Elinchrom EL-Skyport Transmitter: Opening, design, schematics


I got a new light meter (the Sekonic L758DR) which unfortunately can not trigger my Elinchrom studio flashes remotely. Hence I want to built my own trigger module to fit into the L758 RF module slot. In addition I am always curious about the inner guts of my gadgets. Unfortunately the Internet could not help me a lot with information about the Elinchrom Skyport system. So I needed to start my own research. I will post some more information on this system whilst my design work goes on. Today I'm gonna discuss the design of the EL-Skyport transmitter (SPTX-V1.1) as well as some internal key components. This could come in handy in case you have to repair a broken unit, when a switch breaks for e.g.



Elinchrom EL-Skyport Transmitter top



EL-Skyport Transmitter label


As you can see, my Skyport Transmitter SPTX has software version V1.1 flashed. Also clearly visible is the FCC ID. This always comes in handy to get first technical documents of electrical devices.

Opening the Case


First things first: How to open the case. Is it clicked together? Nope. It's glued, you have to crack it open carefully after removing the battery and its slider. (The glued case is also discussed in the documents Elinca S.A. handed in to get FCC approval of its Skyport system: "The plastic housing is glued and can not opened by the customer." You just have to search for the FCC ID UV7EL-SKYPORT on the FCC website to bring up the documents which are public. I like the "Operational Description" most.) What I used to help do the job is an old guitar pick, starting to pry where the two white slide switches leave an opening in the housing.


The below pictures show some details of the top cover. No plastic hooks, just glue.



Skyport Transmitter top cover.



Top cover detail.



Top cover detail - different angle.


Internal Pictures

After removing the four screws that hold the PCB to the top cover, we can further investigate the inner guts of the transmitter.
Here are a couple of hi-res pics of the open case.



PCB in housing - top view.


You can easily recognize the parts that are visible from the outside: The antenna and switches. The key components of the Skyport Transmitter are a PIC microcontroller and a single chip 2.4 GHz transmitter IC with its 16 MHz crystal. There is not much more to discover.



PCB bottom view.


The bottom side of the PCB hosts the contacts for the Lithium battery. Also, the flash sync signals(X1, X2) and battery (X5, X6) are connected here. On the right side you can see how the hot shoe and 2.5mm sync contacts are wired.


Microcontroller: Microchip PIC16LF628A


The heart of the transmitter is a Microchip PIC16LF628A Flash-based, 8-Bit CMOS microcontroller in an 18-pin SSOP housing, labeled as U1. It has a 4 MHz internal oscillator which is used in the Elinchrom application (there is no external crystal to the micro). The reason the design engineer at Elinchrom did choose the PIC16LF628A versus the non "L" version is that the PIC16LF628A works down to a supply voltage of 2.0 volts instead of the 3.0 volts of the PIC16F628A (keep in mind that the CR2430 battery is only 3.0V).


2.4 GHz Transmitter IC: Nordic Semiconductor nRF2402G


The RF part consists of the Nordic Semiconductor nRF2402G single chip 2.4 GHz RF transmitter IC which is labeled U2. Most of the surrounding components in the Elinchrom application are according to the reference application described in the nRF 2402G datasheet. The on air data rate the Skyport transmitter uses is 250 kbps. This is also mentioned in the "Operation Description" mentioned above.


Slide Switches: Copal Electronics CMS-2412A


The slide switches S1 and S2 to select the TX operation modes and groups are Copal Electronics CMS-2412A. I could not figure out the internal wiring of the switches as well as the supplier at the beginning. So I had to desolder them. This did also help me while drawing the schematics.



PCB top side detail with one COPAL switch desoldered (yes, I did burn the other one in a moment of nonattention).


SMD DIP Switch


The 3-way, 6-pin switch S3 used to select the Skyport operating channels is an ordinary SMD DIP switch. I did not do research to find out the exact part number or supplier name.


SMD Push Switches


The same applies for the standard SMD push switches which are used for the "+" (S6), "-" (S5) and "Test" (S4) buttons. I did not try to find out the exact part number as many different suppliers could be used in case a repair should be necessary.


Hot Shoe Connector


The hot shoe contacts are directly tied to the plastic housing of the Skyport Transmitter. In the schematics, it is denoted a J1.


2.5 mm Sync Connector


This is also no dedicated single part. J2 in the schematic.


Antenna Connector


The antenna connector is named as J3 in the schematics. The antenna can be removed from its jack when the case is opened but not when it is closed.


Programming Header


There are pads on the PCB which are used to program the PIC. In the schematics I named this header J4. I did not try to read out the PIC since I do not have the equipment at hand right now. I bet the FUSE bits are set anyhow. Anyone out there who might give it a try?


More Pictures


Finally there are two more hi-res pics of the Elinchrom EL-Skyport Transmitter internals. This time with the two slide switches removed to reveal the PCB wiring underneath.



Elinchrom EL-Skyport Transmitter PCB top view.



Elinchrom EL-Skyport Transmitter PCB bottom view.


Schematic


Finally I drew a schematic of what I saw on the PCB. For some components I could not figure out the exact value (especially L and C). I then added the value from the datasheet reference circuits when I was pretty sure the Elinchrom application uses the same. Where I think the application uses different values (especially in the antenna matching circuit), I put the datasheet values in brackets to give some orientation or no values at all.




More to come


There is a little more to come. I did decode all messages going from the PIC to the NRF2402G with a SPI protocol decoder. Together with the RF IC datasheet, I could figure out which settings are used for the configuration of the NRF2402G. I will write about this in an upcoming blog post. With this information, it is possible to build your own RF flash trigger for the Elinchrom Skyport system, maybe with an Arduino board as a starting point.

This entry was posted by t0bY! on Monday, May 27. 2013 at 18:51. and is filed under Basteln. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own blog.

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  1. Elinchrom EL-Skyport Transmitter: Protocol and configuration

    Following my dissection of the EL-Skyport Transmitter and drawing its schematic, I have further analyzed how this remote flash trigger works. Since a Nordic nRF2402G is used for the transmitter's RF part, the datasheet was a good starting point. The PIC

    Weblog: infar.be
    Tracked: Jul 11, 20:56

Comments

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  1. Carlos May says:
    #1 2013-06-16 07:45 (Reply)

    Hi,
    Sometimes I have problems with the range distance of Skyport, sometimes on location had problems with elinchrom strobes that were further away from the transmitter. Do you think that a change (DIY), using a larger antenna 2.4GHz on the transmitter could help?

    Thank's

  2. t0bY! says:
    #1.1 2013-06-16 20:50 (Reply)

    Absolutely! I think an antenna modification would increase the range of the Skyport Transmitter. You also wanna consider improving the Receiver's antenna, too.
    This thread over at Flickr should be a good starting point for you: https://secure.flickr.com/groups/el-skyport/discuss/72157615108512577/

  3. Carlos May says:
    #1.1.1 2013-06-17 01:32 (Reply)

    Thanks for the link. The change in antenna PT02 was something I had seen in the past and it was exactly what I did entertain the idea of ​​customizing my Skyport transmitter.

    I use the Skyport transmitter with flashes BX 500 RI. I've thought about doing the external antenna flashes, but actually I do not know where it comes the biggest cause for limited range of operation, it comes with built-in flash or come Skyport Transmitter.

  4. t0bY! says:
    #1.1.1.1 2013-06-20 07:17 (Reply)

    Carlos,

    unfortunately I do not know the internals of the BX500RI, since I am using the Rangers. I would bet it's a better idea to have a better antenna at the BX500RI. Simply because a bigger antenna does not disturb your workflow so much. Cou could open the unit (be very careful because there are capacitors loaded with a lot of energy), disable the current antenna and solder a coaxial cable from the antenna point to a SMA connector which cou place at the housing. The use a standard high gain WiFi antenna. What I can say is that the transmitter already operates at its maximum power (0 dBm). Besides having a better antenna for the transmitter, you could have a small amplification circuit to extend the transmitter's range. But this (and as well as having antennas with higher gain) may be illegal in some countries.

    I did never run into range problems with my Skyport system. So what is the youse case at your side? Do you have to cope with long distances or working in buildings?

  5. Alex Beckett says:
    #2 2013-06-22 00:54 (Reply)

    Ah this is brilliant. I'm just about to build my own Arduino based bride between the Pocketwizard flex system and the skyport. If you are able to publish the SPI messages that would be totally awesome.

    Alex

  6. t0bY! says:
    #2.1 2013-06-22 08:22 (Reply)

    At the moment I have a lot of other private stuff going on and also enjoy the nice weather. But I've measured what I need and it's just a matter of some spare time to write down everything. I hope I can publish this during the next two weeks.
    I have bought a NRF24L01+ module and hooked it up to my Arduino. If you not already know this resources, it might come in handy for you: http://playground.arduino.cc/InterfacingWithHardware/Nrf24L01
    The NRF24L01+ is the successor of the and compatible with the NRF2402G used in the Skyport Transmitter.

  7. George says:
    #3 2013-06-28 10:48 (Reply)

    There is already a solution. Just have a look at www.triggerwizard.de

  8. t0bY! says:
    #3.1 2013-06-28 11:28 (Reply)

    Yes, I know there is a solution available. Unfortunately it is a closed design. I will make my work public in case anyone wants to learn about this or build and anhance the design themselves.

  9. Alex Beckett says:
    #4 2013-07-09 13:00 (Reply)

    Hi Tony,

    Yes I saw that, just bought one. My solution at the moment is just hacking a skyport transmitter but I'd love to be able to do it properly. Do let me know when you're willing to release your info on the protocol.

    My project is currently working though using a hacked up skyport. Pretty cool to be able to control skyport power with a pocketwizard!

    Alex

  10. t0bY! says:
    #4.1 2013-07-09 17:21 (Reply)

    Hi Alex,

    just bear with me some more days. The article is almost finished. What it will give you is the messages between the PIC and the nRF2402G. So for your project you would need to connect this IC to the Arduino. Unfortunately the successor nRF24L01+ uses different messages. But adapting everything to the new IC is then my next task. The hardware for the Arduino is already at my desk ;)

    Do you have also some information or pictures available for your solution?

    Cu,
    t0bY!

  11. Alex Beckett says:
    #5 2013-07-09 23:16 (Reply)

    Hi Toby,

    My nRF24L01+ just arrived so I'm keen to play when I should be working. I wondering about putting it into receive mode and using a skyport trigger to see if I can capture some of the traffic. To do that though I obviously need to know the frequency and channel that the skyport uses. Don't suppose you'd be able to help me out with a clue on that?

    I'm afraid I've not got any photos of mine yet. Basically what I've done though is to solder connectors onto the +, - and fire buttons. I then mapped these to the Arduino's digital out ports to fire. One thing to note for anyone trying that though is that they actually short to ground to fire. As such you need to turn on the arduino's built in pull up resistor.

  12. t0bY! says:
    #5.1 2013-07-10 07:05 (Reply)

    The frequencies is an easy one. They are described in the Skyport manuals ;)
    I also will try to probe the EL-Skyport with the nRF24L01+. At the moment it's not 100% clear to me how long the receiver address is. One, two, three or four Byte. Let's see...


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