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3D Robotics IRIS Operation Manual

Developer edition
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Operation Manual
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Summary of Contents for 3D Robotics IRIS

  • Page 1 Operation Manual Developer Edition...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Contents Meet Iris Propellers Battery Charger Safety Radio Control Mission Planner Using a Tablet Takeoff & Landing Flying Manually Assisted Flight Full Autonomy Low Battery Opening the Shell Install Software Connecting an RC Receiver RC Calibration Updating the Firmware Replacing the Legs...

  • Page 3: Meet Iris

    Meet Iris Iris is an autonomous quadcopter and personal aerial video platform powered by open-source UAV hardware, software, and firmware. Iris has powerful motors and high-speed propellers. Safety warnings like this one provide important information about best operating practices. Front arms (blue)
  • Page 4 Camera mount LED indicator Telemetry antenna USB port Propeller nuts Legs...

  • Page 5: Propellers

    Propellers Iris creates lift using two 10x4.7 pusher propellers (marked SFP or P) and two 10x4.7 puller propellers (marked SF or unmarked). Pusher propellers spin clockwise on the front-left and back-right motors; puller propellers spin counterclockwise on the front-right and back-left motors.

  • Page 6: Battery

    Battery Iris is powered by a rechargeable lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. Charger connector (JST-XH) Iris connector (XT60) Connecting the battery to Iris Press the sides together, and rotate the door down. Insert battery into compartment, and connect the yellow XT60 connectors.

  • Page 7: Charger

    Charger Store your battery at half charge then charge completely the day before flying. Batteries also ship at half charge, so please charge the battery completely before your first flight. Each full battery provides between 10 and 13 minutes of flight time. cell 1 cell 2 cell 3 cell 1 cell 2 cell 3 Charging...

  • Page 8: Safety

    Always follow the correct takeoff and landing procedures as described by this manual and the flight checklist. Always use an RC transmitter as a primary or backup control system when flying Iris. Battery The primary potential hazard for a LiPo is combustion. The safety bag will contain a lithium fire if it occurs, so always transport, charge, and store your battery in a safety bag.

  • Page 9: Radio Control

    Radio Control Iris can be controlled using only an RC transmitter or through a combination of RC and a laptop or tablet ground station. To connect your own RC equipment to Iris, please follow the instructions for opening the shell, installing Mission Planner, connecting an RC receiver, and performing RC calibration.
  • Page 10 The combination of the group and mode switches creates six available mode positions. Cut out the mode sticker to attach to your transmitter. Stabilize Stabilize forward / back forward / forward Loiter Altitude hold center / forward center / back Full autonomy Return to launch AUTO...

  • Page 11: Mission Planner

    Mission Planner Mission Planner is an open-source ground station for the APM autopilot platform. Connect Iris to a laptop using Mission Planner and the telemetry radio ground module to view data and execute commands in flight. See the install software section (page 24) to download Mission Planner for Windows or APM Planner for Mac and Linux.
  • Page 12 Mission Planner Flight Data: Attitude Heading direction Bank angle Altitude (black) and rate of climb (blue bar) Ground speed Actions Change waypoints or restart a mission Change modes Change altitude...
  • Page 13 Status Telemetry signal Distance to current waypoint > current waypoint number GPS time GPS status Currently enabled mode Battery status Flight Map Current heading Actual flight path Direct path to current waypoint 5 Latitude & longitude 3 GPS-reported direction of travel 6 Altitude...

  • Page 14: Using A Tablet

    APM autopilot platform. The provided Android tablet adapter cable and telemetry radio ground module allow you to connect Iris to Andropilot or DroidPlanner and access many of the same features found in Mission Planner as well as some features unique to tablets.

  • Page 15: Takeoff & Landing

    Takeoff & Landing When selecting a flying location, choose an area away from buildings and spectators where Iris does not pose a risk to bystanders and will not be flying over people. Remember to bring a fully charged battery, a wrench for tightening propellers, and the flight checklist.
  • Page 16 GPS lock. Flashing green + quick double tone: disarmed, GPS lock acquired. Ready to arm. To arm Iris, hold the transmitter’s left stick throttle down and yaw right (bottom-right corner) for 2 seconds. To arm Left stick Solid green + single long tone: armed with GPS lock.
  • Page 17 Iris will spin its propellers at a low speed when armed! Ensure Iris is properly situated at its launch point and clear of obstructions before arming. Apply a small throttle input to takeoff. Iris is sensitive to control inputs, so use small stick movements when flying. Landing After landing, set throttle down and disarm Iris by holding the left stick to throttle down and yaw left (bottom-left corner) for 2 seconds.

  • Page 18: Flying Manually

    Throttle Left stick Sends power to the motors creating lift. Controls speed and altitude. Left stick Swivels Iris left and right. Changes the direction Iris is facing and a mounted camera is pointing. Pitch Right stick Controls the forward and back angle of Iris. Pitching forward tilts the front arms down and moves Iris forward;...

  • Page 19: Assisted Flight

    Assisted Flight Altitude hold and loiter modes allow the autopilot to regulate Iris’ flight behavior, providing cruise-control flying. Assisted flight makes it easy to capture aerial video sequences with simplified control and automatic positioning. Altitude holding Altitude hold mode (ALT) maintains Iris at a consistent altitude while allowing manual control of yaw, pitch, and roll.
  • Page 20 Loiter mode (LTR) commands Iris to hold its current longitude, latitude, and altitude using GPS positioning. Use roll and pitch to make changes to Iris’ position, use throttle to adjust altitude, and use yaw to aim a mounted camera. LTR is the easiest way to fly.

  • Page 21: Full Autonomy

    Engage the autopilot’s navigation control and fly using a series of waypoint commands. When switched into full autonomy (AUTO) mode, Iris executes the mission stored on the autopilot and heads for the first scripted waypoint. Waypoints are GPS-positioned points in 3D space with a latitude, longitude, altitude, and radius.
  • Page 22 Fly to Here creates a waypoint at the current altitude and immediately sends Iris there. If you select Fly to Here Alt, Mission Planner will prompt you for an altitude (in meters) before sending Iris to that point.
  • Page 23 Return to launch Return to launch (RTL) mode commands Iris to return to the home position. Try RTL when you’re ready to end your flight or to recall Iris on demand. When commanded to RTL, Iris will 15 m Home...

  • Page 24: Low Battery

    Mission Planner will issue a low battery announcement when the battery reaches the low voltage limit of 10.5 volts. When you receive the low battery warning, safety land Iris or execute an RTL command. Warning! Battery at 10.5 volts. Do not continue to fly after receiving the low battery warning, it could cause inconsistent flight reactions and damage the battery.

  • Page 25: Opening The Shell

    Opening the Shell Place Iris upside down, open the battery door, and remove the inside screw using the regular Allen key. Remove the two deep-set screws on either side of camera mount. Holding the body together, flip Iris over and open top shell.

  • Page 26: Install Software

    Install Software Download Mission Planner (Windows) Ardupilot.com Downloads Mission Planner Mission Planner « Downloads Sort by: Title Hits Date MissionPlanner - MSI - Latest Select latest MSI to ■ download the most recent version. Download APM Planner (Mac & Linux) Ardupilot.com Downloads APM Planner 2.0...

  • Page 27: Connecting An Rc Receiver

    Connecting an RC Receiver Iris supports only PPM-compatible receivers. To connect your own RC receiver to Iris Open the top shell. (Instructions on page 23) Connect the PPM encoder to Pixhawk’s RC pins using the red, black, and white three-wire cable.

  • Page 28: Rc Calibration

    After connecting your own RC receiver to Iris, you will need to complete transmitter calibration and flight mode setup using either Mission Planner or APM Planner. If you opted to receive an RC transmitter with Iris, this process has already been done for you.
  • Page 29 On your transmitter, move both sticks and all mode switches to their extreme positions so the red bars register the limits of each input. We recommend moving the sticks in the largest possible circle. Once the red lines show the limits for roll, pitch, throttle, yaw, and any mode switches, select Click when Done.

  • Page 30: Updating The Firmware

    Updating the Firmware Firmware updates keep Iris in sync with the latest developments and help improve flight performance. Update Iris’ firmware using Mission Planner or APM Planner on your ground station computer. Connect Iris to your ground station computer using the micro USB cable.
  • Page 31 Quad, and folllow Mission Planner’s instructions to install the firmware. Power cycle Iris by disconnecting and reconnecting the USB. Listen for the tone! If you hear a musical tone only, the update is complete. If you hear a tone sequence followed by three beeps, perform step 5 to complete the firmware update.

  • Page 32: Replacing The Legs

    Replacing the Legs Use the small Allen key to remove the set screw in the bottom of the leg. Slide out the leg to remove it, and replace with the new leg. Replace set screw until it secures the leg but not so that it is screwed completely into the arm where it could interfere with the motor.

  • Page 33: Support

    APM:Copter community documentation project at copter.ardupilot.com. APM:Copter is a highly flexible autopilot platform. Many aspects of Iris’ flight programming (yaw behavior during autonomous flight, descent speed during RTL, etc) can be configured in the standard and advanced parameter screens in Mission Planner.

  • Page 34: Parts

    Tighten propellers Connect battery AUTO Turn on transmitter Secure camera Wait for safety button Set throttle down to blink slowly Place Iris in home Turn on ground station position Press safety button until it appears solid Connect ground station AUTO AUTO...

  • Page 35: Specs

    Flight time: 10-13 minutes Online resources: Hardware documentation 3drobotics.com/iris Firmware documentation ardupilot.com Software documentation planner.ardupilot.com 3DR Store store.3drobotics.com Community diydrones.com Iris Operation Manual V2 © 3D Robotics, Inc. 16 October 2013 Thank you for purchasing a developer edition of Iris. Happy flying!

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