Compiling open-TX -> ATMEGA 2560. So confused, please help.

Projects Programming
1

I only want to compile openTX for ARDUINO2560. I do not want to make the windows companion, touch that or do anything else. This is an ATMEGA 2560 application, so far as I am concerened: I should be able to load the project in Visual studio with Arduino add-in installed, compile and be done. Not the case. As a matter of fact, the compiling instructions for this is absolutely, by far the MOST complicated project I have seen.

On the "COMPILE" instruction page on the wiki:

openTX COMPILE page (see ATMEGA2560)

There appears to be like 12 other things I must install, besides the Visual Studio compiler with the Arduino add-on, that I have been using for so long now to compile my own projects with my own libraries.

  • "Xerces" - Never in my life as 25 year programming in both windows and linux, I have ever heard of this before
  • Install mingw-get-setup - What?
  • Install VC++ 10 - I use Visual Studio community 2017. Done. Procedures should have ended here.
  • "Install QT 4.8.7 for VS2010" - Why ? Never heard of it before.
  • "XSD" - Why ? Never heard of that before.
  • "Install TortoiseSVN" - ditto
  • "WinAVR" - Is this NOT the same Arduino plug-in for visual studio that allows me to compile Arduino using Visual Studio?
  • "MSinttypes" - eh.... Excuse me, what ?
  • "Dirent" - Ditto again, come on now this is getting rediculous
  • "QT 5.7 for VS2015" - ok, procedures asked me to install QT 4.8.7, now 5.7 for different version of Studio ? No thank you please.
  • "cmake" - Sounds like a command used in linux to build python compiled applications
  • "python 2.7" - ok, I recognize this, it's installed
  • "PyQt4 and Python 2.7" - How many versions of "QT" are there and is this one for pyThon different from the two others ? WTF?
  • PThreads v2.8 (NOT 2.9!) - ARG... ditto
  • Install GCC for ARM 4.7-2013q3 (optional to build firmware): - I use the Visual Studio to compile my projects, since an army of thousands of programmers made it easy for me to edit and organize my code, instead of a 1985 DOS-interfacec notepad editor. Must I install "GCC" compiler TOO ?!?!?!? Visual Studio compiles just about everything now and is also free to use.

I have gone and tried to install those things, which is a big revolving door of OTHER THINGS that ALSO have to be installed that I have no idea what they are, what they are doing. Because of this, I can not expect to get results, it's REALLY COMPLICATED.

Skipping to:

"Building firmware 2.2:" - the business part of this page is:

cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" ../code/ -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=C:\Qt\Qt5.7.0\5.7\msvc2015 -DPCB=X9D -DHELI=YES -DGVARS=YES -DTRANSLATIONS=EN -DLUA=YES -DMIXERS_MONITOR=YES -DTIMERS=3

Really confused, hopefully someone can give me some tips or help me to discover ways that I can find the information myself. I really do not prefer to install the 16+ other things that need 2-6 other things to install each package.

2

OpenTX may run on an ATmega2560 processor in some of the RC transmitters that it supports but it is not an Arduino sketch. You say that you don't want to build the "companion" app but the companion app is needed to upload the new firmware to the transmitter. It might be easier to set up a small Linux system and use that to build everything. Linux tends to be better for automating tool installation and build processes.

For general ATmega2560 programming you might find better help at http://www.avrfreaks.net/.

Perhaps http://www.open-tx.org/ has information that would help.

3

johnwasser:
Perhaps http://www.open-tx.org/ has information that would help.

Unfortunately I feel exhausted my efforts seeking help on the open-tx forums for actual help to compile the code. It's filled with hobby-rc people just wiring switches to a board and clicking "UPLOAD FIRMWARE" so they can have a nice RC transmitter project. I come here to ask since Arduino forums has the best collection of electronics and programmer people here from ANY of the forums I have read from. I know my question doesn't belong here, but was hoping I could pick up tips, tricks, pointers and help to find my own answers.