Плата Black

Operational and service features of the Black board:

– Smart-start mode: The electronic module is automatically activated and turned on when DC voltage appears from the general on-board network of the civil aircraft.

– Direct configuration without adapters: Changing service timers, setting Baofeng radio frequencies, and calibrating parameters are performed via a convenient proprietary PC application. Important: a separate external USB-UART adapter is no longer required to connect the board – a direct USB interface via a micro-USB connector is already integrated on board.

– Automatic in-flight charging: The Black radio detection board automatically recharges its own 180 mAh Li-Po battery from an external 5-6V power source directly during flight or operator commissioning.

Engineering preparation, sealing and secure installation of the Black board:

The Black modification is a sophisticated subminiature radio navigation module. To ensure maximum accuracy of the built-in GPS chip and durability of electronic components, strictly follow the technical regulations recommendations below.

Protection against moisture, condensation and external environmental factors:

For stable operation of the search beacon in any weather conditions (fog, humidity, precipitation), it is necessary to carry out initial sealing of the board:

– Applying a dielectric coating: Evenly coat the printed circuit board with specialized radio-technical insulating varnish or “liquid insulating tape”.

– Important warning: When varnishing, strictly avoid getting the protective mixture inside the micro-USB service connector, on the contact lines of the clock control button, and in the acoustic hole of the sound buzzer (siren).

– Final heat shrink: After successfully soldering the battery terminals to the contact pads, place the autonomous beacon in the supplied protective dielectric tube and gently heat it. The kit includes low-temperature heat shrink (shrinkage temperature only 60°C). It can be easily installed with a regular household hair dryer.

WARNING: Strictly avoid using industrial construction hair dryers at high temperatures when fixing the shell to prevent thermal damage and critical overheating of the lithium-polymer (Li-Po) battery!

Installation and assembly rules:

The speed of the “cold start” and the accuracy of fixing navigation satellites directly depend on the correct spatial location of the search beacon board:

– Clear view of the sky: Provide the integrated GPS antenna with the most free and clear horizon. It is strictly forbidden to cover the emergency beacon board with metal parts, carbon fiber frame elements or power cables.

– Strict protection of the “KEEP OPEN” zone: The area of ​​the printed circuit board with the “KEEP OPEN” brand marking is prohibited from being covered with wires, fasteners, or the multicopter’s running battery. Violation of this rule will lead to a critical decrease in the sensitivity of the GPS navigation receiver and loss of signal.

– Mechanical safety and stability: Place the autonomous beacon in such technological compartments of the model where it is guaranteed not to be crushed or damaged by heavy structural elements (for example, a massive power battery) in the event of a hard collision or extreme landing of the agricultural drone.

– External control removal: If the printed circuit board is installed deep inside the shielded housing, bring an additional duplicate power button outside (the corresponding engineering pin is located below the micro-USB connector, activation is implemented by shorting to the GND ground line).

Strict rules for technical safety and battery connection:

– Uncompromising polarity: Strictly observe the polarity when soldering the battery terminals to the contact pads yourself! Attention! The ultra-light Black board specification, due to critical weight savings, does NOT have built-in protection against reverse polarity at the battery power input. The negative contact (ground line, black wire) is located closer to the physical edge of the printed circuit board. An error during soldering will lead to instant burnout of the microcircuits!

– Working under voltage: For any service manipulations with the radio detection board to which an autonomous battery is already connected (soldered), use only specialized dielectric or antistatic tools. Completely avoid accidental contact of the exposed conductive tracks of the board with metal objects, screwdrivers, tweezers or fasteners to prevent a critical short circuit (SC).

Intelligent adaptive algorithm of the built-in GPS module:

Modern satellite navigation modules consume significant current (about ~30 mA) during active search, which makes it impossible for them to be constantly active from a small, lightweight battery. In order to maximize battery capacity, the Black board implements an intelligent adaptive GPS chip activation algorithm:

– On-board monitoring: The navigation GPS chip works continuously as long as the external on-board power supply of the multicopter or agricultural drone is connected to the board. After its sudden disappearance (critical power outage on the board), the module remains active for another 5 minutes to accurately fix the final coordinates.

– Energy-efficient “cold start”: When the emergency beacon is initially turned on without external on-board power, the built-in GPS is activated for exactly 5 minutes to quickly search for satellites and firmly fix the geocoordinates of the location point.

– Activation by call: Upon any remote request from the operator via radio, the autonomous beacon automatically turns on the power of the GPS chip for 5 minutes. If the module was already active at the time of the request, the operating time is extended by another full 5-minute cycle.

– Control countdown: Every minute, the radio beacon dictates the time remaining until the software disables the GPS chip (from 5 to 0), which allows the pilot to fully control the relevance and accuracy of the received navigation data.

Expert engineering advice for precise navigation:

Please note: the first received satellite coordinates (“first hot fix”) after a long period of motionlessness may have a natural radio technical error of up to several tens of meters. To achieve maximum (absolute) accuracy of the object’s location, we strongly recommend waiting 2–3 minutes after the first voice report from the beacon so that the GPS chip has time to stabilize the contour and update the satellite almanac, and then call the board again.

Software and service engineering configuration of the Black board:

The lightweight Black series radio detection board is equipped with a built-in hardware interface for direct connection to a personal computer (PC), which greatly simplifies the process of commissioning, calibrating the radio frequency circuit, configuring timers, and updating the system.

Connections, interfaces and service drivers:

– To communicate with a computer, use a standard data cable with a micro-USB connector connected to the factory socket on the printed circuit board.

– Important engineering note: To correctly recognize the board in the operating system and create a virtual COM port on the PC, you must install the official interface chip drivers CP210x from Silicon Labs.

Settings and calibration via the “Configurator” utility:

To change service parameters, adjust Baofeng radio frequencies, or precisely calibrate the search beacon transmitter:

• Launch the current version of the official Configurator program.
• Select the appropriate virtual COM port in the program settings drop-down list (you can check the active port number in the Windows Device Manager).
• Press the “CONNECT” button. The emergency beacon board will automatically reboot and enter engineering configuration mode.

Automatic update of factory software (firmware):

The process of installing new software and updating the board’s microcontroller is as automated as possible and is performed according to the following step-by-step procedure:

• Step 1 (Preparation): Before starting the firmware, make sure that the CP210x (Silicon Labs) chip drivers are installed on your computer for the operating system to correctly recognize the printed circuit board.
• Step 2 (Connection): Connect the standalone beacon to your computer’s USB port using a micro-USB cable.
• Step 3 (Port Settings): Open the service program and select the correct COM port from the list that appeared in the system after connecting the board.
• Step 4 (Status Check): Make sure the board is NOT connected to the active configuration mode (the status in the top panel of the interface should be “Disconnected”). The Connect button does not need to be pressed at this stage.
• Step 5 (Update): Click the “FIRMWARE” button.
• The program will independently securely record the current digital code onto the radio beacon board and confirm the successful completion of the engineering operation.