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3DR X8-M Operation Manual

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X8-M
Operation Manual
Thank you for purchasing an X8-M! This manual contains important information about your aerial
mapping platform. Please read these instructions before your first flight.
1 Plan
2 Fly
3 Process
Appendix
Online information portal:
3DR support:
Terms and conditions:
Pix4D instructions:
1
19
30
34
3DR.com/X8-M
help@3DR.com
3DR.com/terms
support.Pix4D.com
V.1
2014
©3D Robotics
DCT006

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Summary of Contents for 3DR X8-M

  • Page 1 X8-M Operation Manual Thank you for purchasing an X8-M! This manual contains important information about your aerial mapping platform. Please read these instructions before your first flight. 1 Plan 2 Fly 3 Process Appendix Online information portal: 3DR.com/X8-M 3DR support: help@3DR.com...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    1 Plan Parts Mission Planning Operating Parameters Flight Battery Load Maps Charging Draw Polygon Safety Configure Survey Powering the X8 Save and Write Mission Camera Setup 3DR EAI Charging Starting a Mission Mounting Ground Station Setup Download Software Connect to Radio...

  • Page 3: Parts

    Parts ground station radio micro-USB cable charger and accessories batteries (2) Android adapter cable battery guard bag Pixhawk micro-SD card adapter RC controller and hex keys accessories propeller wrench SF propellers SFP propellers registration card and Pix4D license key spare UV filter FPV/OSD System spare mounting nut If you selected to receive a FPV/OSD system, those components...

  • Page 4: Flight Battery

    Flight Battery The X8 is powered by a rechargeable lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. Charge the battery before your first flight. Charging Safety Connect the charger to the power adapter cable Set the charger to LiPo and 3A. and a wall outlet. Connect the red cable to the + port and the black cable to the - port.

  • Page 5: Powering The X8

    Powering the X8 Turn on the controller. To avoid triggering the controller’s startup alarm, ensure that Attach the battery to the underside of the all switches are set back (away from you) copter using the velcro straps, and join the and the throttle stick is set fully down.

  • Page 6: Camera Setup

    This software is designed to load off the camera’s SD card, leaving the original Canon programming intact. The yellow switch on the side of the SD card allows you to lock or unlock the card. Lock the SD card to run 3DR EAI; unlock the SD card to save status indicator images to your ground station or to boot the camera with its original programming.

  • Page 7: Mounting

    Mounting The camera mount includes a cap to protect the UV filter during travel. Before you When the camera is ready to start the mission, open the latch, and insert the fly, remove the cap, and check that the filter contains no dirt particles or scratches camera into the mount.

  • Page 8: Ground Station Setup

    Pix4Dmapper Discovery. Pix4D will automatically upgrade from the Discovery edition to the LT 3DR Edition (or Pro Edition if you selected to upgrade) when you log in to the program with your Pix4D account information.

  • Page 9: Mission Planning

    Operating Parameters Camera Canon SX260 Canon SX260 Camera Orientation Landscape (top facing forward) Pixhawk Pix4Dmapper autopilot 3DR EAI LT 3DR Edition system Operating Altitude 50-120 m Default Altitude 60 m Low-Wind Conditions 0-6 m/s High-Wind Conditions 7-10 m/s To create a map, the X8 flies an autonomous mission over...

  • Page 10: Load Maps

    Load Maps Mission Planner allows you to plan the mission away from the mapping location; however, it is important to assess the environmental conditions on site at the time of the mission and adjust the flight plan if necessary. Alternatively, you can plan the entire mission at the mapping location.

  • Page 11: Draw Polygon

    The Survey Tool uses metric units. If your Mission Planner is set to imperial units, please change the settings to use metric to plan the mission. Support for imperial units in Mission Planner is coming soon; check 3DR.com/X8-M for updates.

  • Page 12: Configure Survey

    Configure Survey: Set Default Parameters Mission Planner: Survey Tool Set Camera Canon SX260-SX280 Set Camera Orientation Check the option for Camera top facing forward. Mission Planner: Survey Tool Set Default Speed 5 m/s Apply Survey Speed Check the option for Use speed for this mission. If unchecked, the mission will use the X8’s default speed of 5 m/s regardless of the speed selected in the Survey Tool.
  • Page 13 Configure Survey: Set Angle Mission Planner: Survey Tool Set Angle Wind Direction In environments with winds of less than 6 m/s, set the angle so that the X8 flies into the wind. In winds from 7-10 m/s, configure the flight path to travel perpendicular to the wind so the X8 flies cross-wind.
  • Page 14 Configure Survey: Set Altitude Mission Planner: Survey Tool Set Altitude Recommended altitude: 60 m Operating altitude: 50-100 m Increasing altitude decreases flight time, allowing you to cover more area per minute. Decreasing altitude improves ground resolution. Set the altitude to get the best ground resolution while keeping the flight time under 14 min and the altitude under 120 m.
  • Page 15 Configure Survey: Check Photo Interval Mission Planner: Survey Tool Check Photo Interval Photo Every must be longer than 2 seconds for the SX260 camera. Altitude Increasing altitude increases photo interval. Keep altitude below 120 m, and ensure that the altitude is appropriate for your flying area and local regulations.
  • Page 16 Configure Survey: Set Takeoff and Landing Mission Planner: Survey Tool Takeoff and Land WP’s For automatic takeoff and landing (recommended) Check the Add Takeoff and Land WP’s option. Check the Use RTL option. After initiating the mission, the X8 will automatically take off, climb to the survey altitude, and begin the mission.
  • Page 17 Configure Survey: Advanced Options Mission Planner: Survey Tool Check Advanced Options to view the Survey Tool’s advanced configuration options. Select Grid Options Survey Tool: Grid Options (Advanced) Adjust StartFrom During the mission, you will maintain contact with the X8 through the RC controller and ground station signals.
  • Page 18 Configure Survey: Accept Survey Before accepting the survey, check that the mission complies with the X8’s operating parameters. Once you accept the survey, you will not be able to edit it directly by re-opening the Survey Tool. If you need to adjust the survey, clear the mission (right click, select Clear Mission), and repeat the survey configuration process.

  • Page 19: Save And Write Mission

    Save and Write Mission On the Flight Plan screen, save the waypoint file to your computer and write the mission to the X8. Select Save WP File to save the mission file to your computer. To repeat this mapping mission, load the saved WP file from your computer.
  • Page 20 2 Fly Safety Aircraft Operation Components Assembly Controls Modes Preflight Checks LED Indicators and Tones GPS Lock Arming and Disarming FPV System Operation Flying Mapping Missions Takeoff Checklist Initiating Monitoring Failsafes...

  • Page 21: Safety

    Safety To ensure safe and successful flying, familiarize yourself with the safety information Propeller on this page. Always fly in accordance with your location regulations and these best operating practices. Spinning propellers can cause serious injury. The safety button indicates the status of the motors to Before you fly, determine the boundaries of your safe flying area.

  • Page 22: Aircraft Operation

    Aircraft Operation Components rear arms Pixhawk autopilot front arms camera integration cable camera mount safety button status LED...

  • Page 23: Assembly

    Assembly The X8 arrives in travel configuration. Complete these steps to prepare the copter for flight. Arms Remove the bolt and nut outside each arm. Rotate the arm into position, insert the bolt through the plates and the arm, and secure the arm in place with the nut. secure with bolt slide each arm...

  • Page 24: Controls

    Controls yaw left Fly the X8 manually using the RC controller. Rotate counterclockwise. throttle pitch yaw right Rotate clockwise. roll roll left Throttle: Move the left stick forward and backward to control altitude and Fly to the left. acceleration. Yaw: Move the left stick horizontally to rotate and control orientation.

  • Page 25: Modes

    Modes Auto - fly a mission To select a flight mode: Fly an autonomous mission. This is the mode that the X8 will use to create the map. First, set the GEAR/MIX switch to select a set of modes. Then use the FLAP/GYRO switch to 0, 1, or 2 to select a specific mode.

  • Page 26: Preflight Checks

    GPS lock before takeoff, indicated by a blinking green status LED. Autopilot ready, GPS locked Armed Loss of RC signal, automatic landing Low battery, automatic landing Loss of GPS signal, automatic landing System error, see troubleshooting guide Tones Visit 3DR.com/X8-M to listen to Pixhawk’s status tones.

  • Page 27: Arming And Disarming

    Arming and Disarming Arming and disarming are important steps that must be completed before takeoff and after landing. There are two steps to arming the X8: the safety button and the throttle stick. The arming and disarming procedures ensure that you Before arming, check the status LED.

  • Page 28: Fpv System Operation

    LiPo 4 Viewing video When using a 3DR Black Pearl Monitor to view your video, set the mode to DIV (M button changes modes), the channel to 8 (+ and - buttons), and the band to E (press the power button to access the menu).

  • Page 29: Flying Mapping Missions

    Flying Mapping Missions Takeoff Checklist Initiating Before flying the mission, check the following: For automatic takeoff, arm the X8 in stabilize mode. Switch to auto mode, and raise the throttle to initiate the mission. » Camera is on with mission script ready and is secured into the mount with the mini-USB cable connected and the cap removed.

  • Page 30: Failsafes

    Failsafes The X8 is programmed with a set of failsafe behaviors to prevent a crash in the event of a loss Low Battery Failsafe of one of the data or communication channels required for autonomous flight. Although certain Environmental conditions can affect power consumption. Use the Mission Planner Flight Data failsafes have assigned LED indicators and tones, it is unlikely that you will be able to see these at a display to monitor the voltage of the battery during flight.
  • Page 31 3 Process On-Site Quality Check Spot Check Download Images Download Log File Pix4D Rapid Check Full Processing...

  • Page 32: On-Site Quality Check

    On-Site Quality Check Before leaving the survey site, check the images using Pix4D to ensure sufficient quality for mapping by downloading the images from the SD card, downloading the log file from the X8, and completing Rapid Check Initial Processing in Pix4D. If you observe poor image quality or the quality report returns errors, see the Image Quality Troubleshooting section on page 38 and repeat the mission.

  • Page 33: Download Log File

    Download Log File Pix4D uses the GPS data from the X8’s log file to georeference the images. To download the X8’s dataflash log, power the X8 and connect to Mission Planner. The download process will be faster if you connect the micro-USB cable directly to Pixhawk’s micro-USB port instead of connecting using the ground station radio.

  • Page 34: Pix4D Rapid Check

    Pix4Dmapper Rapid Check: Create Project Open Pix4D Mapper, and create a new Select Aerial Nadir as the After adding the images, select From File to add the geolocation data from the project. project type. X8’s log file. In the pop-up window, select 3D Robotics Flight Log as the file format, and upload the dataflash log file downloaded from Mission Planner.
  • Page 35 Appendix Aerial Imaging Concepts 3DR EAI Image Quality Troubleshooting Operational Troubleshooting...

  • Page 36: Aerial Imaging Concepts

    Aerial Imaging Concepts Understanding key concepts in aerial images can help you understand the mission planning process and create better maps. Distance-Based Imaging By default, the X8 captures only the images required to create the map. The autopilot monitors the distance traveled by the X8 and sends a command to the camera to capture an image at the distance interval specified by the camera trigger distance parameter (CAM_TRIGG_DIST).

  • Page 37: Dr Eai

    3DR EAI 3DR EAI is based on KAP UAV Exposure Control Script v3.1: a great open- source project for kite and UAV aerial photography. Start and Stop Script Script Menu Ensure the camera is set to P (program) mode before powering the camera.
  • Page 38 Updating the Script Memory Reset 3DR EAI is an open-source project and continuously improving. To download the latest script, visit 3DR.com/X8-M and select 3DR EAI Source. You will If the battery is left out of the camera for too be redirected to the GitHubt repository where you can right-click on Raw and select Save Link to download the latest script labeled 3DR_EAI_SX260.lua.

  • Page 39: Image Quality Troubleshooting

    Image Quality Troubleshooting If you observe poor image quality during the spot check or if you receive error messages during processing, use the settings below to troubleshoot the image quality. Blurry Images To correct motion blur, adjust the shutter speed using the Target Tv parameter in the script menu.

  • Page 40: Operational Troubleshooting

    Operational Troubleshooting No Images Captured 1 If the camera did not capture any images during the mission, first perform a 2 Take a distance-triggered test image on the ground by manually setting physical inspection on the X8. the camera trigger distance parameter to 1 m. Is the mini-USB cable connected to the camera’s USB port? Power the X8 and connect to Mission Planner.

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