The lens and lens mount are different. The 27mm standard lens was designed from the ground up specifically for the 65R and provides the highest image quality.
The 43mm lens is a Pentax lens that uses a different mechanical mount that increases the size and weight of the 65R. The 43mm Pentax lens also requires a locking mechanism to hold the lens settings in place. The 43mm lens option is intended for users who highly desire the increased GSD and reduced FOV.
Introduction
The Sentera 65R sensor delivers 65MP resolution, global shutter RGB imagery in a compact package optimized for drone operations. The 65R offers outstanding image quality, fast capture rate, and user-friendly operation. The sensor can be integrated stand-alone or with stabilizing gimbal that is plug-and-play with the most popular drone platforms.
Learn more about what is included with the 65R sensor. The contents of the 65R case will vary based on the 65R model that was purchased, as well as if optional accessories are also purchased.
The Sentera gimbal stabilizes the sensor in a dual-axis pitch and roll. Gimbals allow a sensor to continuously point nadir (straight down), while flying faster, covering more ground, with more accuracy, allowing the ability to gather more information, while maintaining high quality tagged images.
Interface Variants
DJI Skyport
Smart Dovetail
DJI M300 & M350
Instructions
Align the white dot on the gimbal connector with the red dot on the drone connector.
Integrate Mode Details
About
In this mode the 65R ingests triggering commands and GPS/Altitude/Attitude from the drone to capture and geotag imagery.
Gimbal Steering
Learn how to use the gimbal steering functionality for the 65R on various platforms:
Connecting With Domain Controlled Accounts
If you are trying to offload data and are running into issue's to where its asking for a pin number instead of username and password and are running on a domain controlled account, see image below. Please go through the following steps below.
This is only pertaining to Windows 11 OS with domain based account.
Steps to resolve issue:
IF800 Tomcat
65R Gimbal
Instructions
Installation
Getting Started
Everything needed to install the 65R sensor will be included in the case. This is the best place to start with a new 65R.
It is recommended to install the 65R and related equipment onto the aircraft in a controlled environment like an office before your first flight to ensure that everything fits and powers on as expected.
Firmware Update
Getting Started
Learn how to update the firmware for the 65R sensor.
How To Save Logs
Navigate to Diagnostics Page
Click Save Log Files
PHX
For use with the PHX see the 65R PHX Payload User Guide:
The turn until the red dot on the gimbal connector and drone connector align.
Power on aircraft.
Dual Gimbal Setup
For dual gimbal mount setup the 65R should be placed in the correct port for the selected mode of operation (sensor configuration).
Integrated Mode
Use gimbal slot 1. This will power the sensor/gimbal/light sensor, and allow the sensor to communicate with the DJI autopilot and ingest trigger commands, GPS, altitude, and attitude information.
Compatibility
Please see the page linked below for skyport compatibility information, such as supported skyport firmware versions.
Press windows button + L on your keyboard on your laptop or desktop computer. This will then go to the lock screen.
Click on "sign-in options" button underneath the pin, see image below.
Select password, i.e., there should be an icon that looks like a key, select the key button and then type in the windows password to get into the computer.
Go through the data offload process again, this time it should work. see link to page below.
Align the white dot on the gimbal connector with the red dot on the drone connector.
The turn until the red dot on the gimbal connector and drone connector align.
Power on aircraft.
Dual Gimbal Setup
For dual gimbal mount setup the 65R should be placed in the correct port for the selected mode of operation (sensor configuration).
Integrated Mode
Use gimbal slot 1. This will power the sensor/gimbal/light sensor, and allow the sensor to communicate with the DJI autopilot and ingest trigger commands, GPS, altitude, and attitude information.
Compatibility
Please see the page linked below for skyport compatibility information, such as supported skyport firmware versions.
Adding to DJI Pilot
Freefly Compatibility Settings
Information
For proper functionality of 65R with Freefly aircraft a few items need to be set on the aircraft via the hand controller.
Setup Checklist
Links
Video Streaming Setup
Getting Started
Video Streaming requires IGC v1.3 or greater.
IGC v1.3 and greater has automatic payload detection, parameter application, and video stream settings for 65R. When prompted please apply the payload parameters via IGC.
Video Streaming Parameters
Parameter
Value
Video Streaming Setup Instructions
1
Check!
These setup instructions are only necessary if the payload detection is not working, or if the settings are accidentally changed.
Video streaming is not supported on IGC v1.2.5 or earlier.
2
Equipment
Data Offload
Getting Started
Use the following pages to learn about what equipment is needed to offload data from the 65R, how to offload the data, and how to import the data into post processing software.
Equipment
Offload Process
Data Import
Equipment
Required
Optional
Accessing the Web User Interface on The Freefly Hand Controller
The Web User Interface for the 65R Sensor can be reach via the Freefly Hand Controller. The Web User Interface can be used to check the status, change settings and manually trigger the sensor.
1
Power on Drone and Hand Controller
2
Navigate to the Home Page on your Hand Controller
3
Open the Application Menu
Click the grid icon in the lower right hand corner to open the Application Menu.
4
Open the Web Browser Application
Click the Chrome Icon to open a webpage.
5
Enter The Sensor's IP Address in the browser
To navigate to the Web User Interface, enter the IP address listed below, then press go.
6
Web User Interface
From the home page you can check the status of the sensor, manually capture images, or navigate to other pages from the left hand side bar.
Diagnostics
Introduction
The Diagnostics page is used to:
Identify the Sensor's Part and Serial Number.
Identify the Connection Status and speed.
Save log files for troubleshooting.
The diagnostics page is a streamlined interface designed to help with support issues.
Setup
New 65R Sensors
Brand new 65R sensors should come pre-configured for the aircraft/installation that it is expected to be used with. This information is provided when the 65R is purchased from Sentera.
This means that the camera configuration should not need to be changed.
Used 65R Sensors
If a 65R has been used before and the configuration is unknown the camera configuration should be verified and changed as required.
Depending on your current or desired configuration the All Platform Configurations check box may need to be selected to display the option in the drop down menu.
The settings on this page can be applied while a session is currently running and no reboot of the camera is needed.
Press Apply
After modifying one or more values, click the ‘Apply’ button in the lower right corner of the page. The settings will be updated for the next trigger.
Test Image (optional)
If a session is currently running, the ‘Capture Image’ button will be enabled on this page to allow more rapid testing of settings changes. Sessions can be started from the `Home` page if one isn’t currently running.
Large changes to auto-exposure will apply right away, but the camera may take 10+ seconds to stabilize on the new exposure settings. Other settings changes are reflected in the images much quicker.
Accessing the Web User Interface on The Inspired Flight Hand Controller
The Web User Interface for the 65R Sensor can be reach via the Inspired Flight Hand Controller. The Web User Interface can be used to check the status, change settings and manually trigger the sensor.
1
Power on Drone and Hand Controller
2
Navigate to the Home Page on your Hand Controller
3
Open the Application Menu
Click the grid icon in the lower right hand corner to open the Application Menu.
4
Open the Web Browser Application
Click the WebView Browser to open a webpage.
5
Enter The Sensor's IP Address in the browser
To navigate to the Web User Interface, enter the IP address listed below, then press the arrow icon.
6
Web User Interface
From the home page you can check the status of the sensor, manually capture images, or navigate to other pages from the left hand side bar.
DJI XT30
Sentera offers a kit for mounting 65R with a DJI XT30 connector for use with 6X gimbals with Skyport mounting hardware.
The input voltage range is 12-16VDC and the typical power draw is 20 watts.
This mounting method only supports powering the 65R, gimbal, and external GPS. Triggering must be accomplished via stand alone mode.
Kit Contents
SKU: 21229-00
Gimbal Interconnect
Vibration Dampeners
Power Cable
Sentera XT30 Mounting Plate
The kit can be attached to the air vehicle using the mounting hole pattern shown.
Learn more about operating the 65R sensor, what flight settings should be used, and how to offload data.
SD Card
Purpose
The Micro SD card is used for recording diagnostic log file data.
Compliance
Item
Value
Standard Operating Procedure
Operational Modes
The 65R can operate in two different modes. Each of these modes has a slightly different Standard Operating Procedure.
Smart Dovetail
The 65R gimbal with the Smart Dovetail mounting configuration can be used with Smart Dovetail equipped aircraft.
Connection I/0
The 65R has Serial, Ethernet, and PPS I/O available on Smart Dovetail hardware.
Pin
Inspired Flight Compatibility Settings
Getting Started
IGC v1.3 and greater has automatic payload detection, parameter application, and video stream settings for 65R. When prompted please apply the payload parameters when prompted by IGC.
Operation
Getting Started
Assemble aircraft.
Data Import
Introduction
65R uses standard metadata tagging formats and labels, such as EXIF and XMP. They are compatible with standard GIS and image processing tools, such as Pix4D.
Adding 65R to DJI Pilot
Instructions
Begin creating a mapping mission in DJI pilot
Open the Select Camera Model drop down
Astro
Instructions
65R Gimbal
Gimbal Connectors
Introduction
The 65R gimbal supports several interface options for mounting and connecting to an aircraft.
How To Change Overlap Settings
Navigate to Configuration Page
Locate Trigger Field and Select Overlap
Configuration & Settings
Introduction
The 65R hosts a local web page that is used for several applications including: Status, Configuration, Image Adjustment, and updating firmware.
Data Offload
General Instruction
Power 65R using aircraft battery or AC power cable.
the 65R is eligible for Blue UAS conformity. If Blue UAS is a requirement or you wish to sponsor the 65R for Blue UAS conformity please contact Sentera.
In this mode the 65R ingests triggering commands and GPS/Altitude/Attitude from the drone to capture and geotag imagery. This is the most common operational mode.
Support Aircraft:
DJI M300/M350
DJI M200/210
Freefly Astro
IF800 & IF1200
Stand Alone Mode (Sentera GPS)
In this mode the 65R uses GPS data from the light sensor/GPS module to determine when it should trigger the camera.
Notes
Operational mode and capture settings are selected using the configuration menu.
Advanced or custom configurations of the 65R may required a modified standard operating procedure.
You will now be able to select the Sentera 65R from the custom camera list.
Install 65R gimbal into smart dovetail mount.
Secure latch.
Power on Aircraft.
Compatibility Instructions
Current Astro and 65R firmware requires a few settings to be changed for seamless operation. Please use the page linked below for instructions on how to set the parameters.
65R can be readily adapted to work on nearly any drone that can support the following connectors.
Parameter Setup
Getting Started
IGC v1.3 and greater will has automatic payload detection, parameter application, and video stream settings for 65R. When prompted please apply the payload parameters via IGC.
If you are on IGC v1.2.5 or earlier please see the instructions below.
Parameters
The following parameter changes from the Inspired Flight defaults are required for proper functionality of the 65R. Please see the instructions below.
Parameter
Value
Parameter Setup Instructions
1
Power on the Aircraft and Hand Controller
Power the aircraft and hand controller on.
2
Inspired Flight
Getting Started
To ensure the gimbal steering for the 6X Series Sensors will work for Inspired Flight aircraft two things need to be checked:
IGC v1.4 and greater will display the gimbal angle indicator.
Manual Gimbal Control
To manually control the gimbal use the rocker wheel on the left hand side of the hand controller.
Pushing the wheel to the right will point the gimbal downwards (NADIR).
Pushing the wheel to the left will point the gimbal forward.
Automated Gimbal Control
1
Navigate to the Plan Screen
2
Gimbal Angle Orientation Reference
Integrated Mode
General Instructions
Assemble aircraft.
Install the 65R.
Power the aircraft.
Verify a session has started.
Verify camera model, altitude, overlap , and flight speed settings in flight app.
Fly.
Offload data (optional).
Detailed Instructions
Assemble Aircraft
Assembly the aircraft per manufacturer instructions.
Attach 65R
Attach the 65R to the aircraft.
Power Aircraft & Wait for Session Start
Power the aircraft on.
Let the 65R boot (solid status red LEDs).
Verify the 65R has started a session (solid green status LEDs). This takes about 1 minute and requires a GPS fix.
Verify Flight Settings
Verify the camera model/parameters, flight speed, survey altitude, and overlap settings.
Data will be deleted during the firmware upgrade process. Make sure to copy the data off your sensor before performing the update.
This Process works on Windows or Mac.
Power On Sensor
Power the 65R using the AC adapters or keep it attached to the aircraft and turn the aircraft on.
Then wait for the LEDS on the sensor to do the following:
Power Method
LED Behavior
This verifies that the sensor is fully booted.
Connect Sensor to Computer
Connect the sensor to the computer using a USB cable.
Use the USB-C port on the sensor not the USB-C port on the top of the gimbal.
Use the . This cable gives the best and most reliable performance.
Verify Connection
Open your wifi/network panel from the task bar. Verify that you see "unidentified network - No internet". This is the 65R appearing as a network device.
Open Sensor Webpage
In a web browser (no internet required) type 192.168.42.1 into the address bar and press enter.
If the sensor is being powered by the AC adapter the screen will appear red with a warning message.
Select Update Firmware
Apply Firmware File
Allow Update to Execute
The software update process begins and may take several minutes. Do not turn off the power or disconnect the cable during this process. It may reboot several times during the process.
Allow Sensor to Self-Reboot
Complete
Once complete, the web page will refresh. You can check the firmware version after the web page refreshes by checking the 'Current Version' at the top of the update page, or the version in the lower left of the web page menu bar.
Gremsy HDMI Hyper Quick
The 65R gimbal with the HDMI Hyper Quick mounting configuration can be used with the Gremsy Hyper Quick receiver.
Serial Connection
For HDMI Hyper Quick configurations the serial lines are connected the TX2/RX2 lines on the Gremsy receiver.
Pinout Table
Pin
Signal
Example Cable
Ethernet Connection & PPS
The ethernet lines from the gimbal are connected to AUX S1, S2, S3, S4 on the Gremsy receiver. AUX S5 is connected to PPS.
Pinout Table
Pin
Signal
Example Cable
Mechanical Connection
Where to Purchase
Mounting Specifications
How To Access Web User Interface
Power Sensor
Power the sensor using the AC power adapter or install into the aircraft and turn the aircraft on.
Then wait for the LEDS on the sensor to do the following:
Power Method
LED Behavior
This verifies that the sensor is fully booted.
Connect To Computer
Connect the sensor to the computer using a USB cable.
Use the USB-C port on the sensor not the USB-C port on the top of the gimbal.
Verify Connection
Open your wifi/network panel from the task bar. Verify that you see "unidentified network - No internet". This is the 65R appearing as a network device.
Open Web Browser
Open a web browser (chrome, safari, firefox, etc).
No internet connection is required.
Enter IP Address
In the address bar enter 192.168.42.1 and press enter/go.
Page Appears
The webpage will appear.
If the webpage can't be connected to after a few minutes try the following:
- Verify the sensor has had around a minute to boot.
- Turn off/disconnect any Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections that have internet access.
- Verify the USB cable being used is the provided cable or one of the listed compatible cables.
If the 65R is being powered with the AC power adapter, the No Gimbal Communication application will appear. This is expected as the gimbal itself is now powered.
MAVlink V1
Messages
Image Metadata Messages
Message
Description
Sensor Triggering Messages
Message
Description
Supported Configurations
Configuration Name
Platform
Mechanical
Dimensions
Mounting Locations
There are QTY 8 total 2-56 threaded mounting holes on the 65R.
Center of Gravity
FPA Location
File Structure
Introduction
The 65R uses an internal SSD to store the captured data. This article will describe the file storage structure.
The session folders are labeled as YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS. Where YYYY-MM-DD is the date that the imagery was collected on, and HH-MM-SS is the UTC time that the session folder created at (when the 6X status lights turned green).
If the 65R is power cycled between flights over a single area, there will be a session folder for each power up and session start of the camera. i.e. the imagery will be split between each folder.
Inside of each session folder is a sub folder labeled rgb. This folder contains the the imagery.
The following video streaming settings need to be changed from the default Freefly settings for the 65R video stream to work properly. Please see the following instructions.
Parameter
Value
Replacement Cables
Sensor Cables
Data Transfer Cables
Supported Data Products
General Data Products
Orthomosaic
Freefly
Getting Started
To ensure the gimbal steering for the 6X Series Sensors will work for Freefly aircraft two things need to be checked:
MAVlink
Introduction
MAVLink is a very lightweight messaging protocol for communicating with drones, as well as between onboard drone components. It is a very commonly used protocol in the open source drone community.
Parameter Setup
Parameters
One parameter change from the default Freefly settings is required for proper functionality of the 65R. Please see the instructions below.
Parameter
Value
Introduction
There are multiple options available for users to interface with the 65R. These interfaces support the following hardware devices:
Sentera external GPS based triggering/metadata
DJI Skyport based systems (plug and play gimbal mount)
DJI Skyport
Requirements
DJI Skyport operation is available on DJI Skyport equipped hardware:
To have the 65R sensor operate in this mode, the camera must be set up for the DJI Skyport, Gimballed configuration:
If the 65R is not configured for this mode, follow the instruction to update the configuration:
MAVLINK_MSG_ID_SYSTEM_TIME
Telemetry data the camera uses for operation and imagery stamping (i.e., EXIF/XMP).
MAVLINK_MSG_ID_GPS_RAW_INT
Telemetry data the camera uses for operation and imagery stamping (i.e., EXIF/XMP).
MAVLINK_MSG_ID_ATTITUDE
Telemetry data the camera uses for operation and imagery stamping (i.e., EXIF/XMP).
MAVLINK_MSG_ID_GLOBAL_POSITION_INT
Telemetry data the camera uses for operation and imagery stamping (i.e., EXIF/XMP).
Allow the aircraft and sensor to fully boot. Once the aircraft has achieved a 3D satellite fix the sensor will start a session and the light on the sensor will turn green.
The aircraft may need to be taken outside to obtain a GPS fix depending on your environment.
Other functionalities that can be checked:
Gimbal Steering: Use the rocker wheel on the left side of the controller to change the pitch angle of the gimbal
Camera Triggering: Use the on screen image capture button to test the image capture. The lights on the camera will flash white.
IGC v1.4 and greater will enable the use of the physical manual trigger button.
CAM2_TYPE
5
SERIAL4_PROTOCOL
MAVlink 2
SERIAL4_BAUD
115200
SR4_EXTRA1
10
SR4_EXTRA3
2
SR4_POSITION
4
SR4_EXT_STAT
Select Mission Type
3
Select Waypoint From the Left Hand Menu
4
Place a Waypoint
5
Expand Camera Dropdown Menu
In the waypoint mission item on the right hand side of the screen select the camera drop down menu.
6
Check the Gimbal Box and Set Gimbal Angle
Check the gimbal options box, then enter your desired gimbal pitch angle
7
Finish Planning Mission
Plan the rest of your mission as normal. The gimbal will change the pitch angle of the sensor at the waypoint and remain at that pitch angle throughout the rest of the mission.
To add additional gimbal pitch changes use the same method between survey mission items, or plan a waypoint mission and add the gimbal change commands as desired.
Open AMC and verify the aircraft and hand controller are connected to each other.
4
Enter Advanced Mode
Repeatedly tap the Auterion logo in the upper left hand corner until the advanced mode pop up appears. Select Switch to Advanced.
5
Open Settings Menu
Press the Auterion Logo in the upper left hand corner to open the menu, then select the Settings tab.
6
Scroll to Video Settings
7
Enter The RTSP Information
Enter the information as shown.
8
Return to Fly Screen
Press the Auterion Logo in the upper left hand corner to open the menu, then select the Fly tab.
You should now see the 65R video stream in the video window in the lower left corner.
9
Verify Video Stream
Tap on the video window to make it full screen.
The camera interface should appear on the right hand side of the screen, displaying the camera part number, on screen camera capture button, and settings menu.
10
Disable Advanced Mode
Repeatedly tap the Auterion logo in the upper left hand corner until the Normal mode pop up appears. Select Switch to Normal.
Or restart the app/hand controller to switch back to normal mode.
Video Source
RTSP Video Stream
USB-C to USB-A
USB-C to USB-C
All Options
Cable
Cable Type
Length
USB-A to USB-C
10ft
USB-C to USB-C
6ft
USB-A to USB-C
3ft
USB-A to USB-C
3.3ft
Power Cable
SKU: SWI36-24-N-P5
RGB Mosaic
VARI Map Mosaic
DSM
3D Reconstruction
Sentera Product Catalog
These are products that can be ordered via Sentera FieldAgent. The links below will define the required flight settings and the data product deliverables.
Verify Freefly compatibility settings have been applied to the aircraft.
IMPORTANT!
When the aircraft, sensor, and hand controller are all connected and booted the gimbal will automatically point forward (90 degrees from NADIR) by default.
The default gimbal angle for survey mission types is -90 degrees (NADIR). The gimbal will automatically point NADIR at the beginning of the survey mission item unless the gimbal angle is set otherwise.
The gimbal will automatically point forward again when return mode is activated.
Astro Firmware 2.0.22 and greater will display the gimbal angle indicator.
Manual Gimbal Control
To manually control the gimbal use the rocker wheel on the left hand side of the hand controller.
Pushing the wheel to the right will point the gimbal downwards (NADIR).
Pushing the wheel to the left will point the gimbal forward.
65R supports image metadata tagging and sensor triggering using MAVLink V1 messages. The required serial port configuration for the MAVLink controller is 460800, 8-N-1, and it must be connected to 6X connector J2, pins 1/2 (UART2 TX/RX) with 3.3v signal levels.
65R Gimbal
The gimbaled 65R supports image metadata tagging and sensor triggering using MAVlink V2 messages. The MAVlink messages are ingested into the gimbal hardware and automatically forwarded to the 65R.
Integrated Platforms
Please see the compatibility settings if you are using a fully integrated platform:
Generic Settings
These are generic MAVlink settings for use with the 65R sensor.
For non-gimballed sensors use the listed baud rates. For gimballed sensors a baud rate of 115200 or greater is recommended.
PX4 Settings
Parameter
Value
TRIG_INTERFACE
MAVlink
Sets MAVlink messages as the trigger commands.
TRIG_MODE
Distance Based (Survey Mode)
Distance-based on command (Survey mode)
MAV_X_CONFIG
TELEM2 (or any other configurable UART)
Sets the configuration of the desired MAVlink stream on a serial/UART port.
Open AMC and verify the aircraft and hand controller are connected to each other.
3
Enter Advanced mode
Repeatedly tap the Auterion logo in the upper left hand corner until the advanced mode pop up appears. Select Switch to Advanced.
4
Open the Advanced Menu
Press the Auterion Logo in the upper left hand corner to open the menu, then select the Advanced tab.
5
Open Parameter Menu
Scroll down in the left hand menu and select Parameters.
6
Search for MAV_2_MODE
In the search bar at the top of the menu search for "MAV_2_MODE".
7
Change from GIMBAL to NORMAL
Tap on the parameter and a menu will appear on the right hand side of the screen. In the drop down menu select Normal and press Save.
8
Power Off Aircraft
To apply the changes the aircraft needs to be rebooted. Power the aircraft off.
9
Install Sensor & Power On Aircraft
Install the 65R and power the aircraft & hand controller on.
10
Disable Advanced Mode
Repeatedly tap the Auterion logo in the upper left hand corner until the Normal mode pop up appears. Select Switch to Normal.
Or restart app/hand controller to switch back to normal mode.
11
Verify Functionality
Allow the aircraft and sensor to fully boot. Once the aircraft has achieved a 3D satellite fix the sensor will start a session and the light on the sensor will turn green.
MAV_2_MODE
NORMAL
Freefly Dovetail based systems (plug and play gimbal mount)
MAVLink based systems (3.3V UART)
Sentera based systems (Ethernet)
Customized ICD options, available upon request
Gremsy HDMI Hyper Quick Mount based systems (plug and play gimbal mount)
Cables to interface to the sensor can be purchased directly from Sentera upon request. Contact [email protected].
In this mode, the 65R is tightly integrated with the DJI airframe. This allows for gimbal control and image triggering from the DJI hand controller (e.g., using the FieldAgent iOS application). All data necessary for metadata population is available and automatically written to generated imagery.
Skyport Hardware Compatibility
DJI has produced two versions of Skyport hardware, designated as Skyport-V1 and Skyport-V2. A Sentera gimbal built with Skyport-V2 hardware will contain an etching or sticker on the back of the assembly:
A Sentera gimbal built with Skyport-V1 hardware will not contain a corresponding etching or sticker. DJI aircraft only support specific versions of DJI Skyport hardware. The list of compatibility follows:
DJI Airframe
Skyport Hardware Compatibility
M200/M210 V1
Skyport-V1 only
M200/M210 V2
Skyport-V1 only
M300 RTK
Skyport-V1 and Skyport-V2
M350 RTK
Skyport-V2 only
Contact Sentera if desiring to fly a Sentera gimbal on an incompatible DJI airframe. It's possible for Sentera to modify a gimbal (e.g., Skport-V1 -> Skyport-V2), but this requires significant hardware modification.
Stand alone Sentera GPS mode can still be used if operating on an incompatible airframe. Additional setup will be required though (e.g., configuration of 65R overlap percentage) as the camera is no longer tightly integrated with the airframe.
Skyport Firmware Compatibility
DJI aircraft require a specific version of DJI Skyport firmware to operate successfully. The following list identifies this required firmware:
DJI Aircraft
Skyport-V1 Firmware
Skyport-V2 Firmware
M200/M210 V1
v01.03.00.09
-
M200/M210 V2
v01.04.00.00
-
M300 RTK
v01.04.00.00
V01.03.05.00
The version of DJI Skyport firmware can be viewed and upgraded using the DJI Assistant 2 application. See DJI documentation for detail and instructions.
The 65R stores the imagery on an internal solid state hard drive that is not removable from the sensor. Use the process outline below to access the collected data.
Imagery is NOT stored on the micro SD card.
Power On Sensor
Power the 65R using the AC adapter or keep it attached to the aircraft and turn the aircraft on.
Then wait for the LEDS on the sensor to do the following:
Power Method
LED Behavior
This verifies that the sensor is fully booted and ready for data offload.
Connect USB Cable to Sensor and Computer
Connect the sensor to the computer using a USB cable.
Use the USB-C port on the sensor not the USB-C port on the top of the gimbal.
Use the . This cable gives the best and most reliable performance.
Verify Connection
Open your wifi/network panel from the task bar. Verify that you see "unidentified network - No internet". This is the 65R appearing as a network device.
Open a File Browser Window
Navigate to Sensor Storage
Navigate to the 65R internal storage by typing \\192.168.42.1 into the address bar of the file browser and pressing enter.
The sensor may need a minute to fully boot before it can be accessed via the file browser.
If the 65R can't be connected to after a few minutes try the following:
- Turn off/disconnect any Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections that have internet access.
- Verify the USB cable being used is the provided cable or one of the listed
Adding this file path to Quick Access can be helpful for repeated use.
Login to Sensor
Windows will display a network credentials pop-up. The user name is sentera and there is no password. Press OK.
If your user account is controlled by a domain .\sentera may need to be used as the username. If this does not work please see link below on how to resolve issue.
Select Data Folder
Select Snapshots Folder
Select Session Folder
Session folders are the folders where the imagery is stored for each flight.
If the 65R is not power cycled between flights that are intended to be separate (i.e. not a battery swap) all of the photos from both flights will be stored in the same session folder.
Copy Folder
Recommended Flight Settings
Orthomosaic
Altitude (ft)
Speed (mph)
Overlap (%)
50 to 150
5 to 15
These settings should be used as a starting point. Adjustments should be made based on background, time of year, location, weather, and other factors.
Mission Parameter Calculator
Check out our free web based mission parameter calculator to find your ideal flight settings:
Capture Performance
The maximum capture rate of the 65R is 3 FPS. The charts below show how the camera performs given different altitude, flight speed, and overlap settings.
Capture Rate Versus Altitude - Constant Speed
Capture Rate Versus Flight Speed - Constant Altitude
Environmental Considerations
Time of Day
Fly mid-day when the sun is highest in the sky (solar noon) to reduce shadowing effects. Solar noon will change depending on global location and time of year.
Cloud Cover
Flying with uniform lighting conditions is optimal for 65R. This means no clouds (clear), mostly clear, or completely overcast.
Optimal Lighting Conditions
Clear Skies
Undesirable Lighting Conditions
Partially Cloudy
Precipitation
Flying in foggy, rainy, or snowy conditions is not advised.
Sentera Product Catalog
Offload Process - Mac
Getting Started
The 65R stores the imagery on an internal solid state hard drive that is not removable from the sensor. Use the process outline below to access the collected data.
Imagery is NOT stored on the micro SD card.
Power On Sensor
Power the 65R using the AC adapter or keep it attached to the aircraft and turn the aircraft on.
Then wait for the LEDS on the sensor to do the following:
Power Method
LED Behavior
This verifies that the sensor is fully booted and ready for data offload.
Connect USB Cable to Sensor and Computer
Connect the sensor to the computer using a USB cable.
Use the USB-C port on the sensor not the USB-C port on the top of the gimbal.
Use the . This cable gives the best and most reliable performance.
Open a Finder Window
Once the 65R is fully booted it will appear as a network location in the left hand menu of the Finder window.
If the 65R doesn't automatically show up, select the Network option under Locations, as it may appear there the first time the 65R is connected.
If there is a SENTERA-65R-SMB as well, select SENTERA-65R.
If the 65R can't be connected to after a few minutes try the following: - Turn off/disconnect any Wi-Fi or Ethernet connections that have internet access. - Verify the USB cable being used is the provided cable or one of the listed
Select Data Folder
Select Snapshots Folder
Select Session Folder
Session folders are the folders where the imagery is stored for each flight.
If the 65R is not power cycled between flights that are intended to be separate (i.e. not a battery swap) all of the photos from both flights will be stored in the same session folder.
Copy Folder
Eject Sensor
Use the eject button to release the sensor from the OS. This provides the best reliability.
Home
Introduction
The home page of the 65R webpage displays the sensor status, session control, trigger control, and calibration control menus. This is the default landing page when the webpage is accessed.
Electrical Connectors
Information
The following tables list pin descriptions of the sensor connectors. All 3.3V UART and 3.3V I2C interfaces are not 5V tolerant. For additional detail on sensor interfaces contact Sentera Support.
The sensor can auto-negotiate the Ethernet speed. Therefore, only four pins are required for a slower 10Base-T or 100Base-T speeds. All eight pins are required for communication at a 1000Base-T speed. Depending on your host platform, your power connection method may vary.
The aircraft may need to be taken outside to obtain a GPS fix depending on your environment.
Other functionalities that can be checked:
Gimbal Steering: Use the rocker wheel on the left side of the controller to change the pitch angle of the gimbal
Camera Triggering: Use the physical image capture button to test the image capture. The lights on the camera will flash white. This can also be done with the on screen button in the video window.
The lights on the 65R must be green for the video stream to start. This requires a 3D GPS fix on the aircraft. The aircraft may need to be taken outside to obtain a GPS fix depending on your environment.
Overcast
70 to 80
150 to 400
15 to 45
70 to 80
Status
The status field displays the telemetry information received from external sources like the aircraft autopilot or light sensor/GPS.
GPS Status
The GPS status displays the GPS information currently available to the 65R.
Item
Information
Latitude
latitude location in decimal degrees.
Longitude
Longitude location in decimal degrees.
Alt
Current altitude in meters ()
GPS Time
The as received from the satellites.
Fix Type
The type of GPS fix that has been acquired.
Unknown - Unknown fix type.
None - No fix achieved.
2D - 2 dimensional position.
3D - 3 dimensional position.
DGPS - aided 3D position.
RTK Float - with float ambiguities.
RTK Fixed - with fixed ambiguities.
Attitude
The attitude status displays the current attitude of the 65R in the earth reference frame.
The attitude information source is dependent on the selected configuration. See the configuration page for detailed information.
Item
Information
Roll
The roll angle of the sensor in degrees.
Pitch
The pitch angle of the sensor in degrees.
Yaw
The yaw angle of the sensor in degrees.
Session Control
Session Control displays if the 65R is ready to take imagery or not. If a session is started, the 65R is ready. If a session is not started automatically the 65R may not be ready. However, a session can be started manually if desired.
Session control is displayed in 2 states:
Session In Progress
The 65R has detected that it is ready to begin collecting imagery. The session start criteria is based on the configuration of the 65R.
Start Session
The 65R did not automatically start a session.
To start a session manually:
Name the session in the text input box, or leave the default web_session name.
Press the Start Session button.
Verify the status lights on the 65R turn solid green.
Starting a session manually can be useful for ground testing.
Starting a session manually before a flight is not recommended as the 65R may not have the telemetry information necessary for successful data capture.
Trigger Control
The 65R can be manually triggered using the Capture Image button in the Trigger Control field. This is useful for ground testing, or when manual image capture is applicable.
Press the Capture Image button (a session must be started) and the 6X will take an image (1 image per imager). The status LEDs on the 65R will briefly flash from green to white.
The 65R can also be manually triggered using the physical pushbutton trigger on the side of the sensor.
Calibration Control
This is not used for the 65R sensor. This feature is the result of the shared code base of the 6X series sensors and the 65R sensor. Calibration is not function for the 65R.
65R image settings are set by default for the best settings in most use cases. There is also the ability to alter some of the color and exposure settings for custom applications.
Changing these values is not necessary for most applications and may prevent standard analytics from being run.
Exposure
In most normal usage, the exposure should not need to be adjusted, however if your images are consistently too bright or too dark, the auto-exposure settings can be modified. These settings will change how bright / dark the image is, as well as the shutter speeds and gains used to capture the image.
Range
0 - 255
Recommended Value
Color Adjustments
These settings allow adjustment to the overall brightness, contrast, and saturation of the image without modifying the exposure. They should be used for fine color adjustment if the default settings are not giving the quality of image needed for your application.
Range
-255.0 – 255.0
Recommended Value
Pipeline
There are several onboard processing steps that the sensor performs to provide the best data product possible. While we recommend leaving these at their default settings, each of the processing stages can be disabled to get completely unmodified imagery from the sensor.
Sets the average pixel value across the entire frame that the auto-exposure attempts to achieve. It is the highest 8 bits of any imager, and is calculated before any ISP corrections are performed. This means that the final image will likely have an average brightness much higher than this target due to vignetting and gamma correction being applied in later steps. Due to this, in general the target value should be kept lower than 100.
Range
200 - {Shutter Max}
Recommended Value
400
Description
This value is the shortest shutter speed in us (microseconds) that will be used before the camera drops to a lower ISO. If the camera is already running at the lowest ISO, then the shutter speed will go faster until it hits the limit of the sensor.
Range
{Shutter Min} – 25000
Recommended Value
2000
Description
This value is the longest shutter speed in us (microseconds) the camera will use before increasing the ISO to attempt to stay below this value. For most flights, you should not see a longer shutter speed unless the field has insufficient lighting, forcing the shutter to go longer (see Shutter Unlock). It is recommended to keep this value lower than 3ms (3000us) to avoid motion blur caused by the groundspeed of the UAV.
Range
100 – 12800
Recommended Value
600
Description
If the ISO gets set to this value or greater by the auto-exposure, then the shutter max value is ignored, allowing the shutter speed to go slower. This is to prevent the camera from using very high gains, which can have worse effects on image quality than the motion blur from a slow shutter speed . It is also useful for taking images indoors, where lighting is insufficient to capture images otherwise.
-15.0
Description
Sets how bright/dark the overall image is. This value is added or subtracted from each pixel. Higher values result in the image looking more washed out, and lower values make it darker.
Range
0.0 – 2.0
Recommended Value
1.0
Description
Adjusts the difference between the light and dark values. This effectively multiplies every value by X. So setting this to 1.1 will take 1.1x each pixel value. For example, if you have a value of 20 and 200 (180 apart) normally, setting contrast to 1.1 will change the values to 22 and 220 (198 apart) effectively increasing the contrast between bright and dark.
Range
0.0 – 2.0
Recommended Value
1.0
Description
Adjusts the vibrancy of the color in the image. This will affect the color and changing this by too much can result in imagery with less ‘true’ color. This increases the ‘contrast’ of each color. For example, if something is bright green, increasing saturation adjusts it to be even more green than a darker green in the same image.
This enables use of the internal color correction matrix on the sensor. The purpose is to compensate for the exact response of the sensor and produce an image with correct color and white balance. Disabling this is not recommended, as the resulting images will appear ‘greenish’ due to the sensitivity profile of the imager.
Recommend
Enabled
Description
Enables the use of gamma correction on imagery. Most software expects jpg data to have gamma correction applied, so disabling this is not recommended as the images may appear too dark for most processing.
Recommend
Enabled
Description
Enables an image sharpening algorithm to be executed on the imagery. This is done to provide “crisper” imagery with better visual separation of subject matter.
Recommend
RGB: Enabled
Description
Enables onboard correction for lens vignetting effects. This is done by applying a higher gain to the corners and edges of the image where fall off effects due to the lens occur.
Sats
The number of satellites that are detected by the GPS source.
During startup, the camera requests (MAVLINK_MSG_ID_COMMAND_LONG - MAV_CMD_SET_MESSAGE_INTERVAL) messages from the autopilot. Requested messages include the above telemetry data messages, and also MAVLINK_MSG_ID_CAMERA_TRIGGER (required on PX4 systems to get camera captures sent).
Unsupported
MAV_CMD_RESET_CAMERA_SETTINGS
Unsupported
MAV_CMD_SET_CAMERA_MODE
Unsupported
MAV_CMD_STORAGE_FORMAT
Unsupported
MAV_CMD_IMAGE_START_CAPTURE
Supported
MAV_CMD_IMAGE_STOP_CAPTURE
Supported
MAV_CMD_VIDEO_START_CAPTURE
Unsupported
MAV_CMD_VIDEO_STOP_CAPTURE
Unsupported
MAV_CMD_VIDEO_START_STREAMING
Unsupported
MAV_CMD_VIDEO_STOP_STREAMING
Unsupported
MAVLINK_MSG_ID_HEARTBEAT
A heartbeat from the autopilot is required to know which system ID to use for publishing of camera data (currently just a heartbeat) and also which system to request telemetry data from (see below).
MAVLINK_MSG_ID_SYSTEM_TIME
Telemetry data the camera uses for operation and imagery stamping (i.e., EXIF/XMP).
MAVLINK_MSG_ID_GPS_RAW_INT
Telemetry data the camera uses for operation and imagery stamping (i.e., EXIF/XMP).
MAVLINK_MSG_ID_ATTITUDE
Telemetry data the camera uses for operation and imagery stamping (i.e., EXIF/XMP).
MAVLINK_MSG_ID_GLOBAL_POSITION_INT
Telemetry data the camera uses for operation and imagery stamping (i.e., EXIF/XMP).
The camera implements "Time Synchronization Protocol v2" (https://mavlink.io/en/services/timesync.html) to perform synchronization with the autopilot - so that precise timestamping of telemetry data can be achieved.
Update IFT RTK/PPK platforms to use WGS-84 height datum. Allows for easier usage in post-processing tools.
Add configuration for IFT IF1200A RTK/PPK operation.
Update link on webpage for new support site.
Add Open Source Software (OSS) webpage to list OSS compliance.
Update SMB server to ksmb - providing better performance.
(PixelScout) Add support for PixelScout-v4.0 camera.
Bug Fixes
Fix tagging of invalid metadata on IFT platforms after switching between installed payloads.
Previous Releases
4.3.0
Features
Update webpage GPS information to add system time synchronization status
Add Sentera XMP tag 'AppliedRigRelatives' for better operational observability
Improve application logging
Bug Fixes
Adjust IF800 RTK/PPK antenna offset 5mm for more accurate antenna phase center
Fix webpage communication lag, which increased with time
4.2.1
Features
Add payload detection and better user feedback on MAVLink based platforms
Add gimbal control & video feed for Freefly Astro platform
Add diagnostic webpage for debug ability
Update IFT IF800 PPK generated file names with prefix for easier organization
Bug Fixes
Fix EXIF GPS:DateStamp formatting for "YYYY:MM:DD" output
Fix REST API server crash
4.1.3
Features
Add WeedScout Phase-3 payload support
Add Sentera RTK/PPK module support for IF800 drones
Add CAMERA_INFORMATION message for MAVLink systems
Network configurations allow for multiple IP addresses on a single port for platform compatibility
Video feeds can be enabled to stream video over RTSP on supported platforms
Currently enabled for Inspired Flight UAVs
When enabled, the RTSP feed is found at: rtsp://[ip]:8554/video
Upgraded camera operating system
Bug fixes
Fixed purple pixels and scaling of video stream
Fixed unique Ethernet MAC address issue
Fixed intermittent application failure on WeedScout platforms
Known Issues
The video feed appears to be all I-frames, which results in lower quality
Manual photo capture button in IGC does not work
Payload detection on Astro hangs on initialization within Auterion Mission Control
3.13.1
Features
Add gimbal control for Inspired Flight IF800/IF1200A
Bug fixes
Fix "extraneous bytes before marker 0xd0" in JPG image data
3.12.0
Features
Add UHS SD Card Support (hw: 21030-02)
Add gimbal spotting support for WeedScout Phase-2
Bug fixes
Fix repeated image captures with MAVLink-v2 operation
Fix disabling of Color Correction Matrix (CCM)
3.10.1
Features
Add 65R DGR logging improvements
Bug fixes
N/A
3.10.0
Features
Add WeedScout Phase 2 support
Bug fixes
N/A
3.9.1
Features
Improved capture synchronization on dual 65R systems
Eliminated image artifacts that could occur 1/3 and 2/3 of the way from the top of image
Log connection speed of USB and Ethernet connections
Bug fixes
N/A
3.9.0
Features
Added support for dual 65R assembly
Improved USB connectivity robustness
Improved application logging
Bug fixes
N/A
3.8.1
Features
Remove leftover fsck *.rec files on startup
Update wording about potential dataloss when updating firmware
Add autobaud support for gimballed MAVLink systems
Bug fixes
Fix incorrect XMP::PerspectiveFocalLength tag on calibrated DGR systems
3.8.0
Features
Added support for gimballed Sentera GPS
Added support for SBG Quanta DGR
Added support for Inspired Flight IF800/IF1200A
Improved error messages on web page when storage is full
Improved mono band alignment in new 6X camera builds
Improved metadata location/attitude accuracy for Skyport V2 systems
Improved metadata location/attitude accuracy on supported Mavlink2 RTK systems
Improved USB connectivity and performance
Bug fixes
Fixed calibration images not showing calibration running on web page
Fixed bad color in pixels in very bright lighting
Fixed 1 pixel wide artifacts that could occur along encoder boundaries
3.7.0
Features
Added support for DJI Skyport V2 hardware.
Added support for Freefly Astro systems.
Added support for new 27.4 mm lens (21030-01).
Reduced session startup time.
Improved sharpening of camera to reduce "soft" images.
Bug fixes
Firmware updates will now delete all images on camera when applied to prevent image corruption issues.
Fixed color artifacts when pixels were saturated at very low ISO values Fixed improper encoding for exif tag GPSProcessingMethod.
Fixed rare issue causing invalid exif tag GPSHPositioningError.
3.6.0
Features
Improved color and behavior of saturated pixels in images.
Improved vignetting correction settings.
Allow settable baud rates on all UARTS for OEM integrators.
Add ExifImageHeight and ExifImageWidth tags to jpegs to allow easier reading of image size.
Allow triggering captures via the cameras pushbutton.
Update branding on configuration webpages.
Inhibit DJI Skyport image triggers for non-command modes (e.g., overlap mode) to prevent double triggering during flight.
Add support for new gimbal hardware revision.
Bug Fixes
Fix an issue preventing photo counts from updating in DJI Pilot.
Fix a rare image corruption issue causing bad captures and missing exif data.
3.5.0
Features
Initial Customer Release.
Bug Fixes
N/A
Configuration
Introduction
The configuration page is used to change:
How the 65R interacts with the aircraft it is connected to.
The triggering method
In most cases the 65R is preconfigured based on what aircraft/system the camera is ordered for and the configuration doesn't need to be changed.
To learn how to change the configuration of the 65R or change the overlap for auto-height overlap mode, see the pages linked below.
How To Instructions
Platform/Metadata Configuration
The platform and metadata configuration is used to tell the 65R what aircraft it will be used with and where data sources (altitude, GPS, heading, etc) will come from.
Config File
The Config File field will display the currently config file. It also contains the change button used for changing the config file.
Depending on the current config file there will be limited config files displayed in the change menu. To display all configuration file options select the "All platform configurations" and/or the "Advanced configurations" radio buttons as shown in the advanced tab below.
Config Type
The Config Type is tied to the config file and gives more specific instruction about the metadata sources. The config names and data source information are listed below.
Name
GPS Source
Attitude Source
Trigger Source
Platform Complatibility
Configurations with 65R Sensor Internal IMU as an Attitude source does not contain yaw/heading information.
Trigger
The trigger field is used to set the trigger type and related settings.
Trigger Type
The Command trigger type is used when the trigger commands come directly from the aircraft autopilot.
No settings are provided for this mode. The sensor will only trigger if it receives a trigger command from MAVLink, the web page, Payload SDK, or the custom Sentera Protocol.
The External trigger type is used when an external source is used to trigger the 65R.
There are 4 options for the external trigger commands. See the details in the table below.
In the IF800 GNSS configuration, the RTK-PPK module is required to initialize the sensor. Without the RTK-PPK module, the sensor will not get green LED indicator lights, and will not be ready to capture data.
Name
GPS Source
Attitude Source
Trigger Source
Platform Complatibility
MAVLink-V2
MAVlink Autopilot
MAVlink Autopilot
MAVlink Autopilot
Custom MAVlink Autopilot Systems
Name
GPS Source
Attitude Source
Trigger Source
Platform Complatibility
Sentera PHX
PHX Autopilot (MAVlink V1)
PHX Autopilot (MAVlink V1)
PHX Autopilot (MAVlink V1)
PHX
Name
GPS Source
Attitude Source
Trigger Source
Platform Complatibility
DGR Dual Fixed - Primary
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
M300
M350
DGR Dual Fixed - Secondary
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
Rising/Falling Edge
Low/High PWM
Mode
Description
Rising Edge
The trigger input must be stable for 50 milliseconds to register as a commanded trigger. This is also known as the mechanical switch debounce period.
Falling Edge
The trigger input must be stable for 50 milliseconds to register as a commanded trigger. This is also known as the mechanical switch debounce period.
Low PWM
The lower value of the PWM TRIGGER input in milliseconds.
High PWM
The higher value of the PWM TRIGGER input in milliseconds.
The trigger input is the TRIGGER signal on connector J2.
