tbs electronics PowerCube User manual

TBS POWERCUBE - Multirotor Stack patented!
All-in-one racing flight control, speed control and power distribution
Revision 2017-03-09
The next generation plug&play RACE system. Design optimized for ultimate performance and reliability.
Compatible with any multi-rotor frame.
Key features
• Ultra-lightweight and high-performance multi-rotor stack
• Designed to be bundled and sold with any 120 to 330mm size frame
• Stacked boards for extreme durability
• Based on fast STM32F3 flight controller
• Innovative patent-pending wire-free power distribution through stand-offs
• True plug & play, no soldering required
• Cost-efficient and field-repairable
• Tested, developed and flown by the world’s leading pilots
• Highest quality aluminum screws, brass standoffs and electronic components
• Standard 36x36mm dimension, 70g incl. PDB, wires & connectors
• Upgradable from compact to extreme configurations
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Specifications
TBS COLIBRI - Flight control layer
Hardware:
• STM32F303RCT6 72MHz 256kB MCU/FPU
• MPU6000 3-axis Gyro NEW!
• Separate ultra-low noise LDO for IMU NEW!
• Auto resettable polyfuse to protect the FC against short circuits NEW!
• ESC connection pads for 4 ESC NEW!
• Motor PWM auto-connecting PWM/OneShot/Multishot signals
• Bootloader tactile switch for easy firmware update
• 5V for receiver and FC over internal BUS System
Software:
Cleanflight or Betaflight with BST and pass-through ESC support, firmware:
http://ww.team-blacksheep.com/powercube/colibri-latest.zip
Compatibility:
Tri-, quad- and hexacopters
In/outputs:
• 1x Receiver port - PPM, SBUS or SPEKTRUM (PPM, UART2, 5V, 3.3V)
• 1x RGB LED driver port with regulated 5V
• 1x GPS/compass/altitude port (UART3, I2C, 5V)
• 1x UART serial port (UART1)
• 1x Piezo buzzer port for active driven buzzers
• 1x Internal BUS system (6x PWM, 1x BST, 5V, 12V)
• 4x ESC solder pads NEW!
• 1x Servo Output for tricopters or any Servo function
• 2x VBatt (North-East & South-West corner)
• 2x GND Batt (North-West & South-East corner)
• 1x USB port (STM VCP)
• 1x Push button - DFU boot mode
Connectors:
JST-SH 1.00mm with 2.54mm pin header
TBS BULLETPROOF 20A - Speed control layer(s)
Firmware:
TBS 20A, BLHeli 14.6 , SimonK customized available
Supports:
OneShot, active/regenerative braking, safety cut-off (simonk)
Hardware:
• 1x ATmega8A MCU
• Electrolytic capacitors - crash resistance!
• Efficient high-performance FET drivers
Maximums:
Current draw
20A constant - with 5mph airflow
30A constant - with good airflow
45A burst, 10 seconds
Supply voltage
2S, 3S, 4S, 5S, 6S compatible
In/outputs:
• 2x VBatt (North-East & South-West corner)
• 2x GND batt (North-West & South-East corner)
• 1x Internal BUS-system (6x PWM, BST, 5V, 12V)
• 1x PWM-pads for custom installations
• 3-phase brushless motor output
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TBS PDB V2 with integrated DCDC - Power distribution and power supply layer (NEW!)
Power distribution:
100A max. continuous current, 150A burst
Current sensor:
100A, 0.1A resolution, 2% accuracy, BST-compatible (e.g for TBS CORE PRO)
Inputs:
• 1x Battery V+ and GND, 150A max
• 1x Internal BUS system (6x PWM, BST, 5V, 12V)
Ports:
• CAM - FPV camera port, 5V/12V selectable on PCB (factory set to 12V)
• VTX - FPV video transmitter port, 5V/12V/VBat selectable on PCB (factory
set to 5V)
• BST - BlackSheep Telemetry port, connects to TBS CORE PRO OSD
Power supply:
5V @ 4A NEW!, 12V @ 0.2A, combined max. draw
Connectors:
Molex Picoblade 1.25mm, 4-pin for VTX and CAM, 5-pin for BST
TBS POWERCUBE - Stack details
Working temperature:
0°C to 85°C
Dimensions:
36 x 36 x 30mm (with 4 ESCs)
Weight:
70g - brass standoff version
62g - aluminum-gold standoff version (available in PRO tuning kit)
Basic kit contents:
• 1x TBS COLIBRI V2.0 flight control NEW!
• 4x TBS BULLETPROOF speed control w/2mm female bullet connector
• 1x TBS PDB V2 w/ XT60 connector NEW!
• 1x Plastic isolation layer
• 1x PPM/SBUS cable
• 1x Spektrum cable
• 1x Piezo buzzer
• 1x LED pigtail
TBS FPVision OSD/VTX - CORE PRO OSD, Video Transmitter, Power Distribution and Power Supply
Power distribution:
100A max. continuous current, 150A burst
Current sensor:
100A, 0.1A resolution, 2% accuracy
Inputs:
• 1x Battery V+ and GND, 150A max.
• 1x Internal BUS system (6x PWM, BST, 5V, 12V)
• 1x VTX menu button
Ports:
• 2x CAM - FPV cam port, 5V/12V selectable via TBS Agent (5V default)
• 1x BST - BlackSheep Telemetry port, connects to TBS ecosystem
• 1x U.FL SMD VTX antenna connector
Power supply:
5V @ 4A, 12V @ 0.2A, combined max. draw
Connectors:
Molex Picoblade 1.25mm, 4-pin for CAM inputs, 5-pin for BST
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Attention
The TBS POWERCUBE, when installed, can easily damage property or extremities if not used properly. Always
ensure that no propellers are installed when configuring, installing or tuning your multirotor. We also
recommend to use the options “Spin motor when armed” and use stick commands to arm your multirotor,
rather than switches.
NEVER leave the platform powered on and unattended. Always check proper failsafe (power down)
functionality, and try not to break too many laws while flying FPV (TBS can not be held responsible is what we
are saying.)
Only disassemble/reassemble with proper tools! Take extra care to components that are situated around the
standoffs. Check the maintenance section before attempting to open up the PowerCube!
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Table of content
Attention
TBS POWERCUBE Overview
Installation
Mounting on your frame
Carbon fiber frames
Finalizing your installation
The first flight
TBS POWERCUBE on the TBS VENDETTA quadcopter
TBS FPVision - CORE PRO OSD, UNIFY PRO VTX, VID SWITCH, BEEPER, DCDC
RC Calibration - Push button
Camera port switch
FPV Camera OSD control
Camera 5V/12V software selector
Board connection diagram
TBS COLIBRI V2 - Flight control
Overview and connections
North
East
South
West
Configuration and tuning
Default Values
Driver installation
Updating firmware using TBS Agent (recommended)
Updating firmware using CleanFlight
Upgrade via CleanFlight
CleanFlight Configurator issues
Upgrade via DFU (developer use)
TBS BULLETPROOF 25A ESC - Speed control
Configuration
Firmware upgrades
ESC / Interface table
TBS POWERCUBE PDB V2 - Power distribution
Selecting VTX and CAM voltage
Connecting FPV camera and transmitter
Making older TBS PDB V1 compatible with newer TBS COLIBRI FC
Troubleshooting FPV Transmitter / Camera
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TBS Elite Bundle / External ESC PDB layer
TBS POWERCUBE Drag Race Shield
Connecting TBS equipment
Connectivity with TBS CORE PRO OSD
TBS CORE PRO Connection
Entering OSD configuration menu
RC Calibration (mandatory)
Calibrate new setup
Read RC data from existing setup
Maintenance
Replacing components
Tuning
Troubleshooting
Good practices
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TBS POWERCUBE Overview
Check out the POWERCUBE in all its glory. The following diagrams indicate the locations of each component
and their purpose.
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Installation
Mounting on your frame
The TBS POWERCUBE should be placed in the same
spot where the flight controller is normally installed.
The TBS POWERCUBE carries power (VBatt, GND) over
the four standoffs in the corners, alternating between
VBatt and GND. For this reason, the two screws
carrying power (VBatt) are hidden underneath the
double sided sticky tape on the bottom of the TBS
POWERCUBE. The tape isolates them from the carbon
fiber frame. The ground-carrying standoffs should be
used to bolt the TBS POWERCUBE onto the frame. In
combination with the tape, this creates a very solid
mount.
The corners on the top layer indicates the polarity of the power, i.e. “+” for VBatt and “-” for GND, as shown in
the image below.
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Installed from the factory are super-lightweight M3 aluminum screws. They are anodized to protect against
short circuits. The provided mounting screws are made for frames up to 2mm thickness. If your frame is
thicker, please use below table to find the correct screw length:
Frame thickness:
Recommended mounting screw length:
1.6mm
M3x6 (included in kit)
2mm
M3x6 (included in kit)
2.5mm
M3x7
3mm
M3x7
4mm
M3x8
5mm
M3x9
Carbon fiber frames
Carbon fiber frames can conduct electricity, therefore the lower plastic isolator bed must be used. If you are
mounting the stack onto power distribution boards or G10 frames, you can use smaller nylon washers or
stand-offs (3mm shorter) instead of the plastic isolation bed.
Frame type:
Mounting options:
G10, other glass fiber materials
No plastic bed, mounting screws on all four corners
Carbon Fiber, FR4 with copper
Plastic bed required, mounting screws only on GND “-” corners
When using carbon fiber plates, make sure that you only screw the mounting (GND) screws through the
frame, the power-carrying screws (VBatt) remain isolated inside the plastic bed.
Make sure that no power carrying elements can get in touch with the carbon frame except ground
(Powercube GND, VTX antenna socket etc.).
Pay special attention to motor phases, also make sure the screws are not too long to push up into the motor
windings.
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Finalizing your installation
If you have a multimeter handy, make a quick test if Vbatt and GND do not short. You do this with the “sound”
or “Ohm” setting on your multimeter, and then probing on the 2 pins inside the XT60 connector. If there is no
short (no beep and not reading 0.00 Ohm), connect a battery and a receiver. If you have a CORE PRO, you can
now simply turn on your FPV display or goggles and run the calibration wizard. After this, all your channels
are mapped correctly. If you are not using the CORE PRO, you will need to ensure that the channels are
correctly mapped using the CleanFlight Configurator software and your R/C.
Then, start your motors and ensure they are spinning in the right direction. The arm
command is yaw-right, throttle at zero. The motors will spin in idle. Verify that the
motor directions matches the right diagram. If they do not match, you may need to
flip two of the three connector cables. Also, now is a good time to double-and-triple
check that motor 1, 2, 3 and 4 are wired up to the correct layer in the TBS
POWERCUBE stack.
The first flight
When preparing for the first flight, there are a couple of things to consider.
1) Do not move the model while plugging in the battery and during the first 4 to 5 seconds after
powering up. During initialization the gyro must remain idle, otherwise the self-calibration will be
wrong. If you have installed LEDs or a Buzzer, they will indicate when the model is ready to take off by
3 distinct beeps and solid LED color on all LEDs using the “Warnings” LED setting.
2) If the model immediately flips or rolls during take-off, verify that the TBS POWERCUBE flight
controller is oriented in the correct way and that all motors are plugged into the correct position of
the TBS PowerCube stack. The arrow on the board must face flight forward. Also, verify that the
motor spin directions are correct.
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