How the 6X interacts with the aircraft it is connected to.
The triggering method
In most cases the 6X 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 6X 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 6X 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
DJI Skyport
DJI Autopilot
DJI Autopilot
DJI Autopilot
M300
M350
M200
M210
Sentera GPS
Sentera External GPS
65R Sensor Internal IMU
65R Sensor
M300
M350
M200
M210
Astro
IF800
IF1200
Custom
Name
GPS Source
Attitude Source
Trigger Source
Platform Complatibility
Freefly Astro Gimbal
Astro Autopilot
Astro Autopilot
Astro Autopilot
Astro
Name
GPS Source
Attitude Source
Trigger Source
Platform Complatibility
IF800
IF800 Autopilot
IF800 Autopilot
IF800 Autopilot
IF800
IF1200A
IF200 Autopilot
IF200 Autopilot
IF200 Autopilot
IF1200
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
DJI M300 DGR
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
M300
M350
DJI M600 DGR
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
Sentera DGR Sensor Package
M600
Name
GPS Source
Attitude Source
Trigger Source
Platforms
DJI M600 OSDK
DJI A3 Autopilot
DJI A3 Autopilot
DJI A3 Autopilot
M600
MAVlink
MAVlink V1
MAVlink V1
MAVlink V1
Most MAVlink enabled platforms with configurable serial port.
Sentera GPS
Sentera GPS
6X Sensor Internal IMU
6X Sensor
Custom
Configurations with 6X Sensor Internal IMU as an Attitude source does not contain yaw/heading information and must be flown east facing.
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 6X.
There are 4 options for the external trigger commands. See the details in the table below.
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.
For all modes, the TRIGGER input must be actively driven using 3.3V logic levels.
The Interval trigger type is used to capture images at a specified time interval rather than distance travelled. The minimum capture interval is 0.200 seconds (5Hz).
The sensor will start triggering the moment a session starts, so this may result in images taken on the ground as well as in the air.
The Overlap trigger type is used when the the 6X is being powered by an aircraft, not receiving triggers from the aircraft or an external device, and classical overlap settings are used. This is useful for many applications as it removes the need for in depth integration with the aircraft. The 6X in combination with the Light Sensor/GPS will operate without direct communication with the aircraft.
Once 6X detects it is more than the minimum altitude above the takeoff point, it begins to capture images and continues to do so to achieve the correct image overlap. Triggering stops when it detects the platform has departed from the minimum altitude.
The 6X works with any ground station or flight controller in this mode, as it makes calculations about altitude using the GPS receiver’s measured altitude at takeoff.
This is the standard setting for systems without MAVLink or DJI Skyport.
There are 2 overlap modes:
Auto Height (most common)
The 6X detects the flight altitude (AGL) based on the detected GPS altitude between where the session starts (on the ground) and where the aircraft flies at (survey altitude).
Fixed Height
The 6X assumes the survey altitude of the aircraft matches the fixed height input in the altitude box.
Item
Description
Overlap
Changes the frequency of the trigger based on the overlap of the image. Fifty percent overlap means that when the sensor has moved such that 50% of the image is new, an image will be triggered. Use the slider to adjust the overlap percentage in the text box. There are markers present in the slider at settings for typical use cases.
Altitude Type
Selects whether a fixed altitude is used for calculating overlap, or automatic altitude determined from GPS.
Atlitide
Selects whether a fixed altitude is used for calculating overlap, or automatic altitude determined from GPS.
Min AGL
To prevent triggers from occurring while walking around on the ground, a minimum altitude can be set. Any triggers that occur due to the sensor moving around will be blocked if the sensor estimates that its altitude is less than this number.
Min Distance
If the sensor is flying very low to the ground, the overlap setting may result in very rapid triggers. To prevent a flood of images, a minimum trigger distance can be set. This distance is the minimum distance the sensor must travel before the next trigger can be sent.
