3D Robotics X8-M User Manual

X8-M

Operation Manual

Thank you for purchasing an X8-M! This manual contains important information about your aerial
mapping platform. Please read these instructions before your first flight.

1 Plan 1

2 Fly 19

3 Process 30

Appendix 34

Online information portal: 3DR.com/X8-M
3DR support: [e-mail]
Terms and conditions: 3DR.com/terms
Pix4D instructions: support.Pix4D.com

V.1 2014

©3D Robotics

DCT006

1 Plan

Parts 2

Flight Battery 3

Charging 3
Safety 3
Powering the X8 4

Camera Setup 5

3DR EAI 5
Charging 5
Starting a Mission 5
Mounting 6

Ground Station Setup 7

Download Software 7
Connect to Radio 7

Mission Planning 8

Operating Parameters 8
Load Maps 9
Draw Polygon 10
Configure Survey 11
Save and Write Mission 18

1

Parts

ground station radio

micro-USB cable

X8

batteries (2)

RC controller and

accessories

charger and
accessories

Android adapter cable

battery guard bag

Pixhawk micro-SD
card adapter

hex keys

propeller wrench

SF propellers

registration card and
Pix4D license key

FPV/OSD System

If you selected to receive a FPV/OSD system, those components
will be included with the X8’s accessories. See page 27 for parts
and instructions.

SFP propellers

spare UV filter

spare mounting nut

2

Flight Battery

The X8 is powered by a rechargeable lithium polymer (LiPo) battery.
Charge the battery before your first flight.

Charging Safety

1

Connect the charger to the power adapter cable
and a wall outlet. Connect the red cable to the +
port and the black cable to the - port.

+

–

Charger with power cable and
split-wire charging cable

3

Connect the white connector to the 4S port, and
join the two yellow connectors together.

2

Set the charger to LiPo and 3A.

LiPo

Charger settings

4

Secure the battery inside the guard bag,
and charge until the status indicator
displays green.

3A

!

Flying with a low battery is a safety risk and can render the
battery permanently unusable. Always fly with a fully charged
battery.

Charge the battery using a designated LiPo balance charger
only. Always monitor the battery while charging. Protect the
battery from extreme heat, extreme cold, puncturing, and
flammable surfaces. Always transport, charge, and store the
battery in the guard bag.

Inspect the battery for damage before and after flying. If you
observe any swelling of the package or the battery ceases
to function, do not use the battery; locate your local battery
recycling center, and dispose of the battery. In the US and
Canada, visit call2recycle.org to find a location. Do not
dispose of the battery in the trash.

4S

Flight battery charging wiring Charging in process

Charging

Complete

3

Powering the X8

1

Turn on the controller. To avoid triggering
the controller’s startup alarm, ensure that
all switches are set back (away from you)
and the throttle stick is set fully down.

Switches

Throttle stick

RC controller

2

Attach the battery to the underside of the
copter using the velcro straps, and join the
yellow connectors.

!

It is important to establish communication
before powering on the X8. Always turn
on the controller before connecting the
battery. When powering off the X8,
disconnect the battery before turning off
the controller.

4

Camera Setup

The X8 includes a Canon PowerShot SX260 HS running the 3DR EAI script.

3DR EAI (Exposure-Aperture-ISO)

3DR EAI runs on the Canon Hacker Development Kit (CHDK), a powerful open­source tool that expands the functionality of Canon point-and-shoot cameras. 3DR
EAI optimizes image exposure and integrates with the Pixhawk autopilot to enable
distance-based imaging.

This software is designed to load off the camera’s SD card, leaving the original Canon
programming intact. The yellow switch on the side of the SD card allows you to lock
or unlock the card. Lock the SD card to run 3DR EAI; unlock the SD card to save
images to your ground station or to boot the camera with its original programming.

For more information about 3DR EAI, see page 36.

SD card locked

Load 3DR EAI

» Fly a mapping mission

SD card unlocked

Load default Canon software

» View images on camera
» Save images to ground station
» Update script

Charging

Charge the camera battery before your first flight. Once
fully charged, insert the battery into the camera.

status indicator

Canon battery charger

Starting a Mission

To prepare the camera to fly a mapping mission, ensure
that the mode dial is set to P (program) mode. Power on the
camera using the silver button on the top. 3DR EAI will start
automatically, and you will see the script messages on the
camera display. Check to see that the last line of the script
reads waiting on USB signal. The camera is now ready to map!

Camera running 3DR EAI Camera running Canon software

Power off the camera before removing the SD card.

!

power button

mode dial

Camera ready to map: waiting on USB signal

5

Mounting

When the camera is ready to start the mission, open the latch, and insert the
camera into the mount. Close the latch, and rotate the mount so the camera
faces down. Connect the mini-USB cable to the camera.

mounting plate

latch

mini-USB cable

The camera mount includes a cap to protect the UV filter during travel. Before you
fly, remove the cap, and check that the filter contains no dirt particles or scratches
that could affect image quality. If you notice any damage to the filter that could affect
image quality, screw off the filter and replace with the extra filter provided with the X8.

UV filter

Camera enclosure with cap Camera enclosure with cap removed

Camera (side)

Connect mini-USB cable
here.

6

Ground Station Setup

Mission Planner allows you to turn a Windows laptop into a full-featured
ground station for configuring and monitoring autonomous missions. You will
need to take this laptop into the field when you fly the mission. As part of the
mission procedure, you will use the Pix4D Rapid Check to verify the quality of
the image set before leaving the field.

Connect to RadioDownload Software

Mission Planner

Mission Planner is a full-featured ground station application for planning
missions and monitoring the X8 in flight. Download Mission Planner
from 3DR.com/download_software.

If you already have Mission Planner installed, make sure you’re running
the most recent version: Select the Help tab and Check for Updates.

Mission Planner: Help tab

Pix4Dmapper LT 3DR Edition

To connect the X8 to Mission Planner, connect the ground station radio to
the laptop, and power the X8.

1
Connect the ground station radio to your
laptop using the micro-USB cable. Open
Mission Planner.

Ground station laptop with radio connected

3
Select Flight Data to view live data from the X8.

2
Select 57600 and AUTO, then select CONNECT.
(When connecting directly to Pixhawk’s
micro-USB port, set the rate to 115200.)

Mission Planner Connect tool (top-right corner))

Your license key for Pix4Dmapper can be found on the registration card
inside the documents package.

Visit mapper.pix4d.com/license-redeem to create an account and redeem
your license key; then visit pix4d.com/download to download Pix4Dmapper
Discovery. Pix4D will automatically upgrade from the Discovery edition to
the LT 3DR Edition (or Pro Edition if you selected to upgrade) when you
log in to the program with your Pix4D account information.

Mission Planner Flight Data tab: connected to aircraft

7

Mission Planning

Operating Parameters

The X8 is a complete solution for creating high-resolution
visual-spectrum aerial maps.

Operating Parameters

Canon SX260

Pixhawk
autopilot

system

3DR EAI

Pix4Dmapper

LT 3DR Edition

To create a map, the X8 flies an autonomous mission over
the survey site, using the integration between the Pixhawk
autopilot and custom-programmed camera to capture
images at a consistent distance interval. Pix4Dmapper
then stitches these images together into a georeferenced,
orthorectified mosaic.

The accuracy of the map depends on the configuration of
the mission. Planning a mission that captures high-quality
images requires balancing the X8’s operating parameters
with the environmental factors at the survey site.

Camera Canon SX260

Camera Orientation Landscape (top facing forward)

Operating Altitude 50-120 m

Default Altitude 60 m

Low-Wind Conditions 0-6 m/s

High-Wind Conditions 7-10 m/s

Maximum Wind Conditions 10 m/s

Operating Speed 1-17 m/s

Default Speed 5 m/s

Estimated Maximum Flight Time 14 min

Estimated Ground Resolution 2 cm/pixel

Estimated Maximum Survey Area .1 km

2

Minimum Photo Interval 2 seconds

8

Load Maps

Mission Planner allows you to plan the mission away from the mapping location;
however, it is important to assess the environmental conditions on site at the time
of the mission and adjust the flight plan if necessary. Alternatively, you can plan
the entire mission at the mapping location. To create or alter the mission, Mission
Planner requires an Internet connection to access the maps. If you’re unable to
access the Internet on site, follow the instructions below to pre-fetch the maps
within Mission Planner while you have Internet access.

1

Open Mission Planner, select Flight Plan, and
zoom to your flying location.

Mission Planner Flight Plan tab: zoom to mapping location Mission Planner Flight Plan tab: Select Prefetch

3

Mission Planner will attempt to load the map data from the current level of zoom down to the
closest level of zoom available. However, it can take hours to pre-fetch every level of zoom,
and it is unlikely that the closer levels will be useful in planning the mission. To shortcut this
process, check the slider on the right side of the map. The levels of zoom are represented by
this slider from 0 (bottom) to 25 (top). Press the ESC key to skip levels of zoom at a greater
detail than you need for mission planning.

2

Right-click on the map, select Map Tool and
Prefetch, and accept the defaults prompts.

Mission Planner will download the maps
for the selected location to your computer.

9

Draw Polygon

To begin planning the mapping mission, select the area you want to map using
the Polygon tool. You’ll be able to adjust the size and shape of the polygon later in
the mission configuration process.

1

Select Flight Plan, and zoom to your
mapping location.

Mission Planner Flight Plan tab: zoom to mapping location

!

Units

The Survey Tool uses metric units. If your Mission Planner is
set to imperial units, please change the settings to use metric
to plan the mission. Support for imperial units in Mission
Planner is coming soon; check 3DR.com/X8-M for updates.

2

Right click on the map. Select Draw Polygon and
Add Polygon Point. Click and drag to add points

around the area you want to map.

Mission Planner Flight Plan tab: draw polygon Mission Planner Flight Plan tab: open Survey tool

3

Right click on the polygon. Select Auto WP and
Survey (Grid) to open the Survey Tool.

10

Configure Survey: Set Default Parameters

Mission Planner: Survey Tool

Mission Planner: Survey Tool

Set Camera

Canon SX260-SX280

Set Camera Orientation

Check the option for Camera top
facing forward.

Set Default Speed

5 m/s

Apply Survey Speed

Check the option for Use speed for this mission.
If unchecked, the mission will use the X8’s
default speed of 5 m/s regardless of the speed
selected in the Survey Tool.

11