Resource Identifier 100145 Revision: 19.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 0. Preface 0.1 About this Document This document contains relevant information required to identify, install and control the equipment or system. Since the available functions can be licensed and depend on the specific implementation, not all the functions and or applications contained in this document may be relevant or applicable to the system you will be working with.
Revision 19.1 0.4 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Text Conventions This document uses these conventions to identify text that has a special meaning: Description Example TEXT in capitals represents a key press on the keyboard. ESC, F1, SHIFT The + sign means hold down the first key and press the second key. CTRL+C Serves as a placeholder for variable text that is replaced as appropriate, the text may be written in italics. Use the filename .
Revision 19.1 0.7 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Related Documents All DTC documents can be downloaded from WatchDox. See Section 8.1. Document Source PRORXD Broadcast Receiver User Guide DTC 0.8 Document History This is a controlled document, written and produced by the DTC Technical Publications team. Changes are recorded in the table below. Revision Date Author Summary of Changes 1.0 11/11/2013 RC First release 8.0 31/10/2014 RC FCC statement 9.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Contents 0. Preface......................................................................................................0-1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 About this Document .................................................................................................................... 0-1 Intended Audience ........................................................................................................................
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 5.8 Advanced>Misc Window ............................................................................................................. 5-31 5.9 Licensing Upgrade ...................................................................................................................... 5-34 5.10 Firmware Upgrade ................................................................................................................... 5-35 6. Advanced Operation ...............
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 1. Product Overview 1.1 Description A miniature feature rich COFDM digital video transmitter designed specifically for situations when reliable operation and power consumption are critical. Offering several user-selectable modes allowing optimum selection of range and performance for flexibility in any environment. The SOLO7 Transmitter is ideal for battery powered applications requiring long term deployment, such as unmanned aerial vehicles or concealments.
Revision 19.1 1.4 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide FCC Certification Note: Not currently applicable for OBTX. 1.4.1 FCC Subpart 15A Rule Section 15.21 CAUTION: The user of an intentional or unintentional radiator shall be aware that changes or modifications not expressly approved by DTC could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. 1.4.2 FCC Subpart 15B Rule Section 15.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 2. Product Package 2.1 Packaging Overview Verify that all the components have been included in the package as shown in the packing list. Retain the packing list and all the packing materials for storage. The part numbers are useful for identification and if you need to order a new part.
Revision 19.1 2.4 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Licensing Options Part Number Description Silver (included) DVB-T, Ultra Mobile Video Link (UMVL), MPEG-4 SD H.264, Dual Pedestal Gold Silver plus MPEG-4 ASP, 2.5MHz and 1.25MHz Modulation Platinum Gold plus 625kHz Modulation AES128TX AES 128-Bit Encryption AES256TX AES 256-Bit Encryption 2.5 Label No Description 1 Manufacturer 2 SOL7TX product code. 3 Barcoded, six-digit serial number. This may be needed during a support call.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 3. Controls, Connections and Indicators 3.1 Front Panel No Item Used for... 1 SMA receptacle (socket). Connect an antenna to the SMA receptacle on the top panel of the transmitter unit. Peak antenna gain must be no greater than 14.5dBi. DTC recommends the use of 2dBi antenna accessory, see Section 2.3. CAUTION: Do not over tighten the antenna – hand tight only! 2 Config button The config button can be operated with a blunt but pointed tool.
Revision 19.1 3.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Rear Panel The rear panel will accommodate the supplied CA3186 to provide DC power (in conjunction with CA0002), video and audio inputs. No Item Used for... 1 16-way Hirose 3500 series socket Connect CA3186 here to provide DC power (in conjunction with CA0002), composite video and audio inputs. Data signals also provided are RS232 control and chained data. Optional cables can be supplied. 2 3.3 MCX 75Ω socket SD-SDI or ASI video input.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 4. Getting Started 4.1 Starting and Stopping the Transmitter SOLO7 Transmitters don’t have power switches, they are powered up and down directly from the power source. Before shutting down, ensure the unit is not in sleep mode. 4.1 Domo Device Controller 4.1.1 Introduction Domo Device Controller provides users with convenient access to the most usual features and functions of the device.
Revision 19.1 4.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Connecting your PC to the SOLO7 Transmitter Ensure your transmitter is connected by either USB or serial control and is powered up. Double-click Domo Device Controller icon on the computer desktop to open the Domo Device Controller. Click the connection button. Select USB or Serial Port in the device connection window (dependent on your device connection). You’ll see the USB identification number or serial port Com Port of the Transmitter.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Click the Connect button. Device Controller reads the SOLO7 Transmitter configurations and the primary window opens. Copyright © 2013 Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) Limited. All rights reserved.
Revision 19.1 4.3 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Domo Device Controller Primary Window No Name Description 1 Configuration presets Sixteen (or eight) preset configurations can be stored. The blue button is the currently active preset. 2 Basic settings When you have selected a preset, the basic settings for that configuration can be edited from the primary window. These can also be configured in the Advanced window.
Revision 19.1 4.4 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Performing a Quick Setup The SOLO7 Transmitter can be quickly setup from the primary window. Basic Setting Options Description Output frequency A frequency in the range of the unit. Type in the frequency that you want this device to use in megahertz (MHz). Click the green tick to save the setting. Video source Off Composite 1 Composite 2 S-Video Select the video source.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Basic Setting Options Description Video source format Automatic PAL NTSC NTSC NP Select the video format that matches the camera you are using. Alternatively, the Automatic setting determines the video source. Power up standard in Automatic mode defaults to PAL. This can be changed by setting the input to NTSC NP for example and then back to Automatic.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 5. Domo Device Controller Operation 5.1 Introduction To get the most from your radio system you must customise the programming for your operations and area. The SOLO7 Transmitter uses the Domo Device Controller software running on your PC which enables you to perform many configuration tasks quickly and easily. These next topics tell you how to connect your PC to the Nano Transmitter and then use your Domo Device Controller to configure the unit.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide No Name Options Description 4 Temperature Green Yellow Red An indication of the temperature of the FPGA. Try to keep it green. 0°C to 59°C shown in green. 60°C to 84°C shown in yellow. 85°C or above shown in red. CAUTION: If it changes to red, switch the unit off and allow it to cool. >95°C some video encoder functionality is disabled to try and reduce temperature; video quality will be affected.
Revision 19.1 5.3 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Switch Panel No Name Description 1 Advanced Open the Advanced window to access detailed parameters of the transmitter: Unit – Software versions, licenses etc. Modulation – Frequency, power, FEC etc. Audio – Audio source, sample rate etc. Video – Video source, format etc. Misc – Data settings etc. 2 Engineer Open the Engineer window to send and receive engineering commands or load configuration files. The current command list is given in Section 7.4.
Revision 19.1 5.4 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Advanced>Unit Window 5.4.1 Open the Advanced>Unit Window 1. On the primary window in the switch panel, click the Advanced button. 2. Click the Unit window. 3. Click and drag the scrollbar on the right of the screen to see the whole display. Copyright © 2013 Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) Limited. All rights reserved.
Revision 19.1 5.4.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Unit Settings Name Options Notes Operational State Active Standby Sleep Active – The unit is fully powered and in an operational state. Standby – The unit is using less power but can be brought back to operation rapidly. Sleep – The unit is consuming the least amount of power but needs to be woken before being able to operate fully. Disable status LEDs Blue=Off Orange=On Swipe to the right to turn the status LEDs on the front panel Off.
Revision 19.1 5.4.3 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Unit Information Name Notes This button will copy the data to the PC clipboard. It can then be pasted into a document, for example. Software Version This is the version of the firmware running on the board. Serial Number The Electronic Serial Number (ESN) of the internal PCB. The licence file will only work with a device that has a matching ESN. Note: This is different to the serial number on the device label.
Revision 19.1 5.4.4 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Unit Actions No Name Notes 1 Restore to Factory Click to return the device settings to the default settings. 2 Switch to 8/16 Configs It is possible to toggle the unit into eight configurations mode instead of sixteen. Some options are stored on a global or configuration basis dependent on the number of configurations used. 3 Reset Device 5.4.5 This performs a power cycle on the device.
Revision 19.1 5.5 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Advanced>Modulation Window 5.5.1 Open the Advanced>Modulation Window 1. On the primary window in the switch panel, click the Advanced button. 2. Click the Modulation window. 3. Click and drag the scrollbar on the right of the screen to see the whole display. Copyright © 2013 Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) Limited. All rights reserved.
Revision 19.1 5.5.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Modulation Settings Name Options Notes Modulation Output Off or On Switches RF on or off. Repeats the action of the RF button on the Unit Status panel on the primary window. Output Frequency In-band The frequency in megahertz (MHz) that you want to use for this preset. This is between 2452.5-2481.0MHz. If you try to input a frequency that is out of range, the radio will tune the nearest available frequency automatically.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Name Options Notes Additional PA None 500mW 1W 2W 5W Not applicable for the SOLO7 Transmitter. Modulation Scheme NB/UMVL DVB-T This box enables you to select the modulation mode you want to work with. Different schemes have different settings. 5.5.3 Narrowband Settings If you selected NB/UMVL for the modulation scheme, these settings need to be configured. Name Options Notes Bandwidth Narrowband: 2.5MHz 1.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Name Options Notes Guard Interval 1/16 1/8 The guard interval is an extension of the RF symbol period to give immunity to reflections. 1/32 – deals with fast reflections. More data, less range. 1/4 – deals with slower reflections. Less data, more range. 5.5.4 DVB-T Settings If you selected DVB-T for the Modulation scheme, these settings need to be configured.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Name Options Notes Guard Interval 1/32 1/16 1/8 1/4 The guard interval is an extension of the RF symbol period to give immunity to reflections. 1/32 – deals with fast reflections. More data, less range. 1/4 – deals with slower reflections. Less data, more range. Figure 5-1 Dual Pedestal Spectrum Analyser Plot Copyright © 2013 Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) Limited. All rights reserved.
Revision 19.1 5.6 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Advanced>Audio Window 5.6.1 Open the Advanced>Audio Window 1. On the primary window in the switch panel, click the Advanced button. 2. Click the Audio window. 3. Click and drag the scrollbar on the right of the screen to see the whole display. Copyright © 2013 Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) Limited. All rights reserved.
Revision 19.1 5.6.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Audio Settings Name Options Notes Audio source 1 or 2 Off Balanced Unbalanced Embedded 1 Embedded 2 SOLO7 transmitter are unbalanced audio only. Audio encoder MPEG Layer I MPEG Layer II LPCM 16-bit The higher the audio quality used the less the video bandwidth available. Audio sync Yes Early Yes – the audio is synched to the video. Early – the audio needs to be earlier than the video. Audio sample rate 8.000kHz to 48.
Revision 19.1 5.6.3 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Analogue Audio Analogue audio will be in line with the encoder mode setting. The arrows will point to the applicable gain value. Name Options Notes Level gain 0 to 66dB You can apply different levels of gain to each channel as required. Click on the box to edit the value. Microphone power 5.6.4 Off 2.0V 12.0V 48.0V This provides phantom power to the microphone, if applicable. Note: 12.0V and 48.0V are not applicable for the SOL7TX.
Revision 19.1 5.7 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Advanced>Video Window 5.7.1 Open the Advanced>Video Settings 1. On the primary window in the switch panel, click the Advanced button. 2. Click the Video window. 3. Click and drag the scrollbar on the right of the screen to see the whole display. Copyright © 2013 Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) Limited. All rights reserved.
Revision 19.1 5.7.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Video Settings Note: The video encoder settings can be configured for optimum performance using the sliders on the Control Application primary window, see Section 4.3 or refer to Section 7.3 for guideline settings. Name Options Notes Video Source Off Composite 1 Composite 2 S-Video Select the video source input. Video Source Format Automatic PAL NTSC NTSC NP Select the video format that matches the camera you are using.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Name Options Notes De-interlace Option Button Blue=OFF Orange=ON When on, the de-interlace option converts interlaced fields to a progressive frame. This improves picture quality on PC monitor type devices. Having a progressive type of image is also easier to encode so you save bit rate too. Don’t use it if you want to preserve vertical resolution or interlaced field rate.
Revision 19.1 5.7.4 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Compatibility PES per frame can be set to Yes as a compatibility requirement for some video management systems (VMS). This should be left at No unless an advanced user. 5.8 Advanced>Misc Window 5.8.1 Open the Advanced>Misc Window 1. On the primary window in the switch panel, click the Advanced button. 2. Click the Misc window. 3. Click and drag the scrollbar on the right of the screen to see the whole display.
Revision 19.1 5.8.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Miscellaneous Options Name Options Notes Data Input Off On Selects if RS232 data is passed over the link. Data Baud Rate 1200 to 115200 This is the speed of serial data running through the unit. This must match the data source you are planning to use. Data Format 8b None 8b Even 8b Odd 7b None 7b Even 7b Odd When you have switch data on, you can select from one of the available modes. 5.8.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 5.8.4 Service Options Name Options Notes Manual mux bitrate Auto/manual When set to 0 the mux bit rate is defined automatically based on modulation settings. When set manually with RF output turned off. This overrides the automatic calculation. In this case it can be used to adjust the stream rate on the ASI outputs. Network name Default: DTC The Network Name applies to the transport stream (TS).
Revision 19.1 5.9 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Licensing Upgrade If you require a new license for your device, this will be supplied to you by DTC. You will need to know the device electronic serial number (ESN) which can be found in the Device Controller Advanced>Unit window. The license file format is: --.lic, e.g. AK000143-8e417fdb-133444.lic On the primary window in the switch panel, click the Upload button to open the Upload window.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 5.10 Firmware Upgrade When you need to do a software upgrade, the files will be made available through DTC’s Watchdox facility. The upgrade file will be in the format d1500_vx.x.all. Note: From software v2.0 onwards, a bespoke 64x32 pixel customer logo may be applied. The logo file can be provided by DTC and will look like d1500_logo_dtc.all. To remove the logo, DTC will provide a blank file.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 6. Advanced Operation 6.1 High Linearity and Low Power Modes Refer to Section 5.5.2. 6.1.1 Low Power Mode Low Power Mode optimises DC power consumption but to do this it must compromise the quality of the COFDM waveform shoulders. Compromising the shoulders often makes little difference operationally when you just need to get a short-range link in a reasonable RF environment.
Revision 19.1 6.1.3 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide About DC Power Use SOLO7 Transmitter is very power efficient. In earlier models of transmitter, if you switched from high to low RF power, the same DC power level would be used although the RF signal was attenuated. In these newer transmitters, when you select lower RF powers the DC power level is dropped too, using just the power needed to achieve the RF power required.
Revision 19.1 6.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Domo Device Controller Logging Mode 6.2.1 Set up Logging Mode Right-click the Domo Device Controller shortcut on your desktop and click on Properties. Select the Shortcut tab and in the Target box add /l “log.txt” to the end of the line. Note: In the target box you must leave the quote marks on the original target line, leave a space then forward slash, lowercase L, quote mark, log.txt, close quote. Click the OK button.
Revision 19.1 6.2.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Recovering the Logging File Right-click the Domo Device Controller shortcut on your desktop and click on Properties. Select the Shortcut tab and click Open File Location button. Windows Explorer opens where your Log file (and Domo Device Controller application) is located. Doubleclick the log.txt file. The log.txt file opens and displays your logged events.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 7. Appendix A – Reference Material 7.1 Temperature Control Tips The SOLO7 Transmitters can get very hot, therefore, it is worth noting some configurations and environmental conditions that can help mitigate any temperature concerns. Note: The FPGA temperature can be monitored as a colour coded scheme on the Domo Device Controller primary window or from the Advanced>Unit tab to monitor the actual temperature in °C of the on-board FPGA device, see section 5.4.3.
Revision 19.1 7.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Pinout – SOL7TX 7.2.1 16-Way Hirose Pin Signal Name 1 12V In 2 GND 3 RS232 Ctrl Tx 4 RS232 Ctrl Rx 5 1V8 GPIO 6 RS232 Data Rx 7 Ext PA Enable 8 Chain Clk I/O 9 GND 10 Chain Data I/O 11 Audio In R 12 GND 13 Audio In L 14 GND 15 Comp Video 1 16 Comp Video 2 Copyright © 2013 Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) Limited. All rights reserved.
Revision 19.1 7.3 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Recommended Manual Video Encoder Settings Note: The preferred method to set range and video quality settings would be to use the sliders explained in Section 4.3. This section may be used as a guideline for manual settings only. The SOLO7 Transmitter can offer transmission bitrates from 150kbps-1 to almost 30Mbps-1. The DTC product uniquely offers this wide data rate range in the marketplace.
Revision 19.1 7.4 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Remote Commands 7.4.1 Overview Remote commands are used to setup functionality on the SOLO7 Transmitter. They can be sent over the RS232 control interface from any control source, application or hardware or via USB using the Domo Device Controller application. If the packet satisfies an address and integrity check, then the controlled device will action the command and send a reply.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Reply packet structure to device: ASCII Value Description STX 02h Start byte 0123 30h-39h 4-byte unit address.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Addresses in the range 0001 to 9998 are for general use. Address 0000 is reserved and 9999 is a broadcast address, i.e. any device will reply to this address. Its reply will contain its own specific address. Reply data will be in one of the following formats dependent on the command. Type Description unsigned 6-byte length. Unsigned 16-bit integer value stuffed with preceding zeros. signed 6-byte length.
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Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Group: Video Command Command Name Type v1ae ANC Encoder Enable intList v1ar Current ANC bitrate double v1bs Current video bitrate double v1en Video encoder v1fo R/W Scope Options Config 0 = Off 1 = On Read Only Global Mbps Read Only Global Mbps intList Config 1 = MPEG4 ASP 2 = MPEG4 H.
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Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Command Command Name Type v1of Video PTS offset v1qp Video fixed QP R/W Scope Options integer Config ms integer Global Copyright © 2013 Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) Limited. All rights reserved.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 8. Appendix B – After-Sales Support 8.1 Documentation and Software It is DTC’s practise to make the majority of our latest user guides and software available to customers online, by using our WatchDox facility. To access this site, please contact your Account Manager or send a request to solent.support@domotactical.com. You will be sent a link where you can log in and create your own password followed by a confirmation email.
Revision 19.1 8.3.3 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Pack the Device Note: Before packing, remove all personal non-DTC kit or media from the device. Use the original shipping container and packing materials, if possible. If the original packing materials are not available, wrap the equipment with soft material (e.g. PU/PE form) then put the wrapped equipment into a hard cardboard shipping box. 8.3.4 Put the RMA Number on the Box Clearly mark the outside of the shipping box with the RMA number.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 9. Appendix C – Safety and Maintenance 9.1 Cautions and Warnings Note: The following guidelines may or may not be applicable to your product. However, we would ask that you read them to assess their relevance. Area Note Aircraft Safety Use of this equipment on board aircraft is strictly forbidden, unless confirmed as safe by the aircraft operator. Use of radio transmitter equipment in an aircraft can endanger navigation and other systems.
Revision 19.1 9.2 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Repairs and Alterations Attempted repairs, alterations, improper installations or connections may invalidate the warranty. Please contact Technical Support if you suspect a faulty or defective component. See Section 8.2. 9.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide Store in a cool dry environment. Storage at elevated temperatures can cause permanent loss of capacity. For short term storage (less than six months), store in a fully charged state. For extended periods of storage (more than one year), charge before storage and recharge every six to nine months. Always fully recharge the battery after any storage period greater than one month before use.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide 10. Appendix D – Glossary A Definition AES Advanced Encryption Standard. Originally published as Rijndael, this specification has been adopted by the U.S. government. Each AES cipher has a 128-bit block size, with key sizes of 128 and 256 bits, respectively. ASI Asynchronous Serial Interface is a streaming data interface that often carries an MPEG Transport Stream.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide E Definition Elementary Stream These streams contain only one MPEG video or audio channel. Elementary streams are required if you intend to use Milestone or any player that cannot operate with transport streams. Encoder A processor in a transmitter that converts video or audio to compressed digital signals. F Definition FEC Forward Error Correction is a system of error control for data transmission, whereby the sender adds redundant data to its messages.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide M Definition MPEG Moving Pictures Experts Group is an organisation that sets the standards for audio and video compression and transmission. Modulation To change the output of a transmitter in amplitude, phase or frequency in accordance with the information to be transmitted. Data is superimposed on a carrier current or wave by means of a process called modulation.
Revision 19.1 SOLO7 Transmitter User Guide R Definition RTSP Real Time Streaming Protocol is a network control protocol designed for the transfer of real-time media data. The protocol is used for establishing and controlling media sessions between end points. S Definition SDI Serial Digital Interface is a standard used for the transmission of uncompressed digital video signals, often including embedded audio.
