OpenTX 2.2 Linux Build Instructions

See also Companion 2.1 Linux Build Instructions
And/Or OpenTX 2.2 Build With QtCreator (Win Linux OSX)

Note on software versions

The document below is meant to help you develop or test changes to OpenTx on your PC, not to build flight/radio safe version of binaries. Given the nature of arm/avr gcc compilers, the binary results are not always consistent depending on the version used. The only version that can be considered field tested are the ones used by the compilation server, which can be found here : https://github.com/opentx/opentx/blob/2.2/radio/util/Dockerfile

System preparation

OpenTX 2.2 uses cmake for all parts of the project (radio firmware and Companion).

On Debian 9 (Stretch) / Ubuntu 18.06:

gcc-arm-none-eabi has been updated to version 6.3.1 and seems to be incompatible with opentx (compilation ok but radio not turn on after flash firmware). You need to revert to version 4.7.2. You can use instruction in topic OpenTX 2.1 Linux Build Instructions to install older gcc-arm-none-eabi.

On Ubuntu 16.04 following packages need to be installed:

The command listed here will install all packages that are needed to build OpenTX Companion and firmware for all radios. You can run this command from the fresh Ubuntu 16.04 or Linux Mint 18.x installation or any other already used system based on Ubuntu 16.04.

sudo apt-get install cmake gcc gcc-avr avr-libc build-essential \
    libfox-1.6-dev libsdl1.2-dev python-pyqt5 \
    qt5-default qttools5-dev-tools qtmultimedia5-dev qttools5-dev libqt5svg5-dev \
    gcc-arm-none-eabi libnewlib-arm-none-eabi libstdc++-arm-none-eabi-newlib 

From 2.2.2 on, python-pyqt5 is not needed anymore, but the package python-pil is needed instead. This installs the PIL fork called Pillow, which is used now for image manipulations during firmware build. So here is the new command to be used:

sudo apt-get install cmake gcc gcc-avr avr-libc build-essential \
    libfox-1.6-dev libsdl1.2-dev \
    qt5-default qttools5-dev-tools qtmultimedia5-dev qttools5-dev libqt5svg5-dev \
    gcc-arm-none-eabi libnewlib-arm-none-eabi libstdc++-arm-none-eabi-newlib \
    python-pil

Optionally install also these packages to get ability to make Google tests and use OpenTX Git repository:

sudo apt-get install git libgtest-dev

Optional installation of dfu-util

For flashing firmware OpenTX needs dfu-util version 0.9 which is not available in Ubuntu 16.04 or older versions. To build dfu-util use these commands:

sudo apt-get install libusb-1.0-0-dev
wget http://dfu-util.sourceforge.net/releases/dfu-util-0.9.tar.gz
tar xzvf dfu-util-0.9.tar.gz
cd dfu-util-0.9/
./configure 
make
src/dfu-util 
sudo make install

Test:

dfu-util --version

should output:

dfu-util 0.9

Copyright 2005-2009 Weston Schmidt, Harald Welte and OpenMoko Inc.
Copyright 2010-2016 Tormod Volden and Stefan Schmidt
This program is Free Software and has ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY
Please report bugs to http://sourceforge.net/p/dfu-util/tickets/

On Ubuntu 14.04 following packages need to be installed:

sudo apt-get install qt5-default qttools5-dev-tools qtmultimedia5-dev qttools5-dev
sudo apt-get install python3-pyside.qtwebkit

On Arch Linux / Manjaro following packages need to be installed:

sudo pacman -S qt5 fox gtest

On Fedora

dnf install git gcc svn qt qt-devel cmake patch xsd gcc-c++ SDL-devel  \
    phonon phonon-devel avr-gcc-c++ avr-gcc avr-binutils arm-none-eabi-binutils-cs \
    arm-none-eabi-gcc-cs arm-none-eabi-gcc-cs-c++ arm-none-eabi-newlib.noarch \
    avr-binutils avr-gcc avr-gcc-c++ avr-libc.noarch PyQt4 fox-devel qt5 \
    qt5-qtmultimedia-devel qt5-devel.noarch qt5-qtsvg-devel qt5-qttools-devel dfu-util

OpenTX 2.2 compilation

Getting the source code

git clone --recursive -b 2.2 https://github.com/opentx/opentx.git

Preparation of build directory

• create a new folder inside opentx folder (which contains folders companion, radio)
• move into that folder and execute cmake configuration command with appropriate options
• run make, optionally defining which target(s) to build

Short example for Taranis Plus radio:

$ cd opentx
opentx $ mkdir build-taranis-debug && cd $_
opentx/build-taranis-debug $ cmake -DPCB=X9D+ -DGVARS=YES -DLUA=YES -DDEBUG=YES -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug ../
-- The C compiler identification is GNU 4.8.5
-- The CXX compiler identification is GNU 4.8.5
-- Check for working C compiler: /usr/bin/cc
-- Check for working C compiler: /usr/bin/cc -- works
-- Detecting C compiler ABI info
-- Detecting C compiler ABI info - done
-- Check for working CXX compiler: /usr/bin/c++
-- Check for working CXX compiler: /usr/bin/c++ -- works
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info - done
-- OpenTX 2.2.0
-- Looking for SDL 
-- Looking for include file pthread.h
-- Looking for include file pthread.h - found
-- Looking for pthread_create
-- Looking for pthread_create - not found
-- Looking for pthread_create in pthreads
-- Looking for pthread_create in pthreads - not found
-- Looking for pthread_create in pthread
-- Looking for pthread_create in pthread - found
-- Found Threads: TRUE  
SDL Include Path: /usr/include/SDL
-- The ASM compiler identification is GNU
-- Found assembler: /usr/bin/cc
USING -std=gnu++11
WARNING: can't find gtests source, gtest target will not be available!
-- Looking for QT lupdate 
-- /usr/bin/lupdate
QT lupdate: /usr/bin/lupdate
-- Configuring done
-- Generating done
-- Build files have been written to: opentx/build-taranis-debug

Build firmware for the radio:

opentx/build-taranis-debug $ make firmware

Build Companion and simulator:

opentx/build-taranis-debug $ make libsimulator && make companion22

Flash the radio with dfu-util (and build firmware if necessary):

opentx/build-taranis-debug $ make flash

Hints

To see the actual commands that are executed by make use VERBOSE=1 parameter with make command:

opentx/build-taranis-debug $ make firmware VERBOSE=1

---

CMake remembers (caches) all options, therefore this:

$ cmake -DPCB=X9D ../
$ cmake -DLUA=YES ../
$ cmake -DLUA=NO ../

is equivalent to:

cmake -DPCB=X9D -DLUA=NO

---

To see all available CMake options use:

$ cmake -LH ../

---

If you have problems building - try a fresh checkout. compiling 2.1 leaves files that mess 2.2 build.