Polhemus MINUTEMAN User Manual

MINUTEMAN™

MINUTEMAN

3D TRACKER

USER MANUAL

URM06PH191

REV. A – FEBRUARY 2008

MINUTEMAN MANUAL

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MINUTEMAN MANUAL

Copyright© 2006 by Alken, Inc., dba Polhemus
Colchester, Vermont, U.S.A.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the
prior written permission of Polhemus. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the
information contained herein. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual,
Polhemus assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages
resulting from use of the information contained herein.

MINUTEMAN™ is a trademark of Polhemus.

Windows

®

is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

FCC Statement

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15
of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user
is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

EC – Declaration of Incorporation

This Product Complies with the following European Community Directives:

89/336/EEC as amended by 92/31/EEC

The following standards were used to verify compliance with the directives:
EMC:

EN 61326-1:1997 / A1:1998 / A2:2001 / A3:2003 Emissions Requirements Class B, Radiated Emissions
EN 61326-1:1997 / A1:1998 / A2:2001 / A3:2003 Immunity Requirements
EN 61000-4-2:1995 (ESD 4kV CD, 8kV AD)
EN 61000-4-3:2002 / A1:2002 (3V/m 80% AM)

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MINUTEMAN MANUAL

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REV. A ii FEBRUARY 2008

MINUTEMAN MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF FIGURES................................................................................................................... iv

Welcome ......................................................................................................................................... 1

Components ................................................................................................................................ 1

Initial MINUTEMAN Setup and System Test................................................................................ 2

1. Install the MINUTEMAN Host Software........................................................................... 2

2. Connect sensors to the MINUTEMAN E-Pod.................................................................... 2

3. Connect MINUTEMAN E-Pod to Host USB..................................................................... 3

4. Verify MINUTEMAN Hardware. ...................................................................................... 5

5. Verify MINUTEMAN Function and Host Software. ......................................................... 5

Operational Installation................................................................................................................... 7

Location and Mounting............................................................................................................... 7

Coordinate Reference ................................................................................................................. 9

Multiple MINUTEMAN Systems Installation.............................................................................. 11

1. Operating Frequency......................................................................................................... 11

2. USB Power........................................................................................................................ 11

3. Coordinate System............................................................................................................ 11

MINUTEMAN Configuration ...................................................................................................... 12

Output Orientation Format........................................................................................................ 12

• Euler Angles (default)................................................................................................... 12

• Direction Cosines.......................................................................................................... 12

• Orientation Quaternion ................................................................................................. 12

Boresight................................................................................................................................... 14

Host Prediction ......................................................................................................................... 15

Filtering..................................................................................................................................... 16

Electronic Stabilization Process (ESP)..................................................................................... 17

Soft Reset.................................................................................................................................. 18

MINUTEMAN Host Software...................................................................................................... 19

PiMgr Tracker Management Application................................................................................. 19

Polhemus Developer Interface SDK......................................................................................... 19

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MINUTEMAN MANUAL

TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1 MINUTEMAN Components............................................................................................ 1

Figure 2 MINUTEMAN E-Pod ...................................................................................................... 3

Figure 3 “Found New Hardware” Screen ....................................................................................... 4

Figure 4 USB Serial Port “Found New Hardware” Screen ............................................................ 4

Figure 5 PI Tracker Config Screen ................................................................................................. 5

Figure 6 Sensor Orientation Data Collection Screen...................................................................... 6

Figure 7 E-Pod screw mount........................................................................................................... 7

Figure 8 E-Pod mounted on tripod.................................................................................................. 7

Figure 9 Sensor Mounting Flanges................................................................................................. 8

Figure 10 E-Pod Reference Diagram.............................................................................................. 9

Figure 11 Sensor Reference Diagram............................................................................................. 9

Figure 12 “Right-Hand” Rule ......................................................................................................... 9

Figure 13 Coordinate Reference System ...................................................................................... 10

Figure 14 Sensor Aligned with E-Pod .......................................................................................... 10

Figure 15 Configure Output Orientation Format.......................................................................... 13

Figure 16 Configure Sensor Boresight ......................................................................................... 14

Figure 17 Configure Host Prediction............................................................................................ 15

Figure 18 Configure Filter ............................................................................................................ 16

Figure 19 Soft Reset...................................................................................................................... 18

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MINUTEMAN MANUAL

t

Welcome

Thank you for purchasing the highest performance, lowest cost, best value tracker on the planet!
The following will acquaint you with the components of the system, how to connect it, and how
to set it up for your application.

Components

The following components (see Figure 1) make up a MINUTEMAN system.

- MINUTEMAN E-Pod

- Sensor with two nylon mounting screws

- 6 foot (2 meter) sensor cable with 6 pin modular connectors

- 17 foot (5 meter) USB cable

- MINUTEMAN Host Software CD containing:

o This manual
o PiMgr graphical user interface
o SDK
o USB drivers

USB Cable

17 foot (5 meter) length

E-Pod

Sensor

with nylon screws and

mounting flanges

Sensor Cable

6 foot (2 meter) length

Hos

Software CD

Figure 1 MINUTEMAN Components

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MINUTEMAN MANUAL

Initial MINUTEMAN Setup and System Test

Follow these set-up and connection steps to demonstrate basic operation of your MINUTEMAN
system.

Caution: Do not connect the USB cable until instructed.

1. Install the MINUTEMAN Host Software.

i. Insert the MINUTEMAN Host Software CD into your computer’s CD-ROM

drive. If your system is configured for CD auto-launch, the MINUTEMAN Host
Software installation panel will launch automatically. If it does not, launch the
panel manually by navigating to the CD-ROM drive using Windows Explorer.
Run “Setup.exe”.

ii. Click on the area labeled “Install Host Software.” The installation wizard will

walk you through the installation.

iii. Leave the CD in the CD-ROM drive for USB device installation.

NOTE: The MINUTEMAN Host Software is intended to be installed on a computer running

Windows

®

XP, 2000 and Vista only.

2. Connect sensors to the MINUTEMAN E-Pod.

One or more sensors must be connected to the MINUTEMAN E-Pod (see Figure 2) prior
to connecting the USB cable. Connect sensor(s) with the six-pin modular connectors on

the black 2 M cable.

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MINUTEMAN MANUAL

Figure 2 MINUTEMAN E-Pod

NOTE: The six-pin modular sensor cable is readily available in the marketplace should more

length be required. However, a substitute sensor cable must not exceed 14 ft (4.25 m) and must
be wired

straight through both connectors, male-male.

3. Connect MINUTEMAN E-Pod to Host USB.

NOTE: MINUTEMAN gets its operating power through the USB connection. If you are

using a USB hub that does not provide the full USB power allotment, the E-Pod will not
operate!

When the USB cable is connected to the host PC for the first time, Windows will detect
the new hardware and launch the device driver installation wizard. The MINUTEMAN
driver installation is slightly more complex than most USB devices because the drivers
are installed in two steps:

i. First Windows will detect and install the MINUTEMAN drivers. The “Found

New Hardware” bubble will appear in the Windows taskbar:

REV. A 3 FEBRUARY 2008