RC Electronics Eagle Micro Airborne GPS Unit Instruction Manual
- June 12, 2024
- RC Electronics
Table of Contents
Micro Airborne GPS Unit
Instruction Manual
Onboard air-data measuring system for R/C
aircraft.
Manual version: 1.1
RC Electronics
[email protected];
www.rc-electronics.eu
Introduction
The “Eagle” is one component of RC Electronics model aircraft telemetry
system. The unit is designed to measure many parameters of an R/C model
aircraft and transmit them to the ground via the primary system telemetry back
link. The unit is capable of measuring sink/climb rate (Vario), altitude,
acceleration of the plane in all axes, noise level, servo pulse on servo
input, GPS data with 18Hz refresh rate and supply voltage. For storage it has
internal fast solid state storage which is will record up to last 20h of
flying.
Key features of the Eagle
- Integrated fast solid state memory for up to 20h of logging
- Latest pressure sensor for ultra fast detection of climb / sink
- Two pressure sensors for altitude and Vario measuring
- 3 axes accelerometer
- Enl – Environment noise level detection to detect working electric, impeller or jet motor.
- 18 Hz GPS working with GNSS, Glonass and prepared for Galileo global positioning satellites.
- Various telemetry protocol supported over one of servo input (JetiEx, PowerBox System, Hott …)
Specifications
| Unit Dimensions | 47 mm x 22 mm x 16 mm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 17 grams |
| Temperature Range 1 | -10°C ~ +60°C |
| Input Voltage Range | 4.0 – 12.0 volts DC |
| Input Current | 80 milliamps @ 8V DC |
| Measured Voltage | 4.0 – 12.0 volts DC |
| Memory capacity | Up to 20h of flying |
1 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
Pictures bellow are showing the Eagle unit. It has build in GPS antenna, one
pressure port (Pte – total energy compensated pressure from TEK probe) and a
multi-color LED to show the status of the unit. It also has 3 connectors. The
micro USB is used for future updates, settings and flight log download. The 4
pin connector is prepared for future use (extended bus). JR 3-pin servo input
is used to measure normal PWM servo pulse or to transmit 3rd party telemetry
protocol on it (depends on unit setting). The unit gets power from USB or JR
connector.
Important: Be careful on polarity when connecting power to the unit. Improper
connection can damage unit! Correct polarization is marked on the bottom of
the unit by the servo connector!Connect TEK probe to Pte port and vario will be calculated from measuring compensated pressure at TEK probe.
Using the Eagle module
Powering the module
To power the module plug the 3 pin female connector cable into servo connector
and the other end to the R/C aircraft receiver. Be sure to observe proper
polarity when plugging the connector into the module and receiver. You can
also power it directly from a battery. Please respect max voltage input of 12V
and correct polarity.
When power on the LEDs will flash red, green, blue and white to confirm its
operation. During operation LED status is:
red – module is waiting for GPS signal
green – module is ready for flight
blue – onboard logger is running
white – not yet implemented.
Mounting the module
The Eagle module can be mounted using double-sided tape, cable ties or Velcro.
Velcro is recommended, so that the module can be easily removed.
Mount Eagle under no carbon surface as it has build in GPS antenna. If there
is any carbon or metal part above it, GPS reception will be compromised.
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 motors,
because they get hot and this can affect the altitude readings by up to 30m.
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 Eagle
module installed, to verify that all connections have been made correctly and
there is no system interference.
Connecting module to Android RC electronics app
Connect the unit to any Android device where RC electronics app was installed
from Google Play using a USB cable which has OTG mode supported on Android
device side. Such cables (micro USB or USB-C can be purchased from www.rc-
electroncis.eu web-shop)
Run RC electronics App and confirm USB connection.
You will be able to see basic info of the connected device, set the settings
and download the IGC flight from device if needed.
Settings:
Vario filter:
Vario response time in seconds.
Servo channel:
Servo channel for servo control. If disabled then normal PWM servo input on
device is used, else servo channel from 3rd party telemetry data will be used
for servo pulse measurements.
Servo trigger:
Servo trigger in % for arming the task for GPS triangle flying. When such
level of servo pulse is detected, additional record is stored in IGC file
3rd party telemetry:
Select which 3rd party telemetry protocol will be used on Servo connector.
Firmware update
For updates, please use Android RcElectonics app. Provide internet access and
app will automatically download latest firmware from our cloud.
Connect the unit to any Android device where RC electronics app was installed
from Google Play using a USB cable which has OTG mode supported on Android
device side. Such cables (micro USB or USB-C can be purchased from www.rc-
electroncis.eu web-shop)
Run RC electronics App and confirm USB connection.
If there is any newer version available, then “UPDATE TO NEW VERSION” button
will be visible. Click on it and update will start. Unit will reset 2 times in
this process so you will need to confirm USB connection to the Android device
for 2 times. During update blue LED is turned on. After update, the update
button will disappear.
Below is an example of what user will see during update process. Update from
v1.5.B26 to 1.5.B30 for example:
Revision history
| 23.04.2023 | v1.1 | – some typo errors are corrected |
|---|---|---|
| 29.03.2023 | v1.0 | – initial version |
Eagle – Onboard air-data measuring system for R/C planes. 