CONNEXTM User Guide 333 CONNEX TM User Guide Simply Plug-and-Fly! Version 1.0 www.amimon.
CONNEXTM User Guide About This Guide This user guide describes how to setup and use the CONNEXTM wireless video link in order to transmit video from an aircraft. This user guide consists of the following chapters: • Chapter 1, Introducing CONNEX, page 9, introduces the CONNEX system, its components, its connectors, buttons and cables. • Chapter 2, Setting Up CONNEX, page 19, describes how to setup and connect the CONNEX Air Unit and Ground Unit.
CONNEXTM User Guide Important Notice Copyright © 2015 AMIMON. All rights reserved. All intellectual property rights are owned by AMIMON and protected by applicable copyright laws and international treaty provisions. All software/hardware is furnished under a license agreement. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Safety Instructions and Maintenance CONNEXTM User Guide All the instructions in this user guide must be adhered to when operating this equipment. Keep these instructions in a safe and accessible place for future use. Safety Symbols High Voltage Sign: Warns the user of the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within the product enclosure, which may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk.
CONNEXTM User Guide Potential Hazards The CONNEXTM Air Unit and Ground Unit contain HD wireless video modules devices that should be operated according to the same rules and limitations as expected from normal HD wireless video modules devices. Do not operate the units in an environment that may be susceptible to radio interference resulting in danger, specifically: • Areas where prohibited by the law: Follow any special rules and regulations and obey all signs and notices.
CONNEXTM User Guide Contents About This Guide ................................................................................. 2 Support and Contacting Information ................................................................................ 2 Safety Instructions and Maintenance ............................................................................... 4 Contents................................................................................................................................
CONNEXTM User Guide Appendix A, Technical Specifications ............................................. 47 Appendix B, Supported Remote Controls, Gimbals and Telemetry Flight Controllers ............................................................................... 48 Supported Air Unit Camera Gimbals ............................................................................... 48 Supported Gimbal Remote Controls ................................................................................
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CONNEXTM User Guide Chapter 1, Introducing CONNEX TM This chapter introduces the CONNEX system, its components, its connectors, buttons and cables. About CONNEX Amimon’s CONNEX provides a high-end, high-performance wireless HD connection that can operate in challenging unmanned air or ground platforms under harsh conditions with zero latency, such as UAV/UGV.
CONNEXTM User Guide • Air Unit: The Air Unit is connected to an aircraft in order to capture video from the aircraft camera and to transmit it to up to four Ground Units simultaneously (multicast), thus creating a wireless video link. • Ground Unit: The Ground Unit connects to various types of monitors, video goggles or a portable video monitor via the HDMI port. This enables the pilot and/or camera operator to monitor the video transmitted from the Air Unit.
CONNEXTM User Guide Air Unit (Transmitter) Two Tx Cable Antenna Ports LEDs Reset Button Link Button HDMI IN Port USB Port Power S-BUS Port Telemetry Port Figure 2: Air Unit (Transmitter) Table 1: Air Unit Components S.BUS: Control port for the gimbal, which can be connected to a flight controller compatible with the S.BUS protocol or directly to an Air Unit receiver for the purpose of controlling the camera gimbal. S.
CONNEXTM User Guide For a description of the Air Unit LEDs, you may refer to: • Table 3: Air Unit – Power LED • Table 4: Air Unit – Video LED • Table 5: Air Unit – Network LED Air Unit Accessories The box number in which each cable is provided is indicated below. Tx Cable Antennas Two flat lightweight 2dbi cable antennas. Box 2. Figure 3: Flat Tx Cable Antennas Cable Antenna Mounting Accessories Plastic accessories for mounting the antennas on the aircraft. Box 2.
CONNEXTM User Guide S-BUS Cable 5-pin JST to S-BUS female – 50cm length. Box 6. Figure 6: S-BUS Cable Telemetry Cable 6-pin JST female to 6-pin DF13 – 50cm length. Box 6. Figure 7: Telemetry Cable Air Unit Power Cable 4-pin JST to XT-60 Male – 50cm length. Box 1B. Figure 8: Air Unit Power Cable Micro USB Cable Standard Micro USB cable for upgrading the Air Unit software. The same cable can be used for both the Air and Ground Units. Box 6.
CONNEXTM User Guide Mounting Plate For connecting the Air Unit to the aircraft. This item consists of two parts. Box 3. Figure 10: Mounting Plate Note: For information about additional accessories, go to www.AMIMON.com.
CONNEXTM User Guide Ground Unit (Receiver) The following shows both sides of the Ground Unit. Rx Antennas LEDs S.BUS Trainer Port USB Port Power Port Tripod Mount Hole Figure 11: Ground Unit (Receiver) – 1 HDMI Port Link Button OSD Button ON/Off Switch Figure 12: Ground Unit (Receiver) – 2 Table 2: Ground Unit Components Tripod Mount Hole: Enables you to connect the Ground Unit to a tripod. Connection to a tripod is optional. Power Port: 7-17VDC voltage.
CONNEXTM User Guide Unit and the Air Unit. The bit rate of this control can be configured in the S.BUS Rate field using the CONNEX Management application, as described in the Configuring the Link section on page 42. Five Rx Antennas Connectors: The five provided antennas must be screwed onto these connectors. On/Off Switch: Set this switch to On in order to power on the Ground Unit. OSD Button: Enables/disables the OSD display.
Ground Unit Cables and Antennas CONNEXTM User Guide The box number in which each cable is provided is indicated below. Standard HDMI Cable 1.2 meters. Box 7. Figure 13: Standard HDMI Cable AC Power Adapter and Cable Four different adapters are provided for indoor use only. Box 5. Figure 14: AC Power Adapter and Cable S.BUS Trainer Port Cable 3-pin to Futaba – 1meter cable. Box 6. Figure 15: S.
CONNEXTM User Guide Rx Antennas Five 2dbi screw-on antennas. Box 4. Figure 16: Rx Antennas Micro USB Cable Standard Micro USB cable for upgrading the Ground Unit software. The Micro USB connector connects to the USB port on the Ground Unit. The Mini USB connector connects to a computer on which the Ground Unit software is installed. Box 6.
CONNEXTM User Guide Chapter 2, Setting Up CONNEXTM This chapter describes how to setup and connect the CONNEX Air Unit and the CONNEX Ground Unit. This chapter contains the following sections: • Setting Up the CONNEX Air Unit, page 19 • Setting Up the CONNEX Ground Unit, page 26 Setting Up the CONNEX Air Unit Set up the CONNEX Air Unit (transmitter) and connect it to the aircraft, as described in this section. We highly recommend that you use the provided Amimon cables.
CONNEXTM User Guide If attaching the Air Unit to a bar on the aircraft, then perform the following before attaching the Air Unit to the mounting plate: • A clear plastic holder is provided to help attach the mounting plate to a bar or to the landing gear of the aircraft. The square plastic insert can be placed in the opening in the center of the mounting plate either horizontally or vertically according to how you want to position the mounting plate relative to the bar to which you are attaching it.
CONNEXTM User Guide 4 Connect the two Air Unit flat cable antennas to the two Air Unit cable antenna ports, as shown below: Figure 20: Connecting the Antennas to the Air Unit 5 Connect the provided Micro to Mini HDMI cable (Figure 5) from the HDMI IN port on the Air Unit to the camera. The right side of this cable (as shown in Figure 18) goes into the Air Unit HDMI IN port (Figure 2). The left side of this cable (as shown in Figure 18) goes into the aircraft’s camera.
CONNEXTM User Guide Table 3: Air Unit – Power LED On (White) The Air Unit is powered on. Off No power is being supplied to the Air Unit. Blinks Quickly Indicates a system error. 8 The Air Unit automatically connects with the powered on Ground Units that are paired with this Air Unit. A connection is established between the Air and Ground Units regardless of whether video is transmitted on the wireless link, as follows: If video is transmitting, then the Ground Units display the video.
CONNEXTM User Guide Connecting the Telemetry Port The following describes how to connect the Air Unit Telemetry port to the aircraft’s flight controller so that the Ground Unit monitor can display information received from the aircraft’s flight controller overlaid on the video, such as flight mode, number of connected GPS satellites, speed, height, orientation and more.
CONNEXTM User Guide • Avoid Proximity to Metal Objects: The antennas must be at least 7 cm away from any metal object, such as the landing gear or a battery. For example do not tie the antenna directly onto the landing gear even if it is made of carbon. The mounting accessories enable you to attach the antennas while leaving the required distance. • Place the Antennas so That They Are Facing Outwards: Do not place the antennas facing the inside of the aircraft structure.
Air Unit Antenna Mounting Accessories CONNEXTM User Guide The Air Unit antenna mounting accessories provide a variety of options for attaching the two provided flat cable antennas to the aircraft so that they are pointing the towards the ground (vertical).
Setting Up the CONNEX Ground Unit CONNEXTM User Guide We highly recommend that you use the provided Amimon cables. If an alternate cable is used, make sure that it is of the highest quality. To set up the CONNEX Ground Unit: 1 Refer to the Placement Guidelines – Ground Unit section on page 27 for a description of the mandatory requirements and the best practices for optional placement of the Ground Unit and its antennas.
CONNEXTM User Guide Table 8: Ground Unit – Network LED On (Blue) A link has been established to the Air Unit, meaning that the Ground Unit is receiving video transmission from the Air Unit. The Network LED displays one of three colors to indicate the strength of the signal received by the Ground Unit, as follows: • Red: Poor • Green: Fair • Blue: Excellent Off No paired devices, meaning that the Air Unit is powered down or the Ground Unit is not paired with any Air Units.
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CONNEXTM User Guide Chapter 3, Using CONNEX TM This chapter describes how to get started using the Air Unit and the Ground Unit. This chapter also describes the Ground Unit’s On Screen Display (OSD), how to set up multicasting and how to set up control of the aircraft’s camera gimbal from a gimbal remote control. Getting Started – Air Unit The Air and Ground Units provided in the same box are preconfigured to automatically search for and connect to each other.
CONNEXTM User Guide Ground Unit – On Screen Display (OSD) The Ground Unit monitor displays information collected by the CONNEX system overlaid on the video received from the Air Unit.
CONNEXTM User Guide Additional Telemetry Information Overlaid on Video Additional telemetry information can be overlaid on the video received from the aircraft’s flight controller. This information appears in a black strip on the top of the video, as shown below: Telemetry information overlay on video Figure 32: OSD View – With Additional Telemetry Information H: Aircraft Height. VS: Vertical Speed. GS: Ground Speed. : Flight Mode.
SPRT CONNEXTM User Guide Sport : Number of Connected GPS Satellites. : Aircraft Battery Charge. This additional information is displayed when: • The aircraft has a MAVLink-based flight controller. • The Air Unit Telemetry port is connected to the aircraft’s flight controller, as described in the Connecting the Telemetry Port section on page 23. • The OSD button (shown in Table 2) on the Ground Unit is set to enable the display of flight control (Telemetry) information.
Alert and System Messages CONNEXTM User Guide The following describes the messages that may appear on the monitor connected to the Ground Unit HDMI port. Alert Messages – Overlaid on Video during Link These alert messages may be displayed on top of the live video. Table 10: Alert Messages Out of Range A link still exists, but the video signal has been lost. This message is displayed regardless of the OSD button position.
CONNEXTM User Guide Multicasting to Multiple Ground Units Overview A single Air Unit can transmit video downlink to up to four Ground Units. This is called multicasting. The following procedure describes how to pair an additional Ground Unit with the same Air Unit. Note: The Air and Ground Units provided in the same box are preconfigured to automatically search for and connect to each other. Therefore, there is no need to perform this procedure on the Air Unit / Ground Unit provided in the same box.
CONNEXTM User Guide 4 Press and hold the Link button on the Ground Unit. The following message is then displayed: Pairing in progress After a while, the monitor connected to the Ground Unit should display the video received from the Air Unit, as described in the Ground Unit – On Screen Display (OSD) section on page 30. Note: If a black screen is displayed (as shown below), then check that the camera on the aircraft is operating.
CONNEXTM User Guide Controlling the Aircraft Camera Gimbal The CONNEX Gimbal Control feature enables an operator on the ground to control the aircraft’s camera gimbal using a Futaba remote control over the video uplink channel. Only gimbals that can input S.BUS are supported. Gimbal control is supported for up to 1 Km. This feature can only be used when an Air Unit is paired with a single Ground Unit.
TM CONNEXTM User Guide Chapter 4, CONNEX Management Application This chapter describes how to configure and upgrade the CONNEX Air Unit and Ground Unit. Overview The Air Unit and the Ground Unit come preconfigured to communicate with each other. If needed, you can reconfigure the wireless video datalink by connecting the Air Unit to a PC and using the CONNEX Management application, as described in the Configuring the Link section on page 42.
Installing the CONNEX Management Application CONNEXTM User Guide This application can run on a standard computer running Windows 7 and up. To install the CONNEX Management application: 1 Download the latest version from the Amimon website www.AMIMON.com/connex/management to a computer connected to a Ground Unit. 2 Run the installation file and follow the displayed instructions to install the CONNEX Management application. 3 Launch the application by double-clicking its desktop icon.
CONNEXTM User Guide Connecting the Air Unit or Ground Unit to a Computer The Air Unit or Ground Unit must be connected to a computer on which the CONNEX Management application is installed in order to configure or upgrade that unit. To connect the Air Unit or Ground Unit to a computer: • Connect the Micro USB cable (Box 6) to the Air Unit’s or Ground Unit’s USB port (Figure 11).
CONNEXTM User Guide Upgrading the Air Unit or Ground Unit Firmware Upgrading the Air Unit or Ground Unit firmware does not affect the settings of the wireless video downlink. To upgrade the Air Unit or Ground Unit firmware: 1 Make sure that the computer on which the CONNEX Management application is installed is connected to the Internet and is connected to the Air Unit/Ground Unit via a Micro USB cable. 2 Launch the CONNEX Management application by double-clicking its desktop icon.
CONNEXTM User Guide 3 Click the Upgrade button. The latest software version is automatically downloaded from the Amimon website and installed on the connected unit. The bottom of the window displays the progress of the upgrade and lists the processes as they are performed, as shown below: Figure 39: Upgrading a Unit 4 If you upgrade an Air Unit, then you must upgrade all the Ground Units registered to it.
CONNEXTM User Guide Configuring the Link The following describes how to configure the link between an Air Unit and the Ground Units. This procedure is performed on an Air Unit only. Link Mode S.BUS Rate Spectrum per Region Figure 40: Link Configuration To configure the link: 1 Make sure that the computer on which the CONNEX Management application is installed is connected to the Air Unit via a Micro USB cable and is connected to the Internet.
CONNEXTM User Guide 5 The SBUS Rate field specifies the data rate of the S.BUS link between the Ground Unit and the Air Unit that controls the Air Unit’s camera gimbal. CONNEX configures the data rate of the S.BUS remote control to be 6.3mSec (FASSTest 12CH) by default. You can select one of the following S.BUS Rate modes: Auto: 15m sec – FASSTest 18CH or T-FHSS Mode. The S.BUS rate is received and sampled from the remote control trainer port. The Air Unit then automatically outputs the same S.BUS rate.
CONNEXTM User Guide Checking the Ground Units Registered to an Air Unit To see which Ground Units are registered to an Air Unit: 1 Make sure that the computer on which the CONNEX Management application is installed is connected to the Air Unit via a Micro USB cable. 2 Launch the CONNEX Management application by double-clicking its desktop icon. 3 Click the Link Configuration tab.
Unregistering All Ground Units CONNEXTM User Guide Note: There is no option to unregister one Ground Unit at a time. To unregister all Ground Units from a specific Air Unit: 1 Make sure that the computer on which the CONNEX Management application is installed is connected to the Internet and is connected to the Air Unit via a Micro USB cable. 2 Launch the CONNEX Management application by double-clicking its desktop icon. 3 Click the Link Configuration tab.
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CONNEXTM User Guide Appendix A, Technical Specifications Table 14: CONNEX Technical Specifications Transmission Distance Outdoor Up to 1,000m/3,000 ft. (LoS) Transmission Delay Zero [Less than 1 msec.] Radio Frequency 5.1-5.8 GHz, 17 channels Channel Selection Automatic frequency selection [AFS] Video Formats 60/59.94, 1080p/50, 1080i/60, 1080i/50, 30/29.97, 24/23.98, 60/59.94, 720p/50, 480i/60, 576i/50 Multicast Mode Up to 4 receivers with no delay or quality degradation.
CONNEXTM User Guide Appendix B, Supported Remote Controls, Gimbals and Telemetry Flight Controllers The following lists the Air Unit camera gimbals and the remote controls that are supported by CONNEX. Supported Air Unit Camera Gimbals DJI – Zenmuse Z15 • • • • • • Zenmuse Z15-GH4 (HD) –, support S.BUS 6.
CONNEXTM User Guide Appendix C, Supported Resolutions This appendix lists the video resolutions supported by CONNEX. Table 12: CONNEX Supported Resolutions Video Format Timings 720(1440) x 480i @ 59.94Hz 720(1440) x 480i @ 60Hz Format Name 40MHZ Supported 20MHz Supported Primary CEA Video Formats Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 480i 640 x 480p @ 59.94/60Hz 720 x 480p @ 59.
CONNEXTM User Guide Appendix D, Limitation of Liability and Warranty This CONNEXTM product is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. The company disclaims all other warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and noninfringement.
Appendix E, FCC Caution CONNEXTM User Guide Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by Amimon may void the user’s authority to operate this equipment. Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limitations for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy.
CONNEXTM User Guide About Amimon Established in 2004, AMIMON develops and manufactures HD wireless video systems recognized as the standard solution of realtime wireless video for the pro-Camera, unmanned, medical, A/V installation and other markets. Its highly disruptive digital and RF semiconductor video modem technology addresses the stringent requirements of realtime HD video connectivity augmented by multicast and control capabilities.
