I just read this Facebook post by Chad about the quadcopter PID tuning device Rotor Riot is developing, called "KWAD Tuner".

It's a small handheld device that allows users to access their USB/WiFi/Bluetooth within their flight controller to quickly change parameters on the field of their rates, and PID setting and possibly adjust functions such as flight modes/buzzer etc as fast as possible and in as few steps as possible. 

Concept photo:


Their prototype board:



Here is the documentation in case someone is interested but not on google plus:

Quote:KWAD Tuner - Community Update Doc

What does it do? 
This small handheld device allows users to access their USB/WiFi/Bluetooth within their flight controller to quickly change parameters on the field of their rates, and PID setting and possibly adjust functions such as flight modes/buzzer etc as fast as possible and in as few steps as possible. 


There also needs to be the function to update the firmware through USB/SD Card and also push PID/RATES settings as 1 file into the device from an original backup or multiple backups based as a txt file.  

Adjust these parameters in menu’s 


BASIC
Roll PID
Pitch PID
Yaw PID
Rate Roll/Pitch/Yaw
ADVANCED 
Roll PID
Pitch PID
Yaw PID
RC Rate Roll/Pitch/Yaw
RC Curve Roll/Pitch/Yaw
Rate Roll/Pitch/Yaw
TPA
Level PID/Max Deg
Radio - sbus ppm etc and display rc values to check Radio is working
Flight modes. 
PRESET TUNES
Tunes stored in memory listed here. Max 5?


SETTINGS
Kiss (Flyduino)
Cleanflight
Betaflight
Reset All (returns everything to standard including wiping the memory)


UPDATE


Save Presets 
Update through PC (on board OTG/power 5v)
Powered by XT60 2s-6s (USB 5V) retain memory with onboard button cell. 
Alternate power 3 x AA Batteries
Under $50 retail
Scroll/Click wheel with shuttle or 5 way joystick for adjusting 
Bluetooth FTDI (UART compatibility) OR WiFi
Ideally works with:
BetaFlightBetaFight
CleanFlight
KISS FC 
Raceflight


Certification? CE/FCC/ROHS? 
Screen 2-3 inch White/blue OLED or E-ink (needs to resist sunlight damage and visible during daylight) 
Plastic case? Or heatshrink is ok and users can 3D print a case themselves, also possibly allowing online 3D print businesses to make and sell 3D printed cases promoting local 3D print businesses.
Onboard memory 16-32mb
USB micro (power/charge 5v? and usb standard for output to flight controller 5v) 
Rotor riot symbol etched into copper of pcb during production with silk print white overlay
Black/matte pcb 
?Built in Battery/Cell Voltage Display? (Suggestion to improve versatility, could be accomplished by directly wiring in the cell voltage to an analog input on the Microcontroller or an ADC with multiple channels.  Could even expand to include some sort of battery logging system which could be used to keep track of batteries and their life cycles?) How about nfc tags to log batteries.

A step-by-step walkthrough for a new quad build. (How valuable is this?)

How does it work? - Hardware function


SPI or VCP - USB bus will talk through the USB onboard the flight controller or via UART 1 Bluetooth dongle. 


For pre-saved settings it will inject the CLI using a .txt based file from the user export within the GUI pc program. (Settings backup)


It will also display parameters such as PID and rates which can be adjusted on the fly via Bluetooth or through the USB port. 


Needs to have an internal port for future hardware upgrades, such as connection to the SPI or VCP bus for upgraded modules. (SD card backup for blackbox export or wifi/Bluetooth module etc)


Maybe the future possibility (Expansion pack) for it to link into the telemetry Port of the radio and make adjustments on the fly using telemetry through the radio OR back to old school using 433 or 915mhz to live tune while flying down the UART1 port. (Like the sparky, apm,cc3d revo and px4) 


HARDWARE BOM
2.3 inch OLED screen
STM32 F1
16MB Flash 
Plastic Case with clear acrylic panel to protect Oled screen
Silk print Black RR logo on plastic case
Metal spring contacts for battery
USB Main out
Micro USB in
5 way joystick
Plastic/TPU button for joystick
1 X Micro USB cable
PCBA Black #matte with RR symbol in the copper and while silk print over the top of the etching. 
PVA carbon fiber look box for packing and storage, internal zipper pouch for battery/usb cable storage
Black laser cut foam internal (with finger grooves) 


Development Board
q


FAQ
Q: Why don’t you just use your phone or a laptop?
A: Because I like to have dedicated tools for frequent use. I hate using my phone for stuff like this. Just like I wouldn’t want a hammer that doubles as a screw driver! - Chad Kapper

That's a great idea
Not sure why it cannot be done right in the FC though (or by flight controller software), but that's a step forward anyway.

Quote:FAQ
Q: Why don’t you just use your phone or a laptop?
A: Because I like to have dedicated tools for frequent use. I hate using my phone for stuff like this. Just like I wouldn’t want a hammer that doubles as a screw driver! - Chad Kapper

That's exactly why we use dedicated apps

(05-Dec-2016, 09:05 PM)Oscar Wrote: That's a great idea
Not sure why it cannot be done right in the FC though (or by flight controller software), but that's a step forward anyway.

Well... It can be done in the fc. With a osd or a oled display.

Nice I like this. Right now I have to carry my laptop to the flying field to tune my quads.

I'm sorry if I'm being a bit grumpy now, but I'm not sure how I think about the KWAD tuner. I'm thinking that why not use an app on your smartphone instead? I use an app called PIDflight and it works fine with Betaflight. It says that it has experimental Raceflight and Kiss support as well, but I haven't tried it yet. I'm just thinking that the KWAD tuner is just one more item you bring when flying.

(08-Dec-2016, 05:28 PM)oyvinla Wrote: I'm sorry if I'm being a bit grumpy now, but I'm not sure how I think about the KWAD tuner. I'm thinking that why not use an app on your smartphone instead? I use an app called PIDflight and it works fine with Betaflight. It says that it has experimental Raceflight and Kiss support as well, but I haven't tried it yet. I'm just thinking that the KWAD tuner is just one more item you bring when flying.

Same here, ezgui and kiss app work well on my android phone. Not sure how it is for apple people.