User Guide

HD-12 Display Monitor

Revision 0.1 – September 2008

© AeroComputers, Inc. 1993-2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This document contains information proprietary to AeroComputers. Unauthorized reproduction or

disclosure, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of AeroComputers, is strictly prohibited.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Contact AeroComputers for additional
information about revisions to this document.

UltiChart™ is a trademark of AeroComputers, Inc. Other product and trade names are trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.

AeroComputers, Inc.
2889 W. Fifth Street Suite 111
Oxnard, CA 93030
USA
(805) 985-3390 - Office
(805) 984-8782 - Fax
[email protected]
www.aerocomputers.com

AeroComputers, Inc. 1993-2008 Page 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the HD-12 display....................................................................................... 3

Labeled Diagram of HD-12 ............................................................................... 4
Unpacking the HD-12........................................................................................ 5
Display Monitor Connections ............................................................................ 5
LCD Features.................................................................................................... 5
Touch Screen Features..................................................................................... 5
Installation ............................................................................................................ 6
Power, Video & Control Cable Connections...................................................... 6
Operating the Display ........................................................................................... 7
Powering on the Display ................................................................................... 7
Manual Brightness Adjustment ......................................................................... 8
NVG/Night Mode Selection ............................................................................... 8
Video Input Source Selection............................................................................ 8
Video Loop-through .......................................................................................... 9
On-Screen Display Controls.............................................................................. 9
Specifications ..................................................................................................... 10
Touch Panel Connector .................................................................................. 10
HD-SDI Input................................................................................................... 10
V1 and V2 NTSC Inputs.................................................................................. 10
VGA Adapter Connector ................................................................................. 10
Mating Power Connector................................................................................. 11
Warranty & Service Information.......................................................................... 12

AeroComputers, Inc. 1993-2008 Page 2

About the HD-12 display

The HD-12 from AeroComputers is the next-generation high-definition (HD)

display monitor for airborne applications.

Designed for law enforcement, public safety and military clients, the HD-12
features extremely durable powered-coated billet aluminum enclosures, extra-
bright backlights, anti-reflective enhancements, and hard-coated screens. The
HD-12 offers a wide variety of new features to increase safety in the cockpit, and
help operators accomplish their missions.

Optional features include the NVG filtering and highly sensitive touch screens
tactical airborne mission operators have come to trust.

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 Labeled Diagram of HD-12

Mounting Holes

Manual Brightness Knob

OSD Menu Button

NVG/Night Mode Button

Up Selection Button

MAP Input Button Down Selection Button

HD Input Button Up Adjust Button

Video 1 Input Button Down Adjust Button

Plastic Screen Protector

Video 2 Input Button Power Button

Front View

Video Input/Output
Connections and Labels

Power Connector

Rear View
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Unpacking the HD-12

The HD-12 packaging includes the actual display monitor and the mating 4-pin
circular power connector. It is the responsibility of the installer to provide all
cables and connectors to onboard video sources.

NOTE: A plastic sheet has been applied to the surface of the display for
protection during shipping and installation. Only remove this sheet once the
display has been installed in the aircraft.

Display Monitor Connections

The monitor provides the following connectors:

• Power (28VDC) • Video 1 (NTSC/PAL)

• DVI • Video 2 (NTSC/PAL)
• VGA • S-Video
• HD-SDI input • RS-232 Touchscreen Control
• HD-SDI output (optional)

LCD Features

The HD-12 provides ultra-bright output and allows for easy viewing at a variety of
ambient light levels from daylight to complete darkness. A quick-adjust knob
allows the user to adjust the intensity of the backlight to suit his needs.

The HD-12’s features a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD) with
high-intensity backlighting. An anti-reflective hard coating on the panel allows for
better daytime viewing and less reflections from cockpit lights during low-light
operations. Optional NVG lighting can be specified for this model.

Touch Screen Features

The HD-12 is available with optional touch-screen enhancements to facilitate

control of a connected UltiChart™ Tactical Mapping System. The touch-screen
option allows the user to set or change targets by controlling the on-screen
cursor. Moving fingers across the display works similarly to using an optional
mouse, and the cursor follows the finger movements anywhere on the screen.
The user can select a function on-screen by double clicking any selectable
display item.

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Installation

The HD-12 display monitor is designed to be panel mounted using the four holes
at the corners of the display. These mounting holes accommodate a wide variety
of existing mounting hardware, and provide a means for easy “drop-in
replacement” of older monitors. Alternate mounting scenarios may also be
feasible based on specific customer requirements.

Special electronic controls accommodate different monitor mounting positions to

provide standard left-to-right and top-to-bottom display video. The HD-12 also
features the ability to reverse the on-screen image for situations where the
monitor must be viewed by means of a mirror.

Power, Video & Control Cable Connections

NOTE: Due to variations in aircraft design, determination of cable run lengths,

cable types and routing methods for the HD-12 and other products are the
responsibility of the installer.

As part of the HD-12 installation kit, three-wire power connectors are supplied to
connect to 24-30VDC aircraft power. The current draw of the HD-12 is 1.35
amperes. Refer to the monitor specification for information on other voltage
configurations.

NOTE: All power inputs are reverse power protected and no current will flow into
the display monitor with reversed-polarity power.

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Operating the Display

The wide range of operational controls, settings, and user-specified options for
AX-series display monitors can accommodate high- to low-brightness LCD
monitor requirements of most helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft. As typical
example, the image above shows the AX-series display in use during a night
operation.

Powering on the Display

The [PWR] button is located at the bottom right side of the display face. A single
press of the [PWR] button will turn on the monitor. Pressing the [PWR] button a
second time will shut off power to the monitor. When the display is powered on,
all of the buttons around the face of the display will become illuminated for easy
viewing in low-light situations.

When the display is powered on, the video source and settings last used are
recalled. If equipped with optional NVG filtering, the display will power on with
the NVG setting last used.

NOTE: If no video sources are detected when the display is powered on, the
screen will display a yellow message indicating the display is is “power save

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mode”. Please ensure all video sources are powered on 10 seconds before
powering up the HD-12.

Manual Brightness Adjustment

Located at the upper-right side of the display face, the manual brightness
adjustment knob controls the master brightness level. Turning the knob
clockwise increases the brightness, and turning the knob counterclockwise
decreases the brightness. The white dot on the face of the knob indicates the
current brightness setting.

NOTE: In order to prevent bright lighting in a dark cockpit, it is recommended to

start with a darker setting (almost all the way counterclockwise) and gradually
increase the brightness to the desired maximum level.

NVG/Night Mode Selection

Also located on the upper-left side of the display face is the NVG/Night Mode
Selection button (labled [NVG]). This button either activates NVG filtering if
available, or triggers a twenty-percent reduction in the backlighting level to
decrease cockpit illumination and reduce glare during low-light operations. When
NVG/Night Mode is enabled, the modified lighting level will be carried across all
video inputs. NVG/Night Mode can be toggled on and off by pressing the [NVG]
button.

Video Input Source Selection

Along the left side of the display are the video input source selection buttons,
[MAP], [HD], [V1] and [V2]. These buttons correspond to the similarly named
inputs on the back of the display, and allow for one-touch video switching
between video sources. It is normal for there to be a slight delay between
pressing a video source selection button, and the new source displaying on the
screen.

NOTE: The AeroComputers UltiChart™ Tactical Mapping System includes a

video loop through feature allowing video and map input sources to be switched
with zero latency. Please see the UltiChart™ user guide for additional
information.

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Video Loop-through

The HD-12 features HD-SDI video loop-through functionality. Digital video

content can be viewed on the display, and simultaneously passed through to
other compatible devices such as HD-SDI recorders. This is accomplished by
connecting the video source to the HD-SDI IN connector, and a separate cable to
the secondary device using the HD-SDI OUT connector.

On-Screen Display Controls

Located on the right side of the display face are the On-Screen Display (OSD)
control buttons, [MENU, [SEL], [DOWN], and [UP]. These buttons allow for fine
adjustments to the monitor settings. The OSD is enabled by pressing the
[MENU] button. The menu then presents a set of user controls for modifying
specific display settings. The [UP] and [DOWN] buttons are used to move
horizontally within the main menu – [UP] scrolls to the right, [DOWN] scrolls to
the left. Pressing the [SEL] key when the required setting icon is selected will
display a sub-menu with additional options. Within the sub-menus, the [UP] and
[DOWN] buttons are used to move up and down.

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Specifications

Touch Panel Connector

(Standard serial protocol, 8-wire resistive, 9-pin male D-type connector)

Pin In/Out Signal Meaning

1 In DCD Data Carrier Detect
2 In RD Receive Data
3 Out TD Transmit Data
4 Out DTR Data Terminal Ready
5 -- SG Signal Ground
6 In DSR Data Set Ready
7 Out RTS Request to Send
8 In CTS Clear to Send
9 In RI Ring Indicator

HD-SDI Input

To ensure video fidelity, please ensure the cable from source to display meets
SMPTE-259/292/296 specifications.

Pin Signal
Center HD-SDI
SHELL Signal Shield

V1 and V2 NTSC Inputs

(BNC connectors)

Pin Signal
Center NTSC / PAL
SHELL Signal Shield

VGA Adapter Connector

(15-pin HDD-type female connector)

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 Pin Signal
1 Red Video
2 Green Video
3 Blue Video
4 N/C (Reserved)
5 GND
6 Red GND
7 Green GND
8 Blue GND
9 [KEY]
10 Sync GND
11 N/C (Reserved)
12 N/C (Reserved)
13 Horizontal Sync
14 Vertical Sync
15 N/C (Reserved)

Mating Power Connector

(4-pin circular connector)

Pin Signal
A +18 –28 VDC
B Ground (neg)
C Not used
D Not used

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Warranty & Service Information

The HD-12 display monitor comes with a one-year hardware warranty. In the
event the display requires service or support, please contact AeroComputers.
Our service department has the expertise required to diagnose and quickly solve
problems.

NOTE: Do not attempt to open the monitor’s case. Separation of the front or
rear bezel may result in damage to the monitor’s internal components and will
void the manufacturer’s warranty.

Contact information for the AeroComputers service department is listed below:

[email protected]
Phone – (805) 985-3390
Fax – (805) 984-8782

AeroComputers, Inc. 1993-2008 Page 12