Installation basics #
Here is a list of cables you will need for connection of Sony ILX-LR1 mounted on Pixy-LR gimbal together with the Pixhawk / Ardupilot / Cube flight controller for geotagging and control of the camera.
COM4-MavLink cable
Pixy-LR connection harness:
uBEC with power cables:
Mount Sony ILX-LR1 to Pixy-LR gimbal #
STEP 1
Mount the camera per Gremsy manual.
Process is very easy:
- use included screws to mount the camera body
- attach box with USB & HDMI connector and mount by srew
- attach cable to Molex 6 pin connector
Installation of the ENTIRE with Pixy-LR wiring set #
STEP 1
Use Pixy-LR connection harness cable and connect 7pin connector to CTRL port on gimbal quickrelease.
STEP 2
Connect USB-C end of the harness to USB-C port of the gimbal.
Connector is bent in 90 deg and should be oriented to the top.
STEP 3
Connect other end of the harness to the ENTIRE
- 9 pin connector to the ENTIRE USBMULTI connector
- 3 pin connector to the ENTIRE EXT port
STEP 4
Use COM4-MavLink cable (photo on the top) and connect to the gimbal quickrelease
STEP 5
Other end of COM4-MavLink cable connect to the ENITRE UNI-C port
STEP 6
Use pre-connected uBEC set and connect JST SH 2pin end of the set and connect to the ENTIRE PWR port
STEP 7
At this point we have almost all important connections between the Pixy-LR and the ENTIRE ready
STEP 8
Connect MavLink end of Pixy-LR connection harness to PixHawk flight controller.
STEP 9
Connect power to the ENTIRE and Pixy-LR gimbal.
Check polarity!
ENTIRE and the gimbal needs separate power connections. ENTIRE’s uBEC accepts 7 – 23V and needs at least 1 Amp of current available. More information here.
For Pixy-LR power requirements please follow gimbal manual.
STEP 10
You have two options how to use our system in cooperation with Gremsy:
- You will use ENTIRE & MavCam only control tilt / yaw of the gimbal via HereLink hw wheel / on-screen joystick.
- In this case is setting simple:
- SERIAL1_PROTOCOL: “Mavlink2”
- SERIAL1_BAUD: “921600“
- MNT1_TYPE: “0”
- MNT2_TYPE: “0
- In this case is setting simple:
- Use new Ardupilot gimbal control fatures (like point gimbal automatically)
- In this case, gimbal will be controlled by the Cube and ENTIRE & MavCam will command Cube directly to control attitude of the gimbal. For this case you have to set:
- SERIAL1_PROTOCOL: “Mavlink2”
- SERIAL1_BAUD: “921600“
- MNT1_DEFLT_MODE: “3”
- MNT1_TYPE: “6”
- RC6_OPTION: “214”
- RC7_OPTION: “212”
- RC8_OPTION: “213”
- MNT1_RC_RATE: “90”
- In this case, gimbal will be controlled by the Cube and ENTIRE & MavCam will command Cube directly to control attitude of the gimbal. For this case you have to set:
- For newest Ardupilot firmwares you need to also set:
- CAM1_TYPE: “5”
- If you do not have this option in your Ardupilot firmware parameters, ENTIRE will work by default.
(IF YOU USED TELEM2, USE SERIAL2 | MNT2)
STEP 11
- Connect your gimbal to gTune app in your phone or PC
- Navigate to SETTINGS->CONTROLS->MAVLINK
- Configure COM2 baudrate to 921600bps (used for connection to Cube)
- Configure COM4 baudrate to 230400bps (used for ENTIRE connection)
STEP 12
- Navigate to SETTINGS->CONTROLS->MAVLINK
- Configure COM4 baudrate to 230400bps (used for ENTIRE connection)
- Make sure you clicked REBOOT after each change
STEP 13
- Open Entire’s configuration page (how to)
- Open ENTIRE’s MENU web page and set UNI-C port to
- MavLink mode
- 230400 bps
STEP 14
- If all configuration was done properly, you will get UNI-C “online” and see
- GPS information update speed
- ATTI information update speed
- Gimbal angle readings (P-pitch / Y-yaw)
- (YAW information is absolute heading)
- If port C is not “online”, do not use other baudrates or other port modes. Re-check baudrate settings in the gimbal and the ENTIRE, reboot all systems.
STEP 15
- Open MENU -> (geotagging) Settings
- From the list select “GPS data preview”
- In the popup you should get similar data if the GPS / RTK has enough signal.
- Data preview popup is real-time and should change as drone / gimbal moves.
USB configuration for EXIF geotagging #
STEP 1
- ENTIRE needs to be set to “USB Control” mode and updated to the latest firmware to have this procedure working.
- Navigate to MENU->Capture detection and set to “Hotshoe sync” – important for high acurracy and reliability!
STEP 2
- Enable GeoTagging via ENTIRE MENU->Logging mode-> Direct EXIF
STEP 3
- Select camera mount mode to fixed mount depending on your mount of the camer in the drone
- FIXED TOP
- Camera top is aimping top and lens is looking in direction of the flight
- FIXED FORWARD
- Camera top is aiming in direction of the flight and lens is looking straigh down
- FIXED LEFT/RIGHT
- Camera top is aiming left or right and the lens is looking straight down
- FIXED TOP
STEP 4
- Select camera Pitch / Yaw offset if camera is not fixed in 90degree offset steps
- This step is optional and usually can be skipped
STEP 5
- Open the MENU -> (Geotagging) Settings
- Scroll down to Other features
- And insert X, Y, Z offsets.
- When GPS is used, offset is counted from body center (if correct offset is configured in the FC). If your flight controller does not have configured antennas offsets, configure offset from the camera to the antenna.
- When RTK is used, offset is counted from body center (if correct offset is configured in the FC). If your flight controller does not have configured antennas offsets, configure offset from the camera to the antenna A.
Offsets are in millimeters!
STEP 6
Open camera MENU and navigate to:
SETUP->USB->USB Connection Mode->MassStorage
STEP 7
Open camera MENU and navigate to:
NETWORK->Cnct./PC Remote->PC Remote Function->OFF
STEP 8 – GEOTAGGING TEST
- Your setup is ready to be used for geotsagging at this point
- ENTIRE has Self-Test routines for GeoTagging to easily check if all wiring is working well
- Make sure that all equipment is turned ON and camera is set to MASS STORAGE MODE
- Click to MENU->Configuration test and let the Entire to do a self-test
- At the beginning of the test, one photo will be triggered
- Entire will check if HotShoe sensor has properly recognized trigger
- Entire will check all necessary input data connections
- In case of any problems, result will provide hints to solve the issue
- Test photo will not be geotagged in the test method!
STEP 9
- Check how geotagging works before first tests!
- Understanging of geotagging procedure will save you lots of confusion during testing phase
- How it works?
WiFi configuration for control #
STEP 1
Open camera MENU and navigate to
NETWORK->Network Option->Access Authen. Settings
Open this item and in submenu DISABLE authentication
Confirm all warnings OK
Access Authen. Settings should be OFF
STEP 2
Navigate to:
NETWORK->Wi-Fi->Access Point Set
And enter item
Wait for scan of available accesspoints
STEP 3
From the list of networks select Accesspoint of the ENTIRE
Entire_xxxx
Confirm OK
STEP 4
Camera will connect the ENTIRE via WiFi now
Once done, confirm OK for return to the list
STEP 5
Click right (MANUAL SETTINGS) on the ENTIRE’s WiFi item to enter manual IP settings
Scroll to IP Address settings “Auto” and change to “Manual”
STEP 6
Fill IP addresses and masks:
192.168.122.1
255.255.0.0
192.168.10.1
Confirm OK
Camera will now re-connect the ENTIRE
STEP 7
Once connection is done, scroll up to “Wi-Fi Connect” and turn it ON
STEP 8
Navigate to:
NETWORK->Cnct./PC Remote->PC Remote Function->ON
STEP 9
Now scroll to PAIRING and enter item
Wait for initialization
Once pairing confirmation for the ENTIRE shows, confirm OK
*** YOU HAVE TO REPEAT THIS STEP AFTER EACH UPDATE OF THE ENTIRE FIRMWARE ***
STEP 10 – EXPOSURE CONTROL TEST
WiFi control should be now available together with the geotagging via USB. You can control exposure values via MavCam / ENTIRE’s web page, AIR Commander Link or MissionPlanner plugin.
Troubleshooting #
Random movements of the gimbal
If your gimbal moves unexpectedly, please make sure you have all options in section “Gremsy options” in the ENTIRE menu (Miscelaneous) turned OFF. They are disabled by default, however during testing are often enabled by users randomly.
