Operation Manual
Contents

01 Meet IRIS

03 Parts

04 Charging the Battery

06 Attaching Propellers

07 Safety and Failsafes

08 Learn to Fly

11 Flight Modes

13 Return to Launch

13 Geofence

14 First Flight

19 Planning Missions

20 Flying Missions

21 Specifications and Resources

22 Learn More and Support
01
02

Front

Rear

antenna

status LED

battery

compartment

USBport

front arms (blue)

safety button

rear arms (black)
03

Parts

Controller

your direct link to IRIS

Ground station radio

with USBand Android adapters

Slide out the leg to remove it, and replace with the tall leg. Tighten the set screw until it sits flush with the surface. Do not tighten the screw beyond this point. Use the small (1.5 mm) hex

key to loosen the set screw

in the bottom of the leg.

Battery kit

battery, guard bag, and charger

with international travel adapters

Propellers and tool kit

four propellers with propeller tool and

small, medium, and large hex keys

(1.5 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm)

Tall legs

Switch to tall legs to use IRISwith the Tarot

Gimbal or for extra clearance on landing.
04

Charging the Battery

IRISis powered by a rechargeable lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. Store

the battery at half charge then charge fully before ying. Batteries must

ship at half charge, so please charge before your rst ight. Each full

battery provides up to 22 minutes of ight time without a gimbal and

up to 16 minutes when using a Tarot Gimbal.* Connect charger to the

power adapter cable and

a wall outlet. Connect the red cable to the

+ port and the black cable

to the - port.

Set the charger to

LiPo and 3A.

Connect the white

connector to the 3Spor

Join the two yellow

connectors together.

1

2

+

–

LiPo 3A

3S

3
05

Battery Safety

Secure battery inside the guard bag

while charging. Charge until the status

indicator displays green.

Charging Complete

4

Protect the battery from extreme heat, extreme cold, puncturing, and ammable surfaces. Always transport, charge, and store

the battery in the guard bag. Charge the battery using a designated LiPo balance charger only. Always monitor the battery while charging. Flying with a low battery is a safety risk and can render the battery

unusable. Always discontinue use when you receive a low battery

noti cation, and always y with a fully charged battery.

Inspect the battery for damage before takeo and after landing.

If you observe any swelling of the package or the battery ceases

to function, locate your local battery recycling center to dispose

of the battery. In the USand Canada, visit call2recycle.org to nd

a location. Do not dispose of the battery in the trash.

*Flight time varies with payload, wind conditions, elevation,

temperature, humidity, ying style, and pilot skill. See the Flight

Checklist for instructions on managing battery levels during ight.
06

IRISuses four propellers: two with black nuts and two with silver nuts. Attach the propellers with black nuts to the motors with black tops and

the propellers with silver nuts to the motors with silver tops. Attaching Propellers

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 IRISbefore takeoff.

To remove, hold the motor in place with

the propeller tool, and spin the propeller

in the direction of the unlocking symbol.
07

IRIShas powerful motors and high-speed propellers. Never place your hands

near propellers while IRISis armed or the safety button displays solid red. Always press the safety button until it displays blinking red before handling. Always fly in an open area away from people and buildings; do not attempt to

fly indoors or in a confined space. Do not fly over people, near airports, or in any

situation that could pose a hazard to those around you.Always fly within your

line of sight and in compliance with local regulations. IRISwill not avoid

obstacles on its own.As the operator, it is your job to recognize and avoid

obstructions while flying.Always follow the preflight and postflight steps in the

order described in this manual, and remain attentive at all times while flying. Environmental factors, such as wind and GPSirregularities, can cause instability

in flight. IRISwill 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). To avoid potential hazards due to

environmental factors, identify the boundaries of your flying area before takeoff, and recover IRISmanually by switching into standard (STD) if it moves outside

your designated flying area. If you observe any inconsistent behavior, land, and

consult the troubleshooting guide at 3DR.com/ iris/ info. Failsafes

Loss of RCsignal

Always use the controller as a primary or backup control system when flying. Ensure that the controller is turned on any time IRISis powered. If contact with

the controller is lost during flight, IRISwill land and display a blinking yellow LED.

If IRISis more than 2 meters (6.5 feet) from the launch point, it will return to

launch (RTL) before landing.(See page 13 for more information about RTL.)

Loss of GPSsignal

IRISrequires an active GPSsignal before takeoff. If IRISloses GPSsignal in flight,

it will trigger aGPSfailsafe, indicated by a blinking blue and yellow LED 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 IRISat

any time while flying and choose an unobstructed flying area to improveGPS

signal strength. When flying a mission, we recommended changing the GPS

failsafe behavior to land.(Visit 3DR.com/ iris/ info for more information about

configuring the GPSfailsafe.)

Low battery

When the battery reaches 25% of its remaining charge, IRISwill land and display

a blinking yellow LED with a quick repeating tone. If IRISreaches the low battery

limit during a mission, it will return to the launch point before landing.

Safety
08

Maneuver IRISin flight using

the controller sticks.

left stick: right stick:

Lower the throttle

stick below center

to decrease altitude.

Set the throttle stick

to center to maintain

the current altitude.

left stick

Move the left stick up and down to control altitude. Throttle

Learn to Fly

Set the throttle stick

fully down to land

once IRISis a few

inches above the

ground.

Left Stick

To take off and to

gain altitude, raise the

throttle stick slightly above center position.
09

Flight Tip

When adjusting orientation, move the left stick horizontally without changing its

vertical position.

ver + Land

wer just slightly

hover

t Yaw

Left

Righ

ght Yaw

ft Yaw

Righ

ght Yaw

activate

ld until propellers

p spinning

Move the stick to

the left to rotate

counterclockwise.

Move the stick

to the right to

rotate clockwise.

left stick

Release the stick to

stop rotating and maintain the current orientation.

Move the left stick horizontally to rotate IRISand change orientation. For a slow rotation, move the stick slightly away from the center

in either direction. Moving the stick farther from the center creates

a faster rotation.

Yaw
10

Back

Forward

Left

Back

Move the right Forward

stick forward to

fly forward.

right stick

Move the right stick back to fly

backward.

The right stick allows you to control IRIS’ position in the air. Move the right

stick to tell IRISto move in that direction: forward (toward the blue arms), back (toward the black arms), left (toward the left arms), or right (towards

the right arms). How far you move the stick from the center before releasing

it tells IRIShow fast to move.

Pitch and Roll

Left

Back

Right

Left

Right

Move the right stick left to fly

left.

Move the right stick right to fly

right.

Flight Tip

IRISmoves according to its orientation. The blue arms and white lights face

forward, and the black arms and red lights face backward. Before using the right

stick, use yaw to keep IRISfacing in outward orientation so that the black arms and

red lights face towards you and the blue arms and white lights face away from you.
11

Flight Modes

lize

de Hold

IRISincludes three flight modes: manual flight

(STD-altitude hold), hover mode (LTR-loiter), and

mission flight (AUTO). Use the switch on the

right side of the controller to select a flight mode.

To avoid sudden changes in altitude, set the throttle stick

to center position before switching modes, including in the

event of aGPSfailsafe.

Advanced Operator Note: If you choose to modify the flight mode configuration to

includeStabilize mode, please fly only with the provided set of tall legs. Flying in Stabilize with short legs can cause vibrations that may interfere with autopilot calculations and

produce unexpected behavior.
12
13

land at thelaunch point

Set the RTL switch to ON to end your flight and return

IRISto the launch point automatically. Ensure that the

RTL switch is set to OFFbefore takeoff.

RTL returns IRISto the location where IRISwas armed. Always arm IRISin a safe, unobstructed launch point.

When commanded to RTL, IRISwill:

1 Achieve minimum altitude of 15 m (50 ft)

or maintain current altitude if above 15 m. 2 Move to launch point and loiter for 5 seconds. 3 Land at launch point. launch point

1 15 meters 2

3

hover 5 seconds

Return to Launch (RTL)

Reposition during landing: During landing, use the

right stick on the controller to adjust IRIS’ position.

A safety fence restricts IRISto within 300 meters (980 feet) of the

launch point and under 100 meters (320 feet) in altitude. If IRISreaches

the edge of the geofence, it will initiate an automatic return to launch.

100 m

300 m

Geofence

In the event of a GPSfailsafe, the horizontal geofence will be disabled.

If IRISbreaches the vertical geofence during a GPSfailsafe, it will land at

its current position.
14

First Flight

Select an open area for flying, away from people and buildings, and

remember to bring the Flight Checklist and a fully charged battery. Determine the boundaries of your flying area before takeoff, and select

a level, unobstructed space as a launch point. Follow these preflight

and postflight steps in the order shown here and on the Flight Checklist

every time you fly. 1

Preflight

Check

IRIS

2 t ll
15

3 Connect battery
16

Autopilot ready, GPSlocked

Acquiring GPS, please wait.

Initializing, hold IRISstill, please wait.

4

Press safety

button

5 Ch k LED

Pre-arm safety check failure. Connect

to a ground station and see the trouble- shooting guide at 3DR.com/ iris/ info. 6 Arm motors

Motors inactive, safe to handle Motors active, deactivate before

handling

GPSlock requires a clear view of the

sky. IRISmay take a few minutes to

acquireGPSlock depending on your ying location. Always y in an open

area to improve GPSsignal strength, and review theGPSfailsafe

information on page 7.
17

Flight

Left Stick
18

Postflight

1

Disarm

motors 2

Press safety

button

3

Disconnect

battery 4

Power off

controller

Tips for New Fliers: Practice these exercises to help you master flight controls. Skill 1: Hover

Your first step is to maintain a consistent altitude while keeping IRISoriented so

the black arms face towards you and the blue arms face away from you.Practice

taking off,rising to a comfortable hovering altitude, and keeping IRISin place

without allowing for any changes in orientation or position. If IRISdrifts forward, backward, left, or right, or rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, use the

corresponding stick controls to correct. Skill 2: Box

When you feel comfortable with your ability to maintain a consistent hovering

altitude, try flying a box pattern. To practice this, take off,reach your hovering

altitude, then fly forward,right, backward, and left by making small adjustments

to the right stick. Make sure to fly the box in front of you and not around you. Use the left stick to rotate IRISso the black arms face towards you and blue arms

face away from you for the duration of the exercise. Skill 3: FigureEight

When you can confidently navigate a box while maintaining altitude and

orientation, try flying a figure-eight pattern. Once again, make sure to fly the figure

eight in front of you and not around you. Use the right stick to create a smooth

flight path while using the left stick to correct orientation and maintain altitude.
19

Planning Missions

1

Power IRIS, connect the radio to your laptop

or Android device, and select Connect.

2 Configure waypoints.

To plan a mission, download a ground station application from

3DR.com/ iris/ info, and install onto your laptop or Android device. DroidPlanner 2 for Android

Mission Planner for Windows

When flying missions, we recommend changing the GPS

failsafe behavior to set IRISto land in the event of a loss of

GPSsignal. For instructions, visit 3DR.com/ iris/ info.

3 Save the mission to IRIS.

APM Planner for OSX
20

1

Perform a pre-mission

test flight

3

Switch to

AUTO

4

Switch to standard

b f di i

2

Arm IRIS

in standard

Flying Missions
21

Speci cations

Autopilot: Pixhawk v2.4.5

Firmware: ArduCopter 3.2

GPS: 3DRuBlox GPSwith Compass (LEA-6H module, 5 Hz update)

Telemetry radio: 3DRRadio Telemetry v2 (915 mHz or 433 mHz)

Motors: 950 kV

Frame type: V

Propellers: 9.5 x 4.5 T-Motor multirotor self-tightening counterclockwise (2)

9.5 x 4.5 T-Motor multirotor self-tightening clockwise (2)

Battery: 3S5.1Ah 8C lithium polymer

Low battery voltage: 10.5 V

Maximum voltage: 12.6 V

Battery cell limit: 3S

Battery weight: 320 g

IRISis compatible with 3Slithium polymer batteries only. Using a 4Sbattery can cause

permanent damage to the gimbal electronics and will void the warranty. Weight with battery: 1282 g

Height: 100 mm

Motor-to-motor: 550 mm

Payload capacity: 400 g (.8 lbs)

Radio range: up to 1km (.6 miles)

Flight time: 16-22 minutes*

*Flight time varies with payload, wind conditions, elevation, temperature, humidity, flying style, and pilot skill. Listed flight time applies to elevations

less than 2,000 ft above sea level. Resources

Hardware: 3DR.com/ iris/ info

Firmware: copter.ardupilot.com

Software: planner.ardupilot.com and planner2.ardupilot.com

3DRStore: store.3DR.com

Community: diydrones.com

Happy flying!
Support

For customer support, contact us at help@3DR.com

or call our support line at +1(858) 225-1414

Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm, PST.

IRIS+ Operation Manual vH | ©3D Robotics, Inc. | 2015