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 W/O DAA variant is 198 g and it is 210 g for versions with Remote ID or ADS-B.

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.

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 modes of vibration with electronic filters and internal mechanical filters, there might be situations where external isolation components might be needed.

Autopilot 1x can be mounted in different ways in order to reject the airframe vibration. The simplest way could be achieved by just using double-sided tape on the bottom side of Veronte. Other ways may use some external structure which could be rigidly attached to the airframe and softly attached to Veronte (e.g. foam, silent blocks, aerogel, etc).

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

In cases where mechanical isolation is not viable, it is possible to use soft engine mounts. It is also recommended when there are other sensible payloads like video cameras or for high vibration engines.

Damping System

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

Damping System

Warning

The Damping System is designed for version 4.8 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

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.

Electrical

Power

Veronte Autopilot 1x can use unregulated DC (6.5V to 36V). 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.

Warning

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

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

Pin	Signal	Type	Comments
1	I/O0	I/O	Pins for PWM or digital I/O signals (0-3.3V). Protected against ESD and short circuit. Warning Each pin withstands a maximum current of 1.65 mA.
2	I/O1
3	I/O2
4	I/O3
5	I/O4
6	I/O5
7	I/O6
8	I/O7
9	GND	GROUND	Ground signal for actuators 1-8.
10	I/O8	I/O	Pins for PWM or digital I/O signals (0-3.3V). Protected against ESD and short circuit. Warning Each pin withstands a maximum current of 1.65 mA.
11	I/O9
12	I/O10
13	I/O11
14	I/O12
15	I/O13
16	I/O14
17	I/O15
18	GND	GROUND	Ground signal for actuators 9-16.
19	RS 232 TX	Output	RS 232 Output (-13.2V to 13.2V Max, -5.4V to 5.4V Typical). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
20	RS 232 RX	Input	RS 232 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 Analog	Input 0-3.3V. Protected against ESD and short circuit.
23	ANALOG_4	Input Analog	Input 0-3.3V. Protected against ESD and short circuit.
24	GND	GROUND	Ground signal for buses.
25	CANA_P	I/O	CANbus interface, up to 1Mbps (2.3V Typical, 1.2V-2.3V Differential). Protected against ESD.
26	CANA_N	I/O	Twisted pair with a 120 ohms Zo recommended (2.3V Typical, 1.2V-2.3V Differential). Protected against ESD.
27	4XV_WD	I/O	Reserved. Do not connect.
28	CANB_P	I/O	CANbus interface. It supports data rates up to 1 Mbps. Protected against ESD.
29	CANB_N	I/O	Twisted pair with a 120 ohms Zo recommended. Protected against ESD.
30	GND	GROUND	Ground signal for buses.
31	I2C_CLK	Output	Clk line for I2C bus (0.3V to 3.3V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
32	I2C_DATA	I/O	Data line for I2C bus (0.3V to 3.3V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
33	GND	GROUND	Ground for 3.3V power supply.
34	3.3V	POWER	3.3V - 100mA power supply. Protected against ESD 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 0-3.3V. Protected against ESD and short circuit.
39	ANALOG_1	Input	Analog input 0-3.3V. Protected against ESD and short circuit.
40	ANALOG_2	Input	Analog input 0-3.3V. Protected against ESD and short circuit.
41	4XV_A	I/O	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	4XV_B	I/O	Reserved. Do not connect.
45	UARTA_TX	Output	Microcontroller UART.
46	UARTA_RX	Input	Microcontroller UART.
47	GND	GROUND	Ground signal comicro power supply.
48	V_ARB_VCC	POWER	Veronte comicro power (6.5V to 36V). Protected against ESD and reverse polarity.
49	FTS3_OUT_MPU	Output	MPU alive voting signal, to use with 4xVeronte. It is a Square Wave at [100,125] Hz. Protected against ESD and short circuit.
50	OUT_RS485_P	Output	Non-inverted output from RS485 bus (-7V to 12V Max, -2.3V to 2.3V Typical). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
51	OUT_RS485_N	Output	Inverted output from RS485 bus (-7V to 12V Max, -2.3V to 2.3V Typical). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
52	IN_RS485_N	Input	Inverted input from RS485 bus (-7V to 12V Max, -2.3V to 2.3V Typical). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
53	IN_RS485_P	Input	Non-inverted output from RS485 bus (-7V to 12V Max, -2.3V to 2.3V Typical). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
54	RS-485_GND	GND	Ground for RS-485 bus.
55	EQEP_A	I/O	DIGITAL output / DIGITAL input / Encoder quadrature input A (0-3.3V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
56	EQEP_B	I/O	DIGITAL output / DIGITAL input / Encoder quadrature input B (0-3.3V). Protected against ESD and short circuit. Warning Only use it as digital I/O with Veronte units of Hardware version 4.5 or lower.
57	EQEP_S	I/O	DIGITAL output / DIGITAL input / Encoder strobe input (0-3.3V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
58	EQEP_I	I/O	DIGITAL output / DIGITAL input / Encoder index input A (0-3.3V). Protected against ESD and short circuit.
59	GND	GROUND	Ground for encoders.
60	V_USB_DP	I/O	Veronte USB data line. Protected against ESD.
61	V_USB_DN	I/O	Veronte USB data line. Protected against ESD.
62	USB_SHIELD	GND	USB cable shielding.
63	FTS_OUT_MPU	Output	Abort mission voting signal 1 from MPU, to use with 4x Veronte.	Bit Low (0 V) if mission OK. High (3.3V) if mission wants to be terminated. Both pins are protected against ESD and short circuit. Warning Each pin withstands 2.5 A of maximum current.
64	FTS2_OUT_MPU	Output	Abort mission voting signal 2 from MPU, to use with 4x Veronte.
65	GND	GROUND	Veronte ground input.
66	GND	GROUND	Veronte ground input.
67	VCC	POWER	Veronte power supply (6.5V to 36V). 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.

To know the differences between version 4.5 and 4.8 (this one), read the Pinout changes from Autopilot 1x 4.5 - Troubleshooting section of the present manual.

Harness

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.

The connection between the Autopilot 1x and its harness is done through the following connectors:

Autopilot 1x Connector	Connector HEW.LM.368.XLNP
Harness plug	Connector FGW.LM.368.XLCT

Veronte Autopilot 1x 4.8 has two compatible harnesses:

Veronte Harness Blue 68P	Veronte Harness CS for 4.8
Harness available on demand with the Embention reference P001114	Harness available on demand with the Embention reference P007043

Dimensions

• Harness plug dimensions:

  

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

• Harness Blue 68P wire gauge: 22 AWG

• Cables lenght: 52 cm

Connector color code

Harness plug - FGW.LM.368.XLCT (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 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	Grey - Green	61	White
28	Yellow - Green	62	Brown
29	Pink - Green	63	Green
30	Yellow - Pink	64	Yellow
31	White	65	Grey
32	Brown	66	Pink
33	Green	67	Blue
34	Yellow	68	Red

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).

Electrical diagram of CAN bus

Autopilot 1x includes an internal resistor of 120 \(\Omega\). A second resistor is required at the end of the line (again 120 \(\Omega\)) to allow the connection of multiple CAN Bus devices to the same line. This resistor may be placed on cable or PCB.

CAN assembly example diagram