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Red Hen VMS-333 User Manual

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VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile
User Guide
V
1.0
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Summary of Contents for Red Hen VMS-333

  • Page 1 VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide ERSION...

  • Page 2: Copyright And Trademarks

    First Edition. This material may not be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part without the written permission of Red Hen Systems, Drake Professional Park, 2627 Redwing Road, Suite 235, Fort Collins, CO 80526. Trademark Notices VMS-333 Video Mapping System™, VMS-Mobile, MediaMapper®, MediaMapper ELITE®, EZdiff™, RHVoice are trademarks of Red Hen Systems, LLC.

  • Page 3: Fcc Notice

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 FCC Notice This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Scenario 1. Connect the VMS-333 to the video camcorder ............. 20 Scenario 2. Connect the VMS-333 to a DSLR still camera ..............21 Scenario 3. Connect the VMS-333 External Feature Trigger cable to the DLSR camera PC connector............................... 22 Note: In standard use, you would EITHER use the Flash Feedback Cable -OR- use the External Feature Trigger button;...
  • Page 5 Light indicators (LEDs) ........................27 Audio indicators..........................28 7.0 Using an Android Device with the VMS-333 and DSLR Cameras ............29 7.1 Connect the Android device to the VMS-333 ................29 7.2 Optional: Connect the Android device directly to a Nikon DSLR camera ........29 7.3 Start up VMS-Mobile and examine the home screen ..............
  • Page 6 C.1 NMEA 0183 Version 2.0 Interface ....................59 C.2 Trimble GPS Receivers ......................... 59 GGA. Global Positioning System Fix Data..................60 RMC. Recommended Maximum Specific GNSS Data ..............61 Appendix D. VMS-333 Warranty ......................62 Copyright © Red Hen Systems...

  • Page 7: Preface

    Preface Who is this guide for? This User Guide is for anyone who will be installing or using the VMS-333 and VMS-Mobile Android application. If you are reading this, you are probably one of the following types of people: ...

  • Page 8: Section 1. Introducing The Vms-333

    1.1 What is VMS-333 and what does it do? When it comes to right-of-way patrol, whether you are flying over power lines, boating along the coast, or driving along a railroad line, the VMS-333 is the ideal device for geotagging audio and video data in real time.

  • Page 9: Why Use Vms-333 And Vms-Mobile

    For ease of use, VMS-Mobile allows you to control the VMS-333 and DSLR camera without being physically connected to it. Note: If you purchased the Red Hen VMS HD-II, you also got a DVR called a NanoFLASH. You can connect the VMS-333 to up to four NanoFLASH units.

  • Page 10: Section 2. Understanding The Equipment

    Make sure the power switch is in the OFF position when connecting to an external power source. 2.2 Parts Inventory This section identifies all the parts you need to properly operate the VMS-333. Photos of each part appear in Section 2.3 Parts Diagrams.
  • Page 11 Flash Hot Shoe to the External Feature Trigger cable. Once connected, this cable provides positive feedback to VMS-333 that the camera has successfully captured a photo. The feedback appears as a large green light on the VMS- Mobile Home screen or on the Android LED...

  • Page 12: Software

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 Software If you plan to display the videos and photos collected with VMS-333 on a map, you need Red Hen MediaMapper, which is NOT included with VMS-333. Item Description Operating system Windows XP, Windows 7 Professional and above Red Hen MediaMapper Version 5.3...

  • Page 13: Parts Diagrams

    Version 1.0 2.3 Parts Diagrams This section shows you what each part in the hardware inventory looks like for easy recognition. All necessary parts Red Hen Systems VMS-333 GPS hardware GPS receiver (wired) COM cable for helicopter Feature trigger cable Flash Feedback cable Copyright ©...
  • Page 14 VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 All necessary parts (cont’d) Computer serial (9-pin) cable Cigarette lighter adapter USB mini-B cable Audio cable 3.5mm male-to-male 4" Copyright © Red Hen Systems...

  • Page 15: Getting To Know The Controls And Connectors

    3.1 Identify the VMS-333 components The VMS-333 has a variety of buttons and ports on the front and side of it, as well as some adjustable screws on the bottom of it. The following photos and lists help you recognize each button and port.

  • Page 16: Side

    MediaMapper and when you click the icon, you see the associated photo. Note. If the VMS-333 unit is nearby, you can use the FT button instead of the cabled feature trigger. You can even use both, since each will produce a different icon on the map.

  • Page 17: Bottom

    Speaker. Outputs the status tones and clicks emitted by the VMS-333. For details on what the sounds mean, see section 6.8 Pay Attention to Indicators.  InterComm. Refers to the pilot or operator’s head set connected to the VMS-333 via the COM port on the side of the VMS-333 ...

  • Page 18: Nanoflash

     Status. Indicates the status of the NanoFLASH.  Audio port. Can be used to test the VMS-333 and NanoFLASH connection (connect this to the headset or speaker to test).  Remote. Connects to a thumb trigger that lets you manually start and stop recording (this is useful if the NanoFLASH box is too far away to press the red button on the side).

  • Page 19: Setting Up Your Gps Receiver

    1. Activate an accompanying Bluetooth GPS Receiver, such as the GlobalSat BT GPS Receiver, in close proximity to your VMS-333. 2. Once the GPS receiver has obtained a GPS fix, the data will be forwarded to the VMS-333, via the Bluetooth connection. A GPS fix will then automatically be established on your VMS-333.

  • Page 20: Setting Up The Vms-333

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 5. Setting up the VMS-333 You’re almost ready to start using the VMS-333. There are just a few more tasks to complete so everything is set up. 5.2 Connect the VMS-333 You can connect the VMS-333 directly to several devices: ...

  • Page 21: Scenario 2. Connect The Vms-333 To A Dslr Still Camera

    This scenario is useful for capturing a series of still images. When connected to a Nikon DSLR camera, the VMS-333 acts as an intervalometer. This means it controls how often, for how long, and how many shots are taken to create a collection of continuous corridor image strips..

  • Page 22: Note: In Standard Use, You Would Either Use The Flash Feedback Cable -Or- Use The External Feature Trigger Button; You Would Not Use Both

    1. If you use the External Feature Trigger cable for this purpose, you cannot use it to mark features. 2. Additionally, you must configure the VMS-333 for the feedback feature to work. For details on to configure the settings using VMS-Mobile, see section 7.8.

  • Page 23: Scenario 4. Hook The Vms-333 To The Nanoflash

    Section 4. Setting Up Your GPS Receiver 2. If the receiver is wired, connect it to the GPS port on the VMS-333. Otherwise, if the receiver is wireless, make sure to charge its battery before traveling or connect it to a power supply.

  • Page 24: Test Your Setup

    Version 1.0 8. If you are using a headset, plug it into the COM port of the VMS-333, using the COM adapter cable. This allows you to make audio notes and to hear the sounds coming from the VMS-333 when it is recording data.

  • Page 25: Using The Vms-333 With Video Recorders

    6.0 Using the VMS-333 with Video Recorders Now that you have tested the setup, it's time to start using your VMS-333 in the air, on land, or at sea. This device is protected against reverse polarity. However, do not drop the device or get it wet.

  • Page 26: Upload Recorded Data To The Computer

    Red Data LED is continuously on There is some kind of serious system error that needs to be resolved. This occurs if the VMS-333 is getting more data than it can put in the audio channel, causing bandwidth overflow. This may be because the data is reported too often or unnecessary strings are being sent.

  • Page 27: Audio Indicators

    Blue GPS light flashes fast No GPS fix obtained. Blue GPS LED flashes slowly (it is on more A normal GPS fix is obtained by the VMS-333. than it is off) Blue GPS light is on continuously. A differential GPS fix is obtained by the VMS-333.

  • Page 28: Using An Android Device With The Vms-333 And Dslr Cameras

    VMS-333 to the Nikon DSLR; instead, the Blue2Can connects to the DSLR using the same 10-pin socket as the wired VMS-333. 2. If you have multiple Nikon DLSRs, you can connect one to VMS-333 via the wired 10-pin cable, and then connect the others to VMS-Mobile via Blue2Can attachments. In this situation, VMS-Mobile monitors the Blue2Can-attached cameras and triggers their shutters when VMS-333 triggers the wired DSLR shutter.

  • Page 29: Start Up Vms-Mobile And Examine The Home Screen

    VMS-Mobile is currently connected to the VMS-333 via Bluetooth.  Small red light. Mimics the red LED on the VMS-333, indicating the status of the data sent to the camera or computer. It stays on momentarily during self-diagnostic tests until the VMS-333 is powered up.

  • Page 30: Upload New Firmware To The Vms-333

    7.3 Upload new firmware to the VMS-333 The Red Hen Systems Support Team will do this for you. This task involves connecting the VMS-333 to the computer via a USB and then uploading the hexadecimal code to the VMS-333 unit using the Hyper Terminal interface.

  • Page 31: Load The Offline Map You Want To Access From Vms-Mobile

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 7.4 Load the offline map you want to access from VMS-Mobile When using VMS-Mobile, you need a map displayed on the screen. As long as you are connected to the Internet, you can display Google maps. However, you are not limited to maps that are only available with an Internet connection.
  • Page 32 VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 3. Next, you must define the area on the screen where you want to download the offline maps. You can either define a rectangular area or a linear area as follows: a. To define a rectangular area, select Define Map Area from the expanded map options menu at the bottom of the screen.
  • Page 33 VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 c. To define linear areas associated with a previously recorded track log, click Load GPS Data from the expanded map options menu at the bottom of the screen.  A list of track logs appears. Select one of them.
  • Page 34 VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 c. As mentioned before, downloading can take some time. It’s a good idea to periodically check the Downloading Maps progress bar by accessing it from the Android pull-down notification bar at the top of the device.

  • Page 35: Work With Offline Maps

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 7.4 Work with offline maps Note: Make sure you pressed Offline Maps from the Home screen and have displayed the expanded map options menu. Once offline maps are downloaded and displayed on your Android device, you can select the following functions from the expanded map options menu.

  • Page 36: Load Kml And Kmz Files

    Note: For KML and KMZ output files to be correctly generated by VMS-Mobile, you must shut down VMS-Mobile at end of a session in an orderly manner. This involves: a) exiting the VMS-Mobile Home screen, and then b) stopping the Blue2Can/VMS-333 background task and GPS background task from the Android pull-down notification bar.
  • Page 37 Photo location indicating where the DSLR camera shutter was triggered. Photo locations are numbered (beginning at 1). They are included in the placemark popup descriptions. Point of interest location where the VMS-333 feature trigger or VMS-Mobile Mark Features button was pressed. The eleven user-customized feature names are present in the placemark pop-up descriptions.
  • Page 38 VMS-333 to crash. Google is currently fixing these errors: xxx VMS-333 currently supports only a subset of KML elements (XML tags) for lines, polygons, placemarks, and ground overlays. Additional KML elements will be added in the future. The currently supported KML tags include the following: ...

  • Page 39: Mark A Feature Of Interest

    Instead of using the VMS-333 feature trigger, you can use the VMS-Mobile application to mark a feature of interest. If the VMS-333 is connected to a video camera, the feature of interest will be noted in the audio track; if the VMS-333 is connected to a DSLR camera, the feature of interest will be noted in the track log.

  • Page 40: Customize The Feature Triggers

    Configure screen. Note: The easiest way to set the feature trigger for use is to have Red Hen Systems set up the unit according to your needs before you install it in your aircraft or vehicle.

  • Page 41: Control The Way The Vms-333 Feature Triggers Behave

    If you briefly press the feature trigger, nothing happens. c. Mom. FT & Hold Toggle Interval. When you briefly press the VMS-333 feature trigger, you mark a single feature. However, when you hold down the VMS-333 feature trigger for a longer period of time, you turn on intervalometry so photos are taken at regular intervals.

  • Page 42: Determine If The Camera Is Running Properly

    In VMS-Mobile, the large green light on the home screen lights up briefly when the VMS-333 receives the flash feedback signal. If the Android screen is turned off, the Android tricolor LED turns green when the camera flashes.

  • Page 43: Control The Behavior Of The Dslr Camera

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 7.10 Control the behavior of the DSLR camera With VMS-Mobile you can focus the DSLR camera lens, trigger the camera shutter, and receive feedback when the camera flashes 1. From the VMS-Mobile home screen, click Control Camera and the Control Camera screen appears.

  • Page 44: Set Intervalometry Parameters

    Intervalometry parameters are used to trigger camera shots based on time interval, distance traveled, or field of view when the VMS-333 is also connected to a DSLR still camera. The VMS-333 contains flash memory that “permanently” stores the parameters you set. This means the settings are maintained when power is turned off or when the camera is removed from VMS-333.
  • Page 45 Determine the altitude of the aircraft above the ground by using altitude data from the laser rangefinder if you have one. The rangefinder is attached to the Aux port (RS-232) of VMS-333 and set to range periodically in time. This data is then used to calculate when pictures are taken depending on the measured height above ground level.

  • Page 46: Configure Vms-333 Data

    Version 1.0 7.12 Configure VMS-333 data Using VMS-Mobile, you can specify the type of data the VMS-333 sends the camera. 1. From the VMS-Mobile home screen, select Configure > Data. The Configure Data screen appears with a number of switches you can turn ON and OFF, depending on what data you want sent to the DSLR camera.

  • Page 47: Configure Vms-333 Parameters

    4. Click the Back button at the button of the screen to save your choices and return to the Configure screen. 7.14 Configure VMS-333 buttons You can specify how you want physical button pushes on the VMS-333 or camera to be handled. For details, see Control the way the thumb-trigger and VMS-333 trigger behave.

  • Page 48: Get Familiar With The Vms-Mobile Folder Structure

    KMZ output files.  Contains raw VMS-333 log files. These files are in NMEA format and each record is preceded by a < or > character indicating whether the record was received from (<) or sent to (>) the VMS-333 by VMS Mobile.

  • Page 49: Troubleshooting

    “blocked” by another application. 6. If VMS-Mobile will not connect to the VMS-333, make sure that Bluetooth is enabled in the Android System Settings screen. If VMS-Mobile takes a long time to connect to the VMS-333 (more than 30 seconds) try disabling and then re-enabling Bluetooth in the Android System Settings screen.

  • Page 50: Red Hen Systems Support Team

    8.2 Red Hen Systems Support Team If you reviewed the most common fixes, read the instructions in the manual, and still have problems, it’s time to contact the Red Hen Systems Support Team. Before you do so, make sure to write down this information: 1.

  • Page 51: Appendix A. Quick Reference For Vms-Mobile Screens

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 Appendix A. Quick Reference for VMS-Mobile Screens This appendix serves as a quick reference for the various screens of the VMS-Mobile Android application. The title of each screen tells you what to click to bring up that screen.

  • Page 52: Home > Mark Features

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 Home > Mark Features Home > Configure For details, see: Mark a feature of interest Copyright © Red Hen Systems...

  • Page 53: Home > Configure > Data

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 Home > Configure > Data Home > Configure > Data (long press) For details, see: Configure VMS-333 data For details, see: Configure VMS-333 data Copyright © Red Hen Systems...

  • Page 54: Home > Configure > Buttons

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 Home > Configure > Buttons For details, see: Configure VMS-333 buttons Home > Configure > Buttons > Internal Home > Configure > Buttons > External Feature Trigger Feature Trigger For details, see: Configure VMS-333 buttons...

  • Page 55: Home > Configure > Parameters

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 Home > Configure > Parameters For details, see: Configure VMS-333 parameters Home > Configure > Parameters > Home > Configure > Parameters > Intervalometry Mode > Time Intervalometry Mode > Distance For details, see:...

  • Page 56: Home > Configure > Feature Triggers

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 Home > Configure > Feature Triggers For details, see: Customize the feature triggers Home > Configure > Load KML For details, see: Load KML and KMZ files Copyright © Red Hen Systems...

  • Page 57: Appendix B. Pin-Out Diagrams

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 Appendix B. Pin-out Diagrams B.1 Connectors on VMS-333 Pin # Functional Description Power – Out (12 V) Ground Aux-In (RS-232) Aux-Out (RS-232) FT1 (VCC) Ground Pin # Functional Description GPS In (RS-232) Ground...

  • Page 58: Appendix C. External Gps Receivers

    Note: When using VMS-333 with an external GPS that has a data logger or hand-held computer, the VMS-333 hardware unit is connected directly to the GPS receiver, NOT to the data logger. You will have one receiver port connected to the data logger, and another receiver port used as the data output to the VMS-333 hardware unit’s GPS port.

  • Page 59: Gga. Global Positioning System Fix Data

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 GGA. Global Positioning System Fix Data This string provides the time, position, and fix related data for a GPS receiver. Source: NMEA 0183 – Standard for Interfacing Marine Electronic Devices, Version 3.0, July 1, 2000...

  • Page 60: Rmc. Recommended Maximum Specific Gnss Data

    VMS-333 & VMS-Mobile User Guide Version 1.0 RMC. Recommended Maximum Specific GNSS Data This string conveys the time, date, position, course, and speed data provided by a GNSS navigation receiver. This string is transmitted at intervals not exceeding 2 seconds and is always accompanied by RMB when a destination waypoint is active.

  • Page 61: Appendix D. Vms-333 Warranty

    RED HEN SYSTEMS, LLC, except that RED HEN SYSTEMS, LLC will, at its option, repair or replace the internal GPS card for a one (1) year period following USER’s purchase of the Product; (ii) any Product which has been modified, repaired or altered, except by RED HEN SYSTEMS, LLC;...

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