Zenmuse V2 HDMI board installation caution...

[olof]

First the good news. The on off rec video works as well as take photo. At least in my initial trial hooked to the assitant sw. This is great news. I have the NEX-5n version.

The bad news for me, I broke the HDMI cable removing it from the V1 board, so the video signal is no longer getting through.

Yes I feel stupid. I ordered 2 replacements, should be here early next week.

So just a heads up for anyone else doing this upgrade. It is very easy but be very careful removing the HDMI cable, it is very frail. The cable pulls straight out but it is very easy to damage the crimp end of the cable. I was using a small knife to pry out the cable when the top metal piece on the cable came off and then a couple of the tiny cables just popped out.

Maybe someone here has suggestions for the best way to remove the cable, replacements are $45.00, more than the board.

I would actually recommend ordering a new HDMI cable at the same time, just in case, and it will be nice to have a spare, I have often wondered how long the cable will last because you are removing the cam all the time to replace battery and card. So I will feel better always having one in my tool kit.

You have to do the FW update as well when installing the V2 board. The rest of the install is easy, just keep the cables neat with the sticky pads before fastening the cover back on and be sure not to pinch or crimp any cables.

 

[mitsaras]

$45!! wow... Glad we were able to replace ours without incident. The HDMI cable is ridiculous, even the camera end, with the pcb and the "fan" of tiny wires, seems ready to fall apart. We strengthened it with some sugru. Couldn't DJI use an angled HDMI plug?

 

[r44heli]

Hi olof,

When the V2 board is installed can you still take photos and start stop video?? How did you configure the assistant??
I have the new board but have not fitted it yet.

Thanks

 

[olof]

Hi olof,

When the V2 board is installed can you still take photos and start stop video?? How did you configure the assistant??
I have the new board but have not fitted it yet.

Thanks

I have the NEX-5n it is a different board for the Pany version, but probably works the same in assistant.

In the assistant there is a channel X3 I think it is the lowest one in the panel. I assigned that to a switch on my Futaba TX it is channel 6 normally VPP linked to throttle J3 I just changed it to SA. I am using S-bus, nice just one cable.

This will turn Video Recording on/off, once video rec is off you can use the shutter release channel to take photos. When you are done taking photos you just switch rec video back on. On the Nex5 you can tell when a photois taken as it freezes on the photo for a second and then goes back to live. When recording video it shows a rec label in red on your monitor. I use the DJI 5.8 Vid Down Link.

Just make sure you have the latest Assistant and upgrade your Zenmuse FW. It all works after restart.

Need I mention to be careful with the HDMI cable...

 

[r44heli]

Hi Olof,

Thanks for that. We have NEX5R and we have the photo shutter working fine from the TX. I am glad the HDMI V2 can do both. How do you find the DJI downlink?, I have one
on order - which monitor do you use?? The HDMI camera connection is delicate, we are looking at supporting the connection.

regards

 

[jonnykrash]

Has anyone run into to this problem… I have the Zenmuse Z 15n with the V2 board and upgraded firmware. My signal to my monitor cuts out from time to time. At first I thought it was my OSD or transmitter, but it looks as though the OSD information doesn't disappear during the lost signal. I also noticed that during moments of lost signal, the LED underneath the Zenmuse flashes red. Any thoughts? Ive tried to wiggle the hDMI and control wires to the Zenmuse to rule out a bad connection. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

Hi guys! I'm new to the forum, as well as new to my S800 / WKM / Z15 / NEX-7R. My biggest problem right now is that I cannot get the video to work. I have the DJI iOSD and VDL, and the iOSD information is displayed just fine. Everywhere I read, the main thing I hear is "ensure you have the output to 1080i", which I have done repeatedly. I've confirmed the camera is outputing video by connecting it to an HDMI monitor. I've also confirmed the issue is in the Zenmuse by connecting the monitor directly to the Zenmuse video output and confirming a black signal. I have the V2 board and have the latest firmware. My LED beneath the gimbal is green, and all other functions are working just fine (taking photos, turning video on/off, etc.)

 

[flyingbiscuit]

is the osd ver 1 or 2

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

It's iOSD mark II.

 

[jonnykrash]

you may have your osd set to the wrong channel... there are two...

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

That was one of my initial concerns, but I verified (again this morning) that I am on AV1, and I did switch the video inputs back and forth, and still got only black. Also, I connected my monitor directly to the Zenmuse video output, and I'm getting the same black video out from the Z15 even before it feeds into the iOSD or the VDL.

 

[olof]

You may have a bad HDMI cable, as I mentioned it is pretty frail. Get another one if it fixes the problem great, if not you will have spare in your kit, I think it is essential and shold be part of your kit.

If you have good video just using the hdmi out from camera into a hdmi monitor. Then make sure to set camera to 50i/60i out and be sure you have the correct composite out from the Zen connected to a SD composite input on your monitor and you get nothing then it is either a bad cable or a faulty Zen, most likely the cable. Check and wiggle all the connections.

But I bet your hdmi cable is bad.

Good luck.

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

Thank olof for the flagging possibly a faulty Zen. Sure enough, it was the AV board that was faulty. The vendor that put my RFT package together included in the part kit the original V1 board which I tried and everything works great (minus the video on/off which comes with the V2). They are sending me a replacement V2 board. So I'm thrilled to now have video in my downlink! Thanks everyone for the help.

 

[eyeball]

Just a quick question on the v1 and v2 hdmi boards...how can you tell if you have the v1 or v2 as a friend of mine wants his 5R zen to stop/start?

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

Just a quick question on the v1 and v2 hdmi boards...how can you tell if you have the v1 or v2 as a friend of mine wants his 5R zen to stop/start?

The board has a "V2" printed on it. I heard a rumor that Zenmuses purchased in the last 3-4 months already come with the V2 version.

 

[mguilbau]

Hi there,
I just purchased the HDMI Converter V2 and I have absolutely no reading material on set up at all. Can someone please show me where there are instructions on how to install this board. I hate to make expensive mistakes and I hope to prevent them at this point.

Any help is most appreciated!

Marc

 

[ProPilotWannaBe]

Hi there,
I just purchased the HDMI Converter V2 and I have absolutely no reading material on set up at all. Can someone please show me where there are instructions on how to install this board. I hate to make expensive mistakes and I hope to prevent them at this point.
Any help is most appreciated!
Marc

Marc, I take it you are talking about the little circuit board? If so, it's simply a swapping of the card that is currently there. Under the gimbal, the part that actually holds the camera, on the side where all the wires are, you will see a little aluminum cover held on by 4 screws. Remove the screws and the cover carefully, observing how DJI did it. There should be 3 cables, I believe, each of multiple strands. The most delicate one is the one with dozens of tiny light blue wires. BE SUPER CAREFUL with that one because of the tiny wires. It is also the one that is more difficult to unplug and plug back in. I use a tiny flathead screwdriver (like a 2mm wide one) to gently pry it off. The other two cables are easily unplugged. Then swap out the board, and plug everything back in where it was. The tricky part is getting all the wires nice and tucked back in. You don't want excess wires sticking out, just enough to reach. I used electrical tape and the little foam pads that DJI provided. Then put the cover back on, and screw it back on with the four screws.
Hope that explains it well enough for you. If not, feel free to ask more questions.
Tim

 

[mguilbau]

Marc, I take it you are talking about the little circuit board? If so, it's simply a swapping of the card that is currently there. Under the gimbal, the part that actually holds the camera, on the side where all the wires are, you will see a little aluminum cover held on by 4 screws. Remove the screws and the cover carefully, observing how DJI did it. There should be 3 cables, I believe, each of multiple strands. The most delicate one is the one with dozens of tiny light blue wires. BE SUPER CAREFUL with that one because of the tiny wires. It is also the one that is more difficult to unplug and plug back in. I use a tiny flathead screwdriver (like a 2mm wide one) to gently pry it off. The other two cables are easily unplugged. Then swap out the board, and plug everything back in where it was. The tricky part is getting all the wires nice and tucked back in. You don't want excess wires sticking out, just enough to reach. I used electrical tape and the little foam pads that DJI provided. Then put the cover back on, and screw it back on with the four screws.
Hope that explains it well enough for you. If not, feel free to ask more questions.
Tim

Thank you so very much! I thought that was the sum of it but at this point I have learned to ask before I start working if I have never done it before. Too many bad experiences that end up costing me money and I thank you for helping me here.

Marc