Applanix APX-18 Quick setup guide

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CONTAINED HEREIN IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF APPLANIX CORPORATION. APPLANIX RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT WITHOUT NOTICE. A RECORD OF THE CHANGES MADE TO THIS DOCUMENT IS CONTAINED IN THE
REVISION HISTORY SHEET.
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APX-18 Hardware Integration Manual
Document #:
PUBS-MAN-005750
Revision:
0
Date:
October 16, 2017

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS PROPRIETARY TO APPLANIX CORPORATION. RELEASE TO THIRD PARTIES OF THIS PUBLICATION OR OF INFORMATION
CONTAINED HEREIN IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF APPLANIX CORPORATION. APPLANIX RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE
SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT WITHOUT NOTICE. A RECORD OF THE CHANGES MADE TO THIS DOCUMENT IS CONTAINED IN THE
REVISION HISTORY SHEET.
COPYRIGHT © APPLANIX CORPORATION, 2017
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 WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF APPLANIX CORPORATION.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction................................................................................................................. 1
1.1. APX-18 Functionalities ...................................................................................... 1
2. Mechanical Dimensions.............................................................................................. 1
3. Weight......................................................................................................................... 2
4. Power .......................................................................................................................... 3
5. Hardware Interface...................................................................................................... 4
5.1. I/O Connector Pin-out......................................................................................... 4
5.1.1. LED Signals................................................................................................ 6
5.1.2. USB Interface.............................................................................................. 6
5.1.3. PPS and Event In ........................................................................................ 6
5.1.4. Serial Ports.................................................................................................. 7
5.1.5. Ethernet....................................................................................................... 7
5.1.6. Power In...................................................................................................... 7
5.1.7. DMI............................................................................................................. 8
5.2. GNSS Antenna Connectors................................................................................. 8
6. IMU Body Frame........................................................................................................ 8
7. Antenna Requirement ............................................................................................... 10
8. Mounting................................................................................................................... 11
9. Accessory Options.................................................................................................... 11
10. Environmental Specification................................................................................. 12

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS PROPRIETARY TO APPLANIX CORPORATION. RELEASE TO THIRD PARTIES OF THIS PUBLICATION OR OF
INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF APPLANIX CORPORATION. APPLANIX RESERVES THE
RIGHT TO CHANGE THE SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT WITHOUT NOTICE. A RECORD OF THE CHANGES MADE TO THIS
DOCUMENT IS CONTAINED IN THE REVISION HISTORY SHEET.
COPYRIGHT © APPLANIX CORPORATION, 2017
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 WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF APPLANIX CORPORATION.
List of Tables
Table 1: I/O Connector Pin-Out Functionality.................................................................................5
Table 2:IMU Navigation Status........................................................................................................6
List of Figures
Figure 1: APX-18 Dimensions.........................................................................................................1
Figure 2: APX-18 3D View..............................................................................................................2
Figure 3: I/O Connector Pin Enumeration........................................................................................4
Figure 4: Sample Schematic of TTL Level Translator.....................................................................7
Figure 5: GNSS Antenna Connector................................................................................................8
Figure 6: IMU Frame Definition......................................................................................................9

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OR BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF APPLANIX CORPORATION. 1
1. Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide the electrical and mechanical information
required by a systems integrator to integrate the APX-18 product.
The APX-18 is a single board Dual GNSS-Inertial solution designed to provide high-
accuracy real-time and post-processed position and orientation for applications with
constraints on size, weight and power.
1.1.APX-18 Functionalities
The main functionalities are:
Real time position and orientation for navigation, guidance, control,
georeferencing and stabilization
Logging of GNSS and Inertial raw data measurements for post-processing
( internal and external)
Interface to generic sensors (Camera, LIDAR, etc.)
2. Mechanical Dimensions
The APX-18 board fits the envelope of 100x60x12mm. Please refer to Figure 1 for exact
dimensions.
Figure 1: APX-18 Dimensions

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OR BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF APPLANIX CORPORATION. 2
Figure 2 shows a 3D view of the board. The mechanical 3D model is available upon
request.
Figure 2: APX-18 3D View
3. Weight
The weight of the bare board is 62 grams. This does not include any additional parts such
as cables, interface card, GNSS antennas or mounting plate.

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4. Power
The board operates on 3.3V DC, +5%/-3%. The nominal power consumption at room
temperature is 3W. This does not include power that the board provides to an active
GNSS antenna. Typical power consumption for an active antenna can be 0.5 –1 W.
Please consult the antenna specifications to ensure adequate power is supplied to the
board.
Reverse polarity protection is not implemented on the board and must be provided by the
user’s integration, if required.
There is a ‘power switch’ input (pin 3) on the connector that controls the power on/off of
the board once the 3.3V supply voltage is already applied.

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5. Hardware Interface
The hardware interface consists of three connectors:
One I/O connector
Two GNSS antenna connectors
All pins on the 44-pin I/O connector are ESD protected. They are tested according to IEC
61000-4-2 level 4, 8kV contact, 15kV air discharge.
None of the lines on I/O connector isolated. All voltage levels are referenced with respect
to the signal ground.
5.1.I/O Connector Pin-out
The I/O connector is a PCB mounted 44 pin header, male type (Samtec TMM-122-03-S-
D-MW). The pin enumeration is labelled on Figure 3.
Figure 3: I/O Connector Pin Enumeration
The I/O connector pin-out functionality is specified in Table 1.
Note: All signal types marked as TTL refer to standard 3.3V TTL.

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Table 1: I/O Connector Pin-Out Functionality
Pin #
Description
Signal Type
Signal Direction
Reference
1
GND
-
-
-
2
LED - RTK
TTL
Out
5.1.1
3
Power Switch
TTL
In
5.1.6
4
PPS
TTL
Out
5.1.3
5
Power In
3.3V DC
In
5.1.6
6
Power In
3.3V DC
In
5.1.6
7
Event 2 / COM 3 Rx
TTL
In
5.1.3
8
Event 1
TTL
In
5.1.3
9
LED –Power
TTL
Out
5.1.1
10
LED –Satellite
TTL
Out
5.1.1
11
COM 2 CTS
TTL
In
5.1.4
12
RESET_IN
TTL
In
5.1.6
13
COM 2 RTS
TTL
Out
5.1.4
14
COM 2 Rx
TTL
In
5.1.4
15
COM 1 CTS
RS232
In
5.1.4
16
COM 2 Tx
TTL
Out
5.1.4
17
COM 1 RTS
RS232
Out
5.1.4
18
COM 1 Rx
RS232
Out
5.1.4
19
COM 3 Tx
TTL
Out
5.1.4
20
COM 1 Tx
RS232
Out
5.1.4
21
USB DM
TTL
-
5.1.2
22
USB DP
TTL
-
5.1.2
23
GND
-
-
-
24
GND
-
-
-
25
USB ID
-
-
5.1.2
26
USB VBUS
-
-
5.1.2
27
Ethernet RD-
-
In
5.1.5
28
Ethernet RD+
-
In
5.1.5
29
Reserved
Do Not Use
-
-
30
Ethernet TD+
-
Out
5.1.5
31
Ethernet TD-
-
Out
5.1.5
32
Reserved
Do Not Use
-
-
33
3.3V Out
3.3V DC
Out
34
Reserved
Do Not Use
-
-
35
Reserved
Do Not Use
-
-
36
Reserved
Do Not Use
-
-
37
DMI 1
TTL
In
5.1.7
38
DMI 2
TTL
In
5.1.7
39
GND
-
-
40
GND
-
-
41
Reserved
Do Not Use
-
-
42
Reserved
Do Not Use
-
-
43
LED –IMU NAV Status
TTL
Out
5.1.1
44
GND
-
-

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5.1.1. LED Signals
These signals are intended to drive LEDs to indicate the status of the board.
Maximum current supplied by each pin is 4mA. When used to drive LEDs, series
resistors with a typical value of 300 Ohms are required. The LEDs with forward voltage
above 2.7V or current excess of 4mA will require external buffer.
The LED signals are defined as follows:
Power LED: High when unit is on, low when unit is off.
RTK LED: Flashes when RTK corrections are present.
Satellite LED: Rapid flash indicates tracking of less than 5 satellites; slow flash
indicates tracking of 5 or more satellites.
IMU NAV Status LED: Indicates navigation status as per Table 2.
Table 2:IMU Navigation Status
Status
Signal Status
Unknown or No SNV Solution
Off
Coarse Levelling
5Hz
Degraded Solution
2Hz
Aligned Solution
1Hz
5.1.2. USB Interface
The supported USB interface is 2.0. The interface can be configured as a host to talk to a
USB flash device for removable external storage.
USB host device configuration:
Connect pin 14 (USB ID) to one of the signal ground pins on the connector.
Use pin 5 (USB VBUS 5V) to power up the USB storage device
Connect the storage device ground to one of the signal grounds on the connector
or mounting hole.
Connect the differential data lines (pin 9 and 11) to corresponding USB interface
on device.
The logging functionality is also supported by an onboard 6G memory card.
5.1.3. PPS and Event In
The PPS (Pulse per Second, pin 4) is the signal that indicates the integer epoch of
UTC/GPS time. It is a TTL 3.3V pulse active high with maximum current of 4mA.

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The Event In 1 and 2 (pins 7 and 8) are the time markers of an external pulse. They are
used to capture the exact time of the external event initiated by a sensor (usually a
camera).
Only TTL 3.3 V input is supported. It is not buffered or protected for any input outside of
the 0-3.3V range. Connecting a 5V TTL pulse will result in board damage!
A 5V TTL pulse can be converted to the 3.3 V range using a TTL level convertor, an
example of which is shown in the Figure 4.
Figure 4: Sample Schematic of TTL Level Translator
5.1.4. Serial Ports
There are two serial (COM) ports labeled respectively as COM1 and COM2.
COM1 is implemented as an RS232 level port and COM2 is a TTL 3.3V level port. Both
COM ports have support for hardware handshaking through associated CTS and RTS
lines.
5.1.5. Ethernet
The board supports 10/100 BaseT Ethernet through the 44-pin connector. The magnetics
are implemented on the board.
5.1.6. Power In
The board shall be powered by clean DC voltage of 3.3V. Reverse polarity protection is
not implemented on the board.
It is recommended to use to use both power in pins 5 and 6 to provide the power.

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The ‘power switch’ input (Pin 3) on the connector needs to be low (ground) for the board
to power up, and high (3.3V) for the board to turn off. This pin has an internal 1M ohm
pull down resistor so the pin can be left floating, or it can be permanently connected to
ground and the board controlled through the main power input if this extra functionality
is not required.
Pulling the RESET pin 12 to ground will reset the system. For normal operation, this pin
should be left floating as it has an internal pull-up.
5.1.7. DMI
The board supports inputs from a quadrature pulse Distance Measurement Instrument
(DMI). Two signals shall be provided on pins 37 and 38. Each signal shall be a LVTTL
3.3V DC square wave pulse with 50% duty cycle. Signal 1 and signal 2 shall be offset by
90 degrees, which will indicate to the system the direction of travel. The board does not
provide power to the wheel encoder.
Only TTL 3.3 V input is supported. It is not buffered or protected for any input outside of
the 0-3.3V range. See Figure 4 for an example of TTL level conversion. Connecting a 5V
TTL pulse will result in board damage!
5.2.GNSS Antenna Connectors
The GNSS connectors are located next to the RF cover shield as indicated on the Figure
5. The connector type is MMCX and provides direct power to an active antenna (3.3 to
5V).
Figure 5: GNSS Antenna Connector
6. IMU Body Frame
The IMU body frame is defined as right hand orthogonal coordinate system with its
origin as shown in the drawing. Please refer to Figure 6 for frame definition.

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Figure 6: IMU Frame Definition

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7. Antenna Requirement
The APX-18 is designed to support a wide variety of GNSS antenna elements. GNSS
band coverage will be dictated by the bandwidth of the chosen antenna. The unit is
capable of supporting antenna elements with a minimum LNA gain of 32 dB.
The recommended antenna electrical specifications are outlined below:
Frequency: 1565.5 to 1614 MHz
1217 to 1257 MHz
VSWR: 2.0 max.
Bandwidth: 60 MHz min.
Impedance: 50Ω
Peak Gain: 4dBic min.
Amplifier Gain* (without cable loss) +32 to +41 dB typical
Noise Figure: 1.5 dB typical
Output VSWR: 1.5:1 typical
Filtering: -30dB (±100 MHz)
DC Voltage: +3.3 to +5V dc
DC Current: 300mA max
* Required LNA Gain does not account for Antenna cable insertion loss.
The antenna choice is subject to the particular platform the APX-18 is being used on.
Special care of antenna placement must be taken during integration of the system to
minimize the impact of possible interferences. Failure to do so will result in the system
not meeting its specification.

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8. Mounting
The APX-18 is mounted using six holes with 3mm screws. In order to measure the
orientation of a sensor using APX-18 to the specified accuracy level, the following
guidelines must be followed:
The board must be rigidly mounted directly to the device being measured such
that there is no relative motion (translation or rotation) between the board and the
device
Special care must be taken when mounting the board so that force distribution
across the mounting points is equal and there is no possibility of warping the
board
The sensor with the attached board (ie the payload) must be isolated from any
significant high-frequency vibration (> 5 Hz) through the use of damping isolators
or shock mounts. Failure to do so will result in reduced orientation accuracy
measurement.
The APX-18 does not support use on a Gimballed platform where the GNSS
antennas are mounted fixed to the vehicle frame.
9. Accessory Options
The optional accessories for APX-18 board are:
Development board kit
They are not included in default shipment.

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10. Environmental Specification
Temperature: -40 deg C to +75 deg C (Operational)
-55 deg C to +85 deg C (Storage)
Measurement Range: +/- 6g, +/- 300 dps
Mechanical Shock: +/- 75g survival
Mechanical Vibration: TBD
Operating Humidity: 5% to 95% R.H. non-condensing at +60 deg C
Maximum Operating Limits: Velocity 515 m/sec
Altitude 18,000 m