Hoverfly HoverflySPORT User manual

HoverflySPORT™
User’s Guide

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The information contained in this publication regarding device applications and use is intended by way of suggestion only and may be superseded by updates or
revisions. No representation or warranty is given and no liability is assumed by Hoverfly Technologies, Inc. with respect to the accuracy or use of such
information, or infringement of patents arising from such use or their compliance to any industry standards. Use of Hoverfly Technologies, Inc. products as critical
components in any life-saving systems is not 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, without the prior written permission of
Hoverfly Technologies, Inc.
This document is distributed by Hoverfly Technologies, Inc. electronically and may not be printed and distributed without written permission.
Cover Art and Illustrations Alfred D. Ducharme except where noted.
Written by Alfred D. Ducharme with editing provided by George Sapp.
June 2011 Rev 1.1

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Thank You for Purchasing the HoverflySPORT™!
We started this company with one goal in mind…to make things that hover and fly! All of us have enjoyed the thrill of RC for many years.
We have poured our heart and souls into our hobbies and flown, drove, and sailed just about everything. In the last few years, the feasibility
of making Inertial Motion Units (IMUs) at a price that the average hobbyist could afford has become a reality. Many high-volume consumer
applications utilizing gyroscope, accelerometer, pressure, magnetometer, and GPS have shrunk both the size and cost of these sophisticated
devices. The affordability of IMUs has enabled an explosion of activity in the building and flying of multi-rotor aircraft. Part of this is the
inherent need for hobbyist to build something new to fly or control. The rest of the enthusiasm lies in the amazing flight capabilities of
hovering multi-rotor aircraft. They enable 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 extremely difficult. The staff
at Hoverfly Technologies all have advanced degrees in engineering and never shy away from challenging problems. The stable control of a 6
Degree-of-Freedom (6DOF) aircraft is one of the most complex problems to solve. We believe we have a great solution and the magic is in
our HoverCore™ technology inside every HoverflySPORT™.
We hope that you enjoy using the HoverflySPORT™ for many years. This product is the base for a line of add-ons to take your flying to the
next level. Please understand that software is never finished. We will periodically release new versions of firmware which can easily be
loaded onto the HoverflySPORT™ board. Make sure you check our site for updates to this User’s Guide and our firmware.
The Hoverfly Team!

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HoverflySPORT™

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A Note on Safety
The operation of any flying machine whether remote controlled or not can be dangerous. It is very important that you observe all necessary
safety precautions before (and after) flying. A safety check list is provided at the end of this guide for your reference; please make sure you
use it. Furthermore, this user guide is not necessarily 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 on it solely.
All ways maintain control of your aircraft! One moment of showing-off can lead to a lifetime of regret.
There are old pilots and bold pilots but there are few old bold pilots.

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Table of Contents
1!About!this!guide!.............................................................................................................................................................................................................!10!
1.1!Content!Division!....................................................................................................................................................................................................................!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!

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4.1!Vibration!................................................................................................................................................................................................................................!23!
4.2!Configurations!.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................!24!
4.3!Transmitter!............................................................................................................................................................................................................................!25!
4.3.1!Channel!Requirement!.......................................................................................................................................................................................................!25!
4.4!Receiver!.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................!27!
4.5!Motor!Wiring!Harness!...........................................................................................................................................................................................................!28!
4.5.1!Proper!Soldering!(read!even!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!Orientation!...........................................................................................................................................................................................!42!

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4.10.2!Receiver!Connection!to!HoverflySPORT!™!....................................................................................................................................................................!43!
4.10.3!Configurations!"!!“+”!and!“X”!........................................................................................................................................................................................!44!
4.10.4!Configurations!–!Hex!and!Y6!.........................................................................................................................................................................................!45!
4.10.5!Configurations!–!Octo!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!

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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!

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1 About this guide
Ideally this User’s Guide represents the complete documentation for the HoverflySPORT™. We will make corrections and revision changes
as needed and certainly when new features are added.
1.1 Content Division
This document is divided into the following chapters:
!Chapter 2, “Introduction 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 Start Guide: If you already have a multi-rotor aircraft built and just want to
Plug-N-Fly™ you can jump directly to Appendix C – Quick Start Guide.