Inspire OSD User manual

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 1 May-17-2006
Figure 1, Inspire Board
INSPIRE OSD
On-Screen Display with GPS Telemetry
User Manual
Firmware Version 3.2
I NTRODUCTION :
I NSPIRE is a GPS-based video system designed for
photography applications. Besides offering a remote
shutter interface for digital and film cameras, it also
provides detailed navigational information. The realtime
data is presented as a text overlay on the user’s
existing video camera signal. In addition, the GPS data
for each photo can be stored for later review.
Although I NSPIRE is designed for video and still
photography, its applications do not stop there. It can
also be used in applications that serve the mapping
industry, hobby robotics, ham radio, radio control
modeling, and other commercial/hobby uses. In non-
GPS applications, it can be used for video telemetry
monitoring of voltages, current, tach-speed, radio
performance, and more.
The main module’s weight is approximately 3 ounces
(85 grams) and the size is 4.0" x 2.4" x 0.4". A
compatible 0.5 ounce (16 gram) micro-sized GPS
receiver allows for a low overall weight.
Flexible power requirements allow operation on as little as 6VDC at ~185mA. The On-Screen
Display (OSD) video format is NTSC/RS-170. A PAL/CCIR compatible video version is available
upon special request.
FEATURE S UMMARY :
#Clock/Timer can display local time, UTC time, or elapsed time.
#Remote operation of data display and camera shutter.
#R/C Glitch counter can capture up to 999 glitch events.
#Data recorder can capture GPS information on up to 999 Photos/Events.
#Displayed GPS altitude can be MSL or AGL. Accurate ground referenced speed.
#Tachometer provides real time display of RPM (up to 65K RPM).
#Interval-based station ID (ham call sign or station name).
#Real-time GPS based heading degrees, latitude and longitude.
#GPS Waypoint bearing & steering indicators (user provided Garmin Geko GPS required).
#Buffered GPS output provides NMEA sentences to external devices.
#Export GPS records to your custom application via RS-232.
#Displays up to 40VDC and current up to +/-50 amps continuous.
#Displays radio system voltage.

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 2 May-17-2006
NOTICE
Using the Inspire video system requires safety-minded operation. Under no circumstances should the
telemetry data be used as the primary navigation resource. Never remotely operate the equipment
unless you have direct visual contact at all times and it is safe to do so. Use of the system is entirely
at your own risk.
Digital Products Company, or their distributors, have no control over the installation and use of the
Inspire video system. As such, no liability may be assumed, nor will any liability be accepted, for any
damages resulting from the use of this product. Under no circumstances will the buyer be entitled to
consequential or incidental damages. By act of installing it, the buyer accepts all resulting liability.
V IDEO B OARD S PECIFICATIONS
!Dimensions: 4.0" L x 2.4" W x 0.4" H.
!Weight (less micro GPS receiver): 3 oz.
!Voltage requirements: 6VDC to 14VDC
!Current: 80mA typical, 95mA max. 185mA nominal with micro GPS.
!External Serial I/O port: RS-232/RS-232C, 2400-19.2K baud.
!Video: Industry standard composite, 1.0V pk-pk, 75 ohms resistive termination.
!Radio Control Inputs: Industry standard 1mS to 2mS, ~50Hz pulse.
!Shutter Servo Output: 1mS to 2mS, ~50Hz pulse.
!Direct Connect Output: Dry contact, opto-isolated, 15VDC @ 10mA max.
!Battery voltage monitor: 5.7VDC to 17.0VDC, 100mV resolution.
!RSSI voltage monitor: 0.00VDC to 5.00VDC, 10mV resolution.
!R/C Battery voltage monitor: 0.00V to 10.00VDC, 10mV resolution.
!Aux/Motor voltage monitor: 0.0VDC to 40.0VDC, 100mV resolution.
!Aux/Motor current monitor: 0 to 50A DC continuous, 75A peak, 0.25A resolution.
!Current sensor: 130 micro-ohms path resistance, DC isolated.
M ICRO GPS R ECEIVER S PECIFICATIONS
!Dimensions: 1.2" x 1.2" x 0.4" (30mm x 30mm x 10mm).
!Module weight: 0.5 oz.
!Power requirements 5.0V DC @ 75mA (provided by main board).
!Chipset: SiRF Star III.
!1Hz update rate.
!Channels: 20
!Sensitivity: -159dBm.
!Accuracy: 10meters 2D, 5 meters 2D WAAS.
!Cold Start Time: 42 seconds typical.
!NMEA sentences: GGA, GPGLL, GPGSA, GPGSV, GPRMC, and GPVTG.
!Serial Interface: 4800 baud, 3.3V TTL non-inverted (provided by main board).

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 3 May-17-2006
Figure 2, Main Screen View
OSD (O N -S CREEN D ISPLAY )
What is shown on I NSPIRE ’s display is up to you. Every field
group of the OSD is programmable. That is, each field can
be turned on or off, and some allow you to change the data
format. Essentially, you can create a custom formatted
screen that best serves your application or personal tastes.
A view of the default main screen can be seen in Figure 2.
Note: Normally the OSD data is superimposed over your
camera system’s video. However, the screen shot example
presented here has omitted the camera’s view.
T IME :
At the upper left corner, on the top line, is the elapsed time (shown as 00:01:47). It can also
show the Local or UTC time. The elapsed time is indicated by the clock icon, whereas the
Local/UTC time will omit the symbol. Note: Local/UTC time will not be valid unless a GPS
satellite lock is obtained.
G LITCH C OUNT :
Just below the time data is the R/C Glitch counter (shown as G:0). It is active if a radio control
receiver is connected to the system. The glitch value will increment each time a group of
corrupted servo pulses are encountered.
S NAPSHOT /E VENT R ECORD C OUNT :
Next to the Glitch count is the snapshot/event record counter (shown as R:2). This counter will
advance each time a snapshot is taken using the user supplied R/C system. It can also be used
as a general event counter managed by a user programmable timer. In either case, the GPS
navigation data is stored with each new count.
W AYPOINT R OUTE N AVIGATION :
Note: The waypoint route navigation fields are only active when a Garmin Geko 201 GPS
receiver is installed. They are NOT active if the micro GPS receiver module is installed.
Below the Glitch and Snapshot counter data are the GPS waypoint navigation fields. The first
number (shown here as 039) is the turn/steer bearing. Next to it is the steerage indicator, which
in this example is shown as a right turn. The third field, shown as 0.03, is the waypoint
destination in miles (can be displayed as kilometers too). The final number (shown as 08) is the
destination’s waypoint number, as provided by your GPS receiver’s routing schedule. The
example shown here indicates that waypoint destination #8 is 0.03 miles away and requires a
39 degree right turn for the correct bearing.
A LTITUDE AND S PEED :
At the upper right corner are the altitude and speed (shown as 170ft/20mph). This data is
available when the GPS option is used. Below it is the motor tachometer data (shown as 630
rpm).
S TATION ID:
The text field below the Altitude shows the station ID message (shown here as “Inspire OSD”). It
appears at user specified intervals. This message can be easily edited and allows up to eleven
characters.

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 4 May-17-2006
Figure 3, Main Screen View
GPS H EADING , L ONGITUDE , AND L ATTITUDE :
The first text line, at the lower left, is the course heading. It is referenced to TRUE north, not
magnetic north. Below that is the longitude and latitude navigation data. These fields are active
when the GPS receiver has established a satellite lock.
GPS E RROR I NDICATOR :
If the GPS signal is lost, or the data is invalid, then there
will be a question mark shown at the longitude field, as
shown in Figure 4. When this occurs, the GPS
information is not valid and should NOT be used.
R ELATIVE S IGNAL S TRENGTH I NDICATOR :
At the lower right (shown as 0.71V) is the relative signal
strength indicator (RSSI) voltage. It can also be
configured to show a moving bar graph instead. This field
can be used in applications ranging from general low
voltage monitoring to reporting signal levels from a
communications receiver.
R/C System Signal Indicator:
To the right of the RSSI field is an antenna icon. This graphic will blink for alerting purposes
whenever R/C signal problems are occurring.
Aux/Motor Voltage and Current:
Directly below the RSSI information is the auxiliary/motor voltage and current fields (shown as
4.9V -0.6A). This is valuable data for electric motor operation. The voltage can be configured
with an alarm threshold for additional visual warning.
The last data line shows the R/C system’s voltage (shown as 5.21V)) and the OSD board’s
operating voltage (shown as 8.6V).
Note: The OSD board’s operating voltage must not be allowed to go below 5.6VDC under any
circumstance. If it does, the OSD voltage field will say ? ALERT.” Operation at this low voltage
will adversely affect displayed data accuracy and video quality.

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 5 May-17-2006
Figure 4, Joystick
F IVE -W AY J OYSTICK
A miniature ?finger tip” joystick is used to control the
various system features. The short ribbon cable allows
mounting it at a convenient location.
The joystick has five inputs: Left, Right, Up, Down, and
Enter. The up/down buttons are used to move around
the menus and left/right are used to change the
selected menu item. The Enter button is chosen by
pressing straight down on the joystick.
The joystick board includes a status LED. If no alerts are present then it will be on steadily (all
OK). If the camera’s video is missing or bad, it will slowly blink. If there is a low voltage issue
(motor or OSD voltage alert) it will blink at a very fast rate.
During normal operation the left/right joystick buttons are used to toggle the timer/clock display.
When elapsed time is chosen, a small clock graphic is shown to the left of the data field. When
the local or UTC time is in view, the clock graphic is omitted.
The joystick is also used to reset some common parameters. Pressing the Enter button for one
second will (1) reset elapsed time to 00:00:00, (2) reset the AGL altitude to zero, and (3) display
the station ID. It also resets the ID timer.
If the OSD video is turned off by the R/C transmitter then pressing the up/down joystick buttons
will cause the video to appear. This is handy if you need to see the telemetry data and the R/C
transmitter is not close by.
R/C C ONTROLLED F EATURES
I NSPIRE has two servo cables that connect to a user provided R/C receiver. Besides their use to
monitor for R/C signal glitches and receiver voltage, they are also used to control features from
the R/C transmitter. You can use spare channels that are stick or toggle switch activated.
In addition, there is an R/C controlled output that can be configured to activate a servo or low
current switched circuit. This is ideal for use as camera shutter trigger, but it is not restricted to
that application.
R/C I NPUTS : OSD V IDEO O N /O FF C ONTROL
The R/C-VID cable can be used to turn the OSD on/off from the R/C transmitter. This is a
handy way to obtain a clear camera image for data-free video recording and viewing.
While the OSD is off, any alarm condition (low voltage, lost R/C signal, glitches) will
cause the OSD data to reappear.
R/C I NPUTS : A UXILIARY C AMERA /E VENT C ONTROL
The R/C-AUX cable can be used to remotely control a digital camera’s shutter, an
accessory, or to record events to memory.
Each remote activation increases the record count value that is displayed. In addition,
the GPS’s navigation data is saved (up to 999 records) for later review. By matching the
camera’s stored photo count (or time stamp) to I NSPIRE ’s stored records, the GPS
information to each photo can be determined.

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 6 May-17-2006
Of course a camera does not need to be used with this feature. Perhaps your application
will want to use the R/C transmitter only to store useful GPS data upon remote
command. Lastly, a user-configured Event timer can be setup to periodically record the
GPS data for you.
R/C O UTPUT : S HUTTER C ONTROL S ERVO
The camera/event control input operates the Shutter Control output. This output can
control a standard R/C servo and is available when the system’s C AMERA M ODE is set to
“Servo” (please see C AMERA M ODE , page 10).
This output is typically used to snap photos. If your digital (or film) camera is already
equipped with a R/C servo compatible interface, then it is merely plugged into the 3-pin
female servo connector. A very simple shutter activation method can be achieved by
mounting a servo on the camera (3M double sided tape is often used).
The servo output is digitally filtered and protects the servo from R/C signal glitches. It
also has a hold-last-position feature in the event the R/C signal is lost.
S WITCHED O UTPUT : D IRECT C ONNECT C ONTROL
In addition to the servo interface, there is a 2-pin header connector for direct connect
switched applications. This output is available when the system’s C AMERA M ODE is set to
“Direct” (please see C AMERA M ODE , page 10).
The output is a 2-wire interface (labeled Out+/Out-) that can be wired across the electric
shutter switch of digital and film cameras. This helps to eliminate the mechanical setup of
the servo method. Please do not ask for specific camera connection advice -- we are not
equipped to help in that area.

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 7 May-17-2006
Figure 5, System Features
Figure 6, GPS Report View
S YSTEM F EATURES M ENU
I NSPIRE ’s record storage and configuration features are
accessed using special menus that are guided by the
joystick. Entering the menu begins by pressing the
joystick’s Enter button for three (3) seconds. Once you do
that you will see the main System Features menu, as
seen in Figure 5.
V IEW GPS R EPORT
When you first enter the System Features menu the ?View GPS Report” entry will be
blinking. To select this entry, press the joystick’s left or right buttons.
The GPS report feature is used to access the navigation data that was saved. There is
sufficient memory for up to 999 records. This data is retained, even if I NSPIRE is turned
off.
The data is used to display the GPS coordinates of where each photo was taken. But, it
can also be used as a general navigational event marker.
It is up to the operator to match the camera’s photo count to each of the stored records.
The digital camera’s time stamping is useful for this.
Once you have chosen GPS Reporting, you can press
the up/down buttons to move through the stored records.
A short press advances one record. Or, press and hold
the button to skip quickly through a long series of
records. Figure 6 shows a typical record.
The top line shows the record count, which should be
matched to the snapshot or event that you are interested
in. The next line is the GPS signal quality status. If will
say ?Signal: Good” if the data is valid. Otherwise the
current record should NOT be used because the GPS
signal was bad. The remaining fields are self
explanatory.
To exit GPS Reporting just press the Enter button. Once you have returned to the
System Features menu, you may press the up/down buttons to move to the other menu
items.

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 8 May-17-2006
Figure 7, RS-232
Figure 8, HyperTerminal Template
SEND GPS R EPORT
The GPS record data can also be exported through the RS-232
connector. When the “Send GPS Reports” menu entry is chosen,
followed by a confirmation, ALL the stored records will be exported.
Each data record is reformatted as a single line of comma delimited
ASCII text, followed by a <CR><LF>.
The first record is a dummy header. It is marked with a $HDR preamble and includes
data dictionary titles:
$HDR,REC,SIG*,HH:MM:SS,LONGITUDE**,LATITUDE**,ALTITUDE****,SPEED*,DEG** <CR><LF>
The data records that follow are marked with a $DAT preamble. These are the GPS data
values that were stored during each photo or event:
$DAT,001,Good,18:43:33,-121.140608,+38.686096,00000ft AGL,000mph,029.0 <CR><LF>
Any data record that is corrupt will be marked with a $ERR preamble and will have empty
fields:
$ERR,002,!ERR,,,,,,<CR><LF>
The end of the file will be stamped with a short data record that is marked with a $EOF
preamble:
$EOF,000,%EOF,,,,,,<CR><LF>
One method of retrieving the stored records is to
use HyperTerminal. It is a basic Microsoft
Windows serial communications utility. It is found
in the Start-> Programs-> Accessories program
tab.
The first time you use HyperTerminal you must
create a New Connection template (see Figure 8).
Open the properties box and set the baud rate to
match Inspire’s GPS Report Baud setting. Also set
the Data bits=8, Parity=None, Stop Bit=1, and
Flow Control=None. Use File->Save to save your
settings.
To capture the GPS records to a file, begin by choosing Transfer->Capture Text on
HyperTerminal’s menu bar. Enter your file name at the prompt. Next, select the Call-
>Call menu item to initiate a connection. It is now ready to receive the GPS report (select
Send GPS Report in Inspire’s menu). When complete, select Transfer->Capture->Stop
on the menu bar. If you need further assistance using the utility please see the
HyperTerminal help file.
E RASE R EPORT
The GPS record data can be erased by selecting the Erase Reports menu selection.
Once the records are deleted, they cannot be restored. To prevent accidental erasure, a
confirmation is required.

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 9 May-17-2006
Figure 9, Message ID Setup
S YSTEM S ET UP
I NSPIRE ’s default settings are configured in the System Set Up menu. To change the power-up
defaults, highlight the S YSTEM S ET U P entry and then press the left or right joystick buttons.
M ESSAGE ID S ETUP P AGE 1: The first screen you will see
is ?Msg ID Setup Page 1,” as shown in Figure 9. It is
used to setup the Station ID message and its interval
time.
ID Message
The ID message can be nearly any text you want,
up to eleven characters. The message you choose
is automatically displayed at timed intervals, so
tasks like showing your Station ID is fully
automated.
To edit the Message, select it and then press the
left or right buttons until the character you wish to edit is blinking. Use the up/down
buttons to change it. Continue until the message edits are complete. To end editing just
press Enter for a moment.
ID Time Delay
The ID message will periodically appear using the time delay period set in this field. If set
to ?Disable” the timed ID message will be turned off and will not appear.
ID Duration
The ID message’s duration is set using the time period in this field.
Note: For a continuous Station ID message, set the ID Time Delay to 1-minute and the ID
Duration to 61-seconds or higher.
<PG-6 PG-2>
Use the left and right joystick to navigate to the last menu page (Page-6) or the next
page (Page-2). Pressing Enter will also move you to the next menu page.
.

I NSPIRE V3.2 U SER M ANUAL ©2006 Page 10 May-17-2006
Figure 10, Camera/Event Setup
C AMERA /E VENT P AGE 2: Once you are satisfied with page 1, you can move to the next page by
pressing the joystick’s Enter button. This leads to the ?Camera/Event Page 2” configuration
menu, as seen in Figure 10.
Camera Mode
The R/C-Aux channel input can be configured to
operate a standard R/C Servo or it can provide a
switched output for direct (hardwired) camera
connection.
The S ERVO setting is used for R/C servo activated
shutter installations. When this entry is chosen
your shutter servo can be installed on the R/C
cable labeled “Shut”.
The D IRECT setting configures the “dry closure”
output (Out+/Out-) for use as a switched On/Off
output. It is also used for timed event applications.
Note: The special optically isolated output requires connecting a 2-wire cable to Out+ and
Out-. The 3-wire female servo cable cannot be used during the D IRECT mode.
Wake/Event Time
This parameter is used to keep the digital camera awake. It is also used for timer-based
event recording. The time period sets the delay before the servo is moved or the direct
connect output is activated, with a fixed duration of two seconds. The timer is also used
for event recording, which is useful for periodic storage of GPS data.
Note: The Wake/Event timer will reset whenever the Aux-R/C channel is activated. This
is convenient when controlling a digital camera since it eliminates unnecessary dummy
snapshots that might be needed to keep the camera awake.
Wake/Event Record
This parameter is as follows:
On: Use this mode if you need to automatically store GPS data at each camera
Wake-up or at timed events.
Off: Use this mode if you do not want to store GPS data during camera Wake-up
or timed events.
Servo Direction
The Servo Direction parameter controls the Aux channel’s R/C servo pulse thresholds for
the Camera Shutter and Event trigger On and Off states.
Normal: 1.65mS or Higher is On state
1.57mS or Lower is Off state
Reverse: 1.35mS or Lower is On state
1.43mS or Higher is Off state