### Operators handbook | md4

- 1000

Revision 2013

- 01

- 21 , ©2012, microdrones GmbH 

### 1 

# Operators handbook

md4

- 1000

### Operators handbook | md4

- 1000

Revision 2013

- 01

- 21 , ©2012, microdrones GmbH 

### 2



### Table of contents

1. General

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 4

1.1. Safety instructions

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 6

1.2. Statutory regulations for using the microdrone

................................ ................................ ............... 8

1.3. Export terms

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 8

1.4. Technology and history

................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 9

1.5. System overview

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 10

2. The microdrone md4

- 1000

................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 11

2.1. Gen eral mode of operation of the md4

- 1000 microdrone

................................ ............................ 11

2.1.1. Drive motor and motor controller

................................ ................................ ............................... 12

2.1.2. The main on

- board electro nics

................................ ................................ ................................ ... 12

2.2. Opening / putting on the cover

................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 13

2.3. Inserting and connecting the flight battery

................................ ................................ .................... 14

2.4. The rotors

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 15

2.5. Opening out and locking the arms

................................ ................................ ................................ . 16

2.6. The connections of the md4

- 1 000

................................ ................................ ................................ . 17

2.6.1. Configuration and data terminal

................................ ................................ ................................ . 17

2.6.2. The control wires of the md4

- 1000

................................ ................................ ............................. 17

2.6.3 The servo connections of the md4

- 1000

................................ ................................ ...................... 18

2.6.4 Downlink transmitter connection

................................ ................................ ................................ 18

2.6.5 Downl ink receiver

................................ ................................ ................................ ......................... 19

2.7. Taking off and landing the microdrone

................................ ................................ .......................... 20

2.8. Taking off in GPS position hold mode

................................ ................................ ............................ 21

2.9. GPS waypoint

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 23

2.10. The flight data recorder

................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 24

2.10.1 Preparing a new SD card for the flight data recorder

................................ ................................ 24

2.11. Technical data of the md4

- 1000

................................ ................................ ................................ .. 26

2.12. Beeps of the microdrone

................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 27

2.12.1. Error bleeps

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................... 27

2.12.2. Status sounds

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 28

3. Operating modes of the microdrone

................................ ................................ ................................ 29

3.1. INS mode

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 29

3.2. GPS position hold

................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 29

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3.3. Dynamic posit ion hold (DPH) function

................................ ................................ ........................... 29

3.4. Teach

- in function

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 30

3.5. Waypoint function

................................ ................................ ................................ .......................... 30

3.6. Homing function

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 30

4. The remote control

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 32

4.1. Switching functions of the microdrone

................................ ................................ .......................... 33

4.1.1. Control stick allocation of the remote control

................................ ................................ ............ 33

4.1.2. Slide switches E and F of the remote control

................................ ................................ .............. 34

4.1.3. Switching functions of the remote control

................................ ................................ ................. 35

4.2. Remote control settings

................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 36

4.2.1. Trim of the control sticks

................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 36

4.2.2. RC channel selection

................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 37

4.2.3. Switching between display pages

................................ ................................ ................................ 37

4.2.4. Resetting the timer to 30 min

................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 37

4.2.5. Teacher/student operation

................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 37

4.3. Charging the re mote control transmitter

................................ ................................ ....................... 38

4.4. Bleeps of the remote control

................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 38

4.5. The antenna of the hand transmitter

................................ ................................ ............................. 38

4.6. Technical data of the hand

- held transmitter

................................ ................................ ................. 38

5. Camera

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............. 39

5.1. Camera suspen sion systems

................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 39

5.2. Olympus camera

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................. 41

5.3. Full HD Sony HDR

- CX 740 VE camcorder

................................ ................................ ........................ 42

5.4. CCD daylight camera

................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 43

5.5. Dawn (near IR) camera

................................ ................................ ................................ ................... 43

5.6. Thermographic camera

................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 43

6. The base station

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 44

6.1. Connections and functionality

................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 44

6.2. Charging the base s tation

................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 46

7.0. The flight battery

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 47

7.1. Safety and care information on the battery

................................ ................................ ................... 47

7.2. The charging case

................................ ................................ ................................ ........................... 48

7.2.1. Connection of the battery to the charging case

................................ ................................ .......... 49

8. Safety procedures

................................ ................................ ................................ .............................. 50

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### 1. General

The md4

- 1000 systems by microdrones are remote

- controlled automatic flying platforms. They can be used to take photos, record videos and perform any other observation and inspection work. The
systems use a quadrotor carrying system with state

- of

- the

- art technology. You can take high

- quality,

pr o fessional pictures and videos from the air thanks to a torsionally resistant, extremely light CFRP body and an advanced electronics system. The technology used in th e aircraft is normally only found in manned planes, e.g. GPS, inertial navigation system, autopilot and flight data r e corder.

The GPS position hold function uses GPS to keep the
microdrone hovering in its current position even when
the wind is blo wing. So the operator can concentrate fully on operating the camera without having to fly the
microdrone against the wind at the same time.

The system is particularly powerful and highly effective thanks to the highly advanced carrying platform, a grou nd station and a notebook with appropriate software. It is also very cost

- efficient compared to conventional aerial photography platforms.

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### 1.1. Safety instructions

Always comply with the laws and regulations governing use of the microdrone that a pply at the area of use.

Always keep a safety distance of 5m towards any kind of objects. Always keep a safety distance of 10m towards people and animals.

When calculating the flight time always include the time required to fly back and descend. It is not a good idea to have the microdrone ascend to 500 m and then descend through the final 100 m in emergency landing mode because the battery is almost empty.
When planning waypoint flights, always take the GPS resolution into account as it might change depending on local conditions. Always calculate in a safety buffer if you want to fly the
microdrone close to obstructions.

Never save other data to the SD card of the microdrone . The entire content of the SD card is managed by the m icrodrone or mdCockpit. Even if it appears that there is space, there is not: the flight data are recorded directly to the sectors of the SD card and cannot be seen in the
table of co n tents. If you write other data to the SD card of the microdrone , the cha nces are that you are will ove r write flight data. In such cases microdrones cannot be held liable for technical defects if their cause cannot be traced due to overwritten flight data.
Try not to fly directly over the RC transmitter. In this positio n the RC could fail if the signal is shielded by the housing of the microdrone , making the microdrone lose control. The distribution of the radio waves is also poor in this position, augmenting this effect.
Avoid flying in or close to model aircraft clubs due to frequency interference from other
transmitters.
Do not fly close to airports and avoid flying in the vicinity of military complexes or model aircraft clubs or other strong transmitters. The systems used in such places create interfer ence which could badly disrupt the microdrone and might even disable the emergency program. Therefore, keep to a distance of at least 5 kilometres from airports.

Due not fly close to high

- voltage lines, transformer stations and power plants.

Do not fly directly over persons, because if there is an accident, the falling microdrone could injure someone.

Do not fly directly over water. If it cannot be avoided, then remain at
least 10 m above the surface.

Avoid ‘linea r descents’, i.e. flying down vertically. Instead fly down in large spirals or from side to side. If you fly directly down, the microdrone becomes less stable as it is flying in its own downwash and the motor

p o wer has been throttled back for descent.

Pay attention to the mdCockpit speedometer when descending. Do not push the throttle down fully for a long time. Descent is normally at the end of the flight when the battery is often almost empty. If you begin the descent too fast, particularly i f carrying a large load, the microdrone

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might not have enough power left to prevent crashing into the ground.

Do not adjust the trim of the remote control. Otherwise the microdrone might perform flight manoeuvres unexpectedly and lose control.

Pay attention to local wind conditions. The microdrone has not been designed to fly when the wind speed is higher than 12 m/s. Even a wind speed of 4

- 5 m/s might be too much for inexperienced pilots to handle. Pay attention to the wind information and warnings in mdCockpit.
Never fly with a cold battery. The LiPO cells used are powerful, though very sensitive to temperature. When temperatures are low, the battery’s voltage might unexpectedly plunge, causing the microdrone to lose control fo r lack of power.
Only take off if the battery is fully charged. A lack of power is often the cause of emergency
situations which could have been avoided.

Before taking off, ensure that the rotors are properly attached. Even if the rotors are not about to come off, poorly fastened rotors subjected to a load could touch the housing of the microdrone

. This could result in much higher power use and a considerable reduction in flight time.

Be careful if the Waypoint auto execute functi on is active. Once the battery has been inserted, a GPS signal has been detected and if the destination is within range, the microdrone sets out on the waypoint route automatically.

Please read and comply with the separate safety and care informa tion for batteries.

The transmission aerial of the hand transmitter (remote control) has to be fully extended during flight. If it is not, there is an acute risk of losing control of the microdrone suddenly after a short
distance. Also en sure that the receiving antenna is correctly installed and in place on your
microdrone.
Take off immediately after connecting the battery. Don’t let the microdrone idle before takeoff. If you don’t do so it is possible that the microdrone takes off on its own due to a wind gust etc.

Always let the microdrones settle to its ambient temperature before takeoff. This does not apply to the battery itself! A difference of more than 5 C° between the ambient temperature and the

te m perature of the sen sitive components and sensor inside the microdrone may cause serious

misbe haviors.

Never use the microdrone without rotors (for tests etc.). The exceptional high rpm may cause a damage of the drives and other related electronic parts.

Always use both hands to carry the microdrone from your car to the area you want to start fl ying. Grab the microdrone at it’s both arms as much as possible near the body

- center.

N ever touch or cat ch the microdrone within flight , landing approach or with running motors on the ground.

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### 1.2. Statutory regulations for using the microdrone

The user alone is responsible for using the system and must ensure that appropriate registrations are made and that statutory provisions governing the system md4

- 1000 at its place of use are complied

with.

Check in particular that using the

 remote control,

 video transmitter

 and the aircraft itself

is not against the law.

Due to different rules governing flight permits, maximum altitude, liability insurance, etc., the user must himself find out about compliance with regulations and provisions that apply in the area he intends to

use the microdrone

.

Under no circumstances can microdrones GmbH be held liable for: damage to the microdrone or any other kind of damage; consequen tial damage; direct or indirect damage; or financial loss or interruption to operations due to: improper use of the microdrone by you or third parties; unforeseeable or abnormal circumstances; or general operation of the microdrone

.

Aviation liability ins urance has to be concluded!

The video transmitter must be registered! Please contact the relevant agency.



### 1.3. Export terms

The md4

- 1000 is a dual

- use good, meaning that it can be used in Germany and the rest of the EU for military and civilian purpose s. Therefore the ‘ **Council Regulation (EC) np 1334/2000 of June 2000 setting up a Community regime for the control of exports of dual** 

**- use items and technology**  ’ applies to international transport and export.

In particular the above regulation stipulates tha t an export permit must be obtained from national

authorities if the md4

- 1000 or one of its components is exported to countries for which there is no general export authorization. Countries for which there are currently (July 2007) such general export

a u th orizations:

Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United States of

America

, ...

You can find the complete list and more information at: 

### http: //ec.europa.eu/trade/creating

- opportunities/trade

- topics/dual

- use/

microdrones GmbH cannot be held liable if the user breaches these terms.

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### 1.4 . Technology and history

VTOL is an acronym for vertical take

- off and landing. It denotes the ability of a n aircraft to take off and land vertically without a runway. Helicopters also come under the VTOL category.

A quadrotor (from the Latin quadrum

- four) is an aircraft that is lifted by four rotors or propellers operating in the same plane and working vert ically
dow n wards to achieve lift and, from the inclination of the rotary plane and different rotor speeds, thrust.

Picture: ‘Flying Jeep’ Curtiss

- Wright VZ

- 7AP

It is a helicopter and like this one and VTOL aircraft in general, it can take off and land vertically. Other descriptions include quadrotor helicopter and quadcopter.

The advantage of this type of construction is that, if the directions of rotation are suitably positioned, all three axes can be controlled simply by varying the thrust and theref ore the torque of the four propellers. Complicated swash plates as used on helicopters or other actuators are therefore not necessary. Nor is there drift as encountered with a tail

- rotor configuration. And it does not matter whether the thrust is regulated by using differences in rotational speed or the pitch of the respective propeller. The thrust change just has to occur fast enough. If the aircraft thrust is controlled by rotor speed, this is done by using e.g. stepless transmission or electric motors.

When helicopters were first developed, several rotors were often used as the use of swash plates had not yet been practically conceived. The French pioneer of aviation Étienne Oehmichen had experimented with rotating wings as early as 1920 before his Oehmi chen No. 2 (see picture) took to the skies on 11 November 1922. The four rotors of this early quadrotor were elastic and their pitch could be changed using cables. Picture: Étienne Oehmichen No. 2

Next to them were an additional eight propellers acting horizontally to stabilise the aircraft and provide thrust as the rotors could not yet be controlled precisely enough. The Oehmichen No. 2 was the first reliable aircraft that could take off vertically. It completed more than 1000 flights and got into the record books on 4 May 1924 by flying for 14 minutes and doing a kilometre circuit.

With the development of the swash plate and tail

- rotor, tandem and coaxial constructions, the quadrotor went off developers’ radar. Not until a general interest for VTOL ve hicles in the 1950s did quadr o tors fly again.

Manned quadrotors are currently not used. Though they are often used as drones and UAVs. This is because of developments made in electronics, sensory systems and lightweight materials.

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### 1.5 . System overview

A md4

- 1000 system basically consists of the microdrone in the transport box, a charging case and the ground station which is in its own case. The following picture shows the entire set. Optional extras
include diverse cameras, a mobile video receiver and wa ypoint navigation.

The md4

- 1000 microdrones have been manufactured from carbon fibre and top quality high

- tech materials to be very lightweight. They should be treated with appropriate care.

Picture: entire md4

- 1000 system

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### 2. The microdrone md4

- 1000

2.1. General mode of operation of the md4

- 1000 microdrone

As already mentioned, the md4

- 1000 microdrone is a quadrotor aircraft. When hovering all the rotors operate at the same speed, as shown in the following diagram. Positional ch anges can be made by adjusting the speeds of individual rotors.

• Forward flight/reverse flight by tilting forward or back about the horizontal axis, i.e. accelerating or braking (nick or pitch)

- > alter speed and therefore thrust ratio between A and C.

• Lat eral flight by tilting about the longitudinal axis, side movement (roll)

- > alter thrust ratio between B and D.

• Rotating about the lift axis (yaw)

- > alter thrust ratio in pairs between A

- C and B

- D.

• Climbing or going down (throttle)

- > increase or decrease the thrust of all rotors uniformly. Diagram: Motor schema

Any position can be achieved with a combination of these basic commands. The device maintains the desired height using t he temperature

- compensating, barometric height control.

This four

- rotor concept, where pairs rotate in opposite directions, mean the torques are cancelled out when the rotors are at the same speed. A tail rotor, which reduces the performance of convention al helicopters because it does not generate thrust, can therefore be left out.

The microdrone and its motors are maintenance

- free. Only the batteries are subject to wear. The front and back rotors rotate to the left, the two side rotors to the right. When climbing all four motors are under the same load, when descending the power of all of them is reduced. If you move the aircraft forwards, the speed of the back rotor is increased and the speed of the front rotor is decreased by the same amount. If you rol l the aircraft to the left, the right motor revs up and the left one slows by the

same amount. To turn the microdrone to the left, the speed of the left and right rotors is increased and the speed of the front and back rotors is reduced. This creates torqu e resulting in rotation about the lift

axis.

The two control sticks on the remote control transmitter shown in the adjacent diagram control the microdrone

.

The right stick controls forward and back movement (nick or pitch) and movements to the sides (rol l).

If the left control stick is moved forward, the
microdrone climbs (throttle). If the control stick is moved back, the device goes down. Movement of the
stick to the side causes rotation about the lift axis (yaw).

Picture: The hand

- held transmitter

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### 2.1.1. Drive motor and motor controller

The 42

- pole motor weighs 250 grammes and has a diameter of 86 mm. The brushless external rotor motor (see adjacent diagram) with 36 grooves and 48 magnets has a synchronous commutator.

Picture: Details of th e drive unit

The motors are controlled entirely via a CAN bus system at which every motor has its own address. The interplay of these components creates a control circuit that enables, due to the dynamics of the whole unit, the motor speeds to be control led quickly, therefore stabilising the md4

- 1000.



### 2.1.2. The main on

- board electronics

The heart of the electronics system is the IMU module (IMU = I nertial M easurement U nit), the positional control system with barometric height stabilisation. It is

a c ombination of three positional and acceleration

se n sors that are merged in what is called a Kalman filter. The two 32 bit micro

- controllers ensure that all
data is calculated fast.

Picture: Components of the on

- board electronics

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### 2.2. Opening / puttin g on the cover

Caution: Check the lock before starting! Never lift microdrone at the top cover. Check it by slightly turning cover left/right in order to assure proper fitting.

microd rone with closed cover. It is locked if the arrows are not opposite each other.

To open the cover, hold the cover with one
hand and the bolt with the other. Push the bolt down to unlock, now the cover
will turn. Turn the cover whilst pushing down the bolt until the two orange arrows are opposite one
another.

Y ou can now carefully remove the cover. When removing the cover, ensure that you do not accidentally tear off the GPS cable
between the cover and microdrone or trap the cable when putting the cover back on.

Once you have released the GPS cable from
the microdrone , you can take the cover off completely.

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### 2.3. Inserting and connecting the flight battery

The battery is brought into the correct position by the side guides highlighted in the adjacent picture. The battery has three projections on
the side that should engage under the three guides.

Put the battery between the side guides and
slide it under the holders.

When inserting the battery, ensure that the

snap

- in nose behind the battery locks properly.

To take out the battery, hold down th e snap

- in nose with your thumb and using your other hand push out the battery through the side guides.

If the battery has been inserted properly, the
microdrone ’s connections will be coupled to the battery.

The left one is the negative connection.

The right one is the positive connection.

The balancer connection ensures the individual cells charge uniformly. It also checks the cells when charging and discharging. It is only required for the charging or discharging

process.

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### 2.4. The rotors

T he md4

- 1000 has two rotors that rotate to the left (counter clockwise / CCW) and two that rotate to the right (clockwise / CW) . The rotors are made from carbon, are robust and, together with the motors, are highly efficient. Before every flight, check for visible cracks to prevent problems during flight and crashes.

After an accident, make sure you check the rotors to prevent breakage during flight.

Every rotor is fastened to the motor of the microdrone with four Allen screws (M3x16). The torque of

the scr ews is 0.7 Nm.

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### 2.5. Opening out and locking the arms

Upon delivery or after transporting the microdrone in the transport box, the arms are folded up. The following diagram shows how the arms are opened out.

Folding them up is done in the reverse order.

To open out the arms, release the lock hook from the connecting bolt.

Then remove the connecting bolt from the side so that the arm can be put into place.

Lift the arm and fasten it in place with the connecting bolt.

After you have pushed in the connecting bolt, it has to be adjusted with the lock hook.

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### 2.6. The connections of the md4

- 1000

2.6.1. Configuration and data terminal To adjust the configuration of the microdrone or to upload waypoint routes to the system, a connection

with the PC has to be established. Use the adapter supplied to connect the microdrone by USB.

The connection on the microdrone is right next to the plug

- in connection for the GPS module. It is slightly smaller and

marked with ‘FC’ and ‘NC’. Which micro

- controller e stablishes the connection depends on which way around the plug of the adapter cable is inserted. For configuration or to upload the waypoints, the flight controller has to be connected with the

PC. So the white mark on the microdrone end of the adapter (1) should point in the direction of the mark FC (3).

The connection to the navigation controller NC (2) is normally only required for servicing or a firmware update.



### 2.6.2. The control wires of the md4

- 1000

The picture shows the underside of the microdr one and its connection wires and the downlink transmitter. The downlink transmitter sends videos and data wirelessly.

The connection wires coming from the microdrone for the camera and zoom and the power supply for the download transmitter are showing.

T he connections for controlling the servos are also on the back.

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### 2.6.3 The servo connections of the md4

- 1000

This detailed picture shows the 4 servo connections of the
md4

- 1000. Servo 1 is for the pitch adjustment, servo 2 for adjusting the roll angl e and connections 3 and 4 are AUX channels, i.e. they are unassigned.

If you are looking at the back of the microdrone and use the front (marked) arm as a reference point, the connection for servo 1 is on the left. Servo 2 is connected
to the second conne ction from the left, etc. When connecting the servos, check that the servo wire is inserted the right way around. The orange wire should point in the direction of the front arm (arm with red mark).



### 2.6.4 Downlink transmitter connection

A digital do wnload link is shown on the picture.

The download link transmitter is supplied by BMS. It is small and light, has a particularly good signal quality and a very low signal delay. This transmitter allows us to send wirelessly video, audio and any other data from the
microdrone to the ground station.

Special characteristics:

• Low signal delay (approx. 40 ms)

• Power supply 6 to 16 V

• Frequency range 2.2 to 2.6 GHz

• MPEG

- 2 encoding

The power supply connector of the downlink transmitter is connected wi th the power supply connector of the microdrone . The video connection of the transmitter is connected with the camera used. The configuration cable is only used internally for servicing.

The analogue transmitter differs from the digital transmitter in a number of ways. The cooling fins make the digital transmitter look different. The digital transmitter has cooling fins, the analogue
transmitter does not. Nor does the analogue transmitter have a configuration cable. The third difference is the analogue

tr ansmitter’s lack of antenna filter.

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### 2.6.5 Downlink receiver

The antennas for receiving the video/audio data look like this:

Digital Analogue



### Caution: When connecting the digital antenna, make sure that the small slide switch is in the DATA position so that it can also receive data sent from the microdrone

. The CONFIG switch position is for service work.

Technical data of the downlink receiver Frequency range 2.3 ... 2.5 GHz Channels 16 (can be set via the channel selector switch)
Video out put 1 Vss +/

- 0.1 Vss @ 750 Ω
Video bandwidth 30 Hz ... 5 MHz Audio input 500 mW effective at > 1 kΩ
Audio bandwidth 15 Hz ... 16 KHz (3 dB) Energy supply 230 V mains, 12 V vehicle, flight battery Special features  External diversity box with 4 antennas
 Audio stereo channel display
 Switch channel
 Display of the relative reception strength
 Video picture inversion
 Automatic channel switching  Video audio mute function
 5 V output for antenna input amplifier
 Video detect output

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### 2.7. Taking off and landing the micro drone

Put the microdrone onto a flat surface about 10 m away from you. If the microdrone is too lopsided, the electronics will register this and will not let the rotors start as they might otherwise come into contact with the ground.

Always ensure th at grass does not entangle with
the axles of the motors.

Fly in a range of about 80° in front of you. Avoid flight to your side or above you.

Diagram: Schema of the start position

‘Nose in hover’, that is hovering with the front, orange arm pointing towards you, requires special skill and must be practised sufficiently in the simulator. Beginners in particular quickly run into difficulties. Nose in hover is not needed in normal operation. It poses a coordination risk and therefore should be

avoided.

Do not leave the microdrone stationary for too long before taking off. It could lead to the

microdrone developing an incorrect model for the sensor filter, leading to unpredictable flight

manoeuvres. In particular, do not leave the microdrone on the groun d with its motors running. Otherwise the

microdrone would already be in flight mode. This increases the risk of a defective filter model and unpredictable flight manoeuvres. Take off as soon as possible after inserting the battery!

If the microdrone is on the ground in flight mode, it could take off autonomously at any time as a gust of wind or changes in the air pressure could make it think it is already flying.

Never let the microdrone run without the rotor blades (e.g. for test purposes)! The

unnecessari ly high speeds could damage the motor or its electronics.

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### 2.8. Taking off in GPS position hold mode

Flying in GPS position hold mode is easy and makes operation of the microdrone simple. During flight you can release the operating buttons of the remote control and the microdrone will remain in its current position (hovering).

The GPS antenn a is incorporated in the cover see picture below. When removing the cover, be careful
not to tear off the connec tion wire for the GPS receiver.

The r ed arrow on the picture on the right shows the connection position of the GPS antenna in the
microdrone

.

Picture: GPS connection wire Picture: GPS antenna in the cover

If the battery has been inserted and the cover has been connected to the microdrone with the GPS receiver, you can take off. The take

- off sequence is as follows :

Switch on the microdrone with the RFID tag. To do this hold the RFID tag to the red mark of the
microdrone (see picture on the right).
The microdrone will emit a sin gle bleep.

The start

- up procedure now begins. First, the remote control is registered. While it is registered there are several bleeps in quick
succession. If the remote control has been registered, confirmation is given with a slow sequence of bleeps. Picture: Switching on with RFID tag

After the remote control has been registered, a search begins for the GPS signal. The GPS signal is registered via the GPS antenna in the cover of the microdrone . If there is no GPS signal available,

there is a slow sequence of bleeps. The better the reception, the faster the beep

. Once GPS is ok you can hear a double bleep.

The application software mdCockpit constantly shows the number of satellites (SV for space vehicles) and the precision.

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Once the microdrone ha s emitted a double bleep, the motors are started using the motor slider switch ‘F’ in the adjacent picture.

CAUTION : Once the motors have started up,
the microdrone is in flight mode and must be supervised at all times. You should also take
off now to avo id the microdrone acting uncontrollably (this could happen if you wait too long) on the ground. If the microdrone is in flight mode

— i.e. the motors are running

— the microdrone wants to fly. Picture: Starting the motors

If the mic rodrone is not yet ready to take off in GPS position hold mode but the motor slider is actuated anyway, several bleeps in succession are emitted as a warning. Taking off like this is not possible. You can pull the connection to the cover and fly without GP S too. But you have to do this before inserting the battery.

As an exception, you could skip the search for GPS satellites by using the ‘E’ slide switch (see picture above). The microdrone will then continue to search for satellites when airborne. To skip the GPS search, slide the E switch forward for 2 seconds and then slide it back. The microdrone will acknowledge this acoustically. This should only be done as an exception because when the

microdrone finds the satellites during flight, it might turn about the lift axis to align itself.

After landing remove the battery immediately . Put in a completely charged battery for every new flight.

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### 2.9. GPS waypoint

The GPS waypoint option allows a predefined route to be flown automatically. The route can be

defi ned on the notebook or using a teach

- in procedure (also see mdCockpit handbook, waypoint route planning).

The screenshots are of the Waypoint editor.

mdCockpit has a very simple flight planning module for automatic flights with waypoint navigation . It even makes it possible to change the flight plan completely at short notice on location or to enter completely new routes with just a few clicks of the

mouse.

All flight routes can be saved on the hard drive of the ground station
noteboo k and are available again within just a few seconds.

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### 2.10. The flight data recorder

The md4

- 1000 has a flight data recorder which records the flights internally on a micro SD card. This is basically like the blackbox found in commercial aeroplanes an d continually records the current flight status, sensor values and all flight commands received from the remote control.

The card is slightly hidden on the bottom of the mother board of the flight controller as the green arrows in the following pictures s how.

Picture: Picture of the microSD card inserted Picture: Picture of the microSD card withdrawn

Picture: SD adapter with microSD card To remove it, push carefully with your finger against the edge of the card. It will go in slightly. Upon re traction, it jumps out of its holder and can be removed. The card can be read using the supplied SD card adapter. mdCockpit application software can be used for reading and then evaluating the data.

WARNING: Please do not save other data to the SD card of the
microdrone . The entire content of the SD card is managed by the
microdrone or mdCockpit. Even if it appears that there is space, there is not: the flight data are recorded directly to the sectors of the SD card and cannot be seen in the table of con tents. If you write other data to the SD card of the microdrone , the chances are that you are will overwrite flight data. In such cases microdrones cannot
be held liable for technical defects if their cause cannot be traced due to overwritten flight data

.



### 2.10.1 Preparing a new SD card for the flight data recorder If you want to use a new SD card to record flight data, it has to be prepared for use with the md4

- 1000. Download the official SD Association formatter ( https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_3/ ) and install it on your PC. Insert the new SD card into the card reader of your PC and select its drive letter

in the SD formatter. Under Option select Format type: FULL (OverWrite) and Fo rmat Size Adjustment:

ON . Begin formatting. During forma t ting do not remove the card or card reader from your PC.

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Afterwards the microdrone has to format the card to create the fundamental structures of the flight data recorder such as the table of

co ntents. Therefore, insert the card back into the microdrone and connect the FC interface to your PC as described in chapter 2.6.5. Open a terminal dialogue, select the tab Drone Options . In the bottom

area called Special Functions you will see the button F ormat SD card

in the microdrone

. After this the SD card is ready to be used with the md4

- 1000. If required, you can also use the existing connection to upload to the microdrone using the waypoint editor.

You can proceed in the same way if you want to repa ir a faulty SD card. However, before doing this you should use the data analysis tool in mdCockpit to read out in comprehensive mode all data still on the card so that records are not lost (see chapter 5.4 (3) of the operating instructions for mdCockpit.

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### 2.11. Technical data of the md4

- 1000

Technical Specifications

Vehicle mass 2650g
Payload mass (recommended) 800g

Payload mass (maximum) 1200g

Battery 6S2P LiPo 22,2V / 13Ah

Climb rate 7,5 m/s
Cruising speed 12,0 m/s

Peak thrust 118,0 N

Enduranc e up to 88 min.
Flight radius approx. 500m on C&C
Ceiling altitude (relative to take

- off) 1000m

Maximum take

- off altitude (above sea level / WGS84) 4000m

Operational Conditions Temperature range

- 10 .. 50°C
Humidity max. 90% r.H.

Wind tolerance 12 m /s

Dimensions

Diameter 1135mm
Height 495mm

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### 2.12. Beeps of the microdrone

To make using the md4

- 1000 easy, the microdrone has a small loud speaker. This loud speaker makes bleep sounds to give you information on the status of the microdrone . Only impo rtant statuses are conveyed by a bleep so as not to confuse you. All information and statuses are available to you via the downlink when using the base station, and via the serial interface of the computer.

The first acoustic sign of life is emitted direc tly after switching the microdrone on with the RFID tag. Short acknowledgement bleeps are also emitted after successful initialisation of the microdrone and after landing.

There are also other bleeps to provide status information and error notifications.

A distinction can be drawn between error bleeps and bleeps on the status of the microdrone

.



### 2.12.1. Error bleeps

All error messages are introduced clearly by a sequence of sounds: 3 successive bleeps. Following this signal, the error code is provided b y a number of lower pitched sounds that follow it. The error status can be determined using the following table:

Number of bleeps Designation Description Remedy

1 RC key pressed Unknown RC command Check command

2 SD memory

card SD card not inserted / i ncorrectly

formatted Check/insert SD card*

3 Motor At least one motor has an error Re

- insert battery; if error status

re

- occurs, contact microdrones

4 EEprom Initialisation values invalid Check the initialisation values

with serial connection

5 Waypoi nt

invalid Programmed WP flight not possible

- route length too long (incorrect start point)

- WP flight contains errors Check WP list and correct if necessary Select start point correctly.

Apart from error codes 1 and 5, the errors only occur immediate ly after inserting the battery, i.e. during the initialisation process.

*)If a high

- pitched uninterrupted rapid bleeping follows this error signal, an error recording data to the SD card could have occurred. To avoid flight data being lost, the microdrone will block any take

- off attempts until the problem has been rectified. Please read out all data still on the card using the data analysis tool in mdCockpit in comprehensive mode (see chapter 5.4 (3) of the mdCockpit operating instructions) and then format the card as described in chapter 2.10.1 of this manual.

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### 2.12.2. Status sounds

There are sounds other than error messages that could occur during operation of the md4

- 1000. They are easily to identify as they take the form of sound sequences. The table p rovides an overview of the status sounds. The sounds could be emitted during initialisation or whilst the md4

- 1000 is flying. There might also be situations where several error sounds are emitted. But so you can easily identify the error only the most impo rtant error sound is emitted. The priority of the status sound is given by the number in the table. The smaller the number, the more important the status information. The battery emergency threshold has the highest priority. The quality of the GPS signal h as the lowest priority.

Priority Designation Length of sound (ms) Pause

duration (ms) Remedy

1 Battery emergency

threshold reached very short (50) medium (200) Land immediately!

2 Battery warning

threshold reached short (100) long (400) Prepare to lan d soon

3 Incorrect alignment

for take

- off short (100) short (100) Check take

- off position

4 Magnetometer value range exceeded medium (200) medium (200) Check take

- off point

- Metallic objects

- Magnets

- Check magnetometer calibration

5 WP convert succe ss very long (800) very long (800) - valid WP found on helicopter

6 WP auto execute

countdown short (100) very long (1000)

7 WP auto execute

active 3 x short (100) short (100) Autostart active without remote

control

8 GPS valid 2 x short (100) very lon g (1000) Double bleep signifies GPS is ready

9 GPS quality

indicator Quality

dependent Quality

dependent Wait for GPS to be ready

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### 3. Operating modes of the microdrone

The condition for the following operating modes is a very good GPS signal with a re solution of about 2.5 m. If the GPS accuracy is less than this

— larger than 2.5 m

— then this has a negative effect on flight behaviour. The different flight modes can be set in mdCockpit. The mdCockpit operating instructions tell you how to make these s ettings.



### 3.1. INS mode

In this mode the operator pilots the microdrone without help from GPS position hold or dynamic position hold . You must be very experienced to use this mode as the microdrone provides no positional help. The operator has to steer th e vehicle taking the wind into account and must react to every undesired influence of the wind. This requires a high degree of alertness and confident handling
of the microdrone . Only experienced pilots should control the position angle using the control s tick, and only in exceptional cases. As the operating modes that have automatic flight control require a sufficiently strong GPS signal, the INS mode is the only way to fly if the GPS signal is very bad or non

- existent. Of course there are situations when the GPS signal is not good enough, e.g. if you are taking off between two houses, and taking off without GPS is unavoidable. To cater for this there is a function
that allows the operator to override the GPS signal for take off. To do this, push the E slid er switch of the remote control forward for a short time and then push it back. The microdrone responds to the GPS override by emitting a sound. The microdrone can now take off. In the air the microdrone continues to search for GPS satellites to allow GPS

- aided flight, and the mode is switched to GPS position hold or dynamic position hold as soon as possible.



### 3.2. GPS position hold

If you release the control stick during manual flight when In GPS position hold mode, the microdrone ’s current position will be maintained. This means that the microdrone remains in its current position and,
if r e quired, will fly against the wind to do so. The benefit of GPS position hold is that it allows the user

to co n centrate on the task itself, e.g. taking photos. To exit p osition hold, you only have to move the control stick 5% out of its neutral position. You have to be very careful at this point as this is where the most frequent errors are made. If the microdrone is
in the wind and in GPS position hold mode, the microdro ne counteracts the effect of the wind automatically. When you exit GPS position hold mode, you have to counteract the wind yourself. Depending on the strength of the wind, you have to counteract it sufficiently. An error often made here
is that users do n ot counteract the effect of the wind to a sufficient extent. If they do not, the
microdrone drifts with the wind and inexperienced pilots then release the control sticks to put the
microdrone back into GPS position hold mode. If this process is repeated se veral times, the
microdrone could drift a long way. The above situation requires you to fly against the wind with enough power to counteract it before moving on. To fly onwards against the wind, you have to be even more
assertive with the control stick.



### 3 .3. Dynamic p osition hold (DPH) function

It is possible, from firmware version 2.8, to activate Dynamic Position Hold (DPH) when flying the
microdrone manually. You do this with the G switch. The middle position means DPH is off and forward/up means it is on. Dynamic position hold is a type of autopilot (do not confuse with waypoint function) for the microdrone

. Dynamic Position Hold is a further development of GPS position hold . In GPS position hold the current position is only held when the control stick s are released. When you use the control sticks again, you
exit GPS position hold mode and you have to fly the microdrone yourself (taking any wind into account if necessary). The stronger the wind, the stronger you have to counteract its effects. In Dynam ic
Position Hold you do not have to counteract the wind. You fly the microdrone comfortably using the control sticks according to the GPS coordinates you want to move to. In this way the microdrone is sent a new GPS position which it moves towards and main tains automatically until you give another
command via the co n trol sticks. This prevents the microdrone from drifting in the wind. In mdCockpit under microdrone settings / DPH you can select different DPH settings:

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Setting Function

Mode 0 : DPH function deactivated

Mode 1 : DPH function activated

Mode 2 : DPH function can be set via switch G: G in ‘middle’ position: DPH deactivated G in ‘top’ position: DPH activated



### 3.4. Teach

- in function

The teach

- in function is activated by pulling back/down switch G for at least 3 seconds. This saves the current waypoint coordinates such as position, orientation and altitude to the SD card of the
microdrone . Though there can be no waypoint route already on the SD card. If this is the case, the
teach

- in functi on cannot be used. The main reason for the teach

- in function is to create and calibrate your own extremely precise map material so you can fly waypoint routes safely. To see how this is done in detail, please see the mdCockpit instructions under Waypoint E ditor / Importing map pictures
from files.



### 3.5. Waypoint function

The waypoint function allows you to automatically fly a predetermined route (according to predefined positions: GPS position, altitude and orientation), e.g. to take pictures. Waypoint is activated by pushing up/forward the G switch whilst pushing down the H button. For this to work there has to be a valid waypoint route on the SD card of the microdrone

. If you are in waypoint mode and you put the G switch back in the middle position, the microdrone will stop flying the waypoint route and you are again in control of the microdrone . To take up the waypoint route again, hold down the H button and move the G switch back to the forward/top position. The
microdrone will now return to where its w aypoint route was interrupted and continue from there.



### 3.6. Homing function

In this operating mode the microdrone automatically flies to the first position from which it received a valid GPS signal (point of first fix). This position is also normally th e take

- of position, provided the GPS signal was strong enough for take

- off. The homing function can be triggered with the remote control. To do this the function Homing via RC
switch has to be activated in mdCockpit. Once activated, if you move the G switc h back/down whilst holding down the H button, the homing function is triggered. You can also activate the option Auto homing upon RC loss in mdCockpit. This activates homing automatically once the RC outage time has
exceeded a defined value. This value can also be set in mdCockpit. If this setting has been deactivated and the RC outage time is exceeded, the microdrone goes into emergency landing mode
and lands. There are three important things that the homing function enables: Once the function has been

act ivated, the microdrone aligns itself to the line of sight of the operator . This assumes that the operator is at or close to the point of first fix (ideally the take

- off position). In mdCockpit you can reverse the alignment during the automatic return flig ht so that the microdrone is not aligned to the line of sight of the operator , instead it faces the operator

. Secondly, the microdrone flies at the safe altitude that you can configure in mdCockpit. Thirdly, the
microdrone will fly safely at a defined spee d of 5 m/s to the point of first fix.
If the microdrone is so far away that you can no longer see the red front arm, activating the homing function is enough to align the microdrone in a defined direction. In this way you know the direction in
which the mi crodrone is pointing.
If Auto homing upon RC loss is selected, the homing function is automatically activated if the RC
connection has been severed. If the RC connection is re

- established during the return flight, the homing function is automatically turne d back off and you can re

- assume control of the microdrone

.

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The following illustration shows the three major components of the homing function:

The following tables provide an overview of the available homing settings in mdCockpit:

Homing via RC swi tch
Activated Allows the function to be activated using the remote control. The switch/button combination: G back whilst holding down H switches the function on. Switch G in the
middle deactivates the function.
Deactivated Does not allow activation remo tely.

Auto homing upon RC loss
Activated If the RC signal is lost for a defined period (period can be defined in mdCockpit), then the microdrone switches to homing mode and flies back to the point of first fix.
Deactivated In this setting the microdron e goes into emergency mode and lands if the RC signal is lost for a defined period.

Alignment during automatic return flight
Forwards The microdrone aligns itself so that the red arm points towards the operator when flying back.
Backwards The microdron e aligns itself so that the red arm points in the line of sight of
the operator

.

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### 4. The remote control

Picture: An overview of the hand transmitter of the remote control The Royal pro 9 by Multiplex is the remote control transmitter currently
used b y microdrones to control the
microdrone . It is shown on the left with its main operating elements.

The transmitter has what is called a synthesizer HF module, that allows you to select any 35 MHz frequency
band.

The display of the Royal pro 9 can
be til ted up (see picture below).

Picture: Display adjustment

Picture: Hand

- held transmitter in the console The safest way to use the control
sticks is by holding each between thumb and forefinger. There is also an opti onal console into which the hand transmitter is pushed that makes handling easier. The console can be hung on a belt or around your neck, meaning your hands are free, making operation more comfortable and precise.

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### 4.1. Switching functions of the microdr one

4.1.1. Control stick allocation of the remote control

The microdrone is controlled using the two control sticks. The coloured arm (normally red) is defined as being the front. A quadrotor doesn’t actually have a front, which is why microdrones chose one.

The left control stick controls the height (gas/throttle) and rotation about the lift axis (yaw).

If you move the stick forward,
the microdrone climbs; if you move it back, the microdrone
descends.

Pushing the stick to the left
makes the microdrone turn anti

clockwise. Pushing to the right makes it
turn clockwise. The right stick controls
movement forward and back (nick/pitch) and to the sides (roll).

Moving forward makes the
microdrone fly forwards, pulling the stick back makes it fly backwards

.

Push to the left,
microdrone flies to the left. Push to the right,
microdrone flies to the right.

Diagram: left control stick Diagram: right control stick

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### 4.1.2. Slide switches E and F of the remote control

Picture: Slide switches E and F The slide switches E and F have to be in the lower position before take off.

E is used to override the GPS. If the microdrone does not have GPS reception on the ground, it can take off without GPS and search for the satellites during fl ight. This procedure should only be an exception. The override is carried out by sliding the E switch forward, waiting a short time and then pulling it back. The
microdrone will a c knowledge this acoustically.

The F switch is used to turn the motors on a nd off. The F switch has to be pushed up to switch on the motors. The motors start up in turn, first at the front, then left and at the back, and finally on the right. To switch off the motors, the F slide switch has to be pushed down and at the same time the left control stick has to be pulled down at least 80%. If you have old firmware (before version 2.8) or if you have deactivated the function Safe motor switch

off in mdCockpit, you only have to push the F switch down to switch off the motors.

Safe mot or switch

- off can be set in mdCockpit:

Safe motor setting

Activated Motors are switched off by pulling the F slide switch down whilst pulling the left control stick down.
Deactivated Motors are switched off by pulling the F slide switch down.



### CAUTI ON: Do not pull down the F switch during flight unless you want to crash the microdrone purposefully to avoid an accident. If the F switch is pulled down whilst moving the left control stick down, the microdrone is switched off directly. Re

- starting the mo tors is not immediately possible.

I f not shut down by the "F" slider the microdrones inhibits the next flight for safety reasons. The flight then might not have been completed properly on the SD card. The microdrone prevents overwriting of the last fligh t on the SD card.

Error message in mdCockpit’s terminal dialogues: "possible lost flight data ”

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### 4.1.3. Switching functions of the remote control

The switches L, N, O, J and button M have no direct relation to piloting the microdrone . The O switch
is f or teacher/student operation. O allows you to switch controls.

I, G and H are important during flight.

The H button is on the side behind switch J (see red arrow).

They open up a host of possibilities to the user as
shown in the table below.



### Functions of switches I and G:

Switch position Function I forward/up Take photo (only during manual control) I back/down Take photo deactivated I forward/up and press button H Optical 3x zoom: 1.0x, 1.7x, 3.0x Depends on type of camera.

Switch p osition Function G forward/up DPH active (from version 2.8) G in middle position Static GPS position hold G back/down Teach

- in function G forward/up whilst pressing the H button Activate waypoint G back/down whilst pressing the H button Homing functio n when Homing via RC switch has
been activated



### Button H in combination with the control sticks

The H button has other functions in addition to the functions provided in combination with switches I and G. The four servos can be controlled by pressing the H button and using the control sticks at the
same time. The left control stick is used to adjust servos 1 and 2. Moving the control stick up or down adjusts servo 1, which adjusts the pitch of the camera mount. Moving the control stick to the right or lef t affects servo 2, which adjusts the roll angle of the camera

mount. The right control stick in combination with the depressed H button controls auxiliary servos 3 and 4, which are currently unassigned.

If firmware/hardware is in stalled

, pressing the H

- Button f o r more than 10s switches flight lights on/off.

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### 4.2. Remote control settings

The following chapter contains a few settings of the Royal pro 9 made by Multiplex that we currently use. Please see the manufacturer’s operating instructions concernin g the diverse settings that can be
made. The menu structure is very user

- friendly and well structured, making programming and operating the
transmitter much easier.



### 4.2.1. Trim of the control sticks

Picture: Allocation of the trim switches The tri m for both control sticks (i.e. the value in the central position) must always be at neutral to operate the microdrone. The stylized bars on the display of the Royal pro 9 (see picture below) shows this value. You can change this setting with the four cros s

- like buttons under the control sticks (see circles in adjacent picture). You can see when the neutral position has been reached on the display, and a sound is also
emitted.

WARNING: Only start when the trim is in the neutral position, otherwise the microdrone will
assume that the operator is sending a permanent
control command and will therefore turn off **GPS position hold** 

. If the voltage of the transmitter battery is under 7.2, it should be charged immediately.

Picture: Royal pro9 displa y

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### 4.2.2. RC channel selection

Hold down the ‘Spanner

- ABC1’ button and then turn on the transmitter to change
the channel.

Then release the button and set the desired channel using the rotary knob on the top right of the transmitter

.

The channel has to be confirmed using the wide enter button in the middle of the
button field. The channel is activated once the transmitter is turned back on.



### 4.2.3. Switching between display pages

Press the bottom right button "/

- #0" t o switch between pages on the LC display.

This switches between the voltage and trim display, the status screen and the
countdown timer.



### 4.2.4. Resetting the timer to 30 min

You can use this button to reset the timer. Once the F motor switch has been pushed forward, the timer begins and counts down from 30 minutes. You should do this each time you land.



### 4.2.5. Teacher/student operation The Royal pro 9 allows teacher/student operation (see Royal pro 9 handbook). Two pro 9 transmitters ar e used at the same time for this. You can switch between the controls using the O switch. A cable has to connect the transmitters to do this (see picture).

Ensure that the connection plugs for the teacher and student transmitters are the right way around. The transmitters must be set to teacher/student operation (see Royal pro 9 handbook). The easiest way to do this is to use software available from microdrones that can be put onto the transmitters via a cable. This allows a beginner to be taught by an exp erienced operator

, and by moving the O switch the teacher can regain control.

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### 4.3. Charging the remote control transmitter

A separate charger is used to charge the remote control transmitter. It should be charged at the latest when a value of
7.2

– 7.3 V is shown on the voltage display. You get to the voltage display by pressing the bottom right button "/

- #0". Charging overnight is easily enough to recharge the NiMh battery of the transmitter. Insert the round plug into the charging socket on the back o f the transmitter for this purpose. 

### Caution: Pay attention to the nose of the plug to prevent voltage reve r sal.



### 4.4. Bleeps of the remote control

Once the motors have been activated using the F switch , a countdown begins on the transmitter and

a soun d is emitted on reaching every full minute.

This is simply a signal for the operator to make managing the flight time easier. Once the time is up, a constant warning sound is emitted. You now have to land as a matter of urgency, and replace the battery im mediately after landing.



### 4.5. The antenna of the hand transmitter

CAUTION: The transmitter antenna must be completely extended during flight.

The antenna should not point towards the microdrone as this is the weakest orientation thus reducing range (so do not fly the microdrone over your head). You should align the antenna so it is parallel to

the antenna of the microdrone . The swivel mechanism of the antenna can be unlocked by pulling the antenna slightly and then bent up.



### 4.6. Technical data of the hand

- held transmitter

Multiplex Royal pro 9 hand

- held transmitter Transmission type Switchable FM / PPM or FM / M

- PCM with 10 kHz spacing
Modulator HF module synthesizer HFM

- S Servo impulse format MPX 1.6 +/

- 0.55 ms UNI 1.5 +/

- 0.55 ms Energy supply 7.2 V, NiMH 6 cells, AA, Power consumption < 50 mA without HF emission
~250 mA with HF emission Charging current Max. 1.4 A (quick charge) 210 mA (normal charge) Operating temperature Storage temperature Charging temperature - 15 °C to 55 °C

- 20 °C to 60 °C 0 °C to 4 0°C Weight Approx. 900 g (with battery) Dimensions (L x W x H) 220 x 270 x 60 mm

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### 5. Camera

5.1. Camera suspension systems

There is a suspension system made from CFRP for every camera type that is put into position on the

under side of t he microdrone

.

The above picture shows an Olympus camera with the standard mount for our microdrone . All camera mounts have a remote control servomotor that enables a pitch angle of the optical axis of about 0

– 90°.

To control the pitch angle, hold down button H on the right of the remote control and now move the left control stick forwards and backwards (otherwise used to adjust the height (throttle) of the microdrone ). You must keep the H button depressed all the time, otherwise you will change the alt itude of the

microdrone

.

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This special camera mount, shown on the picture below, has two servos. These two servos allow you to adjust the roll and pitch angles. The camera mount is not part of the standard range and can be purchased separately.

The came ra mount is controlled by pressing the H button and operating the left control stick. Moving the control stick up or down alters the angle of inclination. Whilst moving the control stick to the right or left changes the roll angle.

Connecting the servos is explained in the chapter The servo connections of the md4

- 1000

.

Please note: Do not attempt to adjust the camera angle by hand, otherwise you might irreparably damage the delicate transmission of the servo.

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### 5.2. Olympus camera

The Olympus Pen E

- P2 is c urrently the standard camera we offer with our system.

• High

- quality multimedia tool for photos and filming

• Classic design

• High flexibility

• HD video

• Good picture quality

• Comprehensive photo functions and integrated picture stabiliser

Technical data:

Olympus Pen E

- P2
Resolution 4,032 x 3,024 pixels 3,200 x 2,400 pixels 2,560 x 1,920 pixels 1,600 x 1,200 pixels

640 x 480 pixels Colour depth 24 Bit (16.7 million colours) for JPG format Sensor 17.3 x 13 mm LiveMOS

- Chip with 12,3 00,000 pixels File format JPEG (.jpg), AVI

- Video(.avi), WAV and RAW Compatible with removable data storage media SD card (SDHC

- compatible)

Connection to computer USB interface (version 2.0 hi

- speed)
Other connections Audio output, HDMI, accessory port (also for optional microphone adapter and supplied viewfinder) Power supply 1 x lithium ion battery, camera

- specific (1,150 mAh; 7.2 V) Type: BLS

- 1 Focussing Autofocus and manual focus Exposure times 1 / 4000s to 2s (automatic) 1 / 4000s to 60s (manual) 1 / 180s to 60s (with flash)
Dimensions W x H x D 120 mm x 70 mm x 35 mm Weight 370 g (ready for operation)

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### 5.3. Full HD Sony HDR

- CX 740 VE camcorder

The picture shows a Full HD camcorder with universal mount.

• High definition 3MOS camcorder

• 3MOS camera system and progressive recording 1080/50p

• Lens with 10x optical / 120x intelligent zoom and XXmm wide angle

• 3D compatible (optional converter)

Technical data:

Sony HDR

- CX740VE Picture sensor type Exmor RTM CMOS sensor, type 1/2.88 (6.3 m m)
Pixels Approx. 6.14 mill. pixels (16:9); approx. 4.6 mill. pixels (4:3) Optical/digital zoom 10x / 120x intelligent Focal length 3.8

– 38.0 mm Picture stabiliser Balanced optical SteadyShotTM with active mode (wide angle to tele) Display Xtra Fine L CDTM display with TruBlackTM technology, 7.5 cm (921,000 pixels) Recording format AVCHD: Full HD 1920 x 1080 (50p /50i); iFrame: 540/25p Recording standards 1080/50p (28Mbps), HA (17Mbps), HG (13Mbps), HN (9Mbps); HE (5Mbps), iFrame Audio recording forma t Dolby

- Digital 5.1 channel Storage medium SD/SDHC/SDXC card (min. class2) Photo picture size 16:9 (pixels) Max. 24.1 mega pixels (JPEG; 6544 x 3680) Dimensions (W x H x D) 67.5 x 73.5 x 137.5 mm Weight Approx. 555 g without battery

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### 5.4. CCD daylight camera

The CCD daylight camera is a video camera without recording unit. So it doesn’t have a battery or storage card. It sends the video live to the ground station.

The focus cannot be adjusted. The stream is recorded using the application software (e.g. mdCockpit) on the notebook.



### 5.5. Dawn (near IR) camera

The dusk or dawn camera is a video camera for taking night pictures where light levels are very low. It does not have a recording unit, so is used
for live transmissions. It doesn’t have a battery or storage card. The video is sent live to the ground station. The focus cannot be adjusted. The stream is recorded using the application software
on the notebook.



### 5.6. Thermographic camera

The thermographic camera is like a conventional camera that takes pictures, though is sensitive to
infra

- red light. Thermography is a process that visualizes heat radiation (medium infra

- red) invisible to the human eye emanating from an object or body. Thermography records and represents temperature dis tributions on surfaces and objects. It sends the video live to the ground station.

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### 6. The base station

6.1. Connections and functionality

The picture on the left shows the
base station we use.
The base station receives the video and telemetry signals of the
microdrone

.

The signals received are prepared for use with a PC.

The operating panel of the base station is shown on the right.

You choose one of the three power supplies by inserting the power cable, car cable or battery. The station is switched on using the switch at the top on the left. Depending on the power supply, the corresponding LED lights up.

The base station can also charge the LiPo battery.

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The coloured connection cables of the antenna are

connecte d to the corresponding cinch connections.
The sockets Audio 1 and Audio 2 receive the telemetry data and the Video in socket receives the

v i deo signal.

The video signal is sent to a notebook via USB.

The second USB connection, downlink, provides the

note book with the telemetry signal. Using appropriate software (mdCockpit) the telemetry can be processed and displayed by the PC in real time.

Both Video out connections allow the user to pick up the video signal using external devices, e.g. with

a pr ojector or video glasses. Video glasses allow the operator to fly the microdrone as if he were in the cockpit himself.

The small display shows the current battery level of the base station in percent. The DATA LED lights up as soon as data are received.

The AC, 12V or BATT LED tells the user which power supply is operating the base station. Normally the best available power supply is used.

The base station can be connected to a 100

– 240 V AC mains socket, a 12 V car power supply or power is provide d by a battery whose connection is under the

cover.

The 12V DC out socket is the power supply for the digital receiver.

CAUTION: Newer vehicles, vans or lorries might
have other on

- board voltages (e.g. 24 V). Always check the operating instructions of th e vehicle to avoid damaging the base station.

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### 6.2. Charging the base station

The battery can only be charged by connecting to the AC mains or 12 V car power supply.

To do so, insert the battery into the charging slot inside the case and switch on the charger (see adjacent picture).

The battery will be fully charged after one
hour at most and can then be removed.

If storing for a long period, the battery should be about 60% charged.

Only batteries that have completely
cooled down are permitted to be charged.

Caution: Constantly monitor the charging process!

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### 7.0. The flight battery

Lithium polymer batteries currently have the highest energy density and so are the best choice for our system. However, due to fluctuation s caused by manufacture, the internal resistance and capacity of each individual cell can vary. In addition, low temperatures, battery age and difficult flight conditions could cause the voltage of the battery to dip unexpectedly. Therefore, always monitor the voltage display, e.g. using mdCockpit.

microdrones selects the cells and matches each individual battery for quality

- assurance purposes.

The LiPo battery (picture) consists of individual cells and has a rated voltage of 22.2 V and a capacity of 1 3 Ah. The maximum voltage is 25.2 V.

This battery type is used in the md4

- 1000 system to operate the microdrone . It is charged using a charger that is in a separate charging case.

Picture: LiPo battery



### 7.1. Safety and care information on the battery

The batteries should only be operated and stored at room temperature. So if temperatures are low, make sure the batteries get up to room temperature (20

– 40 °C, inner pocket of jacket) for at least 3 hours before use. The voltage of cold batteries could drop suddenly and cause the
microdrone to crash.

Avoid short

- circuiting the battery contacts. Coins or keys in your pocket or putting a battery onto wet grass is enough to short circuit it.
If storing the battery for a long time, it should be a t least 60% charged. The easiest way to check this is to use the charger or the mdCockpit voltage display.
If you can hear the battery warning during flight, then you should land straight away. The battery
should not be drained to less than 21 V to k eep it in good condition and so it has a long life. Immediately remove the battery from the microdrone after landing.

Avoid exposing the microdrone to direct sunlight for long periods as otherwise the temperature specifications of the electronics and battery might be exceeded and cause malfunctions.
You can only take off if the battery is completely charged. Used batteries must be stored in the
microdrone box so that they cannot be confused with others. Crashes and hard landings are caused by a lack of power.
New batteries do not perform at their full power immediately. Therefore, you should end the first flight with a new battery after ten minutes and then, as always, only charge the battery after it has cooled down. A battery that is not completely discharged can be charged many more times during its life than a battery that is often completely drained.
Batteries wear, just as car tyres do. They do not last forever and have to be replaced from time to time. However, if you treat them well, you can increase their life considerably.

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### 7.2. The charging case

The picture on the left shows the charging case we sell. Two batteries can be charged at the
same time.

• Input 115

- 240 VAC / 50

- 60 Hz

• Output 20 VDC

– 20 A for every charger.

Caution: Do not shut the charging case during charging!

The red wire is the positive connection, the black wire is negative.
The connection in the middle is the balancer
connection. This connection ensures that all the individual battery c ells are completely and uniformly charged. The balancer connection is required to ensure the charging process runs correctly.

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### 7.2.1. Connection of the battery to the charging case

First connect the earth (black wire) of the charging
case to th e battery.

Then establish the positive connection (red wire).

Finally, connect the balancer to the battery. The
balancer connection ensures the individual cells charge uniformly. It also checks the cells when charging and dischargin g.

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### 8. Safety procedures

microdrones md4

- 1000 are protected against several kinds of hazards. The behavior of the

sy s tems was tested in many different emergency situations. The following chapter gives an

ove r view of the tested situations.

Si tuation: Command & C ontrol (C&C) signal reception is bad or lost

. Behavior: The microdrone will enter GPS Position Hold immediately and try to reacquire the signal for an adjustable amount of time (30s by default). If that time runs out, the

microdrone wil l either enter emergency landing with a descent speed of 0,5 m 

### /
s 

### or go into homing mode, depending on the user ́s settings. Homing mode will align

the microdrone with the operator  ́s line of sight, climb to a predefined minimum

a l titude (30m by default), retu rn to the take

- off position in a straight line and finally

– if the C&C could not be recovered during the whole procedure

– enter eme rgency lan ding at the take

- off position. If C&C is recovered during homing or lan ding the procedure is inte r rupted and the operator has full control over the craft.

Situation: GPS signal reception is bad or lost

. Behavior: Flight control will revert to inertial navigation mode. The stabilization system of

the microdrone is still active

. The operator is notified by textual, gra phic and sp oken messages about the situation and has to hold position manually. GPS Position Hold kicks in again as soon as the signal quality is back to normal.

Situation: Command & C ontrol (C&C) and GPS signal reception is bad or lost simu ltaneously

. Be havior: The microdrone will immediately enter emergency landing with a descent speed of 0,5 m 

### /
s 

### .If C&C is recovered the emergency landing is interrupted and the b eha v ior of the situation “GPS signal reception is bad or lost” applies.

If GPS is recovered t he emergency landing is interrupted and the behavior of the

si t uation “Comman d & C ontrol (C&C) signal reception is bad or lost” applies.

Situation: Virtual Fence is being approached or reached.

Behavior: The microdrone slows down and finally stops, if the operator continuously flies in

a d i rection in which he would leave the approved air space volume. GPS Position Hold stays in effect until the operator commands the microdrone back towards

the inner ci r cle of the virtual fence.

Situation: Flight reaches cr itical speed

. Behavior: If the microdrone’s speed increases to critical speeds the operator will be i nformed to immediately slow down the craft. The messages get more insistent , if the speed is not reduced. The best solution to resolve the situation is to let go of the controls and have the microdrone ́s GPS Position Hold stabilize the flight. In case GPS is not present the operator has to find the right maneuvers on his own

to resolve that situation as soon as poss i ble.

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Situation: Flight reaches critica l pitch or roll angle

.

Behavior: Pitch or roll angles above 40° are a potential risk. As soon as the microdrone’s attitude approaches a critical angle in at least one axis the operator will be i nformed by spoken message. The best solution to resolve the si tuation is to let go of the controls and have the microdrone ́s GPS Position Hold stabilize the flight. In case GPS is not present the operator has to find the right maneuvers on his

own to resolve that situation as soon as poss i ble

.

Situation: Flight under increasing wind speeds

. Behavior: The operator is notified by textual, graphic and spoken messages about the cu rrent wind speed. Critical conditions are marked as such. Especially the approach of maximal motor load, high pitch and roll angles are also rep orted in this situ ation. In case of too much wind the operator has to land the system immediately.

Situation: Flight reaches critical altitude and/or distance

. Behavior: The drones distance and altitude can always be read on the base station screen. In reg ular intervals also a spoken message informs about the current readouts. If one of these values reaches a critical level, the operator is immediately informed by sp o ken message.

Situation: Motor power reaches its limit

. Behavior: The power output of every individual motor is monitored continuously. The oper ator is informed by spoken message, if one or more motors approach their perfo rmance limit in case of payload overweight or critical wind speeds.

Situation: A rotor blade collides with an obstacle

. Behavi or: Motor power is cut immediately. Motor control will intermittingly try to restart the motor with low power. Only if the obstacle is gone and the rotor blade turns freely full power is applied again.

Situation: Battery consumption in flight

. Behavior: Du ring normal flight the battery voltage is constantly monitored by the base st ation. The state of the battery is communicated alphanumerically, graphically and through spoken messages. Readouts and messages include current battery level, estimated flight ti me remaining, “bingo” warning, which indicates the m oment when the remaining battery power is just enough to comfortably and safely

return home.

Situation: The microdrone is powered up with an insufficiently charged battery.

Behavior: Always during startup and after landing the voltage of the battery is checked. If it is not sufficient for sustained flight the microdrone enters an error state, blocking (a n other) take

- off.

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Situation: Battery is depleted below warning voltage during flight.

Behavior: The m icrodrone employs two battery voltage warning levels, which are by default 20,6V/20,1V. As soon as the voltage falls below the first threshold, the micr odrone refuses to gain more altitude. Only horizontal or descending movements

are allowed. If the operat or does not touch down before the voltage falls below the second threshold, the microdrone will descend on its own with a speed of
0,5 m 

### /
s 

### and the operator can only influence the horizontal position or accelerate

the descent. The status is constantly annou nced by the Base Station in textual, graphic and spoken messages.

Situation: Unusual vibrations are detected

. Behavior: During the post

- flight check of the flight recorder, acceleration sensor data is checked for unusual vibrations to detect body damage or loose screws in an early stage and prevent subsequent problems before they arise.

Situation: microdrone automatically starts to spin wild and uncontrollably

Behavior: T his can indicate a faulty component within the Navigation System which can
lead to a cr ash.

The operator has to turn the "G" switch to PH (center position) immediately . He

has to take over manual control with movements of more than + /

- 5% and imm ediately land the system. Depending on the firmware pulling the E

- Slider up to switch of GPS completely is an alternative method. If both does not help the o perator has to decide to initiate an emergency shutdown with F

- Slider down and

Throttle full down to initiate a c ontrolled crash landing if the expected crash

- zone
is save to do so.