MotionPilot EXPLORER User Manual

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EXPLORER

User Manual

v 1.3

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CONTENTS EXPLORER User Manual

Contents

Features 3

Overview 4

Vector Overview 4 Drone Overview 4 Goggles Overview 5 Charger Overview 5

Pre-Flight Procedure 6

Turning the Controller On/O 6 Controller Status Indicator Description 6 Calibration of the Controller 8 Choosing the Flight Mode 8 Charging the Controller 8 Charging the Drone Batteries 9 Installing the Battery on the Drone 9 Turning the Drone ON/OFF 9 Turning the Goggles ON/OFF 9 Choosing the Video Channel 9 Changing the Goggles Display Settings 9

In Flight Operation 10

Reading the On Scree Display (OSD) 10 Arming the Aircra and Setting the Control Position 11 Controlling the Drone with Vector and Choosing the Flight Mode 11 Disarming the Safety Timer Aer Flight 12

Troubleshooting 13

Drone Is Not Arming 13 Poor Goggles Video Range 13 Charger Is Not Functioning Properly 13 Resetting your Controller 13 Contacting Customer Support 13

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Features EXPLORER User Manual

Features

Motion Control

Vector is introducing motion control to the world of First Person View. A s you press on the arm button, Vector precisely tracks the attitude of your hand in space. Each of the three control axis - yaw, pitch and roll – can be controlled. The result is an intuitive and immersive piloting experience while zipping through the air.

Long Range Carbon Protocol

Flying a drone requires a radio link that works in every situation. For Vector, we started from a blank sheet. We are using state-of-the-art technology for the Carbon protocol. The result is a strong and reliable link up to 1km.

Portable

We have been able to shrink the size of the Vector controller by using motion control and our own embedded communication module. The result is a compact and sturdy remote control that you can toss in your back pack and carry everywhere with you.

Sturdy Design

With our compact design and few moving pieces, Vector is extremely sturdy. We have tested the controller in extreme conditions with great results. Vector can easily be carried in your backpack without havingto be afraid of damaging it.

Refined User Interface

For vector, we have designed the user interface specifically for FPV aircra. The controller fits nicely in your hand. Both buttons for changing flight mode and arming the drone are easily accessible.

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Overview EXPLORER User Manual

Overview

Vector Overview

Drone Overview

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Overview EXPLORER User Manual

Goggles Overview

Charger Overview

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Pre-Flight Procedure EXPLORER User Manual

Pre-Flight Procedure

Turning the Controller On/O

To turn your controller on and o, simply press the mode button for two seconds. The LEDs will turn on or o. If the controller is not turning on, try charging it.

Controller Status Indicator Description

Mode Status Indicator Description

Mode LED Pattern Signification

One LED on Controller is on and flight mode 1 is selected

Two LEDs on Controller is on and flight mode 2 is selected

Three LEDs on Controller is on and flight mode 3 is selected

Increasing LEDs Pattern Controller is charging

Alternating LEDs Pattern Controller is in bind mode

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Pre-Flight Procedure EXPLORER User Manual

Main Status Indicator Description

Main LED Pattern Signification

Solid blue LED Aircra is armed

Solid green LED Controller is fully charged

Single red Flash LED Your battery is running low. Charge your controller.

Double red Flash LED Your battery is critically low. Land immediately and charge

your remote.

Fast Flashing yellow LED Leave Vector on a stable surface to perform calibration. If

you want to skip this step, you can shake your controller. However, the control performance might not be as good.

Slow Flashing yellow LED Compass has been disabled because of a magnetic distur-

bance. You can continue to fly when this happens.

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Pre-Flight Procedure EXPLORER User Manual

Calibration of the Controller

Before flying, you should calibrate your Vector controller. The yellow LED is flashing indicating that the calibration should be performed. To calibrate, place your controller on a stable surface aer turning it on. The controller will detect that it is placed on a stable surface and start the calibration procedure. Once the calibration is performed, the yellow LED will stop flashing indicating that you can start flying.

Choosing the Flight Mode

To choose the flight mode, press on the mode button. The controller will cycle through the three flight modes and show the current mode on the mode status LEDs. You can also change flight mode during flight.

Charging the Controller

To charge your controller, plug the micro usb cable into an USB wall adapter. The controller will show that it started charging. When the Vector is charged, the main LED will turn green. See Controller Status Indicator Description.

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Pre-Flight Procedure EXPLORER User Manual

Charging the Drone Batteries

To charge the drone batteries, start by connecting the charger to a power outlet. Then, plug the balance cable to your charger. If the battery is empty, the charger will indicate that it is charging by turning the three LEDs red. The charger has finished charging once the three LEDs have turned green. Always leave the charger plugged in until all three LEDs have turned green, otherwise it might damage the battery.

Installing the Battery on the Drone

The battery must be installed on top of the drone with the strap thatcomes with it. Beforeflying, make surethat the battery cable is tucked under the strap so that it can not get in contact with the propellers while in flight.

Turning the Drone ON/OFF

The drone is turned On and OFF by plugging the flight battery in or plugging it out.

Turning the Goggles ON/OFF

To turn the goggles On or OFF, use the switch situated on the underside of the goggles.

Choosing the Video Channel

The goggles can listen on five dierent bands: BandA, BandB, BandE, FS and RACE. Each band has 8 channels. To see the video from your drone in your goggles, you have to make sure that the goggles are on the right channel. There are two ways to do so:

1. Automatically: Press the joystick vertically. The goggles will automatically scan the whole spectrum to

find the channel on which your drone is emitting. We ship our drones on the band Race and the channel

2. Manually: Move through the channels by using the two CH+ and CH- buttons. A long press on the button

will change band, a short press will change the channel.

Changing the Goggles Display Settings

You can change brightness and contrast of your goggles by moving the joystick "Display Control". Moving it up and down will change the brightness and side to side will change the contrast.

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In Flight Operation EXPLORER User Manual

In Flight Operation

Reading the On Scree Display (OSD)

1) Link Quality

The link quality gives you an indication of the quality of the radio link between your Vector controller and the drone. If the value of the link quality drops lower than 50%, it means that you should head back to where you stand to improve the radio communication. If the Link Quality drops to zero, the drone will initiate a failsafe and fall down to avoid flying away.

2) Battery Voltage

The battery voltage gives you an indication of how much power is still available in the battery. A fully charged battery is at 4.2 V whilea fully depleted battery is at 3.5 V. Once your battery reaches that level, you should head back and land.

3) Flight Mode

Here you will see the current selected flight mode.

4) Warnings

The OSD will show dierent warnings here such as low battery voltage for example.

5) Video Link Settings

This section shows your current video link settings. The interface shows the BAND : CHANNEL : POWER. You should make sure that your goggles are on the same band and channel that your OSD is showing.

6) Battery Usage

This section shows the amount of mAh (milliampere * hour) consumed form the battery. Usually, you should never consume more than 80% of the battery rated mAh.

7) Flight Time

This section shows the flight time since you last armed your aircra.

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In Flight Operation EXPLORER User Manual

8) Disarmed Status

This section shows if the aircra is armed or disarmed.

Arming the Aircra and Setting the Control Position

To control the aircra, the controller needs a neutral position around which you will be able to move your controller. This position is set once you press on the main arming button. This means that you can control your aircra in any position you would like. However, we recommend keeping your forearm parallel to the ground to have the best antenna radiation performances.

Controlling the Drone with Vector and Choosing the Flight Mode

The drone is controlled according to the following diagram. There are three flight modes available as exposed below. Flight modesonly have an influence on the pitch and roll control axis. Yaw andthrottle behave the same in all flight modes.

Flight Mode 1: Angle Mode

In this flight mode, the drone follows the angle of your hand on both the roll and pitch axis. This means that if you bring your hand back to the neutral position, the drone will always be leveled horizontally. This is a great mode to start flying and understanding how to pilot your aircra.

Flight Mode 2: Acro Trainer Mode

This mode will help you understand how the Acro mode works. It works just like acro mode 3 except that the drone is limited to a 30degrees bank angle on both the pitchand roll axis. This will helpyou avoid a crash while learning to fly in acro mode.

Flight Mode 3: Acro Mode

In thismode, instead of controlling the angle of yourdrone, you control its angular velocity. This meansthat the more control input you give, the faster the drone will rotate around this axis. This mode gives you full control over your drone and allows doing impressive maneuvers.

Disarming the Safety Timer Aer Flight

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In Flight Operation EXPLORER User Manual

In order to avoid losing your drone if it gets lost aer a crash, the drone is equipped with a safety timer that will initiate when the main battery gets depleted. When you turn o your drone, the safety timer will start automatically. To disarm the timer, just plug the battery back in for 1 to 4 seconds and plug it out again.

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Troubleshooting EXPLORER User Manual

Troubleshooting

Drone Is Not Arming

There are several reasons that could prevent your drone from arming. Here are the most common ones:

• Drone angle: Your drone will not arm if his angle is higher than25◦. Make sure thatyour drone is on a flat

horizontal surface when arming.

• Calibration: Justlike Vector,the droneneeds tocalibratebefore flight. Place the droneon a stable surface

before flight for it to perform a calibration.

• Throttle too high: When arming, the throttle needs to be at the minimum. Make sure you don’t press the

trigger when arming.

If you are still not able to arm your drone, please contact MotionPilot’s customer support.

Poor Goggles Video Range

You should have about 700m of range with your video link. There are several reasons that may lead to a poor video range. Here are the most common ones:

• Wrong Video Channel: Make sure that your goggles are on the same video band and channel as your

drone.

• Antenna not Properly Installed: Make sure that both the antenna on your drone and your goggles are

properly installed.

• Video Transmitter Damaged: Your videotransmitter mighthave been damagedduring a crashor if it got

in contact with water.

If you were not able to fix the range of your video transmitter, please contact MotionPilot’s customer support.

Charger Is Not Functioning Properly

If your charger is not functioning properly, please contact customer support.

Resetting your Controller

If yourcontroller isstuck and you can not turnit o, youcan perform a hard reset bypressing on the two buttons at the same time for about four seconds. The controller will turn o and on again and should work properly again. If the controller is not turning on, it is likely that the battery is discharged. Simply plug the controller through USB and it should turn on again.

Contacting Customer Support

To get some help from us, you can contact us directly at the email address: [email protected]