Sky-Drones SMARTAP GNSS, User Manual

Page 1: ...Flight Control System User s Guide www sky drones com ...

Page 2: ...All rights reserved ...

Page 3: ...General Sensors Flight Modes Size and Weight Previous versions SmartAP PRO 2 SmartAP PRO 1 Installation Mounting the board Connections External GNSS MAG SmartAP PRO 0 2 and later SmartAP PRO 0 1 and earlier GPS Receiver RC Receiver RSSI Monitoring Motors ESC Telemetry module OSD Video Electromagnetic sounder Power supply LED Buzzer Pressure sensor foam Dimensions SmartAP PRO v 2 pinout SmartAP PRO...

Page 4: ...Motors PWM GNSS MAG Telemetry Module Power Module Electromagnetic sounder Camera trigger Assembled System Specifications Introduction Features Installation Pinout Soldering Powering the autopilot SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX Buzzer support Voltage and current sensors Specifications Specifications Features Package includes Dimensions RTK GNSS Specifications Features Package includes Specifications Intro...

Page 5: ...ware Manual control Change settings Accesing settings menu Changing Radio settings Changing Security settings API and SDK Telemetry Video Manual Control Other AP GCS support QGroundControl Configuration settings Mission Planner Configuration settings Video Firmware update Using Ubuntu Get USB Boot utility done only once Forcing bootloader and image flashing Troubleshooting Unable to ping smartlink...

Page 6: ... Configuration Battery Tuning Control OSD Camera Parameters Standard PID presets MicroDrones MD4 1000 Quadcopter T960 Hexacopter F450 Quadcopter 3DR Hexacopter Updating GNSS Module Getting U Center RTK GNSS Configuration update SmartAP PRO Onboard GNSS module update Flashing Bootloader Tools required Connections Flashing Flashing DFU old Firmware and bootloader update via USB Modes overview Flight...

Page 7: ...rview Getting the video feed Autonomous Flights Waypoints flight Guided flight Flying with RTK GNSS Locating the antenna Connecting in SmartAP GCS Starting Survey In Survey In completed RTK Modes Geotag images Logs analysis Processing the Logs Support Safety Safety basics Additional safety information Support Disclaimer Revision history SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Introduction ...

Page 8: ...cing the most basic ideas of assembling configuring and flying a drone with SmartAP Autopilot developed by Sky Drones This page gives an overview about the available flight controller hardware and software The latest offline PDF version of this User s Guide can be downloaded here PDF User s Guide Hardware Sky Drones flagship flight controllers are SmartAP PRO and SmartAP MAX SMARTLINK Broadband Di...

Page 9: ...ding reliability positioning precision and control accuracy for professional applications with various peripherals already integrated onboard SmartAP MAX Flight Control System aimed at the wide range of purposes for consumer and professional applications with the compact main core and externally connected peripherals SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Introduction ...

Page 10: ...tenna magnetometer and pressure sensor SmartAP RTK GPS GLONASS RTK Real Time Kinematics receiver for high precision positioning SmartAP PDB Power Distribution Board for ESCs Motors power supply and 5V 12V generation SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Introduction ...

Page 11: ...nd create autonomous missions for your SmartAP Autopilot as well as control the UAV using intuitive high level commands SmartAP GCS also includes Configurator Download the Software and more Supported airframes Can t find yours Let us know About All further information can be asked using the Contact Form SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Specifications ...

Page 12: ... It has a powerful microcontroller multiple redundant 9 axis Inertial Measurement Unit Gyroscopes Accelerometers Magnetometer with temperature stabilization integrated telemetry module external GNSS module with the latest with integrated magnetometer SmartAP supports any type of multirotor UAV with outstanding navigation and control precision Set includes Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX Smart...

Page 13: ...d auto fully autonomous navigation and control Temperature stabilized IMU Fully compatible with SmartAP GCS Ground Control Station for Configuration and Mission Planning Integrated OSD On Screen Display for FPV Accurate GPS Position hold up to 40cm with good GNSS reception quality Accurate Altitude hold up to 10 cm manual altitude override Return to Home flight mode Fully autonomous waypoints flig...

Page 14: ... External telemetry module support Integrated OSD module Up to 24 PWM I O support 5V out high power SBUS input support FrSky S Port output support USB interface for configuration firmware update Various communication lines UART USART RS232 I2C SPI 6 pin JTAG port for programming debugging MicroSD card driven by 4 bit SDIO interface for data logging parameters Backup battery for real time clock and...

Page 15: ...1 Flight Modes Stabilization Altitude Hold Position Hold Return to Home Autonomous Waypoints Flight Guided Follow me Take off Landing Size and Weight Length 80mm Width 80mm Height 17mm Weight 39g Previous versions SmartAP PRO 2 SmartAP PRO 1 SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Specifications ...

Page 16: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 17: ...t disconnect antennas when the board is powered on Mounting the board Mount your board on your copter airframe It s highly recommended to mount the board as close to the geometrical center of the copter as possible Mounting should be done with four 3 mm nylon screws Add rubber spacers to reduce motors vibration noise Note the FWD arrow to install the board properly FWD Forward Connections Connect ...

Page 18: ...AP PRO 0 2 and later GNSS Magnetometer cable goes to dedicated GNSS MAG port having 6 wires GND SDA SCL RX TX 5V SmartAP PRO 0 1 and earlier GPS Cable 4 wires GND 5V RX TX goes to GPS port and magnetometer cable I2C SCL SDA goes to Magnetometer port as shown on the picture above SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 19: ...ect GPS antenna to GPS antenna port This is only for the versions which have integrated GNSS module RC Receiver After mounting the board you need to connect cables from RC Receiver to SmartAP PPM SBUS Input You can also connect FrSky S Port from FrSky receiver and get real time telemetry on your FrSky transmitter e g Taranis screen Simply SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 20: ... sure NOT to mix up polarity GND line black is near edge 5V line red in the middle Signal line yellow is upper row Telemetry module Connect telemetry antenna to telemetry antenna port If you would like to use external telemetry module connect GND 5V RX TX pins of the Telemetry port to external telemetry module Later you will need to disable onboard telemetry module SmartAP GCS Configurator softwar...

Page 21: ...r to BUZ port of SmartAP Power supply Connect power supply cable from main power distribution board of the UAV SmartAP PRO 0 1 and earlier 10 36 V 3S 8S SmartAP PRO 0 2 and later 10 60 V 3S 14S LED Buzzer Buzzer 12V 0 2A included in the kit LED 1 4 12V 0 2A per each channel enough to power LED strip of 25cm length Pressure sensor foam Pressure sensor is highly sensitive to the air pressure noise g...

Page 22: ... Dimensions of the board are 80x80 mm Mounting holes diameter is 3 mm distance between the center of the mounting hole and board edges is 4 5 mm SmartAP PRO v 2 pinout SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 23: ...SmartAP PRO v 1 pinout SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 24: ...SmartAP PRO v 0 pinout SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 25: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Specifications ...

Page 26: ...The latest UBlox GPS module with integrated 3 axis magnetometer and pressure sensor can be connected externally for autonomous flight capabilities as well as wireless telemetry module for system configuration mission planning control and in flight monitoring via specially designed SmartAP Ground Control Station and Configuration Tool SmartAP MAX supports any type of multirotor UAV with outstanding...

Page 27: ...urate GPS Position hold up to 40cm Accurate Altitude hold up to 10 cm manual Fully autonomous waypoints flight Return to home mode Failsafe detection and event triggering And many more General Powerful microcontroller 32 bit 168 MHz STM32F4 ARM Cortex M4 Compatible with GPS GLONASS receiver UBlox NEO8 GPS GLONASS up to 24 sats 10 Hz active antenna Integrate OSD On Screen Display Up to 12 PWM I O s...

Page 28: ...ometer HMC5883 external 1x UBlox M8N GPS Module external Flight Modes Stabilization Altitude Hold GPS Position Hold Loiter Return to Home Autonomous Waypoints Flight Guided Follow me Take off Landing Interfaces 12x PWM I O 1x PPM SBUS Input 1x SBUS Output 1x Power Input port 1x LED Output port 3x UART 2x I2C 1x SPI 2x CAN 1x Camera input 1x Camera output 1x USB Mini B Size and Weight Length 63mm W...

Page 29: ... Remove the protection layer of the anti vibration tape and mount the autopilot any direction you want the actual direction can be selected during configuration procedures later It s recommended to mount the autopilot as close to the center of gravity as possible FRONT arrow indicates the original flight direction Can be changed in the settings later Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PD...

Page 30: ...irframe RF emitting devices such as video transmitters High current cables ESC motors power supply It s recommended to use GPS mast for that Connect the cable and put the GPS on a mast Connecting Peripherals Metal case version Ports pinout for the Front and Rear panels Front panel connectors pinout Rear panel connectors pinout SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 31: ...BUS output of the RC receiver to PPM SBUS Input port of SmartAP ESC Motors PWM Connect ESC cables to SmartAP PWM outputs 1 12 depending on the number of the motors your airframe has The first motor is always front or front right it s spinning direction is CCW Supported airframe types and motors number spinning direction are shown below SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 32: ... the other one to the GPS MAG port of the autopilot as shown on the pictures below Telemetry Module Connect the one side of the cable to air telemetry module and the other one to the RADIO port of the autopilot as shown on the pictures below Power Module Connect power supply cable 10 36 V 3S 8S from main power distribution board of the UAV Electromagnetic sounder SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Ins...

Page 33: ...elay connect the pins which should be shorted unshorted upon activation to relay pins RCOM and ROUT marked yellow In case you want to use camera feedback of the moment when the photo was actually taken for Log file and precise geotagging later then you need to connect CS and GND pins marked above to the signal and ground of the interface which provides camera feedback Assembled System Fully assemb...

Page 34: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Specifications ...

Page 35: ...ity to connect up to 4 independent batteries 12 pairs of pads 6 on top 6 on bottom for powering up to 12 motors all possible airframe configurations supported Integrated voltage and current sensors Integrated DC DC converter from 10 60 V input up to 14S battery to 5V output to power peripherals Integrated DC DC converter from 10 60 V input up to 14S battery to 12V output to power peripherals 5V an...

Page 36: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 37: ...sensors Installation SmartAP PDB Power Distribution Board for Batteries ESCs connection with integrated voltage and current sensors buzzer 5V and 12V outputs Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision history SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 38: ...h current loads and even more using thinner wires Both top and bottom left and right sides have pads for ESCs power supply connection Therefore up to 12 ESCs can be connected Soldering NOTE It s strongly recommended to use powerful solder iron at least 80W otherwise there is a high chance of cold joint which can significantly reduce the reliability Soldered Power Distribution Board should look as ...

Page 39: ... the main battery therefore specially dedicated solder terminals can be used If you would like the autopilot to get the current sensor integrated in PDB readings simply connect the GND 5V CURRENT signals of the PDB using standard cable to the flight controller SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 40: ...or SmartAP 3 0 36V 8S for SmartAP 3 1 Wiring between the Power Distribution Board and the Autopilot should look as following SmartAP MAX SmartAP MAX gets the power supply and voltage current readings from the PDB using standard 6 pin cable with Molex PicoBlade connectors Simply connect the cable to PWR connector of the autopilot SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 41: ... the BUZZER and GND signals of the flight controller to BUZZER and GND signals of the PDB Voltage and current sensors SmartAP PDB has integrated voltage and current sensors Current sensor is located on the bottom side of the PDB For correct scale offset configuration please refer to Configuration section SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Specifications ...

Page 42: ...d SAW and LNA 25mm ceramic patch antenna GPS GLONASS support Up to 24 satellites 18 10 Hz update rate GPS GPS GLONASS Rechargeable 3V lithium backup battery Ultra Low noise 3 3V regulator Power and fix indicator LEDs Exposed RX TX 5V and GND pads Integrated magnetometer HMC5883L Footprint for pressure sensor MS5611 01BA03 UART port for GPS interface Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB...

Page 43: ...Diameter 75 mm Weight 18g Fully compatible with SmartAP Autopilots Package includes GNSS Module Connection cable Dimensions SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide RTK GNSS ...

Page 44: ...ignal and relies on a single reference station or interpolated virtual station to provide real time corrections providing up to centimetre level accuracy Features Centimeter level GNSS positioning Integrated Real Time Kinematics RTK Smallest lightest and energy efficient RTK module Complete and versatile solution due to base and rover variants World leading GNSS positioning technology UBlox NEO M8...

Page 45: ...Package includes Base station module Active patch antenna for base station module Airborne module with integrated patch antenna Connection cable SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Specifications ...

Page 46: ...Introduction SmartLink is broadband digital datalink with integrated onboard computer Two HD video channels telemetry and control with ultra low latency and range up to 20 km Set includes 1 SmartLink Ground Module 2 SmartLink Air Module 3 2x Air Module antennas Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision history SmartAP Au...

Page 47: ... connector to interact with any kind of device laptops smartphones tablets desktop computers supported All you need to do is connect it and open SmartAP GCS App Ground module features active cooling system which allows the module to withstand high ambient temperatures making it reliable even in harsh environments 2x2 MIMO technology provides higher bandwidth lower latency and longer range Interfac...

Page 48: ...SmartAP GCS provides all status information on radio link including RSSI SNR packets and allows to dynamically change all major settings For instance operating frequency bandwidth or power can be change just with a one click Remote module configuration is done automatically via ground module SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Interfaces ...

Page 49: ... Other AP GCS support Firmware update Troubleshooting Interfaces This page describes general information and interfaces location for SmartLink Air and Ground modules Air Module Top Antenna SMA connectors Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision history SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Interfaces ...

Page 50: ...Telemetry port TTL 3V3 Baudrate 57600 DBG Debug port TTL 3V3 Baudrate 9600 Front SPI 1 5V OUTSPI1 SCLK SPI1 MISO SPI1 MOSI SPI1 CS0 GND I2C 0 1 5V OUTI2C1 SCLI2C1 SDA I2C2 SCLI2C2 SDA GND UART 0 1 GNDTEL TX TEL RXDBG TX DBG RX 5V OUT SPI 0 GNDSPI0 CS0 SPI0 MOSI SPI0 MISO SPI0 SCLK 5V OUT SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Interfaces ...

Page 51: ...low circulation in front of this side Right Micro HDMI input 1 Micro HDMI input 2 Micro SD card slot Rear USB A connectors for peripherals connection for instance 4G LTE Modem Rockblock satellite communication system FLARM ADSB system SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Interfaces ...

Page 52: ...Bottom Ground Module Top Front side has integrated fan It s important to have clear space for air flow circulation in front of this side SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Interfaces ...

Page 53: ...n packets are being transmitted RX blinking when packets are being received LNK Ethernet USB link established CPU Module operating RSSI Signal quality Front SMA antenna connectors SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Interfaces ...

Page 54: ...Right Reset button Rear USB to connect to computer tablet Power supply 7 35V DC SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Interfaces ...

Page 55: ...Bottom SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Installation ...

Page 56: ...trol Change settings API and SDK Other AP GCS support Firmware update Troubleshooting Installation Set content SmartLink set includes everything needed to setup wireless communication for video telemetry and control Standard set contains Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision history SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Pre...

Page 57: ...nas to the air module It s not allowed to power up any of the modules without antennas Powering up the modules without antennas may cause malfunction of the amplifier and permanent damage Powering up without antennas voids warranty Then attach power supply cable and autopilot telemetry cable Power supply goes to 5V DC connector Autopilot telemetry cable goes to UART connector SmartAP AutoPilot Use...

Page 58: ...Here it is how air module should look like with power and telemetry cables connected Connect one or two microHDMI cables to microHDMI port SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Preparing Ground module ...

Page 59: ...monstrate GoPro Hero 6 video camera with 1080p 60fps video output SmartLink is capable of capturing the following video source types 1080p 60fps 1080p 30fps 720p 60fps 720p 30fps Preparing Ground module Attach antennas to the ground module SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Power supply ...

Page 60: ...e ground module Typical current for 3S battery is around 1A at maximum power output Air module is 5V tolerant only Peak current can be up to 3A therefore make sure to provide powerful stable and reliable power supply to air module We highly recommend to use SmartAP PDB 5V output port to power SmartLink SmartAP PDB has 5V at 5A max power output which is enough for SmartLink AIR MODULE IS 5V ONLY TO...

Page 61: ...onstration 15V Autopilot SmartLink system is compatible with any autopilot which has TTL UART telemetry port For instance it s compatible with SmartAP Autopilot Pixhawk series Autopilot APM series Autopilot other TTL UART telemetry port autopilots For this demonstration we use SmartAP MAX Autopilot from Sky Drones SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Autopilot ...

Page 62: ...Connect telemetry cable to Radio port of the autopilot as shown below After completing the steps above you will have fully assembled air module SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Initial power up ...

Page 63: ...Before the first power up you have assembled air module and ground module as shown below Initial power up Power up both ground module and air module SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Software ...

Page 64: ... or three LEDs solid RSSI status more solid LEDs equals better signal Software Verify SmartLink was discovered Normally you don t need to run the steps in this section since SmartLink should be recognized automatically But the steps in this section might be useful for establishing connection unless it s done automatically First of all check if SmartLink ground module has been recognized properly b...

Page 65: ...ype ping smartlink local If you are able to see the proper response in command line then it means SmartLink is discovered by your computer In case you re unable to ping smartlink local it might be a DNS problem in other words operating system can t find IP address corresonding the name This might happen on some Windows platforms and is applied to all Android based platforms Follow these steps to r...

Page 66: ...missing you may add it manually as shown below Upon clicking Open connection will be established and you should be able to see telemetry information at this step To set up the video click on the Settings button of the one of the video widgets and select the desired source For this demonstration we need to select SmartLink HDMI 1 option After 1 2 seconds the video feed will appear and connection st...

Page 67: ...You can easily switch between full map and full video by just tapping on the video feed Finally full setup looks as follows SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Software ...

Page 68: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Manual control ...

Page 69: ...r messages when connected to ground control station In this demonstration we show how to setup manual control using FrSky Taranis radio in USB joystick mode First of all open SmartAP GCS and go to Settings Then switch to Joystick tab Make sure your joystick is connected and selected the one from dropdown menu Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configu...

Page 70: ... otherwise manual control messages will not be sent Additionally you can connect the second joystick which will be used for payload control After that if you go back to World pane you will see green joystick icon on toolbar This means that the joystick has been configured successfully and emits manual control signal SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Change settings ...

Page 71: ...has various settings which you may change to optimized the performance To get to SmartLink settings menu click on Wireless Connection icon on top toolbar Changing Radio settings Radio tab allows you to change radio settings as well as observe current RSSI and SNR values for connection Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Rev...

Page 72: ... Using high values over long time near human body might cause health problems due to radiation After changing any parameter click Save It might take a few seconds until changes applied The system may loose connection when changing any parameter Changing Security settings Security tab allows you to assign network name and encryption key Connection is AES encrypted Make sure that both air and ground...

Page 73: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide API and SDK ...

Page 74: ...rt software too Telemetry To access telemetry on the ground module use the following connection Type UDP Host smartlink local Port 14555 SmartLink will forward all autopilot telemetry to this port Video To access the video on the ground module use the following address Type RTSP HDMI Input 1 rtsp smartlink local 8554 camera 0 HDMI Input 2 rtsp smartlink local 8554 camera 1 SmartLink will forward a...

Page 75: ...L_CONTROL message from MAVLink specification is recommended but not limited to You may use any manual control message according to your specification SmartLink will act as a transparent transfer layer just like any other telemetry module SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Other AP GCS support ...

Page 76: ...ooting Other AP GCS support QGroundControl Follow these next steps to configure QGroundControl for SmartLink Configuration settings Connection type UDP Host smartlink local Port 14555 Autopilot UART 57600 8N1 3V3 TTL Mission Planner Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision history SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Other AP...

Page 77: ...00 8N1 3V3 TTL Video Use the following GStreamer pipeline to see the real time video in Mission Planner rtspsrc location rtsp smartlink local 8554 camera 0 rtph264depay avdec_h264 videoconvert video x raw format BGRA appsink name outsink sync false SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Firmware update ...

Page 78: ...n command line and locate USBBoot Start bootloader tool sudo usbboot Connect USB cable turn on power supply make sure to connect USB cable before providing power Use lsblk or df h to find out the mounting point of the unit look for 3 9GB unit since eMMC of SmartLink has this amount of flash memory Locate the firmware file To flash image from file make sure to set correct filename and sdX gunzip st...

Page 79: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Troubleshooting ...

Page 80: ...esolve smartlink local Unknown host You ll need to find out the IP address for SmartLink There are numerous ways to do this we ll use NMAP tool in this example First of all download and install NMAP tool here unless it s not installed yet Linux sudo apt get install nmap Mac OS brew install nmap Windows Go to official website for NMAP tool Nmap web page Select Latest stable release self installer n...

Page 81: ...command you ll see IP addresses in this range You ll have 192 168 168 1 which is as a rule configured as air module 192 168 168 2 which is usually configured as ground module and 192 168 168 x x 0 255 which is IP address for SmartLink You should use this IP address 192 168 168 x for direct connection instead of smartlink local SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Drivers installation ...

Page 82: ...eding to the next steps First of all go to the Device Manager and delete the existing drivers if they are already installed Then plug in the flight controller into USB port You ll see the message that the new device has been discovered If you click on the message you ll see more detailed information The operating system is trying to find the driver for SmartAP Autopilot and its bootloader Most lik...

Page 83: ... after power up but for longer you can enable hidden devices in windows device manager using the steps below Open CMD as administrator Run SET DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES 1 Type devmgmt msc to open Device manager Click View Show hidden devices More information and description on the steps above can be foundhere Right click on it and choose Update Device Driver SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Dri...

Page 84: ...load section of the website and get the driver inf file for the autopilot Specify the location of the driver in Browse menu When pop up window comes choose Install driver anyway The process might take a few seconds SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Drivers installation ...

Page 85: ...he driver was successfully installed Unplug and plug in the USB cable of the autopilot to reboot the board and then if you go to Device Manager you ll see that the driver is now installed successfully SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Drivers installation ...

Page 86: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Getting the software ...

Page 87: ...ing the software Go to http sky drones com website to download the all new SmartAP GCS This software will help you to configure the autopilot for your specific requirements and prepare it for the flight The software can be run on all popular platforms such as Desktops Laptops Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision his...

Page 88: ...to see the authorization window then it means that the application was installed successfully and you may proceed to the next steps Create account If you don t have an account yet you ll need to create one Click SIGN UP and fill the simple form providing your email and password along with some other details Account is needed to sync data across your platforms and operating systems and exchange UTM...

Page 89: ...World World pane provides all necessary information about the flight and allows controlling the flight modes and planning the mission Toolbar gives the following general information and control App Menu If you pull out the drawer from the left side or click three bars button you ll see the app menu You can go into your account settings log out or switch between the application panes SmartAP AutoPi...

Page 90: ... this icon shows connections management menu There are a few communication types available Serial UDP TCP IP You can create and store a new Serial UDP TCP IP connection by choosing COM Port and Baud Rate or providing IP Ports details Connection can be established via USB or wireless telemetry Usually baud rate for wireless telemetry connection is 57600 If you are about to configure a new Flight Co...

Page 91: ...ght time radio connection status GNSS satellites count and status link health battery info and so on Sometimes you might get a message that you re using partialy incompatible version This means that the functionality introduced recently might be not supported by your currently installed firmware and it s highly recommended to update it Therefore if you see the message above please proceed to Firmw...

Page 92: ...re update NO BATTERY USB CONNECTION ONLY Do not connect the main battery for the steps below Use USB connection only Latest firmware installation If you can see exclamation mark icon when pulling out the Drawer it means that there is firmware update available Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision history SmartAP Auto...

Page 93: ...W if you want to learn more about the features introduced in this firmware or click UPGRADE to begin procedure The firmware will be downloaded from Sky Drones cloud platform Sometimes after pressing the button you might see the reboot request Simply plug out and then plug in flight controller USB cable SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Firmware update ...

Page 94: ...port devices connected to computer Once the procedure started you will see progress notification and status Usually update procedure takes from 30 to 60 seconds After upgrade procedure successfully finished you will see the confirmation message SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Firmware update ...

Page 95: ... file you want to flash and follow further instructions Getting the log In case something is not going right during the firmware upgrade you might want to see the logs to further understand the issue or provide this information to our support team Simply click Options icon three dots in the top right corner and select Show Update Log SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Firmware update ...

Page 96: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide General configuration ...

Page 97: ...d to use USB connection instead of wireless telemetry connection for the steps below First of all connect to the flight controller using links management menu on the top right Later click the Gear icon in the left part of toolbar flight controller settings popup will appear General General tab provides the major information about the hardware you re using installed firmware version and unique ID o...

Page 98: ...igure the type of your vehicle Click AIRFRAME and choose your airframe from the list If you can t see your airframe there feel free to contact us and we ll add the new airframe type for you SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide General configuration ...

Page 99: ...ion menus Landing Gear SmartAP allows you to configure automatic control of retractable landing gear Simply select the output channel where servo is connected to and adjust min max values You may apply reverse if needed Motors IDLE speed If you want the motors slightly spinning when the system is Armed you can set Motors IDLE speed to the desired value SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide General config...

Page 100: ...again if you want changed to be applied immediately Go to Settings RADIO again and make sure that your RC radio is turned on You ll see the sticks positions displayed Press CALIBRATE button and move all sticks and switched of the radio to their end points When it s done press OK button to stop calibration and save parameters You can remap any action to the desired channel and apply reverse if need...

Page 101: ...ometer calibrations which are very important for excellent flight performance Accelerometer calibration Click CALIBRATE button near accelerometer data Click START and follow the instructions which will be shown after procedure started SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide General configuration ...

Page 102: ...p the axis should be aligned with g acceleration vector as precise as possible Gyroscope calibration Click CALIBRATE button near gyroscope data Don t move the board put it still click START and follow the instructions which will be shown after procedure started Magnetometer Magnetometer calibration is highly important for precise position hold and autonomous flight modes Make sure that you re outd...

Page 103: ... to the autopilot before proceeding to this step Also make sure that the green LED indicating power supply of the module is solid green Sensors tab allows to configure GNSS module with the default parameters and messages required to work properly with SmartAP Autopilots Click CONFIGURE button near GNSS data Click CONFIGURE in the new window again and configuration changes will take an effect after...

Page 104: ... gains PIDs are set to be the average for the majority of airframes configurations and etc Of course the parameters can be tuned precisely for better flight performance Here is the brief guide and explanations for PID tuning 1 Set all values by default 2 It s very important to tune Stabilization loop as perfect as possible navigation is based on stabilization so if it s not well then the vehicle w...

Page 105: ...icles More information on default gains is available in Standard PID Presets section Control Control tab allows configuring user s manual control sensitivity horizontal and vertical speed limits in various modes and failsafe actions OSD OSD tab provides the settings for On Screen Display module configuration In OSD settings you can Enable disable OSD module Select Metric or Imperial type of the un...

Page 106: ...ort both PAL and NTSC video standards with auto detection and selection Typical information layout is shown on the images below PAL Layout NTSC Layout The actual layout on the screen typically looks as following SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide General configuration ...

Page 107: ...ngles as well as minimum and maximum raw output values on the physical layer PWM is used As an option the output can be reversed Shutter Shutter configuration has settings for minimum and maximum output values for the triggering pulse Interval is the time of how long the pulse should be in active state to initiate the shutter of the camera to trigger SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide General configur...

Page 108: ...Parameters Parameters tab gives you direct access to all parameters available in the system SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Standard PID presets ...

Page 109: ...ashing DFU old Standard PID presets This section includes default parameters examples for various configuration types You can find the airframe which suits your mostly and have parametes value reference for tuning MicroDrones MD4 1000 Quadcopter Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision history SmartAP AutoPilot User s G...

Page 110: ...T960 Hexacopter F450 Quadcopter SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Standard PID presets ...

Page 111: ...3DR Hexacopter SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Standard PID presets ...

Page 112: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Updating GNSS Module ...

Page 113: ...e RTK GNS Latest configuration files as well as configuration tool can be found in the downloads section on the website http sky drones com dload Getting U Center First of all you need to download and install UBlox U Center utility After completing the installation run the program RTK GNSS Configuration update Plug in RTK GNSS Module to the USB port of your computer and make sure that the green LE...

Page 114: ...ration into BBR Flash checked Press File GNSS button the update process should start If the messages dialog closes itself in about a few seconds and you can t see any error messages or reports then it means that the configuration of the GPS receiver has been successfully updated SmartAP PRO Onboard GNSS module update Connect your FTDI cable to the GPS port of the flight controller as following GND...

Page 115: ... FTDI cable to computer Your setup should look as follows Once the connections are done please proceed with the update steps described above Troubleshooting If it seems that there is no connection to GPS module try to change the TX and RX pins of FTDI cable connected to flight controller sometimes colors meanings swapped Do not forget to put the switch back to RUN position SmartAP AutoPilot User s...

Page 116: ... bootloader pre installed You can easily flash them yourself The tools which will be needed ST Link v2 ARM JTAG Debugger ARM JTAG Mini connector 1 25 mm pitch Connections ST Link debugger looks as following You will need to connect ST Link pins to SmartAP Pins The reference for ST Link pins Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Suppo...

Page 117: ...r SmartAP JTAG pins view from top Your connection should look as following Autopilot should be powered via USB ST Link debugger should be powered from USB too Flashing SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Flashing Bootloader ...

Page 118: ...Open STM ST Link Utility and then go to Target Program and Verify Select the bootloader file to flash Press Start SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Flashing Bootloader ...

Page 119: ... you ll see the following If you see the board LEDs flashing after that congratulations Bootloader has been successfully flashed Now you re able to install the firmware SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Flashing DFU old ...

Page 120: ...this case you will need dfu image of the firmware Download dfu firmware file and set BOOT switch on SmartAP board to UPD mode It will allow SmartAP running in USB firmware update mode Connect the board to your computer with USB cable and run DfuSe utility Press Choose in Upgrade of Verify section and select the dfu file you would like to load Then press Upgrade Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX...

Page 121: ...Wait 40 60 seconds until you get the message that the firmware was successfully updated Do not forget to put the switch back to RUN position SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Modes overview ...

Page 122: ...overrides previous switch RTH Switch 2 position switch RTH mode control On Off enable disable return to home mode overrides both previous switches In Altitude Hold and Loiter modes you will have altitude rate control with the throttle stick Middle position means hold the altitude raising or lowering the stick means going up or down with the speed from 0 to 3 m s by default can be changed in Contro...

Page 123: ... lean angles position of the copter 3 Use mode switches if you want to switch to Loiter Auto RTL etc mode After landing 1 Disarm the system after landing by turning let stick left down for a 1 second 2 Two short beeps mean that the system has been successfully disarmed 3 Power off the copter 4 Power off the transmitter SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Transmitter commands ...

Page 124: ...mands ARM Hold for 1 second and release Performs all calibrations before take off and unlock motors Long beep followed means that the system is ARMED and ready to fly Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision history SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Transmitter commands ...

Page 125: ...tate the vehicle for the next calibration position Once all six positions are calibrated you ll hear the tone meaning that the calibration completed successfully and saved to SD card Gyroscope calibration Hold for 3 seconds and release Short beep means that the system starts calibration DO NOT move the vehicle during the calibration Short positive tone means that the calibration was done successfu...

Page 126: ... release Magnetometer calibration process starts after a beep Short positive tone after 30 seconds means that the calibration was done successfully and saved to SD card SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Flying with SmartAP GCS ...

Page 127: ...ain pane of the application is called World Pane Here you can see all general information about the vehicle switch vehicles change modes plan mission and etc Here is the brief overview of the information user interface and control buttons Toolbar contains the info about the vehicle status Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support...

Page 128: ...e You can change resolution and apply image rotation if needed If you can t see your video source in the list of available devices make sure to connect the video source to your computer before starting SmartAP GCS application You can also enable full screen video mode by clicking on the small video window Map and video widgets will be swaped SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Flying with SmartAP GCS ...

Page 129: ...oose from the already existing ones simply click PLANNING button and then click MISSIONS button To create a new mission type mission name and click CREATE To choose the already existing mission click on it We want to demonstrate creating new mission so we click CREATE now SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Flying with SmartAP GCS ...

Page 130: ...nter of the map automatically You can drag home point wherever you want Home point will be overwritten by the initial vehicle location upon the system armed To insert new waypoint you just need to double click on the map SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Flying with SmartAP GCS ...

Page 131: ... values for new waypoints New waypoints can be added by double clicking on the map Of course waypoints can be Adjusted by dragging them Deleted by double clicking on them Inserted in between by double clickin on path Waypoint parameters can be adjusted anytime after selecting the desired waypoint to be changed The system supports the following waypoint types Commands which can be changed by clicki...

Page 132: ...re activating autonomous mode After AUTO mode was activated the vehicle will start autonomous take off and then continue flying to the next waypoint If the vehicle is airborne before starting AUTO it will skip the Take off waypoint After the mission was created it can be saved and or uploaded to the vehicle If you click UPLOAD then you can notice the status of sending the mission in the right bott...

Page 133: ...valid home position and altitude is important for calculating the waypoints altitude After you armed the system you can notice the Home icon might moved on the map This position will be used for RTH Return to Home mode and its altitude will be used as an altitude reference for the waypoints If you want to change the home position manually you can simply drag drop it SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide ...

Page 134: ... vehicle path After the last waypoint reached the vehicle will enter hovering mode and maintain the altitude and position of the last point or perform landing if it was planned to do so Guided flight Guided flight mode which is also know as Fly here mode allows setting and moving the desired position of the vehicle interactively in real time This mode is available only if the vehicle is already fl...

Page 135: ... set in the Flyhere settings menu on the top right If you want to change the position of the vehicle you can simply drag drop the cross on the map or right click on the map and click Fly Here Repositioning can be done anytime Once the vehicle achieved the target position it starts hoveing at the point awaiting for the other point or flight mode change SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Flying with Sma...

Page 136: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Flying with RTK GNSS ...

Page 137: ...ocated on a ground plane the middle of a car roof is a good choice Computer with installed SmartAP GCS Telemetry modules configured and working on both drone and ground station telemetry is used to transfer corrections from Base Station module to Rover Locating the antenna RTK GNSS is very sensitive and needs to be set up carefully The base station antenna position should be fixed all time Please ...

Page 138: ...has enough satellites visible solid 3D fix and position deviation is not high you can start Survey In procedure by pressing Start Survey In button This procedure determines the accurate position of the base station based on the measurements By default it s set to run at least 3 minutes and the accuracy deviation should be less than 1 meter It s obvious that longer measurements and smaller deviatio...

Page 139: ...atus of the vehicle shown on the top panel you ll notice the change from GNSS to D GNSS meaning that the Rover module gets corrections D GNSS mode becomes active after a few seconds since the base station module starts sending corrections RTK Modes RTK has two modes Float and Fixed Float mode is easier to reach usually it becomes available in 30 60 seconds after D GNSS mode is active however it s ...

Page 140: ...will continue flying probably with slightly lower accuracy however if the connection will not be regained in 60 seconds GNSS module will go into regular mode Once the connection is established back the system will be back in RTK mode SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Geotag images ...

Page 141: ...en and writes this information into log file It contains the following information ID image sequence number Latitude latitude location of the image Longitude longitude location of the image Altitude altitude of the image MSL above mean sea level Roll roll of aircraft Pitch pitch of aircraft Yaw yaw of aircraft To geotag images firstly download the log file Then open SmartAP GCS pull out the left d...

Page 142: ...tions menu in top right corner and click Open log file Also you can simply drag drop the desired log file into Logs pane Once the file open locate CAM_TRIGGER group on the right panel SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Geotag images ...

Page 143: ...ommended for further processing Once selected click Options and click Export CSV Then you need to select the Folder destination where you want the log file to be exported to After that you can open the file with any file editor and check its content SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Geotag images ...

Page 144: ...Later this information can be used for further post processing and maps stitching SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Logs analysis ...

Page 145: ... export logs recorded on SD card of the flight controller To view the logs go to SmartAP GCS Plot tab in the left drawer Once switched to Plot tab click Settings in the top right corner and select Open log file Introduction SmartAP PRO SmartAP MAX SmartAP PDB SmartAP GNSS SmartLink Autopilot configuration Flying Support Revision history SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Logs analysis ...

Page 146: ...e the log with available parameter Choose the interesting fields to plot them In case you would like to export the log data as an image or KML track or CSV file for further analysis click Settings in the top right corner and select the preferred option SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Logs analysis ...

Page 147: ...SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Processing the Logs ...

Page 148: ...be installed on your computer If you don t have it yet you can download here https www python org downloads version 2 7 To export the log follow the steps Open command line Go to the folder where ulog2csv py script is located cd path to script Execute the command python ulog2csv py filename ulg where filename ulg is the path to the log file You ll see the folder will all log messages splitted in s...

Page 149: ...e highest attention to safety Environment conditions can change rapidly and can make operation difficult If this occurs land your aircraft and discontinue use immediately Do not operate your aircraft if operating conditions are not ideal This includes but is not limited to rain snow or excessive wind Always ensure the battery cable is disconnected from the aircraft until you are ready to fly and e...

Page 150: ... NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE HARDWARE EXPRESS IMPLIED STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF TITLE MERCHANTABILITY FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE NON INFRINGEMENT OR THE ABSENCE OF LATENT OR OTHER DEFECTS ACCURACY OR THE PRESENCE OF ABSENCE OF ERRORS WHETHER OR NOT DISCOVERABLE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WAR...

Page 151: ...ated 1 2 2 06 06 2017 Added more information on SmartAP 3 2 1 2 1 02 06 2017 Minor updates on index page 1 1 9 24 05 2017 Added section about creating Region based waypoints 1 1 8 21 05 2017 OSD information updated 1 1 7 15 05 2017 Added SmartAP 3 2 pinout 1 1 6 12 04 2017 Minor updates and support of offline PDF version 1 1 5 06 04 2017 SmartAP GNSS v2 and v3 dimensions added 1 1 4 04 04 2017 Sma...

Page 152: ...eter connections 1 0 2 03 08 2015 Added pinout description PID tuning hints 1 0 1 09 12 2014 Minor fixes in all sections 1 0 0 06 12 2014 Initial release of the Guide Version Date Description SmartAP AutoPilot User s Guide Revision history ...