1!

ŝƌZĂŝĚ Aerials-Pilots)Operating)M.anual

Mikrokopter)Pilots)Flight)Guide)...............................................................................................................................)1

Section)1)8)Introduction/Forward............................................................................................................................)6

Warnings,!Cautions,!Notes.....................................................................................................................................................................................!6

Contact............................................................................................................................................................................................................................!7

Revisions!History.......................................................................................................................................................................................................!7

Section)2)8)MK)8)Overview............................................................................................................................................)8

Frame ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................!9

Propellers................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Electric......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Batteries...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

General!Power!Wiring .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 14

Motors.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Electronics ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 18

Flight!Control............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18

Overview...........................................................................................................................................................................................18

Terms.................................................................................................................................................................................................)20

Sensor Description........................................................................................................................................................................20

Gyroscopes!(Gyros)................................................................................................................................................................................................ 21

Acceleration!Sensor!!(AccelerometerNACC)................................................................................................................................................. 22

Atmospheric!Pressure!Sensor ........................................................................................................................................................................... 24

Navigation!System.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 24

Overview...........................................................................................................................................................................................24

Navi!Board .................................................................................................................................................................................................................!24

MKNGPS........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 25

GPS)Fix .............................................................................................................................................................................26

MKNCompass ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 27

General)Points...............................................................................................................................................................27

Brushless!Controllers............................................................................................................................................................................................ 28

Overview...........................................................................................................................................................................................28

Brushless!Controller,!Electronic!Speed!Controller!(ESC)...................................................................................................................... 28

Receiver ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 30

Section)3)8)Mikrokopter)Tool ...................................................................................................................................31

Download .........................................................................................................................................................................................32

Connecting)preparation ..............................................................................................................................................................32

First)start)of)KopterTool .............................................................................................................................................................33

Connection)of)modules ................................................................................................................................................................35

First)Connection.............................................................................................................................................................................37
2!

Choosing)Assemblies/Settings).................................................................................................................................)38

Assemblies/Boards.......................................................................................................................................................................38

Settings..............................................................................................................................................................................................39

Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................39

Scope)Selection...............................................................................................................................................................................40

Scope)Start/Stop ............................................................................................................................................................................40

Scope)Window ................................................................................................................................................................................41

Serial83D8OSD................................................................................................................................................................41

Serial..................................................................................................................................................................................................41

3D........................................................................................................................................................................................................42

OSD .....................................................................................................................................................................................................43

Terminal8Window........................................................................................................................................................44

COM8Port..........................................................................................................................................................................................45

Debug.................................................................................................................................................................................................)45

Choose)language ............................................................................................................................................................................45

Latest)Software)download..........................................................................................................................................................46

Latest)Software)update................................................................................................................................................................46

Reset)8)EEPROM)initializing........................................................................................................................................................46

Firmware!Upgrades ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 47

Overview: ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 47

Update!Steps: ....................................................................................................................................................................................47

Trouble Shooting Firmware Updates .....................................................................................................................................51

File)corrupted .................................................................................................................................................................................51

Connection)problem.....................................................................................................................................................................51

Manual)reset....................................................................................................................................................................................51

MKNTools!Pages ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 52

Altitude........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 55

Selection)of)functions ...................................................................................................................................................................56

Camera......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 58

Channels ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 62

Channels ...........................................................................................................................................................................................62

from!the!transmitter.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 63

Serial!Channels......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 63

Function!/!Channels .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 65

MotorSafetySwitch........................................................................................................................................................................66

Advanced)signal)reception)test.................................................................................................................................................67

Receiver)Selection.........................................................................................................................................................................67

Configuration............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 68

Infos)for)the)config)dialog)..........................................................................................................................................69

Select)the)single)Settings)with)the)transmitter....................................................................................................................70

Attention...........................................................................................................................................................................................70

Coupling...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 70

Choosing)the)functions ................................................................................................................................................................71

Gyro .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 72

Choosing)the)functions ................................................................................................................................................................72

Looping........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 74

Choosing)the)functions ................................................................................................................................................................75

Misc............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 75

Choosing)the)functions ................................................................................................................................................................76

NaviNCtrl...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 78

NaviNCtrl!2.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 83

Choosing)the)functions ................................................................................................................................................................84
3!

Stick .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 85

Choosing)the)functions ................................................................................................................................................................86

Output.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 87

Flashing)pattern)or)shifting .......................................................................................................................................................89

Example!with!a!fixed!value................................................................................................................................................................................. 90

Example!with!a!potentiometer ......................................................................................................................................................................... 90

Warning)function...........................................................................................................................................................................90

User............................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 90

Section)4)8)Flight)Control)Modes).............................................................................................................................91

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................92

MKNFlight!Control!Modes .................................................................................................................................................................................... 92

Altitude)Control..............................................................................................................................................................................93

Altitude!Ceiling ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 93

Vario!Altitude ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 93

GPS)Functions .................................................................................................................................................................................94

GPS_MODE_FREE .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 94

GPS_MODE_AID!N!Position!Hold!(PH)............................................................................................................................................................. 94

Care)Free ..........................................................................................................................................................................................94

CareNFree!(Teachable).......................................................................................................................................................................................... 95

Teachable!CareFree!as!example ....................................................................................................................................................................... 95

Video!of!the!CareFree!feature............................................................................................................................................................................ 97

GPS_MODE_HOME)8)(Coming)Home)CH) .................................................................................................................................)97

Example: ...........................................................................................................................................................................................99

Exercises...........................................................................................................................................................................................99

Section)5)8)Sensor)Calibration)............................................................................................................................... 101

Sensor)Calibration.......................................................................................................................................................................101

Accelerometer!(ACC)!Calibration ..................................................................................................................................................................101

Gyroscope!(Gyro) Calibration .........................................................................................................................................................................103

Stick)Position)Calibration)Chart.............................................................................................................................................103

Test)of)sensor)values)in)MK8Tool ...........................................................................................................................................104

MK)Compass)Calibration)......................................................................................................................................... 105

Watch)these)videos)for)demonstration)of)the)method. ..................................................................................................108

Section)6)8)Weight)and)Balance)............................................................................................................................ 109

Weight)and)Balance ....................................................................................................................................................................109

Center!of Gravity ...................................................................................................................................................................................................109

Other!Vibration Correction...............................................................................................................................................................................109

Section)7)8)Supplements.......................................................................................................................................... 111

Section)8)8)Safety)Information............................................................................................................................... 112

General............................................................................................................................................................................................112

Before)starting..............................................................................................................................................................................112

During)the)flight...........................................................................................................................................................................112

After)the)flight...............................................................................................................................................................................113

Checklist)(pre8flight)check)......................................................................................................................................................113

Section)9)8)FAA)Regulations)................................................................................................................................... 114

Section)10)8)Flight)Training).................................................................................................................................... 115

Simulator!Training ...............................................................................................................................................................................................116

Overview.........................................................................................................................................................................................117

Training)Program........................................................................................................................................................................119

Basic!Flight!Maneuvers ......................................................................................................................................................................................121

Basic)Flight)Training Maneuvers ...........................................................................................................................................121

Remember: Small!stick!movements!........................................................................................................................................122
4!

Exercise)83)House!pattern...........................................................................................................................................................122

Exercise84!N!SquareNFlying..........................................................................................................................................................122

Exercise85 Hover!Sideways ........................................................................................................................................................122

Exercise86)Square!pattern ..........................................................................................................................................................123

Exercise87 Circles .........................................................................................................................................................................123

Exercise)89)The!walkNalong ........................................................................................................................................................123

Exercise)10)8)The!circle!me.........................................................................................................................................................123

Exercise)11)8)Flying!noseNin .......................................................................................................................................................124

Section)11)8)Normal)Operations ........................................................................................................................... 125

First!Flight!Checklist............................................................................................................................................................................................125

Preflight!Checklist ................................................................................................................................................................................................126

Inflight!Standards .................................................................................................................................................................................................!127

Post!Flight!Checklist ............................................................................................................................................................................................127

Cold!Weather!Flying ............................................................................................................................................................................................127

Flight!Log..................................................................................................................................................................................................................128

Section)12)8)Emergencies)........................................................................................................................................ 129

Section)13)8)Photography)....................................................................................................................................... 130

Aerial)Photography.....................................................................................................................................................................130

Camera!Mounts......................................................................................................................................................................................................131

Cameras!N!decisionsNdecisions??????............................................................................................................................................................132

Section)14)8)Performance)Data ............................................................................................................................. 136

MKNGPX .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................136

Instructions)for)MK_GPX)software)...................................................................................................................... 136

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................................136

Purpose .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................137

Download .................................................................................................................................................................................................................137

Beta!version!0.86 ..................................................................................................................................................................................................138

Operation)of)the)software.........................................................................................................................................................138

The!MKNGPX!program!interface .....................................................................................................................................................................138

The!MKNGPX!menu ...............................................................................................................................................................................................138

The)program)interface...............................................................................................................................................................139

The!GPX!data...........................................................................................................................................................................................................139

Selected!data!to!evaluate...................................................................................................................................................................................139

All!data!analyzed...................................................................................................................................................................................................139

Analysis)of)the)data.....................................................................................................................................................................140

The!graph!selection..............................................................................................................................................................................................140

The!data!control ....................................................................................................................................................................................................140

The!meaning!of!the!flags!in!the!MK!Evaluation!Software....................................................................................................................140

The!graphical!display..........................................................................................................................................................................................141

Compass/Course...................................................................................................................................................................................................141

Instruments!to!indicate!the!attitude ............................................................................................................................................................141

The)log)page ..................................................................................................................................................................................142

Flight!Stats ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................142

The)settings ...................................................................................................................................................................................142

Axes.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................142

Graphics ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................143

Selectable!Graphics ..............................................................................................................................................................................................143

Limits .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................144

Other...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................144

Section)15)8)Troubleshooting)................................................................................................................................ 146

Help)8)My)MK)does)not)fly?)..................................................................................................................................... 146
5!

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................................146

Assumptions..................................................................................................................................................................................146

When)NOT)to)fly)if)trying)to)solve)any)problems ..............................................................................................................147

Taking)Off).................................................................................................................................................................... 147

Props)do)not)rotate .....................................................................................................................................................................147

Props)rotate)but)MK)will)not)lift)off)the)ground................................................................................................................147

MK)lifts)but)immediately)flips)over .......................................................................................................................................147

Hovering....................................................................................................................................................................... 148

MK)lifts)and)rotates)slowly.......................................................................................................................................................148

MK)will)not)stay)still ...................................................................................................................................................................148

Controlling)Height)..................................................................................................................................................... 149

MK)continues)to)ascend.............................................................................................................................................................149

MK)falls)slowly..............................................................................................................................................................................149

Moving)the)MK)............................................................................................................................................................ 150

MK)does)not)move)in)correct)direction................................................................................................................................150

MK)oscillates)to)a)fro)about)central)axis ..............................................................................................................................150

MK)diffficult)to)control...............................................................................................................................................................150

Landing)the)MK).......................................................................................................................................................... 150

MK)bounces)on)the)ground.......................................................................................................................................................150

MK)drops)from)height)and)cannot)recover.........................................................................................................................150

MK)behaves)strangely)when)trying)to)land ........................................................................................................................150

Links ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................150
6!

Section)1)5)Introduction/Forward

Section)1)Index

• Contact

• Revisions!History

• Warnings,!Cautions,!Notes

This!Mikrokopter!(MK)!Pilot’s!Operating!Handbook!has!been!prepared!to!familiarize!MK!operators!with!the!

Mikrokopter!multiNrotor aircraft.!Read!this!Handbook!carefully.!It!provides!information!that!will!help!you!

obtain!the basic information!needed!to!operate!the!MK!in!a!safe!and!proficient!manner.

This!Handbook!includes!the!material!from!multiple!resources!and!continues!to!be!a!"Work!in!Progress"!as!

information!becomes!available.!It!remains!up!to!the!reader!to!verify!that!the!information!is!accurate!and!

reliable!for!his!particular!mikrokopter.

About

This!website!is!not!affiliated!with!mikrokopter.com!and!should not be!considered!an!"official"!publication!

representing!them.!Much!of!the!enclosed!information!can!be!found!throughout!the!Mikrokopter!

community,!especially!on!the!"official'!mikrokopter.com!website.!The!intent!is!to!bring!various!information!

into!one!handbook!that!can!be!used!as!an!additional!reference!by!MK!owners!and!operators.

Please!consider!this!information!a!supplement!to!other!sources!of!information,!and!due!to!the!constantly!

changing!nature!of!the!subject!matter,!always!verify!and!crossNcheck!this!information!with other!current!

MK!sites.

Owning!one!of!these!flying!machines!is!a!unique!opportunity!and!will!take!some!thorough!study!in!order!to!

operate!to!MK!safely!and!responsibly.!Whether!you!have!chosen!to!build!your!own,!or!purchase!one!"readyN

toNfly"!,!the!mikrokopter!is!not!a!toy!and!requires!significant!financial,!time,!and!training!to!be!successful!in!

this!exciting!venture.!!!

It!should!be!understood!that!although!this!is!a!well!designed!and!sophisticated!aircraft,!there!will!certainly!

be!times!that!calibration,!fixes,!and!rebuilds!will!be!necessary.!Control!programming,!battery!management,!

soldering,!and!learning!to!fly!the!MK!are!additional!tasks!that!must!be!mastered.

Entering!into!this!field!may!become!addictive,!hazardous!to!your!spare!time,!and!damaging!to!your!bank!

account.!!The!rewards,!however,!is!a!satisfaction!that!comes!only with the!hard!work!and!determination!it!

takes!to!operate!a!flying!computer!that!takes!pictures.

Resources!are!listed here

Warnings,)Cautions,)Notes

Warnings,)Cautions,)and)Notes

Warnings,!Cautions,!and!Notes!are!used!throughout!this!handbook!to!focus!attention!on!special!conditions!

or!procedures!as!follows:

•)WARNING)•

Warnings!are!used!to!call!attention!to!operating!procedures!which,!if!not!strictly!observed,!may!result!in!

personal!injury!or!loss!of!life.

•)Caution)•

Cautions!are!used!to!call!attention!to!operating!procedures!which,!if!not!strictly!observed,!may!result!in!

damage!to
7!

equipment.

•)Note)•

Notes!are!used!to!highlight!specific!operating!conditions!or!steps!of!a!procedure.

•)Tip•

Throughout!the!manual,!you!will!find!helpful!tips!and!lessons!learned!by!myself!and!others.!Pay!attention!to!

these,!it!may!save!you!aggravation,!money,!time.

Revisions)History

Showing 4 items

Date Revision)Item Notes

Sort!!

!!

Sort!!

!!

Sort!!

!!

11/15/2011!! Added!Graupner!MXN20!Radio!

Info!!

!!

11/10/11!! Added!more!troubleshooting!

information!!

!!

10/26/2011!! Emergency!checklist!! Added!items!

to!the!

Emergency!

Checklist!!

10/24/2011!! Added!resource!links!! !!
8!

Section)2)5)MK)5)Overview

Section)2)Index

• Electric

o Batteries

o General!Power!Wiring

o Motors

• Electronics

o Brushless!Controllers

o Flight!Control

o Navigation!System

! MKNCompass

! MKNGPS

! Navi!Board

o Power!Distribution!Board

o Receiver

• Frame

• Propellers

Overview

View!20!minute!overview!presentation!about!the!Mikrokopter.

This!20!minute!presentation!will!review!the!basic!components!and!operation!of!the!Mikrokopter.!

Alternatively,!you!can!read!through!the!following!pages!which!are!notes!from!the!presentation.

The!original!Mikrokopter!(MK)!was!designed!and!built!in!Germany!in!2006!by Holger Buss!and!Ingo Busker.!

The!two!continue!to!develop!and!add!functionally!to!this!great!little!flying!machine.!The!system!is!used!by!

aerial!photographers,!universities,!and!other!entities!that!need!a!low!altitude!“eye!in!the!sky”.!It!is!also!

becoming!very!popular!among!RC!enthusiasts.!There!seems!to!be!an!entire!aviation!field!building!up!

around!this!interesting!looking!multiNrotor!aircraft. As!the!capabilities!become greater,!you!can!expect!to!

see!more!and!interesting!in!the!field.

The Mikrokopter is!a!very!powerful!and!stable!camera!platform!that!can!easily!carry!the!weight!of!a!camera!

and!other!electronics.!The!MK!comes!in!several!versions,!quad!(four!motors), Hexakopter (six!motors)!

and Oktokopter with!eight!motors.!!There!are!also!variants!of!each!model!including!the!XL!versions!

designed!with!heavier!lifting!capabilities.!!However,!the!basic!operation!is!the!same!and!that!is!what!I!think!

will!be!helpful!in!understanding!the!basic!concept!of!operating!any!of!the!MK.
9!

The MK!also has!a!large!array!of!components,!all!of!which!perform!critical!function.

!!

The!various systems!include:

Frames

Flight!Control!Computer

Brushless!Controllers

Navigation!System

Power!Distribution!Boards

Battery

Motors

Propellers

Receivers

Transmitter

!!

The!following!pages!in!this!section!will!review!these!systems.

Frame

The!frame!is!the!'skeleton'!of!the MikroKopter,!its main!function!is!to!provide!a!sturdy,!well!balanced!

platform!for!the!other mikrokopter components.

While!the!aluminum!square!tube!frame!supplied!with!the!MK!kit!is!a!very!functional!option,!there!are!other!

well!engineered!frame!that!can!be!used!if!desired!to!hold!the!MK!electronics.!The!motor!to!motor!distance!

can!vary!between!35!cm!and!60!cm,!depending!on!motor!and!propeller!size.!Themikrokopter is!such!a!

stable!platform!that!even!beginners!can!start!out!with!the!large!XL!Oktokopters.

Here!is!a!view!of!the!individual!outrigger!arms!during!assembly,!Once!the!arms!are!attached!to!the!

centerplate,!additional!components!are!than!added.

A!MK!can!carry!200N1500!grams!of!load,!that's!up!to!3!pounds!for!the!large!models.

Quad
10

Hexa

Okto

Propellers

10N13!in!props!are!used!on!the!MKs!and!Each!type!is!manufactured!to!create!lift!when!turning!in!the!

designed!direction.!!

!!
11

Clockwise!(CW)!propellers!and!CounterNClockNWise!(CCW)!propellers!are!needed.

!!

The!standards!MK!props!work!well!as!do!the!props!from!other!manufacturers.

))

Properly!balancing!propellers!is!a!science!in!itself.!Out!of!the!box,!it!is!likely!that!all!of!the!props!are!fairly!

well!balanced,!at!least!enough!to!make!your!first!couple!flights.!Once!one!is!ready!for!additional!refinements!

and!calibrations,!the!props!should!be!checked!for!proper!balance!and!adjusted!if!necessary.!In!many!cases,!

if!you!have!a!badly!balanced!propeller,!it!is!easier!to!replace!it!than!try!to!balance!it.

The!propellers!are!installed!according!the!motor!rotation!chart!below.!Each!propeller!has!a!number!etched!

into!it.!Those!props!with!the!etched!number!ending!with!and!"R"!are!installed!on!the!clockwise!rotating!

props.
12

Additional)resources

Prop)Balancing

!!View!the!below!video and!learn!the!procedures!in!case!you!need!it.

If!an!outrigger!begins!vibrating,!prop!balancing!should!be!the!first!thing!to!look!into.

Prop)Installation

Electric
13

Power)Distribution

The!main!power!source!for!the!MK!are!a!LiPo!batteries.!These!powerful!batteries!supply!DC!power!to!all!of!

the!electrical!components!of!the!mikrokopter.

The!DC!power!is!distributed!by!connection!to!a!Power!distribution!Bus!where!all!of!the!other!components!

are!tied.

The!following!pages!will!provide!an!overview!of the!components!that!are!powered!by!the!LiPo!batteries!

along!with!the!processor!boards!the!manage!the!electronics!of!the!MK.

Batteries

The LiPo!(Lithium Polymer battery)!is!the!standard!power!source!for!the!MK.

These!!batteries!have!three!main!things!going!for!them!that!make!them!the!perfect!battery!choice!for!the!

MK!over!conventional!rechargeable!batteries.

• Light!weight!and!can!be!made!in!almost!any!shape!and!size.

• Large!capacities,!meaning!they!hold!lots!of!power!in!a!small!package.

• High!discharge!abilities!capable!of!meeting!the!demanding!power!requirements of the!MK.

On!the!downside!the!batteries!are!still!fairly!expensive!compared!to!NiCad!and NiMH,!but!coming!down!in!

price!all!the!time.!Although!getting!better.!!
14

• Another issue!is!that!they don’t)last)that)long,!perhaps!only!400!charge!cycles!(much!less!if!not!

cared!for!properly).!That!said,!they!are!getting!better!all!the time,!especially!if!cared!for!properly.

• Safety)issues N!because!of!the!volatile!electrolyte!used!in LiPo’s,!they!can!catch!fire!or!explode.

• Require unique)and)proper)care if!they!are!going!to!last!for!any!length!of!time!more!so!than!any!

other!battery!technology.!Charging,!discharging,!and!storage!all!affect!the!lifespan!–one!mistake!and!serious!

damage!can!be!done.

General)Power)Wiring

Motor,)Buzzer,)and)Running)Lights)Wiring

LED)running)lights

Note: There!are!several!ways!to!power!the!LED!running!lights.!Search!the!forums!if!you!prefer!a!different!

method!than!that!shown!below.

Battery)and)Buzzer)Wires

You!can either!connect!the!buzzer!wires!directly!to!the!Flight!Control!Board!on!the!buzzer!pads,!or,!if!you!

have!installed!the!molex!connector,!the!buzzer!wires!can!be!directly!wired!to!the!distribution!board.!

Connect!the!+!(red)!buzzer!wire!to!any!of!the!+!plus!pads!on!the!top!of!the!board!and!connect!the!negative!

(black)!buzzer!wire!to!the!buzzer!pad!labeled!BUZZN!on!the!bottom!of!the!distribution!board!located!on!the!
15

opposite!side!of!molex!connector.

Motor)Wires

The!order!is!as!follows:

• connect A)=)gray,)B =)blue,)C)=)black on!odd!motor!addresses!(1,3,5,7)!clockwise!rotation

• connect A)=)blue,)B)=)gray,)C)=)black on!even!motor!addresses!(2,4,6,8)!anticlockwise!direction
16

Motors

Brushless!motors are the!workhorse!of!the!MK.!As!mentioned!before,!the!motors!use!pulsed!DC!output!from!

the!BLNControllers!(ESC).!Every!other!motor!turns!clockwise!or!counter clockwise to!keep!the!MK!stable.

While!these!motors!look!relatively!simple,!they!in!fact!are!precision!made!motors!that!rapidly!respond!to!

power!changes!from!the!BLNController.
17
18

Electronics

The!Mikrokopter!is!basically!a!flying!laptop!computer.!In!order!to!fly!and!stay!in!the!air!it!must!process!the!

control!commands!from!the!pilot,!distribute!power!to!the!motors!to!precisely!control!motor!speed,!analyze!

flight!sensor!data!and!maintain!stability!throughout!its!10N15!minute!flight!time.!In!addition!to!many!other!

functions!it's!the!electronic board!that!make!this!all!work!together.

The!following!pages!will!describe!the!function!of!these!very!sophisticated!components.

!!!

Flight)Control

MK8)Flight)Control)and)Sensors

Contents

Contents

1. 1)Overview

2. 2)Terms

3. 3)Sensor!Description

1. 3.1 Gyroscopes!(Gyros)

2. 3.2 Acceleration!Sensor!!(AccelerometerNACC)

3. 3.3 Atmospheric!Pressure!Sensor

Overview

The!purpose!of!this!review!is!to!examine!the!Mikrokopter!Flight!Control!board!(FCNCtrl)!and!the!various!

flight!control!sensors!used!on!the!board!to!maintain!smooth!level!and!controllable!flight.!This!review!does!

not!cover!the!navigation!systems!such!as!the!Navi!Board,!GPS,!and!Compass.!!
19

Flight!Control!Computer!!

!!

The!FlightNControl!(FlightNCtrl)!is!the!main!board!of!the MikroKopter.!It!contains!the!primary!processor!and!

all!the!sensors!that!are!necessary!for!a!stable!flight.

!!

The!primary!sensors!on!the!FC!are!the!rotation!speed!sensors!(Gyros).!The!FC!software!uses!them!to!

determine!the!position!in!the!air!and!to!compensate!for!external!influences.!A!gyro!is!needed!for!every!axis!

(x,y and!z)!so!three!sensors!all!together.!These!gyroscopes/gyros!measure!rotation!speed!changes!in!

degrees!per!second.

!!

Another!important!sensor!is!the!acceleration!sensor.!It!senses!the!acceleration!in!all!of!the!three!axis.!The!

vertical!acceleration!sensor!is!also!able!to!measure!the!angle!of!the mikrokopter towards!the!earth.!Usually!

they!are!referred!to!as Accellerometers or!ACC.!You!can!fly!without!them,!but!with these!sensors!you!are!

able!to!automatically!get!the!MK!back!to!level!flight.!This!way!you!can!let!go!of!the!joysticks!and!

the MikroKopter will!stay!at!its!position.!Without!these!sensors,!the Mikrokopter will!keep!on!flying!in!a!

prescribed!angle.

!!

There!are!several!other!functions!that!the!Flight!Control!(FC)!performs,!including!altitude!calculation,!servo!

control!output,!and!transistor!voltage!output.!The!FC!also!manages!the!additional!boards navi, gps,!

and mag compass!when!they!are!attached.

!!

In!the!lower!photo,!you!can!see!the!Flight!Control!Board!(circled!in!red)!mounted!onto!the!MK.!!
20

If!the!flight!controller!software!is!properly!programmed!and!the!sensors!correctly!calibrated,!the!MK!will!

remain!steady!in!the!air!and!respond!smoothly!to!flight!commands!from!the!pilot.! While!there!are!other!

systems!on!the!MK!that!also!need!to!be!correctly!set!and!operated,!the!proper!understanding!and!setup!of!

the!flight!control!sensors!is!critical!to!quality!flight!characteristics.

Terms

))))Gyroscope/Gyro!N!electromechanical!devices!that!measure!the!angular!velocity!of!an!object!in!degrees!

per!second.!!

))))Accelerometer)(ACC) N!A!special!gyro!that!determines!the!acceleration!by!measuring!the!force!on!a!

known!sample!mass.

!!!!Center)of)Gravity)(CG) N!the!average!location!of!the!weight!of!an!object. The point!at!which!the!MK!would!

balance!if!it!were!possible!to!suspend!it!at!that!point.

))))MK)8))Abbreviation!for!Mikrokopter

))))MK)Flight)Control))Circuit!board!that!contains!all!of!the!electronics!needed!for!MK!flight.

))))Nick)8)MK!pitch!controlled!by!the!right!control!stick!on!the!radio!transmitter!in!a!forward/reverse!

direction.

))))Roll)8)MK!roll!controlled!by!the!right!control!stick!on!the!radion!transmitter!in!a!right/left!direction.

))))YAW)8)MK!rotation!in!a!horizontal!plane!controlled!by!the!left!stick!on!the!radio!transmitter!in!a!right/left!

direction.

))))MEMS)8)Microelectromechanical)systems is!the!technology!of!very!small!mechanical!devices!driven!by!

electricity.

))))EEPROM!N!!Electrically Erasable Programmable ReadNOnly Memory!and!is!a!type!of!nonNvolatile!

memory used!in!computers!and!other!electronic!devices!to!store!small!amounts!of!data!that!must!be!saved!

when!power!is!removed,!e.g.,!calibration!tables!or!device!configuration.

))))Weight)and)Balance N!The!science!of!properly!distributing!load!to!operate!the!MK!within!proper!weight!

limits!and!center!of!gravity location.!Flight!performance!is!greatly!affected!by!weight!and!balance.

Sensor Description

The!MKNFlight!Control!Board!has!five!separate!sensors!that!work!together!to!maintain!stable!and!controlled!

flight.!Three!Gyroscopes!are!installed!on!the!board!to!sense!angular!movement!in!the!three!different!

geometric!axis!planes,!an!accelerometer!capable!of!detecting!movement!speed!in!all!three!directions,!and!an!

atmospheric!pressure!sensor!used!for!altitude!control.
21

The!following!description!will!further!define!the!purpose!of!each!device.

Gyroscopes)(Gyros)

The!Mikrokopter!uses!three!MEMS!ADXRS610!gyros.!Of!all!the!sensors,!the!gyroscopes!are!most!important.!

The!Flight!Control!software!uses!inputs!from!the!gyros!to!determine!the!position!in!the!air!and!to!compen

sate!for!external!influences.!A!gyro!is!needed!for!each!geometric!axis!(x,y!and!z)!of!the!Mikrokopter.!Gyros!

measure!the!angular!velocity in!degrees!per!second.!The!Mikrokopter!uses!three!MEMS!Gyroscopes,!each!

placed!on!a!different!X,!Y,!Z!axis.

The!invention!of!the!Microelectromechanal!(MEMS)!gyro!was!a!breakthrough!in!gyro!technology!and!allows!

gyro!installation!in!everything!from!cameras!to!cell!phones.!The!MEMS!Gyro!does!not!use!a!rotating!mass!as!

in!older!version!rather!it!has!an!electostatically!suspended!membrane!that!accomplishes!the!same!task!only!

in!a!much!smaller!and!less!costly!method.!This!new!type!of!gyro!is!simpler!and!cheaper!than!conventional!

rotating!gyroscopes!of!similar!accuracy.
22

!!

Acceleration)Sensor))(Accelerometer8ACC)
23

The!main!function!of!the!acceleration!sensor!is!to!measure!the!actual!tilt!of!the!MikroKopter!and!to!support!

the!attitude!adjustments!from!the!gyros.

The!sensor!measures!static!(gravitational!acceleration)!and!dynamic!acceleration!using!the!LIS344ALH!

which!is!an!ultra!compact!consumer!lowNpower!threeNaxis!linear!accelerometer.!The!sensor!is!a!special!

MEMS!Gyro!that!senses!acceleration!in!all!of!three!axis.!Usually!referred!to!as Accellerometers*or*ACC, you!

can!fly!without!them,!but!with!this!sensor!you!are!able!to!automatically!get!the!MikroKopter!back!to!level!

flight.!When!properly!configured,!you!can!let!go!of!the!joysticks!and!the!MikroKopter!will!stay!at!its!

position.!Without!these!sensors,!the!Mikrokopter!will!keep!on!flying!in!a!prescribed!angle.!!

The!ACC!Sensor!converts!acceleration!values!into!proportional!voltage!levels,!which!are!than!evaluated,!

along!with!other!gyro!information!by!the!microcontroller!on!board!the!Flight!Control.!!

The!sensor!is!also!used!in!conjunction!with!the!gyroscopes!to!determine!attitude.
24

Atmospheric)Pressure)Sensor

A!height!sensor!can!be!placed!on!the!FlightNCtrl!as!an!option.!This!precise!barometric!pressure!instrument!

enables! the!ability!to!optionally!flying!at!the!same!height!all!the!time.!This!optional!sensor!also!serves!to!

stabilize!the!flight!altitude.

Note: It!is!important!to!be!aware!that!this!is!a!standard!"off!the!shelf"!part!and!needs!to!be!retrofitted!for!

the!MK!by!covering!the!small!pressure!port!with!open!cell!foam!held!in!place!by!shrink!wrap.!!!

Navigation)System

Contents

1. 1)Overview

Overview

Note:!The!navigation!system!for!the!Mikrokopter!is!a!fantastic!enhancement!to!it's!functionality,!however,!

you!must!not!solely!rely!on!this!system!for!flight.!You!must!become!totally!proficient!in!manual!flight!

operation!of!the!okto!before!routinely!using!this!system.

The!Navigation!system!of!the!Mikrokopter!consists!of!a!combination!of!the!NaviNControl!(Navigation!

Control!Board)!the!MKNGPS!(GPS!!Board)!and!MK3Mag!(Magnetic!Compass!Board).!!note:*starting*with*NC*

2.0*the*compass*is*integrated*onto*the*board.!!

A!GPS!(MKNGPS)!system!board!is!also!included!in!the!navigation!package!and!provided!precise!location!

positioning.

Functions!such!as!Position!Hold,!Coming!Home,!Care!Free,!and!map!navigation!are!possible!with!the!

navigation!system!installed.

Navi)Board

An!addNon!Navigation!system!consisting!of!a!Navigation!board,!GPS!board,!and!compass!are!generally!added!

to!the!MK!to!enhance!its!performance.

Blow!is!the!Navi!Board!(Larger!red!board)!with!the!compass!board!mounted!to!it!and!conncted!to!the!GPS!

(black)!board.
25

!!

Although!this!navigation!system!is!not!needed!to!fly!the!MK,!it!adds!very!sophisticated!capabilities!that!

were!once!limited!to!only!large,!expensive!commercial!and!military!aircraft!only!a!few!years!ago.

!!

With!the!added!functions!of!GPS!Dynamic!Position!Hold,!Waypoint!Navigation,!ComingNHome,!and!Return!

Home!on!communication!failure,!the!MK!is!on!of!the!most!modern!and!sophisticated!aircraft!of!its!kind.

Below!is!a!complete!navigation!system!consisting!of!the!NaviNBoard,!Compass,!and!GPS!system.!All!are!

stacked!on!top!of!the!Flight!Control!Board!and!connected!to!it!with!the!light!gray!data!ribbons.

MK8GPS

The!MKGPS!is!a!GPSNreceiver!for!the!Mikrokopter.

Together!with!the NaviControl the!following!features!are!possible:

• autonomous!position!hold!(PositionNHold!or!just!PH)
26

• fly!bach!to!start!point!(Coming!Home!or!just!CH)

• Fly!3DNWaypoints!(Waypoints)!

• Logging!the!flight!onto!the!SDNCard

• showing!the!actual!position!and!speed!on!the!'OSD'Nscreen!in!the KopterTool

• showing!the!actual!distance!and!speed!on!the JetiBox

• Pointing!the!camera!to!a!specific!point: PointOfInterest

GPS)Fix

A!GPS!Fix!is!indicated!by!a!flashing!LED!on!the!MKGPS.

During!the!first!startNup,!the NaviCtrl will!build a!complete!Almanac/Index.!This!contains!satellite!positions!

and!paths.!A!complete!cycle!to!build!this!Almanac!takes!12.5!minutes.!!

Based!on!the!last!known!position!the!fix!will!from!then!on!be!built!up!much!quicker.

If!the!fix!takes!a!longer!time,!it!could!be!that!the!small!battery!on!the!GPS!board!is!too!weak.!The!battery!is!

normally!charged!to!about!3V.!The!battery!is!always!charged!when!the!GPS!module!is!in!operation.!If!the!

battery!voltage!is!significantly!lower!than!3.0!V,!it!can!be!charged!by!providing!power!to!the!GPS!module.!

One!way!is!through!the!Naviboard's!USB!port!(with!the!MKGPS!connected).!The!ribbon!cable!to!the!FC!

should!be!removed.!Another!method!is!to!power!the!MKGPS!with!5V!on!one!of!the!"5VNPads"!on!the!edge!

and!0V!on!ground!(GND).!Charging!takes!about!24!hours.

The!purpose!of!the!battery!is!to!keep!the!ephemerides!in!RAM!and!the!realtime!clock!running!after!power!

off!to!shorten!the!reNaquire!time.
27

http://gallery.mikrokopter.de/main.php/v/tech/GPS_Shield1.jpg.html

This!is!an!enlargement!of!the!groundNplane!of!the!GPSNReceiver!to!increase!the!signal!strenght.!Also!it!

shields!the!antenna!against!electro!magnetic!fields!of!the!other!electronics.

See!also: GPSNShield

MK8Compass

This!is!a!3Naxis!magnetic!field!sensor.!Using!the!current!attitude!data!it!forms!a!tilt!compensated!Compass.!The!MK3Mag!can

together!with!the!Flight!Ctrl!to!stabilize!yaw!control!or!in!combination!with!the!NaviCtrl.!The!MK3Mag!is!supported!by!the!F

software!version!0.69K!upwards.

Note: With!Navi!2.0!and!up,!the!compass!is!now!integrated!with!the!Navi!board!itself.

General)Points

Caution: For!use!of!the!MK3Mag!it!is!essential!that!the!distance!between!compass!and!Buzzer!minimum!10cm.!It!is!best!to!m

the!outer!end!of!one!of!the!frame!arms.

The!highest Interfering)Magnetic)field)is)generated)by:!Buzzer,!Motors,!Power!Cables!and!Metal!Parts!(In!approx.!this!ord
28

If!problems!with!the!MK3Mag!are!only!noticeable!at!higher!throttle,!it!is!likely!that!the!interfering!magnetic!field!is!

generated!by!power!lines.!Ideally!the!individual!DCNlines!should!have!very!few!bends!and!Plus/Minus!should!be!

routed!parallel!as!their!magnetic!fields!are!then!compensated!by!each!other!(Tips!and!Video).

Operating)Note:!The!Navi!board!trusts!the!compass!data!to!be!100%!accurate.!Bad!compass!data!will!be!reflected!

in!a!toilet!bowling!effect!or!worse!case!a!flyaway.

The!best!thing!to!do!is!to!turn!off!all!navi!functions!and!learn!how!to!fly!manually!and!regain!orientation!based!on!

stick!and!craft!movements.!This!is!where!simulator!training!comes!in!helpful.

Brushless)Controllers

Overview

Brushless)Controller,)Electronic)Speed)Controller)(ESC)

The!Mikrokopter!uses!brushless!motors!to!turn!the!props.

BLNCtrl!2.0!Top

BLNCtrl!2.0!N!Bottom

The!BLNControllers!are!connected!to!the!main!board!with!a!power!distribution!bus!system!(PDB)!and!each!

controller!is!given!a!unique!address!that!is!used!by!the!main!processor!to!communicate!with!the!BLN

controller.

In!this!zoomed!in!picture!of!a!BLNCtrl!board, you!can!see!how!the!addresses!are!selected!by!flowing!solder!

between!different!address!tabs!(ADR!1N2N3,!ADR!4N5)
29

Below!is!an!Okto2!Power!distribution!Board!with!eight!BLNCntrl's!connected.

Each!BLNController!board!is!attached!to!it’s!own!associated!motor!and!manages!the!power!going!to!that!

motor!so!that!it!turns!at!the!exact!speed!it!was!assigned!!by!the!FC.!!

Brushless!motors!don't!use!brushes!for!energyNdistribution!to!the!rotor.!In!contrast!to!the!motors!with!

brushes,!the!magnets!are!rotating!while!the!coils!do!not.!That's!why!you!can't!use!a!steady!DC!current,!DC!

current!with!precise!pulses!is!needed!to!drive!the!motors.!This!current!is!provided!by!the!BLNCtrl.

The!advantages!of!such!motors!are!:

!!!!High!efficiency!and!performance

!!!!Less!risk!of!interference!as!there!are!no!brushless!or!gears.

!!!!Numerous!sources!of!motors!with!different!power!output!and!rpm's!per!Volt.!!
30

In!order!for!these!motors!to!function!properly,!the!direct!current!of!the!batteries!has!to!be!converted!to!a!

triphasic!alternating!current!with!power!output!controlled!so!that!the!speed!of!the!motors!can!be!

accurately!controlled.!There!are!numerous!brushless!speed!controllers!available!on!the!market.!However!

very!few!are!available!which!can!fulfill!the!special!requirements:!We need!brushless!controllers!which!can!

accept!a!new!throttle!value!very!rapidly!(<!0.5ms)!and!implement!it.!In!addition!the!controller!has!to!have!

an!I2C!bus!interface.!!

Basically!what!happens!in!the!motor!control!is!that!a!precise!speed!signal!is!sent!from!the!Flight!Control!

computer!to!each!BLNCntrl!!(ESC).!!The!Atmel!chip!on!each!BlNcontrol!than!directs!the!exact!firing!sequence!

to!each!of!the!six!power!MOSFET!(transistors)!mounted!on!the!BLNCntrl!board.!!The!combined!firing!of!the!

MOSFETS!then!controls!it's!assigned!motor!using!Pulse!Wave!Modulation!(PWM).!All!of!these!instructions!

happen!in!fractions!of!a!second!and!is!the!basis!for!MK!flight.!(read!more!on!PWM)!

All!this!is!pretty!amazing,!considering!that!this!wasn't!even!possible!ten!years!ago,!much!less!affordable.

The!BLNControl!board!also!has!additional!components!that!measure!power!and!voltage!along!with!

operation!two!LED's!that!indicate!the!condition!of!the!board!electronics.

Additional!Information

Receiver

Each Mikrokopter must!also!have!a!radio!receiver.!The!receiver!receives!the!wireless!signal!!transmitted!

from!the!pilots!control!transmitter!and!converts!them!to!electrical!signals!which!in!turn!are!read!by!the!

FlightNControl!computer.!This!signal!contains!data!transmitted!by!pilots transmitter that!contains!command!

instruction!input!when!the!pilot!moves!the!various!transmitter!sticks,!switches,!levers!and!dials.!This!signal!

is!processed!by!the!FlightNControl!software!into!separate!channels!that!will!be!used!to!control!

the MikroKopter.

Some!Radio!systems!such!as!the!Graupner!MXN20!have!receivers!capable!of!transmitting!telemetry!back!to!

the!pilots!transmitter!for!real!time!viewing.
31

Section)3)5)Mikrokopter)Tool

NOTICE)8)About these pages

NOTICE!N!The information presented on each of the MKNTool pages is!a!duplicate of that

presented on theMikrokopter.de MKNTool pages.!

!I!have added this information for the convenience of the reader and also have!!attempted make

a!clearer translation and explain things at!a!deeper level if additional information is available.

As!!you study these pages, make sure to compare what is included here to

the Mikrokopter.de website and consider that the primary authority.

Index

• Firmware Upgrades

• MK8GPS

• MK8Tools Pages

o Altitude

o Camera

o Channels

o Configuration

o Coupling

o Gyro

o Looping

o Misc

o Mixer Setup

o NaviNCtrl

o NaviNCtrl!2

o Output

o Stick

o User

• MK8USB

The!MikroKopter!tool,!short!MKNTool!is!a!WindowsNprogram!where!you!can!make!

programming!changes!to the!!MikroKopter!software!that!operates!the!primary!!MK!boards!such!

as!FlightCtrl, NaviCtrl,!MK3Mag,!MKNGPS.

Supported!Windows!versions!are!98/2000/XP/Windows7!(you!may!need!admin!rights!to!

make!changes).

To!use!a!WindowsNprogram!like!the!KopterTool!on!a MAC,!you!need!the!appropriate!MAC/PC!

software!running!on!the!MAC.

Below!is!the!main!screen!that!appears!once!MKNTool!is!running.!From!here,!you!can!navigate!to!

all!of!the!other!functions.
32

Download

The!KopterTool!is!downloaded!as!.zipNfile!and!can!be!used!directly!after!unpacking.

The!current!version!can!be!downloaded!here: MikroKopter8Tool

Connecting)preparation

Before!starting!the!KopterTool!and!beginning!to!make!changes!to!the!MK!Parameters!the!MKN

USB!must!be!assembled!and!plugged!into!an!available!USB!port!on!the!PC.!!

MKNUSB!assembly!instructions!can!be!found!here: MKNUSB

(Alternatively,!the!SerCon!be!used!for!the!connection.!This,!however,!requires!a correct COM!port.

A!COMNUSB!adapter!can not be!used!!!)
33

• If!your!computer!does!not!have!a!USB!or!Secon!connection,!you!cant!open/use!the!KopterTool!

Also!You!cannot!open!the!KopterTool!software!without!the!MKNUSB!being!plugged!into!the!PC.!!

First)start)of)KopterTool

After!the!MKNUSB!is!set!and!connected!to!the!PC!the!KopterTool!can!be!open.

At!the!first!start!you!see!the!license!window:!!

This!window!displays!the!license!agreement!to!use!the!tool!MikroKopter.!Also!you!can!chose!

the!language!and!the!COMNport.!The!COM!port!should!be!set!to!the!MKNUSB.!!

(In!order!to!determine!which!COM!port!is!assigned!to!the!MKNUSB,!you!can!select!in!

the Windows*Device*Managerunder COM*and*LPT*ports.)

With!a!"click"!on Akzeptieren*/*Accept you!accepted!the!license!conditions,!the!default!

language!setting!and!the!COM!port.

Now!you!will!see!the!start!window!of!the!KopterTool:!!
34

(View!without!attached!board)

If!an!incorrect!COM!port!is!set,!it!can!changed!in!the!terminal!window!of!the!KopterTool.

You!can!access!the!terminal!windows!by!pressing!the!button Firmware)update)&)Terminal in!the!KopterTool.

Left!down!the!COM!port!can!be!set.!!
35

(With!a!"click"!on!the!button Debug... you!can!go!back!to!the!main!window.)

Connection)of)modules

After!the!connection!is!established!to!the!Kopter!Tool,!the!FlightCtrl!and!any!other!(connected)!

components!(such!as!NaviCtrl,!MK3Mag,!etc.)!can!now!be!programmed.

Connection)to)the)Kopter:!!

• Flight8Ctrl single!installed!=>

o MK8USB is!connected!to!the!10Npin!connector "Ext" of!the!FlightNCtrl.

Flight8Ctrl)and)GPS)system (NaviCtrl,!MK3Mag,!MKNGPS)!installed!=>

o MK8USB is!connected!to!the!10Npin!connector "Debug")of)the NaviCtrl.

The!10Npin!ribbon!cable!must!be!connected!from!terminal!"1"!(redNmarked!side)!to!the!

terminal!"1"!of!each!board!!

The!contact!"1"!is!marked!on!the!boards!with!a!print.
36

Warning:!!!If!MK!is!being!powered!with!a!regulated!power!supply!or!LiPo,!make!sure!the!JP1!

jumper!on!the!MKNUSB!is!removed!before!making!the!connection!to!the!MK.

Caution: Especially!for!the!initial!connections!it!is!highly!recommended!to!use!the!regulated!power!supply

because!if!errors!occur!the!components!will!be!not!destroyed.

Here!are!some!examples!of!how!to!connect!the!modules!to!the!MKNUSB.

The red arrows mark each pin "1"

FlightCtrl

Navi Ctrl

NaviCtrl: 

MK3Mag

All!of!the!boards!shown!in!the!pictures!are!individually!connected!so!the!JP1!jumper!on!the!MKNUSB!should!be!closed!

in!order!to!supply!power!to!the!components!from!the!USB!port.
37

First)Connection

Depending!on!whether!the!Kopter!is!connected!to!the!FlightCtrl!or!when!using!the!GPS!system!

on!the!NaviCtrl,!the!startup!screen!should!look!like!this:!!

Kopter!with!FlightCtrl,!BLNCtrl!and!Receiver.

Kopter!with FlightCtrl,!BLNCtrl,!GPSNSystem!and!receiver.
38

Choosing)Assemblies/Settings

Assemblies/Boards

The!different!assemblies!(FlightCtrl,!NaviCtrl,!MK3Mag,!GPSNModule)!will!be!selected!via!the!

button.

The!function!of!the!individual!modules!can!be!displayed!in!the!Scope!and!the!analog!display!in!

the!main!window!of!the KopterTool.

A)description)of)each)displayed)information)you)will)find)here:))

SwitchTo...
39

Settings

All!settings!to!the!Kopter!are!made!on!Settings.

If!all!modules!are!connected!together!the!settings!for all!components!are!made!centrally.

To!turn!into!the!settings!(Settings...)!you must choose!the FlightCtrl.!

INFO

If!you!select!the!Settings!and!see!this!window...!!

!!

...!then!the!KopterTool!Version!is!not!compatible!to!the!software!version!on!the!FlightCtrl!and/or!NaviCtrl.

Then!you!should!update!the!FlightCtrl!/!NaviCtrl!with!the!latest!software!version.!(Update)

(Alternatively,!it!could!also!be!used!an!older!version!of!KopterTool.)

Scope

In!the!Scope!window!the!functions!of!the!modules!are!checked.!You!can!determine!by!selecting!

the!individual!functions!which!scope!is!displayed.
40

Scope)Selection

A!click!on Scope opens!the!selection!window.

Here,!the!individual!functions!can!selected!to!be!displayed!in!the!scope.!Depending!on!the!

selected!module!various!functions!can!be!selected.

FlightCtrl NaviCtrl

MK3Mag

Also!you!can!select!on!the!analog!display!the!value!you!need!with!a!"right!click"!of!the!mouse!on!

it.!This!will!then!change!the!font!color!of!the!selected!value.!!

Here!are!the!first!5!values!are!selected:

Scope)Start/Stop

The!scope!on!the!scope!window!will!be!started!and!stopped!by!pushing!the!buttons!START!and!STOP.
41

Scope)Window

On!the!right!side!the!scope!lines!are!listed.!Depending!on!which!module!is!selected!/!connected,!

different!values!are!chosen.

By!doubleNclicking!the!Scope!window!it!can!be!increased.!Even!areas!in!the!scope!window!can!

be!highlighted!by!marking!with!the!"mouse".

Example: FlightCtrl display!for Nick,!Roll,!Yaw.!To!get!the!scope!lines,!the FlightCtrl must!be!inclined!in!the!direction!

of!it's!corresponding!talk:!nick!/!turn!

Serial83D8OSD

Serial

• To!use!these!additional!serial!channels,!some!conditions!are!necessary.

o N!The!Kopter!must!be!hooked!up!to!the!PC/Laptop!over!an!additional!connection!

(Wi232!or!Bluetooth)!!

N!In!example:!a!joystick!must!be!connected!to!the!PC!and!set!up.

N!The!KopterTool!must!be!open!to!use!the!function.

The!serial!channels!do not replace!the!transmitter!!A!normal!transmitter!/!receiver!must!be!

used!anyway.!!

With!the!button SerialChannels the!following!window!opens!up.!Here!you!can!use!and!set!up!

more!channels.
42

To!each!channel!(Ch1:!...!Ch12:)!functions!can!be!assigned!to!the!joystick.!Those!you!can!choose!

under Axes,Buttons or POV.!

So!that!the!functions!are!transferred!to!the!copter!it!must!have!a!hook!at!the!bottom "sending)

the)serial)channels)are)active" to!be!set.

To!each!channel!now!a!FUNCTION!/!POTI!can!be assigned.!This!can!be!done!in!the!

Settings: Channels.!

3D

After!a!click!on!the!3DNButton!the!indicator!of!the!center!of!gravity!(Balance)!and!the!

simulation!of!the!Kopter!will!be!displayed.
43

Both!ads!will!appear!when!you!are!connected!to!the!FC!and!than!click!the 3D button!(maybe!

click!on!"FlightControl"!before).

In!the!display!of!the!center!of!gravity!you!can!control!if the!Kopter!has!it's!center!of!gravity!in!

the!middle!or!at!a!different!spot.!!

For!this!you!can!connect!your!Kopter!with!e.g.!a!Bluetooth!or!a!Wi232!to!the!PC.

Now!you!can!hover!with!your!Kopter!and!controll!the!center!of!gravity!(a!second!person!can!do!

this!for!you).

If!the!focus!of!the MikroKopter is!not!on!the!main!thrust!of!the!engines!(usually!the!center)!the!

point!walks!out.

Very!interesting:!Yaw!(upper!scale).!If!the!frame!is!not!really!straight the!MK!is!yawing!all!the!

time!against!it.!!

OSD

With!the!OSDNdisplay!multiple!functions!can!be!used.!!

In!the!upper!display,!in!example,!the!height!of!the!Kopter,!the!speed,!battery!level,!distance!to!the!start!point,!etc.!

can!be!displayed.

In!the!lower!field!maps!can!be!loaded.!The!position!of!the!Kopter!can!be!displayed.!Also,!waypoints!can!be!entered!

and!the!Kopter!can!fly!automatically.
44

For!the!onNscreen!display!(!OSD!)!a!data!connection!is!required!for!the!Kopter.!This!can!be!done!via!Bluetooth!or!

Wi232.

For!a!waypointNflight!the!radius!is!limited!to!250mtr!

Informations)how)to)use)the)OSD)for)e.g.)load)a)map,)waypoint)setting,)POI)

setting)or)many)other)functions)can)be)found)here:))

KopterTool)OSD...

Terminal8Window

The!Terminal!Window!will!open!through!a!click!on Firmware*update*&*Terminal.!

The!Terminal!Window.
45

COM8Port

Here!you!can!set!up!the!COMNPort!for!the!MKNUSB.!!

Only!if!this!is!correct!set!up!you!will!have!a!connection between!the!MikroKopter!(or!individual!components)!and!the!

KopterTool.

With!the!green!dot!on!the!left!side!of!the!COM!port,!the!COM!port!can!be!ended!and!been!restarted.

Is!the!dot!green,!the!COMNPORT!is!"ON".

Debug

With!the Debug button!you!can!switch!back!to!the KopterTool MainNWindow.!!

Choose)language

In!the!first!time!the!KopterTool!is!set!up!automatically!by!the!detected!PC!speech.!!

If!you!decide!to!have!a!different!language!for!the!KopterTool!you!need!to!click!on!the!button! !to!set!it!up.

In!the!next!window!that!opens!you!can!choose!the!language!you!need.!With Restart the!KopterTool!starts!with!the!

new!language.!!
46

• More)languages!!

In!the!program!directory!you!will!find!the!language!files!as!"language_XX.dat".!(XX!=!country!code)!This!is!a!simple!

text!file!that!can!be!edited!with!a!text!editor.!Everyone!can!even!modify!the!files!or!translate!a!new!language.!!

The!format!is!quite!simple:

english!text!=!translated!text!!e.g.!!Communication!timeout!!=!Délai!de!communication!trop!long

The!best!thing!is!for!a!new!language!to!use!an!existing!language!file,!renames!it!and!start!the!compilation.!If!there!is!

no!translation!for!a!word!in!the!file,!it!automatically!displays!the!text!English.!!

Anyone!who!wants!can!send!us!new!language!files,!and!in!the!next!release!it!will!be!taken!over...

Latest)Software)download

The!latest!software!for!the!individual!components!of!the!Mikrokopter!can!be!downloaded!with!the!KopterTool.

A!click!on!the!loupe! !opens!the!necessary!window.

An)explaination)of)the)download)you)will)find)here:))

Software)Download...

Latest)Software)update

After!the!actual!software!is!downloaded!you!can!place!it!into!the!necessary!module!(FlightCtrl,!NaviCtrl,!etc.)!!

You!need!to!click!on!the!button Update*Software*(serial)...!!

An)information)about)the)Update)you)can)find)here:))

Software)Update...

Reset)8)EEPROM)initializing

To!reset!the!modules!(FlightCtrl,!NaviCtrl,!etc.)!back!to!the!standard!settings,!!
47

you!can!do!it!on!a!click!of!the!button!with!the!red!triangle! !

All!settings!will!be!reset!but!not!the!channel!allocation.

After!a!"BIG"!Software!Updates you!should!initialize!the!EEPROM.

Since!this!usually!have!altered!much!of!the!default!values!you!should not store!old!settings.!Here,!the!settings!should!

be!set!more!new.

Of!course,!then!you!should!calibrate!the!ACC!once!again.

Firmware)Upgrades

Overview:

Firmware is!the!fixed!programs!and/or!data!structures!that!resides!on!each!board!processing!chip!to!control!

various!board!functions.!The!MK!will!not!operate!without!correctly!installed!firmware!as!it!is!essentially!the!

brains!of!the!board.!!

While Firmware!upgrading!may!seem!overwhelming!at!first,!take!your!time!and!follow!these!instructions!

carefully!and!you!should!have!no!problems.!!

Info:)What)is)a)HEX)file?

HEX is!a!file!format!for!conveying!binary!information!for!applications!like!programming!microcontrollers,!

EPROMs,!and!other!kinds!of!chips.!It!is!one!of!the!oldest!file!formats!available!for!this!purpose,!having!been!in!use!

since!the!1970s

Note:)BL8Ctrl)Firmware

An!update!of!the!BLNCtrl!is!seldom!needed!and!not!part!of!a!typical!Firmware!update!!!

For!an!update!or!to!control!the!BL!software!,!the!BLNCtrl!must!be!connected!directly!to!the!MKNUSB.

!!(see: http://www.mikrokopter.de/ucwiki/en/SoftwareUpdate)!if!you!need!to!update!or!check!BLNCtrl!

Firmware)

Warning

WARNING: The!connection!to!MKTools!should!be!via!the!USB!cable (NOT)WIRELESS)

If!you!missed!this!warning!and!tried!upgrading!with!wireless!Xbee!and!now!cannot!connect!to!the!Navi!board,!all!

is!not!lostNNN see!this!post!!

Note: It!is!recommended!to!use!a!regulated!power!supply!that!is!set!to!a!low!mA!limit!for!this!process.!!

WARNING: Props!should!be!removed!as!a!software!glitch!could!cause!motor!start. (at*least*tie*the*MK*down*and*

stay*clear)

Update!Steps:

1)!Confirm!in!MKTools,!which!firmware!versions!you!have.

2)!Download!all!of!the!latest!firmware!versions!for!Navi!Ctrl,!Flight!Ctrl,!MK3Mag!( MK3Mag!is!integrated!into!NC

2.0!board!N!also,!MK3Mag!firmware!is!not!updated!after!FC!V.086/NC.86).!Also, download!the!latest!MKTools!!(you!

will!need!to!use!this!once!the!upgrades!are!done)!Place!the!files!into!a!separate!folder!in!your!PC!and!remember!

where!you!put!them.!(Alternatively,!you!can!get!the!latest!firmware!from!within!MKNTools!N!See!these!

instructions)!

Note:)Save)your)old)values

• In!MKTools,!make!screen!captures!or!write!down!of!all!of!your!settings!for!future!reference.Major!upgrades!will!
48

reset!all!of!the!software!values!to!original!settings!and!any!changes!that!you!have!made!will!be!lost. Note:*The*

newest*version*of*Firefox*(4.0)*has*a*screen*capture*feature*built*in.

• It!is!recommended!that!you!reNcheck!and!manually!reNenter!all!of!your!software!changes!for!any!upgrade. You*

should*never*import*settings*of*previous*versions*via*the*KopterTool.*The*settings*should*be*done*manually!

• The!compass!must!be!reNcalibrated!using!the new!version of!the!calibration!procedure.!It!would!also!be!a!good!

idea!to!do!a!sensor!calibration!at!this!time!also.

3)!Close!down!all!unnecessary!programs!and!processes!you!have!running.!If!you!are!doing!this!on!a!laptop,!make!

sure!the!battery!is!charged.

4)!Click!Firmware!update!&!Terminal!!!Note: Use!your!existing!version!of!MKTools!not!the!latest!download.

5)!The!terminal!window!pops!up!!
49

6)!Click!Update!Software!(serial)

Note:)Where)are)the)Hex)Files?

The!current!software!of!the!individual!components!can!be!downloaded!easily!over!the KopterTool.!

This!describes!how!to!download!the!files!via!the KopterTool:!Software!Download

7)!Navigate!to!the!folder!where!you!downloaded!the!latest!firmware.!!!

!!
50

The!firmware!should!be!updated!in!the!following!order:!!

!!!!a)!NaviNCtrl!!

!!!!b)!MK3Mag (skip*this*step*if*you*are*upgrading*from*FCV0.84*to*FC*V*0.86)

!!!!c)!FlightNCtrl

8)!The!process!takes!about!a!minute!or!so!per!firmware!update.!At!the!end!each!of!the!updates!there!is!a

verification!and!confirmation!beep!from!the!mikrokopter.!!!!!

Note:!If!you!get!a!failure!at!this!point!!N!see!this!info

Note:

If!you!open!a!updatefile,!the KopterTool detects!automatically!(on!the!file!name)!which!file!it!is!and!for!what!this!

board!is!used.!!

So!for!example!if!you!try!to!program!the NaviCtrl firmware!into!the FlightCtrl,!it!will!give!you!an!error!message.

9)!Check!all!the!settings!as!they!will!all!be!the!defaults!of!the!new!firmware.!For!example,!the!default!model!is!for!a!

Quad,!If!you!have!an!Okto!(the!configuration!file!for!the!different!setups!are!within!the!directory!you!extracted!

MKtools!to).

10)!You'll!need!to!reNdue!the!ACC!calibration!(left!stick!up!and!to!the!right)!with!the!kopter!level.!!

11)!Recalibrate!the!compass.!(This!Process!is!new!for!FC!version!.084)!!

12)!Install!and!open!the!newest!version!of!MKTools!and!verify!that!the!boards!are!communicating!with!each!

other,!all!settings!are!still!there,!and!the!correct!versions!of!firmware!is!being!displayed.!!
51

13)!Enter!page!by!page!your!custom!settings.!!

After!the!update!an!automatic!reset!is!performed!and!the!unit!restarts.!In!the!Terminal!Window!you!can!see!now!

the!initialization!of!the!module.!!

The!initialization!looks!like!as!shown!in!the!pictures!above.!!

Trouble Shooting Firmware Updates

File)corrupted

It!can!be!that!way!that!the!download!of!the!software!file!was!corrupted!and!therefore!the!file!itself!is!damaged.!!

In!review!of!the!file!is!in!the!terminal!window!the!update!to!see!from!the!program!path!of!the!file:!!

Here!must!after!the Reading)File...!a!OK been!displayed!and!the!respective!program!size!(e.g. Program)Size:)63)

070)bytes )!should!be!displayed.!!

Is!there!a!bug!or!a!too!small!number!(eg!130!bytes!/!0!bytes)!or Unexpected)character).....)FILE)

damaged!appears!the!file!must!be!downloaded!again.

Or:

Connection)problem

Is!e.g.!the!MK3Mag!after!an!update!over!the!NaviCtrl!without!function,!a!transmission!problem!is!indicated.

Here!the!MK3Mag!should!be!connected!directly!to!the!MKNUSB!and!the!update!will!run!again!(Connection!see!

upper!picture).

If!the!MK3Mag!is!directly!connected!to!the!MKNUSB!you!need!to!take!care!that!the!connection!between!the!pinN

header!and!the!MK3Mag!connector!on!the!ribbon!cable!!

is!correct.!Here!it!is!perhaps!possible!due!to!a!short!10Npin!male!connector!on!the!MK3Mag!that!you!will!have!

poor!contact.!!

It!may!be!also!that!the!module!is!not!detected.!The!reason!for!this!is!possibly!an!improperly!soldered!plug!

connector!of!the!MKNUSB!or!the!ribbon!cable!is!plugged!in!upside!down!!

(red!side!of!the!cable!shows!each!of!the!pin!1!of!the!module!/!MKNUSB),!or!the!sockets!on!the!ribbon!cable!have!

not!a!good!connection.!!

Here!a Timeout will!be!displayed:!!

!!

Or:

Manual)reset
52

The!connection!is!fine!but!the!automatic!update!does!not!work!anyway?!!

If!after "Connecting)(try)to)reset)hardware)and)start)bootloader)..." is!not!an "OK" coming!up!after!~3!to!4!

dots!than!you!can!do!as!follows:!!

• connect!the!PCB!(i.e.!FC)!over!the!ribbon!cable!direct!to!the!MKNUSB!(not)over)a)wireless)connection!).!For!the!

BLNCtrl!use!the!connector!on!the!side!of!the!MKNUSB!

• remove!jumper!from!MKNUSB

• In!the!KopterTool!select!the!appropriate!file!and!start!the!update

• place!the!jumper while)the)dots)been)displayed!!

• Now!a OK should!be!behind!the!dots.

(After!switching!on!the!board!always!the!bootloader!starts!first!N!then!detects!the!update!from!the KopterTooland!

performs!the!update.)

• Repeat!if!it!don't!work.!Timing!is!the!matter!of!fact.

If!it!comes!to!frequent!interruptions!with errorNmessages!the!computer!can!be!also!the!problem.!!

If!a!laptop!is!used!and!the!power!for!the!modules!is!supplied!over!the!MKNUSB!the!power!can!be!not!sufficient.

Here!you!should!either!provide!the!module!with!an!external!power!supply!or!a!lipo.!Or!a!PC!is!used!for!the!update.

Following is!a!helpful tutorial from Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.

Quadrocopter!Tutorial!N!Upgrading!Firmware!with!MKTools from Quadrocopter on Vimeo.!

MK8Tools)Pages)

Notice)8)About)these)pages

NOTICE!N!The!information!presented!on!each!of!the!MKNTool!pages!is!a!duplicate!of!that!presented!on!

theMikrokopter.de!MKNTool!pages.!

I!have!added!this!information!for!the!convenience!of!the!reader!and!also!have!!attempted!make!a!clearer!

translation!and!explain!things!at!a!deeper!level!if!additional!information!is!available.

As!!you!study!these!pages,!make!sure!to!compare!what!is!included!here!to!the Mikrokopter.de website!and!

consider!that!the!primary!authority.

Parameter)Page)Index

• Altitude

• Camera
53

• Channels

• Configuration

• Coupling

• Gyro

• Looping

• Misc

• Mixer!Setup

• NaviNCtrl

• NaviNCtrl!2

• Output

• Stick

• User

In!these!pages!are!the!different!configuration!parameters!of!the!Mikrokopter!Tool.

Making)Setting)Changes

Note: The!Mikrokopter!should!fly!very!well!with!the!default!settings.!Prior!to!changing!other!parameters,!

please!make!sure!that!you!have!properly!calibrated!the!gyros,!accelerometers,!compass!and!checked!

balance.

Keep!of!copy!of!your!current!settings!prior!to!any!changes!so!that!you!can!go!back!to!a!working!model!

without!having!to!reset!completely!back!to!the!factory!default!settings.

When!adjusting!parameters,!make!changes!in!minor!increments!and!than!test!them!before!continuing!

changes.

Easy)Setup)Page:!!
54

Parameterset)Field:

Expert)View:!makes!all!tabs!are!visible.

Red)Triangle: resets!all!parameters!to!factory!defaults.

Help)Button: opens!the!Wiki!pages. (internet*connection*required)

Parameter)selection)Box: In!a!total!of!five!sets!of!parameters!different!settings!are!included.!These!can!be!

processed!individually!and!then!be!called!at!the!Kopter!through!the!sticks!of!the!transmitter.

This!Settings!are:

• Setting)1)=)Fast (Sporting!flight!attitude)
55

• Setting)2)=)Normal (Average!flight!attitude)

• Setting)3)=)Easy (Basic!flight!attitude)

• Setting)3)=)Easy (Basic flight!attitude)

• Setting)3)=)Easy (Basic!flight!attitude)

Each!setting!can!be!renamed!in!the!Configuration!page!under Name*of*configuration.!This!is!maybe!

necessary!if!you!change!a!single!setting!with!"your"!changes.

Note:

This!is!useful!for!example!for!different!payloads,!sporty!flying!or!cameraNflight!etc.!!

Read: loads!the!current!settings!that!already!in!the!mikrokopter.!!

Write:!Saves!a!setting!change.

The!MikroKopter!acknowledged!this!with!a!appropriate!number!of!short!beeps.!!

Note:!Each!set!must!be!saved!individually!!!

Save: Saves!the!current!Parameter!Set.

Load:!Loads!a!selected!Parameter!Set!from!the!PC.!!

Note: The!parameter!sets!can!be!viewed!with!a!text!editor!and!printed,!too.!Thus,!it!is!possible!to!view!the!

parameter!sets!without!a!laptop!while!flying.

Radio)Transmitter)Parameter)Selection:!!parameter!sets!can!be!loaded!using!the!transmitter!by!moving!

the!sticks!into!the!following!positions.

• Setting)1 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Roll!left!!

• Setting)2 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Nick!up!/!Roll!left!!

• Setting)3 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Nick!up!!

• Setting)4 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Nick!up!/!Roll!right!!

• Setting)5 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Roll!right!!

Warning: All!settings!are!preset.!If!changes!are!made!to!the!settings,!please!take!care,!that!you!use!valid!

data.

If!you!load!a!setting!with!wrong!data,!the!Kopter!can!malfunction!or!crash!!!

Warning: Don't)change)a)setting)during)flight (e.g.!using!Wi.232!etc.)!N!the!MK!can!be!lost!or!

crashed!!!always!land!first,!then!write!settings!and!start!again.

Altitude
56

!!

The!height!control!of!a!Mikrokopter!is!based!on!measuring!the!air!pressure.!A!PID!controller!controls!the!overall!

thrust!of!all!the!rotors!so!that!the!measured!air!pressure!(altitude)!remains!constant.

There!are!two!different!options!for!the!altitude!control!which!can!be!selected.

Selection)of)functions

• Enable)Altitude)control

o Unlocks!the!height!control!in!the!software!(has!the!same!effect!as!the!setting!in!Configuration)!and!makes!the!

Height!Control!option!available!if!selected!by!transmitter!switch.

• Type)of)height)control

o Height)limitation)control

! With!Enable!Altitude!control!selected,!the!altitude!control!software!is!activated!and!the!MK!Flight!Control!can!now!

use!the!barometric!sensor!to!assist!flight.
57

With!"Height!Limitation!control"!selected,!you!now!have!an!option!of!setting!a!controllable!altitude!for!flight.!In!

this!mode,!either!a!maximum!height!is!set!into!the!Setpoint!window,!or,!by!selecting!the!"use!switch!as!setpoint"!

option,!a!potentiometer!(Poti)!is!selected!in!the!setpoint!window!and!used!to!make!any!particular!altitude!the!set!

point!by!using!a!switch!on!the!transmitter!to!trigger!the!current!altitude!as!the!new!desired!ceiling.

Furthermore,!a!potentiometer!(Poti)!can!also!be!used!in!conjunction!with!a!dial!or!lever!to raise!and!lower!the!

ceiling!during!flight!by!rotating!the!dial.!!In!this!case,!the!range!of!operation!can!be!adjusted!by!using!the!

Gain/Rate!window!to!enter!a!multipier!factor!for!the!altitude!range.

These!setpoints!can!be!overridden!by!throttle!control. The!MK!can!overwrite!the!nominal!value!in!the!long!term!

but!only!if!the!overall!thrust!is!greater!than!the!weight!of!the!MK!and!thus!rises.!As!a!result,!the!stable!point!of!

regulation!is!always!above!the!setpoint!of!the!nominal!value.!The!deviation!from!the!nominal!value!increases!in!

proportion!to!the!gas!stick!position!of!the!transmitter.

o Vario)altitude)control

! In!this!mode!the!height!control!takes!full!control!of!the!overall!thrust.!You!can!not!control!it!directly!through!the!

gas!stick!on!the!transmitter.!Rather!serves!to!active!height!control!over!the!gas!stick!to!change!the!setpoint!and!

nominal!values.!This!feature!operates!much!like!the!cruise!control!on!an!automobile.!There!are!neutral!points!of!

the!gas!sticks,!the!parameters!of!theStick)neutral)point can!be!fixed.!If!the!parameter Stick)neutral)point is!equal!

to!zero,!it!is!used!as!a!neutral!point!of!the!gas!stick!position!at!which!the!thrust!exactly!compensates!the!

gravitational!force!(Hoverpoint).

If!the!gas!stick!is!above!the!neutral!point,!then!the!nominal!value!of!the!level!moves!up!N!if!the!gas!stick!is!below!

the!neutral!point,!the!reference!is!shifted!downwards.!The!speed!with!which!you!moves!the!setpoint,!the!gas!is!

proportional!to!the!stick!position!and!can!also!be!scaled!by!the!parameter Verstärkung .!So!before!you!assign!a!

particular!climb!or!descent.!This!trimming!of!the!reference!value!is!available!with!the!option Acoustic)

Vario (acoustic!variometer)!additionally!indicated!by!a!beep!rate.

The!height!control!should!be!configured!and!activated,!so!be!set!up!over set)point and!over!one!potentiometer,!

that!you!can!activate!with!a!switch!through!the!associated!channel!of!the!transmitter!the!height!regulation.

Graupner)Transmitter)Caution:

Groupner!MXN20!usersN!Remember!that!because!the throttle!is!spring!loaded!to!the!center!position!you!need!to!

hold!it!down!once!the!motors!are!started.!The!MK!will!jump!up!if!you!accidentally!release!the!throttle.

Do!not!take!off!or!land!with!vario!on.

• Setpoint)(Nominal)Value)

o Specifies!the!nominal!value!of!the!height.!If!the!option Height)limitation)control)(Höhenbegrenzung))/)Use)

switch)for)setpoint is!activated,!you!should!choose!a!poti!which!is!assigned!to!a!switchable!channel!of!it's!

transmitter.!With!VarioNmode,!assign!a!poti,!where!off/No!AH!has!a!value!of!0,!and!on/AH!engaged!has!a!value!of!

255.

• Min)Gas

o The!gas!is!never!reduced!beyond!this!point,!if!altitude!is!exceeded.

• Altitude)P)(Höhe)P)

o ProportionalNpart!of!the!altitude!controller.!The!difference!between!setpoint!and!actual!altitude!changes!the!gasN

value!proportionally.!The!higher!the!Alt!P!value,!the!faster!the!MK!will!fall,!if!altitude!is!exceeded.!If!too!high,!the!

MK!will!fall!below!the!setpoint.

o Actual!altitude!above!the!setpoint:!Gas!will!be!proportional!decreased!with!the!difference!(Mode:!Vario!and!hight!

limitation)

o Actual!altitude!below!the!setpoint:!Gas!will!be!proportional!increased!with!the!difference!(only!in!Vario!mode)

• Barometric)D)(Luftdruck)D)

o Slows!down!the!oscillation!behavior!of!the!height!regulator.!A!high!value!will!increase!the!influence!of!the!airN

pressure!on!the!AHNalgorithm.!A!high!value!will!make!the!AH!more!precise,!but!also!a!lot!more!sensitive!to!windN
58

gusts.

• Z8ACC

o Slows!down!the!oscillation!behavior!by!using!the!zNaxis!of!the!MK.

• Gain/Rate)(Verstärkung/Rate)

o Allows!greater!altitudes!where!the!value!is!increased.!The!setpoint!is!multiplied!by!this!value.

• Hover)variation)(Schwebe8Gas)+/8)

o Limits!the!regulator!output!to!the!environment!of!the!Hoverpoint,!smaller!values!calm!the!scheme!but!also!the!

agility.

• GPS8Z

o Slows!down!the!vibration!response!using!the!GPS!altitude!values.!

• Stick)neutral)point

o Neutral!point!of!the!gas!sticks!about!the!climb!and!descent!rates!for!the!VarioNheight!control.!If!the!value!is!zero,!

the!natural!Hoverpoint!of!each!MK!is!used.

Warning: If!you!start!or!land!with!a!switched!on!level!control!the!ground!effect!is!due!to!the!risk!of!feedback!and!

thus!the!risk!of!swinging!up!with!the!height!control!near!the!ground,!which!can!lead!to!unintended!hops.

For)more)information)on)checking,)installing,)and)packaging)the)height)sensor)can)be)read)here: height)

sensor

Camera
59

!!

Camera)Control)Page

The!Camera!Control!page!is!where!you!set!the!parameters!pertaining!to!operation!of!the!camera!mount..Most!

camera!mounts!used!on!the!MK!are!designed!with!two!servos,!one!to!control!forward!tilt!(nick)!of!the!camera!

platform,!either!by!the!operator!or!by!the!Flight!Control!gyrosNNNusually!both.!The!pilot!tilts!the!camera!down!to!a!

desired!angle!while!the!Flight!Control!keeps!the!platform!steady!in!the!forward!axis!of!operation,!both!work!

together!at!the!same!time..

Servo)control

.***!"Servo!control"!sets!the!level!point!of!the!mount.!This!is!were!you!adjust!the!camera!level!after!you!have!done

the!initial!Acc!calibration!(left!stick!up!and!left)...You!can!either!set!a!fixed!value!to!align!the!camera!mount!or,!

assign!a!potentiometer!(Poti)!in!order!to!control!the!level!point!from!the!ground!while!the!MK!is!in!flight..As!I!

mentioned!earlier,!usually!a!Poti!is!used!for!the!Nick!but!not!the!roll...Nick!Compensation!.Nick!compensation!can!
60

be!defined!as!"responsiveness"!or!“sensitivity”!to!the!MK!tilt.

.The!FC!will!try!to!compensate!the!tilt!of!the!mikrokopter!to!keep!it!level.!You!can!still!of!course!control!the!roll!and!

tilt!if!you!have!it!set!up!this!way.!Your!command!will!be!added!to!the!compensation.!The!end!result!is!that!you!can!

control!the!camera!mount!by!tilt!and!roll!without!noticing!that!the!MK!is!actually!moving...So!than,!Compensation!

adjusts!the!MK!so!that!the!mount!stays!level!when!tilting!the!MK!either!by!command!or!wind!correction.

Operating)Note:!Compensation!can!be!considered!the!influence!of!the!pitch!angle!and!roll!angle!to!the!

corresponding!servo.!NNNit!sets!the!amount!of!degree!of!correctionNNNNot!all!camera!mounts!use!the!same!gearing!/!

ratios,!so!you!have!to!adjust!for!this!NN!!Too!little!..!mount!won’t!compensate!enough!...!and!"undercompensate"!...!

too!much!..!and!it!will!be!"overcompensate"....!!!you!have!to!tweak!until!its!just!right!...! In!addition!nick!comp!level!

may!not!be!same!as!roll!comp!level!...!may!have!different!gearing!(depending!on!mount!used)!!

.Example!Video:!http://youtu.be/EkN9IrfXxC4..

Invert)direction

.If!the!rotational!direction!of!the!servos!are!upside down,!the!direction!can!be!inverted..Also!need!to!be!sure!its!

compensating!in!right!direction!...!Check!or!uncheck! "invert!direction"!box!if!needed!..!..!be!sure!to!"write"!settings!

between!each!change.!!

..Servo)min.

"Servo!Min"!is!how!far!the!servo!will!be!allowed!to!travel!when!tipping!the!MK!hard!to!the!left!or!right.! Adjust!so!

that!extremes!do!not!allow!mount!to!make!contact!with!anything!on!your!MK.!Minimum!value!as!a!stop...

Servo)max

.Maximum!value!as!a!stop...Servo!refresh!rate.Some!servos!can!not!be!controlled!with!fast!values.!(the!smaller!the!

value,!the!faster!the!drive).!With!the!FlighCtrl!ME!2.0/2.1!up!to!5!servos!can!be!issued.!The!output!is!performed!

sequentially..The!"servo!refresh!rate"!controls!also!the!maximum!number!of!servo!channels.!I.e.!a!value!of!3!are!

only!the!first!3!servo!channels...Then!Servo4!and!Servo5!are!grayed!out!in!the!KopterTool!and!can!not!be!used...

Manual)control)speed.!

If!you!are!using!a!potentiometer!for!controlling!nick,!you!can!adjust!the!speed!of!the!movement!by!selecting!a!

larger/smaller!number.!a!smaller!number!will!be!slower!and!smoother..The!pitch!and!roll!compensation!which!is!

performed!on!the!FlightCtrl!is!not!involved!N!which!is!still!very!fast...NOTE:!The!NickN/Roll!servos!are!only!activated!

after!calibrating!the!gyro....Basic!Setup.During!assembly,!the!servos!are!connected!to!the!Flight!Control!board!by!

connector!SV2!NServo1!(Nick)!and!SV3!N!Servo2!(roll)..

..Note: Additionally,!you!can!connect!three!more!servos:!SV3!(Servo3)!and!SV4!(Servo4/Servo5)!that!can!be!used!

for!other!functions!such!as!camera!triggers...Note:!For!camera!yaw!control!(pan!right/left),!the!entire!MK!is!used!

and!directed!by!the!pilot!using!yaw!control...

About Servos

Note: A!Servo!is!a!small!device!that!has!an!output!shaft.!This!shaft!can!be!positioned!to!specific!angular!positions!

by!sending!the!servo!a!coded!signal.!This!is!how!flight!controls!are!operated!on!model!aircraft.

The!roll!servo!is!used!to!keep!the!camera!platform!level!on!the!roll!axis.!Although!it!is!possible!to!have!roll!

operated!from!the!ground,!it!is!typically!only!controlled!by!input!from!the!Flight!Control!computer.

So,!basically,!the!camera!mount!uses!data!from!the!same!servos!that!keeps!the!mikrokopter!level,!the!Camera!

Parameter!page!just!tells!the!flight!control!how!to!use!this!information!depending!on!the!settings!that!you!make!on!

the!page.

.Tip: Servo!arm!linkage!should!be!approximately!at!90!degree!angle!down!near!the!servo..If!it!is!not,!you!can!

unscrew!the!servo!arm!and!reset!it!to!another!tooth... ..Operating!Note:!compensation:!actually!the!most!stable!

video!is!with!very!little!Nick!and!Roll!compensation!and!no!IS!in!Camera,!this!usually!causes!strange!artifacts..most!
61

of!the!really!Clean!videos!you!see!have!Post!Production!IS!done!to!them.!but!not!for!vibration!more!for!just!the!

small,!here!and!there!changes!in!direction!the!MK!can!do!to!stable!itself.! It!takes!a!very!steady!flying!hand.!

Flying! not!on!GPS!will!be!smoother!than!with!GPS.

.Depending!on!the!Gain!adjustments!on!the!GPS!in!the!MKtool!it!can give!a!bit!of!a!bump!when!it!hits!the!limits!of!

drift.!So!its!constantly!moving!a!bit! on!GPS!hold.!This!can!be!calmed!down!quite!a!bit!with!some!slight!tweaking!of!

the!Navi!settings.!It!really!depends!on!the!final!weight!of!your!system!and!how!well!balanced!and!calibrated!your!

system!is..But!in!a!good!solid!wind!it!will!actual!be!more!stable.!It!likes!to!have!something!to!push!against....

Operating)Note: If!you!are!looking!for!vibration.!with!well!balanced!props!and!well!balanced!payload!you!just!

wont!see!very!much!if!you!are!using!a!good!Camera!mount!with!vibration!dampeners...NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.!

Mounting)Hint: SERVO!Centering!NN In!order!to!make!the!initial!installation!of!a!servo!easier,!you!need!to!zero!your!

servo's!control!at!a!center!operating!position.!(!operating!range!on!both!sided!of!the!servo!center!setNpoint)..Power!

up!the!servo!without!the!little!white!gear!arms!connected!to!the!servos!and!set!your!channel!to!a!center!position,!

then!connect!the!arms!to!the!mount.!the!white!arms!will!fit!in!differently!depending!on!which!way!to!turn!them.!If!

you!can't!get!the!right!angle!turn!the!arm!over!and!it!will!fit!that!half!notch!you!need.!This!will!assure!some!

operating!range!of!the!servo!shaft...Now!you!can!do!some!adjustment!with!the!radio!to!make!final!adjustments,!but,!

be!careful!not!to!exceed!the!range!of!the!servo...Operating!Note:!As!far!as!how!you!know!what!the!camera!is!

shooting...!That’s!when!you!need!a!video!transmitter!to!send!whatever!the!camera!sees.!Most!cameras! come!with!

some!sort!of!'live!view'!and!have!video!out.!This!is!you!best!option..!Add!a!shutter!control!and!you!have!your!FPV!

aircraft...Tilt!and!roll!compensation!come!in!very!handy!in!the!wind.!A!MK!on!GPS!hold!can!be!sitting!at!a!30!degree!

angle!or!so!fighting!the!wind..NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.!

Initial)Centering.:!Initial!centering!adjustments!can!be!done!with!the!roll!cradle!and!tilt!servo!loosened!so!the!

servos!won't!drive!the!platform!in!either!axis,!then!use!a!servo!tester!to!send!a!center!point!signal!to!the!servo!and!

manually!center!the!travel!of!the!shafts!as!close!as!possible.!If!you!don’t!have!a!servero!tester,!turn!the!servo!shaft!

by!hand!and!estimate!to!center!location.!For!instance,!the!roll!pot!on!an!AV130!is!a!10!turn!pot!so!go!to!one!end!of!

travel!and!reverse!it!by!5!turns!and!you!should!be!very!close!to!center,!make!sure!to!do!that!first!with!no!power!

applied!to!the!servo.!You!can!find!absolute!center!once!power!is!applied!to!the!servo!by!moving!the!pot!a!tiny!bit!in!

each!direction!until!the!servo!stops!moving,!you!are!now!at!center!travel!of!the!pot!and!also!of!the!roll!servo.!Next!

set!the!mechanical!center!for!the!platform!as!close!as!possible!by!leveling!the!camera!platform!in!the!mount!frame!

and!tightening!the!cradle!rollers!so!the!rack!gear!is!properly!meshed!with!the!pot!and!servo!gears!making!sure!to!

not!move!either!the!pot!gear!or!cradle!in!the!process.!After!that!tighten!the!tilt!servo!belt!tension!after!setting!the!

trim!pot!centering,!don't!worry!about!getting!either!axis!perfect!just!get!as!close!as!you!can!for!the!moment!(You!

could!also!just!plug!the!servo!into!a!port!on!a!normal!RX!with!that!channel!centered!in!the!TX!adjustments!if!you!

don't!have!a!servo!tester!handy)...

Servo)Control)Setting. After!connecting!up!the!servos!and!powering!the!MK,!use!the!servo!control!setting!in!the!

camera!tab!of!MKtool!to!fine!tune!the!center!of!the!roll!axis!making!sure!the!MK!is!level!first.!..Compensation!

Settings.While!still!connected!to!MKtool!you!can!properly!set!the!compensation!setting!as!well.!Once!you!have!

established center!on!both!axis,!prop!up!the!landing!gear!on!one!side!of!the!MK!within!the!physical!travel!limits!of!

the!camera!platform!roll!axis,!now!check!the!leveling.!If!the!platform!is!not!level!adjust!the!servo!roll!compensation!

setting!in!the!camera!tab!until it!is.!Once!you!have!it!level,!go!back!and!check!level!at!center!(it!shouldn't!change)!

and!then!prop!up!the!opposite!side!at!the!same!height!as!the!other!side!was!and!check!to!make!sure!the!platform!is!

level!there!also,!again!it!shouldn't!be!off!unless!there!is!a!mechanical!problem!with!the!mount.!In!the!case!of!some!

mounts!with!direct!linkage!movements!like!the!Hisight!II!you!may!have!to!play!around!with!the!linkage!adjustment!

to!get!linear!movement!across!the!range!of!travel!before!the!compensation!setting!will!work!correctly.!Now!you!

can!repeat!the!process!for!the!tilt!axis!using!the!same!method.!When!you're!done!the!platform!should!remain!level!

at!all!times!within!its!travel!limits!as!you!move!the!MK!around!in!different!axis,!you!WILL!see!the!difference in!

recorded!video!if!you!have!not!done!this!adjustment...The!goal!is!to!have!the!servo!at!the!center!neutral!position!

with!theoretically!equal!travel!in!both!directions!from!that!point,!in!practice!there!will!rarely!be!equal!amounts!of!

travel!to!either!side!usually!due!to!some!mechanical!restriction!like!the!tilt!servo!hitting!the!upper!framework!as!
62

the!cradle!rotates.

Channels

The FlightCtrl can!handle!up!to!12!channels!from!the!transmitter,!and!up!to!12!channels!via!a!serial!input.!!

These!serially!transmitted!channels!from!the!transmitter!can!be!checked!in!this!view!and!

the MikroKopter functions!can!be!assigned.!!

To!control!the!copter!4!channels!are!required:!GAS,!YAW,!NICK,!ROLL

Channels
63

from)the)transmitter

Depending!on!the!transmitter!/!receiver,!a!different!number!of!channels!are!used.!(See Sender)!

If!the!receiver!is!connected!properly!and!the!the!transmitter!hooked!up!right!to!the FlightCtrl,!you!can!check!on!the!

function!of!each!channel.

Below!is!shown!the!channel!1N12.!Above!the!current!values!of!each!channel!is!displayed:!0!(down)!/!127!(middle)!/!

254!(above).!!

The!bar!graph!also!shows!you!the!values!of!each!channel.

Serial)Channels

The FlightCtrl can!also!analyze!up!to!12!channels!via!serial!communication!(e.g.!from!a!joystick).!!

These!can!be!used!like!normal!transmission!channels,!so!the!POTI!functions!(POTI1!N!POTI8)!are!assigned.

Over!here,!for!example,!you!could!control!a!camara!mount.!!

Only!the!control!functions!(GAS,!YAW,!PITCH,!ROLL)!can!not!be!assigned!to!these!serial!channels.

To!use!these!additional!channels!you!must!have!a!connection!between!Kopter!and!PC.!!

These!connection!you!can!set!up!with!the Bluetoothmodul or!the Wi232 for!your!use.

The KopterTool must!be!open!for!use!!For!the!control!at!your!PC!a!joystick!should!be!installed.

The!joystick!must!be!connected!and!assigned!to!the!channels.

Here!you!need!to!click!in!the KopterTool on Serial*Channels!!

Now!you!can!assign!the!individual!functions.
64

So!that!the!functions!are!transferred!to!the!copter!it!must!have!a!hook!at!the!bottom"*sending*the*serial*channels*

are*active*" to!be!set.

Setze seru~ ll e Kanale -

Joystick 

Cht: 1es IZ1 

Ch2: 1·80 lXI 

Ch3: 10 lXI 

Ch4: 12 lXI 

Ch5: 1·125 lXI 

Ch6: 1·125 lXl 

Ch7: 1·1 25 lXl 

Ch8: 10 IZ1 

Ch9: 10 IZ1 

Ch10: 10 IXl 

Chtl: 10 IXl 

Ch1 2: 10 IZ1 

r Sonden der seriellen Kanale akliv 

- - ~ X 

• • D E 

- - C 

. -R . F 

- - - y 

T - - G 

- B 

U • 

J•l 

M -

•• 

K -

- -

- -

- -

=c} 

- -

: - -

- -

lx (1 •t axis) 

IY (2nd axis) 

lz (3rd axis) 

-

- no joystid 

AYes 

Buttons 

POV -'--.--....l 

lA (4th axis) _d 

_ U 

~.,.---,..,....---

IKno!ll, 

I Knopf 2 

lkein Joystick 

lkein Joystick 

I koin Joystick 

I"""' Joystick 

I"""' Joyslick 

I koin Joystick 

u 

d 

~ 

_d 

_d 

d 

u 
65

Function)/)Channels

To!each!channel!now!a!FUNCTION!/!POTI!can!be!assigned.!The!first!4!channels!are!for!GAS!(1),!YAW!(Yaw)!(4),!

NICK!(3),!ROLL!(2)!set.

The!remaining!channels!/!serial!channels!you!can!freely!assign!to!POTI1N8.
66

The!allocation!is!also!shown!in!the!lower!POTI!bar.

By!clicking!on!the!downward!triangle!the!channel,!serial!channel!or!a waypoint*event(WP!Event)!will!be!selected.

(The!WP!Event!is!listed!under OSD!!

 ́

MotorSafetySwitch

In!the!past!it!happened!again!and!again!that!the!pilot!had!turned!off!the!MK!in!the!air!by!pressing!the!gas!yaw!lever!

into!the!lower!left!corner!by!a!mistake.

Especially!during!rapid!descent!and!yawing!at!the!same!time!these!mishaps!happen.

Now!you!can!lock!the!switching!ON!and!OFF!of!the!engines!on!a!different!switch!at!the!transmitter.

The!ON!/!OFF!is!then!latched!when!the!channel!value!>35!(for!example!a!switch!is!turned!on).!!
67

Tipp:!You!can!use!this!function!for!example!to!merge!with!the!channel!of!height!control,!then!you!can!not!

disable!the!activated!height!control!accidentally.!!

Advanced)signal)reception)test

The!"Advanced!signal!reception!test"!was!especially!installed!for!the!35/40MHzNSystems.!There!at!the!range!limit!

(or!disorders)!it!caused!undefined!values since!there!is!no!backup!of!the!data!by!a!similar!protocol.!!

• Erweiterte)Empfangssignalprüfung)(Advanced)receiver)signal)validation)

o RCNroutine:!reception!loss!is!safely!recognized

! It!is!checked!whether!the!numbers!of!channels!changes!in!flight!N>!this!should!never!happen!in!the!errorNfree!

operation

! in!the!first!500ms!at!a!disorder!an!old!receiving!data!packet!(the!penultimate)!is!used!instead!of!the!last

! it!is!switched!to!a!minimum!of!1!second!on!"faulty!reception"

The!"Advanced!receiver!signal!validation"!checks!on!the!receiving!signal!more!detailed.!Thus,!for!example!"suspect!

status"!(such!as!changing!the!number!of!detected!channels!or!disturbance!/!removal!of!the!timing!of!packets)!

would!be!immediately!recognized!as!irregular!and!assumes!the!same!as!a!loss!of!receiving!and!the!data!packet!

would!be!discarded.!!

With!the!2.4!GHz!digital!transmission!is!the!transmission!of!false!values!(as!described!above)!no!longer!present.!!

If!the!"Advanced!signal!reception!test"!is!switched!off!an!error!will!be!detected.!This!does!not!lead!immediately!to!

the!receiving!failure,!but!to!the!fact!that!the!reception!quality!is!counted!down.

For!the!use!with!the!MK!it!is!unproblematical!to!discard!a!packet!from!time!to!time!(the!data!rate!from!the!receiver!

is!high!enough).!An!actual!loss!of!the!receiver!signal!always!leads!to!the!detection!of!a!receive!failure.

Not!every!receiver!provides!a!receive!signal!failure!!Some!receiver!keep!receiving!errors!in!the!last!received!

value!which!means!that!the!receiving!failure!is!not!detected.!!

This!can!for!example!lead!to!a!flyNaway!of!the!copter!during!a!receiving!failure.!Therefore,!you!should!check!first!

whether!the!receiver!uses!failure!supports.

Checking!for!receiving!failure:!!

While!the!Kopter!and!transmitter!are!powered!on!the!red!LED!at!the!FlightNCtrl.!should!be!off!and!the!buzzer!

should!be!silent.!!

If!the!transmitter!will!be!switched!off!the!red!LED!will!be!on!and!buzzer!will!be!beeping!in!intervals.

Now!the!loss!of!receiving!is!detected!and!the!emergency!throttle!set!up!(Notgas)!is!active!(Notgas!=!Set!up!

underMisc).

Receiver)Selection

Here!you!can!choose!the!receiver.
68

There!are!available:

• Multisignal)(PPM)

o Connection!at!the!PPMNInput!of!the FlightCtrl,!in!example!with!the!Receiver!ACT!DSL4!top,!2.4GHzNReceiver!

R6107SP

• Spektrum)Satellit

o 2.4GHz!satellite!receiver!to!the!2nd!serial!port!of!the FlightCtrl

• Spektrum)Satellit)(HIRES)

o 2.4GHz!satellite!receiver!with!high!resolution!(2048)!at!the!2nd!serial!interface!of!the FlightCtrl (for!DSX7,!DX8,!

DSX9,!DSX12)

• Spektrum)Satellit)(LowRES)

o 2.4GHz!satelliteNreceiver!with!low!resolution!(512)!at!the!2nd!serial!interface!at!the FlightCtrl (is!used!in!some!

plugNin!modules)

• Jeti)Satellit

o 2.4GHz!Jeti!Satellit!at!PPMNInput.!At!the!same!time!it!supports!the!telemetry!enabled!(for!output!to!the JetiBox)!on!

the!2nd serial!port!on!the FlightCtrl.!

• ACT)DSL

o Connecting!a!ACT!DSLNsignal!on!the!2nd!serial!port!on!the FlightCtrl

Configuration

In!these!pages!are!the!different!configuration!parameters!of!the!Mikrokopter!Tool.!!

A!general!description!of!controllers,!definitions!and!concepts!can!be!found!in!the!wiki!at Summary!Explanations.!

Each)side)can)be)opened)by)clicking)on)the)tabs)below)to)get)more)information)from)the)configuration)dialog:

!!
69

Infos)for)the)config)dialog

With!a!"click"!on expert)view,!all!tabs!are!visible.

If!you!klick!the "Help"NButton!in!the!dialog!box,!you!can!open!the!informations!in!the!Wiki!of!the!side!you!have!

open.

To!open!this!Wiki!sides!you!need!a!internet!connection.

In!a!total!of!five!sets!of!parameters!different!settings!are!included.!These!can!be!processed!individually!and!then!be!

called!at!the!Kopter!through!the!sticks!of!the!transmitter.

This!Settings!are:

• Setting)1)=)Fast (Sporting!flight!attitude)

• Setting)2)=)Normal (Average!flight!attitude)
70

• Setting)3)=)Easy (Basic!flight!attitude)

• Setting)3)=)Easy (Basic!flight!attitude)

• Setting)3)=)Easy (Basic!flight!attitude)

Each!setting!you!can!give!a!new!name!under Name*of*configuration.!This!is!maybe!necessary!if!you!change!a!

single!setting!with!"your"!changes.

This!is!useful!for!example!for!different!payloads,!sporty!flying!or!cameraNflight!etc.!!

If!a!setting!is!completed!or!altered!it!must!be!saved!under!it's!number!in!the MikroKoper with!the!

function WRITE!.!!

The MikroKopter acknowledged!this!with!a!appropriate!number!of!short!beeps.!!

Each!set!must!be!saved!individually!!!

If!you!want!to!see!which!setting!you!have!allready!into!your!Kopter,!klick!on Read and!the!settings!will!be!loaded.!!

With Save and Load each!set!can!be!saved!and!loaded!from!the!PC.!The!parameter!sets!can!be!viewed!with!a!text!

editor!and!printed,!too.

Thus,!it!is!for!example!possible!to!compare!the!parameters!of!the!5!different!settings!on!the!airport!without!a!

laptop!while!flying.

If!you!want!to!change!the!single!settings!back!to!default,!klick!on!the!red!triangle! .!!

Select)the)single)Settings)with)the)transmitter

• Setting)1 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Roll!left!!

• Setting)2 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Nick!up!/!Roll!left!!

• Setting)3 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Nick!up!!

• Setting)4 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Nick!up!/!Roll!right!!

• Setting)5 =!Throttle!up!/!Yaw!left!+!Roll!right!!

Attention)

A)change)of)the)settings)can)help)in)fine8tuning)of)the)copter.)But)not)when)flight)problems)are)present)

at)the)Kopter!

With!the!default!settings!(except!for!a!few!exceptions), any MikroKopter can!be!flown!easily!

If!the!Kopter!(single!with!the FlightCtrl or!with!the!FC!and!the!GPSNSystems)!doesn't!fly!correct!with!the!StandardN

Settings,!so!you!can!have!e.g.!!

a!problem!with!the!mounting!of!the!frame,!an!incorrectly!laid!cable!or!something!else.!So!please!check!first!the!

assembling!of!the!whole!Kopter.

All!settings!are!preset.!If!changes!are!made!to!the!settings,!please!take!care,!that!you!use!valid!data.

If!you!load!a!setting!with!wrong!data,!the!Kopter!can!Malfunctionor!crash!!!

Don't)change)a)setting)during)flight (e.g.!using!Wi.232!etc.)!N!the!MK!can!tilt!and/or!crash!then!!So!always!

land!first,!then!write!settings!and!start!again.!!

Coupling
71

!!

A!yaw!movement!couples!pitch and!roll!now.!This!means!that!the MikroKopter flies!a!curve!!

if,!for!example,!you!nick!and!yaw!at!the!same!time.!This!prevents!that!the!MK!is!getting!dizzy!after!curves.

Choosing)the)functions

• Yaw)pos.)feedback)(Gier)pos.)Rückkopplung)

o Here!the!degree!of!coupling!axis!is!set.!!

Is!the!value!too!small,!the!MK!hangs!in!a!left!curve!to!the!right.!!

Is!the!value!too!large,!however,!the!MK!hangs!in!a!left!curve!to!the!left.

• Nick/Roll)feedback)(Nick/Roll)Rückkopplung)

o Here!the!negative!feedback!of!the!coupling!shaft!can!be!adjusted.!This!takes!up!the!nose!of!the!copter!in!the!curve.!!

If!the!value!is!too!large,!the!MK!is!on!a!curve!(e.g.!left!forward)!backwards.

! If!the!value!is!too!small,!the!MK!is!on!a!curve!(e.g.!lefr!forward)!forwards.
72

• Yaw)correction)(Gier8Korrektur)

o So!the MikroKopter tries!to!counteract!the!(possibly!unintentional)!change!of!direction!or!limit!this!movement.

If!the!value!is!zero!it!turns!deliberately!into!a!curve.!So!you!can!use!as!a!rolling!"aileron".!!

If!the!sportNsettings!are!to!strong!or!aggressive,!you!should!set!the!value!to!1.

Gyro

!!

In!this!window!you!can!set!up!the!function!of!the!gyro.

Choosing)the)functions

• Gyro)P

Output Mise Gyro 

Gyro P: Jmm 

Gyro 1: J120 

Gyro D: JlO 

Dynamic stability: j?o 

ACC I Gyro- Faktor: j27 

ACC I Gyro - Camp: J32 

Main 1: j16 

Drift-Compensation jo 

Gyro stability J6 

Motor smooth Jo 

1/' OK 

User Coupling Mixer-SETUP 

3 YawP: j10o 

3 Yawl: J120 

3 

_:] r Rotationrate lim.iter 

±J 

±J 

3 

±J 

±J 

±J 

(1/x) 

P3 [7]=1 

P7[11]=1 

Load ... 16 Save ... Q 

Easy Setup 

3 

3 
73

o Influence!of!the!gyro!on!the!pitch!and!roll!rate.!The!higher!the!value,!the!more!sluggish!moves!theMikroKopter.!

o Yaw)P)(Gier)P)

! Yaw!rate!ratio!to!stick!deflection.!If!high,!fast!rotation!N!if!low,!sluggish!reaction.

• Gyro)I

o Position!stabilization.!The!higher!the!value,!the!stronger!the!relationship!between!stick!angle!and!position!angle.!

Leads!to!large!values!(compared!to!gyroNP)!to!oscillate.!If!high,!hard!control!'(high!angles!stabilization)'!can!be!set!

up!under!vibration!inclination,!if!low,!soft!control,!tilt!swing,!windNsensitive.

o Yaw)I)(Gier)I)

! Erklärung!fehlt!

• Gyro)D

o If!short!control!oscillations!occurs!it!can!be!reduced!with!GyroND.!Is!the!value!to!high,!the MikroKopterstarts!to!

vibrate!/!grumble.!Setting:!a!little!bit!below!the!value!before!the MikroKopter begins!to!vibrate(20%).

• Dynamic)Stability:!With!this!value!now!you!can!adjust!how!much!the!thrust!regulates!the!axis!control!at!this!

point.!Some!pilots!have!been!disrupted!because!of!the!strong!increases!of!the!MK.!That!was!the!reason!for!the!rise!

in!the!wind!and!other!phenomena!such!as,!for!example,!bearing!damage.!Beginners!also!have!problems!with!

jumping!on!landing,!which!also!has!this!cause.!Smaller!64!N>!the!thrust!is!limited!to!less!gas!N>!no!rise!in!or!with!

strong!control.!Greater!64!N>!The!thrust!can!be!greater!than!gas!N>!hard!control!of!the!axis!N>!Rises!with!strong!

controls.!In!the!settings!it!is!like:!1.Sport:!100!N>!increases!2.Normal:!75!N>!increases!a!little!bit!3.Beginner:!50!N>!

it's!not!increasing

o Rotation)rate)limiting)(Drehratenbegrenzung)

• ACC/Gyro8Factor:

o Relationship!between!ACC!sensor!value!and!Gyrointegral.!If!the!MK!is!tilted!a!few!degrees,!the!line!of!the!ACC!and!

the!GyroNintegral!have!to!be!congruent.!If!it's!necessary!it!can!be!corrected!here.

• ACC/Gyro8Comp.

o Degree!of!fusion!between!ACC!and!Gyro!(reciprocal).!The!smaller!the value,!the!faster!the!gyroangle!adapted!to!the!

ACC!sensor.!Float!values!are!advantageous!for!larger!(>!100).!For!highNspeed!/!kickNdown!(!:=)!)!you!should!use!

smaller!values!(10N50).

• Main)regulator)I)(Main)I)

o Summery!of!the!angular!errors.!Provides!greater!precision!between!stick!and!location.!Should!be!increased!when!

flying!with!heading!hold.!Can!contribute!to!large!values!of!swing.

• Drift8compensation (for!FC!1.x)

o Specifies!how!many!eighth!(1/8)!digits!per!500!ms!of!drift!must!be!tracked.!If!the!value!is!to!small!N>!Gyrodrift!(e.g.!

during!temperature!changes)!pulls!the!MK!strongly!in!one!direction.

Value!to!high!N>!MK!does!not!float!so!much!on!one!spot.!Zero!N>!Drift!compensation!off,!standard!is!32,!so!rather!

conservative.!!

Note:!At!the!FC!2.x!ME!the!value!is!always!0!

• Gyro)stability)(Gyro)stab.)

o With!this!parameter!you!can!change!the!"hardship!regulation"!of!the!position!controller.!!

! Generally!low!hardness:!the!MK!does!not!react!as!strongly!to!disturbances!(e.g.!variations!due!to!wind)

High!hardship!regulation:!der!MK!reagiert!sehr!stark!auf!Störungen.!The!MK!is!way!more!'crispy'!in!the!air.!

However,!there!can!be!variations!in!the!ascent!N!particularly!with!heavy!propellers!(APC!etc).

! Gyro!stability!=!6!(Standard)!=>!light!reduced!hardship!regulation

! Gyro!stability!=!8!=>!normal!hardship!regulation

! Gyro!stability!=!smaller!8!=>!reduced!hardship!regulation

! Gyro!stability!=!greater!8!=>!higher!hardship!regulation

From!version!v0.82!for!the!flight!control!you!can!set!this!value!1!to!16
74

Some!of!these!values!you!can!get!while!experimenting!with!the!settings!to!a!potentiometer!and!to!get!the!

optimal!values!out!of!a!flight![SettingsErfliegen [|!get!in!flight]].

Looping

!!

In!the!default!settings!it!is!not!possible!to!fly!a!loop!with!the!copter.!Is!the!stick!from!the!transmitter!all!the!way!

down!!

the!copter!is!limited!from!a!certain!angle!point.!Only!with!the!activation!of!one!of!the!directional!arrows!further!

tilts!and!loopings!are!possible!in!the!selected!direction.!!

In!this!menu!field!it!can!be!selected!what!you!want!to!perform!whether!loops!forward,!backward,!left!or!right.

After!activating!one!of!the!directional!arrows!only!at!that!point!the!settings!appear.
75

Attention: The!Kopter!can!crash!when!flying!loopings!!This!function!is!used!at!your!own!risk!and!should!be!

only!used!by!users!with!flying!experience!!!!

Choosing)the)functions

• Arrows

o The!looping!is!allowed!in!the!desired!direction.!The!arrow!points!here!to!the!corresponding!stick!position.

• Gas)Limit

o At!this!value!the!gas!is!limited!during!the!loop

• Reaction)Point)/)Response)threshold)(Ansprechschwelle)

o From!this!value!it!is!calculated!from!the!stick!position!control!and!changes!into!a!rotation!rate!control!to!

complete!the!loop.

o Hysteresis)(Hysterese)

! StickNHysteresis!for!the!reaction!point.!Normally!always!lower!as!the!reaction!point.

• TurnOver)Nick)(Umkehrpunkt)Nick)

o 100!means!100%!of!a!360°!rotation.!Also!entspricht!1!einem!Winkel!von!3,6°

Wenn!nach!dem!Looping!der!MK!zu!weit!dreht,!muss!der!Wert!verringert!werden.!!

Dreht!er!nicht!weit!genug,!muss!der!Wert!vergrößert!werden.

• TurnOver)Roll

o 100!bedeutet!100%!einer!360°!Drehung.!So!the!value!of!1!is!equal!to!an!angel!of!3,6°.

If!after!a!looping!the!MK!turns!to!far!the!value!must!be!reduced.!!

If!the!Kopter!does!not!turn!far!enough!the!value!must!be!increased.

Important

• The!reaction!point!N!hysteresis!should!be!around!20N50.!Otherwise!the MikroKopter can!try during!leaving!

the!looping!function!to!go!into!an!angled!position

which!is!given!by!the!stick.!This!may!leads!to!very!brisk!settings!so!that!the!Kopter!will!"jump"!and!it!will!

miss!some

of!the!degrees!of!angular!movement!what!causes!the!situation!that!the Kopter!will!be!very!oblique.

If!the Configuration!menu Heading)Hold)(Nick)/)Roll) is!selected!it!can!be!flown!loopings!without!

activation!of!the!looping!arrows!

More!information!about!flying!with!Heading!Hold!can!be!read!here: HeadingHold

Misc
76

!!

In!these!settings!for!example!additional!features!such!as CareFree or!EmergencyNgas!can!be!set.

Choosing)the)functions

• Min.)Gas

o Minimal!gas!value,!which!goes!to!the!motor

• Max.)Gas

o Maximal!gas!value!which!goes!to!the!motor

• Compass)effect)(Kompass8Wirkung)

o Is!a!compass!connected!the!influence!of!the!yaw!can!be!set!up!here.!In!that!case!a!small!number!has!a!small,!one!large!

number!has!a!big!influence.

• Carefree)control)(Carefree)Steuerung)

o Is!the!value!"0"!the!function CareFree is!off.!To!toggle!the!function!at the!transmitter!you!can!set!up!a!
77

potentiometer.

• Under)voltage)(Unterspannung)

o The!threshold!is!set!in!0.1!V!steps!to!report!the!batteryNlow!voltage.!!

The!default!setting!is!33!(3.3!V).!This!is!the!voltage!of!each!cell!in!a!lipo!that!should!not!be!exceeded.!(Infos!about!

the!Lipo!you!can!read!here: Lipo)!!

When!you!turn!on!the!Kopter!it!will!detect!automatically!if,!for!example,!a!3S!or!4S!Lipo!is!connected.

Info:!After!switching!on!(1!x!a!slightly!longer!beep)!is!heard,!the!detection!of!cells:!3S!=!beep!3x,!4x!beep!=!4S;!...

Loss*of*receiving

• Emergency8Gas)Time)[0.1s]!!

o Here!the!time!is!entered!in!tenths!of!seconds!for!which!the!gas!is!actively!seeking!emergency!reception!failure.!As!a!

value,!a!number!1N247!can!be!entered.!!

So!it!is!a!maximum!time!of!emergencyNgas!(247!x!0.1s)!24.7!seconds!possible.!!

• Emergency8Gas!!

Here!the!gas!value!is!entered!for!the!motors.!This!value!should!be!determined!first!individually!(depending!on!the!

weight!of!the!Copts).!!

The!value!should!not!be!set!too!low!or!too!high.!The!Kopter!could!otherwise!fall!upon!receiving!either!too!fast!or!

fail!to!rise!into!the!sky!and!crash!at!the!end!of!time.!!

This!causes!of!course!the!risk!that!the!Mikrokopter!drops!at!an!undesirable!location!(obstructions,!trees).

Failsave)CH)time

In!case!of!RC!transmisstionNlost,!the!MK!can!now!automatically!fly!for!30!sec.!to!the!HomeNPosition.

How!this!works!you!can!read!here: FailSave

o

Info:!!

This!function!is!used!at!your!own!risk.!In!the!event!of!a!loss!of!reception!the!Kopter!may!come!down!with!a!sink!

rate!defined!here.

The!Kopter!comes!down!there!where!the!loss!was!of!the!reception.!Damage!to!the MikroKopter can!not!be!ruled!

out!

To!display!this!feature,!the!receiver!must!receive!the!loss.!This!can!easily!be!checked:!!

o Receiver!is!connected!to FlightCtrl.!Transmitter!and FlightCtrl are!switched!on!(powered).!Now,!the!transmitter!is!

turned!off!!

! the!red!LED!lights!on!the!FlightNCtrl.!and!the!buzzer!gives!a!warning!signal.!!

If!there!is!a!loss!of!reception!(e.g.!from!out!of!range!or!transmitter!off),!the!gas!emergency!regulation!becomes!

effective.!!

The!engines!will!bee!operated!for!a!preset!time!with!a!preset!value!of!emergency!gas!and!shuts!off!when!the!time!

expires

N)O)T)E): The!entire!emergency!gas!control!is!only!active!when!a!gasNvalue!of!>40!for!at!least!4!seconds!was!

exceeded!(i.e.,!the MikroKopter flies!probably)!

Obtaining)Emergency8gas)values:!!

o On!an!open!field!with!plenty!of!space,!the!required!emergency!gas!value!and!the!function!can!be!flown!easily!

tested.!To!read!the!values,!perhaps,!a!second!person!could!be!there!and!help.

! !!!!You!can!store!different!emergency!gas!levels!in!the!various!settings.!!!!

!!!!If,!for!example,!a!camera!is!carried!later!on!the MikroKopter the!UAV!is!heavier!and!therefore!it!must!be!

another/different!EmergencyNgas!time!adjusted.!!!!!!

The!easiest!way!to!determine!the!needed!gas!value!is!in!the KopterTool.!This!should!include!a!data!link!between!

the MikroKopter and!the!PC!(!or!laptop)!to!see!the!data!in KopterTool ..

This!can!be!done!over!a Bluetoothmodul or!a Wi232!Modul!.!

If!the!connection!is!available!you!can!change!in!the!KopterNTool!into!the!following!display!(with!the!red!arrows):!!
78

o !!

Now!the!Kopter!can!be!started!and!you!can!hover!in!a!height!of!approx.!15!N!20mtr!(or!higher).!All!additional!

features!such!as!height,!PH,!etc.!are!off.

The!value!now!displayed!next!to Gs:!is!the!gas!float!value.!!

Now,!the!gas!can!be!reduced!slowly!so!that!the MikroKopter falls.!If!you!have!a!proper!rate!of!descent!and!if!this!

value!is!reached,!the!value!can!be!read!next!to Gs:.!

This!value!can!be!entered!now!as Emergency8gas!.!

If!the!value!is!entered!and!stored!in!the!FlightNCtrl.!the MikroKopter can!hover!in!the!air!and!you!can!turn!off!the!

radio!once.!!

The!copter!should!come!down!now!with!the!emergency!gas!setting!and!shut!down!after!the!set!time,!the!engines.

Navi8Ctrl
79

!!

MK8)Navi)Parameters

The!function!of!the!GPS!system!is!set!and!adjusted!on!this!Navi!page!and!Navi2!page!of!the!parameter!

settings.

The!navigation!funtions!of!the!MK!reside!on!the!NaviNCtrl!board!and!together!with!a!MKGPS!the!navigational!

capabilities!of!the!Mikrokopter!are!greatly!expanded.!(e.g.!waypoint!navigation,!position!hold!,...)

While!the!Navigation!system!adds!some!great!capabilities!to!the!MK,!it!should!never!be!totally!relied!upon.!

You!should!continue!to!practice!manual!flight!in!order!to!provide!the!best!chance!of! recovering!the!MK!

during!in!flight!emergencies.

The!factory!default!setting!should!be!able!to!get!you!up!and!flying!and!small!adjustments!can!be!made!to!the!

following!settings!after!you!have!some!flight!experience!and!an!understanding!of!what!these!settings!are!and!
80

how!they!affect!MK!flight.!!!

Warning)8)etting)Changes

Warning: These!settings!should!never!be!made!in!flight!and!only!made!in!small!increments.

Enable)GPS (GPS!active)

Enables!the!GPS!software!functions!to!be!selectable!by!switching!or!setpoints.!(applies!to!both!NaviNCtrl!tabs!

and!Configuration!tab.!They!are!the!same!settings).

GPS)Mode)Control!!

This!setting!determines!how!you!will!control!the!primary!GPS!function!of!Position!Hold.

This!option!is!usually!set!up!with!a!poti!assigned!to!a!three!way!switch!on!the!pilots!transmitter.

The!switching!sequence!is:!Off!/!Free,!position!hold!(PH),!Coming!Home!(CH).

Note:)GPS)Control

Note: RememberNNo!matter!what!mode!you!are!flying!in,!you!will!always!have!control!of!your!MK!with!the!

sticks.!Stick!input!will!override!GPS!input.

• Off/Free!is!selected!to!disable!the!Position!Hold!and!Coming!Home!features.

• Position!Hold!(PH)!enable!the!GPS!system!to!assist!in!control!of!the!MK!in!order!to!keep!the!craft!in!a!single!

GPS!location.! With!the!Dynamic!Position!Hold!function!described!later!and!selected!separately,!the!desired!

GPS!location!can!be!changed!with!movement!of!the!control stick.

• Coming!Home!(CH)!will!direct!the!MK!to!return!to!the!GPS!location!where!the!gyros!were!initially!calibrated.

These!options!can!also!be!initiated!using!fixed!values!entered!in!the!window:

• 0N99!means!no!GPS!support!(Free),

• 100N199!Postion!Hold!(PH),

• 200N250!Coming!Home!(CH).

Note:)GPS)Accuracy

Note: Be!aware!that!GPS!Hold!works!very!well,!however,!even!in!a!finely!tuned!system!it!will!wander!around!

about!+/N!20!feet!or!so!in!any!direction!because!of!normal!GPS!error.

GPS)Gain!!

This!setting!specifies!how!much!influence!the!GPS!has!on!the!Flight!Controller.!The!factory!default!is!100!with!

a!range!of!0N247.!A!value!between!80N100!works!well!for!most!MK’s.!If!GPSNGain!is!too!high,!the!MK!will!overN

correct!and!the!position!will!swing.

Operating)Note:)Setting)Changes

Operating)Note: when!attempting!to!tweak!the!GPS!settings,!leave!all!the!settings!stock!and!play!with!the!

gain!until!it!stops!twitching.!Make!small!adjustment,!between!60!and!100.!Than!move!to!the!other!

adjustments!if!necessary.

GPS)Stick)Threshhold

Here!is!you!can!set!the!threshold!for!GPSNAid!to!log!a!new!position.!If!you!set!it!to!0!it's!not!set!with!the!stick!

but!only!by!turning!the!mode!switch:!In!this!case,!you!fly!to!the!desired!location!and!turn!on!PH.!Then!you!can!

play!with!the!stick and!the!MK!will!always!be!on!the!target!position.!!

If!other!values!are!entered,!than!the!larger!the!number,!the!further!the!stick!must!be!moved!away!from!center!

to!register!a!new!point.!It!is!the!amount!that!you!can!move!the!sticks!before!it!sets!a!new!hold!position.
81

Min.)Sat

The!Minimal!amount!of!satellites!which!must!be!received!by!the!GPS!in!order!to!allow!activation!of!the!GPS!

functions!(SatNFix).!The!more!satellites!that!are!received,!the!greater!the!GPS!accuracy.!For!a!3DNFix!you!must!

have!a!minimum!of!4!satellites.!It!is!recommended!that!you!have!a!minimum!of!at!least!6!for!accurate!GPS!

operation.

Once!this!number!of!satellites!is!obtained,!the!GPS!LED!will!start!flashing.

INFO:)See)the)satellites)in)Kopter8Tool

If!you!"click"!on!the!button!N>MKGPS in!the!Koptertool!you!can!see!how!many!satellites!(and!how!strong)!you!

receive.

Don't!do!this!during!flight!!Otherwise!you!can!crash.

GPS8P

PNshare!of!the!control.!Influence!of!distance!on!the!GPS!controller!(Bigger!=!more!roll!when!position!

deviation)

LimitN!Limits!the!potency!of!the!parameter!GPSNP.!If!GPSNP!isn't!high!enough,!the!MK!will!not!tilt!enough!to!

correct!a!sudden!drift.

Tip:)GPS8P)in)Theory

GPS8P

Imagine!GPSNP!like!a!virtual!rubber!band!attached!on!one!side!to!the!MK!and!on!the!other!side!to!the!target!

position.

It!continually!pulls!the!MK!to!the!target!position.!the!further!the!Kopter!is!away!from!the!target!point!the!

stronger!will!be!the!pull.!So,!GPSNP!determines!the!strength/thickness!of!the!rubber!band.

If GPS8P is!small,!the!rubber!band!is!weak!N!if GPS8P is!high,!the!rubber!band!is!stronger.!If!the!rubber!band!is!

to!strong!the!controller!leads!to!swing.

Limit)(GPS8P) N!This!parameter!limits!the!pulling!force!of!the!"virtual"!rubber!band!between!the!MK!and!the!

target!position.!With!the!increasing!distance!to!the!target!and!the!rising!proportional!attractive!force!it!would!

be!too!great!beyond!a!certain!distance.!!

In!reality!the!flight!attitude!of!the!MK!causes!the!attraction!to!the!target.!If!this!flight!attitude!is!getting!to

large!the!MK!dips!immediately.!To!prevent!this!!situation!is!the!reason!for!the!PNLimit.

GPS8I

INshare!of!the!control.!Eliminates!the!permanent!position!deviation!in!the!wind!(larger!=!stronger!tendency!

for!prolonged!position!deviation).!

With!regards!to the!rubber!band!example!this!parameter!works!like!a!memory.!The!longer!the!position!

deviation,!the!stronger!the!pull!of!!the!rubber!band!into!the!direction!of!the!target.

Limit Limits!the!potency!of!the!parameter!GPSNI.!!If!GPSNI! isn't!high!enough,!the!MK!will!not!tilt!(correct)!

enough!during!prolonged!positional!drift. This!is!the!reason!for!the!Limit.!!
82

GPS8D

DNshare!of!the!control.!Influence!of!speed!on!the!GPS!controller!(Bigger!=!slower!movement)

Limit!Limits!the!potency!of!the!parameter!GPSND.!If!GPSND!is!too!high,!the!MK!will!not!correct!for!position!

quickly!enough

Tip:)GPS8D)Theory

Influence!of!the!speed!to!the!control.!(bigger!=!stronger!deceleration!according!to!each!movements)!Imagine!

the!effect!like!a!virtual!friction,!because!the!MK!tries!to!counteract!its!own!movement.!Thit!is!important!

because!without!this!friction!at!the!virtual!rubber!band!the!MK!would!swing!within!its!PNshare.

The!greater!the!GPS!D,!the!stronger!the!influence!to!slow!down!(stronger!the!virtual!friction)!the!MK!during!

each!movement.!If!the!parameter!to!big!the!MK!twitches!back!and!forth!because!of!the!measurement!noise!

going!through!the!control.

Note: In!general,!the!relationship!between!GPS!D&P!has!to!be!correct.

GPS8Acc

Support!of!the!position!by!the!ACC!sensors.!If!you!push!away!the!MikroKopter!it!reacts!quickly.!GPS!Acc!

provides!how!much!influence!the!Acc!sensors!influence!the!correction.

The!effect!of!this!parameter!is!analog!to!the!GPSND.!But!with!GPSNAcc!the!reaction!is!much!faster.

If!you!want!to!change!the!speed!in!which!for!example!waypoints!or ComingHome it's!flown!that!can!be!set!up!

with!changed!values!of!GPSNP!and!GPSNd.

Increase/Decrease

Increase!speed!=!increase!GPSNP!+!decrease!GPSND.

Decrease!speed!=!decrease!GPSNP!+!increase!GPSND.

Example:)Setting)Adjust

In!the!standard!settings!GPSNP!and!GPSNd!to!90!are!set!up.!The!speed!here!is!approx.!~6m/s!for!the!waypoints!

or!ComingHome!which!it's!be!flown!at!that!time.

(also!applies!to!the!max.!speed!for!a!FollowMe!transmitter!which!can!be!followed).

If!you!change!the!values!for!GPSNP!to!100!and!GPSND!to!60,!the!speed!will!change!to!~8N9m/s.

Conversion!of!m/s!into!km/h!=>!m/s!*!3,6!=!km/h!(6m/s!*!3,6!=!21,6km/h)

Caution:)Setting)changes

The!values!should!be!changed!in!small!steps.!The!values!should!not!be!too!big!/!small.!Here!the!MikroKopter!

could!also!go!into!descent!flight.

You!can!check!the!speed!during!the!flight,!e.g.!in!the!telemetry!display!of!the!JetiBox!or!when!there!is!a!data!

connection!between!the!MikroKopter!and!the!PC,!in!the!KopterTool!it is!displayed!in!OSD.!!

Do!not!make!changes!in!flight.

Operating)Note:)Erratic)Operation

In!case!of!Emergency:!If!the!MK!starts!acting!erratic..

Turn!off!the!GPS!and!take!over!by!manual!control!!!

You!can!not!rely!on!Come!Home,!or!any!other!GPS!function!if!a!failure!has!occurred!in!the!GPS!system!and!

have!little!time!to!react.
83

Since!GPS!also!influences!Alt!Hold,!this!must!be!turned!off!also.

Practice!flying!without!GPS!often,!practice!turning!off!all!of!the!automatic!navigation!and!flying!it!back!home.!

Don't!fly!out!of!sight!unless!your!willing!to!risk!total!loss.

Sometimes!turning!off!the!GPS!and!back!on!may!clear!the!issue!also..

Don't!wait!!!!any!time!it!seems!to!not!do!what!you!think!it!should!turn!it!all!off!!!Some!day,!this!practice!may!

save!loss!of!the!aircraft!and!possible!physical!harm!to!someone.

Navi8Ctrl)2

!!

The!parameters!of!GPS!wind!correction,!speed!compensation,!GPS!max.!Radius!have!no!direct!effect!to!the!

GPSNPIDNcontrollers!(P,!I,!D!in!the!tab!navigation!Ctrl).
84

Choosing)the)functions

• Enable)GPS

o Unlock!the!GPS!the!software!(for!both!NaviNCtrl!tabs).!(has!the!same!effect!as!the!setting!in!Configuration)

• GPS)Wind)correction

o Attempts!to!correct!for!crosswinds!by!analyzing!the!current!heading!and!comparing!it!to!the!target!bearing!

setting!up!a!correction!heading.!This!is!done!only!from!a!reasonable!distance!to!the!target!position.The!

setting!%!controls!the!strength!of!this!compensation.!A!value!of!0!means!that!the!function!is!turned!off.!!

• ACC)Compensation

Sets!how!fast!the!MK!will!slow!down!in!PositionHoldNMode!before!the!position!is!locked!after!you!have!

manually!moved!the!sticks.

The!higher!the!value!the!quicker!the!MK!will!slow!down!after!manual!controlling!and!before!it!keeps!the!

nominal!position.

• GPS)max.)Radius

This!value,!in!meters,!defines!a!circular!area!around!the!start!position.!Only!inside!of!this!circular!area!you!

able!to!set!position!targets!(waypoints/POI).

If!a!waypointNposition!is!outside!of!this!area!the!target!will!be!set!on!a!spot!of!the!edge!of!the!circle!which!is!

close!to the!nominal!position.

The!maximum!radius!is!about!250m.!That's!equal!to!an!area!of!approx.!500m!in!a!diameter!around!the!start!

position.

Note:)Valid)for)Waypoint)Flight)Only

Note: This!parameter!is!only!valid!for!the!waypointNflight! The!function!Position!Hold!and!Coming!Home!

are!usable!in!full!range!of!the!transmitter/receiver.

• GPS)Angle)Limit

o

o Limits!the!maximum!control!influence!of!the!GPS.!A!value!of!100!is!equal!to!an!oblique!position!of!20°.

If!the!value!too!small!it!might!be!possible!that!the!MK!can't!work!against!the!wind!and!drifts!away.!!

If!the!value!too!high!the!approach!to!the!target!may!be!too!fast.

• Position)Hold)Login)Time

o This!is!the!maximum!time!after!the!MK!logs!the!new!position!and!after!the!sticks!of!pitch!/!roll!axes!are!

back!in!neutral!position.!Yawing!is!possible!without!changing!the!set!position.

• Dynamic)Position)Hold

o By!switching!on/off!this!function!you!can!change!the!behavior!of!the!MK!in!the!function Position)Hold.!

Off:!!PositionHold)(PH) switched!on!the!movement!of!the!Kopter!will!be!directly!controlled!with!the!NickN!

/!Roll!stick.!Here!the!function PH will!be!switched!off!if!the!sticks!are!moved.

At!the!new!position!and!after!releasing!the!sticks!the!function Position)Hold)(PH) will!be!switched!on!

again.

!

On:!With!PH!switched!on,!you!can!manually!fly!the!MK!using!NickN/Roll!stick!to!a!new!location!while!PH!

remains!on.!This!feature!moves!the!nominal!values!of!the!GPS!coordinates!rather!than!switching!on!and!off!

PH.

Therefore!a!more!accurate!positioning!is!possible!during!windy!conditions.!The!Kopter!flies!slower!to!the!

positions.

!
85

! Note: Dynamic)PositionHold is!switched!on!by!default!settings.!!

• ComingHome)Altitude

o In!the!function ComingHome the!MikroKopter!comes!automatically!back!to!the!start!point!(as!far!as!a!GPSN

Fix!is!available!).!!

The!MK!can!fly!to!the!previously!set!up!height.!In!addition!the!MK!is!'parking'!on!the!previously!set!up!

height!while!approaching!the!ComingHome!coordinates.

During!the!approach!the!previously!set!up!height!will!be!flown!with!3m/sec.!N!That's not!possible!to!change!

That!means:!!

! 0:!OFF!N>!the!actual!height!of!the!Kopter!will!be!kept.

1N247:!Value!in!meter!N>!this!height!will!be!flown!directly!with!3m/sec.!after!activating!ComingHome!(CH).

• Adjustable)altitude)for)Coming)Home

In!the!settings!you can!set!a!fixed!height!for!coming!home!(EasySetup!or!NaviControl2).

With!this!function!the!Mikrokopter!not!only!comes!back...!it!also!stays!at!a!height!of!25!meters!for!example.!

The!climbing!/!descending!speed!is!3.0!meters!per!seconds!N!you!can't!change!this!value

Note:)Vario)Altitude)Only

Note: The!altitude!will!be!used!only!in!VarioNaltitudeNcontrol.!And!only!if!the!throttleNstick!is!in!neutralN

position.

•

• Notice:!The!altitude!will!be!used!only!in!VarioNaltitudeNcontrol.!And!only!if!the!throttleNstick!is!in!neutralN

position.

Dynamic)Position)Hold

• In!PHNmode!the!GPSNtarget!position!will!be!changed!by!the!stick!movement.

• So!the!MK!will!not!logNoff!in!PHNmode

• That!makes!it!much!easier!to!fly!during!windy!conditions!because!the!MK!can!be!moved!more!precisely!

• The!direct!stickNinfluence!to!the!MK!will!be!damped!simultaneously.

Note:)Defaul)Setting

Note: Default!is!ON.!It!can!be!disabled!under!"EasySetup"!or!"NaviControl2".

Stick
86

!!

Here!the!sensitivity!of!the!stick!movements!(gas,!yaw,!pitch,!roll)!can!be!set!by!the!transmitter.

Choosing)the)functions

• Nick/Roll)P

o StickNGain.!The!larger!the!number!the!stronger!response!the MikroKopter on!the!stick!movements.

Example:

! larger!number!=!strong!model!reaction!even!at!low!stick!indication,!great!agility.!!

lower!number!=!spongy!but!sensitive!control.

• Nick/Roll)D

o The MikroKopter follows!the!movements!of!the!stick!more!spontaneous,!the!larger!this!value!is.!!
87

Example:

! larger!number!=!severe,!immediate!model!reaction,!more!"poisonous".!!

lower!number!=!soft!control.

Strictly!spoken,!it!affects!the!Stickspeed to!the MikroKopter.!

• Yaw8P (GierNP)

o Yaw!rate!ratio!to!stick!deflection.

The!value!can!be!entered!as!a!number!or!be!placed!on!a!potentiometer!at!the!transmitter!to!change!the!behavior!

during!the!flight.

Example:

! larger!number!=!fast!rotation.!!

lower!number!=!sluggish!reaction.

• External)Control

o This!can!be!used!also!in!addition!to!a!transmitter!to!activate!an!external!control.!!

This!can!be!done!for!example!via!a!mobile!phone!with!the!software Dubwise.!!

To!turn!this!feature!on!an!arbitrary number!that!is!greater!than!128!has!to!be!entered.

Or!a!potentiometer!is!assigned!to!a!switch!at!the!transmitter.!So!the!function!can!be!switched!on/off!at!the!

transmitter.

Output
88

!!

A!SwitchN/Blink!pattern!at!the!transistor!outputs!(SV2!top!port)!of!the FlightCtrl can!be!set!here.

This!pattern!can!occur!in!a!fixed!time!(0N247)!or!be!controlled!by!a!switch!/!potentiometer!on!the!transmitter.!!

As!an!additional!option!it!is!to!be!set!whether!this!pattern!will!always!be!active,!or!only!after!the!start!of!the!engines.

If!the!option!"Only!active!after!engine!start"!(just!after!the!start!of!the!motors!active)is!chosen!a!green!switch!box!

appears!behind!the!bit!mask!setting.!!

Here!the!initial!condition!for!stationary!engines!are!fixed.!!

If!the!green!switch!box!is!clicked!the!green!LEDs!lit!steadily!before!you!start!the!engines.!After!turning!the!motor!on!the!

LED!will!flash!at!the!set!pattern.

If!the!green!switch!box!is!off!the!LED!do!not!lit!prior!to!the!start!of!the!engines.!After!turning!the!motor!on!the!LED!will!
89

flash!at!the!set!pattern.!!

Outputs!(SV2!upper!connector)!at!the FlightCtrl.!The!shift!is!a!ground!potential!

• Attention:

o No!lighting!at!these!outputs!should!be!connected!directly!because!the!transistors!can!be!damaged!on!

the FlightCtrl!!!

For!this!you!should!use!e.g.!the ExtensionNPCB!.!!

Over!here!the!lighting!can!be!connected!(with!more!power),!or!a!switching!output!to!trigger!a!camera.

A!description!of!installation!of!the!lighting!/!camera!release!can!be!found!at ExtensionNPCB.!

Flashing)pattern)or)shifting

!!

To!each!switch!output!(OUT1/OUT2)!a!separate!flashing!pattern!is!set!in!different!intervals.!The!set!time!is!

always!the!time!of!switching!of!a!box.

Different!switching!intervals!can!be!set!via!the!8!boxes!by!clicking!with!the!mouse.!!

In!the!box!behind!Out1!/!2!timing,!either!a!value!from!1!to!247!or!a!potentiometer!(1N8)!is!entered.
90

Example)with)a)fixed)value

• In!the!upper!picture!the!first!box!is!clicked!for Out1)bitmask and!the!remaining!7!are!not. As!time!is!to Out1)

timing!a!20 registered.

The!number!that!is!entered!is!multiplied!each!x10![in!10ms].!This!would!then!in 20)x)10ms 200ms)switching)

time for!each!box!!

One!cycle!(8x200ms)!would!take!a!total!of!1600ms!(1.6!seconds)!until!the!switching!process!starts!all!over!again.

Is!now!for!example!an!illumination!connected!it's!like!200ms!on,!1400ms!off,!200ms!on,!1400ms!off,!and!so!on.

Example)with)a)potentiometer

• If!a!potentiometer!(1N8)!instead!of!a!fixed!value!(See Channels)!is!entered,!there!are!three!possibilities.

Use)of)a)switch,)button)or)potentiometer)on)the)transmitter.!:!!

1. Switch!of!the!LED:!!

! A!switch!on!the!transmitter!can!switch!on!or!off!the!lighting.!It!does!not!matter!whether!a!flashing!pattern!is!set.!!

An!adjusted!flashing!pattern!has!no!function!here.

2. Button!to!trigger!a!camera:!!

! At!the!switch!output!for!example!the Shuttercable can!be!connected.!With!the!button!then!the!switch!output!!

is!closed!or!opened!for!the!duration!of!the!operation.

If!the!first!of!the!eight!boxes!is!checked!(the!rest!is!off)!while!operating!the!switch,!the!switching!contact!is!closed.!!

! However,!if!the!second!of!the!eight!boxes!is!selected,!pressing!the!button!of!the!switch!the!contact!opens.

3. Poti!to!shift!the!LED:!!

! With!a!potentiometer!on!the!transmitter!the!value!of!1!N!247!is!set.!So!if!the!pot!will!be!adjusted!at!the!transmitter!

the!adjusted!value!of!each!pot!is!shown!!

! as!a!number!(time!x!10ms)!and!the!set!accepted!by!flashing!sequence!runs!faster!or!slower.!This!depends!on!the!

rotation!of!the!potentiometer.

Warning)function

Both!outputs!can!adjust!the!flash!pattern!with!lower!voltage!/!reception!failure!/!I2C!errors,!so!that!even!one!example!

optically!!

displays!a!lower!voltage!or!a!reception!failure.!!

It's!flashing!if!there!is:

• Under!voltageUnterspannung

• I2CNError

• loss!of!the!receive

If!an!output!is!used!to!trigger!a!camera!for!this!output,!the!warning!feature!should!be!off.!Otherwise!the!camera!

would!trigger!when!a!warning!is!in!this!interval.

User
91

!!

This!configuration!parameter!found!in!the!official!version!of!the!Flight!Software!/ NaviCtrl not!apply.!!

Here,!no!changes!can!be!made.!Therefore,!all!settings!are!left!at!0.!!

The!User!parameters!facilitate!the!handover!to!the MikroKopter for!testing,!special!or!debug!versions.

Section)4)5)Flight)Control)Modes

Contents

1.!! Introduction

1.1 MKNFlight!Control!Modes

2.!! Altitude!Control

2.1 Altitude!Ceiling

2.2 Vario!Altitude

3.!! GPS!Functions

3.1 GPS_MODE_FREE

3.2 GPS_MODE_AID!N!Position!Hold!(PH)

3.2.1 option!N!Dynamic!Position!Hold

4.!! Care!Free

4.1 CareNFree!(Teachable)

4.2 Teachable!CareFree!as!example

4.3 Video!of!the!CareFree!feature

5.!! GPS_MODE_HOME!N!(Coming!Home!CH)
92

5.1!Option!N!Adjustable!altitude!for!Coming!Home

5.1.1 Option!N!Coming!Home!as!Fail!Safe

6.!! Example:

7.!! Exercises

Introduction

MK8Flight)Control)Modes

There!are!two!altitude!control!mode!options!(altitudeNceiling!and!altitudeNvario)!that!can!be!selected!from!

within!the!MKTool!software.!!Once!one!of!these!options!are!enabled!the!option!is!than!initiated!with!the!

operation!of!a!single!switch!on!the!control!transmitter.!The!altitude!function!is!typically!activated!along!

with!a!GPS!function.

There!are!also!two!primary!GPS!control!modes!(Position!HoldNPH,!and!Come!HomeNCH)!that!are!enabled!

from!within!the!MKNTool!software.!The!enabled!options!are!then!typically!activated!by!the!use!of!a!single!3N

position!switch!on!the!transmitter!(Off/PH/CH).!!!

Note:)Dynamic)Position)Hold

Note: The!"Dynamic!Position!Hold"!option!is!selectable!from!within!the!MKNTool!software!and!actived!along!

with!the!AltitudeNVario!function.!Dynamic!Position!Hold!allows!repositioning!the!MK!without!operating!the!

PH!switch.!!This!is!a!new!feature!that!is!very!helpful!especially!in!windy!conditions.

These!modes!make!the!MK!much!easier!to!fly!and!enables!the!pilot!to!take!his!concentration!away!from!

flying!and!focus!on!camera!operation,!the!MK!telemetry,!and!other!tasks!for!short!periods of!time!while!the!

MK!is!inNflight.!It!is!the!understanding!and!proper!operation!of!these!control!modes!that!really!makes!the!

MK!a!usable!tool!for!aerial!operations.

The!following!descriptions!are!an!expanded!discussion!of!the!MK!flight!control!modes.

• Altitude!N!Typically!activated!by!a!single!transmitter!switch.

o Fixed!Ceiling!N!MK!likes!into!current!altitude!when!switch!selected

o Vario

• GPS!N!Typically!all!three!of!these!are!switched!with!one!threeNposition!switch!on!the!controller!transmitter.

o Free

o Aid

o Coming!Home

• Care)Free!N!Typically!activated!by!a!single!transmitter!switch.

Tip:Learning)the)modes

Note: It!is!important!to!practice!flying!the!Mikrokopter!often!without!these!modes!switched!on!in!order!to!

maintain!the!skills!necessary!to!retrieve!the!little bird,!if!the!navigation!system!fails.

It!is!highly!recommended!to!start!with!it!in!Free!Mode,!get!the!GPS!fix!and!then!start!the!motors!and!fly!and!

hover!for!a!few!seconds!just!to!make!sure!the!MK!is!trimmed,!and!set!OK!before!you!start!using!the!

automated!controls.!If!the!MK!is!not!hovering!correctly!the!GPS!will!have!difficulty!trying!to!hold!it!in!place.!

It!is!a!good!practice!to!make!sure!the!MK!is!working!correctly!so!if!you!have!to!switch!off!the!automated!

control,!you!will!have!a!manually!controllable!MK.

Warning)8)GPS)Lock
93

Warning: To!operate!in!GPS!modes,!other!than!OFF,!the!green!LED!on!the!GPS!must!be!flashing!to!indicate!

that!a!FIX!has!been!achieved.!A!fix!may!take!several!minutes,!especially!prior!to!the!first!flight!or!in!a!

sheltered!area!where!the!GPS!does!not!see!the!sky!clearly.!If!a!fix!is!not!obtained,!the!MK!does!not!know!

where!it!is!and!there!may!be!unexpected!flight!characteristics,!including!loss!of!the!aircraft.

Make!sure!even!if!the!green!GPS!light!is!flashing!you!wait!until!you hear!the!beep.!The!flashing!may!start!

with!as!few!as!3!sat's!locked!but!you!need!6!or!what!ever!your!setting!is!set!to!for!full!lock!then!you!get!the!

beep..!if!you!try!and!put!position!hold!on!without!sat!lock!it!will!beep!over!and!over!at!you.

Altitude)Control

While!the!altitude!control!function!relies!on!the!altimeter!device!rather!than!the!navigation!board,!it!plays!

an!important!role!in!overall!operation.

Altitude)Ceiling

When!this!mode!is!switched!on,!the!current!altitude!is!set!as!the!new!ceiling!and!the!MK!software!limits!

throttle!input!greater!than!the!amount!needed!to!maintain!the!setpoint.!!Additional!increases!in!throttle!

input!will!force!the!MK!higher,!however!it!will!return!to!the!original!setpoint!when!gas!is!reduced.!!Also,!

since!this!is!a!ceiling,!any!reduction!in!throttle!below!that!needed!to!maintain!altitude!will!lower!the!MK.

The!reference!setpoint!can!be!specified!in!several!ways.!E.g.!you!can!put!the set)point to!a!fixed!value!that!

would!never!exceed.!Alternatively,!the!setpoint!can!be!a!potentiometer!(1!to!8)!to!assign!and!change!the!

channel!assigned!to!the!value!of!the!transmitter!during!the!flight.

Another!possibility!is!to!activate!the!checkbox use)switch)for)setpoint (switch!for!height)!at!which!the!set!

point!should!also!be!assigned!to!a!potentiometer,!so!you!turn!on!the!channel!associated!with!the!

transmitter!over!a!switch,!and!the!height!control!can!simultaneously!take!the!current!height!value!as!a!

reference.!This!is!the!most!common!method.

Note:)Altitude)Control

Note:!Generally!the!GPS!will!only!work!well!when!the!altitude!control!is!active.!Otherwise!the!vertical!

accelerations!brought!by!with!the!control!movements!will!confuse!the!AccNSensors!to!much.

With!a!correctly!attached!NaviCtrl,!the!FlightCtrl!will!now!beep!more often!when!either!GPS_MODE_AID!or!

GPS_MODE_HOME!are!selected.!The!tones!communicate!the!following:

beeping!every!1!second!*Beeep*!N!Until!a!minimum!of!6!satellites!has!been!found.!It!will!become!quieter!

when!a!FIX!has!been!obtained!but!not!yet!6!satellites!found.

Fast!5khz!Beeping!*Drrrr*!N!The!MK!is!leaving!its!target!coordinates!by!more!than!15m!(Also!happens!when!

the!mode!is!switched!to!Coming!home!and!the!MK!distances!itself!by!15m!from!target)

1x!Beep!*Beeep*!N!Logging!of!new!target!coordinates!(about 2!second!delay)

In!altNhold!you!have!a!limited!altitude!range!at!your!disposal,!when!you!flip!the!switch!(Never!start!with!any!

altitude!control,!or!it!will!get!bumpy)!If!you!want!to!go!higher,!you!have!to!reset!the!switch,!which!will!often!

lead!to!fast!accent!since!you!are!already!pushing!your!thrustNstick!up.

Vario)Altitude

When!Vario!altitude!is!selected!in!the!software!and!activated!with!the!assigned!altitude!switch,!the!height!

control!takes!full!control!of!the!overall!thrust.!You!can!not!control!it!directly!through!the!throttle!stick!on!

the!transmitter.!Rather!serves!to!active!height!control!over!the!gas!stick!to!change!the!setpoint!and!nominal!

values.!There!are!neutral!points!of!the!gas!sticks,!the!parameters!of!the Stick)neutral)point can!be!fixed.!If!

the!parameter Stick)neutral)point is!equal!to!zero,!is!used!as!a!neutral!point!of!the!gas!stick!position!at!
94

which!the!thrust!exactly!compensates!the!gravitational!force!(Hoverpoint).

If!the!gas!stick!is!above!the!neutral!point,!then!the!nominal!value!of the!level!moves!up!N!if!the!gas!stick!is!

below!the!neutral!point,!the!reference!is!shifted!downwards.!The!speed!with!which!you!moves!the!setpoint,!

the!gas!is!proportional!to!the!stick!position.!The!option Acoustic)Vario (acoustic!variometer)!is!very!helpful!

and!signals!the!changing!altitude!with!an!audible!tone.

GPS)Functions

GPS_MODE_FREE))

(off)!This!mode!is!free!flight.

GPS_MODE_AID)8)Position)Hold)(PH)

(GPS_Mode_Control!between!20!and!200)

GPS!has!a!supportive!effect!The!GPSNspeed!complements!the!pilots!commands!and!where!applicable!acts!

with!a!slowing/braking!effect.

When!no!elevator!or!roll!controls!are!given!by!the!pilot,!the!MK!will!hold!its!current!position.

The!new!position!will!be!logged!when!the!MK!falls!below!a!certain!speed!or!after!no!more!than!4!seconds.

A!beep!will!indicate!the!logging!of!a!new!position.

Note: PH!does!not!control!altitude,!it!only!limits!horizontal!movement.!Altitude!limits!(ceiling)!are!initiated!

only!when!the!Altitude!Hold!switch!is!activated.!So,!essentially,!once!PH!is!activated!the!GPS!picks!a!point!

and!stays!in!a!circle!around!that!point.!The!point!can!be!changed!by!stick!movement,!but,!once!it!slows,!it!

begins!to!hold!the!new!point.!if!the!throttle!is!decreased,!the!MK!will!settle!at!that!point.

option)8)Dynamic)Position)Hold

This!function!works!almost!the!same!as!the!normal!Position!Hold!however,!if!selected,!it!does!not!have!to!

log!off!and!reset!its!location.!This!makes!for!easier!and!smoother!operation.

• In!PHNmode!the!GPSNtarget!position!will!be!changed by!stick!movement.

• So!the!MK!will!not!log!off!in!PHNmode

• That!makes!it!much!easier!to!fly!in!windy!conditions,!because!the!MK!can!be!moved!more!precisely

• The!direct!stickNinfluence!to!the!MK!will!be!damped!simultaneously.

Care)Free

In!this!mode,!the!control!direction!of!Nick!and!Roll!is!not!made!by!"Front"!definition,!but!by!the!direction!in!

which!the!front!of!the!MK!is!positioned!when!the!engines!are!started.!In!this!mode!you!can!yaw!the!MK!

without!it!having!any!coNrotation!effect!on!Nick!and!Roll.

This!is!a!very!useful!mode!when!the!MK!will!be!operated!in!front!of!you,!especially!at!a!distance!where!the!
95

actual!front!(red!arm)!is!difficult!to!distinguish.!It!also!makes!directional!photography!much!easier!as!the!

nose/camera!position!can!be!easily!directed!without!regard!to!MK!flight!direction.

Tips: You!must!first!get!used!to!the!fact!that!the!front!arm!is!irrelevant

For!safety!you!should!practice!in!an!open!area!and!use!GPSNCH!to!get!back.

The!compass!must!be!properly!calibrated!to!work!well!and!safely

See!VideoNNhttp://www.vimeo.com/13726420

Warning88 Pilot)direction)change!

Warning: The!pilot!should!never!change!his!physical!orientation!while!the!MK!is!in!flight.!Remember,!in!

this!mode,!the!red!arm!is!no!longer!the!front!and!all!control!direction!is!performed!relative!to!the!position!

that!the!nose!was!in!at!start!up.!If!the!MK!gets!behind!you!in!Care!Free!Mode,!all!control!action!becomes!

reversed!and!it!is!very!difficult!to!reNorientate!yourself!to!flight.

Also,!Looping!will!not!work!with!Carefree!and!this!feature!requires!a!Navi!Ctrl!with!a!Compass

Care8Free)(Teachable)

"Techable"!means,!that!the!control!direction!can!be!changed!during!flight

So,!the!control!direction!will!be!"teached"!each!time,!the!assigned CareFreeNSwitch!is!switched!on.

A!distinction!is!made:

1. Within!20m!of!the!starting!point,!the!frontNdirection!of!the!MKs!will!become!the!controlNdirection

2. Outside!of!the!20m,!the!bearing!between!home!and!MKNPosition!will!become!the!control!direction

So!the!pilot!can!now!rotate!on!the!spot,!because!he!can!teachNin!a!new CafreFreeNdirection!by!using!the!

switch.!Outside!the!20m!he!does!not!even!have!to!see!where!the!frontNdirection!was!at!the!time.

Tip:!If!the!pilot!has!the!MK!well!in!sight,!he!should!turn!the!MK!so,!that!the!nose!points!directly!away!

from!him.!Then!it!does!not!matter!if!the!MK!is!inside!or!outside!the!20m!N!the!control!direction!would!be!the!

same!in!in!both!cases!anyway.

the!operation!of CareFree 2.0!is!more!intuitive!than!you!think

Example)1:

• In!case!that!the!MK!is!too!far!away!and!the!Pilot!does!not!know!its!actual!direction,!he!would!have!problems

controlling!the!MK!manually

• Now!the CareFreeNSwitch!could!be!switched!on!and!the!Pilot!would!simply!fly!as!if!the!nose!would!point!

away!from!him

Example)2:

• The!pilot!stands!at!a!building!that!he!wants!to!photograph

• He!would!use CareFree and!turn!the!MK!180°!in!his!direction

• If!he!wants!to!take!photos!from!the!other!side!of!that!building,!he!could!reNactivate CareFree on!the!other!

side!of!that!building!and!turn!again!180°!into!his!direction

Note: This!function!is!implemented!since!Version!0.86

Teachable)CareFree)as)example

The!arrow!on!the!MK!shows!the!control!direction!in!these!pictures
96

1. Direction!of!the!MK!before!activating!the CareFree switch

2. CareFree is!switched!on!N>!the!actual!direction!will!become!the!controlNdirection

3. Even!if!the!MK!is!turned,!the!control!direction!will!remain!equal

1. Direction!of!the!MK!before!activating!the CareFree switch
97

2. CareFree is!switched!on!N>!the!actual!bearing!between!MK!and!pilot!will!become!the!controlNdirection!N!no!

matter!of!the!actual!MKNDirection

3. Even!if!the!MK!is!moved!and!turned,!the!control!direction!will!remain!equal

The!pilot!wants!to!teachNin!a!new CareFree direction,!even!If!doen't!know!the!actual!direction!of!the!MK

1. CareFree was!already!on,!but!the!control!direction!is!inconvenient

2. If!the!Pilot!switches CareFree off,!the!actual!direction!will!become!the!control!direction

3. CareFree is!switched!on!N>!the!actual!bearing!between!MK!and!pilot!will!become!the!controlNdirection!N!no!

matter!of!the!actual!MKNDirection

Video)of)the)CareFree)feature

Caution:)Come)Home)Overflight

Caution: It!is!common!and!useful!to!use!GPSNCome!Home!mode!when!operating!in!CareNFree!mode!in!order!

the!bring!the!MK!back!to!you!regardless!of!it!orientation.!However,!you!must!be!aware!that!in!CH!mode,!the!

MK!may!slightly!overfly!home!and!enter!a!region!where!operation!becomes!confusing.!In!this!case,!use!CH!

to!get!the!MK!close!enough!to!see!the!actual!front!(red!arm),!than!select!Position!Hold,!rotate!the!front!to!

nose!out,!deselect!Car!Free,!and!continue!home!under!manual!control.

GPS_MODE_HOME)8)(Coming)Home)CH)

(GPS_Mode_Control!>!200)

Coming!Home!NN>!Fly!back!to!originating!position.!The!position!during!the!start!of!the!motors!is!logged!as!

Home.

Note: CH!only!works!if!you!have!GPS!fix!BEFORE!the!motor!starts.

Warning: When!Coming!Home!is!used!to!fly!back!to!yourself,!the!altitude!control!must!be!active!otherwise!

it!will!drop!down!and!may!continue!to!accelerate!down.

Warning: Make!sure!you!have!extra!room!around!the!Home!Position!as!the!MK!may!overfly!the!location!

slightly!as!arrives!home.

Option)8)Adjustable)altitude)for)Coming)Home
98

In!the!MKNTools!settings!you!can!set!a!fixed!height!for!coming!home!(EasySetup or NaviControl2).!!

With!this!function,!the!Mikrokopter!not!only!comes!back,!it!also!stays!at!a!height!of!25!meters!for!example.!

The!climbing!/!descending!speed!is!3.0!meters!per!seconds!N!you!can't!change!this!value.

Note:!The!altitude!will!be!used!only!in!VarioNaltitudeNcontrol.!And!only!if!the!throttleNstick is!in!neutralN

position.!!

Option)8)Coming)Home)as)Fail)Safe

In!case!of!RC!transmisstionNlost,!the!MK!can!now!automatically!fly!to!the!HomeNPosition!(and!altitude)

Basically!the!idea!is,!to!bring!the MikroKopter back!into!the!reception!range.

• In!this!case!GPS,!compass!and!altitude!control!will!be!automaically!enabled.!When!the!signal!is!back,!it!goes!
99

back!to!'Manual!Control'

• After!the!set!time,!the!MK!uses!"Emergency!Gas"!and!the!"Emergency!Time"!to!perform!a!descending

• The!time!is!limited!to!30!seconds,!this!is!enough!to!go!through!short!rc!signal!lost!times!and!put!

theMikroKopter nearer!to!the!starting!point

• The!MK!will!do!this!for!the!preset!time!(no!matter!if!it!reached!home!or!not).

• Waypoints!are!cancelled!until!the!reception!is!back

• The!MK!is!flying!a!direct!route!towards!the!home!position

• If!a!"Coming!Home!Altitude"!is!set,!this!will!be!used!immideately!with!a!sink/riseNspeed!of 3.0m/sek

• When!signal!is!back,!the!MK!will not go!back!to!the!old!Position!or!altitude!automatically

Note:!By!default,!the!CHNTime!is!to!0sec,!that!means!it!is!disabled!by!default.!It!can!be!set!under!"MISC"!

(expert!setting).

Example:

• MK!is!in!120!distance and!50m!altitude.

• FailSafeNTime!is!30sek!and!EmergencyNgasNtime!is!15sek.

• CHNAltitude!would!be!20m

So!in!the!example!the!MK!would:

• fly!back!and!descend!simultainusly

• altitude!would!be!reached!in!second!10!after!Transmitter!fails

• position!would!be!reached!in!second!20

• there!it!would!wait!for!a!while,!because!the!FSNTime!is!30!seconds

• Emergency!gas!would!be!used!in!second!30!and!the!MK!comes!down

• the!motors!would!be!stopped!in!second!45

Caution: Before!using!this!function!the!user!have!to!clarify!whether!such!a!mode!acceptable!to!the!

particular!place!or!not!of!a!legal,!actuarial!or!other!provisions!is!permitted.!!

When!the!distance!from!the!target!point!is!exceeded!by!15m,!a!quick!beep!of!5!times!per!second!(5Hz)!will!

sound.

Exercises

Exercise)Navi)18)Altitude)Hold

Take!off!and!fly!up!to!25!feet,!switch!on!Altitude!Hold!(AH)!and!fly!a!small!box!pattern!for!one!minute.!

Swlitch!off!Altitude!Hold!(AH)!and!climb!10!more!feet!then!reengage!Altitude!Hold!(AH).!!

Continue!to!maneuver!in!a!small!area!repeating!the!same!operation!until!you!feel!confident!with!this!

operation.!Repeat!this!exercise!until!you!become!comfortable!with!this!maneuver.

Exercise)Navi)2!N!Altitude!Hold/Position!Hold

Take!off!and!fly!up!to!15!feet!and!out!about!30!feet.!At!this!point!select!Position!Hold!(PH).!Now!climb!10!

feet!and!select!Altitude!Hold!(AH).!While!in!this!location,!yaw!the!MK!360!degrees.!Once!complete,!throttle!

back!and!descend!10!feet,!switch!the!Altitude!Hold!(AH)!switch!off!and!on!to!remain!at!the!new!altitude.!

Release!Position!Hold!(PH)!and!fly!the!MK!30!feet!further!out!and!perform!the!same!operation.!Once!

complete,!switch!off!Position!Hold!(PH)!and!return!home.

Repeat!this!exercise!until!you!become!comfortable!with!this!maneuver.

Exercise)Navi)3!N!Altitude!Hold/Position!Hold/Come!Home

Take!off,!climb!to!30!feet!and!fly!out!30!feet,!select!Position!Hold!(PH)!and!climb!20!more!feet!then!select!

Altitude!Hold!(AH).!Release!Position!Hold!(PH)!and!fly!50!feet!further!out!and!reselect!Position!Hold!(PH).!

Do!a!slow!360!degree!turn!and!stop!wi!the!nose!pointed!away!from!you.!Release!Position!Hold!(PH)!and!

Select!Come!Home!(CH).!The!MK!will!proceed!the!the!location!of!motor!start!and!hover!above!that!location.!
100

Give!yourself!a!good!10N15!feet!of!space!and!reduce!the!throttle!to!lower!and!land!the!MK!within!about!10!

feet!or!so!of!it’s!takoff!point.

Repeat!this!exercise!until!you!become!comfortable!with!this!maneuver.

Exercise)Navi)4!N!Altitude!Hold/Position!Hold/Care!Free

Take!off,!climb!to!50!feet!and!select!Altitude!Hold!(AH),!fly!out!to!a!distance!of!50!feet!and!select!Position!

Hold!(PH).!Now!select!Care!Free!(CF).!Deselect!Position!Hold!(PH)!and!turn!so!that!the!nose!is!90!degrees!

off!from!where!it!was,!now!do!a!box!pattern!with!the!nose!pointed!in!the!same!direction.!for!all!four!turns.!

Proceed!to!yaw!the!MK!while!doing!shallow!turns.

Fly!the!MK!home!and!land!while!still!in!Care!Free!(CF)!mode!making!sure!you!do!not!overshoot!home!

getting!the!MK!behind!you.!!

Repeat!this!exercise!until!you!become!comfortable!with!this!maneuver.
101

Section)5)5)Sensor)Calibration

Contents

1)Sensor!Calibration

1.1 Accelerometer!(ACC)!Calibration

1.1.1 What!needs!to!be!level?!

1.1.2 Gyroscope!(Gyro)!Calibration

1.2 Stick!Position!Calibration!Chart

1.3 Test!of!sensor!values!in!MKNTool

2)MK!Compass!Calibration

2.1 Watch!these!videos!for!demonstration!of!the!method.

Sensor)Calibration))

The!MK!is!equipped!with!some!of!the!most!modern!and!sophisticate!flight!control!sensors!available,!however,!if!

these!sensors!are!not!calibrated!correctly!and!accurately,!the!MK!Flight!Control!Computer!will!have!less!than!ideal!

input!data!to!work!with!and!correspondingly!poor!performance.!It!is!well!worth!your!while!to!understand!and!

apply!the!proper!calibration!procedures.!The!MK!should!require!very!small!inputs!on!lift!off!(about!1m!from!the!

ground)!to!hold!in!a!steady!hover.!If!you!are!trying!to!control!the!MK!with!large!stick!movements!then!you!should!

look!at!how!the!MK!is!set!up.

The!MK!will!always!try!to!maintain!the!position!it!has!at!the!moment!of!calibration!because!it!accepts!that!position!

as!level.!After!the!initial!ACC!calibration!is!accomplished!and!properly!saved,!this!same!"level"!reference!is!loaded!

into!the!MK!Flight!control!as!the!true!level!plane!when!power!is!applied.!That!means,!the!more!it!is!outNofNlevel,!the!

more!correction!will!be!needed!by!the!pilot!to!maintain!position.!While!performing!the!calibration,!the!actual!

"Setting"!(amount!of!beeps!represents!the!settingNnumber)!can!be!chosen.

Accelerometer)(ACC))Calibration

Your!initial!ACC!calibration!is!critical!to!MK!performance.!It!basically!teaches!the!FC!what!is!level!as!well!as!setting!

the!accelerometers.!If!this!calibration!is!not!done!correctly!the!MK!will!perform!poorly.

Note: Calibration!of!the!ACC's!only!needs!to!be!done!once!or!if!you!have!control!issues!or!a!software!update.

The!following!procedure!is!a!method!that!I!have!learned!from!others!and!will!ensure!proper!ACC!Calibration.!There!

are!certainly!other!methods!that!will!be!less!time!consuming!and!once!you!understand!what!is!being!accomplished!

by!calibration,!you!my!very!well!decide!on!your!own!method.

What)needs)to)be)level?

Since!it!is!the!propellers!that!provide!thrust!to!make!the!MK!fly,!it!is!important!that!the!motors!and!support!arms!

are!all!on!the!same!plane.!(level!with!each!other).!If!this!is!accomplished!by!ensuring!the!arms!are!level!with!each!

other!and!the!motor!shaft!are!vertical,!then!the!Flight!Control!computer!and!the!pilot!will!have!less!corrections!to!

make!and!!thus!the!MK!will!fly!level!and!smooth.

The!following!calibration!procedure!will!check!to!make!sure!the!support!arms!are!level!with!each!other!as!well!as!

calibrate!the!ACC.!!

Setup:

Note:!Once!again,!This!process!is!just!the!way!I!set!up!my!calibration,!feel!free!to!make!changes!to!this!method!in!

order!to!adjust!to!your!own!circumstances.
102

Selected!a!table!that!has!adjustable!screw!type!foot!pads!(if!possible)!!on!the!bottom in!order!to!make!leveling!easy.!

Use!playing!card!or!other!objects!placed!under!the!table!legs!if!the!table!does!not!screw!type!level!pads.!If!the!table!

top!has!more!than!one!piece,!place!a!firm!piece!of!plywood!on!the!top!of!the!table!so!that!it!will!a!have!single!

surface!to!level.

Use!a!bubble!level!in!the!center!of!the!table,!adjust!the!table!legs!until!the!bubble!level!is!exactly!level!while!looking!

straight!down!on!it.

I!went!to!the!local!hardware!store!a!purchased!eight!pieces!of!threaded!12!in.!x!3/4!in.!plastic!pipe,!eight!metal!

floor!flanges,!and!eight!3/4!in!plastic!pipe!caps.!I!than!pieced!together!eight!stanchions!that!the!arms!of!the!Okto!

rest!on.!These!stanchions!are!heavy!enough!to!be!moved!around!on!the!table!top!as!needed!to!fit!the!Okto!frame.!I!

found!that!there!is!no!need!to!screw!down!the!bases!as!the!metal!is!heavy!enough!to!keep!them!from!sliding.!The!

threaded!caps!are!adjusted!so!each!stanchion!is!exactly!the!same!height.!!See!the!picture!below:

Arm)Straightness)Check

Once!the!stanchions!are!in!place,!carefully!lower!each!arm!of!the!MK!onto!the!stanchions!while!at!the!same!time!

checking!to!make!sure!the!arms!are!not!bent.!Make!sure!the!MK!is!resting!squarely!on!the!stanchion!and!!not!the!

LEDs/cable!ties.

Hint: If!you!find!one!arm!touching!a!stanchion!before!the!others,!make!sure!the!centerpiece!bolts!are!secure.!

Unless!you!have!had!a!crash,!it!is!unusual!for!a!boom!to!be!bent.!If!you!visually!see!a!bend,!gently!bend!the!arm!into!

position!by!applying!pressure!where!needed.!If!the!arm!is!not!square!with!the!others,!use!an!open!end!wrench!to!

twist!each!arm!slightly!to!bring!it!back!to!where!it!should!be!to!be!square!and!on!the!same!plane.

Also,!there!is!a!natural!flex!in!the!aluminum!tube!and!a!slight!degree!of!error,!less!than!2!or!3!mm,!is!acceptable.

Calibration)procedure:

1. Remove!everything!but!the!basic!MK!and!landing!gear.

2. Make!sure!you!are!using!setting!3!(Easy)!as!this!makes!normal!flying!easier.!!

3. Turn!on!the!MK/TX!and!plug!it!into!the!MKNtool.

4. In!MKNTools!N!go!to!the!no.3!lcd!screen.!(green!led!type readout!with!number!3!upper!right!hand!corner)

5. Make!sure!the!main!trims!on!your!TX!are!in!the!center!or!zero.

6. Go!to!your!subNtrim!menu!in!your!TX!and!get!K2/roll!and!K3/nick!values!to!zero.

7. Now!for!the!actual!calibration.!Move!the!left!stick!(Throttle/Yaw)!to!the!upper!right!corner!and!hold!until!the!MK!
103

beeps.!This!value!is!stored!in EEPROM and!only!needs!to!be!done!once,!after!that,!every!time!you!turn!on!the!MK,!

the!ACC!settings!are!automatically!loaded!from!the!EEPROM.!!!

8. Test!fly!the!MK!in!a!no!wind!situation!with!no!gps!hold.You!should!be!able!to!hold!a!hover!and!trim!in!the!direction!

you!are!holding!the!stick!so!you!can!then!let!the!stick!go!and!the!MK!will!remain!in!the!same!place.!The!MK!should!

stay!pretty!much!in!one!spot!unless!it!gets!some!wind!or some!stick.

Note:!The!leveling!control!starts!working!from!a!certain!throttle!value!only.

If,!after!this,!the!MK!still!veers!off!to!one!side,!double!check!arm!and!motor!straightness,!and!weight!distribution.

Gyroscope)(Gyro) Calibration

The!micro!gyros!on!the!MK!are!very!temperature!sensitive!and!this!calibration!must!be!done!every!flight!in!order!

to!stabilize!gyro!temperatures!in!preparation!for!flight. This!calibration!is!necessary!because!the!sensors!have!a!

series!of!scattering!and!temperature!dependence!(also!the!resting!values!of!individual!axes!of!the!acceleration!

sensor!are!different).

Procedure:

1.!Place!the!MK!on!a!stable!surface!an!do!not!move!it.!note:!the!MK!does!not!have!to!necessarily!be!perfectly!level!as!

the!Flight!Controller!will!be!using the!stored!"level"!reference!made!at!the!time!of!ACC!calibration.!!

2.!After!applying!power!move!the!throttle!up!and!to!the!left!until!the!buzzer!beeps!and!the!green!LED!goes!out.!

(Thenumber!of!beeps!corresponds!to!the!setting!number.)!Remember:!only!the!gyros,!are!calibrated!in!this!

procedure,! this!does!not!set!level!as!with!the!ACC!calibration.

This!process!also!powers!up!other!components!of!the!Flight!Control!board!and!prepares!it!for!motor!start.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Stick)Position)Calibration)Chart

The!image!below!shows!greater!detail!of!how!the!sticks!are!used!to!select!settings!and!calibration!modes:

Explanation:!NickRoll!joystick!Left!Centre!=!Setting1;!Left!Up=Setting2,!Centre!UP=Setting3,!etc.!Again:!keep!the!

throttleNyaw!joystick!upper!left!and!the!NickNRoll!joystick!at!the!same!time!to!any!of!the!positions!mentioned!

above.!It!also!works!the!other!way!around,!first!choose!the!setting!with!NickNRoll,!keep!the!joystick!there!and!

calibrate!with!throttleN

yaw.
104

Test)of)sensor)values)in)MK8Tool

When!the!controller!has!been!successfully!programmed,!you!can!check!the!sensor!values!with!the!MikroKopter!

tool.!For!this!procedure!you!connect!the!serial!converter!with!the!large!ribbon!cable.!The!MK!(or!flight!control!

board!if!your!testing!the!board!only)!must!be!put!in!a!horizontal!position!and!switched!on,!then!start!the!scope!

option!in!the!MikroKopter!tool!(if!the!scope!was!already!running!you!should!stop!it!for!a!moment!to!reset!the!zoom!

range).!We!observe!here!only!the!first!five!analog!values.!The!other!analog!values!can!be!switched!off!via!the!tab!

"Scope“!in!the!MikroKopter!tool!if!the!display!becomes!to!difficult!to!read.

Now!you!tilt!the!board!as!smoothly!as!possible!to!about!45!degrees!in!direction!of!the!pitch!axis.!On!the!scope!you!

check!the!signal!values.!The!signal!of!the!pitch!integral!and!the!pitch!acceleration!sensor!(here!red!and!yellow)!

should!show!a!significant!value.

It!is!important!that!the!overlaid!graphs!are!identical!as!far!as!possible.The!same!check!has!to!be!made!on!the!roll!

axis!(here!blue!and!green):!!
105

Then!we!check!the!yaw!gyro.!For!this!purpose!we!turn!the!board!around!the!yaw!axis!and!observe!the!signal!of!the!

gyro.!As!long!as!we!turn!the!board!there!will!be a!value!>!0!which!will!come!back!to!zero!when!we!stop!moving!the!

board.

We!check!the!offset!values!of!the!gyros!in!the!virtual!display!(the!values!in!parenthesis):

For!this!purpose!we!click!through!the!buttons!in!the!corresponding!menu.!The!offset!values!should!be!around!500!

(+N100).!In!this!example!the!yaw!gyro!has!a!problem!(178).!It!must!be!recalibrated!or!changed.

Test!of!the!Rx!signal!In!the!virtual!display!we!can!read!the!R/C!values:!!

With!the!R/C!control!we!can!adjust!the!values!in!the!range!of!ca.!N120!to!+120.

MK)Compass)Calibration

These!instructions!are!intended!to!guide!you!through!proper!compass!calibration!of!the!MKNMikrokopter!series!of!

multiNrotor!RC!aircraft.!The!MK!must!have!the!proper!navigation!hardware!and!software!installed.

Additional!instructions!and!video!are!available!on!the mikrokopter.com website.

MK8Axis)Reference)Graph)(diag.)1))8)The!diagram!below!shows!the!different MK)Axis)Lines used!in!this!

procedure.!!
106

Operating)Note:)Calibration

Important)Notes:))

• When)first)operated,)the)MK3Mag)needs)to)be)correctly)calibrated!)Otherwise)the)NaviBoard)will)show)you)

"Err:6)bad)compass)value".

• Since)Version)FC:0.84)it is)much)easier)to)calibrate)the)compass)with)a)"clicking)sound".)This)method)has)

the)advantage)that)you)doesn't)have)to)hold)the)Kopter)"perfect")horizontally.

• The)Nick8)and)Roll)axis)refers)to)the)FlightCtrl,)and not on)the)Mixer)you)use!)The)arrow)of)the)FlightCtrl)

shows)the)Nick)axis!

• Calibration!should!be!accomplished!outside,!away!from!magnetic!influences!

• Do)not calibrate)the)MK)directly)next)to)a)house,)near)power)poles)or)metallic)/)magnetic)surfaces.

• Take)your)cell)etc.)out)of)your)pocket.

Calibration)Procedure

1. Start)Calibration)8) Initiate!Compass!Calibration!by!holding!the!transmitter!nick/right!stick!straightNdown!and!

moving!the!throttle/left!stick!upNandNleft,!you!will!hear one*beep. Compass!calibration!has!now!begun.

2. Calibrate)Nick)Axis N!Hold!the!MK!with!the!front!arm!pointing!north!or!south!(use!a!compass!or!GPS!to!determine!

the!proper!direction,!get!as!close!a!you!can,!but,!it!doesn’t!have!to!be!exact).!Now,!move!the!transmitter!nick/right!

stick!to!the!bottom,!you!will!hear two*beeps,!step!2!of!the!calibration!has!begun!when!the!clicking!sound!starts!with!

each!move!of!the!MK.!Rotate!the!MK!in!the!northNsouth!direction!so!that!the!hub!of!the!MK!rotation!is!along!the!

nick!axis!on!diagram!1.!The!MK!is!now!finding!new!points!of!maximum!or!minimum!values.!When!the!beeping!

stops,!the!Nick!axis!is!calibrated.

3. Calibrate)Roll)Axis N!Point!the!MK!so!that!the!nose!is!facing!east!or!west!than!roll!the MK!a!few!times!in!the!

direction!of!the!MK!roll!axis!(diagram!1)!so!that!the!rotation!axis!or!hub!is!around the!X!axis!as!shown!on!diagram!

2.!The!rotation!is!still!north/south.!Rotate!until!the!buzzer!stops!beeping!than!move!the!nick/right!stick!to!the!

bottom.!You!will!hear!three!beeps!that!signal!the!end!of!the!nick/roll!calibration!process.
107

4. Calibrate)Yaw)(Z))Axis)8)With!the!nose!still!facing!east, move!the!nick/right!stick!down,!you!will!hear four*

beeps that!signals!the!start!of!Z!Axis!calibration.! rotate!the MK!a!few!times!around!the!roll!axis!as!indicated!on!

diagram!1!(X!axis!on!diagram!2).!Rotation!will!remain!in!north/south!orientation!until!the!buzzer!stops!beeping.

5. End)Calibration N!Pull!the!Nick!stick!down!N!you!will!hear!one!calibration!beep!that!signals!the!exit!of!the!

calibration!process.

If!the!calibration!fails!(compass!still!reports!"invalid!compass!value"),!you!can!take!a!look!here: MagnetError

The!process!also!works!in!older!firmware!versions,!but!then!without!the!clicking!sound
108

Watch)these)videos)for)demonstration)of)the)method.
109

Section)6)5)Weight)and)Balance

Contents

1)Weight!and!Balance

1.1 Center!of!Gravity

1.2 Other!Vibration!Correction

Weight)and)Balance))

Center)of Gravity

While!we!have!been!discussing!sensor!calibration,!there!is!another!important!factor!that!goes!along!with!

this!study!called!Center!of!Gravity.

Although!we!have!taken!precise!steps!to!make!sure!the!MK!knows!where!level!is,!the!load!that!the!craft!will!

be!carrying!N!cameras,!batteries,!camera!mount,!FPV!transmitter,!etc.,!must!all!be!added!very!carefully!so!

that!our!own!actions!do!not!throw!the!MK!out!of!balance. Add!additional!payload!one!piece!at!a!time,!so!that!

you!can!determine!which!component,!when!added,!throws!off!CG!and!make!the!appropriate!load!shifts.!

Normally,!the!MK!will!counter!small!balance!variations!very!well.

As!mentioned!previously,!if!the!MK!is!out!of!balance!some!motors!are!going!to!have!to!work!harder!than!

others,!in!addition!you!will!have!less!authority!in!a!given!axis!due!to!the!fact!that!the!motor!is!already!

putting!out!more!power!than!should!be!required!for!given!task,!similar!to!having!a!twisted!motor!..!(already!

using!certain!amount!of!yaw!to!compensate)!!will!have!more!yaw!authority!in!one!direction!than!the!other.

Balance!is!very!important!if!you!are!trying!to!build!in!some level!of!failNsafe.!If!the!craft!is!out!of!balance,!

possible!failure!could!be!on!heavy!portion!of!MK!..!and!as!such!will!have!substantially!more!difficulty!

maintaining!stability.

A!quick!check!to!verify!that!the!center!of!gravity!is!good!is!by!lifting!up the!MK!under!opposite!arms!with!

ink!pens/pencils!(use!as!a!pivot!point)!and!use!your!battery!to!get!the!CG!right. In!my!case!I!used!two!of!the!

stanchions!that!I!built!for!the!ACC!calibration!to!balance!the!MK!and!check!the!CG.

Center)of)Gravity)Flight)Test

If!you!have!a!ZigXbee!you!can!select!the!FC!in!the!MKtool!during!flight!then!hit!the!3D!button!and!you!will!

get!the!Balance!tool!graph.!This!is!a!great!way!to!test!the!Center!of!Gravity!position.!The!red!dot!points!to!

the!center!of!gravity!and!should!be close!to!center.!Since!your!Lipo!is!the!heaviest!item!on!the!MK,!move!it!

or!other!stuff!around!to!move!the!dot!in!the!center.

Note:!Check!the!ACC!setting!on!the!Balance!screen!in!the!MK!tools!it!should!show!a!green!rectangle!in!the!

center!of!the!screen!a red!one!and!it!is!not!calibrated!correctly.

Other)Vibration Correction

While!MK's!with!larger!motors!tend!to!create!additional!vibration,!the!following!simple!checks!can!be!taken!

to!eliminate!vibration!sources!that!may!crop!up!even!in!the!standards!MK's.

• Balance!your!Props

• Glue!down!your!Caps,!on!BL's!FC,!Navi,!anyplace!that!has!a!standing!or!bent!over!CAP.!Glue!them!with!Goop!
110

or!silicon!or!hot!glue..something!non!conductive.

• Glue!down!your!Altitude!Sensor!to!your!FC.!After!the!heat!shrink!and!foam.

• make!sure!your!FC!is!free!to!move!on!the!vibration!Dampeners.!No!cables!rubbing!no!lipo!cables!touching.

• Make!sure!your!Motor!wires!are!not!rubbing!on!the!Frame!ring!or!Power!Dist!boards.!Check!them!for!

chaffing.
111

Section)7)5)Supplements

Supplements

This!section!contains!additional!information!that!may!be!helpful!in!building,!maintaining!and!operating!the!

Mikrokopter.

MK8Manual)Supplements
112

Section)8)5)Safety)Information

A!Mikrokopter!is!not!a!toy.!These!safety!instructions!are!intended!not!only!for!the!protection!of!the!aircraft,!

but!also!to!protect!your!own!safety!or!others.!Improper!operation!can!cause!serious!injury!and!property!

damage.

As!with!any!machine,!there!is!no!guarantee!of!errorNfree!behavior!of!the!electronics!or!software.!Operation!

of any!MK!requires!careful!preparation!and!review.!It!is!important!to!operate!the!MK!wisely,!both!in!the!air!

and!on!the!ground.!It!is!your!responsibility!make!sure!both!you!and!the!MK!are!fully!capable!of!the!intended!

task.

Overflight

Warning: Do!not!fly!over!people!!You!may!also!need!appropriate!insurance!before!flight,!as!required!by!law!

in!many!countries!

General

• A!Mikrokopter!is!not!a!toy!and!not!suitable!for!children!under!14!years.

• If!you!don’t!have!sufficient!knowledge!about!the!control!of!the!MK,!please!contact!someone!with!experience.

• An!appropriate!(model!aircraft)!liability!insurance!is!required.!In!general,!model!aircraft!are!not!covered!by!

a!standard!liability!insurance.

• Refer!to!the!Wiki!and!forum!about!the!features!and!operation!of!the Mikrokopter.com.!

Before)starting

• Check!the!reliability!of!the!Mikrokopter.

• The!flight!battery!and!transmitter!battery!must!be!fully!charged.

• Always!turn!on!the!transmitter!first!and!then!the!MK,!this!allows!for!proper!twoNway!communication!to!

lock!in.

• Watch!for!visible!damage!such!as!loose!screws,!broken,!unbalanced!or!damaged!propellers,!faulty!

connectors!or!solder!joints,!broken!pipes,!etc.

• All!propellers!must!be!in!a!good!condition!and!securely!mounted.!The!motors!must!spin!smoothly.!!Please!

ensure!that!there!are!no!objects!in!the!rotational!plane!of!the!propellers!or!within!a!distance!that!poses!a!

risk!of!obstruction.!Rotating!propeller!ends!are!dangerous!to!touch!–!never!touch!a!rotating!propeller!with!

fingers!or!other!body!parts.

• Ensure!that!the!selected!channel!on!the!remote!control!is!free!and!that!you’re!within!range!of!the!

transmitter.

• Ensure!the!sensors!are!calibrated!(when!the!motors!are!off!move!yaw!and!gas!stick!into!upper!left!corner!

until!it!beeps)!and!that you!hear!the!appropriate!audible!beep!count.

• Different!settings!can!result!in!fundamentally!different!flight!characteristics!and!occupation!of!the!Channel!

functions.!Make!sure!that!you!are!familiar!with!the!setting!and!its!features.

• After!starting!the!motors,!check!that!all!motors!are!running!and!rotate!evenly.!Please!fly!carefully!at!a!low!

altitude!until!you!know!that!everything!is!working!fine.

• Perform!a!preNflight!check!(see!checklist!below).

• Start!manually!–!switch!off!altitude!control!and!GPS.

• The!electronics!must!not!be!wet!and!should!be!operated!in!the!temperature!range!of!0N40!°C

During)the)flight

• Do!not!take!risks!!Your!own!safety!and!that!of!your!environment!depend!on!the!good!behavior!of!the!

pilot. Always!maintain!a!safe!distance!from!people,!animals!and!objects.!Improper!operation!can!cause!

serious!injury!and!property!damage! Never!fly!towards!viewers!and!avoid!flying!over!spectators.

• Keep!in!mind!that!spectators,!especially!children,!do!not!understand!the!potential!danger!of!the!spinning!
113

props.!!

• Always!turn!off!the!MK!first!and!disconnect!the!flight!battery!before!turning!off!the!transmitter.

• Only!fly!in!sight.!In!the!case!of!manual!control,!you!must!be!able!to!see!the!position!and!attitude.

• Never!rely!100%!on!functions!such!as!GPS,!compass,!or!altitude!control.!You!must!always!be!able!to!take!

manual!control!of!the!MK.

• Reduce!the!gas!or!switch!off!the!motors!in!case!of!a!crash!or!failure.

• Do!not!fly!in!blocked!air!space,!such!as!in!the!vicinity!of!airports,!etc.

• Pay!attention!to!underNvoltage!warning!Nflying!on!an!empty!battery!can!cause!damage!to!the!Lipos!and!

crash.

• If!a!defect!or!malfunction!has!occurred,!it!must!be!corrected!before!the!next!start.

• When!using!GPS,!take!note!that!the!position!of!the!MK!can!change!suddenly!some!meters.

After)the)flight

• disconnect!the!battery!and!check!all!over!for!damage.!!Make!sure!that!there!is!no!damage!to!the!propellers.

• See!the Handling!and!safety!precautions!of!Lipos.

• After!a!crash!the!sensors!and!electronics!might!be!damaged.!Before!the!next!start!everything!must!be!

checked.

Checklist)(pre8flight)check)

• Weather!conditions!suitable!(Beginners!are!advised!to!fly!in!conditions!less!than!15kts).

• Frame!and!all!screws!are!tight.

• Propeller!not!damaged!and!tightly!fixed.

• Battery!fully!charged!and!securely!mounted.

• Transmitter!battery!charged!and!the!antennas!are!free.

• Channel!of!the!transmitter!is!not!busy.!If!35/40/70MHz!or!other!MHzNRCNcontrols!are!in!operation!

simultaneously,!the!used!channels!must!be!checked!with!the!other!pilots!(not!necessary!for!2.4!GHz!

systems).

• Check!RC(TX/RX)!operation!range!(on!the!ground!)!from!time!to!time!(and!before!1st!flight).

• Ensure!there!is!nothing!in!the!danger!zone!of!the!propeller.

• Ensure!enough!space!for!launch!and!flight.

• Ensure!the!GPS!module!(if!any)!has!GPS!fix.!If!CH!or!PH!is!active!it!will!beep!every!second.!Check!that!when!

you!switch!to!GPS!mode,!there!will!be!an!audible!beep.

• For!manual!start!ensure!GPS!and!altitude!controls!are!turned!off.

• Ensure!sensors!are!calibrated!and!that!the!right!setting!is!loaded.

• Ensure!the!trim!of!the!remote!control!is!in!neutral!position.

LiPo)Batteries

Lipo)Batteries

Lithium)Polymer)batteries)are)as)volatile)as)a)can)of)gasoline)and)should)be)treated)with)the)same)

caution.))Before!use,!you!must!understand!proper!use,!handling,!charging,!and!storage!of!this!type!of!

battery. Please)read)the)information)about)LIPO)batteries)in)the)Training)section)of)this)website)and)

on)the)other)forums.
114

Section)9)5)FAA)Regulations

Rules!regarding!RC!aviation!can!be!interpreted!in!many!ways!right!now with!more!refinement!coming!in!a!

few!year.

The!bottom!line!is,!have!common!sense.!Your!aircraft!must!be!flown!responsibly.!The!FAA!won't!hesitate!to!

come!down!hard!on!all!RC!flying!if!the!privilege!is!abused!by!a!few.!Keep!a!low!profile!with!what!you!do, it!is!

a!unique!opportunity,!the!less!showmanship!the!better.!Never!put!another!persons!life!or!property!in!

danger.

At!this!point,!RC!Aircraft!must!abide!by!the!following!guidelines.!If!you!go!beyond!these!limits,!there!are!

UAV!rules!that!must!be!followed.!!(see!attachments)

AC!91N57!DATE!June!9,!1981!!

ADVISORY!CIRCULAR!!

DEPARTMENT!!OF!!TRANSPORTATION!!!

Federal!!Aviation!!Administration!!!

Washington,!!D.C.!!!

Subject:!MODEL!AIRCRAFT!OPERATING!STANDARDS!!

1.!PURPOSE.!This!advisory!circular!outlines,!and!encourages!voluntary!compliance!with,!safety!standards!

for!model!aircraft!operators.!!

2.!BACKGROUND.Modelers,!generally,!are!concerned!about!safety!and!do!exercise!good!judgment!when!

flying!model!aircraft.!However,!model.aircraft!can!at!times!pose!a!hazard!to!fullNscale!aircraft!in!flight!and!to!

persons!and!property!on!the!surface.!Compliance!with!the!following!standards!will!help!reduce!the!

potential!for!that!hazard!and!create!a!good!neighbor!environment!with!affected!communities!and!airspace!

users.!!

3!OPERATING!STANDARDS!!

a.!Select!an!operating!site!that!is!of!sufficient!distance!from!populated!areas.!The!selected!site!should!be!

away!from!noise!sensitive!areas!such!as!parks,!schools,!hospitals,!churches,!etc.!!

b.!Do!not!operate!model!aircraft!in!the!presence!of!spectators!until!the!aircraft!is!successfully!flight!tested!

and!proven!airworthy.!!

c.Do!not!fly!model!aircraft!higher!than!400!feet!above!the!surface.!When!flying!aircraft!within!3!miles!of!an!

airport,!notify!the!airport!operator,!or!when!an!air!traffic!facility!is!located!at!the!airport,!notify!the!control!

tower,!or!flight!service!station.!!

d.!Give!right!of!way!to,!and!avoid!flying!in!the!proximity!of,!fullNscale!aircraft.!Use!observers!to!help!if!

possible.!!

e!Do!not!hesitate!to!ask!f!or!assistance!from!any!airport!traffic!control!r!concerning!compliance!with!these!

standards.!!

v!4!!

R.!J.!VANVUREN!Direc!tor,!Air!Traffic!Service!!

Attachments (2)

• UAS_Class_D_SRMD.pdf!N!on!Dec!6,!2010!6:39!PM!by!Dennis!O'Hara (version!4!/ earlier!versions)!!

3725k View Download

• ac91N57.pdf!N!on!Dec!6,!2010!6:30!PM!by!Dennis!O'Hara (version!4!/ earlier!versions)!!

161k View Download
115

Section)10)5)Flight)Training

The!Mikrokopter!(MK)!is!a!very!reliable!and!stable!aircraft!that!will!provide!you!with!many!hours!of!

enjoyable flying!and!a!capability!for!stunning!photography.!Many!expensive!crashes!and!lost!aircraft!are!

caused!by!lack!of!proper!training.!The!following!instructions!and!procedures!will!help!greatly!reduce!the!

chances!of!failure.

Contrary!to!some!opinion,!flying!a mikrokopter!does!not!necessarily!mean!that!an!expensive!crash!is!

inevitable.!By!following!a!common!sense!approach!to!training,!safety,!and!regulations!you!will!become!part!

of!a!small!group!of!mikrokopter!pilots!that!can!enjoy!a!unique!and!specialized!activity!that!will!provide!you!

with!a!fantastic!platform!for!you!photography!endeavors.

In!the!1970N80's,!I!was!a!camera!operator!(Systems!Officer)!in!the!back!seat!of!military!reconnaissance!

aircraft!(RFN4C).!While!my!main!task!was!to!turn!the!cameras!on!at!the!right!time,!most!of!my!time!and!

training!was!spent!learning!aircraft!systems!needed!to!get!you!to!the!target.

The!Mikrokopter!is!much!the!same.!On!your!way!to!taking!the!picture,!you!will!learn,!soldering,!electric!

systems,!navigation,!troubleshooting,!many!new!terms,!RC!flight,!FAA!regulations,!and!how!to!study!

manuals!and!checklist.

In!photography,!you!can!pick!up!a!camera!and!get!decent!pictures!right!away.!Not!so!in!this!business.!In!

order!to!get!decent!pictures!and!video,!you!will!have!to!put!in!the!time!and!effort!to!get!the!camera!

consistently!into!position!to!take!the!picture.

Training)is)the)key,!and!much!like!any!technical!field,!training!is!always!ongoing.!There!is!always!

something!new!to!learn.!The!people!who!excel,!are!those!who!enjoy!the training!as!much!as!the!final!

activity.

Not!many!people!can!do!this!activity,!enjoy!the!journey!as!well!as!the!destination.

Read,!read,!read,!practice,!practice,!practice.

The!following!pages!will!get!you!on!the!road.

PURPOSE)OF)FLIGHT)TRAINING

The!overall!purpose!of!primary!and!intermediate!flight!training!is!the!acquisition!and!honing!of!basic!

airmanship!skills!as!they!pertain!to!operating!the!mikrokopter.!Airmanship!can!be!defined!as:

•!A!sound!acquaintance!with!the!principles!of!mikrokopter!flight.

•!The!ability!to!operate!an!mikrokopter!with!competence!and!precision!in!different!settings!and!conditions.

•!The!exercise!of!sound!judgment!that!results!in!optimal!operational!safety!and!efficiency!of!the!MK.

Learning!to!fly!a!mikrokopter!is!not!an!easy!feat.!Since!an!mikrokopter!operates!in!a!three!dimensional!

environment!it!requires!a!type!of!motor!skill!development!that!is!more!sensitive!to!this!situation!such!as:

•!Coordination—The!ability!to!use!the!your!hands!subconsciously!and!in!the!proper!relationship!to!operate!

the!control!transmitter!sticks,!switches,!and!levers!in!a!manner!that!accurately!controls!the!mikrokopter.

•!Timing—The!application!of!muscular!coordination!at!the!proper!instant!to!make!flight,!and!all!maneuvers!

incident!thereto,!a constant!smooth!process!without!looking!at!the!controls.

•!Control!touch—The!ability!to!sense!the!action!of!the!mikrokopter!and!its!probable!actions!in!the!
116

immediate!future,!with!regard!to!attitude!and!speed!variations.!Unlike!a!pilot!siting!the!the!aircraft,!you!do!

not!have!the!ability!to!feel!the!aircraft!movement,!so,!your!eyesight!is!more!important!than!ever.

The!goal!that!comes!through!proper!training!and!practice!is!that!the!pilot!becomes!one!with!the!MK,!rather!

than!a!just!machine!operator.!This!is where!MK!systems!knowledge,!simulator!training,!and!a!structured!

flight!training!program!combine!into!a!well!trained!pilot.!It!does!not!come!easy!and!like!anything!else!in!life,!

you!get!out!what!you!put!into!it.!!

An!accomplished!pilot!demonstrates!the!ability!to!assess!a!situation!quickly!and!accurately!and!deduce!the!

correct!procedure!to!be!followed!under!the!circumstance;!to!analyze!accurately!the!probable!results!of!a!

given!set!of!circumstances!or!of!a!proposed!procedure;!to!exercise!care!and!due!regard!for!safety;!to!gauge!

accurately!the!performance!of!the!MK;!and!to!recognize!personal!limitations!and!limitations!of!the!MK!and!

avoid!approaching!the!critical!points!of!each.!!

The!development!of!airmanship!skills!requires!effort!and!dedication!on!the!part!of!the!pilot,!beginning!with!

the!very!first!training!flight!where!proper!habit!formation!begins!by!using!good!operating!practices.

The!underlying!purpose!of!flight!training!is!to!develop!skills!and!safe!habits!that!are!transferable!to!any!MK.!

Basic!airmanship!skills!serve!as!a!firm!foundation!for!this.!The!pilot!who!has!acquired!necessary!

airmanship!skills!during!training,!will!easily!advance!to!more!technical!skills.!The!goal!of!flight!training!is!a!

safe!and!competent!pilot.

Every!flight!should!be!considered!a!training!flight!consisting!of!a!well!thought!out!plan,!a!set!of!goals,!and!a!

post!flight!evaluation!of!lessons!learned.

.!

Simulator)Training

Contents

1)Overview

2)Training!Program

2.1 The!lessons!already!passed!are!displayed!in!green.!The!lessons!attempted!but!failed!are!shown!in!red.!

The!lesson!in!blue!is!the!next!recommended!one.!There!is!a!red!dot!for!each!time!the!lesson!was!failed.!

There!is!a!green!dot!for!each!time!the!lesson!was!passed.
117

AeroSIM!RC is!a!simulator!company!that!has!put!extra!effort!into!meeting!the!needs!of!the!Mikrokopter!

community.!Because!of!this,!AeroSIM!RC!is!the!preferred!simulation!software!for!the!MK!and!is!one!of!the!

first!things!an!MK!pilot!should!purchase!and!become!very!familiar!with!prior!to!flight.!!Time!spent!on!the!

simulator!will!decrease!real!time!training!time,!increase!needed!necessary!hand!eye!coordination!needed!to!

fly!the!MK!and!possible!save!thousands!of!dollars!lost!to!the!normal!training!curve!accidents!that!occur!in!

the!learning!process.

AeroSIM!RC!and!has!added!a!wide!selection!of!MK!models!and!an!invaluable!set!of!training!scenarios!that!

will!help!new!pilots!get!off!the!ground!safer!and!keep!others!up!to!speed!on!the!necessary!skills!needed!to!

fly!the!MK!on!a!daily!basis.

!!

Overview

AeroSIM!RC is!designed!as!a Training)aid for!those!who!want!to!learn!to!pilot!a!RC!model.

The!training!is!oriented!to!the!beginner!without!any!previous!knowledge!of!RC.

Nowadays!a RC!simulator!plays!a!very!important!role!during!the!starting!stages!of!RC!learning.!A!great!help!

in!acquiring!most!of!the!required!skills.!All!this!is!possible!since!many!hours!of!practice!can!be!flown!with!

no!repair!time!or!cost!involved,!without!any!stress,!and!by!performing!maneuvers!that!would!be!risky!for!a!
118

beginner.

NModels:!Quad,!Hexa,!Okto,!Okto!2,!OktoXL!with!stabilized!SLR!camera

N!Improved!yaw!performance!in!MK!models

N!CareFree!v2.0!with!'teachable'!option!at!Receiver!!

Model!Selection

Radio!Configuration
119

Training)Program

AeroSIM!RC's!Training!Program!is!based!on!the!BMFA!requirements!for!Certificate!'A'!exam!(helicopter),!

and!in!the!recommendations!from!experienced!instructors

The!syllabus!is!composed!of 24)exercises classified!in!five!subjects:!Throttle!Control,!Hover,!Translate,!

Land!and!Forward!Flight!!

Any!helicopter!or!multirotor!model!can!be!selected!for!the!training.

The!exercises!are!seasoned!with left)and)right direction!of!flight,!in!order!not!to!get!used!to!only!one!

direction.

The!Training!Program!guides!you!through!the!lessons!in!a!predetermined!order.!If!you!fail!several!times!a!

lesson,!the!training!continues!to!the!next!lesson!in!the!program.!There!can!be!a!limited!number!of!lessons!

pending,!but!at!least!you!will!not!be!frustrated!with!any!particular!lesson!in!case!it!takes!more!attempts!

before!you!acquire!the!skills!to!pass!it.

The cheat)button will!unlock!all!lessons.

You!can!always!practice!again!the!lessons!you!have!already!passed.

When!all!lessons!are!completed you!will!receive!a certificate.!
120

externer*Link:!!

The!Training!Program!is!based!on!the!BMFA!requirements!for!Certificate!'A'!exam!(helicopter),!and!in!the!

recommendations!from!experienced!instructors.

The)lessons)already)passed)are)displayed)in green.
121

The)lessons)attempted)but)failed)are)shown)in red.

The)lesson)in blue is)the)next)recommended)one.

There)is)a red dot for)each)time)the)lesson)was)failed.

There)is)a green)dot for)each)time)the)lesson)was)passed.

Link!for!the!Software!update

http://www.aerosimrc.com/j/index.php/en/downloads

This!is!the!perfect!training!for!long!winter!evenings!and!while!your!waiting!for!parts.

Basic)Flight)Maneuvers

Basic)Flight)Training Maneuvers

This!section!describes!a!series!of!basic!flight!maneuvers!that!should!be!mastered!before!preceding!further.!

While!the!addition!of!the!flight!navigation!systems!adds!a!great!measure!of!ease!and!confidence!to!flying!the!

MK,!the!following!procedures!are!critical!to!basic!skills!and!should!be!practiced!in!on!ongoing!basis.

Take!your!time!and!practice!these!maneuvers!until!you!can!do!them!without!hesitation.!If!you!practice!the!

same!maneuver!on!a!flight!simulator!and!than!proceed!to!practice!with!the!MK,!your!training!will!be!much!

accelerated.

Exercise)1)8)Takeoff)and)Landing

Double!check!that!the!conditions!for!flying!are!still!safe!(no!people!entered!the!flying!area!without!you!

noticing!as!you!were!focused!on!the!model,!nose!of!model!is!pointing!away!from!you!and!into!the!wind,!

nothing!hanging!loose!from!the!model)

If!the!flying!conditions!are!still!OK,!switch!the!motor!on!(throttle!stick!in!lower!right!corner!until!the!motors!

start!up!to!idle).!Increase!the!throttle!stick!until!the!model!gets!light!on!its!feet.

Time!for!liftNoff!!Increase!the!throttle!stick!a!little!bit!faster!so!that!the!MK!quickly!lifts!off.!You!want!it!to!go!

to!an!altitude!of!3!feet!or!more!to!get!out!of!ground!turbulence!caused!by!the!downward!airflow!from!the!

propellers.!Once!you!are!at!30N50cm,!gradually!reduce!the!throttle!to!slow down!the!ascent,!and!gradually!

decrease!it!further!to!descend!slowly!land!again.!Do!NOT!suddenly!decrease!the!throttle!or!you!will!crash.!If!

you!start!descending!too!quickly,!increase!the!throttle!a!little!bit!to!slow!down!the!descent.

Unfortunately!the!very!sensors!that!the!MK!uses!to!keep!it!level!etc!will!cause!it!to!'bunny!hop'!if!you!are!

not!careful.!Basically!the!MK!behaves!differently!as!it!gets!closer!to!the!ground!due! ground!effect.!That!is!

the!downwash!of!the!props!against!the!ground!affecting!the!lift!and!stability.!What!you!need!to!do!is!to!

bring!the!MK!down!to!about!3!feet!then!slowly!descend!keeping!the!MK!level,!once!you!are!just!about!to!

touch!the!ground!reduce!the!throttle!completely.!If!you!reduce!it!slightly!it!will!bounce,!the!sensor!will!

increase!the!gas!and!it!will!rise,!you!will!then!reduce!the!gas,!the!sensor!will!also!reduce!the!gas!and!it!will!

bounce!again!and!so!on.!Reducing!the!gas!completely!means!the!sensor's!input!is!not!enough!to!give!it!

enough!lift!to!keep!it!in!the!air.

If!the!MK!drifts!a!bit!during!this!phase,!just!reposition!it!on!the!ground!between!takeNoffs.!We're!not!yet!

going!to!try!flying!it!back!to!its!position.!Practice!liftNoff!and!landing!repeatedly!until!you!can!fully!control!it!

and!landings!are!soft!and!smooth.!Reduce!the!throttle!to!idle!between!landings!and!recheck!the!

environment!

If!for!some!reason!something!goes!wrong!and!the!MK!lands!on!its!side!or!upside!down,!IMMEDIATELY!turn!
122

off!the!motors!(throttle!stick!in!bottom!left!corner!until!the!motors!stop)!to!avoid!unnecessary!damage!to!

ESCs,!propellers!or!motors).!Reposition!it,!and!check!for!damage.!Reposition!yourself!and!recheck!the!

environment.!Restart!the!motors!(throttle!stick!in!bottom!right!corner!until!motors!start)!and!restart!liftNoff!

and!landing!practice.

Remember: Small!stick!movements!

If!you!can't!get!the!MK!back!to!its!starting!position,!it!is!safer!for!both!the!MK!and!yourself!to!land,!manually!

reposition!it!and!restart,!rather!than!to!continue!to!try!and!correct!drift!which!could!lead!to!disorientation!

followed!by!crashing!the!model!into!the!ground!or!yourself.

Exercise82!N!Hovering!!

Once!you!are!comfortable!with!takeoff!and!landing,!it’s!time!to!practice!one!of!the!important!maneuvers,!

hovering.!With!the!MK!pointed!away!from!you!and!at!chest!height!to!avoid!ground!effect,!hold!the!aircraft!in!

a!hover.! With!the!nose!continuing!to!point!away!from!you,!lightly!maneuver!roll!left!and!right,!and!pitch!

fore!and!aft.! Practice!this!for!10!minutes!or!until!your!battery!gets!low.! This!is!called!noseNout!flying!and!is!

he!easiest!way!for!new!pilots!to!get!a!good!feel!for!the!MK.

Moving!left!or!right,!or!forward!or!aft!is!of!course!great.!But!the!big!advantage!of!a!MK!is!that!it!can!hover.!It!

can!hang!still!above!a!given!point.!Hovering!an!MK!means!that!in!addition!to!the!selfNstabilization!by!the!

flight!controller!you!provide!some!additional!control!inputs!to!keep!the!MK!over!the!same!spot!on!the!

ground!at!the!same!altitude.!Carefully!combing!the!roll,!nick,!yaw!and!throttle!inputs!to!correct!drift!in!any!

of!these!four!axis,!trying!to!keep!the!model!in!a!stable!hover!at!between!1!and!2!meters!above!its!takeNoff!

position.!If!the!craft!moves!too!far!out!of!the!hover!area,!just!land!and!reposition!it.

Hovering!is!a!very!critical!flying!skill!so!practice!it!extensively.!It!may!require!several!hours!of!practice!

under!different!conditions!to!master!it!to!such!a!degree!that!even!in!some!wind!you!can!keep!the!model!

within!20cm!of!its!intended!hovering!position.!If!you!can!do!this!well,!you!will!most!likely!be!able!to!get!out!

of!trouble!during!other!maneuvers!by!going!into!a!hover!quickly,!reassessing!the!situation,!and!flying!to!a!

safer!position!or!landing!spot.

At!first,!just!practice!over!the!general!area!of!your!starting!point.!Later!consider!marking!a!point!on!the!

ground!(e.g.!a!helipad!made!from!plywood!or!canvas,!or!a!pylon!or!plastic!bottle)!and!hover!exactly!above!

that!point.!You!may!be!surprised!how!difficult!it!can!be!to!stay!correctly!above!a!clearly!marked!spot!for!

several!minutes.

Once!you!can!control!the!MK!left/right!and!forward/backward,!do!some!practice!on!rudder!/!yaw.!From!a!

hover!position,!carefully!move!the!rudder!stick!to!turn!the!nose!of!the!MK!approx!45!degrees!to!the!left!or!

right,!and!then!yaw!back.!You!do!not!yet!want!to!go!further!than!60N70!degrees!because!you!will!quickly!run!

into!control!reversal!and!get!disoriented.

Exercise)83)House!pattern

A!typical!flying!maneuver!is!the!"house".!LiftNoff,!at!about!breast!height!hover!for!about!5!seconds,!then!fly!

3N4!meters!sideways,!again!hover!for!about!5!seconds!and!land.!Then!do!the!same!in!opposite!direction.!

Keep!the!nose!pointing!away!from!you!(tailNin).

Exercise84!N!SquareNFlying

Fly!along!the!borders!of!a!square!and!break!at!the!edges!for!about!5!seconds.!Chose!a!height!about!

6!feet and!a!sideNabout!6!feet!in!length.!The!nose!always!points!away!from!the!pilot's!position.!

Repeat!this!exercise!for!15N20!minutes.!

Exercise85 Hover!Sideways

Its!very!important!to!break!the!habit!of!the!fixed!view!to!your!copter.!Think!like!you!were!hovering!

in!the!model!and!from!the!left!to!the!right!side.!Turn!the!nose!in!flightNdirection!and!than!gradually!
123

bring!it!to!90!degrees!from!there.!If!you!loose!orientations,!bring!the!nose!back!to!the!starting!

position!and!try!again.

Exercise86)Square!pattern

Mark!four!corners!of!a!3!to!5!meter!square!around!your!liftNoff!position.!LiftNoff,!hover!for!5!

seconds,!and!then!fly!the!shortest!line!to!the!first!corner.!Hover!above!this!corner!for!5!seconds!

and!then!fly!to!the!next!corner!in!a!direct!line,!hover!for!5!seconds,!etc.!Do!this!in!both!directions!

(clockwise!and!counterNclockwise).!You!may!have!a!clear!preference!but!should!be!able!to!do!this!

in!both!directions.!Also!occasionally!fly!across!diagonally!from!one!corner!to!the!opposite.!Make!

sure!you!do!this!purposefully:!have!a!flight!plan!and!don't!adapt!going!from!one!corner!to!the!

diagonal!corner!instead!of!the!next!because!you!drifted!off!a!bit!and!it!looks!so!sloppy!if!you!have!

to!fly!a!curve!instead!of!a!straight!line.!During!movement!from!one!corner!to!another!keep!the!nose!

directed!away!from!you.!Fly!at!a!constant!altitude!(about!chest!height).!Try!flying!at!a!constant!

speed.!Keep!the!speed!low!to!allow!easy!transition!to!hover!without!overshooting!the!mark.!

Exercise87 Circles

Plot!out!or!envision!a!50!ft!circle!on!the!ground,!Take!off!and!fly!the!circle!alternating!clockwise!

and!counter!clockwise.!Practice!with!the!nose!pointing!away!from!you(NoseNout).

Exercise88)Nose!Flying!Sideways

Once!you!have!mastered!flying!house!and!square!patterns!"tail!in",!it!is!time!to!start!gradually!

getting!used!to!flying!the!MK!more!from!the!models'!perspective.!So!repeat!the!above!house!

pattern,!but!now!when!preparing!to!move!sideways,!in!the!hover!yaw!(turn)!the!nose!a!bit!(30N60!

degrees)!in!the!direction!you!will!be!flying!in,!and!then!try!flying!the!same!straight!line!that!you!

could!fly!so!nicely!"tail!in".!Repeat!this!until!you!can!comfortable!turn!the!nose!the!full!90!degrees!

in!the!direction!you!want!to!fly!in!and!not!confuse!the!roll!and!nick!directions.

Once!you!can!fly!the!house!pattern!nose!sideways,!you!can!also!practice!the!square.!However!when!

moving!back!towards!you,!either!yaw!the!model!so!that!it!is!again!noseNout,!or!fly!it!sideways!

(alternate!this!according!to!your!"flight!plan").

Tip:!Flying!nose!sideways!can!be!easier!if!you!also!turn!your!body!sideways!a!bit.!In!fact!you!will!

then!be!flying!tailNin!again!but!with!the!model!to!your!left!or!right.!This!trick!does!not!help!much!in!

the!transition!to!noseNin!flying.!But!keep!in!mind!if!you!get!into!trouble!during!flights!later!on!due!

to!some!disorientation.!It!may!help!you!recover.

Exercise)89)The!walkNalong

For!the!walkNalong!you!walk!along!a!path!with!the!MK!tagging!along!at!a!fixed!position!in!front,!or!

next!to!you.!If!you!reach!a!corner,!of!course!you!must!yaw!the!MK!to!be!tailNin!or!noseNin!or!

sideways!again,!whichever!mode!of!flying!you!want!to!practice.!Of!course!you!do!have!to!make!

sure!there!are!no!other!people!walking!the!path.!Practical!use!of!this!exercise!is!mainly!in!the!RCAP!

arena!where!you!often!do!walk!around!a!bit!to!change!your!position!and!that!of!the!model!to!take!

pictures!from!a!different!angle.!Also!the!change!in!relative!positions!between!you!and!the!model!

forces!you!to!focus!on!the!model!and!not!orientate!your!control!movements!to!the!position!of!the!

model!relative!to!its!surroundings.!

Exercise)10)8)The!circle!me

For!the!circle!me,!the!intent!is!to!fly!a!full!circle!around!yourself,!or!another!given!target,!at!a!fixed!

distance!and!yawing!at!a!same!angular!rate!as!the!craft!is!moving!through!the!circle.!So!if!you!fly!it!

tailNin,!the!craft!should!be!looking!straight!out!from!the!circle!(and!if!shooting!video!this!would!
124

result!in!a!wide!panorama).!If!flying!noseNin!it!should!be!looking!you!in!the!eye!at!all!times.!Try!to!

also!maintain!a!constant!altitude!during!this!exercise.!And!make!sure!that!there!are!no!people!

standing!anywhere!near!you!if!you!do!this!at!practice!hover!altitudes!(1N2!meters).!This!is!again!an!

exercise!which!is!useful!later!on!for!RCAP!flying.!However!it!also!helps!improve!control!of!left!and!

right!sticks.

Exercise)11)5)Flying!noseNin

The!most!difficult!way!of!flying!is!with!the!models!nose!pointed!at!you.!Once!you!have!mastered!

flying!nose!sideways,!you're!almost!there.!

There!are!now!two!ways!to!progress.

1.You!can!restart!hovering!practice!but!now!lifting!off!with!the!models'!nose!pointed!at!you.!The!

advantage!of!this!approach!is!that!you!learn!to!transition!well!from!nose!in!to!hover!to!flight!and!

vice!versa,!a!critical!ability!to!get!out!of!trouble.!If!you!start!with!hovering!noseNin!just!repeat!the!

house!and!square!patterns!after!that.

2.!Alternatively!you!can!gradually!progress!from!noseNsideways!flying!the!house!and!square!

figures!to!flying!them!with!nose!in!the!direction!of!flight!at!all!times,!and!eventually!to!fully!nose!in!

(i.e.!flying!away!from!you!with!the!noise!pointing!at!you,!and!flying!from!left!to!right!or!right!to!left!

with!the!nose!pointing!at!you).!Before!you!do!this,!practice!360!degree!yaw!in!both!directions!from!

normal!tailNin!hover.

In!all!cases!make!sure!you!practice!flying!the!square!noseNin!in!both!directions!(clockwise!and!

counterNclockwise).

Practice!nose!in!flying!very,!very!extensively.!You!must!eventually!be!able!to!transition!from!tailNin!

to!noseNsideways!to!noseNin!flying!without!any!hesitations!or!mistakes!with!respect!to!control!

inputs!for!flying!your!intended!pattern!/!direction,!and!transition!at!a!moment’s!notice!to!a!hover.!

If!you!have!trouble!controlling!the!aircraft!noseNin!at!some!point,!just!yaw!it!back!tailNin!and!regain!

hover!position.!Never!panic!and!pull!the!throttle!down!!!!!If!necessary,!slightly!increase!the!throttle!

to!remain!between!1!and!2!meters!above!the!ground!until!you!have!been!able!to!regain!hover.!If!all!

else!fails,!very!carefully!decrease!the!throttle!and!land.

Tip:)Until!you!have!mastered!noseNin!flying,!do!NOT!attempt!either!aerial!photography!or!aerobatic!flying.!

Not!having!mastered!this!skill!properly!will!eventually!cost!you!your!camera!or!model.
125

Section)11)5)Normal)Operations

Maiden)Flight)of)Okto2

Now!that!you!have!a!large!investment!of!money!and!time!into!your!MK,!do!not!be!in!a!rush!to!perform!

maneuvers!beyond!your!capability.!!You!must!spend!time!on!a!simulator,!and!follow!the!flight!training!

suggestions!in!a!planned!and!purposeful!manner.!!With!less than!15!minutes!flying!time!per!battery,!it!will!

take!some!time!before!you!are!proficient!enough!to!carry!an!expensive!camera.

Now!you!are!at!a!point!of!enjoying!the!fruit!of!your!labor,!be!careful!and!have!fun!

First)Flight)Checklist

Please,!please!put!in!six!hours!of!flying!on!a!good!simulator!before!any!flying.!I!recommend!the AeroSIM!

RC flight!simulator,!but,!any!sim!with!a!quad!model!will!do.!!

The!following!steps!cover!preNflight!of!the!Kopter!using!the!basic!FltNCtrl!w/barometric!sensor!(height)!only!

it!does!not!take!into!consideration!adjustment!of!the!Navi,!Mag!or!GPS.

• Remove!the!props

• Check!all!fasteners!screws!and!velcro!for!tightness!and!security.

• Make!sure!your!transmitter/receiver!has!been!bound.

• Check!MKTools!for!proper,!mixer,!kNvalue,!switch,!and!poti!settings.!!

• Set!emergency!time!setting!in!MKTool!to!maximum!247!which!equals!about!24!seconds.!In!case!you!lose!

radio!signal!it!will!give!you!a!short!time!to!react.

• Set!emergency!gas!setting!to!45.

• Connect!your!now!charged!battery!and!let!the!electronics!initialize.!You!will!hear!a!chirp!from!each!motor!

and!each!will!make!a!short!revolution.

• Confirm!that!initial!gyro!and!acc!leveling!calibration!has!been!accomplished.

• Generally,!get!the!copter!into!a level!position,!If!proper!calibration!was!accomplished!in!the!initial!setup,!

than,!you!only!need!to!get!the!copter!close!to!level.!!

• Switch!flight!mode!to!beginner!(mode!3)!by!holding!left!stick!upper!left!while!holding!right!stick!upper!

center.!Hold!until you!hear!3!beeps.!You!only!need!do!this!once!to!set!Kopter!to!mode!3!unless!of!course!you!
126

update!the!firmware!at!a!later!time.!If!you!don’t!hear!3!beeps!you!are!in!the!wrong!flight!parameter,!repeat!

above!process.

• Start!motors!by!holding!left!stick!lower!right.!Do!a!test!run!up!of!the!motors!using!the!transmitter!before!

installing!the!props!and!double!check!to!be!sure!the!rotation!on!each!motor!is!correct.!This!run!up!will!also!

tell!you!that!your!throttle!!is!set!up!correctly!and!not!reversed.!At!idle!the!left!stick!should!be!closest!to!you.

• Stop!motors!by!holding!the!left!stick!in!the!lower!left!position,!disconnect!the!battery,!and!install!the!props!

making!sure!they!are!on!the!correct!motor!and!that!the!hex!screws!are!tight.!I!put!a!small!stainless!steel!

washer!under!the!head!of!each!hex!screw!so!the!screw!heads!wouldn’t!dig!into!the!plastic!prop!when!

tightened..!Remember!that!you!have!props!that!rotate!clockwise!and!some!that!rotate!counterclockwise.!

The!props!are!not!the!same,!get!them!in!the!right!order or!the!Kopter!can’t!fly.

• Take!the!bird!outside!turn!on!the!transmitter,!and!then!connect!the!battery!to!the!bird.!Once!the!electronics!

have!initialized!(each!motor!will!make!short!rotation!and!beep,!green!light!only!on!flight!control!board.!Set!

the!Kopter on!the!ground!so!it!is!stationary!and!hold!left!stick!upper!left!position!until!you!hear!3!beeps.!

This!calibrates!gyros!(the!bird!must!be!stationary!but!not!necessarily!level!here)!This!particular!calibration!

needs!to!be!done!each!and!every!time!before!you!fly.

• Hold!left!stick!lower!right!which!starts!all!motors!at!idle.

• It!is!recommended!that!before!you!attempt!your!first!flight!slowly!run!up!the!motors!until!the!Kopter!starts!

to!get!light!on!the!landing!gear.!At!this!point!check!your!controls!nick,!roll, and!yaw!to!be!sure!movement!on!

the!Kopter!is!correct!and!in!sync!with!stick!movements.!If!you!need!to!slightly!trim!out!the!controls!do!so!

now.!Take!it!easy!here!as!you!don’t!want!to!make!the!bird!so!light!and!over!control!testing!to!the!point!that!

you!roll!the!Kopter!over.!If!you!need!to!make!switch!reversals!on!your!transmitter!power!down!the!Kopter!

and!make!them!now,!before!lifting!off.!!

Preflight)Checklist

• Check!the!reliability!of!the!MikroKopter.

• The!flight!battery!and!transmitter!battery!must!be!fully!charged

• Watch!for!visible!damage!such!as!for!loose!screws,!broken,!unbalanced!or!damaged!propellers,!faulty!

connectors!or!solder!joints,!etc.

• The!propeller!must!be!in!a!good!condition!and!securely!mounted.!The!rotors!must!spin!smoothly!and!there!

shall!be!no!objects!are!in!the!rotational!plane!of!the!propellers!and!can!get!into!it.!Rotating!propeller!ends!
127

are!dangerous!to!touch!N!never!touch!with!fingers!and!other!body!parts!a!rotating!propeller.

• Ensure!the!appropriate!to!the!audible!beeps!when!auto!lipoNdetection!is!enabled.!4!*!beep!means!4s!Lipo

• Ensure!that!the!channel!of!the!remote!control!is!free!and!you're!within!range!of!the!transmitter

• The!sensors!must!be!calibrated!(When!the!motors!are!off:!move!yawN!and!gas!stick!into!upper!left!corner!

until!it!beeps)

• Different!settings!can!result!in!fundamentally!different!flight!characteristics!and!occupation!of!the!Channel!

functions.!Make!sure!that!you!are!familiar!with!the!setting!and!its!features

• After!starting!the!motors,!all!motors!must!run!and!rotate!evenly.!Please!fly!carefully!in!small!altitude!until!

you!know!that!everything!is!working!fine.

• Perform!a!preNflight!check!by!(off!checklist,!see!below)

• Start!manually!N!switch!off!altitude!control!and!GPS

Note: Get!a!good!GPS!lock!if!you!are!going!the!use!the!navigation!functions.!As!soon!as!the!green!light!on!top!

of!the!GPS!is!blinking!you!have!sufficient!satellites!to!get!GPS!hold.!The!MK!will!automatically!remember!

this!as!home!when!you!calibrate!the!gyros,!just!be!sure!that!the!home!position!has!some!room around!it!

because!the!MK!might!over!run!the!home!position!a!bit.

Warning: Come!Home!(CH)!only!works!if!you!have!GPS!fix!BEFORE!the!motor!starts.

You!should!make!sure!you!have!GPS!fix!when!your!motor!start!otherwise!it!will!return!to!the!last!'home!

location'!that!it!knows.!!

Inflight)Standards

• Do!not!take!risks!!Your!own!safety!and!that!of!your!environment!depend!on!the!good!behavior!of!the!pilot.

• Always!keep!a!distance!from!people,!animals!and!objects.!Improper!operation!can!cause!serious!injury!and

property!damage!

• Never!fly!towards!viewers!and!avoid!overflights!of!spectator

• Keep!in!mind!that!viewers!could!get!close!to!the!MikroKopter,!without!being!aware!of!potential!dangers

• Always!turn!off!the!MikroKopter!first!and!disconnect!the!flight!battery!before!turning!off!the!transmitter

• Only!fly!in!sight.!In!the!case!of!a!manual!control,!you!must!be!able!to!see!the!position!and!attitude!!

• Never!rely!100%!on!functions!such!as!GPS,!compass,!or!altitude!control.!You!must!always!be!able!to!take!

manual!control!of!the!MikroKopter

• Reduce!the!gas!or!switch!off!the!motors!in!case!of!a!crash!or!failure

• Do!not!fly!in!blocked!air!space,!such!as!in!the!vicinity!of!airports,!etc.

• Pay!attention!to!undervoltage!warning!N!a!flight!to!empty!battery!can!cause!damage!to!the!Lipos!and!crash

• If!a!defect!or!malfunction!has!occurred,!it!must!be!corrected!before!the!next!start

• In!case!of!use!of!GPS,!the!position!of!the!MikroKopter!can!change!suddenly!some!meters.

Post)Flight)Checklist

• Disconnect!the!battery

• Check!for!damage

• Make!sure!that!the!propellers!are!not!damaged

• See!the!Handling!and!safety!precautions!of!Lipos

• After!a!crash!the!sensors!and!electronics!might!be!damaged.!Before!the!next!start!everything!must!be!

checked

Cold)Weather)Flying

Batteries

Batteries!used!in!MK!and!Transmitter!are!very!susceptible!to!cold!weather!flying!(below!freezing).!Expect!

half!capacity!if!battery!cools!to!10F.

Batteries!should!be!kept!warm!in!an!insulated!box!if!possible.

Electronics

The!electronics!do!not!care!about!cold,!however,!once!the!MK and!transmitter!have!become!frozen,!

condensation!may!form!on!the!electronics!when!brought!into!a!warm!room.!In!this!case,!do!not!apply!
128

power!until!condensation!has!evaporated.

Propellers

The!EPP!props!that!come!standard!on!the!MK!become!very!brittle!in!cold!weather!and!may!snap!off!even!

with!light!contact!with!the!ground.

Fingers

Fingers!quickly!become!numb!in!cold!weather!and!control!sensitivity!fads!with!numbness.

Flight)Log

Keeping!track!of!your!flight!time!and!experiences!during!flight!is!a!valuable learning!tool.!!Not!only!will!you!

keep!track!of!operating!time!on!the!MK,!but,!you!will!keep!track!of!your!learning!progress.

Every!flight!should!be!an!opportunity!to!learn!something,!whether!it's!a!bit!of!"Nose!IN"!flying!or!hovering!

around!a!light!pole.!!!

Before!you!go!out!to!fly,!make!a!plan!for!what!you!are!going!to!do!and!visualize!it!in!your!mind.!!After!the!

flight,!review!to!data!card,!videos,!and!any!lessons!learned!during!the!flight.!!!

Write!them!down,!it!will!accelerate!your!learning!and!in!a!way,!extend!the!"Joy!of!Flight".

Most!pilots!are!required!to!keep!a!Flight!Log,!there!is!a!reason!for!it!NN documenting!experience!and!tracking!

aircraft!use.

A!simple!$5!notebook!that!you!can!buy!at!your!local!discount!store!would!be!sufficient!and!prove to!be!a!fun!

and!valuable!tool.!You!can!also!keep!your!preflight!checklist!and!other!things!to!remember!inside!the!cover.

Some!day,!in!the!not!to!distant!future,!this!may!become!a!requirement!for!anyone!operating!these!

sophisticated!flying!machines.
129

Section)12)5)Emergencies

InNFlight!emergencies,!as!with!any!emergency!is!the!least!practiced!ans!least!experiences!situation!that!you!

will!encounter!when!flying.

While!many!emergencies!are!not!planned,!proper!mainenance!and!calibration!will!greatly!reduce the!

chances!of!an!emergency!situation!occurring.!Also,!knowing!the!aircraft!limits!and!your!own!can!help!you!

avoid!situations!that!may!lead!to!an!emergency!situation.

Routine!habits!formed!by!following!"Best!Practices"!for!flying!operations!will!create!a mindset!that!the!

worst!case!scenario!could!happen!on!any!flight!and!lead!to!a!thought!process!of!emergency!"what!if's".

Thorough!checklists!help!preparedness

Simulator)practice

Since!it!would!be!a!very!expensive!and!risly!operation!to!practice!"real"!emergencies,!simulators!fill!the!gap.

All!major!airlines!and!the!military!use!simulators!extensively!to!prepare!pilits!for!emergency!situations.!Get!

a!good!simulator!and!practice.

Loss)of)Communication

• Emergency!Gas!Time

• Emergency!gas!Setting

• Coming!Home!Failsafe

Rescue)maneuvers!

A!important!rescue!maneuver!is!to!practice!fast!yaw!into!the!nose!out!position!where!situational!awareness!

is!easiest!to!acquire.

Note:!Make!a!relatively!slow!descents!if!coming!straight!down,!the!prop!wash!disturbs!the!gyros!and!

altimeter.

• Consider!a!locator!beacon!installation

• Consider!a!diversity!board

• Consider!installation!of!isolation!board
130

Section)13)5)Photography

Aerial)Photography

Flying!for!aerial!photography!poses!several!unusual!challenges.!Compared!to!normal!or!aerobatic!RC!flying!

you!are!usually!much!more!restricted!in!the!space!you!have!to!take!off!and!land!from,!you!fly!closer!to!

people,!property,!and!all!sorts!of!obstacles,!and!you!fly!(much)!higher!than!you!do!for!normal!or!aerobatic!

RC!flying.!In!addition!you!if!you!fly!alone!you!will!also!have!to!control!the!camera.!And!for!video!flying!you!

want!your!flight!to!be!fluent!so!that!the!resultant!movie!requires!limited!editing.

DO!NOT!do!any!aerial!photography!or!aerial!video!flying!until!you!are!confident!that!you!can!properly!

control!the!MK!under!the!conditions!you!will!need!to!fly!in.

Camera)mounts

As!with!any!mutiNrotor!aircraft,!there!are!inherent!vibrations!due!to!structural!design,!motor!imperfections,!

and!unbalanced!propellers.!With!proper!attention!much!of!the!vibration!can!be!greatly!reduces,!but!it!

impossible!to!eliminate!all!vibration.!This!is!were!a!quality!camera!mount!that!has!good!vibration!damping!

design!comes!in.!!

Photoship!One,!MK!HiSite,!Sky!Rover,!and!MD2!are!all!excellent!mounts.!In!addition!to!these,!simple!

solutions!such!as!foam!pads!and!rubber!grommets!can!be!very!effective!at!reducing!vibration.!Experiment!

with!the!simple!solutions!first!and!than!move!up!until!you!find!one!that!meets!your!needs.

Cameras

Aerial!photography!has!always!demanded!very!high!resolution!cameras!because!of!the!altitude!required!for!

safe!flight!and!FAA!regulations.! One!of!the!great!advantages!of!the!MK!is!that!is!can!fly!at!a!much!lower!

altitude!and!obtain!the!same,!quality!images!and!often!times!even!better.!While!the!larger!MK’s!are!capable!

of!carrying!heavy!DSLR’s,!in!many!cases,!with!the!advancement!in!camera!technology,!quality!aerial!

photography!is!possible!even!with!the!lighter!MK’s.!!!

Military!drone!operations!use!microcameras!with!outstanding!success.!!

Select!a!camera!to!meets!your!budget!and!you!will!be!amazed!at!the!results!of!even!the!consumer!grade!

cameras.!While!success!in!still!imagery!from!the!MK!can!be!quit!easily!achieved,!video!is!another!ball!game!

and!will!take!a!lot!more!practice!and!experimentation.!!

Extend!the!basic!flying!practice!with!the!following!maneuvers!in!an!open!field:

Exercise)AP1.!!Practice!flying!up!to!5N10!meters,!and!then!hover.!Practice!yawing!360!degrees!in!steps!of!

about!15!degrees.!Press!the!shutter!control!between!each step!of!the!yaw.!After!doing!a!full!turn!practice!

tilting!the!camera!mount!down!about!15!degrees!and!doing!another!stepwise!360Ndegree!yaw.!Do!this!in!

both!directions!while!maintaining!a!stable!hover.

Exercise)AP2.!!Once!you!are!confident!that!you!can!control!the!MK!at!this!altitude,!go!up!to!about!20!meters!

and!repeat!the!exercise.!Note!that!from!about!20!meters!and!up!the!altitude!hold!function!can!be!used!quite!

well!to!help!stabilize!the!altitude.!However!you!will!still!have!to!control!nick,!roll!and yaw.!Do!not!fly!any!

significant!distances!horizontally!until!your!are!confident!in!hovering!at!larger!altitudes.!Only!increase!your!

altitude!in!a!stepwise!fashion!after!you!are!confident!at!a!current!altitude.

Exercise)AP3. The!maximum!altitude!you!can!fly!under!visual!control!is!the!altitude!at!which!you!can!still!

sufficiently!see!the!position!of!the!MK!to!allow!you!to!properly!control!the!hover.!This!will!vary!based!on!

size!of!the!MK,!eyesight!of!the!pilot,!and!experience.!For!most!people!it!will!probably!be!between!50!and!75!

meters.!That!may!not!seem!like!much,!but!remember!that!a!20Nstorey!building!is!usually!about!60!meters!so!

you!can!still!take!good!AP!pictures!of!even!such!a!high!building!from!an!MK.!You!can!carefully!test!this!

envelope!in!an!open!field!away!from!people!and!houses.!Never!try!to!extend!this!envelope!beyond!your!
131

known!capabilities!while!doing!an!actual!RC!AP!flight.

Exercise)AP4.!!Once!you!can!confidently!hover!at!altitude,!practice!flying!a!virtual!square!of!about!50!

meters!in!each!direction!at!the!same!altitudes,!starting!at!about!10!meters!and!then!working!your!way!up.!

This!is!an!important!maneuver!to!master!as!you!usually!want!to!take!your!pictures!from!different!angles.

Exercise)AP5. For!aerial!video!flying!after!having!mastered!the!above!exercises!draw!up!a!clear!flight!plan!

in!which!you!determine!a!flight!path!and!direction!of!view!of!the!MK!at!each!point!in!its!path.!Start!easy!

with!a!square!or!circle!at!about!10!meters!with!a!gradual!ascent!(either!vertical!or!along!a!slope)!yawing!the!

MK!if!needed!to!keep!the!nose!(camera)!pointed!at!the!intended!target(s).!Gradually!increase!the!

complexity!(e.g.!with!hover!points!where!you!do!a!particular!yaw,!tilting!of!the!camera!mount,!increasing!

the!altitude,!etc).!Also!practice!lower!altitude!flights!along!curving!paths!as!for!AV!you!may!also!be!

following!e.g.!speedboats!or!goNcarts!from!altitudes!of!just!1N3!meters.

Exercise)AP6.!Gradually!allow!yourself!to!fly!in!increasing!wind!conditions.!Although!you!preferably!want!

only!light!winds,!a!reasonably!powerful!MK!for!aerial!photography,!and!its!pilot,!should!be!capable!of!

handling!wind!speeds!up!to!45!km/h.

Once!you!have!mastered!the!above,!find!a!quiet!park!or!field!with!some!obstacles!of!different!height!(e.g.!

some!spread!out!trees)!to!add!complexity.!Try!to!stay!well!clear!of!the!trees.!Remember!that!they!are!alive!

and!always!trying!to!grab!your!MK!out!of!the!sky.!But!think!of!the!trees!as!houses,!obstacles,!and!targets,!

and!use!them!to!gradually!increase!the!complexity!of!you!flying!conditions.

Note!down!an!outline!of!your!flight!plan!before!every!flight,!or!describe!it!after!a!flight.!It!may!well!be!that!

you!want!to!make!a!very!similar!flight!at!another!time!at!the!same!site!to!show!changes!over!time.!The!

closer!you!can!copy!your!previous!flight!the!better!the!results!will!be.

Over!time!it!is!very!likely!that!you!will!progress!to!flying!in!more!densely!populated!areas.!As!indicated!

above,!be!obsessively!compulsive!about!the!quality!and!condition!of!your!aircraft!and!RC!system.!Do!not!

compromise!on!safety.

Camera)Mounts

Photoshipone)MKTR

The!is!much!debate!on!what!is!the!best!camera!mount!to!buy,!and,!in!actuality,!nothing!is!perfect!NNyet.!!That!

said,!the!MKTr!is!what!I!bought,!so,!I!will!try!to!do!the!best!I!can!with!this!mount!and!tweak!it!until!it!works!

the!best!that!it!can.!!!

Note: If!you!intention!is!mostly!photography!and!not!video,!you!will!have!much!less!difficulty!with!the!

calibration!and!setup.

The!MKTr!platform!is!relatively!easy!to!assemble,!although!the!takes!a!few!hours.!The!attached!manual!is!

quit!thorough.!There!are!other!quality!mounts,!but,!I!bought!this!one!primarily!for!it's!light!weight.
132

Don't!be!in!a!hurry!to!mount!it,!get!some!flying!time!first.!I!tried!tried!it!too!soon!and!broke!a!strut!on!a!hard!

landing.!So,!I'm!on!hold!with!this!for!now.

Here!is!the Photshipone!Website

Cameras)8)decisions8decisions??????

10/26/2011

The!Sony!NEX!7!is!the!advance!in!the!new!small!cameras.!!coming!out!in!November!2011,!with!it's!24MP!

sensor!and!light!weight,!it!will!be!a!great!camera!for!the!MK!even!without!an!AV!output!for!FPV.
133

!!

11/20/2010!N!I!have!been!debating!which!camera!to!buy!for!the!Okto2.!I!am!hesitant!to!go!with!the!Canon2T1!

as!it will!make!the!Okto!operate!continuously!above!80%!power.!The!2Ti!is!a!great!camera,!but,!I!am!waiting!

until!January!2011!for!to Panasonic!GFN2 to!be!released.

The!GFN2!looks!very!promising!and!worth!the!wait!for!now.
134

Update:)12/12/2010 N!The!Sony!NEX5!is!also!very!intriguing!and!may!be!the!best!option!for!aerial!

photography!based!on!it's!larger!sensor!and!higher!resolution.
135

For!now,I!am!practicing!with!my!GoPro!and!will!decide!on!a!better!camera!when!I!get!more!comfortable!with!

the!flying.
136

Section)14)5)Performance)Data

Flight!Times

MK8GPX

Contents

1. 1)Instructions!for!MK_GPX!software

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 Purpose

1.1.2 Download

1.1.3 Beta!version!0.86

1.2 Operation!of!the!software

1.2.1 The!MKNGPX!program!interface

1.2.2 The!MKNGPX!menu

1.3 The!program!interface

1.3.1 The!GPX!data

1.3.2 Selected!data!to!evaluate

1.3.3 All!data!analyzed

1.4 Analysis!of!the!data

1.4.1 The!graph!selection

1.4.2 The!data!control

1.4.3 The!meaning!of!the!flags!in!the!MK!Evaluation!Software

1.4.4 The!graphical!display

1.4.5 Compass/Course

1.4.6 Instruments!to!indicate!the!attitude

1.5 The!log!page

1.5.1 Flight!Stats

1.6 The!settings

1.6.1 Axes

1.6.2 Graphics

1.6.3 Selectable!Graphics

1.6.4 Limits

1.6.5 Other

Resource)Information

The!following!contents!is!derived!form!the!primary!MK!website!at:!!

http://www.mikrokopter.de/ucwiki/wemau/#awsoft

Please!check!this!link!for!additional!updated!and!information.

Instructions)for)MK_GPX)software))

Introduction

As!with!any!sophisticated!aircraft,!a!flight!recorder!is!often!used!to!analyses!aircraft!performance!both!during!

routine!flights!and!especially!when!something!is!not!working!right!and!particularly!if!component!or!pilot!error!has!

lead!to!a!crash.!!!

Having!this!flight!data!available!can!help!not!only!the!MK!operator!learn!valuable!insight!into!what!happened,!but,!

it!may!also!provide!important!information!to!other!MK!owners!about!potential!problem!areas!of!operation!that!can!
137

be!avoided.

MK_GPX!software!was!developed!and!written!by:Herzlich!Willkommen!an!avid!MK!contributor.!Herzlick!also!has!

other!MK!projects!that!can!be!reviewed!on!his!webpage!at: http://www.mikrokopter.de/ucwiki/wemau

Purpose

This!software!is!used!for!the!analysis!of!the!MK!GPXNfiles!recorded!by!the!NaviNCtrl!board. There!is!statistical!data!

to!the!flight!time!in both!tabular,!graphical!and!in!text!form!that!can!be!evaluated. The!software!gives!an!overview!

of!the!entire!flight!path!along!with!data!at!specific!intervals.

MKNGPX!software includes!a!set!features!that!facilitate!flight!debriefing,!analysis,!and!the!search!for!possible!errors!

and!malfunctions.

Download
138

MKNGPX!software!can!be!downloaded!at!this!link:!!

[!http://www.mdtweb.de/images/stories/downloads/MK_GPX_0016.zip!]!

Beta)version)0.86

http://www.mdtweb.de/images/stories/betatest/MK_GPX_0019_beta.zip

Operation)of)the)software

While!the!program!interface!is!fairly!selfNexplanatory,!below!is!an!explanation!of!its!major!functions.

Note:)Active)Logging

Note: Logging!will!only!occur!when!the!motors!are!on!AND!there's!a!gps!fix

The)MK8GPX)program)interface

The!display!consists!of!three!areas. The!menu,!the!desktop,!which!is!the!GPX!data!as!a!tree!structure,!tables!and!

graphics!as!well!as!a!single!data!set!and!shows!a!statistical!processing!of!data. In!the!third!area,!the!status!bar,!the!

currently!displayed!record!and!the!filename!and!the!assisted MikroKopter version!be!looked!up.!!

•

!!

The)MK8GPX)menu
139

The!menu!includes!three!groups,!"File",!"Options"!and!"Help". On!it,!the!following!will!be!discussed!in!more!detail.

File!!

• Under!this!menu!there!are!three!menu!items:!!

Open Opens!a!selected!GPX!file.

Print Print!the!log!page!(s).

End Exits!the!program.

•

Options!!

• Here!you!will!find!several!items:!!

Horizon The!artificial!horizon!is!switched!on!or!off.

Compass The!compass!is!turned!on!or!off.

Altitude The!altimeter!is!switched!on!or!off.

Airspeed The!airspeed!is!displayed!or!hidden.

Various The!variometer!is!switched!on!or!off.

AutoShow By!clicking!on!this!option!can!be!turned!on!or!off. It!serves!in!the!active!state,!after!the!

selection!of!any!or!all!records!to!jump!directly!to!the!evaluation.

1024!x!

600

By!activating!this!option,!the!user interface!for!smaller!screens!with!a!resolution!of!1024!x!600!

pixels!can!be!adjusted.

Settings Here,!the!appearance!and!settings!of!the!graphics,!the!limits!of!the!received!signals!and!

the LiPocell!voltage,!and!the!choice!of!language!are!made.

•

Help!!

• The!Help!menu!contains!three!menu!items:!!

MKNGPX!Help The!Help!file.

MKNGPX!

Homepage

A!link!leading!to!the!site!of!the!developer!program.

Info Here!is!the!current!version!number,!supported MikroKopter version!and!the!copyright!

reference.

The)program)interface

The)GPX)data

Two!areas!show!the!contents!of!the!loaded!GPX!file. On!the!left!side!of!the!structure!of!the!file!is!displayed!as!a!tree,!

which!with!the!help!of!the!"+"!or!N!to!be!opened!or!closed!symbols!"."

On!the!right!side!of!the!file!appears!in tabular!form. Here,!a!single!data!set!can!be!selected,!which!is!then!displayed!

in!the!analysis.

Selected)data)to)evaluate

Selects!several!or!even!all!of!the!records!can!be!made!via!the!context!menu!(right!mouse!button),!a!range!selection,!

which!then!is!also!in!the!evaluation.

All)data)analyzed
140

If!a!certain!area!has!been!selected,!this!can!be!renewed!by!calling!the!context!menu!"Evaluate!all!data"!are!

reversed.!!

Depending!on!the!setting!"auto!show!options"!after!the!contextNmenu!selection!to!jump!directly!to!the!evaluation.!!

Analysis)of)the)data

In!the!evaluation,!six!charts!for!visualization!of!the!recorded!flight!available. Of!the!five!left!four!permanent!plots!

are!given!here,!only!the!axes!and!the!colors!can!be!adjusted!in!the!"Graphics!Options!settings", the!fifth!is!on!the!

"Graphics!Options!settings!freely!chosen"!to!be!adapted!also!to!be!represented!by!the!curve. Top!right!of!the!

window!are!displayed!as!2D!plotting!the!tracks. The!compass!rose!can!leftNclick,!can!be!positioned!in!one!of!the!

four!quadrants!of!the!window.

The)graph)selection

Using!the!two!arrows!(up!/!down),!the!graphics!window!to!the!next!or!previous!selectable!graphics!can!be!

changed.Options!is!"1024!x!600"!is!active,!in!addition!also!changed!the!graphics!"Ground!Speed".

The)data)control

By!the!data!controller!can!navigate!to!any!record!that!is!displayed!in!the!right!window. For!this!purpose,!advances!

or!decreased!by!using!the!buttons!on!the!control!data!to!the!beginning,!the!end!or!just!a!single!step. When!the!step!

button!pressed!for!more,!one!moves!according!to!the!key!function!of!the!file. The!current!position!is!shown!by!the!

marker!in!the!graph.

By!entering!the!record!number!is!possible!to!jump!directly!to!the!desired!record. Similarly,!in!one!of!the!left!graph,!

be!moved!by!clicking!with!the!left!button,!the!selected!markers!to!record.

The!display!of!the!current!record!alongside!the!flags!of!the!other!data!are MikroKopter also!indicated!by!small!

LEDs.Here,!the!color!green!means!"one"!and!the!color!red!"off".

The)meaning)of)the)flags)in)the)MK)Evaluation)Software

By!the!flags!of!certain!internal!operating!states!are!expressed!MK. If!you!move!the!mouse!over!the!corresponding!

label,!a!help!text!is!displayed!on!the!flags.

Free: Free!!

GPS!!does!not!affect!the!MKNsticks!are!all!0th

PH: Position!Hold!!

position!is!held!GPS!sticks!are!active,!this!can!cause!their!own!commands!to!the!RCNMK!also!sticks!to!

unwanted!movements!

CH: Coming!Home!!

Rückflug!zur!HomeNPosition.

Range!:! Range!Limit!!

"range"!limit,!the!radius!that!can!be!set!in!settings!of!MK.

NOSL: Serial!No!Link!!

No!serial!connection,!here!I!am!I!still!not!sure,!assume!that!this!something!about!the!connection!

toKopterTool says.

TeRe!:! Target!Reached!!

goal!achieved,!for!example,!the!last!home!position.

Tipping: Manual!Control!!

F8: Reserved!!

(not!used!yet)!LED!needs!at!this!FC!/!NC!firmware!version!0.78!are!on!red
141

The)graphical)display

The!displays!of!flight!parameters!are!on!the!left!side!of!the!window!below!one!another!in!order!to!get!a!good!

chronological!overview!of!the!individual!curves. Graphics!that!contain!multiple!curves!lead!in!naming!the!color!

associated!with!in!brackets,!for!example,!blue!(bl). Here,!mainly!the!usual!technical!abbreviations!are!used!for!the!

color!(usually!the!first!two!letters).

Compass/Course

The Compass!(blue)!shows!the!orientation!of!the!MKNnose. The!course,!however,!shows!the!movement!direction!

(forward,!backward!or!side)!of!the Mikrokopter on.

•

Instruments)to)indicate)the)attitude

The!five!instruments!are!on!the!menu!options!on!or!off. They!show!the!most!important!information!to!visually,!can!

be!freely!arranged!and!scaled.!!

•
142

!!

The)log)page

The!log!(almost)!all!the!major!events,!beginning!with!the!date!of!loading!a!new!file!to!display!notes. This!is!in!

addition!to!the!maximum!of!the!fully!supported!firmware MikroKopter also!logs!the!current!program!version!with!

links!to!the!developer!side,!and!the!analysis!time!and!the!file!name!with!path. In!another!line,!the!approximate!

setting!of!"GPX!Logging"!in!the!ini!file!that!refers!to!the!GPXNlap!recording!is!displayed. The!accuracy!of!the!value!

increases!with!the!file!size!under!investigation.

When!evaluating!any!faults!and!fault!location!are!noted. Also!supported!variables!and!"extensions"!of!the!GPX!file!

are!marked!for!inspection.

Flight)Stats)

The!most!important!data!of!the!recording!with!Min!is!N!and!maximum!values!and!may!be!registered!with!

references!to!specific!abnormalities.

The)settings

The!surface!of!this!window!is!divided!into!four!different!areas,!the!axes!of!the!graph,!the!selectable!graphics!and!

other!settings. The!window!can!be!parallel!to!the!main!window!open,!so!that!the!changes!made!will!be!evaluated!

immediately.

Axes

Here!you!can!set!the!five!graphs. This!requires!the!appropriate checkbox is!disabled. The!XNaxis!can!be!changed

only!in!common!for!all!graphs. By!dividing!the!input!field,!the!subdivision!of!the!axis!to!be!adjusted!as!needed. The!

change!places!the!decimal!part!of!the!displayed!number!in!the!YNaxis!is!"min."!Through!the!fields!and!"max."!The!

appropriate!limit!to!be!set. Press!the!"Apply"!performs!the!changes.
143

• !!

Graphics

Under!this!rider,!the!curves,!the!fixed!predefined!graphics,!are!adapted!in!color. The!hide!and!show!individual!

curves!is!associated!with!the CheckBox done.

• !!

Selectable)Graphics

In!the!graphics!select!five!different!configurations!are!available,!which!can!be!selected!by!clicking. Under!"Curve!

Show!/!Hide"!can!be!explained!as!above!change!the!properties.
144

• !!

Limits

The!setting!of!the!thresholds!used!for!the!rapid!detection!of!possible!error!sources,!which!are!displayed!in!the!

statistics!in!the!report!and!in!the!evaluation!of!small!LEDs!in!the!colors!"green"!(ok),!"yellow"!(borderline),!"red"!

(critical!)!and!are!"blinking!red"!(see!very!critical). The!limits!can!be!adjusted!using!the!input!boxes!to!the!desired!

values.!!

• !!

In!the!box!"Receive!/!alert!levels"!are!the!settings!for!the!limits!of!the!satellite,!made!for!RC!and!RCNQuality!RSSI!

(Received!Signal!Strength!Indicator).!!

In!the!box!"LiPo!/!warning!levels"!is!the!voltage!of!the LiPo cell,!shown!in!10Nvolt!tel![dV]!(deciVolt),!is!set.

Other

Here!you!can!adjust!the!desired!language. The!selected!language!will!be!immediately!effective!for!most!areas. An!

exception!is!the!record,!here!is!the!change!take!effect!until!after!the!(re)!loading!a!file.
145
146

Section)15)5)Troubleshooting

Contents

1)Help!N!My!MK!does!not!fly?

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Assumptions

1.3 When!NOT!to!fly!if!trying!to!solve!any!problems

2)Taking!Off

2.1 Props!do!not!rotate

2.2 Props!rotate!but!MK!will!not!lift!off!the!ground

2.3 MK!lifts!but!immediately!flips!over

3)Hovering

3.1 MK!lifts!and!rotates!slowly

3.2 MK!will!not!stay!still

4)Controlling!Height

4.1 MK!continues!to!ascend

4.2 MK!falls!slowly

5)Moving!the!MK

5.1 MK!does!not!move!in!correct!direction

5.2 MK!oscillates!to!a!fro!about!central!axis

5.3 MK!diffficult!to!control

6)Landing!the!MK

6.1 MK!bounces!on!the ground

6.2 MK!drops!from!height!and!cannot!recover

6.3 MK!behaves!strangely!when!trying!to!land

Help)8)My)MK)does)not)fly?

Introduction

The!purpose!of!this!page!is!to!try!and!solve!some!of!the!more!common!problems!some!people!have!with!

flying!their!MK's.!Unfortunately!most!problems!can!be!put!down!to!pilot!error!as!the!MK!system!is!basically!

very!stable.!However!notwithstanding!pilot!error!it!is!sometimes!very!difficult!to!see!a!fault!before!the!MK!

has!crashed.!In!order!to!try!and!establish!what!the!problem!may!cause!we!will!use!a!series!of!preNcrash!

symptoms!to!root!out!the!potential!cause.!It!is!fair!to!say!that!most!problems!are!quite!simple!and!usually!

easily!solved.

Assumptions

Before!we!delve into!establishing!what!the!problem!may!be!we!will!assume!the!following:!!

• N!The!MK!is!a MikroKopter,!has!the!Standard!Software!loaded!and!is!using!the!Standard!Hardware!!

N!The!frame!is!configured!to!a!standard!frame!configuration!and!has!4!props!and!motors!!

N!The!batteries!are!fully!charged!on!the!Transmitter!(TX)!and!MK!!

N!The!MK!is!being!operated!within!the!range!of!the!TX!!

N!Any!alterations!and!testing!is!carried!out!at!your!own!risk!and!you!do!not!put!yourself!or!anyone!else!at!

risk!!

N!The!MK!is!in!sound!condition!and!capable!of!flight!!

N!The!props!are!all!the!same!size!type!and!the!motors!are!all!the!same!size!and!type!!

N!You!are!flying!within!the!rules!and!regulations!of!the!CAA!and!any!local!bylaws
147

When)NOT)to)fly)if)trying)to)solve)any)problems

• N!In!the!rain,!heavy!fog!or!at!the!risk!of!heavy!rain!or!freezing!conditions!!

N!In!winds!above!Force!4!N!25.6kmh!(16mph).!Ideally!only!up!to!a!Force!3!!

N!Over!people!or!built!up!areas!!

N!In!poor!visibility!!

N!Out!of!range!of!the!MK!and!TX!!

N!Close!to!or!over!water!!

This!list!is!by!no!means!complete!and!extensive.!It!assumes!that!you!will!use!common!sense!and!know!that!

the!MK!can!be!very!dangerous!when!it!is!out!of!control.!Not!only!can!it!cause!serious!injury!or!damage!to!

property!it!can!also!prove!to!be!very!costly.

Taking)Off

Props)do)not)rotate

Problem!may!be!caused!by!one!or!some!of!the!following:!!

• N!GAS!not!set!to!the!correct!channel!!

o N!Assign*GAS*stick*to*the*correct*channel*in*the*MK*tool!!

N!TX!not!transmitting!on!correct!TX!channel!!

o NRescan*the*TX*to*find*the*correct*RX*channel*or*change*the*crystal!!

N!RX!not!plugged!in!or!connector!reversed!!

o N!Plug*the*Flight*controller*board*into*RX,*or*reverse*the*RX*plug!!

N!MK!not!switched!on!or!battery!not!connected

o N!Check*switch*and*battery*connections!!

N!Motors not!free!to!rotate!!

o N!Motors*should*offer*little*resistance*and*spin*freely.*The*rotation*will*appear*to*be*a*'lumpy'*but*this*is*

normal!!

N!Motors!not!connected!!

o N!Connect*the*motors!!

Props)rotate)but)MK)will)not)lift)off)the)ground

Problem!may!be!caused!by!one!or!some!of!the!following:!!

• N!Motors!not!rotating!the!right!way!!

o N!Swap*any*2*connections*to*the*motor*to*change*their*direction!!

N!Correct!props!on!the!correct!motors!!

o N!Swap*props*onto*correct*motors*X*Front/Rear*CW*Left/Right*ACW!!

N!Props!loose!on the!motor!shafts!!

o N!Tighten*props*on*the*motor*shafts!!

N!Too!much!weight!!

o N!Reduce*the*payload*weight*or*increase*the*power*of*the*motors!!

N!Props!too!small!or!pitch!too!high!!

o N!Use*greater*diameter*props*or*reduce*the*prop*pitch!!

N!GAS!channel!not!set!correctly!!

o N!Check*that*the*GAS*channel*is*on*the*correct*stick!!

N!Battery!power!too!low!!

o N!Change*battery!!

MK)lifts)but)immediately)flips)over
148

Problem!may!be!caused!by!one!or!some!of!the!following:!!

• N!Flight!controller!board!upside!down!!

o N!Reassemble*MK*boards*so*the*Flight*Controller*board*has*the*arrow*in*the*corner*on*the*top!!

N!Flight!Controller!board!not!facing!the!right!way!!

o N!Reassemble*MK*boards*so*the*Flight*Controller*board*has*the*arrow*facing*forward*towards*Motor*1!!

N!Motors!in!the!incorrect!positions!!

o N!Reconnect*the*BLXCtrls*to*the*motors*Front*=*1*Rear*=*2*Right*=*3*and*Left*=*4!!

N!Motor/s!rotating!the!wrong!way!!

o N!Swap*any*2*connections*to*the*motor*to*change*their*direction!!

N!Props!on!the!wrong!motors!!

o N!Swap*the*props*over!!

N!MK!trimming!set!too!high!!

o N!Set*the*TX*trims*to*zero*on*the*TX*and*reXtrim!!

N!POTI!set!to!a!stick!channel!!

o N!Check*the*POTI*channels*and*alter*if*necessary!!

N!Faulty!wiring!the!motors!and!or!BLNCtrls!!

o N!Check*wiring*visually*and*with*the*MK*tool.*Faults*with*the*BLXCtrls*will*show*on*one*of*the*pages*in*the*

centre*of*the*screen.*Also*the*red*LED*will*light*on*the*faulty*BLXCtrl!!

Hovering

MK)lifts)and)rotates)slowly

Problem!may!be!caused!by!one!or!some!of!the!following:!!

• N!Compass!not!calibrated!!

o N!Calibrate*compass http://www.mikrokopter.com/ucwiki/en/Setting_Up''<<BR>>

X*YAW*trim*set*too*high

o X*Reset!YAW!to!zero!and!retrim

X*POTI*set*to*operate*YAW*cannel

o X*Check!that!POTI!channel!is!not!assigned!to!YAW!(gier)!channel.!If!so!reassign!to!POTI!to!any!one!of!

channels!5!to!8

X*Strong*magnetic*field*affecting*compass

o X*Check!if!buzzer!is!close!to!the!compass,!if!so!relocate!on!frame!arm.!Check!you!are!near!sources!of!high!

magnetic!fields,!pylons,!sub!stations!or!shielded!by!steel!clad!buildings

X*Props*and*motors*not*rotating*the*right*way

o X*Either!swap!props!or!swap!motor!leads!seehttp://www.mikrokopter.com/ucwiki/en/Setting_Up''<<BR>>

N!Faulty!wiring!the!motors!and!or!BLNCtrls!!

o N!Check*all*wiring*and*rectify

MK)will)not)stay)still

Problem!may!be!caused!by!one!or!some!of!the!following!:!!

• N!NICK!and!ROLL!not!trimmed!!

o N!Set*trims*to*zero*and*retrim

N!Wind!too!high!!

o N!Wind*strength*Beaufort*Force*4*and*above,*14X16*mph*is*too*strong*to*fly*in*check*this*website*for*

windspeeds http://www.xcweather.co.uk/?Loc=GB''<<BR>>

X*MK*too*near*to*the*ground*(less*then*1*metre)

o X*MK!affected!by!'Ground!Effect'!the!downdraught!of!the!props!against!the!ground!giving!unstable!lift.

X*Fault*with*motor*or*BLXCtrl

o X*Check!motors!and!BLNCntrls!and!rectify!or!replace
149

X*Overcompensation*by*pilot

o X*The!MK!will!try!to!'right'!itself,!and!hence!may!appear!to!be!'out!of!control'.!See!this!website!for!lessons!on!

how!to!fly!your!MK!N!http://www.mikrokopter.com/ucwiki/en/FlightSchool''<<BR>>

N!PID!settings!not!compatible!with!MK!design!!

o N!Alter*various*parameter*settings*to*suit*MK*weight,*size*and*required*agility*

seehttp://www.mikrokopter.com/ucwiki/en/Parameters!!

N!MK!frame!not!substantial!enough!and!flexing!!

o N!The*frame*must*resist*any*movement*of*the*motors*in*relation*to*one*another.*Hold*the*MK*on*the*props*and*

see*if*the*frame*can*bend*or*flex.*Increase*the*material*size*or*quality*or*provide*stiffeners.*Remember*to*keep*

any*additional*weight*to*minimum.

N!Flight!setting!to!sensitive!for!pilot!!

N!ACC!not!calibrated!or!calibrated!off!level!!

o N!Use*the*centre*level*to*ensure*that*the*FC*board*is*set*level,*then*calibrate*the*ACC*(GAS*stick*to*1X2*o'clock*

position)*While*the*ACC*does*not*need*to*be*calibrated*every*flight,*it*is*important*to*calibrate*it*in*the*ambient*

temperature*that*the*MK*will*be*flown*in.*Changes*in*temperature*will*require*the*ACC*sensor*to*be*reX

calibrated.

N!Gyros!not!calibrated!in!ambient!conditions!!

o N!ReXcalibrate*the*gyros*(GAS*stick*10X11*o'clock*position)*(Please*note*this*is*not*the*thing*same*as*calibrating*

the*output*amplification*voltages*of*the*gyros*on*the*FC*boards*1.0,*1.1*and*1.2*see*below)

X*Sunlight*on*gyros*(*This*problem*is*still*under*discussion*and*only*seems*to*affect*FCX1.3*boards)!!

o N!Screen*the*gyros*from*sunlight.*This*problem*has*recently*been*brought*to*the*forum*and*as*yet,*22.4.09,*

there*appears*to*be*no*explanation*as*to*why*this*happens!!

N!Gyro!output!amplification!voltages!not!calibrated!(Only!applies!to!Flight!control!Boards!FCN1.0,!1.1,!and!

1.2)

o N!Gyro*amplification*output*voltages*must*be*set*to*around*1.5V.*This*requires*the*addition*of*various*sized*

resistors*to*increase*or*lower*the*output*voltages*

seehttp://www.mikrokopter.com/ucwiki/en/FlightCtrlManual Section*4*X*Step*2*Setting*Up*the*Board.*Please*

note*FCX1.3*has*self*adjusting*output*voltage*calibration.

ToDo:!Solutions!!

Controlling)Height

MK)continues)to)ascend

Problem!may!be!caused!by!one!or!some!of!the!following:!!

• N!Height!control!not!activated!!

N!Sensor!connection!fault!or!sensor!faulty!!

N!POTI!channel!not!set!in!MK!tool!!

N!Swicth!not!set!to!correct!channel!on!TX!!

N!2!switches!or!sliders!on!one!POTI!channel!controlling!Height!control!!

N!GAS!set!too!high!!

N!MK!over!rising!air!current!(strong!fan!or!heat!source)!!

MK)falls)slowly

Problem!may!be!caused!by!one!or!some!of!the!following:!!

• N!Batteries!running!low!!

N!GAS!reduced!!

N!Ice!on!props!(only!if!flown!in!freezing!fog)

N!Sudden!barometric!change!(if!flown!indoors!and!the!door!is!opened!the!MK!will!drop!slightly)!!

N!Loss!of!TX!signal!!
150

Moving)the)MK

MK)does)not)move)in)correct)direction

Problem!may!be!caused!by!one!or!some!of!the!following:!!

• N!Channels!not!set!correctly!on!TX!and!MK!tool!!

N!Flight!Control!Board!not!facing!forward!!

N!Wind!strength!too!high!!

MK)oscillates)to)a)fro)about)central)axis

Problem!may be!caused!by!one!or!more!of!the!following!!

• N!PID!settings!not!set!to!match!weight,!motor!speed!and!props!!

N!Payload!off!balance!!

N!Over!correction!with!the!sticks!!

MK)diffficult)to)control

Problem!may!be!caused!by!one!or!more!of!the!following!!

• N!Using!a!setting!the!is!too!sensitive!!

N!Incorrect!use!of!the!sticks!!

N!Wind!too!high!!

N!Incorrect!ACC!calibration!!

N!Incorrect!Gyro!calibration!!

N!Prop!pitch!too!great!!

N!Motors!and!props!too!powerful!for!MK!weight!!

N!Battery!running!low!!

N!MK!out!of!range!of!TX!!

N!Props!not!strong!enough!!

ToDo:!Symptoms!and!Solutions!!

Landing)the)MK

MK)bounces)on)the)ground

MK)drops)from)height)and)cannot)recover

MK)behaves)strangely)when)trying)to)land

Links

MikroKopter (Germany)

There!are!several!places!in!the!U.S.!that!sell!the!Mikrokopter!kits!with!an!option!of!purchasing!them!with!an!

Almost!Ready!to!Fly!(ARF)!option,!where!the!kits!are!preNassembled!"almost".!The!ARF!is!a!great!option,!

and!will!save!an!enormous!amount!of!time.

Mikrokopter.com!N!This!is!the!original!site!for!the!Mikrokopters!located!in!Germany (have*a*good*page*

translation*plugin*for*your*browswer).!Here!you!will!find!kits,!parts,!assembly!WIKI,!and!lots!of!helpful!

discussions!on!the!Forum.

Mikrokopter.us!N!A!wealth!of!information,!supplies,!and!a!great!discussion!forum.!!
151

RC!Groups!N!This!large!forum!of!users!has!answers!to!many!of!the!question!that!typically!arise!during!the!

Mikrokopter!build!and!operation.

Quadrocopter.us N!Located!in!Columbia!Falls!MT,!Quadrocopter!offers!sales,!tutorials,!service!and!more.

MultirotorNforum!N!Discussion!forum!for!the!MultoNRotor!community.