Idea-fly Hero-550 User manual

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Hero-550
C6W—FlightControlSystem
UserManualv1.0

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Disclaimer
Pleasereadthisdisclaimercarefullyandfollowinstructionsonassemblyandcalibrationcontained
inthismanual.Byusingourproduct,youherebyagreetothisdisclaimerandsignifythatyouhave
readtheentiremanualthoroughly.
THISPRODUCTISNOTSUITABLEFORPEOPLEUNDERTHEAGEOF18.
Thisproductisnotatoy!Itisacomplicatedcombinationofmechanics,electronics,aerodynamics
and high-frequency radio technologies. Users should strictly obey safety operation specification on
aerialmodelandfollowstepsillustratedinthemanualtoinstallandcalibratetheproduct.Idea-Fly
takesnoresponsibilityforanydirectorindirectdamage(s)orinjuriescausedbyimproperinstallation,
calibrationandoperation.
Idea-Fly takes no responsibility for any direct or indirect damage(s) or injuries caused by
installing/calibrating/flying this product when users are in situations including butnot limited like
drunk,takingdrugs,dizziness,fatigueoranyothercasesnomattermentallyorphysicallythatwould
impairyourability.
Idea-Flytakesnoresponsibilityforanydirectorindirectdamage(s)orinjuriescausedbyflyingthis
productininappropriatewhetherlikewindy(nomorethangentlewind),rain,snow,hail,lightningor
anynaturaldisaster.
Idea-Flytakesnoresponsibilityforanydirectorindirectdamage(s)orinjuriescausedbyusingthis
productininappropriatearealikemagneticorradiointerferencearea,governmentregulatedno-fly
zoneoranyothernotpermittedpublicorprivateareas.
Idea-Flytakesnoresponsibilityforanydirectorindirectdamage(s)orinjuriescausedbyusingthis
productassembledwithpartsNOTproducedbyIdeaFly,incomplete/incorrectassemblyorIdea-Fly

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productinagingorerodedcondition.
Ifanyquestionsorproblemsoccurbefore,duringorafterusingIdea-Flyproducts,pleasecontact
local distributor/seller or Idea-Fly customer service for answers or assistance. Idea-Fly takes no
responsibility for any direct or indirect damage(s) or injuries caused by customer’s improper
operationorsubjectivemisjudgment.
AnyotherlossesthatarenotIdea-Fly’sliability.
Flightcontroller 
******************************************************
HardwareInstallationandConnection
1）HardwareConnectionDiagram：
2）PortDescription：

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Interface DefinitionofEachPin Interfacefunction
AIL Signal

5V GND ToAILofRCRx
ELE signal

5V GND ToELEofRCRx
THR signal

5V GND ToTHRofRCRx
RUD signal

5V GND ToRUDofRCRx          
CH5 signal

5V GND ToCH5ofRCRx   
CH6 signal

5V GND ToCH6ofRCRx   
POW 1.5V 5V GND Connectto5V/2ADCmodule
LED B G R LEDModule
USB ConnecttoPC
M1 signal ESCoutput GND ToESCofMotor1
M2 signal ESCoutput GND ToESCofMotor2
M3 signal ESCoutput GND ToESCofMotor3
M4 signal ESCoutput GND ToESCofMotor4
M5 signal ESCoutput GND ToESCofMotor5
M6 signal ESCoutput GND ToESCofMotor6
Y1 signal 5V GND TogimbalRollServo
Y2 signal 5V GND Togimbalpitchservo
GPSR TXD 3.3V RXD ToGPSport1(Redterminal)
GPSB SDA GND SCL TOGPSport2(Blackterminal)

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
3）PortConnection

WHITEcorewireisalwaysthesignalline,theREDcorewireispositive;theBLACKcorewireis
ground
4)Notice：
①SupportQuad-Rotor1andQuad-RotorX

As shown，M1-M4 correspond to the output ports(M1~M4) on the Main Controller(MC). The

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directionofthearrowindiagramindicatestherotationdirectionofthemotor/propeller.

② forMaincontroller: 
M1-M4portshouldpointtothenoseofaircraft 
Maincontrollersidesshouldbeparalleltotheaircraftbody.
③ ForGPS&COMPASSModule:
Thearrowshouldpointtothenosedirectionofaircraft

GPS /compass is sensitive to magnetic interfence, should be far away from any electronic
devices.Ifyourownmountingrod.makesureitisNOTmagnetic.
When you find the aircraft rotating or drifting, Please check the GPS module mounting
orientationandthenre-dothecompasscalibration.

Installingandrunningonwindow
********************************************************************************


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



1.“Read” Button
Download the current parameters, Usually, the default parameters are good enough for the
flights.
2.“save “ Button 
① Turnonthetransmitter,Switch3positionswitchtoRTHmode.
Thenpoweronyouraircraft.after3secs.ConnectyouraircraftandPCviaMicro-USBcable.

Notice:Forfirmwareupdate:connecttheUSBcablefirstandthenpoweronyouraircraft.

②Runtheassistantsoftware”IDEAFLY-GCS.ex”(asshown）
③thenclick”openUSB” 

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 Edittheparameters:  Click “save” Button” tosavethenewestparameters.(Ifthisfailstry
severaltimes)
3. ” Default” Button
Different multi-rotors have different gains because of different motor KV ratings, ESC and
propellersize.Sodefaultparametersisn’tforHero-550.

4．Hero-550parametersareshownbelow.
① Roll/Pitch sensitivity is used to adjust the compensation angle of the PTZ data for your
Gimbal. 
(Note: range -127 to 127,You can enter a negative value to reverse the direction of
compensation).

② Roll-Stab and Pitch-stab would affect the degree of command response in flight (range
0-255), 
Shake-Compenscanincreasestabilitybutwoulddecreasethesensitivity(range0-255).  

③ Altitude/DistanceLimit:Themaximumheightanddistanceallowedcanbespecified.min10
meters.

④ Enter this to match the frequency ofyour gimbal servos. 50Hz, 250Hz, 333Hzand 400Hz
servosaresupported.


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⑤  numberofcells

⑥ Inordertopreventyourmulti-rotorfromacrashorotherharmfulconsequencescausedby
lowbatteryvoltage ，therearetwolevelsoflowbatteryprotectionavailabletouse.



MakesureCarefullyreadLipoBatterySafetyGuide: 
*********************************************************
Notice:LIPOBatteriesandLIPOchargersCANigniteandcausefire. 
ThesecautionsMUSTbefollowed
1.NeverchargeaLIPObatteryifitishottothetouch.
2.NeverchargeadamagedorbrokenLIPOBattery.
3.ONLYCHARGEONAFIREPROOFSURFACE.
4.DONOTCHARGEUNATTENDED.
Enterthevoltagepercellrequiredtoactivatealowvoltagealert,foraLipobatterythiswould
 benormallybe3.65v.
Note: 
1、BothlevelsofprotectionhaveLEDwarningasdefault.Bothlevelsofprotection
 willblinkredcontinuously.
2、Whenthereisnopower,aircraftwillauto-land.
3、TheMCcancalculatefinalstagelowvoltageaccordingtotheCellNumberandFirststage
 lowvoltagealert  Finalstagevalue=(Firststagelowvoltagealert-0.05v)*CellNumber  

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5.Donotuseorchargeifwet.
6.Donotuseorchargeifthebatteryhasexpanded,enlarged,orswelled.
7.Neverdischargebelow3.0Vpercell.
8.Neverchargeabatterythathasbeendischargedbelow3.0Vpercell.

⑦SetuptheMaximumrateofclimbanddescent.
⑧ Setupthemaximumflightspeed.
⑨  Mode ： Include manual, manual set altitude, GPS set altitude, GPS set altitude
(head-free),Returnandland.
FlightModeDescription
1 、Manual 
InManualMode,theaircraftwillflynormallyandisstabilizedin3axes.

TheaircraftmaybecontrolledbyTX,butisalsocontrolledbythestabilizationsignalofmain
controller. The final flying state is determined by a combination of manual control and MC
control.

2 、Manualsetaltitude
Inthismode,craftwillholdthealtitudebutnotholdtheposition. 

WhentheTHRstickisinits50%positionthecraftwillhoverinthecurrentaltitudebut 
notatitscurrentposition(thecraftwilldriftwhentheGPSisnotlocked),butthecraft 

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canstillbecontrolledmanually.Left/rightiscontrolledbytheAILERONStick,Up/Down 
controlledbytheELEVATORstick,directioniscontrolledbytheRUDDERstick,andheight
controlledbyTHRstick.
IfTHRstickis50%,craftwillauto-hover;
IfTHRstickismorethan50%,craftwillflyupward;
IfTHRstickislessthan50%,craftwilldescend.
TheCraftcanflytoanyaltitudecontrolledbyTHRstick,andflytoanypositioncontrolledby
 theothersticks.

3 、GPSsetaltitude

WithGPSlocated(whensatelliteslockedaremorethan6)andCH5isinposition2,
theaircraftwillenterauto-hovermode.

  Inthismode,theaircraftwillholditspositionandaltitude.YourTXsticksshouldall
beinthemidposition.WhenTHRstickisaroundthemidpositionthecraftwillhoverin
its current position, (The craftdoes not driftbecause GPS has locked) andalso may
controlledmanually. 
 Left/rightiscontrolledbytheAILERONStick,Up/DowncontrolledbytheELEVATOR
stick,directioniscontrolledbytheRUDDERstick,andheightcontrolledbyTHRstick.
 IfTHRstickis50%,craftwillauto-hover;
 IfTHRstickismorethan50%,craftwillflyupward;

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 IfTHRstickislessthan50%,craftwilldescend.
TheCraftcanflytoanyaltitudecontrolledbyTHRstick,andflytoanyposition
controlledbytheothersticks.

4 、GPSsetaltitude(head-free)

Theforwarddirectionofaflyingmulti-rotoristhesameasthenosedirection,with
GPSsetaltitude（head-free） mode,whereverthenosepoints,theforwarddirection
hasnothingtodowithnosedirection.

5、ReturnandLand 

WithGPSlocked(morethan6satelliteslocked)andMotorarmingdone,thecraft
willrecorditshomeposition.
PushCH5toposition3toenterRTL(returnandland)mode.IntheReturnandLand
mode,thecraftwillreturnhomeandlandautomatically. 
Afteractivation,youcanonlychangetoStabilizationModeifyouwanttotakeover
theflightcontrols.IfyoumovefromRTLtoAutoHoverMode,theaircraftwillcontinue
withtheReturnandLandprocess. 
  On arrival at ‘Home’, the aircraft will begin to descend. At this time, the
autopilotwillallowyoutotakeoverAILandRUDcontrolstoadjustthelandingsite,but
the THR cannot be controlled. The THR control is fully autonomous for descent and

13
landing.
   Altitude: 
If the craft is beyond 20 meters away from home position and below 20 meters
altitude,theaircraftwillascendto20metersbeforeinitiatingRTHwhenitentersRTL
mode.
Ifitsheightismorethan20meters,theaircraftwillmaintainaltitudeduringRTH.
Ifthedistancefromhomepositionisduring20meters,theaircraftwillmaintainits
previousaltitudeduringRTH. 
 Safety:SinceRTHisfullyautonomousandyoucannotaltertheflightpathduring
RTH,toavoidaccidents,itisnotadvisabletoactivateRTHtooclosetoyouorspectators.
Alsonotetoavoidsuddenlossinaltitude,theTHRstickshouldbeaboveitsmid-point
whenyouchangethemodebackfromRTHtoStabilizedMode.
SwitchSWB  toposition3fromposition2toquitRTHmode.

Mode1,Mode2,Mode3arefor3positionswitch. 
Notice:youcanassignanymodesasyoulike.
Butpleasekeepmanualmodeforposition-1,WhenlooseGPSsignalduringtheflight,youcan
re-gaincontrolofmulti-rotor.


14
 

⑩F/Soption（failsafe）
Chooseonemethodforyourfailed-safefunction:
(AutoRTHandLand,AutoLandandAutoHoveraretheoptions)

Notice ：

If your transmitter doe snot support Fail-safe, the fail-safe function will not work when the
communicationbetweenMCandtransmitterisdisconnected. 

AutoRHT: 
Beforetakeoff,Currentpositionofmutli-
rotorwillbesavedashomepointByMCautomatically
whenyoupushthethrottlestickfirsttimeafter  6ormoreGPSsatellitesarefound.
Autoland:theaircraftwillland.
Auto-hover:theaircraftwillhoverintheair.
IMPORTANT
1、MakesuretheTXisonfirstandthethrottlestickisatthebottom.
2、DONOTpushtheTHRsticktothebottomduringflying.
3、DONOTswitchtoauto-flymodeuntilthecraftisstableinmanualmode.
4、Switchtomanualmodeifcraftmeetsanemergencysituationinauto-flymode.


15
Fail/SafeChecking
************************************************************************************
A、CheckthatFlightModeschangeonTXcommand

CheckFlightModesviatheConfigurationsoftware ‘FlightMode’:
AssumingyourGPSmoduleisconnected;checkwhetherswitchingbetweenallworkingmodes
isworkingnormally.  
Forexample: 
SwitchSWBatposition1toposition2,thePCGCS"data"pageshouldshowyourTXstatusas
"Manual",ChangeCH5toposition2forAutoHoverandsoon. 
If flight mode does not change when you toggle the switches please check your hardware
connectionsorRCTransmittersetup.  

B、FailSafe(F/S)Checking

SWITCH OFF the RC Transmitter whilst the main controller is still powered on; the
‘Flight-Mode’ shouldswitchtodisplay"ReturnandLand",thethrottlestickindicatorshould
beinthemiddleanddisplayedinGREEN.Ifitdoesnot,pleasesetupthefail-safe(F/S)again.Itis
stronglyrecommendedtousethedefaultF/S.
⑩C6Wsupported “Quad4+” ,Quad4X”



16

RCcalibration
*****************************************************
1.Selectrighttypeofmodethatyourtransmitterwasset. 





Forshown,Thisscreendisplaysthepositionofthesticks. 

Slides Moving Definition:
THR:Ifyoupullthrottlesticktolowposition.Theslidewillmovetolowposition.Andcraftis
down,
Whenyoumovethethrottlestickup,theslidewillmoveup,craftwillliftofftheground.
RUD :Ifyoumovetheruddersticktotheleft,theslidewillmovetotheleft,thisisnose
left.Whenyoumovetheruddertotheright,theslidemovetotheright,thisisnose
AIL：IfyoumovetheAileronsticktotheleft，theslidewillmoveleftandcraftwill
movetotheleft.Whenyoumovetheaileronsticktotheright,theslidewillmoveto
therightandcraftwillmovetotheright.
ELE：
IfyoumovetheElevatorstickdown，theslidewillmovedown.Andthecraftwill
moveback,MovingtheElevatorStickup,theSlidewillmovetotherightandcraftwill

17
moveforward(awayfromyou)
Note：Iftheslidesaremovingoppositefromyourstickmovementsdirection,Check
REV/NORofyourtransmitter.


2.Commandstickscalibration.

Click  ‘AdjustTransmitter’button
Click‘OK’andmoveyourtransmitterstickwithin5Secondstotheirmaximumpositionsas
showninthediagram:
Note：finishthecalibrationbeforethisdiagramdisappear.

Forcheck: 

18
CheckthatthedisplayofeachstickshowsthatTXiscalibratedwell.
OntheleftistheTHRstickandRudder(Mode2depicted). 
OntherightistheaileronandElevator(Mode2  depicted). 
Whenallsticksareinthemiddleposition,AllslidesshouldbecomeGREEN,anyotherposition
showsREDexceptforwhenthethrottlestickisatthebottomwhenitshowsasYELLOW. 

FirmwareUpgrade
********************************************************
IMPORTANT:
Note：
Forsafety,pleaseremoveallthepropellersbeforeupgradingfirmware.
You may download the latest firmware and assistant tool from Idea-Fly website before
upgradingthefirmware.

(1)ConnecttheMCtothecomputerwithaMiniUSBcable.PowertheMCandputbringthe
throttlesticktothebottom.

(2)After3sec,OpentheMCSetupSoftware“IDEAFLY-GCS.exe”,Click“OpenUSB”button.

19
(3)Click“OK” 


(4)Click“SelectFirmware”button

20


(5)Click“Open”button,selectupgradeprocedurefile“s4v2-CYF-20140508-v051”

(6)  Theprogramwillauto-upgradewhentheupgradeprocedureisselected.

