FPV OpenIPC Thinker Air Unit

OpenIPC Thinker is a compact camera and video transmission unit that easily integrates with various RC devices.

Two versions are available:

• Base (Store) — SD card slot, requires an external Wi-Fi module
• Tiny (Store) — integrated RTL8731BU Wi-Fi module[^1], but without an SD card

RTL8731BU: 50mW @ 5G, 125mW @ 2.4G

Specifications

• SoC SSC338Q
• Power: 2–6S
• Built-in 3A BEC
• MEMS microphone
• Interfaces:
  • 3x UART
  • 1x MIPI for the camera
  • 1x USB for Wi-Fi (5V/3.3V)
  • 1x Ethernet
  • 1x power

Physical parameters

• Board size: 25×25 mm
• Weight:
  • Without heatsink: ~8.8 g
  • With heatsink: ~13.4 g
• Holes:
  • PCB: 20×20 mm
  • With heatsink: 25.5×25.5 mm
• Cooling: aluminium heatsink

Cameras

IMX335 (Store)

• 14×14 mm, aluminium housing
• Lens: 140°, f/2.8
• IMX335 sensor with IMU

IMX415 (Store) — a different sensor with the same hardware

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Hardware installation

Connecting power and the flight controller

1. Find the 6-wire power/UART (JST) cable: black, black, yellow, green, red, red
2. Black — to power minus, red — to plus
3. Green → TX, yellow → RX (on the FC)
4. TX to RX, RX to TX
5. Connect the cable to the power/UART2 connector (the heatsink side)

Connecting the Wi-Fi module (Base version only)

1. The Tiny version does not require this step
2. Use the USB cable: red (+), blue (D-), yellow (D+), black (GND)
3. Connect according to the pinout: GND → GND, red → VCC, yellow → D+, blue → D-

Replacing the camera

1. By default an IMX335 is installed
2. Remove the heatsink (4 screws), carefully
3. Disconnect the camera and connect the new one
4. Put the heatsink back (do not remove the thermal pad!)

Ethernet for configuration and updates

1. Take the Ethernet cable: 6-pin JST ↔ RJ45
2. Connect the JST to Ethernet/UART0 (the side without a heatsink)
3. Connect the RJ45 to a PC or router

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<tr><td rowspan="4" style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;"><strong>USB Header</strong></td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Vd</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Output</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Power for the external Wi-Fi module</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">DM</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">I/O</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">USB Data− (D−)</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">DP</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">I/O</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">USB Data+ (D+)</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">GND</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">—</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Ground</td></tr>

<tr><td rowspan="6" style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;"><strong>Power / UART2 Header</strong></td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Vcc</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Input</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Power input</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Vcc (dup)</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Input</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Duplicate power pin (joined)</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">RX</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Input</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">UART2 receive (to flight controller)</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">TX</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Output</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">UART2 transmit (to flight controller)</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">GND</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">—</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Ground</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">GND (dup)</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">—</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Duplicate ground pin (joined)</td></tr>

<tr><td rowspan="2" style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;"><strong>UART1 (solder pads)</strong></td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">RX</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Input</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">UART1 receive</td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">TX</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">Output</td><td style="padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ddd;">UART1 transmit</td></tr>

Section	Pin name	Direction	Description
RJ45 / UART0 Header	UART0 RX	Input	UART0 receive line
	UART0 TX	Output	UART0 transmit line
	RJ45 TX+	Output	Ethernet transmit TX+
	RJ45 TX-	Output	Ethernet transmit TX-
	RJ45 RX+	Input	Ethernet receive RX+
	RJ45 RX-	Input	Ethernet receive RX-

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Tips

- Do not supply power through USB Vd.  
- Do not remove the thermal pad from the heatsink.  
- For 3.3V Wi-Fi — remove the voltage-select resistor.  
- High-consumption modules can be powered separately.

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Software configuration

Accessing the Web UI

• DHCP: connect to the network and find the IP on the router
• Static IP: 192.168.1.10 (manually configure the PC interface)

Default login:

• User: root
• Password: 12345

Firmware update

• Via the Web UI (internet required)
• Via the OpenIPC Configurator

Firmware:

• Standard
• For RTL8812EU

Additional

Use the OpenIPC Configurator