Hardware Installation

Mechanical

Veronte Autopilot 1x is manufactured using an anodized aluminium enclosure with enhanced EMI shielding and IP protection. A high reliability connector is also provided in this version. The total weight of Remote ID variant is 208 g, while the variant with ADS-B weighs 209 g.

Pressure lines

Veronte Autopilot 1x has three pressure input lines, two for static pressure to determine the absolute pressure and one for pitot in order to determine the dynamic pressure.

For the fittings it is recommended to use a polyurethane tube of 2.5 mm inner diameter and 4 mm outer diameter.

  • Pressure Intake

    • Pressure intakes must be located in order to prevent clogging.
    • Never install pressure intakes on the propeller flow.
    • Design pressure tubing path in order to avoid tube constriction.

  • Static Pressure

    • It is not recommended to use inside fuselage pressure if it is not properly vented.

  • Pitot Tube

    • Pitot tube must be installed facing the airflow.
    • It is recommended to install it near the aircraft's x axis in order to avoid false measures during manoeuvres.
    • For low-speed aircraft it is recommended at least 6.3mm tubes to prevent any rain obstruction.

Note

In case of not using an input air connector, it is recommended to remove its corresponding nut. Vibrations may move and damage intake connectors with a nut that is not fixed with a tube.

Location

The location of Veronte Autopilot 1x has no restrictions. You only need to configure its relative position with respect to the centre of mass of the aircraft and the GNSS antenna. The configuration of the location of Veronte Autopilot 1x can be easily configured using 1x PDI Builder.

Note

It can be assumed that the origin of the coordinate system of Autopilot 1x is on its center of mass.

Orientation

The orientation of Veronte Autopilot 1x has no restrictions either. You only need to configure axes with respect to the aircraft body axes by means of a rotation matrix or a set of correspondences between axes. The configuration of the orientation can be easily configured using 1x PDI Builder.

Axes are printed on the Autopilot 1x box. Aircraft coordinates are defined by the standard aeronautical conventions (see image below).

Aircraft Coordinates (Standard Aeronautical Convention)

Vibration Isolation

Although Veronte Autopilot 1x rejects noise and high-frequency vibration modes with electronic filters, there may be situations where external isolation is needed.

Autopilot 1x can be mounted in different ways in order to reject the airframe vibration, but it is recommend to use the Damping System designed for that porpuse. It covers a wide frequency range of different aircraft types.

Note

The user should take into account that wiring should be loose enough so that vibrations are not transmitted to Autopilot 1x.

Damping System

Embention offers the Damping System as a solution to isolate Veronte Autopilot 1x from vibrations.

Important

Only effective with Autopilot 1x in horizontal position.

This damping system weighs 60 g.

Damping System

Warning

This Damping System is designed for hardware versions 4.8 and 4.12 of Autopilot 1x.

Dimensions
Damping system dimensions (mm)
Assembly steps

To assembly the Damping System into a vehicle with an Autopilot 1x, read the following steps.

  1. Remove the three nuts located under the platform.

    Step 1

  2. Screw the platform on the aircraft frame. The included screws have M3.

    Step 2

  3. Screw the Autopilot 1x on the Damping system.

Step 3
Result
Vibration analysis

  • Transmissibility (Z-axis)

    Transmissibility graph, analysis of vibrations received by Autopilot 1x, with and without Damping System:

    Transmissibility graph

  • Phase (Z-axis)

    Phase graph, analysis of whether vibrations measured by Autopilot 1x are in phase or not, with and without Damping System:

    Phase graph

Antenna Integration

The system uses different kinds of antennas to operate that must be installed on the airframe. Here you can find some advice for obtaining the best performance and for avoiding antenna interferences.

  • Antenna Installation

    • Maximize separation between antennas as much as possible.
    • Keep them far away from alternators or other interference generators.
    • Always isolate antenna ground panel from the aircraft structure.
    • Make sure the antenna is securely mounted.
    • Always use high-quality RF wires minimising the wire length.
    • Always follow the antenna manufacturer manual.
    • SSMA connections shall be tightened applying 1Nm of torque
    • For all-weather aircraft, insert SSMA lightning protectors.


  • GNSS Antenna

    • Antenna top side must point the sky.
    • Install it on a top surface with direct sky view.
    • Never place metallic / carbon parts or wires above the antenna.
    • It is recommended to install it on a small ground plane.
    • For all-weather aircraft, insert SSMA lightning protectors.

    • Recommended specifications

      Specifications Range
      Antenna frequency L1 1561.098 MHz to 1602 MHz
      Antenna frequency L2 1207.14 MHz to 1246 MHz
      Amplifier gain 17 dB to 35 dB
      Out-of-band rejection 40 dB
      Note
      Higher values are preferable.
      30 dB is considered the minimum acceptable value.
      Polarization RHCP (Right-Hand Circular Polarization)
      Minimum supply voltage 2.7 V to 3.3 V
      Maximum supply current 50 mA


  • Ground Plane Requirements: Some antennas improve their reception when a metal plane is added behind them, as it reflects and shapes the antenna's radiation pattern. This plane does not need to be electrically grounded.

    • GNSS Antenna

      • While GNSS antennas can operate without a ground plane, adding one significantly improves performance.
      • A flat metal plate of at least 15 cm diameter is recommended. Avoid diameters below 12 cm, as they can prevent signal reception entirely.
      • The ground plane should be mounted directly beneath the antenna.

      For technical justification, refer to the following resources:

    • ATC Antenna

      • These antennas require a ground plane to function properly.

      • For the ADS-B, at an operating frequency of 1090 MHz, the typical wavelength λ is approximately 27.5 cm. Therefore, a circular ground plane with at least λ/4 radius (~7 cm) is necessary for proper operation.

      • If the antenna is mounted on a large metallic surface (e.g. fuselage), no additional ground plane is needed, assuming there is at least 15 cm of continuous metal surrounding the antenna.

Electrical

Power

Veronte Autopilot 1x can use unregulated DC (8V to 54V). Pins used for power and ground are the same for both Ground and Air configurations.

LiPo batteries between 2S and 8S can be used without regulation needs. Remaining battery level can be controlled by the internal voltage sensor and by configuring the voltage warnings by software.

For higher voltage installations, voltage regulators must be used. For dimensioning voltage regulators take into account that a blocked servo can activate regulator thermal protection.

Caution

Caution!! Power Veronte Autopilot 1x out of range can cause irreversible damage to the system. Please read carefully the manual before powering the system.

Autopilot 1x and servos can be powered by the same or different batteries. In case of having more than one battery on the system, a single point ground union is needed to ensure a good performance. The ground signal should be isolated from other noisy ground references (e.g. engines). If all grounds need to be connected, the connection should be made on the negative pole of the battery.

It is recommendable to use independent switches for autopilot and motor/actuators. During the system initialization, the PWM signal will be set to low level (0V), please make sure that actuators/motor connected support this behaviour before installing a single switch for the whole system.

Pinout

Caution

If replacing an Autopilot 1x version 4.8 with a 4.12 (this one), it is strongly recommended to be aware of the differences between the pinouts of both versions. To do so, read the Pinout changes from Autopilot 1x 4.8 - Troubleshooting section of the present manual.

Connector for Autopilot 1x - HEW.LM.368.XLNP (frontal view)

Warning

Check the pin number before connecting. The color code is repeated 3 times due to the amount of pins. First section (yellow) corresponds to pins 1-30, the second section (blue) to pins 31-60 and the third one (red) to pins 61-68. Pin number increases counterclockwise following the black line of the picture above.

PIN Signal Type Description
1 I/O 0 I/O Pins for PWM or digital I/O signals (0-5V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.

Warning
Each pin withstands a maximum current of 10 mA.

Danger
The signals from pins 6 and 7 are swapped in the wiring harness, so that pin 6 corresponds to I/O 6 and pin 7 corresponds to I/O 5.
2 I/O 1
3 I/O 2
4 I/O 3
5 I/O 4
6 I/O 6
7 I/O 5
8 I/O 7
9 GND GROUND Ground signal for actuators 1-8.
10 ETH_RX_P Input Ethernet. Receiver data positive.
11 ETH_RX_P Input Ethernet. Receiver data negative.
12 ETH_TX_P Output Ethernet. Transceiver data positive.
13 ETH_TX_N Output Ethernet. Transceiver data negative.
14 ETH_CHASSIS GROUND Ethernet chassis (this pin is electrically connected to the external cover of the ethernet cable).
15 CANFD_P I/O High signal of CAN FD bus interface, up to 5 Mbps (2.75 - 4.5 V). Protected against ESD. Twisted pair with a 120 ohms Zo recommended.
16 CANFD_N I/O Low signal of CAN FD bus interface (0.5 - 2.25 V). Protected against ESD. Twisted pair with a 120 ohms Zo recommended.
17 ARB_TX NC (SuC UART) Reserved. Do not connect.
18 GND GROUND Common ground.
19 RS232 1 TX Output RS 232 channel 1 Output (-13.2V to 13.2V Max, -5.4V to 5.4V Typical). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
20 RS232 1 RX Input RS 232 channel 1 Input (-25V to 25V Max, -0.6V Low and 2.4V High Threshold). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
21 GND GROUND Ground signal for buses.
22 ANALOG_3 Input Input 0-36V. Protected against ESD.
23 ANALOG_4 Input Input 0-36V. Protected against ESD.
24 GND GROUND Ground signal for buses.
25 CANA_P I/O High signal of CAN 2.0 bus interface, up to 1 Mbps. Protected against ESD. Twisted pair with a 120 ohms Zo recommended.
26 CANA_N I/O Low signal of CAN 2.0 bus interface, up to 1 Mbps. Protected against ESD. Twisted pair with a 120 ohms Zo recommended.
27 UART_RX Input Microcontroller UART.
28 CANB_P I/O High signal of CAN 2.0 bus interface, up to 1 Mbps. Protected against ESD. Twisted pair with a 120 ohms Zo recommended.
29 CANB_N I/O Low signal of CAN 2.0 bus interface, up to 1 Mbps. Protected against ESD. Twisted pair with a 120 ohms Zo recommended.
30 GND GROUND Ground signal for buses.
31 I2C_CLK Output Clock line for I2C bus (0.3V to 3.3V). Protected against ESD.
32 I2C_DATA I/O Data line for I2C bus (0.3V to 3.3V). Protected against ESD.
33 GND GROUND Ground for 3.3V power supply.
34 3.3V Power 3.3V - 100mA power supply. Protected against ESD and short circuit with 100mA resettable fuse.
35 GND GROUND Ground for 5V power supply.
36 5V Power 5V - 100mA power supply. Protected against ESD short circuit with 100mA resettable fuse.
37 GND GROUND Ground for analog signals.
38 ANALOG_0 Input Analog input 0-5V. Protected against ESD.
39 ANALOG_1 Input Analog input 0-5V. Protected against ESD.
40 ANALOG_2 Input Analog input 0-5V. Protected against ESD.
41 SEL Input Reserved. Do not connect.
42 FTS1_OUT Output Deadman signal from comicro. Protected against ESD and short circuit.
43 FTS2_OUT Output !SystemOK Bit. Protected against ESD and short circuit.
44 SEL Input Reserved. Do not connect.
45 RS232 2 TX Output RS 232 channel 2 Output (-13.2V to 13.2V Max, -5.4V to 5.4V Typical). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
46 RS232 2 RX Input RS 232 channel 2 Input (-25V to 25V Max, -0.6V Low and 2.4V High Threshold). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
47 GND GROUND Ground signal comicro power supply.
48 V_ARB_VCC POWER Veronte comicro power (8V to 54V). Protected against ESD and reverse polarity.
49 UART_TX Output Microcontroller UART.
50 OUT RS485 A_P Output Non-inverted output from RS485 bus A. Protected against ESD.
51 OUT RS485 A_N Output Inverted output from RS485 bus A. Protected against ESD.
52 IN RS485 A_N Input Inverted input from RS485 bus A. Protected against ESD.
53 IN RS485 A_P Input Non-inverted input from RS485 bus A. Protected against ESD.
54 OUT_GND GND Ground for RS-485 buses.
Warning
This is not a common GND pin.
55 EQEP_A I/O DIGITAL output / DIGITAL input / Encoder quadrature input A (0-5V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.

Warning
Configured as oputput, it withstands a maximum current of 1.65 mA.
56 EQEP_B I/O DIGITAL output / DIGITAL input / Encoder quadrature input B (0-5V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.

Warning
Configured as oputput, it withstands a maximum current of 1.65 mA.
57 EQEP_S I/O DIGITAL output / DIGITAL input / Encoder quadrature input strobe (0-5V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.

Warning
Configured as oputput, it withstands a maximum current of 1.65 mA.
58 EQEP_I I/O DIGITAL output / DIGITAL input / Encoder quadrature input index (0-5V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.

Warning
Configured as oputput, it withstands a maximum current of 1.65 mA.
59 GND GROUND Ground for encoders.
60 OUT RS485 B_P Output Non-inverted output from RS-485 bus B. Protected against short circuit and ESD.
61 OUT RS485 B_N Output Inverted output from RS-485 bus B. Protected against short circuit and ESD.
62 IN RS485 B_N Input Inverted input from RS-485 bus B. Protected against short circuit and ESD.
63 IN RS485 B_P Input Non-inverted output from RS-485 bus B. Protected against short circuit and ESD.
64 ARB_RX NC (SuC UART) Reserved. Do not connect.
65 GND GROUND Veronte ground input.
66 GND GROUND Veronte ground input.
67 VCC POWER Veronte power supply (8V to 54V). Protected against ESD and reverse polarity.
Warning
Both pins are common. They MUST be connected to the same power supply.
68 VCC POWER


Warning

Remember!! All GND pins are common. Note that pin 54 is not a common GND pin.

Visit the following sections to know how to wire the Autopilot 1x to other devices via:

Harnesses

A wire harness is a structured assembly of cables and connectors used to organize and manage wiring in electrical and electronic systems. It is designed to ensure a tidy and secure installation of cables, preventing tangles, electromagnetic interference, and facilitating maintenance.

Veronte Autopilot 1x 4.12 has two compatible harnesses:

Veronte Harness Blue 68P Dev Harness 1x 4.12
Harness available on demand with the Embention reference P001114 Harness available on demand with the Embention reference P011121

Dimensions

  • Harness Blue 68P wire gauge: 22 AWG
  • Cables length: 52 cm

  • Harness plug dimensions:

    Connector FGW.LM.368.XLCT dimensions (mm)

Pinout

Harness plug - FGW.LM.368.XLCT (frontal view)
Veronte Harness Blue 68P

The pinout of this harness is the same as the Veronte Autopilot 1x pinout above. The color code of the harness wires is given below.

Warning

Check the pin number before connecting. The color code is repeated 3 times due to the amount of pins. First section (yellow) corresponds to pins 1-30, the second section (blue) to pins 31-60 and the third one (red) to pins 61-68. Pin number increases following the black line of the pictures above: counterclockwise for the connector and clockwise for the plug.

PIN Color Code PIN Color Code
1 White 35 Gray
2 Brown 36 Pink
3 Green 37 Blue
4 Yellow 38 Red
5 Gray 39 Black
6 Pink 40 Violet
7 Blue 41 Gray - Pink
8 Red 42 Red - Blue
9 Black 43 White - Green
10 Violet 44 Brown - Green
11 Gray - Pink 45 White - Yellow
12 Red - Blue 46 Yellow - Brown
13 White - Green 47 White - Gray
14 Brown - Green 48 Gray - Brown
15 White - Yellow 49 White - Pink
16 Yellow - Brown 50 Pink - Brown
17 White - Gray 51 White - Blue
18 Gray - Brown 52 Brown - Blue
19 White - Pink 53 White - Red
20 Pink - Brown 54 Brown - Red
21 White - Blue 55 White - Black
22 Brown - Blue 56 Brown - Black
23 White - Red 57 Gray - Green
24 Brown - Red 58 Yellow - Green
25 White - Black 59 Pink - Green
26 Brown - Black 60 Yellow - Pink
27 Gray - Green 61 White
28 Yellow - Green 62 Brown
29 Pink - Green 63 Green
30 Yellow - Pink 64 Yellow
31 White 65 Gray
32 Brown 66 Pink
33 Green 67 Blue
34 Yellow 68 Red
Dev Harness 1x 4.12

This harness has some connectors already implemented for easy operation. Below is detailed information on which pins these connectors are connected to:

Connector PIN Signal
Main VCC 65 GND
66 GND
67 VCC
68 VCC
SuC VCC 47 GND
48 V_ARB_VCC
Maintenance Button 31 I2C_CLK
32 I2C_DATA
Jack Connector 18 GND
55 EQEP_A
ETHERNET 12 ETH_TX_P
13 ETH_TX_N
10 ETH_RX_P
11 ETH_RX_N

Flight Termination System (FTS)

Flight Termination System

Veronte Autopilot 1x integrates two different FTS pins (42 and 43):

FTS1 - Deadman (Pin 42): On this pin, Autopilot 1x outputs a square wave with A = ~5ms and B = ~5ms (3.3V). Its frequency can be higher right after the rebooting (around 300-400Hz), but A and B must be always < 8ms.

FTS2 - !SystemOK (Pin 43): Its output is 0V when the system is working as expected and 3.3V when some error is detected. In detail, pin 43 goes high if A > 8ms or B > 8ms in the deadman signal sent by the Main Processor Unit (MPU).

© 2025 Embention. All rights reserved.