aTello (Android) Development Thread

[handersonluiz]

About aTello
aTello is an alternative to the stock Tello android app.

Installing the APK.

How to Install APK Files on Android: 12 Steps (with Pictures)

Instructions

1. Network status area. This bar will be RED if not connected to the Tello network. Tap to connect in that case.
2. Takeoff/Land button
3. Throw takeoff button
4. Take picture button. Hold to switch to aspect ratio to 16x9. (not fully working yet)
5. Show pictures. Not fully working.
6. Settings. Joystick config and Jpeg quality.
7. Joystick axis status (for debugging)
8. Aircraft status area.

Joystick is currently supported for generic Android Bluetooth/OTG controllers and PS3 style controllers. Joystick type is selected in the settings page. If your joystick doesn't work First check to make sure it works on other Android apps. If it does then post an issue including your controller brand.


These are the button mappings on the controller for takeoff, land, take picture and speed mode.





Start (Hold) = Takeoff/Land.
Select (Hold) = Land.
R1 = Take Picture.
R2 = Speed mode.
L1 = Record.
R2+DPad = Flip

Features
<todo>

Todo
<todo>

Downloads
aTello download page

Release Notes

Version 0.96
Summary; This version should fix the problems when switching between pic and camera modes. It also includes a simple Return To Home function.

Return To Home:

There is a new Return to Home button in the UI and on the Joystick (Home button on PS3 and A button on Generic). Only works in environments with plenty of light. Use with caution.

• Single tap will cancel autopilot.
• Double tap will set home.
• Long press will return to home.
• Home or A button on the joystick works the same way (single, double and long).
• It uses voice prompts to tell you the state of the autopilot. Turn up your volume.
• An initial home point should be set as soon as the drone can see the ground well enough to pick up a fix.
• The home point is only 2d so you need to take care of the height.
• Moving the right stick will cancel autopilot.
• It isn't always accurate and sometimes has trouble with swirling around the target. Especially in wind.

Version 0.95
Summary; This is the most stable version yet. I changed how connections are handled and there should be no more disconnects when the app pauses or goes into a menu screen.


Version 0.93
Summary; There are some important bug fixes in this version to make it a bit safer. But video is still not working right.

Notes
Video mode is still not working right. Basically switching video/picture modes messes things up and will eventually crash the app. Until I figure out why I recommend flying in picture mode. If do you want video mode I suggest you flip to it when you first connect and then leave it in that mode until you can rerun the app. If it works at the start it should be stable until you try to switch back to pic mode.

It seems to me I used to be able to task switch out of the aTello without disconnecting. But now I can't. From reading the docs it appears that the correct behavior is to loose connection and if it was working before it was a fluke. To fix that I need to rewrite a core part of the app as a service. That isn't simple and I expect will take some time.

Changes

• When the app is paused or looses focus (like going into settings) it should zero the joysticks to keep the drone from flying in the last direction. Still be very careful. NOTE. If your joystick becomes disconnected it can still take several seconds for Android to realize it and for the sticks to zero. Make sure your joystick doesn't come unplugged when maneuvering. It happened to me once.
• Moved the status bar to the top of the screen to make it easier to see when using the onscreen joysticks.
• The VS indicator will now be green if in normal mode or red if in speed mode.
• Added a Speed Mode lock. Press and hold the VS indicator in the status bar and it will turn red.
• Prevent the settings screen from switching to portrait.
• Prevent video conversion while flying.
• Moved the video/picture mode switch to Holding the onscreen Record button instead of Picture. It makes more sense and allows for exposure bracketing on the picture button (HB is not working yet). I don't recommend using this button yet. See above.

Your work is excellent, do you think to include the feature of follow me?

 

[Stumpi]

Wouldn’t it be more intuitive to assign „a“ knob to

• Single tap = return to home.
• Double tap = set home.
• Long press = reset home?

 

[Krag]

Your work is excellent, do you think to include the feature of follow me?

Probably not. The only way to do it would be using OpenCV and that would almost triple the download size. The libraries are nearly 60meg alone.

Wouldn’t it be more intuitive to assign „a“ knob to

• Single tap = return to home.
• Double tap = set home.
• Long press = reset home?

That would make it too easy to accidentally trigger return to home.

 

[st.sch]

hello...
maybe i missed it... but i did not find it ... set the path for saving video and pictures...
internal phone memory is low.. but plenty on the sd card... so would be great...

 

[handersonluiz]

[QUOTE = "Krag, post: 5774, membro: 98"] Provavelmente não. A única maneira de fazer isso seria usando o OpenCV e isso quase triplicaria o tamanho do download. As bibliotecas são quase 60 megas sozinhas.


Isso tornaria fácil demais disparar acidentalmente o retorno para casa. [/ QUOTE]

Sad, that would be perfect.
It would be perfect even if it was a separate app just for that.
I do not have the skills for this.

 

[l4mb3]

is it possible to add a button to shot panoramic photos?
Thank You

 

[brick72]

///
Probably not. The only way to do it would be using OpenCV and that would almost triple the download size. The libraries are nearly 60meg alone.
///
The Size dosnt matter if I allowed to say.
I would Pay 30€ to have an App with follow me or even better - Active Tracking.
Because thats what we all missed in the Stock App, right?
So who cares if it has 60 or 80 mb Size, but one is still able to have such Things?!?!

Best regards,
I have a look to your Project!

 

[zaphod]

Just joined to add my appreciation of this app.

Works perfectly on Samsung tab A tablet (2016 model), and my ancient Motorola G3.

Enabled me to use OTG cable and pc logitech F710 to controler with tello, although i cant figure how to take off with it, very minor annoyance. (i tried every single button on the controller, im on ps3 mode, start and select do nothing not even when holding them)

(anybody wondering about landing, you can just keep holding the "down" throthle and it WILL land, it just pauses for a second or two if you are ready to stop the flight, just keep holding down throthle and it goes down and turns propellers off, you dont need to use a landing button, works on the official tello app too. just tested)

Also ordered a Xiaomi Mi WiFi Repeater 2 for 12€ from china that is apparently known good for extending the range of tello. (and apparently gets for some people rid of the video skipping issue, at least when its on range) i tried another one that my parents had allready, it connected to tello just fine, but i never got the program to connect via it.
ill let you know in 1-3 weeks how that works. (hah)



VR support would be nice, as im not ready to go and get a bluetooth controller and use the officiall app. (as otg controllers dont work with it)


again, thank you.

 

[Mikusan]

///
Probably not. The only way to do it would be using OpenCV and that would almost triple the download size. The libraries are nearly 60meg alone.
///
The Size dosnt matter if I allowed to say.
I would Pay 30€ to have an App with follow me or even better - Active Tracking.
Because thats what we all missed in the Stock App, right?
So who cares if it has 60 or 80 mb Size, but one is still able to have such Things?!?!

Best regards,
I have a look to your Project!

I second this, i would gladly pay to have an IOS app with return to home and follow me. Wouldn't care about the size either. It's not about the size but how you use it, am i right

 

[zaphod]

anybody know how tello does the things it does, what sensors are those at the bottom exactly?

limitations are kind of hard to figure out, if we dont know.

there is probably a compass, and it can figure what angle it is at at least? It can figure what height it is, but how does the return to home work, since it does not have GPS?

is it making just a guess on distance traveled based on sensors and compass or something?


need to tape a tiny magnet to it and see if the return to home still works.

 

[Von_Virus]

Oneplus 5, android 8.1 reboot while i using this app. I use xbox 360 wired controller via otg.
P.s. sorry for bad language. English is not my native language.

 

[handersonluiz]

About aTello
aTello is an alternative to the stock Tello android app.

Installing the APK.

How to Install APK Files on Android: 12 Steps (with Pictures)

Instructions

1. Network status area. This bar will be RED if not connected to the Tello network. Tap to connect in that case.
2. Takeoff/Land button
3. Throw takeoff button
4. Take picture button. Hold to switch to aspect ratio to 16x9. (not fully working yet)
5. Show pictures. Not fully working.
6. Settings. Joystick config and Jpeg quality.
7. Joystick axis status (for debugging)
8. Aircraft status area.

My friend would be able to implement a scheduled flight mode?
Ex.
1 - Fly right by 1 meter
2 -fly backward by 2 meters

Another idea would be to allow the flight instructions to be recorded and reproduced at another time.

One more lol
Black and white camera mode for easy night flight

I think that's all.
I had these ideas this weekend while I wait for my Telmo to arrive.
And again, thank you.

 

[Bbastos]

Congratulations for this app
I signed up now just to congratulate you and I will continue to follow ...

 

[spamaro]

Hi,
I was recording video during flight yesterday when the tello crashed and disconnected. Then, it wasn't possible to stop video recording in aTello. i had to reboot app. After that I had issue with my gamesir, maybe it is the joystick which was the origin of that problem.

The aTello app is great, i am so frustrated not to get as good video quality as the official app...

 

[qaab]

Dear Karagrathea,

Thanks for your great work and efforts.

I hope you can add if possible the official functions: Circle , 360, Up & Away and Bounce Mode

 

[guig1508]

Dear Karagrathea,

Thanks for your great work and efforts.

I hope you can add if possible the official functions: Circle , 360, Up & Away and Bounce Mode

We can do without the bounce mode haha

 

[Silver Dollar]

My phone is a Samsung G900A Galaxy S5. I installed aTello .93 and .96 and they both show that the Tello is connected and the Tello's camera image on the screen. The controls are displayed and the camera, video and settings buttons work but takeoff/land and toss buttons do not function. I do not have a controller hooked up yet. Any ideas why the controls do not work?

 

[qaab]

My phone is a Samsung G900A Galaxy S5. I installed aTello .93 and .96 and they both show that the Tello is connected and the Tello's camera image on the screen. The controls are displayed and the camera, video and settings buttons work but takeoff/land and toss buttons do not function. I do not have a controller hooked up yet. Any ideas why the controls do not work?

Long press for takeoff/land

 

[Silver Dollar]

Long press for takeoff/land

That was it!!! Thank you so much for the reply.

 

[KarlosDaishi]

Long press for takeoff/land

It took me so long to figure that out too... hahaha