5 replies to this topic

[Harbormaster]

I got my CopterControl board today!

May I offer some suggestions from some confusion I had while trying to get the board configured this evening? (Please see the attached screenshot.)

On the RC Input tab of the Input page:

• Label the channels. (I didn't know whether the numbers went top to bottom or bottom to top.)
  
• Put more labels on things so it's clear what they are. (Channel numbers, pulse widths.)
  
• Spell out Reverse to make it unambiguous what it is, exactly. (Not "Revised" or whatever.)
  
• Make Run Calibration a button and not a check box. (It really is more of an on/off thingy and not a more-or-less permanent setting that a check box suggests.)

On Help/About OpenPilot GCS::

Include the version number of the software. (The instruction sheet that came with my board said to be sure to use version 819, and I was surprised not to find the version number there when I checked it like it seems to be on all of the software that I use at work.)

I think the GCS software is very cool and can't wait to investigate it further.

Attached Files

•  GCS_UI.jpg   78.48K   28 downloads

Edited by Harbormaster, 21 December 2011 - 05:39 AM.

[Kenn Sebesta]

Harbormaster, on 21 December 2011 - 05:37 AM, said:

I got my CopterControl board today!

May I offer some suggestions from some confusion I had while trying to get the board configured this evening? (Please see the attached screenshot.)

On the RC Input tab of the Input page:

• Label the channels. (I didn't know whether the numbers went top to bottom or bottom to top.)
  
• Put more labels on things so it's clear what they are. (Channel numbers, pulse widths.)
  
• Spell out Reverse to make it unambiguous what it is, exactly. (Not "Revised" or whatever.)
  
• Make Run Calibration a button and not a check box. (It really is more of an on/off thingy and not a more-or-less permanent setting that a check box suggests.)

On Help/About OpenPilot GCS::

Include the version number of the software. (The instruction sheet that came with my board said to be sure to use version 819, and I was surprised not to find the version number there when I checked it like it seems to be on all of the software that I use at work.)

I think the GCS software is very cool and can't wait to investigate it further.

Glad to hear it! I think we all agree a lot with what you have to say about the GCS. I especially like your point about making the Run Calibration action a button instead of a check-box.

It's definitely been one of the hardest challenges for the project, as the particular set of skills that make for awesome real-time coding and stability is not necessarily the set that leads to incredible graphic design. Feel free to read the other GCS design threads and comment. Your comments are especially valuable because you're a new user who is still capable of seeing when things are non-intuituve.

[Harbormaster]

Thanks Kenn -- It's nice to know that comments are welcomed. I'll post about whatever else I run into and take a look at some other threads. The GCS software really is quite amazing.

[peabody124]

And even if we don't act on feedback as promptly as would be nice we do appreciate it.  With the run calibration check box though, how would you indicate to stop with a button?  Toggle the label?

[dwillis]

I'd use a toggle button rather than a check box. That way you can click it again to stop. Possibly use run/stop icons for the unclicked/clicked states like a media player.

[Harbormaster]

dwillis, on 21 December 2011 - 09:05 AM, said:

I'd use a toggle button rather than a check box. That way you can click it again to stop. Possibly use run/stop icons for the unclicked/clicked states like a media player.

That's the sort of thing I was thinking of.

One more thing (though I don't have a suggestion for how you'd fix it): I found all of the sliders confusing when I hit the page. I thought that they were settings that I was supposed to set using the slider, so I went out and did research on pulse width lengths and that sort of thing--a wild goose chase, basically. A few lines of explanatory text on the page might be all that's needed, but maybe changing the sliders to bar graphs or something would be less confusing (unless you want users to be able to make settings with them--I'm still kind of confused about how they're supposed to work.)