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Sentinel Automatic Trigger System (SATS-MINI) with VTOL Support – User and 

Programming Guide 

(as of V1.2.0 software, V2.1 hardware) 

© Fruity Chutes Inc 2021, All Rights Reserved - Proprietary Information, do not share!

 

This document outlines how to use the SATS-MINI.  This includes using the Shooty Chute Windows UI program 
to setup and program the SATS-MINI features.  This guide also covers typical applications and setup for the 
SATS-MINI. Refer to the Product Guide for detailed technical information of the SATS-MINI. Also refer to the 
online help page 

SATS-MINI Quick Start Guide and Resources

 for more information and the software 

downloads. 

Table of Contents: 

ShootyChute Software Installation

3 

Windows UI Installation

3 

Connecting the SATS

6 

Dashboard Information

7 

Upgrading the SATS-MINI Firmware

7 

Configuring the SATS-MINI using Shooty Chute Windows app

7 

Tools - Device Setup - General Settings

7 

Tools - Device Setup - Channel Settings

7 

Tools - Device Setup - General Setting Details

8 

Tools - Device Setup - Channel Settings Details

9 

Inputs and outputs during startup

9 

Channel Configuration for Default Configuration

10 

Input Safety Override, Output Status

11 

Channel 1 and Channel 2 - Safety Override

11 

Channel 3 and Channel 4 -Output System Status

11 

Tools - Advanced Settings

11 

Flight Mode

12 

Miltirotor Specific Detection Features

12 

Tumbling (Non-Primary Axis) failure settings

12 

Yaw (Primary Axis) Settings

12 

© Fruity Chutes Inc - http://fruitychutes.com 

Summary of Contents for SATS-MINI

Page 1: ...are downloads Table of Contents ShootyChute Software Installation 3 Windows UI Installation 3 Connecting the SATS 6 Dashboard Information 7 Upgrading the SATS MINI Firmware 7 Configuring the SATS MINI using Shooty Chute Windows app 7 Tools Device Setup General Settings 7 Tools Device Setup Channel Settings 7 Tools Device Setup General Setting Details 8 Tools Device Setup Channel Settings Details 9...

Page 2: ...oading Setups 14 Send to Device 14 Other Tools 14 Send Default Configuration 14 Dump Log 14 Erase Log 14 Reset to Factory Defaults 14 SATS MINI Installation 14 SATS MINI Orientation Calibration 15 Testing and Verification 15 Multirotor drones 15 Fixed Wing using Absolute Angle 16 Tips for Flight Testing 16 Best Practices 17 What To Do After Parachute Deployment 17 Fruity Chutes Inc https fruitychu...

Page 3: ... the Windows UI and the firmware update file named ATS uf2 We recommend always upgrading both the Windows UI and installing new firmware to maintain compatibility with new features Below shows screenshots of the installation download 1 After downloading you can clock on the zip file to view the contents To install the Windows UI click on ShootyChuteInstaller_xxx msi to install Fruity Chutes Inc ht...

Page 4: ...2 After clicking you may see a screen like this Click on More Info Fruity Chutes Inc https fruitychutes com ...

Page 5: ...3 You will then see this Click on Run Anyway 4 Then go through the wizard to install the program You can install a desktop icon Fruity Chutes Inc https fruitychutes com ...

Page 6: ...ur PC in order to allocate a port Connecting the SATS Select the COM port for the SATS MINI If you have several ports listed you may need to try several ports to connect After starting the ShootyChute app and connecting to the SATS MINI you will have a screen like this Fruity Chutes Inc https fruitychutes com ...

Page 7: ...er clip of other small tool and press the reset button twice within 1 second or less There is an access hole in the SATS MINI case to reach the Reset button RST This will put the SATS MINI into the Bootloader mode and a drive letter will show up in your Windows File Explorer that says FEATHERBOOT The status LED will also pulse red 5 Open up the zip download folder Drag the ATS uf2 file into the FE...

Page 8: ...ure the IMU orientation that defines the drone up Z axis Safety Altitude m Enter the altitude where below this the SATS is in Safety and above the SATS MINI will go to armed Entering 0 disables this feature Units are meters Supply Power Auto Shutdown Is enabled this causes the SATS MINI to automatically turn off after a delay of XXX seconds after power removal Use this to automatically allow the S...

Page 9: ... We recommend this feature if enabled is used along with Altitude based safety V1 0 30 and later Tools Device Setup Channel Settings Details The SATS MINI supports many virtual channel features These include Output Trigger Output activated to eject the parachute or for Flight Termination Input Trigger Input for an external trigger signal to eject the parachute Input Safety Override Input used to a...

Page 10: ...r used for the rescue radio For Trigger PWM output the Always On option when checked causes the PWM pulse to always be present at all times so a mechanical servo is always driven Clearing this will cause the servo PWM to only be present when the servo needs to move Not checking Always On can possibly save power Electronic servo switches like those used on the the Skycat V2 or V3 trigger must have ...

Page 11: ...ng on configuration are met For example Channel 1 is set to look for a 2000us wide PWM pulse The SATS MINI will stay in the Safety as long as the PWM input pulse does not match 2000us tolerance Once the PWM pulse matches then the SATS MINI goes into the armed state If Latch Armed is set the SATS MINI will stay armed once entered Otherwise the SATS MINI can toggle between Armed and SAFETY depending...

Page 12: ... to control how the Z axis rotation is measured Tumbling Non Primary Axis failure settings These settings control the trigger of the SATS MINI due to rotation around the X or Y axis The default is 360 degrees rotation in 2 seconds or less Yaw Primary Axis Settings These settings control the trigger of the SATS MINI due to rotation around the Yaw Z axis The default is 540 degrees rotation in 2 seco...

Page 13: ...the maximum range Like the Miltirotor Yaw trigger Absolute Angle and has this trigger source to guard against fast rotation that might be a sign of a top stall or flat spin For all angular trigger setting the value to 0 will disable it NOTE There is no hard rule which detection type must be used for either flight mode For example some flyers may want to use Absolute Angle for both Multirotor and F...

Page 14: ...fault configuration to the SATS MINI overwriting the current configuration The SATS MINI will auto restart after uploading Dump Log Use this to download the flight log to your hard drive The file is saved in csv format suitable for viewing in Excel or Google Sheets Erase Log After downloading you can erase the log file Unless erased logs from each flight will be appended to the previous log The SA...

Page 15: ...ed to rotate your drone 90 degrees around the Z axis to get the IMU to lock If you did step 3 your movement of the drone tilting will be exactly matched by the UI Drone Also it s key that the IMU is internally calibrated step 2 If the virtual drone does not seem to be in the proper orientation then the IMU manetomers may not have been completely settled when you acquired the position Repeat the ca...

Page 16: ...r angle will result in a faster trigger Also using shorter times for averaging will also speed up the detection but it will be less immune to larger rotation for short times Be sure to ground test all angle parameters 2 Test Angle rate of change Rotating the SATS faster even for a short time will cause a large angular rate of change 3 For Fixed Angle it s a very good idea to flight test using your...

Page 17: ...ince the battery life may be short 3 Check the parachute launcher and connection to the SATS MINI before flight 4 Before takeoff make sure the SATS MINI is armed or in safety if used 5 After flight disarm the SATS MINI and turn to save battery and log space What To Do After Parachute Deployment If the SATS MINI triggers a parachute deployment be sure to disarm the SATS MINI and download the log fi...

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