Eagle OSD Pro User Manual

Instruction Manual for OSD Pro

Document Version 4.9 Corresponds to Eagle Tree Software

Version 10.44 or higher

Introduction

Thank you for your purchase! This instruction manual will guide you through the installation and operation of your OSD Pro.

The latest version of this manual is available in the Product Manuals section of the Support tab on http://www.eagletreesystems.com. The online manual includes any updates that were made after your CD was produced. Please read the entire manual carefully before proceeding.

If, after you read the manual, you have further questions or problems, see the “Have Questions or Feedback?” section below.

Intended Uses

The OSD Pro is intended to be used exclusively for recreational purposes in model planes, boats and cars. Any other use is not supported.

What is FPV?

If you are not familiar with FPV, there are many websites devoted to it. Our FPV overview web page at http://www.eagletreesystems.com/OSD has a brief tutorial on FPV, which is a good place to start.

Quick Start Guide

We recommend that most customers start with basic OSD Pro setup, and then proceed as desired to use more advanced features. A Quick Start Guide, which supplements this manual, is included with your product. The latest version of the quick start guide is available in the Product Manuals section of the Support tab on

http://www.eagletreesystems.com.

Packing List

Your package should include the following: The OSD Pro, and five (5) male to male servo connectors, and a printed version of the Quick Start Guide. Additionally, if you purchased our complete OSD Pro package, you should have received an eLogger V4, and a GPS Module. Note that an eLogger V4, eLogger V3, or Data Recorder is required for system operation, and our GPS module is recommended. Additionally, our Guardian Stabilization Expander is available to provide stabilized flight and additional features.

Other Things You Need

To utilize the OSD Pro system, you will need (at a minimum) a video camera and video transmitter on your model, and a video receiver and video display on the ground. Many of our dealers also sell video equipment. A list of FPV specific dealers can be found on our website at

http://www.eagletreesystems.com/OSD/OSD-Pro.htm.

What the OSD Pro Does

The OSD Pro is a powerful, modular, fully configurable Video/Audio On-Screen Display (OSD) device, providing graphics, voice announcements, alarms, acoustic variometer with total energy compensation, Home Arrow, Artificial Horizon, Return to Home, Failsafe, “RADAR”, waypoints, flight timer, flight summary, saving and graphing your flight data (including all sensor data), Google Earth data display, a flight simulator for testing, and many other features. The information displayed can be as simple or advanced as you like, depending on how you configure the display, and on which optional Eagle Tree sensors are connected.

To use your OSD Pro, you need the OSD Pro Expander, and the eLogger V4/V3 or Data Recorder. To make full use of the OSD

Main Screen

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Pro, you also need our GPS Expander. Several optional sensors and accessories are available from Eagle Tree to further enhance your OSD Pro, such as our barometric altimeter, pitot airspeed sensor, temperature sensors, and many more.

When connected to your eLogger or Data Recorder, the OSD Pro superimposes Eagle Tree data onto your video feed, displaying the parameters you want to see on the video screen. The OSD Pro is normally connected between the composite video output of your video camera, and the composite video input of your video transmitter or DVR. The OSD Pro supports NTSC and PAL video modes – the video mode is automatically detected.

The figure above shows a typical “FPV” onboard setup. Your wiring may vary depending on your video hardware, power system, etc.

General Safety Precautions

In addition to the warnings and other precautions in this manual, the following precautions should always be observed:

1) The OSD Pro is intended for recreational use only. You should always use a spotter if your eyes are not on your model. Any use of the OSD

Pro to attempt to navigate your model, operate your model autonomously, or otherwise operate your model outside of Visual Line of Sight (VLS) is not supported. For USA customers, please refer to the American Model Association’s Safety Code at

http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/105.PDF and FPV related code at http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/550.pdf

2) Always obey the law when flying. Most video transmitters used for FPV flying require an amateur radio license to operate legally.

3) If you have never set up or operated an RC model before, you will need help from an experienced modeler. Local RC clubs are great ways to

meet experienced modelers, and receive the required training. This requirement is especially true for FPV flying, which can be more challenging.

4) Never operate your model aircraft near or over buildings, power/telephone lines, or other obstacles. Never operate your model aircraft near or over

other people!

5) RC models and accessories are not toys, and should be kept away from children, without proper adult supervision.

Steps to Follow

Installation and use of your OSD Pro should be quite easy and enjoyable if you follow these few steps:

1. First, read through the manuals for your eLogger V4, eLogger V3 or Data Recorder, your GPS Expander, and any other Eagle Tree sensors, to

familiarize yourself with the connection and function of these devices.

2. Read through this manual to understand the warnings, determine the installation and setup sequence, etc., of the OSD Pro.

3. If anything is unclear, see the “Have Questions or Feedback?” section below.

4. Install or upgrade to the Windows Software and Firmware for your OSD Pro and Recorder as described in the “Windows Software and Firmware

Update” section below.

5. Configure your eLogger V4/V3 or Recorder as described in the manuals for those, if you have not already done so. NOTE: It is strongly

recommended that you set the “Capture Rate” of your eLogger or Recorder to 10 samples/second, for best OSD Pro update rate and performance.

6. Install and configure the OSD Pro as described below. Note that some features of the OSD Pro are configured with the Windows Software, some

features (ones that may change more often) are configured either with the OSD Pro’s on-screen menus or with the Windows Software. Some features, such as RTH, and Artificial Horizon Indicator (AHI) calibration, can only be configured using the OSD Pro’s on-screen menus.

7. Range test and enjoy!

IMPORTANT: It is unlikely that the installation of the OSD Pro will affect your model’s radio range or control. But, as always after making an electronics change to your model, it is very important that you range and function test your model once the OSD Pro is installed to ensure that there is no impact on your system. Make sure that your “antenna down” operating range is within the manufacturer’s specifications. See your Radio owner’s manual for the correct procedure for your equipment. DO NOT OPERATE IF YOUR MODEL DOESN’T PASS THE ANTENNA DOWN RANGE CHECK

Have questions or Feedback?

Eagle Tree is committed to providing great customer service. If you’ve read the manual and something is not clear, just ask. We’d much prefer to take the time to answer your questions, rather than having you waste your valuable time struggling with an issue.

To get help, visit the Eagle Tree OSD Pro support thread at http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=924018. Chances are someone has posted a solution to your problem already. If not, posting your problem there will get a very quick response from the Eagle Tree community.

If you prefer to not post on the forum, or you feel there is a problem with your Eagle Tree hardware, please open a support ticket with us at http://ticket.eagletreesystems.com. We will respond to your support ticket as soon as we can (normally 1-3 business days). Note that you may receive an answer to your question more quickly from our forum above, since many other Eagle Tree customers also monitor the forum. Note that when you create a support ticket, you will be emailed a link that will let you check the status of the ticket. If you do not receive the email, this most likely means that a spam filter is intercepting emails from Eagle Tree. Please don't post your question in our forum and open a support ticket for the same issue! ☺

Also Eagle Tree greatly values your feedback on how we can improve our products. To leave us feedback for a new feature request or improvement, either post the feedback on our support thread above, create a support ticket with your feedback, or send feedback at

http://www.eagletreesystems.com/Feature/feature.html

Special Features of the OSD Pro

The following section describes some of the special features of the OSD Pro. The “Main Screen” figure on page 1 of the document demonstrates many of these features. Note that most of these features need to be configured with the on-screen menus, as described in the “Configuring On-screen Menus” section below. Note that each of these features is also described more fully in the “On-Screen Menu” section of this document.

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Guardian Stabilization

When coupled with our Guardian Stabilization Expander, the OSD Pro provides full featured stabilization and an Artificial Horizon display. Please see the “Guardian Stabilization Expander” manual for more information.

“RADAR” Feature

The RADAR feature is an intuitive feature which makes it easier to keep track of your model’s location relative to home, and the direction of your model’s travel relative to the direction the pilot is facing. See the Main Screen figure. The circular indicator in the center of the screen marks the takeoff point, in a "bird's eye" view map. The RADAR location and direction of travel indicator (the chevron) indicates where you are in relation to home. The up direction is configurable in the on-screen menus described below.

As your model moves relative to home, the chevron moves relative to the center of the screen. Also, the direction the chevron is pointing indicates the direction the model is traveling, relative to home. So, if your model is flying toward home, the chevron will point toward home, regardless of where it is on the display screen. The RADAR feature is the ultimate way to keep tabs on where you are relative to home, as an aid to piloting.

The RADAR feature is turned on and off via the PC software, as described in the Configuring Graphics Display section below, and can also be configured via the OSD on-screen menus.

Return To Home

The Return To Home (RTH) feature will attempt to bring your plane to a “holding pattern” above the takeoff point if radio signal is lost, by manipulating your model’s rudder/ailerons, elevator (or elevons), and throttle, based on your settings. GPS and other sensor information is used to attempt to return the plane to home. The OSD Pro’s RTH has a unique feature that allows you to set two altitudes for returning to home, depending on how far away the model is from home. See the “Safety Mode/Return to Home Information” section of the manual for more information on configuring Return To Home.

The Return to Home feature should work with any type of radio receiver – no special adapter is required.

Flight Timer

The OSD Pro provides a flight timer, which appears in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, when enabled. The Flight Timer feature is turned on and off via the PC software, as described in the Configuring Graphics Display section below, and can also be configured via the “Flight Timer/Elapsed Time” on-screen menu item.

The Flight Timer display is in MM:SS until greater than 59 minutes is reached, then it switches to HH:MM:SS. The flight timer starts counting up when the GPS Home position is finalized. It can be reset to zero by clicking on the “Reset Home Position” menu item on the main on-screen menu.

Flight Summary (Display Max Values)

Maximum values for most of the text parameters chosen for display (and minimum voltage) can be displayed after your flight, automatically. For more information, see the “Display Live or Max Values” on-screen menu item description in the “Main Menu” table, under the “Description of On-screen Menus” section of the manual, below. Flight Summary mode is enabled by selecting the “Toggle” option.

Waypoints

The OSD Pro includes an innovative graphical display of up to 3 waypoints, on the main screen, as shown in the Main Screen figure. These are displayed relative to the “Home” position, similar to the RADAR feature described above. When the OSD Pro is initialized, the first waypoint you entered is the active waypoint (circled), and the “Distance to Waypoint” parameter (if you chose to display it) indicates the distance to the first waypoint. As each waypoint is reached, the next defined waypoint becomes the active waypoint (it becomes circled), and the Waypoint Distance indicates the distance to the next waypoint. After all the defined waypoints have been reached, the waypoint order reverses, and the next to last waypoint becomes the active waypoint.

NOTE: the OSD Pro will not autonomously fly to waypoints, and the waypoints must be within Visual Line of Sight (VLS) of “Home”. VLS is defined as 3 miles (4.8KM) So, care must be taken to ensure that you don’t configure waypoints farther than the VLS distance from the location you turn your model on. Waypoints farther away than VLS will not appear on the main screen and an error message will appear.

Note: The format of waypoints entered into the software must be DDD MM SS.SS format. This is the format most commonly used by mapping software, such as Google Earth and Google Maps. Note also that the GPS position displayed by the OSD Pro on the video is in a different format, called “GPS Format.” This format is DDD.MM MM format. This format was chosen as it’s the standard format returned by GPS receivers.

Waypoints display is turned on and off via the PC software, as described in the Configuring Graphics Display section below, and can also be switched on and off via the OSD on-screen menus.

Flight Simulator

The OSD Pro’s built in flight simulator simplifies testing the Return to Home feature, as well as testing alarms, voice prompts, and other features. Note that you must have the OSD Pro’s servo channels connected to your receiver, and the “Servo Analysis Wizard” must be run, before using the simulator. See the RTH Testing/Adjustment Procedures section for information on using the simulator. The simulator supports both traditional, fixed wing aircraft, and v-tail or elevon controlled aircraft. NOTE: the simulator’s implementation is simplistic. It is not a full simulator based on the laws of physics. So, your model’s operation in the air will be quite different than the characteristics observed in the simulator!

Displaying Flight Data in Google Earth and Charting Flight Data

Your eLogger or Data Recorder can log dat from all sensors during your flight. The data can be downloaded later, and either displayed with our powerful charting software, or visulalized in Google Earth. Please see your eLogger or Data Recorder instruction manual for more information on how to do this.

Saving and Loading Configuration

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The OSD Pro supports saving and loading of OSD Configuration to XML files. This feature makes it easy to update multiple OSD Pros to have the same settings, without reconfiguring each one. It is also useful to save your configuration before updating firmware, so that the configuration will be completely restored after firmware update. See the “Configuring the OSD Pro with the Windows Software” section of the manual below for more information.

Graphical Battery Displays

Up to 3 graphical battery displays are supported. The graphical battery displays are enabled in the “Configure OSD Display” On-screen menu page. Note that only the primary battery display is available if you are using your OSD with our Data Recorder. The additional two battery displays are available only with the eLogger V3 and V4, at this time.

The primary battery is the one connected through the eLogger’s BATT input, or to your Data Recorder’s Electric Expander. No additional wiring is required for the primary battery display. For the primary battery, remaining milliamp-hours is used to indicate battery fullness. For this to work correctly, you must tell the OSD the capacity of your primary battery. This is done with the “Set Battery milliamp-Hours” menu item on the main on-screen menu.

The two secondary graphical battery displays (referred to as “Voltage B” and “Voltage C”) use voltage level to indicate the battery fullness. These are set up by making special connections to the eLogger (using resistors), and the maximum and minimum voltages are configured under the “Sensors and Units” on-screen menu.

If you want to use the secondary battery displays, please carefully read the following instructions, as incorrect wiring will damage your equipment. If you don’t understand the instructions fully, don’t attempt it! Also, please visit the online forum discussion here, for more information or to ask questions:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1128175

To use one or both of the secondary battery displays, you must follow these steps:

1. Construct a probe for each additional voltage to monitor, consisting of a wire that

connects to your battery, a 15K Ohm resistor (preferably 1%), and a servo plug. See the figure above. IMPORTANT: the resistor MUST be inline with the

probe, and the pack voltage must not exceed 16V, or the eLogger will be damaged!

2. Connect the resistor probe(s) between the + (positive) lead of the additional

battery pack(s) to be measured, and the Temperature 2 (for “Voltage B”) or Temperature 3 input (for “Voltage C”) on the eLogger (center pin of Temperature input connects to probe). Note that this configuration assumes a common ground exists between the eLogger and each additional battery to be measured. In most cases, ground is already shared. This will be true of the video battery, assuming the camera is connected to the OSD Pro, and is true of the BEC/Receiver battery, assuming your receiver is connected to the OSD Pro. Note that neither the other two pins of the temperature inputs is ground!

3. In the OSD Pro on-screen menus, under the "Sensors and Units" menu, configure the temperature 2 input as a voltage monitor, by setting "Use Temp2

Input for Voltage B."

4. If “Voltage C” is also being used, enable the Voltage C option also.

5. Set the 0% and 100% endpoints of the batteries by changing the values of "Set Voltage B Minimum" and "Set Voltage B Maximum" and/or "Set

Voltage C Minimum" and "Set Voltage C Maximum"

6. Select the appropriate graphical batteries to display via the PC software, as described in the Configuring Graphics Display section below, or by using

the on-screen menus.

7. If you wish to display the numeric voltages of Voltage B and Voltage C, run the Data Recorder software, and add "Temperature B" and "Temperature

C" parameters, relabeling them to indicate the voltage that is being monitored.

Receiver Signal Strength (RSSI)

The OSD Pro (when used with an eLogger V4 or V3) can be used to display the received signal strength (RSSI) with many receivers. Note: this advanced feature may require modification of your existing Receiver. As always, a pre-flight "Antenna Down" range check is critical after modifying your equipment!

For questions regarding setting up RSSI, please visit this online thread: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1130784

For measuring RSSI with analog receivers, the first step is to locate the RSSI output of the receiver. There are several threads on RCGroups on how to do this. We recommend searching for the model number of the receiver + RSSI, to locate the pinout. It is recommended that a noise filter be added to the wire connecting to the RSSI input. One such noise filter is a small toroid with 10-15 turns of wire, added to the connection. Also, some receivers require that only a very high impedance load be connected to the RSSI output. See the “impedance issues” section below. Range can be adversely affected if the receiver requires a high impedance connection!

The next step is to connect the RSSI output to the middle pin of the eLogger's "Temperature 1" input.

To enable RSSI display, follow these steps: a) Add the "Temperature Sensor A" parameter for display, at the screen lcoation you prefer, as described in the “Configuring the OSD Pro with the Windows Software” section elsewhere in the manual. If desired, the on-screen display name of the parameter could be changed to "RSI" or "Sig" to indicate that the parameter is for RSSI.

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b) In the OSD Pro on-screen menus, under the "Sensors and Units" menu, set "Use Temp1 Input for RSSI" to "Yes". c) With the Rx RSSI output connected to the eLogger, run the "Servo Analysis Wizard" either from the PC, or with the stick menus, as described in the Servo Analysis Wizard section of the manual below. While you run the wizard, you will be prompted to turn off and turn on your transmitter. When you do this, the OSD Pro notices the minimum and maximum RSSI levels, and calibrates these to 0% RSSI and 100% RSSI, respectively. d) If desired, there are menu options under "Radio Control Configuration" menu to let you recalibrate the minimum and maximum RSSI readings (0% reading and 100% readings). For those who want the minimum RSSI to represent the point just before failsafe starts to occur, rather than the point when the transmitter is turned off, you can calibrate the minimum using this option. A good time to do this is during your antenna-down range test, just before the servos start to twitch.

Impedance Issues: The input impedance of the Temperature 1 input is approximately 5K Ohm. Some receivers, such as early versions of the “LRS” long range receiver, require higher impedance to correctly report RSSI. The symptoms of this issue are loss of range, and/or random or otherwise incorrect display of RSSI after following the above steps. If you want to use RSSI with early LRS or other receivers that require higher impedance, the best option is to use a high impedance input buffer that can be placed between the receiver's RSSI output, and the eLogger's Temperature 1 input. Such a buffer is available at http://www.dpcav.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16500.

Artificial Horizon Display

When you use the Guardian Stabilization Expander, you can display a real-time, graphical Artificial Horizon Indicator (AHI) on the OSD display. The AHI display can be turned on and off via the PC software, as described in the Configuring Graphics Display section below, and can also be switched on and off via the OSD on-screen menus.

Also, when the FMA Direct™ CPD-4™ X/Y horizon sensor (either with our without the FMA™ stabilization Computer), an artificial horizon line can be displayed on the video screen. Information on how to connect the FMA Direct sensor to the OSD Pro system, and configure the Artificial Horizon display, can be found in this document:

http://www.eagletreesystems.com/support/manuals/FMA-OSD-Pro.pdf

Serial PPM Support

If your receiver outputs a serial PPM stream (also known as “PPM sum”) you may be able to connect your OSD Pro to your Receiver with only one male to male servo connector.

See the “Serial PPM” section in the manual below for more information.

Tips for Using your OSD Pro

Adjusting the OSD Display Appearance

Normally the OSD Pro display does not need to be adjusted, but several adjustments are provided for centering the screen, controlling the brightness of the display, changing the width of the display, etc. Please see the “Configure OSD Display Menu” on-screen menu description below for more information.

GPS Mounting Tips

It is important that the GPS is mounted as far away from your video transmitter as possible. This is because some video transmitters radiate radio frequency energy that is on the same frequency as GPS satellite signals. This can cause the GPS module to receive a poor GPS signal, or no signal at all. This issue is most commonly reported with 900MHz video transmitters. Our GPS-V4 and later GPS models have a built in ferrite core in the cable, which reduces the effects of this RFI on GPS signal. A good description of the causes and solutions of this problem (and instructions on installing a ferrite core if your GPS doesn’t have one already) is located here: http://www.dpcav.com/data_sheets/whitepaper_RFI.pdf

GPS Fix Quality

Many of the features of the OSD Pro, including the RADAR, distance display, and altitude, depend on a good initial GPS fix before finalizing the “home” position. When GPS modules first get a fix, the position and/or altitude may not be accurate, and subsequent fixes may have greater accuracy. The OSD Pro has several adjustments to ensure that the home position is correctly finalized. See the “GPS, RADAR, Timer and Waypoint Settings Menu” on-screen menu description below for more information.

Using the OSD Pro with non-Eagle Tree Stabilization Systems, such as the FMATM Co-pilotTM

The OSD Pro should work well with all available stabilization systems, though they are not as well integrated as the Guardian Stabilization Expander. If you plan to use Return to Home feature with a stabilization system, please see the “Stabilization System Connection” section in the Safety Mode portion of the manual.

Connecting your OSD Pro Hardware

The OSD Pro should work well with any FPV video transmitter, FPV camera, and an optional microphone. Since cameras, video transmitters and microphones from different manufacturers all have different connections, it’s important to understand how things should connect together before proceeding with connections. In addition to the information provided in this manual, user note that there are many user supplied wiring diagrams for the osd Pro online at http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1286603

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Connecting the OSD Pro to your eLogger V4, eLogger V3 or Data Recorder

Please read the appropriate box below for information on connecting the OSD Pro module to your logger.

Connecting the OSD Pro and GPS Expander to the eLogger V4

The four pin wire with black connector on the OSD Pro plugs into the “OSD/LCD” port of your eLogger V3, as shown in the figure below. If you have a PowerPanel or other sensors, those can “daisy chain” to the pins on the OSD Pro, with the polarity as indicated on the OSD Pro label, as shown in Figure 2.

The GPS Expander connects to the upper row of eLogger pins, as shown in the figure below.

Normally, the OSD Pro system is powered via the flight battery, which connects to the “Batt” connection of the eLogger V4. If the battery you are connecting to the eLogger V4 is greater than 4S (about 16V), the throttle monitoring Y cable included with the Logger V4 needs to be connected between the “Throttle” input of the eLogger V4 and any receiver channel (or a 5V to 6V BEC), to provide backup power to the eLogger V4. Note: the voltage supplied to the throttle Y cable cannot be greater than 6V!

Connecting the OSD Pro and GPS Expander to the eLogger V3

The four pin wire with black connector on the OSD Pro plugs into the “LCD/TX” port of your eLogger V3, as shown in the figure at right. If you have a PowerPanel or other sensors, those can “daisy chain” to the pins on the OSD Pro, with the polarity as indicated on the OSD Pro label, as shown in Figure 2. The GPS Expander connects to the upper row of pins, as shown in Figure 3.

The Battery Backup Cable connects to the eLogger V3’s USB port (when USB is not in use), and to a 5V BEC, or a spare receiver channel. Note: if the voltage supplied to the battery backup cable cannot be greater than 6V! If you don’t have a spare receiver channel, a Y cable can be obtained which will let you share the connection with an occupied receiver channel.

If you do not have the battery backup cable, you can purchase it from your dealer or our website, or build your own. The instruction manual for the cable can be found at:

http://www.eagletreesystems.com/Support/Manuals/BatteryBackup.pdf

If you do not connect any of the OSD Pro’s servo inputs to your receiver, the battery backup cable is always required, as the eLogger V3’s internal regulator may temporarily shut down, which will cause the OSD to turn off temporarily, resulting in temporary loss video display!

Note that if you are using a 3s or smaller battery pack, AND you are connecting one or more of OSD Pro’s servo inputs to your receiver, the battery backup cable may not be needed (but is recommended). This is because the OSD Pro will draw some of its power from the receiver, resulting in reduced load on the eLogger’s regulator. The OSD Pro will not shut down in this case (no loss of video), but the eLogger V3’s regulator might briefly shut down, resulting in brief loss of data updates to the OSD Pro.

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Connecting the OSD Pro to your Data Recorder

The four pin wire with black connector on the OSD Pro plugs into the “FCC TX” port of your Data Recorder as shown in Figure 4. Make sure that you connect it in the correct location on the recorder, and with the correct polarity!

NOTE: if you are using the Seagull Wireless Telemetry at the same time as the OSD Pro, the wireless telemetry transmitter should connect to the “Daisy Chain” male port of the OSD Pro.

NOTE: The Data Recorder is NOT compatible with the Guardian expsnder!

If you are using the 2.4GHz Seagull Wireless Telemetry transmitter with the OSD Pro, it is necessary to click “Advanced, Custom Hardware Options” and check the “I am using the 2.4 GHz Seagull with an OSD Expander” checkbox in the Windows software.

IMPORTANT: if you do not plan on connecting a Seagull transmitter to the “Daisy Chain” 4 pin male connection of the OSD Pro, make sure you cover the exposed 4 pin connector with tape, or otherwise keep it from shorting to other metal objects. Touching the exposed 4 pin connector to other metal objects will damage the recorder when it is powered!

Connecting the OSD Pro to Your Camera and Video Recorder/Transmitter

Two 3 pin servo connectors on the OSD Pro are used to route the composite video signal into and out of the OSD Pro. The input and output are compatible with standard 75 Ohm composite video equipment (either NTSC or PAL). See Figures 1 and 2 above, showing the top and bottom of the OSD Pro. The “Video Out” connection goes to your video transmitter (or DVR) and the “Video In” connection connects to the composite output of your camera. For both the video in and video out connections, the pin nearest the circuit board is Ground, the middle pin is Power, and the top pin is Signal. The Ground and Signal pins are the only ones used by the OSD PRO, but the Power pins are connected together internally in the OSD PRO, for your convenience (the ground pins are also connected together internally, and are common with the grounds of all other OSD inputs).

Note: Eagle Tree offers optional servo to RCA adapter cables, if needed.

The figure above shows one way to connect the video camera and video transmitter, using a servo Y cable. Note that the camera and transmitter MUST be able to operate at the same voltage to use the this diagram.

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Connecting Voice, Variometer and Microphone audio functions with the OSD Pro (optional)

If your Video Transmitter (or DVR) has an audio channel, you can use the OSD Pro’s voice and variometer features, as well as continuing to enjoy flight sounds with your microphone, by connecting the Audio In and Audio Out connections of the OSD Pro. The Audio In pins allow you to connect an external microphone to the OSD Pro, for hearing flight sounds. For both the audio in and audio out connections, the pin nearest the circuit board is Ground, the middle pin is Power, and the top pin is Signal. The Ground and Signal pins are the only ones used by the OSD PRO, but the Power pins are connected together internally in the OSD PRO, for your convenience (no power is provided to this connection by the OSD Pro). Note that the ground pins are also connected together internally, and are common with the grounds of all other OSD inputs).

The OSD Pro supports “mic level” or “line level” audio input, and line level audio output. Never

connect an amplified (speaker level) audio signal to the OSD Pro’s audio input!

The OSD Pro’s built in voice announcements and the acoustic variometer sounds are sent via the audio output. If a microphone is connected to the OSD Pro, the microphone’s output is routed to the audio output when no announcements are being made. When it is time for a voice announcement, or the variometer is sounding, the audio output is automatically switched.

An example wiring diagram is shown above. Note that an optional resistor is shown, which may be needed with some video transmitters, if their audio inputs are very sensitive. If the voice announcements sound somewhat distorted or quiet with your FPV setup, the resistor may correct this issue.

See the PC Configuration and on-screen menu information below for configuring the audio options. Note: the “Mute External Audio” option must be set to NO in the OSD Pro Audio on-screen menu to use an external microphone through the OSD Pro. Also, note that the external audio, voice and variomemter volumes should rarely need to be set higher than 2.

Connecting the OSD Pro to your Model’s Radio Receiver (optional)

If you plan to access the OSD Pro’s on-screen menus via your radio, or if you plan to use the “Return to Home” or Failsafe feature, it will be necessary to connect one or more of the OSD Pro’receiver inputs to your receiver. The OSD Pro is connected to your receiver via the included male to male servo connectors. The “Futaba” end of each connector plugs into the OSD Pro, and the “Universal/JR” end plugs into your receiver. Note that the Futaba plug enforces correct polarity when connected to the OSD Pro. IMPORTANT: never connect receiver channels to the OSD Pro if your Receiver is powered by more than 15 volts! Note that the OSD Pro may take a small amount of power (up to approximately 135 mA of current) from the receiver. This amount is typically very small compared to the amount of power even a single small servo can consume. The OSD Pro also takes power from its connection to the eLogger or Recorder. It senses which power source has a higher voltage, and uses that power source. The eLogger supplies 5V to the OSD Pro.

Connecting the OSD Pro to your Model’s Radio Receiver for Menu Setup and Configuration, and RTH

You may want to use your radio sticks to access the OSD Pro’s on-screen menus, which requires connection of one or two receiver channels to the Aux1 and Aux2 inputs of the OSD Pro. Please see the “Configuring the OSD Pro with the On-Screen Menus” section in the manual below, which describes these connections, and menu operations, in detail. Note that the message “Receiver Not Detected” will briefly display on the OSD Pro startup screen if the Aux1 and (if required) the Aux2 channel is not connected.

Connecting the OSD Pro to your Model’s Control Surfaces for Return to Home/Failsafe operation

If you intend to use the Return to Home or Failsafe features of the OSD Pro, your throttle, elevator, and aileron/rudder servos connect to the outputs of the OSD Pro (see Figure 1). See the “Safety Mode Overview” section below for more information. Based on customer reports, we recommend connecting your rudder to the Aileron/Rudder connection instead of the ailerons, if your plane has both ailerons and rudder.

Note that “flying wing” models which use elevon or vtail mixing are supported. The elevator and aileron/rudder servo inputs and outputs are used for the left and right channels, in these modes. Please see the Safety Mode section for details.

The aileron/rudder, elevator and throttle inputs to the OSD Pro (shown in Figure 2) are connected to their respective outputs of your radio receiver, using 3 of the included male to male servo connectors. For all of the OSD Pro servo inputs and outputs, the pins closest to the circuit board are ground, the middle pins are power, and the top pins are signal. Note that when the FutabaTM end of the included male to male connects is connected to the OSD Pro, polarization is enforced.

Figure 5

Page

When connected as described above, the servos receive power from the radio receiver, just as if they were connected directly to the receiver. The input and output servo power pins of the OSD Pro connect to each other internally.

NOTE: the servo connections described above are not necessary if you do not wish to use the safety features.

Configuring the OSD Pro with the Windows Software

Windows Software and Firmware Update

To use the OSD Pro, you will need to install Eagle Tree Windows Software version 10.38 or higher. To update, download the latest software from the support page of our website, located at http://eagletreesystems.com/Support/apps.htm. After connecting the OSD Pro to the eLogger/Recorder, and downloading and installing the latest Windows Software, the firmware of both your eLogger/Recorder and the OSD Pro may need to be updated. To upgrade your firmware, just click “Hardware, Firmware Control” and first click the “Update” button for the eLogger/Recorder, and repeat this process to update the firmware for the OSD Pro (see Figure 5).

When updating the OSD Pro firmware, after the “Firmware Successfully Completed!!” message appears, click on the OK button of that message. Then, after a few seconds, the OSD Pro setup page (as shown in Figure 6) will appear. Note that you will need to click OK on the setup page to finalize OSD Pro firmware update. If you do not click OK on this page, you will be prompted to update the OSD Pro firmware again later.

Note: as new features become available to the OSD Pro, the changes can be downloaded from our website. Please check our website periodically for new software versions. Also, clicking “Help, Download Latest Updates…” will navigate you to our software download web page.

Also, before installing a new software version, it’s a good idea to save your OSD Pro configuration using the button shown in Figure 6 BEFORE installing the new software version, and then loading the configuration again by clicking “File, Load Configuration File” AFTER you have installed the new software version, and completed the OSD Pro firmware update if prompted to do so.

Configuring Text Parameters to Display on the Video OSD A powerful and unique feature of the OSD Pro is the ability for you to set up just the text parameters you want to see, where you want them, on the screen. You can also name the labels for each parameter to any 1 to 3 character name you desire. You can program alarms for the parameters, and display custom messages on the screen when an alarm triggers.

Note: at least one parameter must be selected for display, for correct operation.

Software configuration of the OSD Pro is done via the OSD Pro setup page (shown in Figure 6). This page is invoked by clicking “Hardware, Choose Parameters to Display on Video OSD” and the page will also automatically appear after you update the OSD Pro firmware. Note: If the page below does not appear, and an error messages appears instead, please see the troubleshooting section of this manual.

The setup screen supports two rows of user configurable text based data parameters along the top of the screen, and two rows of parameters near the bottom of the screen. Each row can have up to 5 parameters, for a total of 20 parameters.

The setup screen’s green simulated display corresponds to the rows and columns of these four lines of parameters. To configure a parameter to display, click “Choose the next Parameter to Configure.” This dropdown menu lets you choose a parameter to display on the OSD screen. The available parameters depend on your Recorder type, and the sensors you have installed.

The OSD Pro can have more than one “page” of parameters defined for the main screen. So, virtually infinite configuration is possible. The current page being configured is indicated by the “OSD Page: 1” text below the simulated display. Use the left and right arrows below the dropdown menu to switch between OSD Pages on the simulated display.

NOTE: If more than one OSD Pro display page has been configured, toggling your radio’s Aux2/Select switch (if configured) during operation will cause the display page to advance to the next page. Also, an option for timed switching between main screen pages is described in the on-screen menus section below.

Figure 6

+ 21 hidden pages