Sky Rider drone Check list Pre flight checks and tests Tail LED color codes Blue steady -> Radiocontrol is linked to the receiver. Blue flashing -> Headless mode On. Red steady -> Compass is calibrated. Red flashing -> Compass needs calibration. Green steady -> 3 / 4 satellites acquired. Beeper Beep single -> Radiocontrol is linked to the receiver. Beep low -> Battery low voltage. Beep continuous -> Battery is almost depleted. Land immediately. Beep fast -> Compass needs calibration. Beep in Altitude Hold -> Throttle is not centered. Green flashing -> 5 or more satellites acquired (6 satellites acquired are the best condition for GPS flight). Channel CH 5 and CH6 (Tactic 810) CH 5 (upper left lever) Away -> Manual mode ( Stabilize ) Middle -> GPS Position Hold Forward -> GPS RTH ( Return to Home ) CH 6 (upper right lever) DIP switches DIP switches are inside the battery compartment at the rear of the Tactic 810 radiocontrol. All the DIP switches should be in On position, except 5 and 6 that should be in Off position: Away -> Manual mode ( Stabilize ) Middle -> Altitude Hold Forward -> Altitude Hold + Headless LiPo batteries usage notes Sky Rider drone is compatible only with Lipo 3S (three cells) battery pack, 11.1 V. Never discharge completely a LiPo battery pack: voltage should never be lower than 9.9 V 9 V: this would result in cell damage and recharging would be impossible. An adequate storage value is 11.4 V. A Lipo 3S 11.1 V is completely charged when total voltage reaches 12,6 V (4.2 per cell) or slightly less (12.2 V). Low voltage threshold is set at 10.8 V. If cells are unbalanced, damaged or blown up, the battery pack must be immediately disconnected from the battery charger and has to be disposed of according to current regulations. Checklist v05b pag 1
Check points Requirements Motors The motors for the Front Left and Rear Right arms have left hand threads and a small divot on the top of the prop shaft. The motors for the Front Right and Rear Left arms have right hand threads and the top of the prop shaft is smooth. The mounts for the prop guards should be installed before the motors are bolted to the arms. The red mounts are for the front arms and the black mounts for the back. Please use thread locking compound on the 4 screws that hold each motor. Propellers Please make sure the proper 10 x 4.5 propellers are used on all 4 motors. The CW props go on the Front Left and Rear Right motors and have silver nuts. The CCW props are used on the Front Right and Rear Left motors and have black nuts. There is also an arrow on each prop that should match the arrow on the arm when the blade is right above the arm. Arm Wire Zip Ties. Arm Hinge Pins Please make sure the wires going to each arm are zip tied and cannot be crimped or pinched. Please make sure the arm hinge pins are secure, and flush with the arm. Checklist v05b pag 2
Motor and ESC connections The ESC adapter and the 4 ESCs should be located as far as possible from the center of the chassis. If these components are too close the flight controller, the Sky Rider may drift or fly in a circle when in the GPS Position Hold mode. Loss of orientation in the Headless mode is another problem that may occur. The motor to ESC connections should be as close a possible to the motor arm. The two front speed controls should be as close to the front of the chassis as possible. The rear speed controls should be as far away from the center of the chassis as the wires will allow. The ESC adapter that supply battery voltage to the speed controls should be between the speed controls as shown in photo at left. These connectors should be about 75mm from the front on the chassis. Twist the wires from the bullet connector to each ESC at least 9 times. This layout has been found to provide the least interference for the compass. Checklist v05b pag 3
Flight Controller connections The speed control wires should be labeled 1 4 so the ESC can be matched to correct port. Use the following photo as a guide for numbering each speed control: 1 Front left / 2 Rear right / 3 Front right / 4 Rear left After labeling the ESCs as shown above, position the adhesive tags on the ESC plugs, matching the numbering sequence. Then insert the ESC plugs in the corresponding ports of the Flight Controller Board (FCB): ESC 1 in port 1, ESC 2 in port 2, ESC 3 in port 3, ESC 4 in port 4. The LED board cable goes on the bottom of the FCB, with the black wire on the left (photo below, left). The receiver cable goes on top with the brown wire to the left. There should be two unused pins to the right of the connector (photo below, right). The other end of the receiver cable should be connected to the receiver. Receiver Cable Color Codes: Brown Ground Red +5V Orange Ch. 1 (towards the small numbers printed on the RX) Yellow Ch. 2 Signal pin Green Ch. 3 Signal pin Blue Ch. 4 Signal pin Purple Ch. 5 Signal pin Grey Ch. 6 Signal pin Note: port B of the receiver remains unused. While the motor connections are still accessible, run the motor test described below. This test should be run with the arms extended, but without the props installed. A partially charged battery and a transmitter that is linked to the receiver will be needed. Checklist v05b pag 4
Motor Test The motors can be armed and disarmed by moving both sticks to the lower inside corners are shown in photo at left. On each motor arm there is an arrow that indicates the direction of rotation for that motor. Remove propellers, arm the motors and disarm them as soon as they start to spin. As the motors slow down, watch the direction of rotation and verify that each motor is spinning in the proper direction. If the motor is spinning in the opposite direction, swap any two of the bullet connectors for that motor. As final test, perform ESC calibration as described in Appendix B of this document. Calibrations Turn on the transmitter. Put the switches for CH 5 & CH 6 in the away position ( Manual Mode ). Connect the battery and place the Sky Rider on a level surface. Compass calibration Put the quad in the Compass Calibration mode by holding down the elevator control and moving the left stick to 100% throttle and 100% right rudder. The Blue LED at the rear of the quad and the Red LEDs on the rear arms should turn off. Rotate the quad 2 times with the landing skids just off the ground. The Red LED at the rear of the quad should flash every time there is a click. The quad should stop clicking after two revolutions. The clicks will start again when the quad is rotated in a different direction. Then, hold the Sky Rider vertically, with the nose pointing at the ground. Rotate it clockwise and complete two revolutions. Next, hold the quad horizontally, so the nose is pointed away from you. Rotate the nose up and continue rotating so the nose is pointed towards you and the quad is upside down. Continue rotating in this direction for two complete revolutions. Put the quad down and exit the Calibration mode by holding the elevator control down and moving the throttle to 100% and 100% left rudder. Release both sticks immediatley. The Blue and Red LEDs at the back of the quad should be on and steady. Flight sensors calibration Place the Sky Rider on a level surface before starting the sensor calibration. Enter the Sensor Calibration Mode by advancing the throttle to 100% and holding the rudder control 100% to the left. The Blue LED at the rear of the quad will turn off for about 6 seconds. When it comes back on, release the rudder control and return the throttle to 0%: flight sensors are calibrated. Checklist v05b pag 5
PC Interface Flight Controller tool Download the latest PC Interface tool and driver on a PC. 1. When these programs are installed, connect the USB cable to the PC and let the computer set up the driver. 2. After the USB cable is ready to use, run the PC Interface tool. If the Port window is blank (COM 3 or other number should appear), you may need to run the PC Interface program in Administrator Mode or you have to set the Run in compatibility mode and select the proper Windows version. 3. Connect the USB cable to the port on the back of the Sky Rider. 4. Switch On the radiocontrol transmitter. The battery should remain always disconnected while testing the controls with the PC Interface tool. 5. Click on the Connect button to establish communications between the quad and the PC Interface tool. Select the correct communications port in the drop-down menu. The app will never use COM1. When connected, the Connect button will change to Disconnect and there will be live data in all the Sensor Data windows. Flying Status panel This window is used to verify that the CH5 and CH6 switches set-up correctly. Move the CH5 and CH6 switches to all three positions and verify that the data displayed in this window matches the chart below: CH 5 and 6 switch position = Flight modes CH 5 Away [GPS Mode Off = Stabilize (Manual) Mode] CH 5 Middle [GPS Mode On= Position Hold] CH 5 Forward [GPS Mode On = RTL (Return to Launch)] CH 6 Away [Alt Smart Status = Alt Hold Off (Manual Mode)] CH 6 Middle [Alt Smart Status = Altitude Hold] CH 6 Forward [Alt Smart Status = Altitude Hold + CF (Headless)] Gain Keep the factory setting values of the Gains. Every change in these values is under the direct responsability of the pilot. Incorrect Gain values may produce unpredictable consequences during the drone s flight. See Appendix A for an explanation of each value. Remote Controller Signal Move the sticks on the radiocontrol and watch the response in this window. The displays for channels 1-4 should move in the same direction as the corresponding stick on the transmitter. Checklist v05b pag 6
Attitude The Attitude window should have a horizontal line in the middle of the display when the quad is level. The line should not change position or angle while the quad is stationary. Tilt the quad in all directions. The display should move in the opposite direction that the quad is moved. The display should be level and centered again when the quad is placed back on a level surface. If the artificial horizon is not level or is drifting while the quad is on a level surface, perform the Flight Sensor Calibration described above. Firmware The Flight control board firmware can be updated (current version is 1.5). To upload new firmware versions it is necessary to use a specific software tool that will be made available if firmware updated versions are released. The red switch under Sky Rider tail is used in the firmware updating process. Failsafe test and setting Flight Tests and flight location requirements This test should be performed before first flight tests and any time the receiver or transmitter has been changed so they need to be re-linked. To check the failsafe: Remove the props. Link the transmitter and the Sky Rider. Ch. 5 and Ch. 6 switches should be in the away position. Connect the Sky Rider to the PC Interface so the control inputs and the Flight Controller s response can be monitored. Turn off the transmitter. The throttle pulse width value should drop below 950 and the CH 5 and 6 monitors should be centered. If the monitors for channels 3, 5 and 6 do not change, turn the transmitter back on. Leave the Sky Rider connected to the PC Interface and verify that the throttle value is below 950 when the throttle and throttle trim are both at their lowest setting. Set the Ch. 5 and 6 switches to their center positions. Hold the throttle and throttle trim at their lowest setting. Push the link button on the receiver down, long enough for the LED next to the link button to flash twice. Return the throttle trim to center and perform the failsafe test again. These tests should be performed in an open area at least 25 x 25 meters with good GPS satellite reception. We have used the Satellite Check app on an Android phone to verify that 15 more satellites are visible. A location will poor reception will often only have signals from 12 satellites. If there are too few signals available, the quadcopter will not be stable in GPS mode. There should be no metallic structures or nearby sources of EMI like power lines and transformers that could affect the compass on the Sky Rider. This type of interference can cause the quad to fly in circles or fly off in a different direction. Avoid flying the Sky Rider when the temperature is below 5 degrees Celsius, when there is a high level of humidity (fog, rain even if very light and thin), when there is significant solar activity. Follow this procedure before taking off: 1. Position the quad on a level surface. 2. Switch on the radiocontrol. 3. Position CH 5 and CH 6 switches in Manual mode. 4. Connect the battery. 5. Calibrate flight sensor (perform this calibration before every flight). 6. Calibrate compass (if flight area has changed or when the Compass LED is not steady). 7. Make sure that the quad has been powered up for at least 3 minutes before taking off (this time is needed to get the electronics up to operating temperature). 8. Verify GPS reception (Green LED must be flashing to employ GPS flight modes). 9. Arm the motors. Warning: make sure that your are flying following current flight rules. Flight Test Stabilize Mode ( Manual Mode ) Move to a safe distance away from the quad and put the CH 5 and CH 6 switches in the away position. Arm the motors and advance the throttle until the quad is hovering 1-2 meters off the ground. Slowly move the right stick forward and the quad should move forward. Release the right stick and the quad should stop moving. Move the right stick back, left and right and verify that the quad is responding correctly to the inputs from the right stick. While the quad is hovering, slowly move the left stick to the left and return it to the center position. Try to keep the throttle at the same position. The quad should rotate counter-clockwise and maintain the same altitude. The quad should stop rotating as soon as the rudder control is centered. Move the left stick to the right and return it to center. The quad should rotate clockwise and stop when the stick is centered. Advance the throttle to make the quad climb to 3 meters. Release the sticks slowly. The quad should hold the new altitude. Hover for at least a minute and observe how much correction is needed to keep the quad in this position. The quad s performance in this mode will be compared with this same test when in the Position Hold mode. Checklist v05b pag 7
Flight Test Altitude Hold Mode Move the CH 6 switch to the middle position. You will hear beeping from the quad any time the throttle is not at midstick. When the throttle is centered, the Sky Rider should remain at the current altitude. In this mode, it may rise or fall a small amount because of changes in wind or while being maneuvered. The quadcopter should return to the original altitude when it is hovered as long as the throttle is not moved. In this mode the drone hovering is more stable. However, to obtain an optimal flight stability, this mode should be used with the GPS Position Hold mode (CH 5 to the middle). Flight Test Headless Flight Position the quad so the tail is pointed toward you and pull the CH 6 switch forward toward the front of the transmitter to activate the Headless flight mode (with this mode active, also Altitude Hold mode is active). In normal flight modes, the center of the quad is used as the reference when a signal is received from the right stick. In the Headless mode, the reference is the launch position. For example, a signal to move forward moves the quad further away even if the nose is not pointed in that direction. Rotate the quad so the nose is pointed to the right. Move the right stick forward and verify that the distance from the launch point increases. The quad should not move to the right. Slowly rotate the quad at least 360 degrees. The quad should remain stable at all times. Move the Ch. 6 switch back to the middle position and return to the launch point. Land the quad and disarm the motors. Flight Test GPS Position Hold Mode Move the CH 5 switch to the middle position to enter the GPS Position Hold mode. In this mode, the quad will maintain horizontal position when the right stick is released. The Green LED at the rear of the quad must be flashing while this mode is active before the motors can be armed. Arm the motors and hover the quad 3 meters off the ground. Move the quad so it is at least 10 meters away and slowly release both sticks. The quad should stop as soon as the sticks are centered. Any drifting should be corrected automatically and it should not rotate while hovering. The quad should be more stable than it was in the Manual mode. Flight Test RTH ( Return to Home ) After setting the launch point (see below), verify that the Altitude Hold mode is active (CH 6 middle or forward), then put CH 5 lever in Forward position to activate the RTH ( Return to Home ) mode. The quad will hover for a few seconds then climb to 20 meters. It should fly directly toward the launch point. The quad should not drift or weave while flying to its home position. When the quad is above the launch point, it should hover and start to descend. The quad should not circle around the launch point. When the quad reaches the ground, the motors should slow to the idle RPM then stop. To set the Launch Point ( Home ), in addition to the usual take off procedure (see above), verify that: - Tail Green LED is flashing (at least 6 satellites acquired). - CH 5 switch lever in Middle position (GPS Position Hold mode active) - CH 6 switch lever in Middle position (Altitude Hold mode active) In this way the Launch Point ( Home ) is set in position and altitude: when RTH mode is activated, the quad will fly home. The Sky Rider will enter this mode automatically when Position Hold and Altitude Hold are active and the battery voltage reaches the Low Voltage Setting in the PC Interface (default value 10.8V) or if the quad loses the signal from the transmitter. Moving the CH 5 switch back to the Manual mode position will stop the RTH. The pilot will need to manually fly the Sky Rider And land it. Note: While the Sky Rider is on RTH mode, the throttle control will be disabled. The pilot will be able to move the quad using the right stick in this mode. Warning: all the GPS flight modes require an optimal GPS reception and should be activated only in areas where all the conditions described by current flight rules are met, without electromagnetic interferences and no or minimal solar activity. Also, make always sure that the tail Green LED is flashing. Checklist v05b pag 8
Camera Install the camera with the supplied double sided foam tape. Two narrow strips like shown below will be more stable than a one square at the centre of the camera. The camera should be connected to any open channel on the receiver that is controlled with a 3 position switch. On the Tactic TTX810, this is Channel 8. When the camera is connected to the receiver and the memory card is installed, use the Status LED on the camera to determine if video and still photo modes are active. Camera Mode Standby Photo Video Camera Status LED Green steady [CH 8 switch MIDDLE] Single Red flash then Green steady [CH 8 switch UP] Red flashing [CH 8 switch DOWN] Always install and remove the card for the camera when the battery is not connected to the Sky Rider. The switch should be in standby mode any time the camera is not recording a video or a still photo (status LED Green steady). Video mode Set the CH 8 switch in Down position to start recording a video. The camera will continue recording until the switch is moved back to the standby mode position. The camera will start a new file when: a. The camera has been recording continuously for 20 minutes b. The file size reaches 1.86 Giga After stopping the video, make sure that the camera remains in standby mode for at least 30 seconds before disconnecting the battery. Note: it is important that the propellers be balanced to eliminate distortion on the video. We have found that a magnetic balancer like the Top Flite Power Point Propeller Balancer works well to reduce vibrations. Photo mode Set the CH 8 switch in Up position to capture and save a still photo. The switch must be returned to the standby position (Middle) before another photo or video can be started. Auxiliary power for accessories The bipolar wire at the drone nose carries 12 V electric power. This can used to connect and power accesseries. Checklist v05b pag 9
APPENDIX A Software interface values Gyro Gain The factory setting for the Gyro gain is 14. Lower settings will make the Sky Rider react more smoothly to the controls but the quad will not be as stable. Higher gain settings will make the quad hunt while hovering instead of remaining still. Aux Gain The factory setting for the Aux Gain is 6. This setting does not normally need to be adjusted. Lower settings will make the Sky Rider oscillate before settling in a hover. Higher settings will make the quad transition to a hover with aggressive movements. Raising this setting could make videos more jumpy. Alt. Gain - The factory setting for Alt. gain is 11. This setting controls how much the Sky Rider rises and falls while hovering. Lower settings will allow more movement and a smoother flight. Higher settings will reduce vertical motion, but can also make videos more jumpy. Low Voltage The factory setting is 10.8V. When the battery reaches the voltage in this window and the Sky Rider is in the Position Hold and Altitude Hold modes, it will climb to 20 meters and return to home. If the Sky Rider is flown a long distance while heavily loaded, this value should be increased so the battery does not die before the quad lands. Land Speed This parameter controls how fast the quad descends when in Position Hold or is in a Return to Home routine. The factory setting for this adjustment is MED. The HIGH setting could be used if the quad is heavily loaded. The LOW setting is best used when Sky Rider is not carrying any accessories. Attitude Window This artificial horizon displays the Sky Rider s attitude for both the roll and the pitch axis. When on a level surface, the line separating the blue sky and the brown ground should be in the middle of the green horizon lines. The sensor calibration procedure should be performed any time the display is not centered when the Sky Rider is level or if the display is drifting while the quad is stationary. Heading Window This is a graphic display of the data from the Heading Sensor in the Sensor Data window. Magnetic interference from computers, other electronic devices and metallic structures can affect the accuracy of this sensor. The best results from this sensor will be obtained when the Sky Rider is in an open area. Remote Controller Signal Window These displays show the current positions of the left and right sticks and the two switches that control the flight functions. The pulse width for each channel is also displayed. The values should be between 1000 and 2000. If lower values are seen on the throttle channel, center the throttle trim. Model Type This window should always display DeA. Sensor Data Window These displays show live data from the various sensors on the Sky Rider. Roll The number of degrees tilted left or right from level. Pitch The number of degree tilted forward or backward from level. Yaw The number of degrees rotated left or right of North. GyroX The amount of acceleration measured while rolling left or right. GyroY The amount of acceleration measured while pitching forward or backward. GyroZ Amount of acceleration measured when rotating (yaw) left or right. Altitude The height of the quad in centimeters above its launch point. The data from the barometric sensor will change as it warms up. Alt. Velocity The amount of acceleration measured while moving up or down. Battery Voltage of the flight battery (or the power source when connected to a PC). Lat. Latitude from the GPS sensor. Long. Longitude from the GPS sensor. HAC Horizontal accuracy of the GPS signal in meters. The more satellite signals acquired, the lower the value will be. The Green LED will come on when this value is below 6 meters and will start flashing when the value is below 3 meters. Azimuth The number of degrees from North that the Sky Rider is pointing. Heading The number of degrees from North that the Sky Rider is pointing. Version The current firmware version. Limit Window Dist. Limit This window is used to set a distance the Sky Rider can fly from the launch point in meters. The quad will tilt and or suddenly climb when it reaches this limit. Altitude Limit This window controls the maximum height of the Sky Rider in meters. When the quad reaches the limit, it stops climbing. Checklist v05b pag 10
APPENDIX B Sky Rider ESC Calibration Procedure If deemed necessary, please perform the following procedure on all four speed controls when your Sky Rider is assembled. Any time a new speed control is installed, it should be calibrated using this procedure. Also, all four speed controls should be calibrated again any time the transmitter is changed. The speed control should be connected directly to the battery when it is being calibrated. It will be difficult to hear the beeps from just one ESC if all four speed controls are powered. The top plate of the frame should be removed to access the motor and esc power connections. The receiver to flight controller cable should be removed from the receiver so the ESC can be connected. A - ESC to receiver connection B - ESC to motor connections C - ESC to battery connection 1. Plug the signal cable from the ESC to be calibrated into the channel 3 port on the receiver. 2. Center the throttle trim on the transmitter and advance the throttle to 100%. 3. Turn on the transmitter. 4. Connect the battery to the ESC. Wait for a double beep and then a single beep. 5. Move the throttle to 0% and wait for a single beep 6. Move the throttle to 50% and wait for a single short beep 7. Move throttle back to 0% and wait for a single lower pitched beep. The ESC is calibrated and can now be installed. Please twist the ESC power wires before connecting it to the adapter. Checklist v05b pag 11