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.

../_images/pitot_tube_esquema.png

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).

../_images/aircraft-axis.png

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.

../_images/damp.png

Damping System

Warning

The Damping System is designed for hardware version 4.8 of Autopilot 1x.

Dimensions
../_images/dampdim.png

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.

    ../_images/dampsystem1.png

    Step 1

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

    ../_images/dampsystem2.png

    Step 2

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

    ../_images/dampsystem3.png

    Step 3

../_images/finalresult.png

Result

Vibration analysis

  • Transmissibility (Z-axis)

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

    ../_images/damping_system_transmissibility.png

    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:

    ../_images/damping_system_phase.png

    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 for GNSS antennas

    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.

    30dB 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

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

../_images/pinout_1x.png

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/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

OUT_GND

GND

Ground for RS-485 bus.

Warning

This is not a common GND pin.

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

GROUND

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. 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:

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

../_images/pinout_harness.png

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 clockwise following the black line of the picture above.

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:

Main 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_blue

harness_cs

Harness available on demand with the Embention reference P001114

Harness available on demand with the Embention reference P007043

Dimensions

  • Harness plug dimensions:

    ../_images/dimensions_harness_cm.png

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

  • Harness Blue 68P wire gauge: 22 AWG

  • Cables lenght: 52 cm

Connector color code

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

Flight Termination System (FTS)

../_images/mcu_suc.png

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).