those who might had similar problem, It is located in initial setup/optional hardware/battery monitor. Once that's enbled, the OSD works like a charm. Thanks again!

[@Painless360]

Good news - happy flying!

[@blackhawk55]

thank you very much for all the great videos!!! AWESOME! how do i hook-up an actioncam like turnigy/sj4000? any help would be greatly appreciated

[@alekscortez2516]

I have my gopro 4 black connected to my drone. so I bought boscam transmiter and receiver connected to o my drone two wires only red and black for pover. need to set up channels and buy a usb av cable for your camera and thats it really. make sure you always have areals on transmiter receiver if you will not use them while connected to power you will burn them.

[@ozgurkorkmaz.]

Thanks so much Painless360.. You helped a lot :)

[@FlightSim2703]

Thanks for info, yes I got FTDI download the software you recommend, configured the screens and uploaded to minim OSD, was so happy all went well. My intention was to connect this OSD with Cheerson cx20 APM, but can't see the hex setup, I did on panel 1 or 2 . The screen shows on my FPV goggle, still waiting for heartbeat :( I'm not sure the minim OSD doesn't connect with Cheerson cx20 APM or I need to use different setup software. Thanks very much if you could help me out. Regards

[@Painless360]

Waiting for Heartbeat normally means that the cabling or port is wrong. I most often see this from pilots using the wrong firmware on the OSD (kzbin.info/www/bejne/hoXHZomfedh7Z7M). I'd recheck the Rx/Tx connection and maybe swap them round..

[@brianwilliams2687]

what camera u use in the video

[@drz4000]

I have 2 quads, one with Telem radio and one without. The one without will not update the OSD! Spent 2 hours on it today. I get a waiting for heartbeats. I swapped the board over to the telem system and it works. I have both Tx and Rx connected (crossed over) to the APM 2.8 Telem port. In MP there a button under optional hardware to enable OSD....doesnt change. Any ideas? Great videos btw..very professional!

[@Painless360]

Great work on the troubleshooting. So many ask for help without explaining what they have already tried. From what you've tried it sounds like a software setup problem or a problem with the port HW. I'd check through all the settings in Mission planner between the flight controllers to see if they are the same, if they are then it maybe the port itself.. I've looked to see if there is a way to disable MAVLink but can't find anything. Best of luck.

[@QuadcopterAnalyze1980]

Also mate if you think would i be better doing the setup you have done instead of the kit on aliexpress,Any info would be great.Is so what would be the best camera.

[@Breslinmusic]

Super Thanks :-)

[@dgb5820]

Great video

[@filou1200]

Great video once more! Q: All the FTDI to DF13 cables I can find (and my Y splitter that came with the HK APM kit as well) have no TX signal wire on the FTDI side. So I'm left with only 3 wires: RX, +5V, GRND. Where did you find yours? Many thanks Painless360

[@Painless360]

I made it using a DF13 cable that I cut one end off then soldered some pins to the ends of the wires so I could plug them into the FTDI. Hope this helps.

[@filou1200]

Painless360 thanks. I'll have to solder one as well. Worst case I think this might help: www.goodluckbuy.com/apm-2-5-3dr-telemetry-adapter-cable-20cm-osd-xbee-adapter-cable.html

[@RadBudaspectrum-photography]

What would you recommend for autonomous glider flight? I don't really want to shell out big money. OSD seems to be the way to go. Cheers.

[@Painless360]

Pixhawk or APM. See our video on flight controller comparisons for the advantages of each. Best of luck!

[@RadBudaspectrum-photography]

Thank you.

[@derrnav1530]

Lee: Thank you for all your videos and "bots and bobs". Have you run into the error "Cannot talk to the bootloader". Apparently caused by a windows update soft bricking the bootloader. I would appreciate any insight and a workaroud if you have one. Again thanks

[@Painless360]

If that's what happened the you can try and reflag the boot loader using an USBASP tool (ardupilot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6064)

[@derrnav1530]

+Painless360 It is not the APM that is having the problem. The OSB module was programed as per the above video. It worked. Went back to change setting from PAL to NTSC (gittery mask) and FDTI return the error. Cannot change OSD settings. Two different OSDs and two different FDTIs. Apparently it is happening a lot since the last window update.

[@alihashemali8200]

thanks for this video

[@juancarlosoanelli9626]

Necessary friend is the negative vallan the DSB ?? OTR nose can do so, the negative (-) of the camera is Directly wing Pcb

[@Painless360]

Sorry, I don't understand the question..

[@juancarlosoanelli9626]

friend sorry for the poor translation, but already solved it, I think: Greetings

[@LuideMulumba]

Hi, thanks for this video. I followed the tutorial and it worked like a charm the first try. However, now that I soldered the board to deactivate the 12V onboard BEC I get a "Failed to talk to bootloader" error when I try to reflash the firmware. Do I need to undo the soldering, or is there a bigger issue?

[@Painless360]

I've never seen that as the board is powered from the 5v line from the USB. You can always try and see if reversing the change makes a difference..

[@eliemachaalany6793]

thanks mate this is working perfectly! but how am i able to edit the code, so i can add or change the view of some parameters?

[@Painless360]

+elie machaalany Most of the common tweaks can be done through a GUI to configure to OSD, anything else you need to get into the Arduino Sketch that creates the firmware.. even I don't go there ;)

[@eliemachaalany6793]

okey mate but i need to add a cross-hair all over the screen display .. so i need to modify the arduino sketch .. if you could please give me a link for the arduino sketch, wich fits for apm 2.x :) thanks Painless360

[@Painless360]

It's the one we use in this video.. This is outside what I know about - best of luck!

[@eliemachaalany6793]

okey friend no problem .. thank you :) Painless360

[@MrPolymers]

Thanks for the video Painless. I used this as a reference to get OSD on two of my Flamewheels. Here's my question, I don't seem to get the Mavlink heartbeat I think called the RSSI?? It reads 0 yet all my other data comes through fine. Not sure if this is an issue, or something I need to do via my APM software????

[@Painless360]

+MrPolymers The RSSI value is read from the radio receiver and is an indication of signal strength, unless you've set that up you won't see it..

[@MrPolymers]

OK, I did have that box unchecked on the OSD software. I assume that's why. I don't think necessary info for me. Thanks for the good work...;)

[@Painless360]

You're welcome! Glad you got it sorted..

[@bisholim5377]

:) First of all I do ´Love your VIdeo's have learned alot from them lately. I bout my Osd from ebay and at the time I didnt know nothing about Minimum :( so I dont have any of the Jumpers to solder together!!? Is there other ways of serving 5v to the board ? because it gets really hot after a short while? thank you

[@Painless360]

Bisholi M If the board isn't the same as the one I use in the video then it's tricky for me to comment. I would use the same board version used here or get a Micro version - they are very cheap - and start again. The board shouldn't be getting warm at all. Best of luck.

[@bisholim5377]

Painless360 OK :) Thank's Brother :)

[@fuyingbro]

Thank you so much for your video and diagrams. I was really going nuts to why I was getting "waiting for heartbeats". Read some forums and found out about the rx tx switch around and tried your video to see if you had a diagram on it, and yep you do. Problem now is I think I got a fake FTDI adaptor. I took your advise and really looked to make sure I got a real one first but it just will not configure on windows no matter what drivers I use. The FTDI chip looks real. Looks like it was laser printed but I really don't know how to confirm if it is real or not. So right now I can't change my hud.

[@Painless360]

FuYing Bro I got all of mine from eBay by searching for 'FTDI Basic'. Best of luck!

[@fuyingbro]

Painless360 Yea that is how I got mine. I can't really tell if it is real or not. The etching looks real but I can't get any drivers to work. New or old. Windows will just show a serial port with a yellow explanation mark. Its all good. It was pretty cheap which should have been a clue. Thanks for the reply though. Have a good day.

[@stefairclough3106]

+Painless360 just set up my apm with osd on it but can't get my osd to show battery or sats also when I have the osd on my pc I can see all the stuff I want but when it's on the copter it only shows me some of them??

[@Painless360]

Happy to help but please watch kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ2sooefiK97f7s and come back to me with more detail of what you've tried..

[@kylev2411]

Great video thanks. Have hooked up the same way you show in the video but cant broadcast video and overlay at the same time. On startup i only get video, unplug the camera then the overlay appears. Plug camera back in and the overlay disappears. Reset button doesnt help and ive tried 2 different cameras. Help?

[@Painless360]

+Kyle V Have you check that the PAL/NTSC setting is the same as the camera?

[@kylev2411]

+Painless360 i do believe both are operating as NTSC

[@ВасилийПетрович-и3х]

Көп рахмет

[@Painless360]

Оқасы жоқ. Бақытты ұшу!

[@ВасилийПетрович-и3х]

@@Painless360 Yes this is good.

[@groverfloresurbina7260]

Great video!! but I have problem with the flight modes, it doesnt change and doesnt display, please I need your support.

[@Painless360]

+Grover Flores Urbina Happy to help but please watch kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ2sooefiK97f7s and come back to me with more detail of what you've tried..

[@groverfloresurbina7260]

+Painless360 , I am glad for your attention. All else is working very well, but only the flight modes not appear (MOD:) I saw this issue is due to the last firmware of APM but I'm not sure. I tried with the last minmOSD extra 2.4, I get to see the flight modes, but the other data have problem and they are distorted. I need your suggestions about that, Thanks,

[@Painless360]

I see. There is other OSD firmware that supports MAVLink - you could try one of those on the MinimOSD and see of it works any better. I add a MAVLink OSD in the CC3D series. Not sure of that's a different code though.. Worth a look. Best of luck!

[@davegiles5869]

OK the pixhawk plug on the tellem 1 or 2 has 6 pins therefore 6 cables which gives us 6 cable ends at the end to be connected to the MiniOSD my qusestion is say pin 1 on Telem plug what connection pin on the OSD unit will it be connected to and so on for the 6 cables. Thanks

[@yuzual9506]

thx grate tuto

[@ibusnawi]

Hi Painless360. I'm always a fan of your video, as I started building my own quad. For this topic, I bought the 3DR radio telemetry 433mhz and minimOSD. Following this guide, I am able to configure minimOSD with the 2 panels. Now, how do I do to transmit the video to the ground (android device)? Would it be possible just by using the 3DR radio ground station? Thanks in advance, sir!

[@Painless360]

It's tricky to setup two devices that need telemetry on an APM. Both the radios and OSD need it and there is only one 'telem.' port. See our videos series on 'Introduction to FPV' for the basics and if you Google 'FPV receiver android' then you'll see the devices that others use with a phone/tablet. Best of luck!

[@ibusnawi]

Thanks for your prompt reply, appreciate it much! Given this situation, what would you prefer, to have telemetry or FPV, as actually you can get many telemetry info overlaid into it, am I right?

[@Painless360]

+ibusnawi depends if you are flying using the fpv camera ;)

[@ibusnawi]

Painless360, thank you for your advice sir. I started watching your "Intro to FPV Videos". A lot to learn there too. 😊

[@dronauticaltech-fun3485]

Thank you for posting this video. It's a very helpful video. Sir, is there any way to see the camera view direct in mission planner? Please check it. Thanks you.

[@Painless360]

Yes, a few ways. Check out the wiki as it is covered in there..

[@dronauticaltech-fun3485]

@@Painless360 ok, thank you sir 🙏🏻

[@Bananaskin1]

Great guide, works a treat without the TX on. As soon as I turn on my TX my screen blanks, No Signal. When the signal does reappear (intermittently) it would appear that the minimosd is not working as there is no OSD displayed. Anyone else encounter this?

[@Bananaskin1]

+Michael Wilson Sorted it, APM not providing enough umph!! Had to take a 5v line from the voltage regulator.

[@Painless360]

+Michael Wilson Well found - glad you got it sorted!

[@obinnaeke8067]

Hey, I have fixed every issue that I had previously on the osd, but now I'd like to fix the very bright osd video output. What I mean is that the view looks very overexosed/blown out. Doesn't happen when plugging the camera directly to the vtx

[@Painless360]

I've not seen that here but I'd suspect that board or voltages it's running on.. There are so many clones and varied build quality on these things. I've had two that never worked great/wouldn't flash. Best of luck!

[@Jakemogensen]

My setup is apm 2.8 + minimosd extra 2.2 + telemetry radio, i have seen many issues about the gps, voltage and amps not getting updating while others things like compass and horizon work flawless. I have tried all the different solutions posted all over the web but i can't get my osd to work right, i could really use some help with this.

[@NEVdD]

+Jake Mogensen Hi, I opened a post about this and I am looking for a solution too! ardupilot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=14736

[@maricarmengilmoreno6859]

Hello Sir, Your videos are very good. I have a new problem with my osd. I am installing my MinimOSD in my hexacopter and it does not work. My screen only shows zeros in all information that it shows. The zero numbers do not update although I arm. The only information what changes are “No GPS fix” and “Battery Low”. I am sure I connected the Rx connector in the osd because I swapped by the Tx wire and the osd did not work. I installed the program OSD_Config.exe, the firmware R800 and I have upgraded the charaters. I used my FTDI. In reference to the wiring, I did a lot of combinations. I used a 5V UBEC to power the OSD and the telemetry, then only the OSD, then only the telemetry, and finally I powered both by the apm. I had no successful. I changed some SR1 and SR2 parameters and nothing happened. I have installed a OSD in my old CX20 and it works perfectly. I removed it and installed this cx-20 OSD in my hexacopter and the problem was the same, so I believe that the problem is in the apm or in the telemetry. Perhaps both ones, or one of them, do not send the correct signal to my FPV receiver. I have set a 10 seconds as telemetry delay parameter and nothing happened. I think my problem is about parameters and telemetry. What do you think? Could you give me an idea? I have been looking for on internet and my problem is very common although I have not found the solution. Thanks in adance. :)

[@Painless360]

+Mari Carmen Gil Moreno that seems a little odd, if there was no telemetry data at all the normally the OSD will complain that it isn't getting any MAVLINK heartbeat. I suspect something on the flight controller or setup that's causing the problem. Best of luck!

[@trueedgetv9344]

Help! I'm having a problem where on the configurator, I can see where each panel option (battery voltage, direction, altitude, etc.) is not visible. I can move around the red boxes, but I can't read any of the stats. I followed your instructions completely, including successfully downloading the font package, but I am still having this problem. Please Help! Thank you!

[@Painless360]

What have you already tried? Rx/Tx connector swap etc?

[@LuxKeiwoker]

Is the ground cable from the Cam to the MinimOSD mandatory? I'm also getting the overlay without the ground cable.

[@Painless360]

+Lux Keiwoker Possibly not, if it's working that way for you - great! Happy flying!

[@philipperichier5640]

Hi Painless i get a Pixhawk for myquadcopter...do i connect my mini Osd on telem1 or 2...? Thank's a lot Philippe

[@Painless360]

ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-minim-osd-quick-installation-guide.html Best of luck!

[@ajelliott11]

I have been searching for a version of minosd-extra that works on the Mac. I cannot find one. Anyone know of one or am I searching in vein? Thank you Painless for all your work.

[@Painless360]

I've not seen one.. Sorry

[@michelebarberio4016]

hi there sir! your videos are great! i've setup the osd like the vid It works great the only prolem is that i have a 0.0 volts showing on the osd i can't understand why :S

[@Painless360]

Check that you can see the voltage in the Mission Planner screen to confirm that the wiring is correct. Best of luck!

[@ahmadfaizol9794]

Hi +Painless360 Thanks for your video. As always, your video has always been very helpful for me with your clear and detailed explanations. Initially the mavlink does stream all my data to my ground station, but after updating the apm 2.6 to the latest firmware (v 3.2.2), it only update horizon line, altitude and modes. Functions like Battery Voltage, GPS long/lat, SatCount, Home Arrow, Compass shows '0' reading. When connected to Mission Planner it tells me that the Neo6M GPS has lock into 10 satellites. And during flights I still manage to do Loiter, RTL and etc. It's just the minimosd won't stream the data. Could you share the parameter values of the APM in mission planner. Should I also update the minimOSD firmware after updating the APM? Thanks

[@Painless360]

+Ahmad Faizol That is what I would try next - best of luck..

[@jaret217]

+Painless360 I'm wondering about skipping your voltage regulator bypass hack. Do you think putting a dedicated heatsink on the voltage regulator would be helpful? Or dialing back the voltage from the 12v side of the board to give the chip less to do? Or both? I'm not much with a soldering gun and my wife isn't thrilled with the amount of cash I've already sunk into the project, so telling her I need to buy a component cos I broke it won't go over very well.

[@Painless360]

The way in the video is the way that is bullet proof. Not sure what voltage regulator you mean..

[@jaret217]

Thanks for the quick reply. I mean the voltage regulator on the right side of the minimosd that steps down the power from 12v to 5v, which you mention at 12:38 of this video, you and others have talked about it getting really hot and causing problems. After a few more days of research, I think I probably could solder the bridge, and I like not having to power the board twice, but I'm still curious about the idea of a heatsink on that chip. My raspberry pi 3 came with a bunch of extra heatsinks that I've packratted aside. You think it might help?

[@jaret217]

ps, subscribed! Thanks again for all your vids.

[@jaret217]

Now that I think of it, I've been plagued by another question for a while now, and you probably know the answer or at least the right follow-up questions. I'm running a 70a esc with a 5v5a bec (hk red brick) off a 3s 6000mah lipo as my main drive motor, and I've got a 3s 2200mah for my fpv (12v 1.2mhz tx, cam) setup. I'm not sure which end should be powering my rx (ezuhf 433) and apm2.8. if one or both should be running off the bec, is 5a ok? would it be better to run them through a ubec on my 2nd battery?

[@Painless360]

Depends if it's a plane or multirotor really, you can be less fussy with a multirotor as there isn't the worry about an servo pulling too much current and causing a problem. I'd run the FPV gear from the flight battery myself. If they are both 3s then it's a lot of extra weight in that second battery and the extra drain from the FPV gear on the 6000mAh pack would still be less than the power needed to haul the extra pack and BEC.. I'd power the APM from a power module then you can monitor main battery life in flight too.. Hope that helps.

[@allabouthim03]

Hey partner got everything working but the battery voltage, amps and percentage is all wrong. Do you have a vid on how to fix it?

[@UniProductions]

i just subscide.. :) i would like to ask do i must have the usb connect to mini osd thingy to upload the firmware to operated ? and 2nd i have also have 433 mhz telementry... can i use both of it just solder the cable on the wire like the diagram... anyreply would be highly appriciated :)

[@Painless360]

+Uni Productions Welcome to the channel. Yes, I would recommend getting an FTDI basic adapter to configure/upload the firmware you need. See the forums where some have connected the OSD and Telemetry at the same time but there are issues..

[@notamage9956]

Hey hello there. I have successfully installed the OSD after watching your video and it was fantastic. However I do have a serious problem. I want to use both OSD and the MAVLink at the same time. However as you know there is only one "Telem" output on the ArduPilot. What can I do about it?

[@Painless360]

+Berk Küçükoğlu There used to be a 'buffer' that isolated the signal pins so they would work. Many have problems connecting both at the same time as the load on the APM pulls the signal below the level that works reliably. This is one of the things they fixed on the Pixhawk - two ports for telemetry! Best of luck!

[@notamage9956]

+Painless360 Sincerely thank you for your reply. Is there anything I can do about this issue? Are there any products to fix this issue? I am not an electrical engineer but maybe there is a way to copy the signal without APM pulling it low. Maybe using a transistor or something?

[@Painless360]

Unless you can find that 'buffer', no. Best of luck!

[@giammarcocianca3603]

Hello i have minimosd 2.8 i've connected my telemetry pin to minimosd like your schematic 5v > 5v tx > rx rx > tx gnd > gnd I tried to connect the signal out cable and grn cable directly to my monitor (without a video transmitter) but i don't see nothing on monitor... why? are you sure your schematic is correct?

[@MarcWong64]

Apologies before hand, if this is a silly question... I noticed that the connection diagram shows the GND wire from the Camera pointing to the Out pin on the OSD and the GND wire from the Video TX is pointing to the In pin. Is that correct?

[@Painless360]

+Mcwdes At which point in the video?

[@MarcWong64]

+Painless360 That would be at 14:10.

[@Painless360]

Yep, the GND is common so that should work ;)

[@MarcWong64]

+Painless360 Thanks for the confirmation. I guessed that was the case. I'm hyper-sensitive to "magic Smoke." Just wanted to make sure.

[@ShakuntTambe]

Thanks for the video. I have configured and installed the minimosd. However I have noticed whenever I connect my 3DR radio, the minimosd switches to panel 2. I don't know how to go back to panel 1?? Is there a way I can switch to panel 1 and/or disable it going to panel 2 at all? thanks.

[@Painless360]

Reconnect and check the settings in the GUI. You can setup the OSD to change the display and yours is confused. If I remember ' its in the bottom left side of the setup screen. This is covered in the videos. Best of luck!

[@ShakuntTambe]

Painless360 Ok thanks. So there is a way to stop the OSD from changing panels?

[@user-wu2mu2ii4e]

I assume that this would be the same for the Pixhawk as wll. Would that be right?

[@Painless360]

+J yep, pretty much.

[@davegiles5869]

Hi have been following your Videos and this one ref the OSD module linked to the Pixhawk is one I intend on fitting to a 450 quad copter in build at this time and I have a question can you please inform me and I guess others the correct order of pin connections on the two ends of the link cable so I have some ready made with plug to match the PH so what wires go to which pins on the OSD. I hope you can assist please.

[@Painless360]

Not sure what you're asking, the pin-outs we used are in the video.. best of luck!

[@davidbarker1177]

Will this set up work with a 12 volt camera ?.......Just wondering if that has to do with the problem I am having ......And yes I am a newbie

[@Painless360]

+David Barker Should do - see my recent video on using 12v cameras with 5v FPV kit..

[@mjazy]

hello. is it same on apm 2.8? your videos are awesome btw xD

[@Painless360]

Thank you! :D Yep, should be..

[@francoisguyot789]

Can I use an Arduino nano, AND an OSD ? And ho to plug them together ??? Thanks a lot 😘😘 :)

[@Painless360]

not sure, that's something I've ever tried. You can install ardupilot on modern flight controllers that include an on-screen display now. Check out my latest ardupilot series. Happy flying!

[@nicholaspoll7466]

When i plug my minimosd into the apm the apm board shuts off and I’ve followed everything In your video any suggestions?

[@RizHassan]

I have a question about wiring. If I power my osd from 12v without jumping the two pins will it going to power the ATMEL chip side? Apparently my osd does power up the ATML side and also powers up my Pixhawk. I was fearful that having two independent 5 volts feeding my Pixhawk, I removed the 5 volt cable between osd and Pixhawk and that seems to work perfectly fine. If had left the 5 volt cable between Pixhawk and osd, would it had caused any issue? Over powered or burnout?

[@Painless360]

The way I show in the video works great. Use other methods at your own risk ;) best of luck!

[@RizHassan]

Your video and method are awesome! However, I am using PixHawk 2.8 flight controller and its getting power from the OSD and booting up when connected via VTx 12volt battery. Is this normal with Pixhawk?

[@vinayakkhatawate9335]

CAN WE DIRECTLY CANNECT THE OSD WITH NZ GSP.JUST HAS THE HOBBYKING MINI OSD GPS pls suggest Thank U

[@Painless360]

Not sure what a NZ GPS is. The way you do it is in this video.. Best of luck!

[@JasonStrudwickcrazyjay]

great video but cannot suss out how to incorperate the plug and play eachine fpv system as its 7 to 24 volts so the 5volt mod wont work....confused now

[@Painless360]

+Jason Strudwick I've not used that but I assume that you'd set it up as a 12v camera for ease of install. Best of luck.

[@JasonStrudwickcrazyjay]

+Painless360 so best to keep board as is and follow your tutorial?

[@Painless360]

Not if the camera can't work on 5v... See my video on powering 12v cameras for FPV, may help. Best of luck.

[@JasonStrudwickcrazyjay]

+Painless360 ok will do thankyou

[@pepeBetico1994]

Hi sir!! Im trying to build something similar to your proyect for my final work of the degree. How could i use ur setup to get the streaming video on my computer? I will really appreciate the information (by the way i am starter with this themes so it will help if you explain it for dummies) thanks in advance!!

[@Painless360]

You can get the video on a PC if you use some kind of video capture device that will accept an RCA style connection and is happy with VGA video.. Best of luck!

[@pepeBetico1994]

thanks 4 the information i will look for it!! you are the best!!

[@davidbarker1177]

MAN IM HAVING MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THE ZIP AND HEX FILE WHAT DO I NEED TO DOWN LOAD SO I CAN OPEN THEM ........THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP PAINLESS360.........

[@Painless360]

+David Barker Not a clue without more detail and an idea of the actual error messages you are getting. (also why are you shouting?! ;)

[@jorgecastro7340]

Hi .. I have a 2.8 apm and a mini osd .. Can you install a temperature sensor? Where can I get that info? Thank you.

[@Painless360]

I think it reads the temp from the on-board barometer unit. A google search should find you places to start. I found this - github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot/issues/1799 Best of luck!

[@gabrielmamaloukos8400]

Hi. When reading the hex file it stops past halfway and gives a message error opening com port. It only shows 1 com port 5. I have tried everything, nothing works. What can I do? Please help. Or is there another system I can use?. Great video though. I'm a subscriber and view all your videos. Thanks

[@Painless360]

I've not used MinimOSD for many years. Not sure what part of the setup you're referring to but you need to use a supported version of the firmware.. Best of luck

[@W1Ck3Dj3St3R1]

hey Pain, quick question. This is my board, "MinimOSD MAVLink OSD APM 2.6 APM 2.52 Flight Control Board"! Can I use this with a Naze32? Cannot figure out what kind of software to use? Also can I damage my Video transmitter with wrong set-up?

[@Painless360]

Yes you can, see our videos on adding an OSD in the Naze32 series. As long as you don't mess up the power connections you shouldn't damage the Vtx... ;)

[@W1Ck3Dj3St3R1]

thanks Pain, and also I been reading posts about 64 bit not working. Is that true?

[@Painless360]

Not sure what you're referring to. See the video of how we got it all working.. Best of luck!

[@W1Ck3Dj3St3R1]

like Windows 64 bit operating sytem Vs 32 bit?

[@W1Ck3Dj3St3R1]

I tried everything and cannot seem to get the GUI working...little box comes up for a second but never does load. Windows 7 Home Premium.

[@quanhongphan7405]

May I know what is tx power in the diagram? Can I connect the tx video directly to the battery or it must go through the tx power?

[@Painless360]

At what point in the video?

[@quanhongphan7405]

at the time 14:19, u show us the diagram how to connect the Simple MinimOSD. I wonder what is Tx power?

[@shubhambajaj4939]

Which flight controller should I use

[@Painless360]

It depends on how experienced you are and how you want your quad/model to fly. Please see my 'flight controller comparison' video from last summer where I cover the things to consider and the options. You can also see my 'quadcopter build' series and things like the INav series for the latest flight controllers that I'm using here too..

[@doubledee49441]

I'm having a problem with the FTDI breakout board and the OSD having different connection values. The FTDI breakout board has listed connections as GND, CTS, VCC, TXD, RXD, DTR in that order; while the OSD has listed connections as BLK, GND, +5V, RXD, TXD, CRN in that order. Is there adifferent FTDI breakout board that I should get or is there a proper way for these to connect?

[@Painless360]

+Doyle Daniels We've not seen that here. Normally one end is called BLK the other GRN and lining those up gets the pins the right way, otherwise the 5v pin is normally the key.. Best of luck..

[@farmfunuk]

Hi, could you offer a little advice please. I just ordered one of these MinimOSD from hobbyking. It has a y splitter cable but only 3 pins in the side that connects to the MinimOSD. missing the TX line, does it work without that? So anyway I check the info on the MinimOSD wiki and Arducopter sites and they have the GND wired into a different position than you, Despite the labels showing it correct as you have done it.. They have GND from APM to BLK on minimOSD copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/common-optional-hardware/common-minim-osd-quick-installation-guide/ Did they make a mistake or it works both ways or what? I also have a teensy converting telemetry to my Taranis, do you know if having that as well as the OSD will cause any issues?

[@husky041]

I have a similar puzzle. I too only have three wires from the MinimOSD, Tx, Rx and +5v. It's the ground that is missing :-/ Did you get any joy?

[@Painless360]

+farmfunuk I'd ask HK as I've only used the ones shown, you don't need the Tx wire on the MinimOSD but if you have it you can change PIDs and other things on some flight controllers. Best of luck!

[@husky041]

+Painless360 Aha! Thanks for that :-) After my post an hour ago, I realised I had the plug upside down. Doh. I was still puzzled that I only had three wires though (Tx is missing) Problem solved.

[@KalterKrieger]

Do you have an idea why the GPS data is not updating, before the APM2.6 is connected to MP? I dont use telemetry, therefore I need a "kick" to start GPS transmission. I have plenty of minim board, different ones, with and without jumpers (GND,VCC) but none shows me GPS data until MP starts it. The same with minimExtra, a fork of the original one. Please help, sir!

[@Painless360]

Happy to help but please watch kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ2sooefiK97f7s and come back to me with more detail of what you've tried..

[@KalterKrieger]

Ok, I removed my text, because I found the solution: TX must be connected, otherwise data transmission wont start between minimOSD and APM. But I dont know if there are bus collisions with the 433mhz radio TX line which is on the same pin. The only problem remainig is that the OSD suddenly disappears and I have to press Reset to get it again. Of course during flight I cant do this. I have no idea why is disappears and only the video is remaing in my goggles.

[@josky3968]

Hello, or did you buy the adapter with micro usb ? Tanks

[@Painless360]

+Jose Duarte Not sure which cable you mean if you are talking about the FTDI Basic adapter - yes!

[@josky3968]

Hello, Yes

[@Painless360]

Yep - you need to buy one. Search on the usual places for FTDI Basic. Best of luck.

[@josky3968]

+Painless360 Thank you a lot.

[@jordantemple7616]

I bought the apm 2.8 telemetry kit do I absolutely need the adapter?

[@Painless360]

+Jordan Temple if your radios have usb cables or work out of the box then no. Best of luck!

[@NimaAbbaspour]

Hi Painless360, I have just bought a kit and invest about 200 euros on building my F450 quad. I have had a bit of fun with it. However, when you see the quality and stability of other products like Mavec its very disappointing. specially when I could not upgrade the firmware I had a feeling that I have chose something outdated, on the other hand I am an engineer and I would like to build things. So what is your idea was it wrong or should I not invest on such Flight control system anymore?

[@Painless360]

Impossible to comment usefully without more detail on what you've used and how it flies, specifically what parts you're not happy with. Different flight controllers and software are designed with different aims in mind. The Naze32 and Cleanflight is all about racing. The Pixhawk and Mission Planner is about support smooth stable flight with GPS modes.. The pieces you use in a build dictate how it will fly and what strengths the model will have. Tuning also plays a big part too, without tuning the model will not perform to the best of it's ability. Hope that helps..

[@NimaAbbaspour]

Painless360 Thank you very much for your answer. I have had an apm board on F450 frame with GPS. last weekend I have tested the RTL and it didn't work properly until I have increased the value of Wp_nav_speed. Then it worked as it supposed to. We have checked RTL 3 times and I worked fine. Afterwards we decided to try a simple autopilot in 20 meters above the ground. Take off was good It also went to the first waypoint and then it continue in that path but not to the second way point. I have gained the manual control and try to return it using RTL but it went to a higher altitude and went beyond my transmitter coverage. unfortunately I have lost the model with a new 4s 5000mah lipo. now I want to know if pixhawk is more stable than apm or the known bugs like the boot problem which you mentioned in another video(sticks become swapped) will also appear in these flight controller. I am looking for a reliable system for FPV. I did like the APM but I understood it has so many challenges to make it stable and its still not that safe. Thats why solo which the 3DR company released didn't became popular as dji since many users have lost their model. I have learned alot in your channel and I think you are one of the best person to ask my question: what would you recommend for me to build for the next project or I have to go for the commercial products which promises more safety and stability?

[@Painless360]

See the 'Flight controller comparison' video for more details on my thoughts. Sorry to hear about the flyaway but it sounds like the GPS/compass had a problem. The compass is very prone to interference. The Pixhawk is probably the best Opensource platform for GPS at the moment. You do need to make sure that the model is built well, everything is balanced and that you have clear separation from the power and flight electronics to minimise interference. If you're not able to fly a model using the radio line of sight (LOS) comfortably, then I wouldn't try GPS modes as you can't get it back safely if something isn't right. Best of luck with it..

[@jasonweber4535]

Hello, I have apm 2.5.2 (Cheerson CX-20 open source) and minimosd. I have followed your video for setup and installation and all went well except the fact that it just says "waiting for MAVLink Heartbeats" on my goggles. I have absolutely exhausted every resource I could find trying to find a solution. Any ideas? Thank you for your informative videos and time.

[@Painless360]

+Jason Weber swap rx and tx lines? Tricky to suggest things without knowing what you already tried.. Best of luck!

[@jweber33993]

+Painless360 I have indeed tried swapping tx and rx without success. I've also tried previous firmwares on OSD, I've tested everything with multimeter and I'm showing voltage on tx and rx. I've even tested the apms voltage regulator at the 12C port and it's showing 3.2volts, I've tried disconnecting gps and compass without success as well as tried hitting reset button on module numerous times without success. I also get same error if I do away with OSD and try connecting to mission planner via 3dr (knockoffs) telemetry modules. It's as if the apm is not sending data through the telemetry port. Is there any way to "make" it do so? Thanks again for any time you have for me.

[@Painless360]

Could be a broken board or driver issue then. Try it on another PC and with another cable. Best of luck with it..

[@Mart1111nnnn]

Is it possible to power the fpv transmitter using the output rail of the apm? I'm using a power module with jmpr removed. Thanks

[@Painless360]

I wouldn't. Most FPV transmitters need 7-15 volts and a lot want 12v (or there about!). I'd power it from the BEC and avoid pulling any more power through the APM than necessary. Best of luck!

[@rumbey1]

have you got a link for purchasing this exact one please

[@Painless360]

rumbey1 You can get them form lots of places, I've used eBay, Bangood.com and local suppliers here in the UK for the KV modified versions. Get yours from a vendor who specialises in RC kit and read the feedback. Best of luck.