MANUAL 06/2022 V 3.oo At m www.powerbox-systems.
Dear PowerBox-Pilot, Our ATOM radio control system establishes a new standard in the market segment of upper mid-range systems. Based on the considerable expertise we have gained from the CORE, together with new developments in electronics, revised software, a smaller Linux computer and a revision to the method of case manufacture, we have been able to create a system which has few rivals in terms of price : performance ratio.
Content 1. Connections, Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2. First Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3. Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3.1 Menu Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3.1.1. System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 3.1.2. Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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2. First Steps • Switching on The ATOM is switched on by holding the -button pressed in until it lights up red. Release the button briefly, then confirm the power-on process by briefly pressing the button a second time. The transmitter is switched off in exactly the same way. The button changes to green when the Linux system starts booting; this process takes about 25 seconds.
• Main Screen 1 2 3 4 5 1 Battery indicator The two green battery symbols indicate the state of charge of the two internal batteries. The charge status is divided up into five blocks, each of which stands for 20% of charge. The charge symbols change to orange and then red if the state of charge falls below 20% and 10% respectively. You can also set up a telemetry widget to display the exact battery voltage. Setting up a telemetry widget provides the opportunity to add an audible or spoken alarm.
Servo Monitor 3.3.
• Language The Language setting affects the output of speech and telemetry data. When the sensors are scanned, the selected language is sent to the sensor, which then sends back the telemetry values using the terminology in that language - if implemented.
• Idle Alarm Enter a time here after which you wish the transmitter to generate an alarm if the sticks have not been moved. The purpose of this feature is to help you to avoid leaving the transmitter switched on accidentally. • Intro The Intro Video setting enables you to switch the brief ATOM logo sequence on or off when the system is switched on. Disabling it shortens the initial boot time by a few seconds. 3.1.3. Audio The Audio menu enables you to set different volume levels.
All passwords are stored in encoded form in the transmitter’s Linux computer memory, and cannot be read out. The purpose of the Forget button is to erase this information. At the bottom right you will find two input fields for the Portal login. This feature will be available as soon as the web portal goes online. This enables you to store model files and log files online in a cloud or to evaluate telemetry logs. 3.
On the next screen you select one of the ranges on the right-hand side, e.g. Wing. The screen now shows a diagram of a wing corresponding to your chosen type. If your configuration is more specialized, that presents no problems: at a later stage you can very easily program individual functions manually. Briefly press Control, and move the aileron stick to select the Aileron control in the Context menu.
Back to our Wing screen: when all the assignments are complete, press the button, amongst the quick-select buttons at the bottom in order to return to the overview. You can now continue assigning transmitter controls and servos to all the remaining assigning transmitter controls and servos to all the remaining functions. When everything is finished, touch Continue at bottom right. The functions and servo assignments are complete. 3.
• Trim Mode You can choose any of four different trim modes. The standard one is Offset mode: In this mode a trim adjustment affects the entire range of stick travel, i.e. including the end-points. Alternative trim modes are Left and Right; typically, these are intended for idle adjustment in the case of engines and turbines. In the Center trim mode any adjustment only affects the center range, i.e. the end-points remain unchanged. • Trim Range At this point you can limit the permissible trim range.
• Transmitter control Rate Here you can select a transmitter control which switches the rate on and off, or sets it to linear. The transmitter control can be any of the primary sticks, proportional controls or switches. • Rate The purpose of the Rate button is to adjust the travel of the transmitter control. If you select nothing for Transmitter control rate, the value is fixed. If you assign a transmitter control to Transmitter control rate, you can set different values on three levels.
3.3.6 Servo Here you will find the assigned servos again. Up to eight servos can be assigned to each function. As already mentioned in the Assistant, the travel and end-points of each servo can be adjusted separately here. Any adjustments you make to a servo at this point have no influence on the settings of the same servo if it is also assigned to another function. This provides a simple means of mixing in aircraft with multi-flap wings, delta wings and V-tails.
This is the procedure: use the arrow buttons to select the point you wish to adjust. Briefly press the displayed setting at Value, then adjust the servo for this position. The Smooth button can be used to even out the course of the curve. Right at the bottom you will find a Reset button which sets the curve back to a straight line. Once you have set the desired curve, return to the Servo Curve menu, where you will find three Preview buttons: - Servo curve This displays the shape of the pure servo curve.
3.4 Binding a receiver Select the Receiver button from the Main menu. As you will now see, up to two receivers can be bound to the ATOM simultaneously. It is even possible to use different types of receiver; for example, one PBR-9D and one PBR-5S can be bound. All two receivers are of “equal value”, i.e. there is no Master / Slave assignment, and no restrictions in terms of telemetry. Telemetry sensors can be connected to all four receivers, all of which send data to the ATOM on an equal footing.
NOTE It is possible to adjust settings such as channel shift, frame rate, iGyroSAT and others at the receiver itself. These settings are usually accessed using a Telemetry widget, but are also available if you press the receiver image in the Bind menu. 3.4.4. Selecting ATOM/M-Link If your transmitter is equipped with a supplementary Multiplex M-Link aerial, you will find the button for switching from the ATOM system to the M-Link system right at the top.
– The next step is to select the servos which the differential travel is to affect: – Now briefly press the button under Diff. Value in order to set the percentage value, or to assign a transmitter control for adjusting the value. As the screenshot shows, you can also see any Expo values which you have already set.. • Setting up differential using a fixed value: Enter a fixed value at Diff. Value. This value can also vary according to flight phase, if you select Single at the Flight Phase point..
CAUTION Do not assign this function to a trim which is already associated with one of the primary functions! In the overview you will now see the relative percentage travels of the servo outputs. 3.6 Virtual Switches The virtual switches can be used to digitize linear transmitter controls by setting up a switching threshold to generate a switched state. It is also possible to set up a logical link between two or more switches or linear controls.
A further alternative is to define a fixed value - On or Off. This is necessary, for example, if you only wish to assign a switching threshold to one linear control. In this case select one transmitter control as fixed value, and define a linear control for the other transmitter control. Yet another option is to use the output of a previously defined logical switch in turn as a transmitter control input.
3.7 Servo Cut-OFF This feature provides a very easy means of switching a servo output to a fixed, previously defined value. An example of this might be a motor arming switch, or a fixed, pre-defined nosewheel position when the undercarriage is retracted. Select the Servo CutOff menu, then press + in order to create a new cut-off function. At this point select the servo which you wish to move to a fixed, pre-defined position, then press OK.
When you have selected a linear transmitter the two switching points can be placed in any position you like by moving them with your finger. The red area indicates the “Off” state; the green area the “On” state. The orange area indicates “hysteresis”, i.e. the area in which no switching takes place. You can very easily reverse the “Off” state and the “On” state by moving one of the two switching point sliders in front of or behind the other.
In this example the PBS-V60 voltage sensor is to be used to reduce motor power if the voltage of the flight battery falls to a dangerous level. You can rename the telemetry control under the Name field. Now locate the field under Output showing the percentage value and briefly press it in order to set all the parameters. The following display now shows various possible settings. The Sim. button can be used to simulate all the settings, avoiding the need to carry out protracted tests.
3.8.2. Limiter Here you enter the numerical range within which the telemetry function is to operate. The lower limit defines the telemetry value corresponding to -100% of the function. The upper limit defines +100% of the telemetry control. In our example the system starts to reduce motor power in the range 11.0V to 10.0V. In the field to the right of the limiter you will see the output after the limit has taken effect. The simulator function allows you to see which values are present in the function: . 3.
If the telemetry control is above the set value of 11.0V, 0% is added to the throttle servo, i.e. the throttle channel behaves in the usual way. Below 11.0V an increasing negative value is added, which reduces the output of the throttle channel. NOTE You can return to the Telemetry Control menu at any time, and check the settings using the Simulator function. The procedure described above is just an example.
Before you set up flight modes it is worthwhile considering which flight modes are important, and which are of secondary importance. To create a flight mode, press briefly on one of the boxes labelled “Standard”, and you will see the following screen display: You can immediately assign an informative name to the new flight mode by briefly pressing the left-hand field.
When you have set up multiple flight modes, you will see green dashes in the Flight Mode tree which indicate which flight mode is currently active. You can now select various settings for the different flight modes in the Transmitter Control, Trim and Mixer menus after selecting the Single setting at Flight Mode. 3.10 Speech output The speech output function of the ATOM is based on the latest TTS (Text to Speech) technology. Each transmitter possesses a license for the Accapella@ speech module.
• Text At the Text option you can enter any text, which is then spoken by the TTS system, for example, by a switch. • Telemetry short The selected telemetry value is spoken together with its unit. The message can be triggered by switch activation, at regular intervals, or by a change in the value. • Telemetry medium The sensor name and the value - without unit - is spoken. • Telemetry all The sensor name, sensor value and unit are spoken. • Timer As of Version 2.
3.10.4. Replay In this menu you can activate single and repeated statements, or a statement in response to a change in a value. Depending on your choice, you have the option of setting the interval period or the extent to which the selected telemetry value must change in order to activate speech output. The Once option is used if you wish to have a timer or a telemetry value spoken when a switch is operated.
3.11 Vario The ATOM Vario offers a number of options for fine-tuning the sound output relating to your model’s climb and sink. • Sensor The vario must be connected to a bound receiver, and must be visible in the Sensor List; a brief press on the Sensor button displays all the available sensors. At this point you should select the value for rate of climb for your sensor. • Vario ON/OFF At this point you can choose a transmitter control which switches the Vario tone on and off.
3.12 Door Sequencer The ATOM door sequencer allows you to create two entirely independent sequences, which are activated with a switch. The sequencer includes a special feature in the form of a Pause function. For example, if you use a three-position switch, the sequence can be paused by moving the switch to the center position. The switch can also be used to halt the sequencer at any time during the sequence and reverse its direction.
• Loop Mode The sequencer runs as long as you keep the switch in the Active position. As soon as you move the switch to the Off position, the sequence - once started - runs through to the end, and then stops. Now select all the servos which are to be included in the sequence; up to six servos can be selected. NOTE The servos you select at this point no longer appear in the servos available for functions! At the Overview screen press Setup to set the travel points.
As you can see in the above illustrations, as standard the sequencer simply runs from the Start point at -20% to the Stop point at +20%. To insert an additional point, press on the graph, then on Addition. As you can see in the picture above right, an additional travel point has been added in the Servo 10-Forward sequence. You can now select the point you wish to alter using the arrow buttons after Select point.
NOTE A further interesting application for the sequencer would be any kind of brake flaps, spoilers or landing flaps. You know what happens: the spoiler retracts, and the servo buzzes a little because there is a slight residual mechanical resistance. Use the sequencer to move the spoilers slowly in the usual way, but set them to run past the retracted point by about 5%, then immediately back again; you will discover that the servos no longer buzz.
3.13.1 Curve Editor The curve editor enables you to set up special mixing curves. • Points Select the number of points – up to a maximum of 33 points. • Select Point Use the arrow buttons to select the point you wish to adjust. The selected point turns green. • Value Move the point up or down by altering the percentage value. • Smooth The Smooth option can be used to even out the curve, thereby causing the servo to move smoothly over its travel. • Raw Raw eliminates curve smoothing.
If you switch on or change models and the selected transmitter controls are not in the correct position, then the screen looks like this: As soon as you move the transmitter controls to the correct position, the radio link is activated and the normal screen display appears. Pressing the Interrupt button skips the check, and the radio link is immediately switched on. 3.
It is also possible to erase files – but caution: if you wish, for example, to erase a sound file for a telemetry alarm, then that alarm will no longer function! Even though you can quickly copy the files back into the transmitter, you may well find yourself wasting a lot of time searching for the cause of the error. NOTE Before removing the USB stick, hold the USB symbol pressed in until the stick is ejected. 3.
The next step is to assign a pair of transmitter controls by pressing the + symbol at Atom transmitter control. Here you can assign one of the Student’s transmitter controls to a transmitter control at the Teacher transmitter. If you operate the switch assigned in this way, the control signals from the Student transmitter replace the transmitter control from the Teacher transmitter. The two transmitter controls are detected automatically simply by moving the sticks or switches.
4.Telemetry, Timer, Servo Display, Notes and Quick-Select-Buttons Once you have created a new model and bound one or more receivers, you can display important information on the main screen using the telemetry widgets. You can select any of five different types of widgets.
4.1.1. Size With these three buttons you can adjust the size of the widgets: Small, Medium and Large. 4.1.2. Delete Widget You can delete the widget with this button. 4.1.3. Rescan Sensors You will need this function if you connect new sensors when the system is already running. The process gathers all sensor information on the P²-BUS. Basically, all sensor information is automatically collected when the system is switched on. 4.1.4. + Button At this point you can select sensor values using the + button.
When one or more sensors is selected - as shown above - additional functions are displayed. 4.1.5. Sensor f you briefly press one of the values in the Sensor column, you can place a different value at this point. Keep your finger on a sensor name, and the following display appears: In this menu you can change the sensor name, and see the current sensor Address. To rename the sensor, open the keypad by pressing the field after Alias.
The Next and Previous buttons at top left and right can be used to navigate through any sub-menus which the sensor offers. Briefly pressing the arrow buttons to the right of the sensor values allows you to alter the sensor values. You can set larger values more quickly by keeping your finger on the arrow buttons. To leave the menu press the -button at the bottom of the touchscreen. 4.1.7. Adress The Addr. button is important if you wish to connect multiple sensors of the same type.
4.1.8. Value In the column below Value, you will see the name of the sensor value. If you press the name briefly, the screen will display all available values generated by the sensor. If you keep your finger on the button, a new window appears which displays the name and the current address of the sensor value. If you wish to change the name of the value, press the grey field after Alias.
The final step is to select the type of warning you want. In our example a warning tone is set to be generated at 200 km/h, while a spoken message is generated at 220 km/h. If you opt for speech output, you can enter any text you wish to be spoken. Alarm Type at the bottom of the screen lets you determine whether the alarm is to be generated only once, or every time the sensor value exceeds or falls below the set threshold. Press the Back button to return to the Sensor Overview. 4.1.10.
4.2.2. Start and Stop time The next step is to enter the Start and Stop times: if the Start time is greater than the Stop time, then the timer counts down; if the Stop time is greater than the Start time, it counts up. 4.2.3 Transmitter control for Start / Stop / Reset The next step must be to select a transmitter control which starts the timer: briefly press the empty field under Start. The transmitter control can be a switch, linear slider or rotary control, virtual switch or telemetry control.
4.2.4. Auto Reset If Auto Reset is set to On, then the timer will be reset to the starting time when the model is loaded, or when the transmitter is re-started. If Auto Reset is set to Off, the timer value at the time the transmitter is switched off is stored by the transmitter in the associated model file. This feature can be useful, for example, if you wish to use a single flight battery for more than one flight. 4.2.5. Audio Settings In Version 2.
NOTE If you select Speech, then the interval time must be at least three seconds. If you want a faster spoken message, select Short Speech. Press OK to confirm your selections. If you want to set up additional audio outputs for this timer, press + again. Up to six audio outputs can be selected for each timer. Press the button to leave Timer Setup. In the overview you will now see all the timers you have set up. The timer with the blue background is the one displayed in the current widget. 4.
4.4 Quick select Menu This widget type can give you a quick entry in menus which are used frequently. 4.5 Notes You can make text notes here – for example for pre-flight checks or any other important things. 4.6 Arranging the widgets The newly created widget is now displayed at the position in which you previously started. The widgets can be re-positioned at will: hold your finger on the screen until the widgets start to waver; they can now be moved around the screen.
The recorded minimum and maximum values and alarms can be erased individually in each widget. If you wish to be able to erase all the alarms and all the minimum and maximum values at once, you can press the Right-hand button in the Pulldown menu. This action resets all values and alarms. 5. Update 5.1 ATOM The ATOM transmitter can be updated using either a USB memory stick (1GB – 32GB) or WiFi. 5.1.1.
5.1.2. Wifi Update The essential preparation is to set up the WiFi system as described under Point 3.1.4 Access to your router or mobile hotspot must be present. The rest of the process operates automatically. If you press Update and a connection to your WiFi exists, all the necessary files will be downloaded from the web and installed. Afterwards the transmitter must be powered down and then rebooted, exactly as with a USB update. www.powerbox-systems.
5.2 Receiver All PBR receivers (except the PBR-8E) can be updated from the transmitter, provided that they are already bound to it. For this to work you must first switch on the model, i.e. the bound receiver. Now navigate to the System -> Software -> Check menu. Briefly press Update for one of the bound receivers. The following screen displays the software version which is currently in the transmitter’s memory. Select the latest version, and wait until the update is complete.
6. Charging the transmitter If you wish to charge the ATOM, the first step is to open the front cover. Locate the two plugs attached to the mains PSU, and insert either one into the charge socket. If the battery symbol is displayed large and flashing on the screen, this means that you have a reserve for about 20 – 30 minutes. You must charge your ATOM at this point, if not sooner. For safety reasons the ATOM does not feature a battery cut-off.
1 Headphone socket You can connect stereo headphones to this socket for spoken Vario and telemetry messages. 2 Charge status LED 3 Charging socket (10-16V) 4 USB-A socket 5 Servo/PPM This socket can be connected to servos, which then respond directly to the inputs of a transmitter stick. This can be very useful for centering servos before installation, or subjecting them to a quick function check.
• Adjusting the tension of the primary stick centering springs On the screws 1 and 2, the centering spring tension can be adjusted for the respective axis. Tightening the screw further increases the spring tension. If you find it impossible to set your preferred spring tension, we can supply a range of stronger springs. NOTE If you tighten the screw too far, you may find that the lower spring tensioner partially moves out of its guide.
• Adjusting the throttle ratchet and brake The hardness of the throttle ratchet can be adjusted using screw 3. Screw 4 adjusts the friction brake. • Adjusting the throttle travel The travel of the throttle stick on the ATOM is adjustable. This is useful for 3D pilots in particular, as it enables them to set a mechanical limit on throttle travel. Adjustment is carried out by tightening screws 5. The throttle travel can also be set up asymmetrically.
If you have installed a proportional control or a 3-position switch, you also need to move the transmitter control to the center. Touch Finished to complete the process. The Direct button can be used to reverse the transmitter control’s direction of operation. Caution: This has the same effect as installing the switch the other way round, i.e. this change affects all models! 10.
13. Service note We are anxious to offer good service to our customers, and to this end we have set up a Support Forum which deals with all queries concerning our products. This relieves us of a great deal of work, as it eliminates the need to answer frequently asked questions time and again. At the same time, it gives you the opportunity to obtain help quickly - all round the clock and even at weekends. All the answers are provided by the PowerBox team, which guarantees that the information is correct.
16. FCC This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Note: 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.
06/2022 PowerBox-Systems GmbH Ludwig-Auer-Straße 5 86609 Donauwörth Germany +49-906-99 99 9-200 +49-906-99 99 9-209 www.powerbox-systems.
