Ultimate jets EXO x6a User manual

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
EXO x6a operations manual
Contents
0. Operating Manual introduction .............................................................................................................. 3
1. Software operations ............................................................................................................................... 3
1.0. Mission Planner introduction........................................................................................................... 3
1.0.1. Loading Firmware onto APM..................................................................................................... 4
1.0.2. Connect APM to computer........................................................................................................ 5
1.0.3. Connect APM to Mission Planner.............................................................................................. 5
1.0.4. Select firmware ......................................................................................................................... 5
1. 0.5. Connect to MavLink ..................................................................................................................... 6
1.1. Planning a Mission with Waypoints and Events............................................................................... 6
1.1.1 Basic waypoint commands......................................................................................................... 7
1.1.2. Tips............................................................................................................................................ 7
1.1.3. Setting the Home Position ........................................................................................................ 8
1.1.4. Instructions ............................................................................................................................... 9
1.1.5. Auto grid ................................................................................................................................. 11
1.1.6. Basic waypoint commands scripts .......................................................................................... 11
1.2. Mission planner Ground Control Station ....................................................................................... 17
1.2.1 The GCS Flight Data Screen ...................................................................................................... 17
1.2.2. Guided Mode .......................................................................................................................... 19
1.3. Mission planner telemetry logs...................................................................................................... 20
1.3.1. Log Types (Dataflash vs tlogs) ................................................................................................. 20
1.3.2.When and where tlogs are created.......................................................................................... 20

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
1.3.3. Setting the datarate ................................................................................................................ 20
1.3.4. Playing back missions.............................................................................................................. 21
1.3.5. Creating 3d images of the flight path...................................................................................... 23
1.3.6. Extracting parameters and Waypoints.................................................................................... 25
1.3.7. Graphing data from a flight..................................................................................................... 26
1.3.8. Video overview of tlogs........................................................................................................... 27
1.4. Downloading and analysing data logs in Mission Planner.............................................................. 27
1.4.1. Log Types (Dataflash vs tlogs) ................................................................................................. 27
1.4.2. Setting what data you want recorded..................................................................................... 28
1.4.3.Downloading Logs with the Mission Planner ........................................................................... 31
1.4.4.Viewing the contents ............................................................................................................... 32
1.4.5. Message Details (APM:Copter specific)................................................................................... 35
1.4.6. Viewing KMZ FILES .................................................................................................................. 41
1.4.7. Video Tutorials ........................................................................................................................ 41
1.5. Using Ground Station Apps on Phones/Tablets ............................................................................. 41
1.5.1. Andropilot............................................................................................................................... 42
1.5.2. Droidplanner........................................................................................................................... 44
1.5.3. iOS Devices.............................................................................................................................. 44
1.6. Other Mission Planner features ..................................................................................................... 45
1.7. Using the Python Scripting Language with Mission Planner .......................................................... 46
1.8. Using the Mission Planner serial terminal...................................................................................... 48
1.9. Mission Planner Troubleshooting .................................................................................................. 48
1.9.1. Troubleshooting your APM connection from MissionPlanner ................................................ 49
2. Platform operations.............................................................................................................................. 50
2.0 Ground and flight operations introduction..................................................................................... 50
2.1. Platfrom transportation................................................................................................................. 50
2.2. Platform pre-flight procedures ...................................................................................................... 50
2.3. In flight operations......................................................................................................................... 50
2.3.1. Takeoff .................................................................................................................................... 50
2.3.2. Navigation............................................................................................................................... 50
2.3.3. Fligth modes............................................................................................................................ 50
2.3.4. Landing.................................................................................................................................... 50

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
2.4. Post flight operations..................................................................................................................... 50
0. Operating Manual introduction
This manual is split in two main parts:
1. The software operations part that explains how to setup and use the 3D Robotics APM
autopilot
2. The platform operations part that explains how to setup and use the hardware
1. Software operations
1.0. Mission Planner introduction

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
The Mission Planner, created by Michael Oborne, does a lot more than its name. Here are some
of the features:
Point-and-click waypoint entry, using Google Maps.
Select mission commands from drop-down menus
Download mission log files and analyze them
Configure APM settings for your airframe
Interface with a PC flight simulator to create a full hardware-in-the-loop UAV simulator.
See the output from APM‟s serial terminal
1.0.1. Loading Firmware onto APM
APM firmware is the brains of your autopilot operation, created and maintained by the dedicated
open source community. Downloading the latest firmware onto APM is an important part of first

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
time setup and also useful when updating APM‟s existing firmware. These instructions will show
you how to download the latest firmware onto APM.
1.0.2. Connect APM to computer
Once you‟ve downloaded Mission Planner onto your ground station computer, connect APM to
your computer using the micro USB connector and APM‟s micro USB port. Use a direct USB
port on your computer, not a USB hub. Click on images to enlarge.
Windows will automatically detect APM and install the correct driver software. If you get a
message stating “driver not found”, follow these instructions to download the software manually.
1.0.3. Connect APM to Mission Planner
Next we‟ll let Mission Planner know which port we‟re using to connect to APM. In Mission
Planner, use the drop-down menus in the upper-right corner of the screen (near the Connect
button) to connect to APM. Select Arduino Mega 2560 and set the Baud rate to 115200 as
shown. Don‟t hit Connect just yet.
1.0.4. Select firmware
Now we‟ll select which firmware to download to APM; this depends on the configuration of
your craft. Select the Hardware screen from the icons at the top of the display. Choose your
copter‟s frame by clicking the corresponding icon: Quad, Hexa, Y6, plane, rover, or other. (We‟ll
specify + or x configuration later.) The firmware screen will not appear if you have already
selected Connect, so ensure that Mission Planner shows a disconnected icon in the upper-right
corner to access the firmware.

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
Once you select your frame, Mission Planner will automatically detect the latest firmware
version for your craft and prompt you to confirm the download. Select Yes to download the
firmware onto APM. When the download status reads Done, your firmware download is
complete.
1. 0.5. Connect to MavLink
Select Connect (upper-right corner of the screen) to load MavLink parameters to APM. Mission
Planner will display a window showing the progress of the MavLink download.
When the window displays Done and Mission Planner shows the Disconnect option in place
of Connect, your APM firmware has been downloaded successfully.
1.1. Planning a Mission with Waypoints and Events
In Mission Planner you can create missions use the easy point-and-click Waypoint Editor created by
Michael Oborne.

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
Note: Although this uses APM:Copter as the main example the primary methods apply for
APM:Plane and APM:Rover although altitude control is severely limited in APM:Rover.
It is very important to acquire GPS lock before arming in order for RTL, Loiter, Auto or
any GPS dependent mode to work properly.
1.1.1 Basic waypoint commands
A mission file is a little intimidating to the human eye, but is a powerful scripting language for
the autopilot. (Again, remember that the GCS will soon take care of all of this for you. You
shouldn‟t have to see it yourself for long!).
You can have as many commands as you want, ranging from pre-programmed ones to ones that
you can create. Here are some common ones:
{NAV_WAYPOINT n/a, alt, lat, lon}
{NAV_TAKEOFF pitch, target altitude}
{NAV_LAND n/a, alt, lat, lon}
{DO_JUMP waypoint, n/a, repeat count, n/a} Goes to that waypoint and resumes mission there.
Set repeat count to any number greater than 1 to do it that many times. or to -1 to do it forever.
Good for looping missions.
(Note: DO_xxx commands currently need a dummy waypoint placed after the command
eg:
WAYPOINT_1
DO_SET_HOME
WAYPOINT_2
Home will be set at WAYPOINT_1 but will not work if WAYPOINT_2 is not there.)
You can read more about auto landing and takeoff here.
1.1.2. Tips
Prefetch: You can cache map data so you don’t need Internet access at the field. Click the
Prefetch button, and hold down Alt to draw a box to download the selected imagery of a
location.
Grid: This allows you to draw a polygon (right click) and automatically create waypoints over the
selected area. Note that it does not do “island detection”, which means if you have a big

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
polygon and a little one inside of that, the little one will not be excluded from the big one
(see this for more). Also, in the case of any polygon that partialy doubles backs on itself (like the
letter U), the open area in the center will be included as part of the flyover.
Setting your home location to the current location is easy, just click “Home Location” above
where you enter your home location, and it will set your home location to the current
coordinates.
You can measure the distance between waypoints by right-clicking at one end and selecting
Measure Distance. Then right-click on the other end and select Measure Distance again. A dialog
box will open with the distance between the two points.
1.1.3. Setting the Home Position
For APM:Copter the home position is set as the location where the copter was armed. This
means if you execute an RTL in APM:Copter, it will return to the location where it was armed,
so arm your copter in the location you want it to return to.
For APM:Plane the home position is the location of the plane where the GPS was locked. This
means if you execute an RTL in APM:Plane, it will return to the location where it first acquired
the GPS lock, so only power up your plane in the location you intend it to return to when
performing an RTL.
Video: Produce and save a Multi-waypoint Mission
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAjkuJdjZw4&feature=player_embedded
Video: Load an already saved Multi-waypoint Mission
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBq8YHShkVU&feature=player_embedded

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
1.1.4. Instructions
Note: When APM:Copter executes the Land command it will land from its current
location. It will not fly to a location, then land like the planes do. If you want to land at a
particular waypoint, you must fly to a normal WP, then the next command will be
Land. The Absolute Altitude checkbox in the Mission Planner is ignored. ArduCopter only
uses the default relative altitude.
In the screenshot above, a mission for arducopter starts with an auto takeoff to 20 meters
attitude; then goes to WP 2 rising to 100 meters altitude on the way, then waits 10 seconds; then
the craft will proceed to WP 3 (descending to 50 meters altitude on the way), then returns to
launch. Since the default altitude is 100 meters, the return to launch will be at 100 meters. After
reaching the launch position, the craft will land. The mission assumes that the launch position is
set at the home position.

Exo x6a Operations Manual revision 1 1st September 2013
You can enter waypoints and other commands (see below for the full list). In the dropdown
menus on each row, select the command you want. The column heading will change to show you
what data that command requires. Lat and Lon can be entered by clicking on the map. Altitude is
relative to your launch altitude, so if you set 100m, for example, it will fly 100m above you.
Default Alt is the default altitude when entering new waypoints. It‟s also the altitude RTL
(return to launch) mode will fly at if you have “Hold Default ALT” checked; if you don‟t have
that checked, your aircraft will try to maintain the altitude it was at when you switched on RTL.
Verify height means that the Mission Planner will use Google Earth topology data to adjust your
desired altitude at each waypoint to reflect the height of the ground beneath. So if your waypoint
is on a hill, if this option is selected the Mission Planner will increase your ALT setting by the
height of the hill. This is a good way to make sure you don‟t crash into mountains!
Once you are done with your mission, select “Write” and it will be sent to APM and saved in
EEPROM. You can confirm that it‟s as you wanted by selecting “Read”
You can save multiple mission files to your local hard drive by selecting “Save WP File” or read
in files with “Load WP File” in the right-click menu: