media tek 3329

[GoogleCodeExporter]

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. media tek 3339 gps and adapter connected to APM
2. open serial connection via IDE. run GPS test.
3. switch #2 (adjacent servo reverse switches) in the 0 position (closest to 
servo output pins)
4. mini usb and esc power input 
5. Blue led on adapter (gps) flashes in one second intervals.
6. Everything outside and running at least 15 minutes.
7. 3.249 volts at VCC pin 1 on gps module
8. Radio and flight control mode setup successful.

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

1. While running the GPS test via IDE serial connection the result is a 
continuous stream of ----------------.
2. I understand that the flashing blue light on the adapter indicates
the module is searching for gps signals. However, I would expect to see 
something other than a stream of --------- during the GPS test.

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?

MediaTek MT3329 GPS 10Hz
MediaTek MT3229 adapter     
ArduPilotMega IMU Shield/OilPan Rev-H

ArduPilot Mega - Arduino Mega compatible UAV Controller
sku: GPS-09710

Please provide any additional information below.

Any ideas on how to update the gps firmware via the mini usb connector on the 
oilpan?

Original issue reported on code.google.com by jtn...@gmail.com on 29 Oct 2010 at 5:30

[GoogleCodeExporter]

This doesn't sound like an issue with the APM code so I'm going to close it -- 
hardware or setup problems should usually be addressed on the DIYDrones forums. 
 The issue list is for misbehavior attributed to the APM.  If you find out that 
the dashes are being caused by some flaw in the APM (you expect it to behave 
one way based on the documentation and it behaves differently), please leave 
another comment here and I'll reopen the issue.

That said, here is a quick response:

The APM has multiple serial ports; the GPS is on Serial1 and the mini USB 
connection on the shield connects to the APM's Serial0.  You could write an 
extremely simple Arduino program to simply pass through the data from Serial0 
to Serial1 and then connect to the mini USB serial port using the firmware 
update program on your computer.  You might use this as a non-tested starting 
point:

#include <FastSerial.h>

FastSerialPort0(Serial);
FastSerialPort1(Serial1);

void setup(void)
{
    Serial.begin(38400);
    Serial1.begin(38400);
}

void
loop(void)
{
    int    c;
    c = Serial.read();
    if (-1 != c)
        Serial1.write(c);

    c = Serial1.read();
    if (-1 != c)
        Serial.write(c);
}

Original comment by bjpcalt...@gmail.com on 29 Oct 2010 at 10:03

• Changed state: CannotReproduce