RC Multi 2 - RC Electronics
Contents
1. RC MULTI 2 Flight data recording system and much more a Bia i wow rc electromctorg Manual version 1 1 RC Electronics support rc electronics org http www rc electronics org Contents PCE GUCCI OW aene e E eansuaducdsGuasaeunbaassees 3 IO TS ciara crn A E cance dant A E T A AEA E A A AAE E E 3 BOK ALLER OTE E E E E ere ee mee rere ere 3 SPECE NS oc atesiv ssn sng core A sats are E vasa bac to ga nc a onsies Sanrnoaeaenesue caves 4 Physical overview occccscesassinncoosecascensansccaweseucesusesessveesavecossucssnspsnestacescosusventeesencssessescunnerecosenees 4 Using the RC Multi 2 module nnsssssssessooosssnssususssssssnsssuusssssssnsssusonossssssssuussssssnssssssssssnnsss 5 FOV STH ne mO ee E E E E E E E 5 Mouine the ag 2 610 an E R 5 SF AOI E E dednonnesnonsedesoureenaes 5 WAS CALS USE CIV OM cscs scsnccecnececssccessyseetscaucosseuaesseecatne ccesaterspivacezoscestedacssatecaducessoucesseneseaeuces 6 Connecting with the RC Data Manager cccccescccssssssssccesssscccccccsssseeessscccccccssseseesseecozes 10 CONE E A E EEA 10 D V O A A E E sae sta esioteseees 11 Derce eC g Fema eme eee mmr ge eee oS Ee Pe ET Eee ne ee ee eee 11 De LEIS SCCEON ee aestuaburvoinsii ustishecvenssiustedeemectobatiariedaeiaes 11 PANNE 6 9 ee ane ne ee ee eee eer 12 Firmware Mda CO seere EE asasi 12 REVISION IS COMY apccescec cosnteccagecessiuvecssaswconacecopusesetitedesuectveswayanedeaboe lt cossoedenteneess cee E EE2. E 13 RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 2 Introduction The RC Multi 2 module was designed to provide a lightweight compact device for measuring and recording flight data over time It was designed especially for use on board a radio controlled R C aircraft but would be useful in other applications too The RC Multi 2 module is able to record data from various inbuilt sensors for later review on PC It can also transmit flight data via RC TRX30 module to the ground unit as a live telemetry system For communication with PC it uses a standard USB port with the supplied lead It uses state of art pressure sensor and 3MByte nonvolatile flash memory for data storage Key features e Lightweight at only 6 grams with JR cables e Small 28 mmx 14mmx6 mm e Integrated F5J FAI altitude time switch e 21 hours of recording time with a 10Hz sampling rate of all data e Records various flight data for later review e PC USB interface for configuration loading firmware updates and downloading recorded data e Wide range of input power 4 10 volts DC Normally taking power from your aircraft receiver supply How it works The RC Multi 2 module uses a high resolution barometric pressure sensor system to detect small changes in air pressure that occur due to changes in altitude It is sensitive enough to detect altitude changes of less than 20cm This also makes it sensitive to changes in local weather and ai
3. anyway g Device Manager gt ww Update Drive gt Don t install this driver software You should check your manufacturer s website for updated driver software for your device gt Install this driver software anyway Only install driver software obtained from your manufacturer s website or disc Unsigned software from other sources may harm your computer or steal information v See details RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 8 Warning Windows 8 The third party INF does not contain digital signature information Use these steps Bring on the charm bar right side of the screen and click on Settings Click on Power hold the shift key down on your keyboard and click on Restart Choose Troubleshoot Choose Advanced options Select Startup Settings Click on the Restart button Hit the number 7 Disable driver signature enforcement Restart computer oe ee ee After restart Windows 8 will let you install the needed driver s The video presentation can be seen on http www youtube com watch v Nx7uJe6kgec This step by step tutorial was written with help of the video above and thanks goes to the owner of the video STEP 6 Finish the procedure Your driver was successfully updated Click Close gay Device Manager File Action View Help 9 mi Ol B me PRs fb pe A o Windows has successfully updated your driver software Windows has
4. e module can be mounted in one of two ways e The recommended method is inside the fuselage of the aircraft In this case there should be an opening of at least 0 5 sq cm to allow air pressure inside the fuselage to equalize with the atmospheric pressure outside the aircraft In many aircrafts the fuselage is not airtight and is sufficiently vented to the outside air e On the outside of the aircraft In this case the pressure sensor should be at the right angle to the airflow for maximum accuracy This means the air stream is flowing across the hole in the pressure sensor and not directly into or away from it If possible mount it away from the prop wash because the measured altitude can increase by over 60 meters due to airflow from the prop The module can be mounted using double sided tape cable ties or Velcro Velcro is recommended so that the module can be removed and interfaced with the PC for downloading flight data Be sure that the module is not touching any metal surfaces Although unlikely there is a possibility of shorting the metal contacts on the module which could result in a radio system failure Do not mount the module on top of power batteries when using electric planes because they get hot and this can affect the altitude readings by up to 30m Also be sure to keep the module away from water fuel and other liquids Always range check and test the aircraft s radio systems before flying with the RC Multi 2 module
5. finished installing the driver software for this device RC Multi COM A gt ti gt si gt A a N i ID 2p 7 Q yo i E 9 RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 9 RC Multi 2 is ready for use gy Device Manager File Action View Help e 9 me u RSI eRe a PC b 3 Batteries D Bluetooth Radios p JM Computer gt Disk drives b Display adapters gt 3 DVD CD ROM drives b ie Human Interface Devices gt c IDE ATA ATAPI controllers gt lt 2 Keyboards b AA Mice and other pointing devices gt Modems b Monitors b 0P Network adapters 4 7 Ports COM amp LPT J RC Multi COM COMA b Bp Processors b Sound video and game controllers p lll System devices b Universal Serial Bus controllers Connecting with the RC Data Manager Connect New Ctrl N Connect your module with a proper cable USB to 10 pin connector to your P Opn ChhO PC Open RC Data Manager program and click on File Device Save CrS Save s Export Import Task T Device RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 10 Device Device Device Type RC MULTI 2 Firmware 1 10 Senal 102008 Pilot Peter Settings 7 FXJ Switch Enabled FXJ Switch Altitude m 190 FAd Time Enabled FAd Time s Write settings Device connected Device section In Device section you can see displayed specifications of connected module e Type
6. function connect it to ESC A 10 pin modular connector is used for PC communication and for connecting to other sensors modules It has a small push button located by the servo pass through wire on the opposite side of the PCB board which serves only for firmware uploading Please see the RC unit Update manual http www rc electronics org index php link manual download for instructions for updating firmware Jaa wow rc electromctorg Figure 1 The RC Multi 2 module Update button Figure 2 Location of the firmware button RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 4 Using the RC Multi 2 module Powering the module To power the RC Multi 2 module ON plug the 3 pin male connector cable into the throttle channel on the R C aircraft receiver and then plug the ESC servo into the RC Multi 2 servo pass through female connector If you do not require control of the motor height limit function you can plug the RC Multi 2 into any free channel on the receiver Be sure to observe proper polarity when plugging the connector into the receiver For non R C use attach a battery of the correct voltage to the servo pass through connector A JST style connector can plug directly into the 3 pin pass through female connector Again be sure to observe proper polarity or damage may result The 3 pin pass through female connector is oriented with the same polarity as the adjacent servo wires Mounting the module Th
7. ight data recording system and much more Page 13
8. installed to verify that all connections have been made correctly and there is no system interference Operation Each time you turn the module ON it will set zero altitude and start logging data to circular buffer When take off is detected vario is more than 0 5 m s for 2 s history data is saved to flash memory History data is 8 s long In flight module saves all data from connected sensors modules to onboard memory RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 5 When landing is detected altitude bellow 4 m and vario less than 0 15 m s for 5 s module stops recording data and sets altitude back to zero This way you can have module powered ON all day and it will only record flight data when take off is detected Also weather changes are ignored as the zero reference is only set when take off is detected Installing USB driver Assuming you have never used RC Multi 2 on your PC system you will have to install USB driver for your module and there are few steps you will have to follow STEP 1 Download driver The USB driver can be found at the Download Software section of our website http www rc electronics org index php link software download Under the section Product you will find the RC Multi USB driver Download it and save the file we recommend you use a dedicated folder on the desktop for all RC Electronics downloads Extract driver Driver is compressed in a ZIP archive therefore you may need addi
9. is RC Multi 2 e Firmware is version of firmware on your module e Serial serial number of your module For recorded data on your module you can write the name of the pilot in the Pilot box and change the name of flight in Flight box All flights will be affected Download button will download recorded flight data from your module Erase button will erase flight data on your module Settings section In this section you can change settings and save to your RC Multi 2 module FXJ Switch e To enable FXJ Switch function check this option e FXJ Switch Altitude setting will appear for selecting the value of desired altitude RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 11 FXJ Time e To enable FXJ Time function check this option e FXJ Time setting will appear for selecting the value of desired time in seconds e Select on which channel your RC Multi 2 module will transmit data through the RC TRX30 module Note that RC Multi 2 will not remember selected settings and values until you press Write settings button FAI version If you have your RC Multi 2 module uploaded with FAI version of firmware settings cannot be changed The next figure illustrates progress of downloading flight from module with FAI version on it Derio Type RC MULTI 2 FAI i Cancel Firmware 0 11 Senel 102004 Pilot Pater Flight Flight Fa Serich Enabled Fx Time Enabled E Deere a Firmware update 1 Download late
10. r devices p p Processors p Sound video anc gt ll System devices b Universal Serial B Launches the Update Driver Software Wizard for the selected device STEP 3 Search for driver Select browse my computer for driver software gy Device Manager File Action View Help e9 mE mte NE xX Driver Software NXP LPC13xx VCO 4 i How do you want to search for driver software i Search automatically for updated driver software Windows will search your computer and the Internet for the latest driver software for your device unless you ve disabled this feature in your device installation settings gt Browse my computer for driver software Locate and install driver software manually RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 7 STEP 4 Search for driver Now browse for folder where you have extracted RC Multi USB driver In my case have it in a folder on my desktop as recommended g Device Manager FilesnActionee Viewsnttelp Browse for driver software on your computer Search for driver software in this location Include subfolders gt Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer This list will show installed driver software compatible with the device and all driver software in the same category as the device STEP 5 Warning You may get a warning which you can safely ignore you can select install this driver software
11. r pressure variations The intended use of this device is for measuring short term altitude changes in R C aircraft Long term altitude readings will vary considerably due to varying atmospheric conditions It is best used to measure relative changes in altitude Module has a 10 pin bus connector with different protocol defined pins USB 12C UART I O ADC to which various sensors and modules can be connected GPS TEK sensor RC TRX30 transceiver and many more All connected modules sensors are plug and play All new sensors will be supported in future firmware For storing data the RC Multi 2 module has a nonvolatile flash memory chip with 3MByte capacity For precise review of data the module saves data at a 10Hz saving rate RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 3 Specifications Board Dimensions 28 mm x 14 mm x 6 mm Measured Voltage 4 0 10 0 volts DC Basic recorded data Altitude vario servo pulse temperature battery voltage Memory capacity 3MByte Specifications are taken from component ratings and system limits and may not have been tested to the full extent of the specified ranges Physical overview Figure 1 shows the RC Multi 2 hardware The JR male connector is used to connect it to the radio controlled aircraft s onboard receiver which powers the module and detects servo pulse The JR female connector serves as a servo pass through or as output for the F5J altitude switch
12. st firmware for RC Multi 2 from our web site Firmware should start with name RC_Multi_2_vXXX bin XXX is version number 108 means v1 08 2 Connect special USB cable 10pin connector part of delivery to RC Multi 2 but do not connect it to PC RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 12 If you have uploaded v1 08 or earlier use following procedure e Press update button see figure 2 which is located on the other side of the JR cable and hold it pressed When button is pressed connect the USB to PC LED on the RC Multi 2 should not turn ON If LED is ON disconnect USB from PC and try again e You can release button and wait for 15s New disk drive figure 3 will appear with firmware bin file on it If you have uploaded v1 09 or later use following procedure e Connect USB to PC LED on RC Multi 2 must turn ON e Press update button see figure 1 and new disk drive must appear figure 2 e Delete firmware bin file and copy latest firmware file to this disk drive e When you see new FW file on this disk you can disconnect USB from PC and update is finished ecm m T S Eee alti i fe bE See Peri fe hp iy Foe jorn T ete F r Figure 3 New disk drive Revision history Januar 2012 Initial release of user manual December 2012 Added update instructions connecting with RC Data Manager installing of USB driver September 2013 Resolved installing USB driver on Windows 8 RC Multi 2 fl
13. tional software to unzip it If you do not use any yet you can use open source software called 7 zip http www 7 zip org RC Systems Falconry Accessories Download News Dealers Opening RC_Mult_USB_Driver zip Software You have chosen to open News S RC_Multi_USB_Driver zip BPS Eurocup which is a WinRAR ZIP archive 1 2 kB Product from http www rc electronics org dded under RC Data Manager window g OS What should Firefox do with this file aan E a bn GPS OO tli VO river D Open with WinRAR archiver default Drivers for USB interface Save File Firmware U ploader Cl Do this automatically for files like this from now on Windows RC Altimeter 3 series Cancel act RC Multi 2 flight data recording system and much more Page 6 STEP 2 Plug your RC Multi 2 into your PC using the provided 10 pin to USB cable Windows device manager will find the unit but will not be able to locate suitable software Follow the instructions below Open Device Manager There is a new device found Click on it with right mouse button and Update Driver Software File Action View Help e 9 m68 mere Rs aPC D gt Batteries gt Q Bluetooth Radios p ll Computer gt Disk drives gt i Display adapters gt gf DVD CD ROM drives p i Human Interface Devices gt qq IDE ATA ATAPI controllers b 2D Keyboards D a Mice and other pointing devices gt Modems gt i Monitors b EP Network adapters as gt Othe
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search