Shark Byte TX5R.1 Manual

The Shark Byte TX5R.1 is a digital HD 720p 60fps video transmitter capable of delivering up to 200mw on 5.8GHz. The TX5R.1 works with the Shark Byte RX5.1 goggle module to transmit video, and with a remote controller to wirelessly control the parameters for the transmitter and camera.

The power input range is 7V – 26V (2S – 6S). Though the TX5R.1 has an integrated surge protection circuit, a large capacitor (220+uF) parallel with battery leads is recommended to smooth the power supply of the whole quad.

The connection between TX5R.1 and FC

There are 3 methods to connect the TX5R.1 and flight controller:

- Plug the included harness, cut the cables to

- appropriate length, and solder them on FC

- Use solder pads on the back of the connector

- For FCs having BEC and UART connector, install harness to the included PH2.0 connector (Shown above), and connect the harness with FC without any welding.

Mounting u.FL antenna or pigtail

There are 2 methods to mount the antenna on TX5R.1:

- Use included retention screws, nuts, and plate;

- Use included zip-ties.

Using SmartAudio to control TX5R

TX5R.1 can be controlled by FC using the TBS SmartAudio V2.1.

Notes:

1. TX5R.1 supports SmartAudio PIT mode, it is 0.1mW RF output when PIT mode is ON.

2. TX5R.1 doe not support SmartAudio out range PIT mode.

3. When TX5R.1 boots up, it will automatically detect the existence of a valid SmartAudio link with FC. If the link exists, FC will fully control TX5R.1’s RF output power via SmartAudio. Otherwise, TX5R.1 will use its own RF power management which is described on RF Power Management for TX5S.1/ TX5M.1/ TX5R.1 (w/o SmartAudio).

To enable SmartAudio, connect the SA pin of TX5R.1 to an available UART port of FC and assign that port as peripheral “VTX(TBS SmartAudio)”. TX5R.1 needs another full UART port for MSP canvas mode.

In order to FC controls TX5R.1, frequency and power table are needed to be set as below. Please note that TX5R.1 only supports Race Band.

3 different RF power levels are specified in the above table. #1 and #2 specify 25 mW and 200mW RF power respectively, and #3 is to turn off RF output completely.

TX5R.1 will become very hot if it is on the bench without airflow even it is on 25mW or PIT mode. It is recommended to put TX5R.1 on #3 while the quad is waiting in line.

When #3 is selected from the SmartAudio menu by mistake, the receiver will lose the video feed for VTX is not transmitting. Use stick command to exit #3 mode.

The above setting can also be done with the following CLI commands:

vtxtable bands 1

vtxtable channels 8

vtxtable band 1 RACEBAND R FACTORY 5658 5695 5732 5769 5806 5843 5880 5917

vtxtable powerlevels 3

vtxtable powervalues 0 1 2

vtxtable powerlabels 25 200 0

save

With SmartAudio, users can change channel number and power level even when the quad is on air.

Example 1: Map a 3-phase button (aux channel 3) to 3 different RF power levels (25mW, 200mW, and 0mW).

vtx 0 2 0 0 1 900 1300

vtx 1 2 0 0 2 1300 1700

vtx 2 2 0 0 3 1700 2100

save

Example 2: Map a 3-phase button (aux channel 4) to Channel 1, 2, and 3.

vtx 3 3 0 1 0 900 1300

vtx 4 3 0 2 0 1300 1700

vtx 5 3 0 3 0 1700 2100

save

RF Power Management for TX5S.1/ TX5M.1/ TX5R.1 (w/o SmartAudio)

All Shark byte VTXs have the following settings for its RF power level management. These settings can be changed over the VTX menu.

POWER: The desired RF power level is selectable between 25mW, 200mW (and 500mW for TX5M.1). The actual RF power level depends on the other settings and quad status.

PIT_MODE: The three modes of this setting are:

1. P1mW: The output RF power will be 0.1mW (in order to not interfere with other pilots) in this mode. If the quad is armed, RF output power will be automatically set to the POWER setting within one second.

2. 0mW: There will be zero RF output in this mode. If the quad is armed, RF output power will be automatically set to POWER setting within one second.

3. OFF: The output RF power will be set to the POWER setting.

Please note that TX5R.1 will still become hot even on P1mW mode. To avoid overheating, make sure to keep TX5R.1 on 0mW mode when it will be idle for a while. Though the receiver will not have live video on this mode, it will come back as soon as the quad is armed.

LP_MODE: If PIT_MODE is OFF and the quad is disarmed, the RF power level will be forced to 25mW (regardless of POWER). It can be changed on the VTX menu only.

Note:

1. VTX Menu is not accessible when SmartAudio is detected for TX5R.1

2. Power/PIT_MODE/LP_MODE is VTX internal settings which can be changed over VTX menu only.