tbs electronics CORE PNP PRO Manuale utente
TBS CORE PNP PRO
The all-in-one FPV power supply and
flight OSD
Revision 2014-06-16
The TBS CORE PRO is the progression of our
TBS CORE PNP system. It now supports GPS to
help navigation and a new range of TBS
telemetry modules to take your FPV experience
to the next level. We are leveraging some of the
same core components we used in the earlier
CORE series and our TBS DISCOVERY PRO
multirotor. Making this the most advanced CORE PNP system available. It also comes with the same
easy-to-connect cables - no soldering required to install this unit.
It supplies selectable 5V or 12V to video transmitter and camera regardless of input voltage (2S to 6S). The TBS
CORE PNP PRO can supply video transmitters with up to 1W of emitted power (EIRP) and a standard FPV camera,
or charge a GoPro camera in-flight.
The built-in OSD (switchable) provides vital information of the state of the aircraft. No more throttle loss due to
over depleted batteries, flying at the edge of control signal, or forgetting to charge spare FPV system batteries.
Coupled with the new GPS module, the OSD will help you navigate and estimate distances, speed, and heading.
In a nutshell, the TBS CORE PNP PRO is a light-weight OSD and filtered power supply, feeding the pilot camera
and video transmitter, all in one compact package. It makes FPV setups super-easy and is a safety feature every
FPV aircraft should have. Suitable for any airplane and multirotor of any size. The simplified wiring reduces
points of failure and lets you focus on flying instead of worrying.
Key features
• Dual 2S to 6S input voltage - additional input for backup (2S only)
• Constant 5V @ max. 2A and 12V @ max. 600mA - individually, not combined!
• OSD with GPS, battery voltage, current consumption, signal strength, callsign and timer display
• Telemetry audio downlink or video input and mono audio pass-through
• Very high switching efficiency
• Extremely low ripple and low RF noise, two stage filtered and shielded casing
• Supports 1W VTX with only minor airflow
• All necessary cables included
• Software upgradable and configurable
• Small size, 27mm x 47mm x12mm, only 15.6 grams
1
Important
To keep the system stable and in a healthy condition, make a note of the following.
• Do not hot-plug the system - disconnect battery power when setting up or reconfiguring the system
• Backup power 2S only - a separate backup LiPo battery pack should not exceed 2S
• Calibrate on the field before your first flight - the signal strength indicator and compass is best
calibrated in conditions similar to the flight environment
Specifications
Functions:
Voltage regulator, on-screen display, current sensor, flight location data
Input voltage:
2S to 6S (7.4 to 26V DC) - backup power max. 2S
Output voltage:
5V @ 2A, 12V @ 600mA - individually, not combined (max. 8-10W load)
Switching efficiency:
>85% at nominal load
Audio source:
External left/right channel pass-through or telemetry audio
Video signal:
1.0Vp-p 75 Ohm video signal
RSSI signal:
Analog voltage, digital PWM signal and EzUHF OSD Link
Current sensor:
100A max. - digital interface, power tap for regulators
USB type:
Micro USB
Port connectors:
Molex PicoBlade 1.25mm pitch sockets
Working temperature:
0 - 40°C
Dimensions:
27 (H) x 47 (W) x 12 (D) mm
Weight:
15.6g
Kit contents:
1x TBS CORE PNP PRO, 1x TBS current sensor module, 2x BST cables, 1x
EZUHF Link cable, 1x 3-pin RSSI cable, 1x Camera and 1x VTx pigtail cables
Optional Accessories:
1x TBS GPS module with backup power
2
TBS CORE PNP PRO Unit
The TBS CORE PNP PRO filters EMI and other sources of interference and protects your sensitive FPV electronics.
The end result of this is increased video range.
It also sports two new BST (BlackSheep Telemetry) ports which are future proofed, which means new modules
can be added at later time to extend the life and usability of the product. The on-board micro USB connector
lets you upgrade the software when new firmwares are announced. The unit is shielded to let you use it in long
range situations, e.g. for UHF.
Pilot camera and video transmitter connect to their corresponding designators on the unit - necessary cables
normally included with the camera/vtx. All connectors are plug&play, requiring no soldering to get the product
running.
The included 100A current sensor module is an ideal companion for your R/C airplane or multirotor. It senses
the current consumptions whilst the model is in operation, letting you know how much of the battery capacity
has been used. The current sensor is now digital which means it provides a very accurate read-out. It can be
calibrated from the OSD if needed, but comes pre-calibrated out of the box.
As always, the OSD provides real-time information to the pilot about the battery voltage, current consumption,
flight time and control signal/RSSI. If your setup is sporting an EzUHF 8-ch receiver (diversity or lite), the
extended link information can be displayed on the OSD.
3
CORE On-Screen Display (OSD)
In FPV, simple is better. Wire clutter from many different devices all connected together creates a sophisticated
conglomeration of ground-loops and “antennas” that can have significant impact on the reliability of your FPV
system and your FPV experience.
For this reason, we made wiring simple and the OSD will detect which modules are connected and only display
the information which is absolutely necessary - this keeps the screen layout simple and clean. Helpful telemetry
information, indicators and warning messages will show only when needed.
A complete read-out of all the available OSD telemetry is annotated in the image below.
4
The OSD can be turned off completely by going into the CORE menu system, see section later in the manual for
details. If for some reason the CORE processor stops working, the camera video feed will still be relayed to the
video transmitter without interruption.
When the aircraft has landed, a summary screen will automatically be displayed showing vital information about
the flight. Great for competitions, gatherings and long range flights.
The above summary screen is explain in detail below.
•Flew like a girl - Yes/No - Built-in TBS flight scoring system giving you our instant judgement
•Used capacity - mAh - Total battery power consumed for the flight
•Max. distance - m, ft - Furthest point away from launch/home location
•Travel distance - m, ft - Cumulative distance covered
•Max. climb - m, ft - Altitude difference between max. altitude and launch
•Max. altitude - m, ft - Highest ASL point reached during the flight
•Max. speed - km/h, mi/h, kts/h - Top speed reached during the flight
•Avg. speed - km/h, mi/h, kts/h - Average speed during the flight
•Flight time - mm:ss - Total duration of the flight
• Latitude, Longitude - GPS coordinates, updated every 30 seconds
5
Setup and installation
The photo above shows a common setup for an airplane or multirotor. A diagram to install the TBS CORE PNP
PRO on the TBS DISCOVERY PRO is included on the next page.
Installation is fool proof, just plug your camera and video transmitter into the corresponding sockets and
connect the current sensor module between your model and battery pack. All your plane's electronics should be
powered normally after the current sensor XT60 connector. If your receiver supports RSSI (Receiver Signal
Strength Indicator) output, hook it up to get additional telemetry data on the R/C link displayed on the OSD.
Positioning the TBS CORE PNP PRO in your model requires some planning. Please keep adequate separation
between unit and your R/C receiver. The TBS CORE series includes two very powerful switching-regulators
which can interfere with your UHF receiver when placed in close proximity. This is not something that is unique
to this product but rather to all devices with switching regulators. The noise decreases exponentially with
distance, so every centimeter or inch helps get more range out of your system. A UHF R/C system can fly to
about 15 km (approx. 10 miles) with the TBS CORE PNP PRO sitting in close proximity on a small multirotor
frame. It is essential to keep a good distance between the GPS antenna (passive) and VTx antenna (active) to get
a proper GPS lock.
Since the unit is based on switching regulators, it does not need to be ventilated or exposed and can be tucked
away in your aircraft for maximum durability.
6
XT60
TBS CORE PNP PRO installation diagram for TBS DISCOVERY PRO
VTX
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
- + S
PPM Gimbal
Bottom link
IMU/GoPro
Roll
Pitch
VTX
CAM
5V 12V
5V 12V
Audio
Video
Gnd
Pwr
Pwr
Gnd
Audio
Video
GP Out Sel
VTX2 Switch
Vbat
Gnd
Video
VTX2
Gnd
Vcc
Rx
Tx
UART
Gimbal
EzUHF RSSI Link
Gimal Roll
Gimbal Pitch
Gimbal PPM
Camera switch
Analog RSSI
Flight controller PPM
Pilot camera
TBS CORE
PNP PRO
CAM
BST
RSSI
BST
VTX
LINK
B-PWR
USB
UP ENTER DN
Current sensor
+
--
--
+
--
+
--
PPM
+--
+
--
S + -
DISCOVERY PRO
Top Link
+
+Batter y
50A
XT60
XT60
PWR
IN
BST
PWR
OUT
Bottom plate
Top plate
From battery
TBS CORE PNP PRO unit
Note: no power or audio lead
(available separately)
Caution: do not use the normal CAM-cable to
connect the CORE PRO to the DISCOVERY PRO
(two voltage sources conict)
XT60
Note: mount unit in center of the bottom
plate, on top of the ight controller (NAZA),
or on the left side on the bottom plate
rev. June 2014 - by ivc.no/tbs
Note 1: disable the on-board DISCOVERY PRO
OSD in the CORE menu using the buttons on
the top plate - else the OSDs will overlap.
CH1
CH2
CH3
CH4
CH5
CH6
CH7
CH8
EzUHF receiver (if used)
GPS module (optional)
Note 2: the pilot camera and GoPro HD camera
switching is still performed by the on-board
TBS DISCOVERY PRO CORE.
Note 3: since there are now essentially two
COREs, you can solder the jumper on the GoPro
adapter board to enable charging at 1A rate.
Note 4: to save weight and bulk, consider
removing the plastic case for the current
sensor and connectors on one or both sides.
Left side
Pre-configuration
Before connecting any device to the TBS CORE PNP PRO, the unit has to be configured to output the correct
voltage for your specific pilot camera and video transmitter. The audio source, which is transmitted down via
the video transmitter, can also be changed to carry either telemetry data or just pure audio.
To do the change, remove the 4 Philips screws on the bottom of the unit and remove the bottom cover.
Voltage selection
The default voltage out of CAM socket is 12V and the VTX socket is 5V. For powering 5V cameras (e.g. FPV CCD
cameras) or 12V transmitters, open the unit by removing the rear 4 screws and change the solder jumpers on
the left side of the internal board. The solder pads are conveniently labelled. Solder a bridge between the
center solder pad and the left (12V) or the right (5V) of the VTX and CAM pads, respectively - do NOT
short-circuit all three pads.
Switches and pin-jumpers are a very frequent point of failure in many FPV systems. Therefore, we have decided
to use solder-pads for maximum security and durability.
7
Configuration for:
•12V Pilot camera
•5V Video transmitter
Configuration for:
•5V Pilot camera
•12V Video transmitter
Configuration for:
•12V Pilot camera
•12V Video transmitter
Configuration for:
•5V Pilot camera
•5V Video transmitter
Important:
when using video transmitters with on-board voltage regulators (e.g. IMRC VTx), it is recommended
to connect the positive and ground lead directly to the main power leads instead to maintain good switching
efficiency and stability.
8
Audio source
Audio source is by default configured for TELM to route telemetry data from the CORE processor to the video
transmitter downlink.
External audio can be connected via the CAM-port. The audio in is the white wire on the camera cable. To
enable external audio, open the unit by removing the 4 screws, as shown above. On the AUD solder pads,
solder a bridge between the center pad and EXT-pad. To change it back to telemetry, undo the bridge and join
center pad and the TELM-pad.
Configuration for:
• TELMetry audio source
Configuration for:
• EXTernal audio source (via CAM)
The TBS CORE PNP PRO has no on-board microphone to keep the size down, but can still be connected
externally via the CAM-port.
9
Indice
