Draganfly HHC User manual

HHC USER MANUAL
Handheld Controller
Version 2.1

Operator Notice
The responsibility to operate in a safe manner, prevent injury to persons or damage to
property, and to take no unnecessary risks falls upon the owner and those whom the
owner authorizes to pilot and operate the Draganflyer helicopter.
Furthermore the onus is upon each owner/authorizer/pilot to comply with all regulations
pertinent to the use of the Draganflyer helicopter and associated components at the
location of operation with regards to the use of airspace as well as radio
communications.
Draganfly Innovations Inc. does not accept any responsibility for damages or financial
compensations which may arise as the result of an owner/authorizer/pilot failing to
comply with any regulations which would lead to a claim against the user.
Page 1

Warning
The Draganflyer aircraft is a precision machine that is vulnerable to misuse and can
prove to be dangerous if not properly maintained or used in an inappropriate manor.
Helicopters by their nature are not positively stable. Although the Draganflyer can
maintain an attitude and a position relative to wind movement without constant control
input; operators should always be aware of its position and be able to take immediate
control of the helicopter to recover from an unwanted position and avoid any mishaps.
Please completely read and understand all Draganflyer aircraft instructional information
before attempting to fly the Draganflyer system.
To provide optimum performance, a Lithium Polymer battery powers your Draganflyer
aircraft and controllers. The same properties that make these batteries extremely
powerful and lightweight also make them dangerous if handled incorrectly. Please read
and understand all information pertaining to the battery before attempting to use or
charge it.
IF MISUSED THIS AIRCRAFT IS CAPABLE OF CAUSING SERIOUS BODILY HARM
TO THE OPERATOR AND SPECTATORS AS WELL AS PROPERTY DAMAGE. ANY
DAMAGE OR INJURY OCCURRING DUE TO MISUSE OF THIS PRODUCT IS
SOLELY THE OPERATOR’S RESPONSIBILITY.
Page 2
Special notice:
Throughout this manual, look for and pay special attention to these information
boxes for tips, tricks, safety information, or serious warnings and risks,
associated with this product.

DO NOT PLACE YOUR HANDS OR ARMS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE ROTORS
OR ATTEMPT TO STOP SPINNING ROTORS WITH YOUR HANDS AS SERIOUS
INJURY COULD RESULT FROM CONTACT.
THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS CHEMICALS WHICH ARE KNOWN BY THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA TO CAUSE CANCER, BIRTH DEFECTS AND/OR OTHER
REPRODUCTIVE HARM.
Many common materials such as metals, plastics, glues, lubricants and other coatings
contain chemicals in varying amount and concentrations which will cause harm if
introduced into the human body. For further information on toxic or dangerous
chemicals please refer to California’s Health and Safety Codes Sections 25249.5-13
Page 3
Special notice:
Please out of curiosity do not disassemble the aircraft. If you ever have a
system problem do not hesitate to contact us and we’ll be more than
happy to assist you or get the system serviced. Meanwhile enjoy the
helicopter, the amazing performance, and let your imagination soar with
this incredible aerial tool.
- Understand there is no need to lubricate the motors and if you do, there
is a strong possibility you will damage them.
- Please also understand that each motor is coded to a specific position on
the aircraft so don’t move or swap motors. The motors must remain in their
assigned position.
If you are experiencing a problem with the aircraft please call our support
line at 1-800-979-9794 or drop us an e-mail to support@draganfly.com.

Safety Precautions
As the pilot in command you are responsible for the safety of yourself and others
whether it be in the immediate takeoff and landing area, or the general flight path area.
Please take safety very seriously.
•Always wear protective eyewear.
•Do not use batteries other than those specifically designed for the Draganflyer
aircraft; doing so may cause erratic flight performance and void warranty.
•Do not fly the Draganflyer aircraft in excessive winds.
•Do not fly the aircraft system in rain.
•Do not fly near people on the ground or objects in the air.
•Do not fly near pets or other animals.
•Do not fly near high-tension lines, electrical substations, high structures or
communication facilities.
•Be careful where you place the controller and aircraft during flight
preparations, be sure that they will not be dropped or suffer a fall as this may
cause serious damage.
•Never fly this aircraft where damage to property or injury to persons may
result if loss of control occurs.
•Never leave the Draganflyer system unattended with the battery connected.
Make it a habit to always disconnect the battery when not flying.
•When possible fly with a spotter or observer
Page 4

Meet your Draganflyer HHC
This is the original Draganfly Handheld Controller with special attention paid to the
ergonomic layout of switches, controls, the feel, and overall balance of the controller.
The rubber grip and feel reinforces control of the aircraft while the direct sunlight
viewable OLED display, provides easy to read, real-time, aircraft telemetry.
Below you see/learn more about the HHC layout and controls.
Page 5
Pitch/Roll
Pitch/Roll trim
Power on/off
Yaw trim
Motor engage and
disengage switch
Throttle/Yaw
Camera zoom
Camera tilt
Camera shutter
Flight mode
control
SD flight log
memory

Along the backside of the controller within easy reach is the spring loaded trainer switch
and the battery charger connections. As the name implies the trainer switch is used in
conjunction with another handheld controller connected using a wireless link between
instructor and student. When the instructor depresses the switch, it instantly passes the
instructor designated controls over to the student. Letting go of the switch immediately
resumes instructor control.
The HHC battery is a 3 cell LiPo that is easily charged using the balance port and main
power charge plugs. Later in this manual charging is discussed in more detail.
Below you see the backside components and connectors.
Page 6
LiPo balance
connector
Main LiPo battery
charge plug
Spring loaded
trainer switch
Datalink
antenna

The HHC can be used as a standalone controller or it can be fitted with a Nexus digital
display. The display can be used as a handheld device by your observer, client, or if you
prefer having the display attached it quickly locks into the HHC using two 1/4 turn spring
loaded pins.
The Nexus display is used in conjunction with Draganfly digital video downlink payloads,
digital base station, and comes pre-configured with the DraganView Lite APP.
The APP and network are set-up and configured at the factory so all you need to
remember is that when you’re out flying, you always turn-on the base station first to
establish a network, then power-on the helicopter, controller and Nexus. For more
detailed set-up instructions for the digital video downlink network, refer to the “Digital
Video Downlink” manual.
Page 7
Display is attached using 1/4 turn
spring loaded plungers or it can be
used as a handheld display by
your observer or client.
Nexus digital
video display

Contents
Chapter 1: Understanding the HHC
This is one of the more interesting and important chapters
because we’ll go over each and every screen that makes up
the handheld controller. It’s technical, in-depth, and we’ll do
our best to make it fun too.
Chapter 2: Battery Safety and Charging
The HHC is powered by a Lithium Polymer battery so please
take time to read this chapter. Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery
technology has improved greatly over the years; but if not
cared for properly, the batteries can be very dangerous.
Chapter 3: Ready for flight
At this point you know where all the switches are, what they
do, and you’re more than ready to get out flying so wait no
more; in this chapter we’ll run through preparation for your
first flight and a typical mission scenario.
Chapter 4: HHC technical data
Here you’ll find the specifications and technical data
required to answer many of the questions asked by your
agency responsible for the National Air Space (NAS) or
neighbor down the street.
Page 8

Chapter 1
Page 9

Understanding the HHC
The standard handheld controller (HHC) might not look as fancy or as sophisticated as
the Draganfly GCS, but there is no question that over the years, it has proven to be an
excellent, simple, and reliable flight controller.
The sunlight viewable OLED screen is easy to read, features touch screen navigation
and provides real-time, easy to read, aircraft and system telemetry data. The user
interface is simple and the controller provides fine, precise control over the aircraft and
payload system.
And although the HHC looks different
than the GCS, the HHC is capable of
flying all the Draganfly series aircraft
and wirelessly pairing to work in
conjunction with the GCS. The HHC is
often paired with the GCS or another
HHC for flight training or combined
mission work when an observer or
dedicated camera operator is required.
Keep in mind the HHC operates on a
three cell LiPo battery so make sure to
set your charger correctly. Also keep in
mind that when powering off the
system, you need to hold the HHC
power button for “four” seconds to
power off the controller.
To get started, please power-up the
HHC by pressing the red “power”
button.
Page 10
To power on, momentarily
press power switch until
you hear the HHC beep
and let go.
When the HHC boots-up
youʼll here it beep and youʼll
be presented with either the
Start Screen as seen here or
the HHC “Home Screen”.
Acquire New
Config
SN 0x7ACFG436790B1C
TX
Battery
Looking for
Draganflyer

Screen navigation and hierarchy:
To get things started we’ll take you through the screens and functionality of the standard
handheld controller (HHC). As we step through the screens we request that you remove
all the props from your helicopter and power-on the aircraft.
On power-up the aircraft is looking to make a connection with the last controller it was
connected to. So for example, if your GCS or another HHC had been connected earlier
to the aircraft, the aircraft is busy looking for the same GCS or HHC. To get connected
you’ll have to force the aircraft to “acquire a new” controller.
In this example when the new HHC is powered on, it won’t automatically connect to the
aircraft because another controller had been flying the
helicopter. When you tap the screen with your finger to
select “Acquire New”, a screen will pop-up to
acknowledge the new connection and you’ll be taken
to the controller config screen. From there tap “Views”
to be presented with the HHC home screen.
And let’s say that for the next week you’ll be flying the
helicopter with the same HHC. When the system is
powered on, you’ll briefly see this screen for about 10
seconds and then be automatically connected with the
aircraft.
The only time you’ll really have to use this screen when
the aircraft is powered off or has been flown using
another controller.
Page 11
Acquire New
Config
SN 0x7ACFG436790B1C
TX
Battery
Looking for
Draganflyer
Special notice:
For safety reasons, please remove all props from the aircraft now.

Home Screen
The vast majority of your time flying the aircraft will be using the primary HHC home
screen.
This screen provides essential real-time graphical aircraft and system status. And
although the HHC will provide audio alerts to status changes and critical warnings, it’s
always a good idea to develop the habit of visually scanning the screen on a regular
basis during flight.
Page 12
00.0
TX
Battery
Basic Inertia GPS
Heli
Battery
Data
Link
GPS
SVs
GPS
PDOP
Altitude mClimb Rate m/s Speed m/s
0.0 0.0
+000 +000
NN
12.2
V
0
V N/A 0 99.9
Time: 00:00
Flight: 00:00
Heading Bearing
Views Config
Always takes you
back to the HHC
“Home Screen”
Navigate to the
HHC configuration
screen
This section of the screen
contains real-time aircraft
performance information
Detailed aircraft
flight data
Detailed aircraft
sensor information
Aircraft heading
and bearing
symbol Aircraft telemetry and
HHC information
Detailed aircraft
GPS data

Let’s take a few minutes to describe screen navigation, the information being displayed
and how it’s used.
Starting at the top of the screen we have two navigation buttons that when touched, will
take you to the Configuration set-up and control screens or return you to the main
“View” or more commonly called the HHC Home Screen.
On the home screen we see:
Time: GMT received by the helicopter. To have the time reflect the proper time in your
area, under the Configuration section you need to enter the proper GMT offset in hours
difference.
Flight: What you see displayed is the actual flight time of the aircraft. The flight timer
starts when the aircraft executes an automated takeoff and stops when the aircraft lands
and the motors are disengaged. The time value is actually stored on the aircraft so what
this means, is the time value will not be reset to zero until the helicopter is powered off.
And this is a good thing because for example, you pop-up for a quick flight and let’s say
you log 4 minutes flight time taking still photos. You come back into land, disengage
motors and quickly switch the camera to shoot video. To takeoff again you engage
motors and execute an automated takeoff, starting the flight timer again. The time on the
timer indicates time the aircraft is in the air.
Heading and Bearing: This is a multi-function display that can be very useful with digital
readouts on either side. A helicopter has the ability to be pointed one direction, but fly a
completely different direction. For example, the aircraft can be pointed north, but fly
sideways in an easterly direction. Unlike an airplane, the heading and bearing can be
wildly different.
The center aircraft canopy symbol indicates the heading of the aircraft in relationship to
true North. A directional arrow will become visible when the aircraft is moving to indicate
the bearing, or direction the aircraft is actually moving. Using the same example from
above, if the aircraft is pointed north and flying sideways east, a small arrow will be
visible pointing east on the dial.
Page 13

Altitude, Climb rate and Speed: The readouts are real-time and are a good size so they
are easy to read. More times than not you’ll develop a trained eye to quickly scan and
check the aircraft altitude and because you’re operating a direct line-of-sight aircraft,
most often you’ll have a good sense of climb rate and speed by just watching the
aircraft.
Live telemetry data: We found that is was very easy and effective to simply view a color
bargraph and get a good idea of aircraft performance. The colors range from Green
(good) to Red (bad) complimented by a digital readout value of the item being measured.
Develop good habits from the start and regularly “scan” this screen to check the health
of the aircraft during a flight and unless you have a very good reason, please don’t
“push” the boundaries. For example, some people will drive around in their car even
when the fuel tank indicates empty. In a car running out of fuel simply means the car will
stop driving but in an aircraft, it means the aircraft is coming down.
Please always scan your telemetry console, watch your controller battery, helicopter
battery, datalink and when it’s time to change a battery, or stop to charge your controller
please take the time to do it.
Different views: Almost 100% of the time you’ll be watching the Basic Home Screen but
if you need to see real-time aircraft sensor, or GPS information, this is where you find it.
Below you see the three “views”.
Page 14
00.0
TX
Battery
Basic Inertia GPS
Heli
Battery
Data
Link
GPS
SVs
GPS
PDOP
Altitude mClimb Rate m/s Speed m/s
0.0 0.0
+000 +000
NN
12.2
V
0
V N/A 0 99.9
Time: 00:00
Flight: 00:00
Heading Bearing
Views Config
0.0
Heli 0.0V TX 12.2V Link N/A
Basic Inertia GPS
Attitude
Time: 00:00
Flight: 00:00
Views Config
0.0
0.0 0.0
0.0 0.0
Magnetometer Velocity m/s
0
0
00
0
Temperature Throttle
Roll Right North
Pitch Forward East
Yaw Down Down
Time: 00:00
Flight: 00:00
Views Config
0.0
Lattitude GPS Altitude
0.0
GPS Accuracy Position Errors
Vertical:
---
Heli 0.0V TX 12.2V Link N/A
Basic Inertia GPS
Longitude Barometric Altitude
Horizontal: North:
East:
Down:
GPS Quality
Satellites:
PDOP:
0.0 0.0
--- ---
---
---
---
---

Configuration Screen
The configuration screen provides access to a series of six other screens used to set-up
the system.
Please note that helicopter calibration functions have since been automated to set
aircraft magnetometer declination and inclination. As a result, the adjustment and
customer calibration is no longer required.
Most of the screens are very intuitive and will be described in more detail on the
following pages.
Page 15
Basic flight timer to sound
an alarm at the preset
time.
Used to connect
the HHC with a
new helicopter
Defines the HHC trainer
mode similar to the GCS
setting up the primary or
secondary controller
Another layer of six setup
screens to adjust LED
brightness, time zone, camera
tilt, display units, transmitter
setup and altitude limit. More
detail is provided in the
following pages.
If the HHC is configured with a
video receiver, this screen sets
the “receive” channel. To receive
analog video, make sure both
the video Tx and receiver Rx are
set to the same channel
Views Config
Basic
Config
Flight
Timer
Find New
Helicopter
Helicopter
Calibration
Trainer
Setup
Video
Setup
Time: 00:00
Flight: 00:00
Transmitter Firmware Version 0.9.8e
No longer required
for use in the field
Always takes you
back to the HHC
“Home Screen”
Navigate to the
HHC configuration
screen

Page 16
Views Config
Heli LED
Brightness
Time Zone
Setup
Camera Tilt
Setup
Altitude
Limit
Transmitter
Setup
Display
Units
Time: 00:00
Flight: 00:00
Basic Configuration
You’ll find that there are settings
you change once and leave them
alone, and there are others that
you change on a regular basis.
For example, unless you’re doing
a lot of traveling, Time Zone is
typically set once while depending
on the project, you might change
the Helicopter LED Brightness,
Camera Tilt and Altitude Limit
much more often.
During daylight hours we
recommend that you have
navigation LED brightness set at
100%. If you’re flying near sunset
or later in the evening they might
be too bright. For late night flying
try a 10% or 20% setting.
Set Done
Acquire New
Searching for Draganflyer
Draganflyer
Vehicle
Make sure your vehicle is
turned on.
There are two different ways to get
connected with a helicopter. Most
often you’re making a connection
at initial system power-up and you
will be prompted at that time to
establish a connection as
described earlier on page 10.
If for some reason you skipped
over the initial start-up screen and
still need to get connected with
the helicopter, you can either
navigate to this screen to make
the connection or power off the
HHC and start over.
Set
Done
Flight Timer
20.00
The transmitter will issue
a warning after this many
minutes of flight.
Sets a flight timer alarm value. The
timer starts when the aircraft takes
off and sounds an alarm when
time expires.
Some people will use this timer to
alert them when a predetermined
time has passed. For example,
alert me when 10 minutes has
expired or in the case illustrated
above 20 minutes.

Page 17
Auto
Done
Always On Always Off
Video Mode Setup
Receiver Channel
1234567
Audio Settings
Power Settings
If your HHC is equipped with a
dual diversity analog video receiver
this screen is used to set the video
receive channel, video audio, and
Rx power management.
And it’s kind’a tricky because on
the Tx we start from “0” so on the
Tx CH 0-6 corresponds to Rx CH
1-7.
The video transmitter and receiver
must be set to the same channel
number to receive a signal and the
audio setting is either on or off.
The default power setting is “Auto”
unless you have a specific reason
to change it, we recommend that
you keep it at this setting.
In the auto setting, the receiver is
only powered-on when a video
output device is connected to the
controller such as video glasses,
video recorder or external display.
Done
Off Master Slave
Trainer Mode Setup
A more detailed explanation of the
trainer mode setup is provided
later in the manual but it’s this
screen that is used to setup the
relationship between the
controllers.
Over the years terminology has
changed where in the newer GCS
the terms Primary and Secondary
controller are used because they
more appropriately describe the
relationship.
The dual controllers can be used
for flight training and they are very
commonly used to enable a
separate camera operator. By
splitting the functionality the pilot
can focus on flying the aircraft
while the camera operator focuses
their attention to getting the
photos or video required.
OK Cancel
You must read and understand the
calibration section of the manual
before proceeding. Incorrect
calibration may adversely affect
flight performance.
WARNING
Any screen that starts out with a
warning will always get your
attention. And as it turns out over
the years the team at Draganfly
have eliminated these tricky
adjustments, and that’s a good
thing.
You can disregard the need to try
and make these adjustments
because based on the current
GPS position of the aircraft, the
autopilot is automatically
calibrating the helicopter,
magnetometer declination and
inclination for you.
If you really want to see what’s
behind this screen contact
Draganfly for more information to
gain access.

Basic Configuration Screen
The basic configuration screen provides access to a series of six other screens used to
set-up the system.
Please note that with camera tilt, if you are using a payload gimbal with gyro stabilization
the lower and upper tilt range values must be set at 511 with rate control disabled for
the payload to function properly.
Most of the screens are very intuitive and will be described in more detail on the
following pages.
Page 18
From this screen you
enter your GMT offset
time value
Sets camera tilt
limits and rate of
speed
Learn the different
sounds and tones
used by the controller
Used to adjust navigation
LED brightness from 0 to
100% illumination
Sets your preference for
either Metric or Imperial
measurements used for all
readouts.
Views Config
Heli LED
Brightness
Time Zone
Setup
Camera Tilt
Setup
Altitude
Limit
Transmitter
Setup
Display
Units
Time: 00:00
Flight: 00:00
Basic Configuration
Sets a hard
ceiling for the
aircraft
Always takes you
back to the HHC
“Home Screen”
Navigate to the
HHC configuration
screen

Page 19
Set
Done
Helicopter LED
Brightness
85%
The screen itself and others are
very simple and intuitive. It’s
always a good idea to make setting
changes while the helicopter is on
the ground because when the
helicopter is in the air, your
attention should be focused on
flying.
Experiment with different settings
because everyone has a different
preference. Typically in daylight
hours 100% is the standard setting
but flying indoors or later in the
evening or night, the LEDs may be
distracting, blinding and lower
brightness settings might be more
appropriate.
Set
Done
Time Zone
-6.0
This is the GMT offset of
your local time zone
The system gets it’s time from the
GPS onboard the helicopter as
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
For example, during daylight
savings time the offset for
California, in the United States is a
value of -7. A standard time offset
for this same area is a value of -8.
If your area doesn’t observe
daylights saving time, you set this
value once otherwise if you want
the time to be correct you will need
to change this value during
standard and daylight time zone
changes.
Done
Tilt Setup
-511
Lower Limit
Upper Limit
356
Reverse Disable Rate
Control
-
-
+
+
If you are flying a gyro stabilized
payload both the upper and lower
limits must be set at 511 for the
payload to work properly with rate
control disabled.
If you are flying a standard payload
you can control the end point limits
of travel and by enabling rate
control, set the speed the camera
tilts between the two end points.
For example, you’re shooting video
and you want the camera to rotate
slowly from looking down to up 30
degrees. You can set the speed
and limits before the flight and
then while flying through the
scene, simply “spin” the camera
tilt knob from one extreme to
another and let the camera slowly
pan up as you focus on flying.