Vertical Technologies DeltaQuad VTOL UAV Series User manual

DeltaQuad Operations Manual V2
Introduction
Introduction
This document describes how to setup, operate and maintain your DeltaQuad series VTOL UAV Version 2.
To identify your vehicle version, please see the serial number sticker inside the UAV. This will indicate:
Version 1: DeltaQuad Pro
Version 2: DeltaQuad Pro V2
For version 1, please refer to the version 1 documentation
This manual in PDF file format: DeltaQuad Operations Manual.pdf
Safety & Legal notice
The vehicle must be operated in accordance with local laws and regulations.
The vehicle may not be operated or flown near or over people, roads, vehicles, buildings or anything
that could result in damage or danger to people or property.
All missions must be validated and pass the DeltaQuad Mission Validator
Radio or video transmitters might require special licensing and/or permits.
Vertical Technologies or its affiliates can not be held responsible for vehicles that have not been
operated or maintained in accordance with the guidelines set forth in this manual, or for behavior
resulting from changes made to the vehicle.
This operations manual is provided "As-Is". No rights can be obtained from the contents of this manual.
Software used in conjunction with the vehicle is provided under their respective license and warranty.
The vehicle is provided in accordance with the Vertical Technologies and under the Vertical
Technologies
Warranty
Terms & Conditions

Vehicle specifications
Dimensions:
Wingspan 235 cm
Length 90 cm
Height 17 cm
Wing area 90 sq. dm.
Payload bay 20 x 12 x 9 cm
Flightcase dimensions 114 x 48 x 44 cm
Flightcase weight ~ 25 Kg including vehicle
Weight and Payload:
Empty weight 3.3 Kg
Empty weight including battery 5 Kg
Maximum takeoff weight 6.2 Kg
Payload capacity 1.2 Kg
Flight Characteristics at no payload:
Cruise speed 18 m/s (65 Km/h)
Maximum speed 28 m/s (100 Km/h)
Stall speed 12 m/s (43 Km/h)
Maximum flight time* 2+ hours

All flight characteristics are based on optimized settings at sea level
* These values assume 90% battery usage, low wind conditions and include a low altitude vertical takeoff
and landing at sea level. EU Export versions are locked to 59 minutes flight time.
** These values are based on measurements at flight altitude
Video instructions
For your convenience the following video tutorials have been created. Please keep in mind that these
instructions are for information purposes only and the full documentation should be consulted before
operating the vehicle.
General video instructions
Planning a mission and controlling the vehicle

DeltaQuad Pro #MAP
Planning a survey (mapping) mission
Setting up a Sony RX1R camera for mapping
Setting up a Sony A7R camera for mapping
Installing a mapping camera
DeltaQuad Simulator
The DeltaQuad Simulator is intended to provide users of the DeltaQuad with a means of familiarizing
themselves with the Ground Control Software and various flight modes offered by the system. The simulator
has been configured to mimic the behavior of the DeltaQuad in actual flight conditions.
The simulator installation instructions will have been provided to you via e-mail.
For more information on the DeltaQuad simulator please refer to the documentation provided to you via e-
mail.

Setup
This chapter covers the hardware assembly, software setup and configuration.
Chapter index
Assembly
Battery
Telemetry & Ground Control
Key parameters
Safety features
Integrating payloads
Assembly
In this section we cover the steps for unpacking and assembling the DeltaQuad.
Package contents
1 x Main fuselage
2 x Wing
2 x Carbon spar (1150mm and 850mm)
2 x VTOL module
Optional components:
Battery charger
Ground Control Station
Radio Telemetry Bundle
4G Telemetry Bundle
Auxiliary LiPo module
Battery connector set

Unpacking and initial hardware setup
For the initial hardware setup, make sure you have ample room to work. Carefully unpack all components
from the box and inspect them for any damage. If there is damage to your vehicle please document and
report this damage to Vertical Technologies.
Inserting the carbon spars
Insert the 2 carbon spars through the fuselage. The short carbon spar (850mm) is inserted in front, the long
carbon spar (1150mm) is inserted in the back. When inserting the front carbon spar, make sure that nothing
is blocking the path of the spar inside the fuselage.
Mounting the VTOL modules
The VTOL modules are indicated by the motor numbers, the module that has the motor numbers 1 and 4 is
the right side module, the module that has the motor numbers 2 and 3 is the left side module.
Before sliding on the module make sure all lock pins on the module are in the open (up) position.

Slide the modules onto the carbon spars and push them firmly against the fuselage.
Lock the modules by pushing down the lock pins. Confirm each module is securely fastened.

Mounting the Wings
After attaching the modules, make sure the lock pins on the wing side are in the open (up) position as shown
on the image above.
Slide the wings over the carbon spars and press them firmly against the VTOL module. If you feel any
resistance it is possible that the carbon spars are not properly centered.
Lock the wings by pushing down the lock pins on the VTOL module, and confirm the wings are securely
fastened.

Replacing the propellers
The DeltaQuad comes with 5 propellers, 1 composite "pusher" propeller, and 4 carbon fiber VTOL
propellers. The propellers should already be attached when you receive the vehicle. When replacing the
propellers please follow these guidelines.
The VTOL propellers consist of 2 Clock Wise (CW) propellers and 2 Counter Clock Wise (CCW).
The motors are numbered 1 through 4. The bullet type nut on the propeller adapters are self tightening, that
means they close by turning them in the opposite direction of how the motor/propeller spins. This is done

to ensure the propellers do not become detached when the motor spins up. This means that to undo the nut
The propellers are centered with a small ring inside the mount hole, this should result in the propeller sitting
tightly around the shaft. Always make sure the centering ring is present and the propeller fits tightly around
the shaft.
Mount the propellers in the following positions noting the direction of the propeller as indicated below:
The propellers are attached by removing the motor nut and washer, sliding the propeller on the shaft, sliding
the washer on top of the propeller and fastening the nut.
Replacing the pusher propeller
The DeltaQuad pusher propeller is an APC 13x10EP propeller that contains a modified ring to mount
properly on the DeltaQuad pusher motor. Please use DeltaQuad approved and balanced pusher propellers.

The pusher propeller should be mounted so that the propeller produces thrust towards the rear, this means
that the top of the propeller (the side that has the text engraved) should face the motor as shown in the
diagram below.
Note: When replacing propellers for the VTOL modules no lock bond is required as these are self-
tightening. When replacing the pusher motor propeller lock bond is required on the propeller adapter
nut as this motor can spin in both directions.
Note: All propellers are balanced in our factory by hand. This can leave scratch marks on the
propeller blades. This does not indicate damage or that the propellers are used. A sign of damage
can be structural weakness such as a bent propeller blade. If you find gouges or missing parts
anywhere at the tip, the outboard region, or the trailing edge of the blade you need to replace the
propeller.
Disassembly and storage
To disassemble the DeltaQuad open the lock pins for the wings and remove the wings.
Note: Never remove the carbon spars while the VTOL modules are attached. This could damage the wing-
joiners.
Note: Never store or put the vehicle with the LiPo battery inside the vehicle.

It is recommended to transport the DeltaQuad in the DeltaQuad Flight Case. If you do not have a DeltaQuad
Flight Case It is recommended to transport and store the DeltaQuad with the VTOL modules attached.
Battery
The DeltaQuad series UAV is compatible with the DeltaQuad High Grade LiPo Battery. Using other batteries
is not recommended and will impact your warranty.
Safety notice
1. Use specific Lithium Polymer charger only. Do not use a NiCd or NiMh charger - Failure to do so may
cause a fire, which may result in personal injury and property damage.
2. Never charge batteries unattended unless you charge inside a LiPo Safe. When charging Li-Po
batteries you should always remain in constant observation to monitor the charging process and react to
potential problems that may occur.
3. If at any time you witness a battery starting to balloon or swell up, discontinue charging process
immediately. Disconnect the battery and dispose of it safely. Continuing to charge a battery that has
begun to swell will result in fire. Likewise, never use a battery if you find it swollen or ballooned.
4. Since delayed chemical reaction can occur, it is best to observe the battery as a safety precaution.
Battery observation should occur in a safe area outside of any building or vehicle and away from any
combustible material.
5. Wire lead shorts can cause fire! If you accidentally short the wires, the battery must be placed in a safe
area for observation for approximately 1 hour. Additionally, if a short occurs and contact is made with
metal (such as rings on your hand), severe injuries may occur due to the conductibility of electric current.
6. A battery can still ignite even after 1 hour.
7. A battery that makes a hissing sound is almost certain to ignite. Consider your own safety and that of
your environment before attempting any action
8. In the event of a crash, after a 15 minute period to ensure the LiPo was not compromised, you must
remove battery and dispose of it safely.
Placing the LiPo
Place the LiPo inside the fuselage with the Velcro strips pointing down. Make sure to position the LiPo as far
forward as possible.

Note: Only place a LiPo before the flight, and remove the LiPo directly after the flight. Always transport the
LiPo in a safe transportation unit such as a fireproof bag or storage container.
If any modifications were made to the vehicle or a different LiPo is used other than the DeltaQuad High-
Grade LiPo battery be sure to verify the Center of Gravity (CG). The maximum rear CG is indicated by small
notches in the composite wing joiners as indicated in the image below. These notches indicate the furthest
back the CG is allowed to be. The CG is allowed to be 15mm more towards the nose, but may not be more
towards the tail.
You can verify the CG by balancing the vehicle on your fingertips. The vehicle should sit at approximately 5
degrees nose up while verifying the CG.
Note: When verifying the Center of Gravity make sure all components that are used in flight are inserted and
attached.

Charging the LiPo
If you have ordered the DeltaQuad with a LiPo battery it will come with a plug & play charger. This charger
can charge an empty LiPo battery in approximately 6 hours. To charge the battery insert both the power and
balance plugs in the charger, it will commence charging automatically. When the LED light on the charger
turns green the LiPo will have been charged.
The DeltaQuad LiPo can also be charged using a high current charging solution and is capable of charging
within 1 hour if your charger is capable of providing 20 Amperes. Charging at this rate will limit the durability
of the LiPo, it is recommended to charge the LiPo at no more than 5 Amperes for a maximum lifetime.
1. Remove the battery from the vehicle. The battery should never be charged inside the vehicle.
2. Never charge batteries unattended unless you can charge them inside a LiPo safe.
3. Charge in an isolated area, away from other flammable materials.
4. Ensure the battery is at ambient temperature before charging.
Storing the LiPo
The LiPo should be stored in a safe and dark location between 5 and 30 degrees Celsius. If the battery has
been fully discharged, it is recommended to put at least some charge (+- 50%) before long term storage.
Telemetry & Ground Control
In this section we cover the setup of your Ground Control Station, Video and Telemetry links. For information
on using the ground control station please refer to the sections in this manual.Flight
Installing QGroundControl
The DeltaQuad uses QGroundControl as its primary Ground Control Station.
If you have ordered a Ground Control Station with your DeltaQuad it will have been installed and tested
before it was shipped to you. You may skip this section and proceed to the installation of your telemetry link.
To install QGroundControl on your device please refer to the QGroundControl Installation Manual

A ti ti 4G VPN T l t
If your DeltaQuad has been equipped with 4G telemetry, you will need to insert a suitable sim-card in the
USB 4G dongle which is located in the nose of the vehicle. To insert the sim card, remove the USB dongle,
slide the top part of the housing down and insert the sim-card in the sim card placeholder. To test and
optionally configure your 4G dongle, you can attach the dongle to your computer. After approximately 30
seconds it should be activated and you can check the status of your connection by opening a browser and
navigating to http://192.168.100.1
If your Ground Control Station came with your vehicle it will have been pre-installed, but will still require an
Internet connection. This connection can be established by inserting a micro-sim-card into the device. It can
also be established by activating a wifi hotspot on a secondary device and connecting the ground control
station to this WiFi network. At startup the Ground Control Station will connect to the VPN network after
approximately 30 seconds.
If you chose to install your own ground control station, or if you wish to install additional ground control
stations, please refer to the ZeroTier installation guide for additional setup steps. This guide will have been
made available to you via e-mail. This will also contain the settings required to activate the video stream.
When inserting the USB dongle in the vehicle and switching the vehicle on by connecting the LiPo battery,
the USB dongle should start blinking (first green, then white). After approximately 30 seconds it should go to
solid white. At this point the vehicle has an active internet connection. It will take another 20 seconds for the
vehicle to connect to the VPN network and your ground control station.
Activating Radio Telemetry
If your vehicle is equipped with radio telemetry, no setup is required on the vehicle side. To activate radio
telemetry on the ground control station simply attach the receiving unit of the radio telemetry system to the
ground control station. If the vehicle does not automatically connect, add a new link manually to
QGroundControl by clicking on Settings -> Comm Links -> Add, and selecting the proper serial device. This
varies by system.
Key parameters
From the Ground Control Station the vehicle parameters can be modified. Some parameters may need to be
adjusted for a specific situation or payload. To access the vehicles parameters you will need to switch the
vehicle on and establish a connection between the Ground Control Station and the vehicle.
Modifying parameters
To modify parameters click the Q icon from QGroundControl and then select the Vehicle Setup. Then select
the parameters tab.

Key parameters
The following parameters are considered safe to modify within the bounds described. To find a specific
parameter the search function can be used.
BAT_CAPACITY
Min: 10000
Max: 33000
Default: 23000
This defines the total capacity in mAh of the battery when fully charged. The default value is set to 23000 (23
Amp/Hour). If your vehicle is equipped with a 20Ah battery set this to 20000. If you have an Auxiliary LiPo
attached you can add the capacity of this LiPo to the total capacity. For example, with a 23Ah DeltaQuad
LiPo and a 10Ah Auxiliary LiPo set this value to 33000.
The capacity entered in this parameter should be reduced by 10% every 75 charge cycles on a given
battery.
FW_THR_CRUISE
Min: 52%
Max: 58%
Default: 54%
This defines the cruise throttle percentage. Setting this higher than the default value will increase the cruise
speed of the vehicle, but decrease the efficiency. Setting this lower is not recommended as the vehicle will

also fly less efficiently and could stall. When flying with maximum payload a value of 54 or higher is
required
Flight type Conditions Throttle value
Maximum efficiency
Low wind conditions, light
payload, no significant altitude
changes
52
Stable flight Medium low wind, normal
payload 54
Fast flight
Medium to high wind and/or high
payload and/or large altitude
changes
56
Maximum speed All weather conditions 58
VT_FW_ALT_ERR
Min: 10
Max: 100
Default: 20
This function also known as QuadChute, defines the maximum altitude deviation the vehicle will accept
when flying in fixed wing mode. If the vehicle drops below this deviation, and it is descending it will
automatically revert to quadcopter mode. This functionality is required to ensure safe flight. Disabling this
functionality will void your warranty and introduce a serious safety hazard.
MPC_LAND_SPEED
Min: 0.4
Max: 1.2
Default: 0.6
This parameter controls the descent speed during the final stage of landing. The vehicle will use this value
as maximum speed. If wind conditions are erratic the vehicle will lower this speed automatically to remain
stable. A lower value will result in more energy being required for landing.
Safety features
This section covers the flight controller's safety features. To access the safety features configuration screen
you will need to switch the vehicle on and establish a between the Ground Control Station and
the vehicle.
connection

Modifying the safety features
To modify parameters select the settings icon from QGroundControl and then select the Safety tab.
Safety features
Low Battery Failsafe Trigger
Default: Return at critical level, land at emergency level
Default Warn level: 10%
Default Failsafe level: 7%
Default Emergency level: 5%
These parameters define what the vehicle does when reaching low battery levels.
Note: The levels are those estimated to be reached when having flown to the landing site. This
means that the further the vehicle is from its intended landing location, the sooner these actions will
be taken. The vehicle will attempt to maintain these values when landed.
Warn level: The percentage where the vehicle will give a visible and audible warning to the Ground Control
Station
Failsafe level: The level at which the vehicle initiates the critical battery action. (return)
Emergency level: The level at which the vehicle initiates the emergency battery action. (land)

RC Loss Failsafe trigger
Default: Disabled
The DeltaQuad does not come with a traditional radio remote control. If such a transmitter/receiver is added
this setting defines the behavior when the signal from this transmitter is lost. The DeltaQuad Controller will
have both RC and DataLink functionality, but as these signals are sent over the same link it is recommended
that you leave this setting disabled.
Data Link Loss Failsafe Trigger
Default: Disabled
Default timeout: 100s
This controls the behavior of the vehicle when the telemetry link is lost. When flying fully autonomous
missions where the loss of telemetry is allowed or expected, this parameter should be set to Disabled.
Some local laws require this value to be set to "Return to Land".
The Settings of the Data Link Loss Failsafe Trigger should be checked before pausing the vehicle mid-flight.
If the trigger is disabled and the Data Link is lost after the vehicle is paused and in Hold Mode, the pilot has
no possibility of giving a new pilot command. Until the Data Link is regained the DeltaQuad will remain in
Hold mode. If the Data Link can't be re-established the vehicle will remain in Hold Mode until the Low
Battery Failsafe Trigger will be activated.
Geofence Failsafe Trigger
Default action: Warning
Default max radius: Disabled
Default max altitude: Disabled
The geofence failsafe trigger can be set to limit the vehicle's radius and/or altitude. When settings these
parameters the vehicle will perform the defined action upon breaching any of these.
Return Home Settings
Default climb: 60m
Default home action: Land immediately
These settings define how the vehicle behaves when it engages the Return to Land function. The Climb
altitude is the minimum altitude relative to home the vehicle will maintain for its return path.
If the altitude of the DeltaQuad is lower than the Default climb value, in this case, 60 meters, the UAV will
ascend to that Default climb altitude of 60 meters.
If the vehicle is higher at the point where the Return to Land is triggered it will maintain that altitude to return.

The DeltaQuad can perform an autonomous Return to Land when instructed from the Ground Control
Station, when instructed from a mission, or when triggered by a failsafe event.
If the DeltaQuad is in Fixed-wing mode when the Return to Land event is triggered the UAV will make use of
the Landing Pattern from the planned mission.
The DeltaQuad will return in Fixed-wing mode to the Loiter waypoint of the Landing pattern in a straight line
at the altitude the UAV is at when the RTL was initiated.
If the altitude of the DeltaQuad is higher than the Default climb value the UAV will stay at its altitude and
return to the Loiter Waypoint.
When reaching the "Loiter" waypoint the DeltaQuad will loiter and descend to the set Approach Altitude. In
the final approach towards the Land item, the DeltaQuad will perform a transition to Multirotor mode and
land as planned in the mission.
Be aware that if your planned Land item is not at the same location as your Launch item, the DeltaQuad will
land in a different location rather than your Home Position.
If the DeltaQuad is in Multirotor mode when the Return To Land event is triggered the UAV will return to the
Land item in a straight line at the altitude it is at when the RTL was initiated.
Because the DeltaQuad is in Multirotor mode it will not make use of the Loiter waypoint and the Landing
Pattern but head directly for the Land item.
If the altitude of the DeltaQuad is lower than the Default climb value (60m) the UAV will ascend to that
Default climb altitude (60m) whilst heading for the Landing item.
If the altitude of the DeltaQuad is higher than the Default climb value the UAV will stay at its altitude and
return to the Landing Pattern.
When reaching the Land item the DeltaQuad will descend in Multirotor mode and touchdown at the Land
location.
Be aware that if your planned Land item is not at the same location as your Launch item, the DeltaQuad will
land in a different location rather than your home location.
Land Mode Settings
Default Descent Rate: 1,2m/s
Disarm after: 5s
This controls the landing behavior. The default descent rate is the maximum speed the DeltaQuad descends
in Multirotor during a landing.
In windy conditions, the vehicle will correct itself by applying a lower descent rate and the indicated descent
rate might not be achieved. The DeltaQuad will brake and slow down its descent from approximately 8
meters above the Home Position to guarantee a soft landing.
The default value of the Descent Rate can be left at 1,2m/s. Nevertheless, if it needs to be changed it should
not be increased above 1.5m/s.