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CUAV PW-Link Docs: Tutorial, Firmware & Troubleshooting
PW-Link Radio
Overview
PW-Link is a 2.4G wireless WIFI data transmission module developed by CUAV; it can be used for drone close-range communication.
To adapt to different needs, it is divided into two versions:
- Aluminum version: Has an aluminum alloy case and uses a built-in antenna.
- Suite Edition: It comes in a v5+/v5 nano kit and is not sold separately; it has no case and uses an external antenna.
Key Indicators
| features | instruction |
|---|---|
| processor | ESP8266 |
| Wireless standards | IEEE 802.11g、IEEE 802.11b |
| transmission speed | 11g：Maximum reach 54Mbps、11b：Maximum reach 11Mbps |
| Link mode | UDP：14550 |
| Channel range | 1-13 (default 11 channels) |
| frequency range | 2412 – 2472MHz |
| Transmit power | 18dbm |
| Antenna type | UFL type |
| Wireless security | WPA/WPA2 Security mechanism |
| Letter of agreement | Serial transparent transmission mode |
| traffic rate | 57600 |
| working voltage | 5V +- 0.25V |
| working current | 100MA |
| working temperature | -20 – 50°C |
| Working humidity | 10% – 90%RH（noncondensing） |
| Storage temperature | -40 – 80°C |
| Storage humidity | 5% – 90%RH（noncondensing） |
Working Model
Use tutorial
Connect to Flight Control
Use the dedicated data cable to connect the line of PW_LINK to the RADIO/TELEM interface of the flight control (radio rx pin connection flight control tx pin, radio tx pin connection flight control rx pin).
Connection Mission Planner
Specific steps are as follows:
The computer uses a wireless network card to connect to the network CUAVWlink_XXXXXX, password cuavwlink;
Open the Mission Planner software, select the UDP option in the upper right corner, and click the Connect button;
Finally, in the pop-up port edit field, enter 14550, click OK;
Wait for data reception to complete;
Note: Some users report that the computer is connected to the PW-Link network, but the Mission Planner cannot receive data. The reason for this problem is because you have disabled network permissions.
Upgrade firmware
At present, no online update program is provided for the PW-Link module, requiring the user to manually update the program. Need to download burn software and the latest version of the package, and unzip the packages. The specific programming steps are as follows:
- Run the burning software ESP8266Flasher.exe, click the Advanced option, and modify the corresponding options as shown in the figure;
- Click the Config option, then click the right triangle to change the file name to the following image. Look at the green font area and click on the triangle icon in the area.
Find the file with the same name on the right and click Open to set the file path. (Note that the file path of the green area corresponds to the file name of the right white font)
- Click on the Operation option and use the burn line to connect the TTL board to your computer’s usb (you can make a custom burn line to see the ttl board and the logo on the back of the pw_link, and connect the gnd and 5v accordingly. , rx, tx cross-connect) Select the corresponding port \ (port can be viewed in the My Computer “device manager” port), hold down the data recovery module recovery button and power module, click the Flash button;
- The prompt success map is as follows (Flash module blue LED will flash;
The latest version is now 2.0.0. After the module is running normally, IO0 is shorted to GND for more than 5 seconds to restore the network’s default configuration. The blue light is on or off indicating that the recovery is complete. Remember not to short-circuit and power up at the same time. This is to enter the programming mode.
Common Problem
connection is abnormally interrupted
Please check if the antenna and power supply are normal. If it is normal, please use a mobile phone or other device to try to connect and observe if there is the same situation.
(Because some pc network card performance is not high, the receiving ability is weak, easy to break).
The wifi connection is successful, but the ground station cannot be connected
Please check the settings in accordance with the instructions for use of the software. If correct, please use other devices to try to connect. If it is possible to connect, check the firewall settings of the computer and the wifi connection status. If other equipment cannot be connected, check whether the flight control data transmission port is normal.
Reset Password
No button version: IO0 shorted to GND for over 5S is the function to restore the default configuration of the network. The blue light is on or off, indicating that the recovery is completed. Remember not to short-circuit and power up at the same time. This is to enter the programming mode.
There is a button version: long-press the button for 5s after powering on; that is to restore the network’s default configuration function. The blue light is always on or off, indicating that the recovery is completed. Remember not to short-circuit and power up at the same time. This is to enter the programming mode.
