Fotokite Phi User Manual

User Manual

Fotokite Phi User Manual

Version 1.0

2

Contents

What’s in the box?

System overview...Flight Frame

System overview...Leash

Installing the battery

Charging the Fotokite

Charging the Leash

Unfolding / Locking

How to y...takeo

How to y...controls

Thrust calibration

Thrust equalization

Fitting new propellers

What’s in the box?

Flight Frame

Leash

Storage Tube

USB-C Cable

Quick-Start Guide

Spare propeller set

Extra battery

Optional Extras

4

Power Button

Bottom clip-in

Camera band

Front clip-in

System overview...Flight Frame

Lock Flight Battery

Battery Status

Hand strap

Tether attachment

Length control Power button USB-C Charging Port

Orbit button

Yaw button

System overview...Leash

Status Light

Orbit light

Yaw light

6

Installing the battery

1. Detach the battery band that
holds the battery in place.

2. Hold the battery band back to
keep it from going inside the

Fotokite’s main body.

3. Slide the battery in from the
side. Position it centrally

to ensure the ight frame is well

balanced.

4. Pull the battery band over the
battery, and secure it to the

yellow hook at the bottom of the

ight frame payload.

5. Plug in the battery connector
as shown above.

Battery band

1. Ensurethat the battery is

connected to the Flight frame.

Charging the Fotokite

2. Plug the Fotokite charging

cable into a USB power supply or

into a computer.

3. Plug the Fotokite charging
cable into the Flight Frame.

4. The charging behaves as
follows:

a. Lights will blink regularly

during charging. Their color will

go from orange (when battery
almost empty) to green (when

battery almost full)

b. Once fully charged, the LEDs

will turn to a teal color.

5. Disconnect the charging
cable when charging

is complete.

Fully ChargedCharging

Charging Error Still charging...

8

Charging the Leash

1. Plug the Fotokite charging cable into a USB power
supply or a computer.

3. The charging behaves as follows:

a. The LED will be red while the leash battery charges.

b. Once fully charged, the LED will turn green.

2. Plug the Fotokite charging cable into the leash.

Unfolding / Locking

1. Fold the arms down, ensuring they are fully in the down position. 2. Twist the lock until it clicks into place, and ensure the arms
are securely locked.

10

Attaching the camera (GoPro Hero 3, 3+ or 4)

The Fotokite works best with the GoPro Hero 3, 3+ and 4. The GoPro Hero 4 can even be controlled in ight using the leash.

1. Remove the battery from your GoPro. The camera

will be powered directly from the Flight Frame.

3. Verify that the GoPro is successfully connected by
turning on your Fotokite, and then turning

on the GoPro.

2. Plug in the GoPro connector of the Fotokite in the
back your GoPro.

GoPro Connector

Camera Band

Attaching the camera...continued

The camera can be positioned in two orientations; facing horizontally with a slight tilt or facing down. (Go Pro Hero 5 and other thicker models of cameras

will not t in the facing down position).

1. Pull the camera band holding the
camera back and hold it.

3. Place the camera band back over the
camera and attach it to the yellow hook

situated just above the camera.

4 For more stability and safety, the

elastic can be placed around the

objective of the camera.

2. Position the camera in the Flight

Frame. Ensure it sits rmly inside the

camera mount.

Camera band

Hook

12

How to y...takeo

5. Don’t let go yet. The propellers will
start.

7. Gently release the Flight Frame!

*y*

8. To stop, grab the Flight Frame and
press the power button.

Long press turns o.

6. Hold the Flight Frame still as the
propellers spin up.

1. Press and hold the power buttons to
power on the Flight Frame and Leash.

3. Tilt the Flight Frame slightly away from
yourself.

4. Twist the Flight Frame 90° and back to
the right.

2. Hold the Flight Frame rmly at arms
length.

Power Button

90°

How to y...controls

1. To increase tether length push the length control
button forward. This will cause the Fotokite to y

away in the direction it is headed

3. To bring the Fotokite back down, pull the tether
length control button back.

Upon pulling the length control button back, the

Leash will communicate with the Fotokite and send a

signal to reduce thrust, this will cause it to

reduce altitude, however to increase speed you can

pull the Fotokite towards you.

2. When you want the Fotokite to stop, let go of
the length control button, and it will stop the

tether release.

14

How to y...controls...continued

Yaw Button

To spin the Fotokite in place, press and hold the Yaw button, whilst using the

gesteure control of the Leash to choose which direction you want the Fotokite to spin.

1. To orbit the Fotokite around you, press and hold the Orbit button and use the
gesture controls left or right to control the Flight Frame.

2. To change the the Flight Frames altitude relative to the user, press and hold the
Orbit button, and use the gesture controls up or down to control the Flight Frame.

How to y...controls...continued

16

Orbit Button

Yaw Button

Press Yaw+Orbit buttons together to use.

Short press: start/stop video / take photo.

Long press: mode (photo<->video).

Controlling GoPro Hero 3, 3+ or 4

The Leash communicates with the Fotokite Flight Frame via a Bluetooth connection. Upon Powering both the Leash, and the Flight Frame ON the status
light on the Leash should turn solid green.

If the Leash status light ashes, and the leash vibrates, this is because the the two are not paired, follow the below instructions to Pair the Leash with the
Fotokite Flight Frame.

1. Start with both the leash and
the Fotokite turned OFF.

2. Press and hold the Yaw button
on the leash. While holding it,

turn on the leash with the Power

button.

3. The leash will turn on with
both the Orbit light and the

status light being blue.

4. Turn on the Fotokite

normally. As you do so, the status

light on the leash will turn green

(the Orbit light will remain blue)

5. Exit the pairing setup by
turning o the leash. Your

Flight Frame and Leash are now

paired.

Pairing the Flight Frame and Leash

18

When operating the Fotokite at an altitude way above sea level:

The Fotokite is calibrated to y at an altitude slightly above sea level (0-1000m). If you go higher than this altitude, the air gets thinner and the thrust

provided by the Flight Frame needs to be increased.

When carrying a heavy payload:

The Fotokite is calibrated to function with a GoPro Hero4 from which the battery has been removed. If you operate the Fotokite with a dierent and

heavier device, you will need to increase the thrust provided by the Flight Frame.

1. Turn on the Flight Frame
and the Leash, making sure

that they are paired.

2. Press and hold the Yaw
and Orbit buttons of the

leash. Then, press the

Leash power button to

enter the calibration menu.

The leash will buzz and

vibrate to conrm and the

Yaw and Orbit lights will

turn yellow.

3. Press the Yaw button

to navigate through the

calibration menu until the

Yaw and Orbit lights are

purple (normally reached

after one press).

4. Press the Orbit button
to start the calibration.

WARNING: THE MOTORS

WILL START SPINNING

5. The calibration is ideal

when the Fotokite hovers

in the air: it does not fall

to the oor nor does it y

to the up.

The calibration is done by

increasing or decreasing

the overall thrust:

Increase the thrust by

pressing the Yaw button

Decrease the thrust by

pressing the Orbit button

6. Once the Flight Frame­successfully hovers

with minimal vertical

movement, press both

the Yaw and Orbit button

to validate the calibration.

Then, restart the Flight

Frame.

Thrust calibration

Orbit ButtonYaw Button

Power Button

When carrying a heavy payload:

The Flight Frame is calibrated to function with a GoPro Hero4 from which the battery has been removed. If you operate the Fotokite with a dierent and

heavier device, your unit’s center of gravity shifts, which can cause it to y unbalanced.

When experiencing odd ight behaviour:

All Fotokites are calibrated during production. However, it can happen that the calibration is not done perfectly or needs to be done again for various

reasons.

Thrust equalization

1. Turn on the Flight

Frame and the Leash,

making sure that they

are paired.

2. Press and hold the
Yaw and Orbit

buttons of the Leash.
Then, press the leash

Power button to enter

the calibration menu.

The leash will buzz and

vibrate to conrm and

the Yaw and Orbit lights

will turn yellow.

3. Press the Yaw

button to navigate

through the calibration

menu until the Yaw
and Orbit lights are

teal (normally reached

after two presses).

4. Press the Orbit

button to start the

calibration.

WARNING: THE

MOTORS WILL START

SPINNING

5. The Fotokite will
hover slightly.

Simply hold it by the

string at about 5-10

cm from the ight unit.

Move as little

as possible.

6. The 4 lights situated
under each arm of

the Fotokite will

turn red when the

calibration starts.

They will change color

gradually as the

calibration

progresses, going from

red, to orange, to

yellow, to green.

7. When the calibration
is complete, the

4 lights will turn blue.

Additionally, the leash

will buzz and vibrate.
Grab the Fotokite and
turn it o to complete

the procedure.

Orbit ButtonYaw Button

Power Button

20

Fitting new propellers

Top of propeller, recess for mounting nut

Left handed propeller

1. Identify the correct propeller (Left or
Right) that needs to be replaced.

2. Remove the damaged propeller,

by holding the motor in one hand to

prevent it from turning, and with the

other hand turn the propeller either

anti clockwise, or clockwise accordingly.

Front

3. Turn the propeller until the securing
nut become free.

4. Fit the new propeller onto the motor
ensuring it is in the correct orientation.

Fit the securing nut onto the motor

shaft by gently turning and into the nut

shaped recess on the top of the

propeller. Rotate the nut and propeller

until it is hand tight. The nut will self

tighten upon propeller start up.

The Fotokite uses two types of propller; left handed propeller, and right handed propeller. These must be tted to the correct motor for the Fotokite to

y. Each Propeller turns in a dierent direction, and as such has to be unmounted from the Flight Frame by turning in the opposite direction.

To remove a left handed propeller, turn it clockwise. To remove a right handed propeller turn it counter-clockwise.

Right handed propeller

Right handed propeller

Right handed propeller

Left handed propeller

Left handed propeller