--- title: "What Does W5100 Ethernet Add to the Visual Rotor VRANDRO Retrofit Kit?" url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/Benjamin/resellers/what-does-w5100-ethernet-add-to-the-visual-rotor-vrandro-retrofit-kit/" markdown_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/Benjamin/resellers/what-does-w5100-ethernet-add-to-the-visual-rotor-vrandro-retrofit-kit/md" type: "VAR: Value-Added Reseller Products" author: "Eugenio F. Medina Morales (EA7HG)" author_url: "https://ea7hg.com/index.php?Itemid=149&catid=8&id=8:contacto&lang=es-ES&option=com_content&view=article" editor: "WIZnet" editor_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/" original_author: "Eugenio F. Medina Morales (EA7HG)" original_url: "https://ea7hg.com/index.php?Itemid=149&catid=8&id=8:contacto&lang=es-ES&option=com_content&view=article" published: "2026-10-12" language: "en" tags: ["Communication", "Arduino"] hardware: ["WIZnet W5100"] likes: 0 views: 7 comments: 0 source: "WIZnet Makers (https://maker.wiznet.io/)" --- # What Does W5100 Ethernet Add to the Visual Rotor VRANDRO Retrofit Kit? > EA7HG VRANDRO adds Android control to an antenna rotator with a Mega Pro, W5100 Ethernet and relay board. The manual also supports W5500. Original author: Eugenio F. Medina Morales (EA7HG) (source: https://ea7hg.com/index.php?Itemid=149&catid=8&id=8:contacto&lang=es-ES&option=com_content&view=article) ## Components - **WIZnet W5100** x 1: LAN controller in the current VRANDRO listing; the manual also documents W5500 as an alternative module ([docs](https://docs.wiznet.io/Product/Chip/Ethernet/W5100)) ## Documents and links - [EA7HG Visual Rotor Control and KIT](https://ea7hg.com/index.php?Itemid=149&catid=8&id=8:contacto&lang=es-ES&option=com_content&view=article) (code): Manufacturer kit contents and original product photographs - [Visual Rotor v1.62 technical manual](https://ea7hg.com/phocadownload/VisualRotorING1.62Tecnico.pdf) (schematics): Printed pp13–14: relays and feedback; p52: Android; p56: kit/W5100 or W5500; p58: installation - [Visual Rotor v1.62 user manual](https://ea7hg.com/phocadownload/VisualRotorING1.62.pdf): Printed pp20–21: Prosistel and PC UDP; pp29–30: calibration; pp34–36: Android Wi-Fi/router/Ethernet - [EA7HG prices and ordering](https://ea7hg.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=154&lang=es-ES): VRANDRO EUR99; shipping extra; tax and lead time unspecified. Checked October 12, 2026 - [Visual Rotor software and Android photographs](https://ea7hg.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=140&lang=es-ES): Official firmware and app downloads, manuals and original Android-device photo - [ThetisLink Visual Rotor integration](https://github.com/cjenschede/ThetisLink/blob/main/User-Manual-EN.md): Independent software documentation for the EA7HG UDP rotor backend - [ThetisLink v2.12.0 Visual Rotor UDP source](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cjenschede/ThetisLink/4884ba03603b0d9f3c797b952272ad3c3c8652fe/sdr-remote-server/src/rotor.rs): Static source verified: query, target, stop and status handling; commit September 21, 2026 ## Article ## An Android screen for an existing antenna rotator **VRANDRO adds Android and Ethernet control to an existing antenna rotator.** Radio amateur Eugenio F. Medina Morales, EA7HG, supplies the kit from Jaén, Spain. The current [manufacturer listing](https://ea7hg.com/index.php?Itemid=149&catid=8&id=8:contacto&lang=es-ES&option=com_content&view=article) combines an Arduino Mega Pro running licensed Visual Rotor firmware, a WIZnet W5100 LAN module and an AC rotor-control board. A rotator turns a directional antenna toward a chosen bearing. VRANDRO brings the operator interface onto a phone or tablet while retaining the antenna mechanism and integrating with its controller. That makes the product interesting for a radio station whose antenna and drive still work, but whose operator wants a networked display or control from station software. ![The manufacturer shows the Mega Pro, three-relay AC rotor-control board and red W5100 Ethernet module supplied for VRANDRO.](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/e8653f689a57412e8e808fe64b85fea9.jpg) *The three main boards in the manufacturer kit photograph. Photo: EA7HG.* ## Motor control and heading feedback do different jobs The W5100 handles the wired network connection, and the Mega runs Visual Rotor. The AC interface board connects that controller to the electrical functions of the existing rotor system. For the documented HAM IV example, three relays handle clockwise motion, counterclockwise motion and the brake. Other rotor models require their own matching configuration and connections. The position signal answers a separate question: where is the antenna pointing now? The technical manual describes a rotor potentiometer whose voltage represents heading. That signal must be conditioned for the Arduino input; the manual explicitly distinguishes heading voltage from the voltage used to power the motor. Consequently, an Ethernet connection alone cannot provide position feedback or replace the motor interface. Calibration connects the measured signal to useful angles. Visual Rotor asks the installer to configure the rotor type, choose the north or south centre convention and record the movement limits. The user manual also calls for the actual Arduino supply voltage as a measurement reference. These steps explain why controller configuration matters even when the screen already displays degrees. Displayed resolution does not establish measured pointing accuracy. ## How the boards fit into an existing controller The [technical manual](https://ea7hg.com/phocadownload/VisualRotorING1.62Tecnico.pdf) gives a detailed HAM-family installation example: boards are mounted inside the control enclosure, the Ethernet connector receives an opening, and existing controls and rotor connections are wired into the new electronics. The Mega Pro provides a smaller board format suited to this retrofit. It has its own connector layout, so the standard Mega and Mega Pro drawings need to be distinguished. The AC kit groups direction and brake relays, heading-signal conditioning, a serial interface and the relevant soft-start/stop circuitry. Soft-start behaviour therefore depends on the installed control hardware and selected operating mode. The wider Visual Rotor manual also describes DC configurations, but the named Android kit listing specifies the AC board; a DC rotor should be discussed with the maker before choosing hardware. ![The complete manufacturer manual page shows the AC board and Mega Pro mounted inside a controller, followed by the W5100 Ethernet module positioned for installation.](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/eec6de5917b54b018af514dc98852c25.png) *Manufacturer installation example, technical manual printed page 58. Full page reproduced without alteration; these are source photographs, not our installation.* This is an integration kit with mechanical and electrical work still to complete. The manual specifies a separate 5 V supply of at least 600 mA for the electronics in its example, alongside the existing rotor circuitry. The antenna motor, appropriate supply arrangement and rotor-specific wiring remain part of the station installation. ## From a Wi-Fi phone to wired Ethernet For Android operation, the phone or tablet connects to an external Wi-Fi router and the VRANDRO LAN module connects to that router by Ethernet. The W5100 communicates with the Mega over SPI. Commands and heading information travel across this chain while the Mega remains responsible for rotor control. The [user manual](https://ea7hg.com/phocadownload/VisualRotorING1.62.pdf), printed pages 34–36, describes finding the kit in the router and reserving its address through DHCP. The Android application uses UDP port 2567 and accepts the device address without the port suffix. A stable local address gives the app a consistent endpoint after the equipment is restarted. ![The topology shows Android Wi-Fi reaching an external router, then Ethernet to the W5100 and SPI to the Mega, with a separate AC control board and rotor feedback path.](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/839d7ac7951e4d028a3969de97e40de9.png) *Authored technical diagram based on the manufacturer manuals and the independent ThetisLink integration. The layout shows component roles, not installation wiring.* The Android configuration replaces the TFT screen, microSD card and speaker arrangement of the regular display version. The technical manual says that installing the TFT disables Android operation. The two interfaces should therefore be treated as alternative configurations when assembling a system. The manufacturer documents Android 4.4 or later; compatibility with a particular current handset should be checked before relying on it as the station display. The manufacturer also states that rotor control stays on the Mega when the phone connection is lost. This identifies where control runs, but it does not specify every disconnect or motor-stop condition. A buyer evaluating remote operation still needs the behaviour of the chosen rotor, firmware and installation to be clear. ![A real phone and tablet display the Visual Rotor Android compass, heading readout and direction controls.](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/4ac50436068044708d8b0cccf47a43f3.jpg) *Visual Rotor on Android devices. Manufacturer photograph: EA7HG.* ## W5100 in the listing, W5500 in the manual **The current product page names W5100; the v1.62 technical manual also supports W5500 as an alternative.** Printed page 56 places the two LAN modules side by side with an explicit choice between them. The kit does not require both Ethernet modules, and the manual alone does not prove which one will be supplied for a new order. Both documented configurations connect a separate LAN module to the Mega through SPI. The practical role of WIZnet here is to give the control electronics an Ethernet endpoint that Android and station software can reach. The published material does not include Visual Rotor device source code, so it does not establish the firmware's exact socket-driver or TCP/IP offload implementation. ![The full VR-ANDRO kit-composition page shows the Mega Pro, W5100 or W5500 alternatives, AC control board and DB9 connector.](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/604d49b3e7b3401e87ece4c519f5d8db.png) *Technical manual printed page 56 explicitly documents the W5100/W5500 alternative. Copyright EA7HG; full page reproduced without alteration.* ## Independent station software can use the controller Visual Rotor offers PC control through Prosistel commands, with serial and LAN paths described in its manuals. The vendor documents separate UDP ports for individual rotors in its normal multi-rotor modes. These PC-control endpoints differ from the Android application endpoint, so the software configuration must match the chosen controller mode and rotor. The independent [ThetisLink project](https://github.com/cjenschede/ThetisLink) provides a current example of that connection. Its v2.12.0 source snapshot, committed September 21, 2026, contains a direct EA7HG UDP backend in [rotor.rs](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cjenschede/ThetisLink/4884ba03603b0d9f3c797b952272ad3c3c8652fe/sdr-remote-server/src/rotor.rs). The code sends position queries, formats target-angle and stop commands, and parses replies into angle and movement status. That implementation makes the relationship concrete: ThetisLink acts as another command-and-status interface to Visual Rotor. It is separate from EA7HG's Android application and does not replace the licensed Mega firmware. Its offline indicator tracks missing network responses; it should not be interpreted as proof of a hardware stop function. The source demonstrates an integration path, without establishing that this particular kit revision has been tested with every ThetisLink configuration. ## One software family, several station layouts Visual Rotor can configure up to four rotors, each with its own settings. A station might need several independently pointed antennas, or both azimuth and elevation movement. The documented A-E mode combines those two axes in one interface for applications such as satellite tracking, provided the corresponding physical rotors and control interfaces are installed. This software flexibility does not change the contents of a single VRANDRO kit. Planning starts with the actual motors, position sensors and control boxes, then the interface boards and operating mode. The product family spans an Android retrofit, a TFT configuration and an enclosed controller made to the buyer's requirements. Their shared software explains the overlap in functions, while their supplied hardware and installation effort differ. For ongoing setup, EA7HG publishes separate user and technical manuals, an Android application and Mega firmware downloads. These resources cover operation, assembly and software loading respectively. The commercial activation arrangement remains relevant even though the control processor is an Arduino board. ## Vendor, Availability, and Price EA7HG's [price list and order contact](https://ea7hg.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=154&lang=es-ES), checked **October 12, 2026**, advertises **VRANDRO with its software licence for €99**. Orders are arranged by contacting the maker. Kit shipping is extra; the inspected pages do not state tax treatment, stock quantity or delivery time. The same list offers Visual Rotor software alone for €30 and a complete control unit from €500. Those are separate purchases. The Android kit page includes the programmed Mega Pro, programming cable, W5100 module, AC board and DB9 connector. Confirm the rotor model, Ethernet module and exact order contents with the seller, especially because the broader family also includes a TFT kit based on the standard Mega 2560. ## Related WIZnet Maker Project Phil Crump's [G-5500 Hamlib Ethernet adaptor](https://maker.wiznet.io/josephsr/projects/ethernet-hamlib-adaptor-for-the-g-5500-azimuth-elevation-rotator/) approaches networked antenna control through Rust firmware, an RP2040 and W5500-EVB-Pico. It is a documented hardware prototype using a Hamlib-compatible TCP interface. VRANDRO instead offers maker-supplied retrofit hardware, licensed control software and the Visual Rotor interface family. ## FAQ **Q. Does VRANDRO include the antenna motor?** No. It adds control electronics to an existing compatible rotor installation; the antenna mechanism and its motor system are supplied separately. **Q. Does the kit have built-in Wi-Fi?** The documented kit uses wired Ethernet. Android reaches it through an external Wi-Fi router on the local network. **Q. Can the TFT screen and Android app run together?** The technical manual treats them as alternatives and states that installing the TFT disables Android operation. **Q. Is W5500 guaranteed in the €99 kit?** No. The current listing specifies W5100, while the manual documents W5500 as an alternative. Confirm the supplied module when ordering. **Q. Does four-rotor support include four motor-control boards?** No. Visual Rotor can configure up to four rotors, but the listed VRANDRO kit contains one AC interface board. Additional rotor hardware must be planned separately. --- Source: https://maker.wiznet.io/Benjamin/resellers/what-does-w5100-ethernet-add-to-the-visual-rotor-vrandro-retrofit-kit/