Operation manual Erle Copter
Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux Operation Manual May 21, 2015 Contents 1 Introducing Erle-Copter 1.1 A marketplace for drone apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3 2 Parts 4 3 Safety and failsafes 6 4 Learn to fly 9 4.1 Flying modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 5 First flight 14 5.1 Attaching propellers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5.2 Connecting to Erle-Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5.3 Steps to flight save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 A Erle-Brain 16 B ROS 17 C Specification 18 D Resources 18 E License 19 Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 2 May 21, 2015 1 INTRODUCING ERLE-COPTER Erle-Copter is a Linux-based drone that uses robotic frameworks such as ROS (the Robot Operating System) and the award winning APM software autopilot to achieve different flight modes. It’s ideal for outdoor operations and it has been designed for an extended flight time with a takeoff weight of up to 2 kilograms. Erle-Copter is the first smart drone that flies with Linux and includes ROS as the SDK for drone app development. 1.1 A MARKETPLACE FOR DRONE APPS Together with Canonical and the Open Source Robotics Foundation, we are pushing a new marketplace for robot and drone applications. An open platform that attracts innovators and experts to collaborate and compete in the future marketplace of drone and robot applications. More at ubuntu.com/things. Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 3 May 21, 2015 2 PARTS Below the parts that Erle-Copter contains are described. Do not hesitate and ask questions in our forum. Radio controller The Power Module incorporates both a way to power your autopilot, accessories and report battery voltage and current to Erle-Brain. Erle-Copter makes use of rechargeable Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries. More about batteries and chargers here. Provides WIFI connection to Erle-Brain Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 4 May 21, 2015 Provides high gain WIFI connection to Erle-Brain 4 x Electronic speed controller (ESC). 4 x Brushless motors. GPS + Compass Radio communicatios in 2.4Ghz band Telemetry 915MHz or 433MHz Propellers 10×4.5 Propellers 10×4.5 (self-tightening) Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 5 May 21, 2015 3 SAFETY AND FAILSAFES • Always turn on the Remote Controller prior to turning on Erle-Copter • Toggle all switches to the top • Be sure there are no distractions when you are flying. • Fly in very large open area void of obstacles and away from traffic and people. Be aware of surroundings. • Be sure you have calibrated the IMU’s and the compass and you hace GPS fix (Slow continuous blue flashing). • When in doubt, pull down on the throttle stick and land. Erle-Copter will not avoid obstacles on its own unless it has been programmed for it. As the operator, it is your job to recognize and avoid obstructions while flying. Always fly in an open area away from people and buildings; do not attempt to fly indoors or in a confined space. Erle-Copter has powerful motors and high-speed propellers. Never place your hands near the propellers while Erle-Copter is armed. All unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators should abide by all regulations from such organizations as the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) and their own national airspace regulations. FRAME 1: SAFETY Environmental factors, such as wind and GPS irregularities, can cause instability in flight. Erle-Copter will attempt to compensate for these factors by triggering a failsafe if it detects an unsafe flying condition due to loss of controller signal, loss of GPS signal, or low battery (see below for details). If you observe any inconsistent behavior, land, and consult our team at forum.erlerobotics.com. RADIO FAILSAFE Always use the controller as a primary or backup control system when flying. Ensure that the controller is turned on any time Erle-Copter is powered. If this failsafe is enabled it will get triggered under the following circumstances: Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 6 May 21, 2015 • The pilot turns off the RC transmitter • The vehicle travels outside of RC range (usually at around 500m 700m) • The receiver loses power (unlikely) • The wires connecting the receiver to the flight controller are broken (unlikely). Producing the following behavior: • Nothing if the vehicle is already disarmed • Motors will be immediately disarmed if the vehicle is landed OR in stabilize or acro mode and the pilot’s throttle is at zero • Return-to-Launch (RTL) if the vehicle has a GPS lock and is more than 2 meters from the home position. • LAND if the vehicle has: – no GPS lock OR – is within 2 meters of home OR – the FS_THR_ENABLE parameter is set to “Enabled Always Land” • Continue with the mission if the vehicle is in AUTO mode and the FS_THR_ENABLE parameter is set to “Enabled Continue with Mission in Auto Mode”. More about radio failsafe here and here LOSS OF GPS SIGNAL Erle-Copter requires an active GPS signal before takeoff. If Erle-Copter loses GPS signal in flight, it will trigger a GPS failsafe indicated with a high-high-high-low tone, and automatically switch to manual control (standard - altitude hold mode). Always be prepared to regain manual control of Erle-Copter at any time while flying and choose an unobstructed flying area to improve GPS signal strength. When flying a mission, we recommended changing the GPS failsafe behavior to land. • The GPS Failsafe is enabled by default but you can enable or disable it on the Mission Planner’s Standard Parameter List, by set the FS_GPS_ENABLE parameter to 0 (Disable) or 1 (Land) or 2 (switch to AltHold). It is highly recommended to leave it enabled and no known reason why it should ever be disabled. • If you lose GPS lock or experience a GPS Glitch for 5 seconds while in a mode that requires the GPS (Auto, Guided, Loiter, RTL, Circle, Position or Drift) mode it will initiate a Land (or AltHold if FS_GPS_ENABLE is set to 2). Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 7 May 21, 2015 More about GPS failsafe here. LOW BATTERY When the battery reaches a low state (voltage under certain value), Erle-Copter will land with a quick repeating tone. If Erle-Copter reaches the low battery limit during a mission, it will return to the launch point before landing. This failsafe permits to you to minimize the risks of having a sudden death of Erle-Copter and enables a better use of your LiPo batteries. More about low failsafe battery here. EKF CHECK & FAILSAFE The EKF check runs on Erle-Brain and will trigger when the EKF’s compass and velocity “variance” are higher than 0.8 (configurable with EKF_CHECK_THRESH parameter) for one second. This “variance” increases as the estimates become untrustworthy. 0 = very trustworthy, >1.0 = very untrustworthy. If both variances climb above the EKF_CHECK_THRESH parameter (default is 0.8) the EKF/Inav failsafe triggers. When the failsafe triggers, Erle-Brain’s tone-alarm will sound. If telemetry is attached “EKF variance” will appear on the HUD. And EKF/DCM error will be written to the dataflash logs. If flying in a flight mode that does not require GPS nothing further will happen but you will be unable to switch into an autopilot flight mode (Loiter, PosHold, RTL, Guided, Auto) until the failure clears. If flying in a mode that requires GPS (Loiter, PosHold, RTL, Guided, Auto) the vehicle will switch to “pilot controlled” LAND. Meaning the pilot will have control of the roll and pitch angle but the vehicle will descend, land and finally disarm it’s motors. The pilot can, like always switch into a manual flight mode including Stabilize or AltHold to bring the vehicle home. The EKF check and failsafe can be disabled by setting the EKF_CHECK_THRESH to “0” through the Ground Control Station’s Config/Tuning » Full Parameter List. Alternatively it can be made less sensitive by increasing this parameter from 0.8 to 0.9 or 1.0. The downside of increasing this parameter’s value is that during a flyaway caused by a bad compass or GPS glitching, the vehicle will fly further away before the vehicle is automatically switched to LAND mode. More about EKF failsafe here. Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 8 May 21, 2015 4 LEARN TO FLY THROTTLE Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 9 May 21, 2015 YAW Flight Tip When adjusting orientation, move the left stick horizontally without changing its vertical position. Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 10 May 21, 2015 PITCH AND ROLL Flight Tip Erle-Copter moves according to its orientation. The yellow arms face forward, and the black arms face backward. Before using the right stick, use yaw to keep Erle-Copter facing in outward orientation so that the black arms face towards you and the yellow arms face away from you. Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 11 May 21, 2015 4.1 FLYING MODES STABILIZE Stabilize mode allows you to fly your vehicle manually, but self-levels the roll and pitch axes. ALT HOLD In altitude hold mode, the copter maintains a consistent altitude using the internal pressure sensors while allowing roll, pitch, and yaw to be controlled normally. Altitude hold mode is used as the basis of au- Note In order to maintain the altitude in this mode the throttle stick should be in the middle (40% to 60%). tonomous modes such as LOITER, AUTO, etc. LOITER Loiter mode automatically attempts to maintain the current location, heading and altitude using GPS. The pilot may fly the copter in Loiter mode as if it were in manual. Releasing the sticks will continue to hold position. Note Good GPS position, low magnetic interference on the compass and low vibrations are all important in achieving good loiter performance. RTL RTL stands for ”Return to Launch” and when activated, Erle-Copter navigates from its current position to hover above the home position. The home positioned is set as the point where the copter was armed. The copter will first rise to RTL_ALT before returning home or maintain the current altitude if the current altitude is higher than RTL_ALT. The default value for RTL_ALT is 15m. GUIDED Guided mode is not a traditional flight mode that would be assigned to a mode switch like other flight modes. The guided mode capability is enabled using a ground station application and telemetry radio. This capability allows you to interactively command the copter to travel to a Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 12 May 21, 2015 target location by clicking on a point on the Ground Station Flight Data map. Once the location is reached, the copter will hover at that location, waiting for the next target. FOLLOW ME The follow me mode makes it possible for you to have your copter follow you as you move, using a telemetry radio and a ground station. it’s easiest to use a phone or tablet as your Follow Me ground station . Follow Me mode uses dynamic waypoint feature. AUTO In Auto mode Erle-Copter will follow a pre-programmed mission script stored in the brain which is made up of navigation commands (i.e. waypoints) and “do” commands (i.e. commands that do not affect the location of the copter including triggering a camera shutter). Note Auto mode incorporates the altitude control from altitude hold mode and position control from Loiter mode and should not be attempted before these modes are flying well. All the same requirements apply including ensuring that vibration levels and compass interference levels are acceptable and that the GPS is functioning well including returning an HDOP of under 2.0. AUTOTUNE AutoTune attempts to tune the stabilization algorithm to provide the highest response without significant overshoot. It does this by twitching the copter in the roll and pitch access which means that the copter needs to be basically flyable in AltHold mode before attempting to use AutoTune. FRAME 2: NOTE This mode is just to optimize copter’s flight, Erle-Robotics will deliver vehicle’s parameters list to the customers. More modes and information at Erle-Copter gitbook. Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 13 May 21, 2015 5 FIRST FLIGHT 5.1 ATTACHING PROPELLERS Erle-Copter uses four propellers. Propellers generally come in pairs and there are classified by the color of each central nut. One should turn in clockwise direction and the other in the opposite. Clockwise propellers are also known as ”pusher kind” propellers and are marked with an ”R” (sometimes it’s a ”P”). Each propeller has locking and unlocking direction symbols. To attach, spin the propeller in the direction of the locking symbol. The propellers will automatically tighten onto the motors when you arm Erle-Copter before takeoff. Propeller Fastening/ Lock: Tighten the propeller in this direction. Un-fastening Lock: Tighten the propeller in this direction. Unlock: Remove the pro- Unlock: Remove the propeller in this direction. peller in this direction. FRAME 3: FLIGHT TIME Damaged propellers should be replaced by purchasing new ones if necessary. 5.2 CONNECTING TO ERLE-BRAIN FRAME 4: USING A WIFI DONGLE (5 GHZ FREQUENCY) Make sure that your laptop/phone/tablet/... has 5 GHz support. You should look for 802.11 ac support. Erle-Copter creates a network called ”erle-copter”. The password for the network is holaerle. 5.3 STEPS TO FLIGHT SAVE Note Ensure that the controller is always turned on while Erle-Copter is powered. Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 14 May 21, 2015 Connect the battery To activate the motors, hold the left stick down-right until the motors spin. Now you’re ready for takeoff! • Take off and gain altitude by raising the left stick slightly above center. • Rotate counter-clockwise and clockwise by moving the left stick left and right. • Fly forward, backward, left, or right by moving the right stick in the direction you want to fly. • Release the right stick to level. • Lower the left stick below center to descend. After landing, hold the left stick down-left until the motors stop spinning. Disconnect the battery Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 15 May 21, 2015 A ERLE-BRAIN Erle-brain is an open hardware and open source Linux-based autopilot to make drones. It consists of a BeagleBone Black and a PixHawk Fire Cape and comes with a Debian image flashed, ROS preinstalled and the latest ready to fly code. We ship Erle-brain with the following characteristics: • Debian Wheezy 7.5 • ROS Indigo Igloo • APM • Cortex-A8 @ 1 GHz 4 GB eMMC and microSD card capable - 512 MB RAM • 12 PWM outputs • RC Input using either PPM-SUM or S.Bus • 1 USB Host, 1 UART, 3 I2C, Buzzer connector, Failsafe connector. The hardware has many more peripherals and we are working hard to bring them out. Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 16 May 21, 2015 B ROS ROS (Robot Operating System) is a BSD-licensed system for controlling robotic components from a PC. A ROS system is comprised of a number of independent nodes, each of which communicates with the other nodes using a publish/subscribe messaging model. For example, a particular sensor’s driver might be implemented as a node, which publishes sensor data in a stream of messages. These messages could be consumed by any number of other nodes, including filters, loggers, and also higher-level systems such as guidance, pathfinding, etc. Note that nodes in ROS do not have to be on the same system (multiple computers) or even of the same architecture. You could have a Arduino publishing messages, a laptop subscribing to them, and an Android phone driving motors. This makes ROS really flexible and adaptable to the needs of the user. ROS is also open source, maintained by many people. More at http://wiki.ros.org/ or Gitbook ROS Answers is a crowd-sourced resource for everything ROS. Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 17 May 21, 2015 C SPECIFICATION Autopilot Erle-Brain Firmware ArduCopter GPS uBlox GPS with Compass Telemetry radio Radio Telemetry (915 MHz or 433 MHz) Motors 950 kV Frame type X Propellers PROPELLERS 10×4.5 counterclockwise (PAIR) PROPELLERS 10×4.5 clockwise (PAIR) Low battery voltage 10.5V High battery voltage 12.6V Battery cell limits 4S Radio range up to 1 Km Flight time 15-20 minutes* FRAME 5: FLIGHT TIME Flight time depends on wind conditions, elevation, payload, temperature, humidity, flying mode and pilot skill. D RESOURCES Hardware https://erlerobotics.com/blog/erle-copter/ Store https://erlerobotics.com/blog/tienda Forum forum.erlerobotics.com Online doc Erle-Copter gitbook Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 18 May 21, 2015 E LICENSE Unless specified, this content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonComercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. If you plan on using this material for commercial purposes get in touch with us at [email protected] Erle-Copter, a smart drone powered by Linux 19
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