Hoverfly HoverflySPORT, User Manual

Page 1: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide ...

Page 2: ...t authorized except with express written approval No licenses are conveyed implicitly or otherwise under intellectual property rights Copyright Hoverfly Technologies Inc 2011 All rights reserved Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 US Code 102 101 122 no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a database or retrieval system ...

Page 3: ...the pilot to navigate the airspace in ways only imaginable a few years ago Add a camera and the user can gain amazing views of the world around us There has been a great deal of attention on the prototyping and productization of IMU s in the last year Yet many attempts fail because without in depth knowledge on how these devices operate and how to fuse the data into stabile flight outputs is extre...

Page 4: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 4 of 67 HoverflySPORT ...

Page 5: ...rily fully inclusive of all information you may need to get your aircraft flying this depends on how you have built your aircraft therefore please bear in mind that the information herein is intended as a guide and does not in any way guarantee or undertake to guarantee your success Lastly since this guide has been compiled overtime time from numerous builds it may contain inaccuracies do not rely...

Page 6: ...vision 10 1 2 When to use the guide 11 1 3 Format 11 1 4 Revisions 11 2 Introduction to the HoverflySPORT 12 2 1 Multi Rotor Aircraft 12 2 2 Purpose 13 2 3 Function of the HoverflySPORT 14 2 4 HoverCore 20 3 What s included 21 3 1 In the box 21 3 2 Also included 22 4 Installation and Building 23 ...

Page 7: ...if you know how to solder 28 4 5 2 Current vs Wire Gauge 29 4 5 3 Battery Source 30 4 5 4 Electronic Speed Controllers ESCs 31 4 5 5 Connectors 35 4 5 6 Wiring Harness Layout 36 4 5 7 Power Filtering 38 4 6 Airframe 38 4 6 1 Airframe Vibration Dampening 38 4 6 2 Stand offs 39 4 7 Brushless Motors 39 4 8 Propellers 40 4 9 Canopy 41 4 10 Connecting the HoverflySPORT 41 4 10 1 HoverflySPORT Orientati...

Page 8: ... and X8 46 5 Operation 47 5 1 Before Flight 47 5 2 Setting Gains 48 5 3 Arming the HoverflySPORT 49 5 4 Bench Testing 52 5 5 Flight Controls 53 5 6 Basic Flight Mode 54 5 7 Advanced Flight Mode 54 5 7 1 Altitude Hold Function 54 6 Update Client and Setup Utility 56 6 1 Firmware Updates 57 6 1 1 Update Procedure 57 6 2 Setup Utility 61 6 2 1 General Tab 61 6 2 2 Parameters Tab 63 ...

Page 9: ...overflySPORT User s Guide Page 9 of 67 6 2 3 Diagnostics Tab 63 Appendix A Physical Dimensions 64 Appendix B Technical Specifications 65 Appendix C Quick Start Guide 66 Appendix D Connection Reference 67 ...

Page 10: ...on to the HoverflySPORT a description of the hardware Chapter 3 What s Included a brief list of the items included with your product Chapter 4 Installation and Building provides information on configurations wiring and mounting Chapter 5 Operation explains the different flight modes and set ups required Chapter 6 Update Client describes the operation and use of the firmware Update Client Quick Sta...

Page 11: ...ctions basic electronics and updating the firmware of electronic devices 1 3 Format The manual was formatted in Landscape mode to make it easier for the user to read on a typical widescreen display This decision was made because it is distributed electronically rather than in printed hardcopy form 1 4 Revisions This guide should be considered a living document There will almost certainly be errors...

Page 12: ...ble must have three legs at a minimum a multi rotor aircraft must have three motors It is possible to have fly a vehicle through the air using only two motors but that is not the intent of the HoverflySPORT We consider a multi rotor vehicle to contain at least three motors However this would require that one or more of the motors could turn on an axis perpendicular to the center of the airframe Th...

Page 13: ... completely impossible to fly The original stealth fighter the Lockheed F 117 Nighthawk first flown in 1981 was a revolutionary aircraft for two reasons First the stealth technology provided nearly invisible flight through the most sophisticated radar patrolled areas Second the best pilots couldn t fly it safely How could this be The same invisibility stealth technology yielded an aircraft with ve...

Page 14: ...ticks with other types of aircraft helps a great deal However we strive to make the HoverflySPORT the most capable Flight Controller on the market and this means over time easy will be even easier Ultimately our goal is to make the flight of a multi rotor aircraft effortless to the point that anyone can pick up a transmitter and give it a try without crashing 2 3 Function of the HoverflySPORT The ...

Page 15: ... of revolutions per minute RPM Figure 2 Diagram showing the operation of the HoverflySPORT on a quadcopter Ideally under perfect windless conditions while the control inputs are centered the RPMs of all motors is equal If a disturbance to the environment occurs such as a gust of wind the HoverflySPORT will change the RPMs each motor to continue to maintain the commanded center stick orientation Th...

Page 16: ...lot continues to hold the stick in the forward position the quadcopter will continue to pitch forward and eventually turn completely upside down This is because in normal mode of flight there are different modes discussed in Chapter 7 the control stick position is equal to the rotational rate of the quadcopter More control input moving the stick up further results in a higher rotational rate Less ...

Page 17: ...he motors also referred to as throttle This stick starts in the down position and corresponds to zero throttle and the motors will not spin As the stick is moved up the RPMs of the motors will increase Every quadcopter has a sweet spot based on the weight of the aircraft and motor size where a constant altitude is maintained This is called hovering and occurs when the quadcopter stays a single hei...

Page 18: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 18 of 67 Figure 4 Control stick movement and aircraft roll pitch yaw and throttle altitude ...

Page 19: ... the clockwise CW direction and two motors in the counter clockwise CCW direction With all four motors spinning at the same RPM the rotational forces are balanced so that the quadcopter doesn t spin In order to command the quadcopter to spin in the CW direction this balance is adjusted The speed of the CW motors is increased while the speed of the CCW motors is decreased The overall thrust is main...

Page 20: ...PORT flight controller system is based on our core Sensor Data Fusion technology called HoverCore Lots of data from accelerometers and gyroscopes is useless no matter how fast you sample if the data is not fused effectively to provide stable flight control outputs Our propriety HoverCore algorithm utilizes parallel processing architecture to independently collect senor data Then the algorithm util...

Page 21: ...ncluded with your HoverflySPORT product HoverflySPORT Vibration Grommets USB Cable HoverCore sticker when in stock Suggestion When you are finished building your multi rotor aircraft place the HoverCore sticker on the airframe or canopy and send us a picture to post on our website Mailto info hoverflytech com ...

Page 22: ...cumentation html E Mail support support hoverflytech com Forum Support http www rcgroups com hoverfly technologies 711 Firmware Update Client http www hoverflytech com Software_Updates html Set Up Utility http www hoverflytech com Software_Updates html Free firmware updates Using the free Update Client IMPORTANT Check your Update Client for firmware updates often Updates will include new features ...

Page 23: ...n of a multi rotor aircraft These sensors will register even the slightest vibration existing in the airframe Unbalanced or damaged propellers are one of the biggest contributors of unwanted vibration The special vibration grommets included with the HoverflySPORT should be used at all times These grommets mechanically de couple the HoverflySPORT from the airframe substantially Over tightening the ...

Page 24: ...e Client see Chapter 6 so that it may be used on several different types of multi rotor aircraft The basic configurations are X Hex Octo Y6 and X8 All of these configurations are shown in Fig 5 shown below Figure 5 Supported configurations CW Clockwise and CCW Counter Clockwise Larger disc indicates bottom motor ...

Page 25: ...1 Channel Requirement Flight requires the use of 5 channels The four main channels are associated with the two control sticks and are used for Roll Pitch Yaw and Throttle The fifth additional channel is used to control the Gain of the HoverflySPORT control The Gain is the parameter that is used to tune the performance of your multi rotor aircraft This subject is covered in Chapter 5 Following the ...

Page 26: ...ter parameter settings Parameter Setting End point adjustment 100 for and sides Dual Rates D R 100 Channel Reverse Normal HiTec Spektrum JR Reversed Futaba Trims Centered Sub Trims Centered Exponential After experienced add up to 30 into aileron and elevator ...

Page 27: ...ignal from which ever brand of Receiver that you choose for your aircraft The power for your receiver will come from the channel connections to the HoverflySPORT However the number of channels available on the receiver must be at least 5 Figure 6 Typical RC Receiver 6 channel Spektrum AR600 is shown ...

Page 28: ... Flux the black goo is an acid meant to etch the metal connections to help the solder adhere to its surface If the flux is left on the connection it will continue to etch the metal and he joint will eventually fail If you are not a qualified electronics technician then you should search for soldering techniques on the internet A piece of heat shrink tubing should be placed one of the wires before ...

Page 29: ...s will suffer For example a 1 foot 30cm length of 12 AWG American Wire Gauge used at 12V carrying 25A will consume 4 watts of power The following table may be used to determine the gauge wire that is used in different parts of your wiring harness Consult an online AWG vs length vs current calculator or reference to assure that the wire you choose is sized safely After you build and fly your wiring...

Page 30: ...ell configurations denoted as 2S 3S 4S and 5S offering 7 4V 11 1V 14 8V and 18 5V Increased flight times can be obtained by placing two batteries in parallel doubling the overall mAh All of these cell configurations can be used with the HoverflySPORT See Chapter 8 for Maximum ratings You should follow all manufacturers warnings concerning using and charging your batteries A cell balancer should al...

Page 31: ...hless motors since the use of brushed motors is not commonly seen in recent times It should also be noted that brushed motors generate a large amount of Electro Magnetic Pulse noise because of the arcing between the brushes and the contacts on the rotor Use of brushed motors has not been tested on the HoverflySPORT and it is recommended that the user NOT use them An Electronic Speed Control or Ele...

Page 32: ... pulses would signify low throttle or no throttle and long pulse to high throttle The use of throttle here is related to the original use of a servo to literally close and open an air fuel mixture carburetor on a gas engine For brushless motors we use low throttle to mean low RPMs and high throttle for high RPMs All ESCs operate functionally the same but there are preferred brands that change over...

Page 33: ...Hover 25 A Battery Capacity 4400 mAh Expected flight time 4400mAh 25A x 60 mins 1hour x 1A 1000mA 10 56 minutes There are many different ESCs available that are adequate for use with a multi rotor aircraft As a result it is impossible to provide a specific description of the set up and calibration steps required The following is a suggested order for set up and calibration that you should refer to...

Page 34: ...ut Off Type Soft Cut off Timing Mode Medium Startup Mode Hard or Fast NEVER soft Governor Mode OFF if available 4 5 4 2 ESC Calibration Once again it is best to follow the instructions in your ESC manual to perform this calibration However it is critical that you perform this calibration on ALL of the ESCs in your system Start by connecting a single ESC to the throttle channel of the receiver Then...

Page 35: ...other connections can be made by soldering the wires together and then covered with heat shrink tubing as explained in a previous section 4 3 1 However we do recommend this approach At some point during the use of your aircraft a major component such as a motor or ESC will need to be replaced As a trade off however connector are heavier slightly than solder joints We recommend that you use connect...

Page 36: ...of the aircraft during flight Figure 8 Typical power and brushless motor connectors 4 5 6 Wiring Harness Layout The wiring harness includes the wire connections from the battery through the ESCs to the motors The following diagram is a suggested layout for your wiring harness Use this diagram if you have no experience with building multi rotor aircraft Your layout should differ only if you have ex...

Page 37: ...er s Guide Page 37 of 67 Figure 9 Typical wiring harness layout ESC outputs HoverflySPORT Connect power from a single ESC to the HoverflySPORT to power the Receiver Motor LiPo Battery ESC ESC ESC ESC Motor Motor Motor ...

Page 38: ...rom towel rods to molded and machined carbon fiber You will want to balance rigidity with weight A fantastically solid frame could be made by welding 1 inch 2 54cm industrial steel together but it may not fly because of the weight it s certainly possible depending on the motors you us it s certainly possible You will want to keep weight in mind when you are building In addition you will want to de...

Page 39: ...ork fine However keep the HoverflySPORT mounted as close to the main plate as possible Unreasonably long stand offs will increase vibration and reduce the performance of the HoverflySPORT 4 7 Brushless Motors All electric direct current DC motors consist of a rotor rotating element and a stator fixed element On older brushed motors the coil was mounted on the rotor which is mechanically fixed to t...

Page 40: ...peller will determine the amount of thrust that can be generated The weight of the multi rotor aircraft will govern how much thrust is required to hover and move it through the air In order to specify your motor propeller and battery requirements you will need to us a program like MotoCalc 4 8 Propellers Multi rotor aircraft require the use of an equal number of propeller and motors In addition ha...

Page 41: ...tween the motor shaft and propeller 4 9 Canopy It is highly recommended that the sensitive and valuable flight control electronics of your aircraft be covered The user will want to protect the HoverflySPORT with a hard shell cover or canopy At some point the aircraft will have a harder than expected landing A simple cover will protect the electronics from broken propellers and other foreign object...

Page 42: ... HoverflySPORT Orientation Two distinct arrows can be seen on the HoverflySPORT These indicate the direction of forward movement for your aircraft The picture below illustrates the correct orientation of the HoverflySPORT Figure 10 Board orientation ...

Page 43: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 43 of 67 4 10 2 Receiver Connection to HoverflySPORT Figure 11 Receiver to HoverflySPORT connections ...

Page 44: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 44 of 67 4 10 3 Configurations and X FRONT ...

Page 45: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 45 of 67 4 10 4 Configurations Hex and Y6 FRONT ...

Page 46: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 46 of 67 4 10 5 Configurations Octo and X8 FRONT ...

Page 47: ...agram When the motor is spinning in the indicated direction CW or CCW the pitch should direct the thrust downward None of the connectors are shorting to each other or the frame if made from conducting material All wires are secured so that they cannot move into the spinning propellers None of the propellers are damaged Each of the ESC are programmed and calibrated correctly see previous chapter fo...

Page 48: ...ition The EPA travel value is used by the HoverflySPORT as the Primary Gain value for the aircraft Moving the switch to the UP position or ON will allow the left side value to be adjusted Use a negative value on the left side so that the HoverflySPORT will read the value correctly The EPA travel value on the left side is used by the HoverflySPORT for Altitude Hold Gain During flight the Altitude H...

Page 49: ... 25 as shown in Fig 12 With the aircraft on the ground and armed increase the throttle until it just lifts off If it is difficult to control or mushy increase the gain by 10 and repeat the procedure Once you can safely lift off and hover observe the aircraft and look for oscillations This is very similar to a remote gain on a helicopter where too high of gain will result in tail twitching The Prim...

Page 50: ... the HoverflySPORT is calibrating it s internal sensors and should remain motionless do not arm while holding the aircraft 7 When arming is complete the HoverflySPORT will Beep 3 times 8 At this time the LED light will turn solid green The HoverflySPORT is now armed and the aircraft is ready to fly 9 If the Hoverfly s LED light turns Purple at any point during the arming sequence ensure altitude h...

Page 51: ...on Rudder Gain Check Receiver connections and binding Disconnect and re connect power and repeat Arming procedure Gyro Calibration Failure The HoverflySPORT performs a Gyro Calibration after power up If this calibration fails the LED will respond with a particular blinking sequence that is shown below Trouble Mode Powered Gyro Calibration Failure Powered ...

Page 52: ...f from the bench Make sure that when the motors are rotating that there are not objects that will fly up and damage the aircraft or propellers The first thing that you will want to verify is that the rotation of all of the propellers is correct Start by connecting the battery source and Arming the HoverflySPORT Refer to the diagrams corresponding to your configuration i e X Hex Y6 etc Start by inc...

Page 53: ...5 5 Flight Controls The basic flight controls for Roll Pitch Yaw and Throttle have been shown previously in this guide but the control diagram is repeated here Figure 13 Control stick movement and aircraft roll pitch yaw and throttle altitude ...

Page 54: ...re explained in more detail here 5 7 1 Altitude Hold Function In order for Altitude Hold to be enabled you must have already associated a fifth channel with a two position switch as described in 5 2 The Altitude Hold Gain must have also been set to a starting value of 25 In addition you must purchase a separate off board ultrasonic sensor and attached it to the Receiver Port see 4 10 2 The user wi...

Page 55: ...rning the associated switch to on or enabled position is user dependent The aircraft will rise and fall within a range of altitude around the chosen altitude The pilot can increase or decrease the Altitude Hold Gain to increase or decrease the range of altitudes The accuracy of Altitude Hold depends on sensor configuration hardware positioning sensing surface and other conditions Typical operation...

Page 56: ...ent is used to load the most current firmware onto the HoverflySPORT and future add on boards The Update Client requires a PC running Windows XP Vista 7 Mac OS not currently available Download the latest version of the Update Client from http www hoverflytech com Software_Updates html Update Client Setup Utility ...

Page 57: ...s To use the software simply connect the HoverflySPORT via the supplied USB cable to the computer Follow the instructions for programming included in the Update Client software 6 1 1 Update Procedure Download and run the Update Client Agree to License Agreement ...

Page 58: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 58 of 67 Select the HoverflySPORT Select Aircraft Configuration ...

Page 59: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 59 of 67 Wait for board to Connect Use Download Driver only if board will not connect ...

Page 60: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 60 of 67 Select desired Software Version and press the Flash button ...

Page 61: ...ay your receiver will not receive power and the HoverflySPORT will automatically enter diagnostics mode on start up 6 2 1 General Tab Once the HoverflySPORT Setup Utility is installed and the board is connected via USB you will see real time feedback on the operation of the HoverflySPORT Understand that the buttons and sliders are not user adjustable they are only a visual display of current value...

Page 62: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 62 of 67 Screen shot of Setup Utility ...

Page 63: ...per operation Pressing the Test button will provide the user with instructions on how to test the flight controller Results of the tests will be displayed by the check boxes The Flight Log Save button will allow the user to download a flight log from a previous flight saved into the on board memory This may be required if you have a problem during flight by the Technical Support Team at Hoverfly T...

Page 64: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 64 of 67 Appendix A Physical Dimensions ...

Page 65: ...pplicable Powered from ESCs ESC output signal PWM greater than standard 50Hz Receiver Input Signal PWM all receivers Current consumption 100mA PC Connection USB Update Client Operating System Windows XP Vista 7 Mounting Standoffs with vibration grommets Water resistance None ESD requirement User should use appropriate ESD protection ...

Page 66: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 66 of 67 Appendix C Quick Start Guide ...

Page 67: ...HoverflySPORT User s Guide Page 67 of 67 Appendix D Connection Reference ...