1 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

OPERATING HANDBOOK

Foxtech D130 X8 Multirotor
2 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

Foxtech D130 X8

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Section 1: General

 Section 2: Limitations

 Section 3: Emergency Procedures

 Section 4: Normal Procedures

 Section 5: Performance

 Section 6: Weight and Balance/Equipment List

 Section 7: Air Vehicle and Systems Description

 Section 8: Handling, Service andMaintenance

 Section 9: Supplements
3 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

SECTION 1 

GENERAL

The D-130 X8 by Foxtech is Multi-rotor small unmanned aircraft with eight motors. The aircraft has 4 main rotor 

arms extending from the center fuselage area. At the ends of the rotor arms are two powerful brushless electric 

motors capable of swinging a 28-inch propeller. The motors are arranged with one pointing up with a puller prop 

and one pointing down with a pusher prop. The motor configuration allows of the aircraft to be efficient yet as 

compact as possible. The aircraft is primarily built from carbon fiber that results in a very strong yet light weight 

airframe. The arms can also be folded down for transportation and storage.

The autopilot/flight stabilization system is a DJI A2 advanced multi-rotor controller. This system provides very 

precise stabilization to the aircraft along with GPS navigation features. Safety features include; motor failure

recognition and motor failure flight capability allowing for continued safe flight with a motor failure, return home 

and land mode for loss of link failure, safe land mode for low battery voltage and loss of GPS signal, and other 

warnings to the pilot/operator.

The command and control systems is a DJI Lightbridge 2. This system allows of the control of the aircraft via 

two joysticks and has a range of 3 km via a 1 watt 2.4ghz radio transmitter and receiver package. This allows for 

an extremely reliable signal in a variety of conditions. A signal strength indicator provides the pilot/operator real 

time information on the reliability of the signal. Other indictors include battery strength of the aircraft, aircraft 

speed and altitude, GPS strength, and aircraft location. The DJI Lightbridge 2 also has an integrated 5.8ghz 

transmitter and receiver system that allows real time video to be transmitted back to the operator/pilot.
4 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

o Vertical Takeoff and Land

o Quiet and Efficient Electric Brushless Motors

o Waypoint Navigation and Position Hold Capabilities

o Redundant Flight Systems

o Safety Return to Home during lost link or low battery

o GPS navigation aid

o Varioussensors

o 36 lb max takeoff weight

o Operating Temp Range: -5°C to +60°C

o Flight Modes: Manual and GPS aided waypointnavigation

o Maximum Operating Altitude: 2500 feet MSL

o Maximum Operation Wind Conditions: 30kts

o Propulsion System: Lithium Polymer batteries

o Takeoff: Manual or Automatic

o Landing: Manual or Automatic

o Takeoff/Recovery Area: 5m square

 DIMENSIONS

o Distance rotor to rotor across the center: 47.25”

o Height: 29”

 MOTORS

o Manufacturer: T-Motor

o Number of motors: 8

o Motor Model Number: U8 KV100

o Motor KV/RPM: 100

o Motor max @ 25.2V: 1850 rpm

o Current Max: 164 amps

o Amp Draw Typical Average: 65 amps

 PROPELLERS

o Manufacturer: Foxtech

o Material: Composite

o Number of propellers: 8

o Propeller model: Supreme 2880

o Number of blades: 2 

o Propeller Diameter: 28”

o Propeller Pitch (fixed): 8”

 ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLS

o Manufacturer: Foxtech

o Number of speed controls: 8

o Speed control model: Multipal Waterproof 80A HV

o Rating in amps: 80 Amps continuous
5 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 AUTOPILOT/FLIGHT STABILIZATION

o Manufacturer: DJI-Innovations

o Autopilot Model Number: DJI A2

o Components: GPS/Compass, IMU, Master Controller, Power Distribution System, LED 

Indicator Lighting System, Data Transceiver, GCS Software

o Power Consumption: 5W

o Operating Temp Range: -5°C to +60°C

o Software Compatible: Windows 7/Windows 10

o Hovering Accuracy: Vertical : ± 0.5m; Horizontal: ± 2m

 WIRELESS LINKS

o Distributor: DJI-Innovations

o Frequencies:

 2.4 Ghz datalink with WiFi

 2.4 Ghz Command & Control

 5.8 Ghz Video

o Power Consumption: 1 watt

o Usable Range: Less than 3 km.

 FLIGHT BATTERY

o Battery chemistry: Lithium Polymer

o Battery Capacity: 22,000 mah x 2

o Battery cell count required: 6S 

o Battery Voltage: 21V minimum during hover, 22.2V nominal, 25.2V maximum

o Battery Minimum Charge Rate: 1C 

o Battery Rest Time between discharging and charging: 30 minutes recommended

o Batteries used simultaneously: 1-2

o Recommended Battery Discharge Amount: 80%

 FLIGHT PARAMETERS

o Flight Time: up to 30 minutes

o Payload Max: 11 lbs
6 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 WARNINGS

o Never power a video transmitter or receiver without an antenna connected or overload failure 

will occur.

o Read all information regarding batteries contained in this manual and supplements.

o Batteries are highly flammable and can explode, especially when fully charged. Improper 

charging, vibration, impact, high discharge, etc. can lead to explosion and fire. Batteries must 

be charged under constant supervision and using proper precautions.

o Batteries fully charged must be handled with extreme care.

o Batteries must not be stored above 50% charged state.

o Store batteries between 20% - 50% charged state. Fully charge just before use.

o Fully charged batteries which are not to be used within 24 hours should be discharged to 20%

- 50% charged state.

o Discharging LiPoly batteries in excess of 80% of their rated capacity can cause harm to the 

batteries.

o Using more than one battery at a time requires the proper wiring harness so that the voltage is 

no more than 25.2V. Over voltage will cause serious damage to electrical equipment.

o Using more than one battery at a time requires weight and balance checks. Proper CG is 

critical to performance. Airframe must not be overloaded.

o Propellers must be balanced to avoid excessive vibration.

o GPS/Compass must be facing forward.

o Do not use GPS Mode without GPS lock.

o Use low strength thread locking compound on allscrews.
13 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

SECTION 2 

LIMITATIONS

 AIRSPEED LIMITATIONS

o Vne – Velocity to Never Exceed: 29kts

o Va – Typical Cruise Speed – 10kts

 POWER & POWERPLANT LIMITATIONS

o 80 Amps max per motor

o 80 Amps max per speed control

o Do not exceed 80-90% discharge of rated battery capacity

o Do not charge batteries which are warmer than air temperature

o Allow batteries to cool after use before charging

o Leave an air gap between batteries when multiple batteries are used simultaneously

 WEIGHT LIMITS

o Takeoff Weight Max: 36 lbs

 CENTER OF GRAVITY

o Must be checked before every flight to ensure batteries were installed in the proper 

location.

 MANEUVER LIMITS

o This aircraft is intended for non-aerobatic operations

o G-loading maximum: 2G

 TEMPERATURE LIMITS

o Operating Temp Range: -10°C to +40°C

o In cold temperatures

 Keep IMU at room temperature if possible before the flight

 Keep Batteries above 5°C before flight

 Do not fly with any frost or ice on the propellers

o In warm temperatures

 Batteries heat up when discharged

 The higher the discharge rate the higher the temperature increase during use

 At temperatures above 45°C, use of 2 batteries is required to lower the load on any 

one battery pack to keep it cooler.

 WEATHER LIMITS

o Light dust and light rain require the use of a shield for the electronics in the center section.

o Light dust and light rain are acceptable for the unshielded motor and ESC.

o NOT to be used in icing conditions.
14 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 WIRELESS LINK

o Wireless links will be stable in LOS (line of sight) conditions

o Wireless links are always susceptible to shorter ranges due to

 Atmospheric conditions

 Other transmission devices in the area

 Jamming

 Antennas not aligned properly

 Improper voltage

 Antenna blockage from AV in certain positions

 Multipath – reflection off buildings or ground which cause multiple signals to arrive 

at different times and/or phase.
15 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

SECTION 3 

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

 MOTOR FAILURE

o Operation is possible with one motor/ESC/propeller failure

 The adjacent motors/ESCs will be increased in thrust automatically by the flight 

controller to overcome the loss

 Operation should be terminated as soon as possible to reduce the possibility of damage 

to the remaining motors

 COMMUNICATION FAILURE

o Video link failure

 5.8 Ghz being the shortest wavelength in general AV use has the least ability to 

penetrate. This link should be the first to be lost.

 It is best to lose video first! It is the least likely to cause a crash when itfails.

 Ensure that the GCS station antennas are perpendicular to the AV. Do not point the 

antenna at the AV.

 Yaw the AV to change the antenna position

 Other links should still be good. Return back to the GCS until link is restored.

 Transmitters produce heat when in operation. When overheated they may have 

thermal protection which interrupts use temporarily. Use of a heat sink or fan may be 

required especially with high ambient temperatures.

o RC link failure

 Anything in between the two antennas can cause temporary signal loss especially a 

person.

 Hold the transmitter up in the air and walk in the general direction of the AV (aerial 

vehicle).

 Ensure that the antenna is vertical. Do not point the antenna at the AV.

 The failsafes on the RC link should be set so that the AV returns to home. Should this 

require a heading change, the antenna may move into a more desirable position and 

link will be restored.

 The onboard equipment may block the signal. Yaw the AV so that the antennas point 

towards the GCS.

o LOW BATTERY POWER

 Fail-safes can be set such that in the event of low battery power, either due to a failure 

or too long of a flight, the warning light on the AV will constantly flash amber. This is 

the first level of warning.

 The second warning level is red flashing lights

 Auto landing will occur when battery power is low. It may land in a tree or a lake, so 

this is not desirable.

 Landing with 80-90% of battery depleted is best. 

 Do not mix partially charged batteries. Only use completely charged batteries.

 Over discharging a battery below 19.8V can permanently damage the battery.
16 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

o GCS FAILURE

 Takeover by the external pilot should happen ASAP using the RC link.

 Most often happens due to a low battery.

o COMPASS CALIBRATION ERROR

 If the compass is out of calibration the warning light will flash red. This is the same 

signal as low voltage. If the voltage is correct, there is a calibration error.

 Recalibrate the compass following the instruction manual

o FIRE

 Fires can occur due to a short circuit or battery failure.

 Disconnect the battery ASAP unless there is danger in doing so if there is any 

electrical issue.

 Use a fire extinguisher to put out fires surrounding the battery. A CO2 fire 

extinguisher is better than the powder or chemical type. CO2 does not leave a residue. 

Water can be used though it may cause other electrical componentfailures.

o FORCED LANDINGS

 If alternate emergency landing zones should be chosen ahead of time.

 Be sure that the LZ is clear of people to avoid any incidents.

 Land in the nearest LZ which is clear of people.

 Announce your intentions of landing as loud as necessary to alert people of the 

incoming AV.
17 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

SECTION 4

SET UP SUGGESTIONS

 ELECTRONICS BURN IN

o We recommend that you put weights onto the landing skids to keep the copter on the ground 

and run the copter at about 70% throttle for about 2 hours to burn in the electronics. Most 

electronic failures occur in the first 2 hours of operation.

 GPS/COMPASS MAST LENGTH

o We found that the higher the mast, the better the GPS reception

 RADIO SET UP

o Follow the instructions in the manual

o We prefer the switch assignment as shown in the checklists above though feel free to modify 

to your liking

 COPTER COMMAND AND CONTROL

o We recommend the use of a dual rate switch for main copter operation.

 High rate – used to initialize the motors. The flight controller will not engage unless it 

sees full down throttle, full left rudder, full left cyclic and full back cyclic. However, 

these may be too high for normal flying. On high rate it is helpful to utilize fairly high 

exponential to make the stick feel soft around center. Adjust to your preference.

 Low rate – used for typical flying. Set the end point adjustments such that full stick 

deflection offers the maximum speed required in normal flying. If conditions require 

higher flight speeds, switch to high rate. On low rate it is also helpful to utilize a small 

amount of exponential to make the stick feel soft around center. Adjust to your 

preference.

 ZENMUSE COMMAND AND CONTROL

o We recommend the use of a dual rate switch for gimbal operation.

 High rate – used to initialize the gimbal. The gimbal may not engage unless it sees full 

motion. However, these may be too high for shooting video smoothly. This is best for 

still photography so as to put the camera on target quickly. On high rate it is helpful to 

utilize fairly high exponential to make the stick feel soft around center. Adjust to your 

preference.

 Low rate – used for videography. Set the end point adjustments such that full stick 

deflection offers the maximum speed required for videography. If conditions require 

higher gimbal speeds, switch to high rate. On low rate it is also helpful to utilize a 

small amount of exponential to make the stick feel soft around center. Adjust to your 

preference.

 TIMERS

o Use of the countdown timer is a good backup method to ensure landing with battery power.

 Set the timer for 20 minutes (or what you deem appropriate) and have it start when the 

throttle is over 1⁄4. Then adjust the timer upwards until the amount of battery used is 

about 80-90% of the total available. 
18 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

NORMAL PROCEDURES

 PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST

o Confirm all communication radios are operational

 Radio with ATC

 Radios with others in the group

o Set a perimeter of 100 meters

 Area must be clear of people to avoid collision

o Check for overhead power lines and other obstacles to avoid

o Check structural integrity

 In event of prior crash, inspect all booms, props and motor mounts for excessive flex 

indicating structural fatigue/failure

o Have a manual flight plan avoiding obstacles.

o Load auto flight plan if using one

 Be sure that the total flight time is under 10 minutes to avoid low battery

o Clean lens

 Remove lens cap

o Ensure camera has SD card installed

 Many flights have been wasted due to this!

o Install batteries

 Ensure that the straps are tight and the Velcro keeps the batteries from moving which 

will avoid a shift in the CG (Center of Gravity – or that it balances evenly)

o Check CG (Center of Gravity)

 Lift the copter on each of the 2 pairs of arms. The copter should balance properly. If 

not, do not fly. Rearrange the equipment such that the CG is

o IMU pointing forward

 The Inertial Measurement Unit is set so that it must face forward

o GPS/Compass installed, limited free play, pointing forward

 This device must be installed with a screw to hold it in place. It cannot vibrate easily. 

If it does not point forward, the corrections in ATTI and GPS mode will be incorrect 

and it will crash. The FC will provide a warning with constant flashing white lights.

o Level copter using a bubble level with front pointing in correct direction for course lock – do 

not turn on

 Keep in mind the best angle for pointing the landing gear in the direction that will 

keep the landing gear out of the shot when flying.

o Turn on Pilot Tx

o Throttle on Tx Down

o Return to Home switch Off

o Manual Flight Mode Switch to manual (not ATTI or GPS mode)

o Flight Path Switch Off – Not Course or Home or POI

o Check Tx battery voltage 

 These settings above are required to initialize the copter properly. If the switches are 

in the incorrect position, it will not initialize properly which may cause some of the 

functions like course lock or GPS mode to not operate properly.
19 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 If the copter does not function properly after takeoff, land immediately and disconnect 

the copter power. Then put all the switches in the proper position for initialization and 

turn the power back on to the copter.

o Count down timer should be set to 20 minutes. This can be adjusted to your flying style. The 

timer should engage at 1⁄4 throttle and trigger an alarm at the proper time. This is a backup 

alarm in case the indicator lights on the copter are not visible.

o Turn on Gimbal Tx

o Check Tx battery voltage

o HDMI switch Off

o Engage power to copter

 Plug in the 2 battery packs.

 6 quick chirps should be heard confirming 6S LiPoly batteries are recognized by the 

ESCs.

 Hearing less than 6 chirps indicates fewer cell battery packs are being 

recognized which is incorrect. Check for improper or damagedbatteries.

o Do not move or vibrate the aircraft until 30 seconds after full GPS Lock

 Initial 3 red blinks is normal meaning no GPS lock. No red flashes indicates full GPS 

lock.

 Continue with checklist as you are waiting for full GPS lock, but do not move the 

copter.

 If the GPS takes more than 5 minutes to lock, there is a problem with the area. It is not 

receiving the proper signals from the satellites. GPS signals are weak, so trees, people, 

buildings, terrain, weather, have an effect. Move the copter into a more open area 

where it can more easily see the satellites.

o Check Copter Voltage from both Tx’s (transmitters)

o Engage Attitude Mode – Must achieve double amber flash

o Engage GPS Mode – Must achieve double purple flash

o Engage course cock mode – Must achieve double green flash

o Disengage course lock mode. Must achieve double purple flash. Stay in this mode until just 

prior to takeoff, after takeoff at any time, or do not use.

o Do not engage motors. Set throttle to center position. Must achieve single purple flash when 

in GPS mode.

 To verify that the sticks are all centered properly:

 With throttle in the center position, use the trim buttons on the transmitter to check 

that the sticks are centered. Trim the roll (the stick located on the right side of the 

transmitter when moved to the right and left) to the right, counting the number of 

clicks until a double flash occurs. Then center the trim. Then move the trim to the left, 

counting the number of clicks until a double flash occurs. An equal number of clicks 

should be counted each side of center.

 Do this check for the 3 stick movements other than throttle.

 Center the trim such that when the stick is in the neutral position that there are equal 

numbers of clicks in each direction. This ensures that when the sticks are neutralized 

that the flight controller will recognize this signal and engage GPS mode.
20 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

o Calibrate GPS/Compass before the first flight each day or if receiving continuous red blinks 

or continuous white blinks.

 Flip the GPS mode switch 7 times very quickly from manual to GPS. End with the 

switch in the manual position. The indicator light will be blue. Rotate the copter about

1.5 turns in a horizontal position. A green flashing light indicates that this is complete. 

Then hold the copter vertically and rotate about 1.5 turns. A white flashing light 

indicates that this is complete. Repeat if necessary until this is completed.

o After calibration, reset the copter by cycling battery with copter pointed in the correct heading 

for course lock.

o Engage Camera

o HDMI switch On

 This will stop video from playing on the back of the camera and will send the video 

signal to the video transmitter via the HDMI connection.

o Freestyle switch On (FPV Off)

 This allows the camera to be operated freely through the transmitter

o Verify camera operation

 Operate the shutter

 Set the focus to auto or manual. Manual setting is usually set to infinity to stop 

constant focusing of the camera.

o Verify data link if installed

 Roll the copter about 45 degrees on its side by lifting one side of the copter and resting 

one side of the landing gear on the ground

 A corresponding roll should be seen on the gauge.

 If the copter is rolled to the right, it will appear on the gauge that the horizon rolls to 

the left – not the right because the view from inside the copter is that the horizon rolls 

the opposite direction of the copter.

o Verify altitude is about 0 via gauge on computer

 If it is not about 0, the altitude settings for the waypoints will be off by this amount. 

This could cause the copter to fly at 10 meters or 30 meters if the waypoint is set for 

20 meters and the altitude is off by 10 meters one way or another. If the copter thinks 

it is at 10 meters when it is on the ground, then it will only rise 10 meters above the 

ground to achieve what it believes it to be 20 meters above the ground.

 The altitude can be reset using the ground control software by going to altitude offset.

o Alternate Emergency Landing Sites Established

 NORMAL TAKEOFF

o Confirm clear for takeoff with ATC if required.

o Engage GPS mode – Double purple flash when the throttle is down.

o Switch to Course Lock flight mode if required. Purple flashes are replaced with green flashes. 

Flying in course lock is not required, but helpful in many instances.

o Announce loudly: “CLEAR PROP”

o Move both of the sticks to the bottom left corners to engage the motors. Within 1 second 

move the throttle up 1/8 – 1/4. The copter should not lift off until about 1⁄2 stick isreached.

o Verify data and video links before lifting off. If anything is not working properly, move the 

throttle stick to low to disengage the motors and determine a solution.

o If all flight checks are passed, announce loudly: “TAKINGOFF”
21 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

o Advance throttle to about 3/4. Copter must jump off of the ground to avoid one skid coming 

up before the other skid, and the skid on the ground getting caught and flipping the copter 

over sideways.

o Ascend to 3 meters. Then decrease throttle to 1⁄2 to engage the GPS hold.

o Verify links, GPS, Attitude, etc. Should be single purple flash.

o Verify that the copter is holding position within .5m in all directions.

o Verify camera operation

o Verify course lock is operational by rotating 90 degrees and pushing forward onstick.

o Verify copter stability. If unstable, land and reset gains, recalibrate, or retest as necessary.

o Proceed with manual mission or

o For autopilot operation

 Ascend to 10 meters

 Command AVO to proceed withmission.

 Pilot should say “It’s yours”

 Response from AVO “I have it”

o Manual pilot/observer must monitor the informational LED and be ready to take over in 

manual mode when necessary.

 White flashes indicates flight controllerissue

 Amber flashes indicates low battery

 Red flashes indicate loss of GPS or severe battery condition

 Quick decisions are required when red flashes are indicated

 10 seconds or more of loss of GPS signal will stop waypoint guidance and any 

GPS hold and put into manual mode.

 Red indicator light battery warning requires immediate landing

 POST LANDING

o Record flight time in the log book.

o Note battery power used during the flight. Write this down in the logbook.

o ALWAYS disconnect the main power to the AV first, then turn off the transmitter.

o Check motor temperatures by touching them with your fingers. Any motors which are 

excessively hot should be further inspected and possibly replaced.

o Check battery temperatures by touching them with your fingers. Battery temperatures should 

not be hot to the touch. Battery temperatures should be slightly above ambient.

o Inspect all components especially the propellers for wear.

o Note in logbook which batteries were used to calculate life cycle.
22 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 AIRCRAFT FLIGHT LOG BOOK

o Keep a log of all flights.

 Date

 Time of Day

 Time in Operation (in hours)

 Battery serial numbers

 Mah used in flight

 Location

 Pilot, Observer, Sensor Operator Names

 Flight Objective

 Remarks

 AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE LOG BOOK

o Keep a log of significant inspections, tests, repairs, alterations, equipment changes.

 Date maintenance is performed

 Accumulated hours of operation

 Remarks

 PILOT LOG BOOK 

o Keep a log of all flights. Include the following:

 Aircraft flown

 Aircraft serial number

 Date

 Time of Day

 Time in Operation (in hours)

 Location

 Flight Objective

 Remarks
23 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

SECTION 5 

PERFORMANCE

 FLIGHT TIMES

o The aircraft is designed to hover at high efficiency. Hovering is much less efficient than 

flying on a wing, thus flight times are low compared to fixed wing aircraft.

o All the weight of the aircraft is supported by power from the batteries. As the batteries are 

used in a flight, the amount of power available decreases. Therefore, the power reserve is 

constantly decreasing as the battery is being used. Thus loading a rotorcraft above its limit is 

not recommended. While the aircraft may have enough power to lift off initially on a full 

charge, the power reserve at partial charge may be too low to allow for maneuvering and will 

result in a crash.

o High lateral speeds will add lift to slightly improve efficiency. The rotors act similar to fixed 

wings at higher speeds. This increase in efficiency may be negated by the increased power 

consumption of forward flight.

o High winds or gusts decrease efficiency/flight time. The motors work harder to hold position.

o As weight increases flight times decrease.

 WIRELESS TRANSMISSION

o Refer to the specific manuals for performance ratings.

o Wireless communications utilized provide acceptable communication for LOS.

o In general:

 LOS is required

 The higher the GCS antennas, the better the range

 Any freq. at may have severe degradation due to location to other admitters such as 

cell towers

 RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) should be monitored for indication of 

communication drop out.
24 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 CG

SECTION 6

WEIGHT AND BALANCE EQUIPMENT LIST

o CG is critical to the efficient operation of any aircraft.

o When components are shifted, the CG will be altered.

o The main components which are moved on a regular basis are the sensors and the batteries.

o The sensors are typically in the front of the AV, and the batteries are located in the correct 

position to offset all the components on the AV.

o The CG must be tested after any change to the components or their placement.

o The CG should be tested by lifting the UV with fingers on the bottom of the arms. Check both

pairs of arms. The closer the CG is to the centerlines of the arms the more efficient and the 

more stable the AV will be.

 WEIGHT

o Weight is critical to the operation of any aircraft

o Weight is especially critical to a rotor wing aircraft. At full throttle the motors have a finite 

amount of thrust. All the weight is lifted by the battery power, there is no wing to assist in 

providing lift.

o As the batteries are operated, they lose power. At full charge they have about 25v. At 20% 

remaining capacity they have about 21v. This is a loss of 8% of the power available which is 

significant.

o Do not overload the aircraft or there will not be sufficient reserve power to maneuver at low 

battery levels.
25 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

SECTION 7

AIR VEHICLE AND SYSTEMS DESCRIPTION

 BATTERY

o Battery chemistry required: Lithium Polymer

o Battery Capacity: 22,000mah x 2

o Battery cell count required: 6S (6 cells in series)

o Battery Voltage: 21V minimum at hover, 22.2V nominal, 25.2Vmaximum

o Battery Minimum Rated Discharge Rate: 20C minimum

o Batteries used simultaneously: 1-2

o Recommended Battery Discharge Amount: 80%

 WERELESS COMMUNICATIONS

o Never power a video transmitter or receiver without an antenna connected or overload failure 

will occur.

o Wireless communications utilized provide acceptable communication for LOS.

o In general:

o LOS is required.

o Lower frequencies penetrate objects such as trees better than higher freqs.

o Lower freqs have longer range than high freqs

o Higher freqs can transfer more data than lower freqs

o Higher freqs use smaller/shorter antennas

o The higher the GCS antennas, the better the range and reception

o Any freq at may have severe degradation due to location to other admitters such as cell towers

o Range must be constantly monitored.

o Alternate antenna types may be utilized to improve link/range. Patch, helical, omni, etc. can 

be substituted. They must be verified beforeuse.

o Alternate freqs may be utilized to improve link/range.
26 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

SECTION 8

HANDLING, SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE

 PROPELLER CARE

o Propellers must be checked each flight for nicks or cracks

o Propellers are designed to last indefinitely if they do not impact dust, dirt or more.

 BATTERY CARE AND USE

o Batteries are highly flammable and can explode, especially when fully charged. Improper 

charging, vibration, impact, high discharge, etc. can lead to explosion and fire. Batteries must 

be charged under constant supervision and using proper precautions.

o Batteries fully charged must be handled with extreme care.

o Any battery which puffs up is considered damaged and must not be used. It is in a dangerous 

state. Never charge a puffed up battery.

o Any battery which holds less than 80% of its rated capacity should be discarded.

o Cycle test each battery after every 50 cycles or if a battery is suspected to have lost as 

significant amount of its capacity to determine the current capacity.

o Properly dispose of batteries. First discharge the battery fully using a battery cycler. Bring to a 

recycler such as a home improvement store.

o Always charge flight batteries under “balance” mode.

o Flight Battery Recommended Charge Rate: 1C which takes approximately 1 hour to charge

o Flight Battery Maximum Charge Rate: May exceed 5C. Charge rates higher than 1C will 

decrease life cycles. Maximum charge rating per the manufacturer will provide 300+ cycles. 

Use the lowest charge rate which is practical.

o Battery Rest Time between discharging and charging: 30 minutes minimum, 1 hour 

maximum.

o Do not charge if the battery is more than 2°C warmer than ambient, especially if the 

temperature is above 20°C. The outer surface is cooler than the inner core after use. Damage 

will occur when charging a warm battery.

o Recommended Battery Discharge Amount: 80%. Using more of the capacity of the battery 

will decrease the life cycles

o As battery temperature approaches freezing the capacity of Lithium Polymer batteries 

decrease. Keep warmer than 5°C before installing into the UV (unmanned vehicle).

o Battery capacity decreases at higher discharge rates. Using more batteries decreases the 

discharge rate of each battery thereby extending individual battery capacity slightly.

o Lower discharge rates improve the life cycles.

o Batteries are rated at greater than 300 life cycles. 1,000+ life cycles are possible.

o Batteries must not be stored above 60% charged state for extended periods.

o Batteries should be stored below 25°C for extended periods

o Store batteries between 40% - 60% charged state. Fully charge just before use.

o Fully charged batteries which are not to be used within 24 hours should be discharged to 40%

- 60% charged state using the battery discharger.

o Using more than one battery at a time requires the proper wiring harness so that the voltage is 

no more than 25.2V. Over voltage will cause serious damage to electrical equipment.
27 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

o 100 HOUR INSPECTION and ANNUAL INSPECTION

 Inspect all components for wear and replace any components as required.

 Check condition and balance of all propellers.

 Test all batteries for capacity.

 Check for firmware and software updates and upgrade to latestrevisions.

 Conduct a proper test flight after any updates to firmware/software.
28 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

SECTION 9 

SUPPLEMENTS

CHECKLISTS

 INVENTORYCHECKLIST

o Aircraft

o Camera with SD card

o Spare parts/tools

o Spare batteries

o Two RC transmitters

o Tablet

o Battery Charger

o Flight Controller Cable

o Video monitor, stand, battery, antennas

o Datalink & cable

o Battery Y-harness

 INITIAL SET UP & TESTS

o All screws/bolts are tight

o Timer alarm for flight time to not exceed 80% battery capacity set properly

o Batteries are secure

o Antennas are secure

o Props balanced

o Props aligned

o Props not chipped

o Check blades, arms, etc. for cracks/damage

o Wiring Tight

o No excessive flexing of motors or booms

o Booms/motors will not twist

o Center of gravity is correct

o Warning lights set for low battery if used

o Batteries charged. Replace any battery which cycles below 80% of rated capacity

 Tablet Battery

 Flight Battery

 Handheld Rx Battery

 RC Tx Battery

 Video Rx Battery

 Spare Laptop Battery
29 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 PREFLIGHT CHECKLIST

o Check area to fly on Google maps

o Confirm ATC coms operation as required

o Inform ATC of your flight plan if required

o Determine emergency flight plan and alternate landing zones avoiding power lines and obstacles

o Check wind direction

o Set a perimeter of 50-100 meters – area must be clear of people

o All antennas installed and all pointing in correct directions

o Engage GCS Tablet (bring up flight plan)

o Remove lens cap / Clean lens

o Camera On

o Ensure camera has SD card installed.

o Check battery voltage

o Install battery on copter.

o Check CG

o Level copter with front pointing in correct direction for course lock – do not turn on

o On Copter TX - Set switches - Throttle Down, Return to Home switch Off, Manual Flight Mode 

Switch On, Flight Path Switch Off – Not Course or Home Lock

o Copter Transmitter On

o Check Tx battery voltage 

o Gimbal Transmitter On

o Check Tx battery voltage

o Plug in battery.

o Calibrate GPS/Compass if necessary

o If calibrated, cycle battery with correct heading for course lock.

o Do not touch the Copter until 30 seconds after full GPS Lock. Initial 3 red blinks is normal meaning 

no GPS lock. Wait until no flashes. Continue with checklist.

o Check Copter Voltage from GCS

o Engage Attitude Mode – Must Achieve Double Amber Flash

o Engage GPS Mode – Must Achieve Double Purple Flash

o While in GPS mode engage “Course Lock” mode. Must achieve green Flash

o Do not engage motors. Set throttle to center position. Must achieve single amber flash in Attitude 

Mode and single purple flash in GPS mode

o Verify camera operation

o Verify data link if installed – rolling copter manually should change gauges

o Upload flight plan if needed

o Verify altitude is about 0 via gauge on computer/GCS/tablet

o Timers set properly
30 Foxtech D130 X8 Operating Handbook

 TAKEOFF CHECKLIST

o Declare intentions for takeoff with ATC

o Engage GPS mode – Double purple flash

o Engage Course Lock mode (double green flash)

o Announce loudly: “CLEAR PROP”

o Position the sticks in the lower left hand corners, then immediately raise the throttle 2 clicks, 

and center the right stick.

o Advance throttle to 1⁄4 power for 5 seconds. Assure all motors are operating.

o Verify that left/right and forward/back stick movement engages the proper motors

o Verify data and video links are still operational

o Announce loudly: “TAKING OFF”

o Advance throttle to full. Copter must jump off of the ground.

o Ascend to 3 meters. Center throttle stick. Should be single green flash. Verify wireless link, 

GPS hold, camera operation, gauges, etc. are working properly.

o Verify course lock is operational by rotating 90 degrees and pushing forward onstick.

o Verify copter stability. If unstable, land and reset gains, recalibrate, or retest as necessary.

o Raise landing gear

o Proceed with manual mission

o For autopilot operation

 Ascend to 10 meters manually

 Engage autopilot

o Manual pilot/observer must monitor the informational LED and be ready to take over in 

manual mode when necessary.

o Manual pilot to request copter flight battery voltage readout from camera operator 

periodically.

 LANDING CHECKLIST

o Landing area clear

o Lower landing gear

o Note obstacles in flightpath

o Announce loudly: “LANDING”

o First cut power to the aircraft

o Note elapsed time of flight

o Adjust any parameters (camera servo speed, exponential, etc)

o Turn power off to transmitters, camera, goggles, monitors, Rxs, etc.

o Touch motors to verify temperatures are similar

o Complete flight log

 Date and time of flight

 Batteries used

 Time of Flight

o Contact ATC
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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 ERROR MESSAGES

o White flashes

 IMU malfunction. Land and determine cause.

Possibilities:

 GPS/Compass not pointing forward

 IMU not pointing forward

 Set up of X, Y, Z for location of IMU and 

Compass is incorrect

o Excessive rocking/instability possible causes:

 Weak motor

 Structure flexing from fatigue or cracks

 Motor mount

 Main frame

 Booms

 Loose Bolts causing flexing or misalignment

 Props

 Mounts

 Props out of balance

 Props misaligned

 Excessive wind speeds or gusts

 Excessive Gains

 Excessive motor power. Max motor power 

must a little more than typical ascent 

power.

o Red Flashes (1, 2 or 3 flashes with pauses) – GPS loss 

(3 is more serious). Land if loss lasts for more than 30 

seconds. Possible causes:

 Clouds

 Structures

 GPS mal-function

 GPS too close to electrical components

 GPS vibration
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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A2Flight ControlSystem

User ManualV1.22

May, 2015 Revision

Thank youforpurchasingDJI products.Pleasestrictlyfollowthesestepstomount andconnectthis systemonyour 

aircraft, install the PC Assistant Software on your computer, as well as installing the DJI Assistant App on your 

mobile device.

Please regularly check the web page of corresponding products on our website www.dji.com, which is 

updated regularly. Product information, technical updates and manual corrections will be available on thiswebsite.

Due to unforeseen changes or product upgrades, the information contained in this manual is subject to change 

without notice.

*Thismanualisforbasicassemblyandconfiguration;youcanobtainmoredetailsandadvancedinstructionswhen 

usingtheAssistantSoftware.Toassureyouhavethelatestinformation,pleasevisitourwebsiteanddownloadthe

latest manual and current softwareversion.

If you have any problems that you cannot solve during usage, please contact your authorized dealer.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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Content

INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................4

PRODUCT INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................4

IN THE BOX........................................................................................................................................4

EQUIPMENT PREPARED BY USERS..............................................................................................4

SYSTEM INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................5

SYMBOL INSTRUCTION ............................................................................................................5

ASSEMBLY AND CONFIGURATION..............................................................................6

HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND CONNECTION ......................................................................6

Mixer Type Supported .........................................................................................6

Hardware Connection Diagram ..........................................................................7

Important for Assembly and Connection ............................................................7

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION.................................................................15

Installing Driver and Assistant Software...........................................................15

Configure using Assistant Software on a PC .....................................................16

Configure the control mode switch...................................................................17

Configuration Checking.....................................................................................19

Tools..............................................................................................................................20

COMPASS CALIBRATION.................................................................................................22

BASIC FLYING ................................................................................................................23

CONTROL MODE INSTRUCTION.......................................................................................23

FLYING ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................25

CHECK LIST BEFORE FLYING ................................................................................................ 25

POWER ON AND CHECK.................................................................................................26

START MOTORS METHODS.............................................................................................26

BASIC FLYING TEST .......................................................................................................28

PROTECTION FUNCTIONS SETTING ..........................................................................30

FAILSAFE ......................................................................................................................... 30

LOW VOLTAGE PROTECTION ...........................................................................................31

ADVANCED FEATURES ..................................................................................................33
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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IOC (INTELLIGENT ORIENTATIONCONTROL) FUNCTION........................................................33

IOC .....................................................................................................................33

Cruise Control ...................................................................................................37

SERVO GIMBAL FUNCTION .............................................................................................39

FLIGHT LIMITS .............................................................................................................39

Max Height, Radius Limits & Home Fence ........................................................39

Flight Limits of Special Areas ............................................................................41

Conditions of Flight Limits.................................................................................43

PARACHUTE FUNCTION..............................................................................................44

GEAR FUNCTION ..........................................................................................................44

ATTITUDE CONTROL WHEN ONE MOTOROUTPUT FAILS............................................................45

DJI ASSISTANTAPP USAGE ............................................................................................45

APPENDIX.....................................................................................................................48

LED INDICATOR DESCRIPTIONS................................................................................................48

SPECIFICATIONS ...................................................................................................................49

FAQ...................................................................................................................................................50

USE WITH OTHER DJI PRODUCTS.............................................................................................50

CHANNEL MAPPING INSTRUCTIONS FOR PCASSISTANT SOFTWARE................................................54

RECOMMENDED MAPPING FOR FUTABA RC (MODE 2, A2 V2.4 OR BELOW)...................................56

RECOMMENDED MAPPING FOR FUTABA RC (MODE 2, A2 V2.5 AND FUTABA BELOW V5.0) .............57

RECOMMENDED MAPPING FOR FUTABA RC (MODE 2, A2 V2.5 AND FUTABA V5.0)........................57

RECOMMENDED MAPPING FOR DJI NDJ6 RC(A2 V2.5) ...........................................................58

SETTINGS OF GAIN VALUES FOR YOUR REFERENCE .......................................................................58

THE TRANSMITTER SETUP OF FUTABA ....................................................................................... 59

GPS SNR FUNCTIONS DESCRIPTION........................................................................................59

A2 RECEIVER TYPE DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................61

DISCLAIMER .................................................................................................................62

TRADEMARK ................................................................................................................62
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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Introduction

ProductIntroduction

In theBox

Controller Unit

(Built-in Receiver DR16)

PMU(Power Managementunit) IMU(Inertia Measurement Unit)

LED-BT-I GPS-COMPASS PRO PLUS Accessories

Micro-USB Cable (1)

Servo Cables (2) 

GPS Bracket

Double side sticky pads.

Equipment Prepared by Users

Aircraft (Take Quad-rotor for example:

Red is nose, andBlack is rear)

Transmitter

(Take Mode2 forexample)

Others

The DJI A2 Multi-Rotor stabilization controller is a complete flight system for

various multi-rotor platforms for commercial and industrial aerial photography.

Based on the technology and design philosophy of DJI’s Ace series of highperformancecontrollers,theA2offersyouabrandnewflightexperience.Itsflight

mode provides a seamless transition for current Ace One, WKM AP professionals.

A2 features includes:

Integrated with high-precision sensor components and a high-performance GPS Receiver.

Utilizes high quality components precisely calibrated with temperature compensation in all gyros and 

sensors,industryrenownedflightalgorithminautopilotandUAVfield.

Designedwithbuilt-invibrationabsorption,noextramountframeorvibrationabsorptionpadisrequired.

Provide high precision control and high performance handling experience.

Based on the DESST technology, it has a built-in 16-channel Receiver, and supports DSM2 satellite receiver.

OptionalDJID-BUSAdaptercanbeusedwithatraditionalReceiver.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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Battery

DJI D-BUSAdapter 

Mobile Device
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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System Introduction

Symbol Instruction 

GeneralSymbol

Forbidden(Important) Cautions Tips Reference

GPS Satellite number Distance TX signal good TX signal lost

Roll to left Roll toright Pitch up Pitch down

LED Symbol

(N) N=1 N=2 N=3 N=4 N=6 N=20 N=∝

Meaning One Blink TwoBlinks ThreeBlinks FourBlinks Six Blinks TwentyBlinks

Continuous

Blinks

e.g. (3) means three Red blinks.

(∝)LED blinks yellow and green alternatively.

(N) N=∝

Meaning Continuous Solid on

e.g. (∝) means Continuous Blue Solid on.

Basic flying test FailSafe and Low-voltage settings Advanced functions: IOC, Gimbal, Gear

MounttheA2flight control systemonyouraircraftfinishconnection. Configure the system using A2 Assistant software.

The A2 flight control system uses the Controller Unit at its core, which is 

connected with the IMU, GPS-COMPASS PRO PLUS、LED-BT-I、PMU and ESCs to

complete the system. The system can achieve the height-lock and position-lock

functionsbyusingtheIMUandtheGPS,tocontroltheaircraft.

Please carry out the following proceduresto finish assembly, configuration and flighttesting.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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1 Assembly and Configuration

Hardware Installation and Connection

MixerTypeSupported

Following Mixer Types are supported.

Quad-rotor I Quad-rotor X Hexa-rotor I

Hexa-rotor V

Octo-rotor X

Hexa-rotor IY

Octo-rotor I

Hexa-rotor Y

Octo-rotor V

Please adhere to “1.1.1 Mixer Type Supported” to choose a mixer type and assemble your aircraft.

Please adhere to both “1.1.2 Hardware Connection Diagram” and “1.1.3 Important for Assembly and 

Connection”toinstallandconnectallunitsonyouraircraft.

For hardware installation, software configuration and compass calibration 

please adhere to the following

sections.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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The direction of the arrow in diagram indicates the rotation direction of the motor/propeller.

For coaxial propellers: Blue propeller is at TOP; Red propeller is at Bottom. Otherwise all propellers 

are at top.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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Hardware Connection Diagram

Important for Assembly and Connection

Controller Unit

This section describes all device port functions, assembly requirements,

connection requirements and tips

during usage. Also the linking procedures between the built-in Receiver DR16 and

your Transmitter. Please read allinformationbelowcarefully,especiallyifyouare

afirsttimeuser.

ESC 1#

ESC 2#

ESC 3#

ESC 4#

ESC 5#

ESC 6#

ESC 7#

ESC 8#

2S~6S

Battery

Important

CAN-Bus, it providespower supply

and communication. A2 can 

automatically identify the device 

connected.

CAN1 and CAN2 ports areworking 

independent, device connectedare

non-interchangeable. E.g. IMU and GPSCOMPASS PRO PLUS to CAN1; LED-BT-I

to CAN2; PMU to CAN1 or CAN2.

90o

Supply power for all ports on 

both sides of controller unit.

Important

Make sure the cable connections 

are tight before every flight.

Suitable amount of hot melt 

adhesive is recommended to use in 

the connections to the CAN1 and 

CAN2 ports.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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The ControllerUnitisthe core component oftheA2 flight controlsystem:

M1~M8areusedtoconnecttotheESCsoftheaircraft.

The built-in Receiver DR16 is based on DJI DESST technology, which can be used with the Futaba FASST series

andDJIDESSTseriesTransmitter.

CAN1andCAN2portsareworkingindependentlyandshouldconnecttodifferentmodules.

4 independent and configurable outputs.

It is compatible with the external Receiver, e.g. DSM2 satellite Receiver.

UsetheoptionalDJIDBUSAdaptertosupportthetraditionalreceiver.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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Port Description

Link button of Built-in receiver 

DR16 and transmitter

ConnecttoESC

IMU 

GPS-COMPASS PRO PLUS

iOSD MARK II, Z15 from DJI

To PW port of PMU

LED-BT-I 

2.4G DATA LINK from DJI

Indicate the linking status

Multi-function PWM output channels, can directly give 

output signal from the Receiver if mapped to a 

Receiver channel*

To parachute

To S-BUS Receiver

BEC,Connect to X1 of PMU for voltage detection

To DSM2 satellite Receiver

Antenna

*If the Gimbal function is enabled in Assistant Software, 

F2/F3 can only be used for gimbal Pitch/Roll control, 

which means F2/F3 cannot be mapped to any other 

Receiver channel.

*If the Gear function is enabled in Assistant Software, 

F1 can only be used for gear switch control, which 

means F1 cannot be mapped to any other Receiver 

channel.

Mounting Requirements:

InstalltheController Unitintheproperpositiontomakesuretheportsareaccessible.Nospecifieddirection is 

required.

Receiver System

The A2 flight control system can use its own built-in Receiver, and also can support external receivers.Whatever 

typeofReceiverisused,pleasemakesurethattheReceiverandTransmitterislinkedcorrectlybeforeuse.

Built-in Receiver

Duringuse,youmayseethefollowingLEDindication,pleasedotheoperationaccordingtothetablebelow.

LED Description Operation

(∝) Signal from Transmitter has been detected by the Receiver, but not matched. Link operation required

For enhancing the system integration and reliability, the A2 is integrated with a 

2.4G receiver based on frequency hopping technology. The built-inReceiver can

be used with the Transmitter of Futaba FASST series or DJI DESST series after 

linking. For users, you are only asked to carry out the link procedures, no extra 

requirement for connection.

Please carry out the following procedures to finish the Link process, and the

configuration in theA2 Assistant

software->Basic ->R/C ->Receiver TypeSelect the DR16 option

Placetheantennasinanopenspaceundertheaircraft,DONOTblockthem.Positiontheheadsof 

twoantennasata90-degreeangle.DONOTbendorwind them.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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(∝)

NoTransmittersignal isreceived,e.g.theflightcontrolsystemispoweredon

buttheTransmitterispowered off.

Switch on

(∝) The Receiver and Transmitter have been linked to each other successfully. Can work normally
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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0.5m<Distance<1cm

DSM2

satellite 

Receiver

DSM2

satellite 

Receiver

Link Procedures

1. Turn on the transmitter, it begins to send signals after 1.5secs.

2.Power on the flight control system, configure the Receiver type as DR16 in 

the Assistant software.

3.Press the LINK button, hold for 2secs, wait until the LED blinks Red .

4.Release the LINK button, the LED turns Green on after successfully linking.

The DR16 Receiver is compatible with the Futaba transmitters which have optional FASS MODE MULT, 

MLT2or7CH.UserscanfindoutmoreavailableFutabatransmittersandconfigurationrequirements 

refer to the FAQ->The Transmitter setup of FUTABA.

DSM2SatelliteReceivers

Linking procedures

1. Power on the flight control system, the Transmitter should be turned off.

2.Set the Receiver type as DSM2 in the Assistant software.

3.Press and hold the LINK button on the controller unit the LED blinks red and the 

indicators on the Receivers blink too. Then release the LINKbutton the Receiver will 

beready forlinking.

4.Press and hold the linking button on theTransmitter then turn on theTransmitter to 

start linking, release the button after the Transmitter is displayed Linked or the 

indicatorsontheReceiversaresolidon.

5.The LED on the controller unit will be solid green on after linking successfully.

If usingDSM2 satellite Receivers, please follow thediagramfor connection,set

the Receiverreferring to your

Receiver manual, and select the Receiver type as DSM2 in the Assistant software-

>Basic->R/C-> Receiver Type.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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NotesfortheDSM2users:

ThereisnoneedtoenabletheFailSafefunctionintheTransmitter.IftheReceiverlosesthesignal 

fromtheTransmitter,thecontrollerunitwillenterintoFailSafeautomatically,andtheaircraftwill
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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S-BUS Receivers

Notes for the S-BUS users:

It is no needto enabletheFailSafefunction intheTransmitter. OncetheReceiverloses the 

signalsfromtheTransmitter,thecontrollerunitwillenterintoFailSafeautomatically,andthe 

aircraftwillhoverorGo-homeasconfigurationsoftheFailSafeintheAssistantsoftware.

PPM Receivers

PPM PPM

Receiver

If using PPM Receivers please follow the diagram for connection,setthe Receiver

referring to your Receiver

manual, and selectthe Receivertype asPPM intheAssistant software->Basic-

>R/C-> Receiver Type.

S.BUS S-BUS

Receiver

If using S-BUSReceivers pleasefollowthediagramfor connection,settheReceiver

referring toyourReceiver

manual, andselecttheReceivertype asD-BUS intheAssistant software->Basic-

>R/C-> Receiver Type.



hover or Go-home as configure in the FailSafe in the Assistant software.

When using the dual-mode Transmitter, please set the transmiting mode as DSM2 in SYSTEM SET



UP->FRAMERATE->MODE,whichshouldnotbeDSMX.

Support DSM2 satellite Receivers used with all SPEKTRUM Transmitters, e.g. DX6I DX7S DX8

DX18 etc., as well as JR Transmitters, e.g. DXS9II DXS11.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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Traditional Receivers

Notesforthetraditionalreceiverusers:

When using the traditional receiver which doesn’t have endpoint adjustment operations to set

FailSafeintheUchannel, theGo-Homeswitchis recommendedandusers can useittotrigger 

the FailSafe.

ConfiguretheFailSafefunctionof yourtransmitter and receiver accordingto its instructions, 

settheFailSafepositionoftheGo-HomeswitchinthepositiontriggeringtheFailSafefunction. 

If it is configured correctly as mentioned above, the FailSafe function will be activated 

automaticallyifthereceiverlosesthesignalfromthetransmitter.

UserscangetmoreinformationabouttheFailSafefunctionreferringto3.1FailSafeinthis

manualandthehelptextintheAssistantsoftware.

Traditional 

Receiver

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Important

When you use a traditional receiver, DJI D-BUS ADAPTER is required. Put the switch to the 

“I” stop, and power on the system, the LED should be red on; otherwise, keep the switch at 

“I” stop and then power cycle the system.

At the “I”stop, the D-BUS ADAPTER is converting the PWM signal from traditional receiver 

to S-BUS signal.

IfusingTraditionalReceivers,theDJID-BUSAdapterisrequired.Pleasefollowthe

diagramfor connection,set

the Receiver referring to your Receiver manual, and select the Receiver type 

as D-BUS in the Assistant software->Basic->R/C-> Receiver Type.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit):

Built-in inertial sensors, for the measurement of aircraft attitude; built-in pressure sensor for the detection of 

aircraft altitude. Should be connected to the CAN1 port of the Controller Unit, and be mounted according to 

therequired locationand orientation.The IMUhas beencalibratedbefore delivery, it shouldbe usedunderthe

specified temperature; otherwise the temperature may have an effect on the IMU performance.

Working environment temperature: -5

oC ~60oC Storage environment temperature:<60oC

Orientation Requirements:

PleasemounttheIMUasoneofthefollowingoptions.ConfigureintheA2Assistantsoftware->Basic->Mount-> 

IMU, and select the matched option.

Pointing Forward Pointing Backward Pointing to Left Pointing to Right

Location Requirements:

Fix with 

double faced 

adhesive tape.

Thetopsideshouldbefacingup.DONOTmountupside-down.

DONOTcovertheventilationholes,keepthemunblockedandclean.

Take heat preservation measures if working in cold weather.

Mountthe IMUata lowvibrationposition and thesides oftheIMUshouldbepreciselyparallel 

to the aircraft body.Based on our experience, there is less vibration neartheaircraft’s center 

ofgravity.

NOTwater-prooforoil-proof.

CheckthedoublefacedadhesivetaperegularlytomakesurethattheIMUisfixedfirmly.

There is a CAN-Bus connector, which can be used to connect to the GPS-COMPASS PRO PLUS or other DJI 

product.

Center of

Gravity
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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GPS-COMPASS PRO PLUS

Mounting Procedure:

UsetheepoxyresinABgluetoassembletheGPSbracketfirst.Thelongestoneisrecommended.

Mountthebracketonthe aircraftfirst,and thenfixtheGPS-COMPASSPROPLUSontheplateofthe 

bracket(usingthe3Mstickypadsprovided).

Mounting Position:

Usage Requirements

The DJI logo should be facing the sky,with the orientation arrowpointing directly to the nose 

direction; otherwise itmay leadtotakeofffailure.

Fly the aircraftinanopenspacewithout buildingsortrees;otherwise itmayhaveaneffect on 

the GPS.

The compass is sensitive to magnetic interference, should be far away from electronic devices, 

otherwiseitmayleadtoabnormalflying.

Please always keep the compass module away from magnet fields. Otherwise it may damage

thecompassmoduleandleadtheaircraft toworkabnormallyorevenbeoutof control.

PMU (Power Management Unit)

Keep it parallel 

totheaircraft

UsetheGPSbracket,and

keep it away from other 

electronic equipment

GPS-COMPASS PRO PLUS module has a built-in GPS and compass. The compassis

used for geomagnetic field

measurement. Itshouldbemountedaccording tothe requiredlocationand

orientation.Compass calibrationis requiredbeforeuse.DONOTuseandstore

thecompassintheferromagneticmaterialenvironment.

Thearrowis

pointing to the 

nose direction.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

Rd15

The PMU provides dual BECs (Battery Eliminator Circuit):

(1) PW port outputs power forthe whole Flight ControlSystem with current no more than 2A.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

Rd16

Port Description

Working status indicator 

Green on is normally working

To negative pole of power

To positive pole ofpower

CAN-Bus port

PX Port, connect to the X1 port of 

Controller Unit

V-SEN, Output 0V~ + 3.3V

VCC, Output 3A@5V 

GND

Connect to CAN1 or CAN2 port of 

Controller Unit, CAN2 is recommended.

Mounting Requirements:

ChooseaventilatedplacetomountthePMUforcooling,nomountingorientationrequirement.

LED-BT-I

Port Description:

Micro-USB port:used to 

connect to the PC for Assistant

 software configuration and 

upgrade

Indicator of autopilot system

Antenna ofBluetooth

Mounting Requirements:

MountinagoodplacetomakesuretheLEDisvisibleduringflying.AntennaofBluetoothshouldbeunobstructed.

The LED-BT-I hasintegrated LED Indicator, Bluetooth and USB port:

TheLEDismainlyforflightcontrolsystemstatusindicationduringflying(e.g.ControlMode).

Bluetooth is used for real-time communication with your mobile device (e.g. iPhone), to realize parameter 

configuration on a mobile device. For parameter configuration using a mobile device, it is required to install

the DJIAssistant App on themobile device.When youmount the LED-BT-I, please make sure the sidewithANT

LOGOisunshelteredaftermounting.

Inaddition,thereisaMicro-USBport,makesureitismountedforconvenientconnection.

Input voltagerange: 7.4V~26V

(2) PXportoutputspower(3A@5V)andV-SEVsignalusingthelowvoltage

protectionfunction.

In addition,there are two CAN-Bus portsfor LED-BT-I connection and other DJI

products(e.g.DJI 2.4G Data Link).

Bluetooth status indicator

Normal

Communicating

Abnormal
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Software Installation and Configuration

Installing Driver and Assistant Software

Installing and running on Windows

Download driver installer and Assistant Software installer inEXE format from the download page ofA2 

ontheDJIwebsite.

Connect theA2 flight control system to aPC via a Micro-USBcable. The Micro-USBport of theA2 flight 

control system is on the LED-BT-I module.

Runthedriverinstallerandfollowthepromptstofinishinstallation.

Next,runtheassistantsoftwareinstallerandfollowthepromptstofinishinstallation.

DoubleclicktheA2icononyourWindowsdesktoptolaunchthesoftware.

TheinstallerinEXEformatonlysupportsWindows operatingsystems(WinXP,Win7,Win8(32or64bit)).

InstallingandrunningonMacOSX

Please configure theA2 flight controlsystemin theAssistant Software according

to the following instructions.

Users are required to configure every item within the “Basic” page when

use the A2 flight control system for the firsttime.
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Download the Assistant Software installer in DMG format from the download page of A2 on the DJI 

website.

Runtheinstallerandfollowthepromptstofinishinstallation.

WhenlaunchingforthefirsttimeifuseLaunchpadtoruntheA2Assistantsoftware, Launchpadwill not 

allow access because the software has not been reviewed by Mac App Store.

Locate the A2 icon in the Finder, press the Control key and then click the A2 icon (or right-click the A2 

icon using a mouse). Choose Open from the shortcut menu, click Open in the prompt dialog box and 

thenthesoftwarewilllaunch.

Afterthefirstsuccessfullaunch,directlaunchingofthesoftwarecanbeachievedbydouble-clickingthe

A2iconintheFinderorusingLaunchpad.
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InstallerinDMGformatsupportsonlyMacOSX10.9orabove.

Usage of A2 Assistant software on Mac OS X and Windows are exactly the same. The Assistant 

softwarepagesappearinotherplacesofthismanualareontheWindowsforexample.

ConfigureusingAssistantSoftwareonaPC

A2 flight control system can takes power via the USB port during configuration, no additional battery is required. 

Note that the USB port can supply power no more than 500mA, an additional battery is necessary if connection 

failureorintermittent working.

Run the assistant software, and follow the built-in guide to carry out the configuration. Note that you may be asked 

to register forfirst time use.

4 3 2 1

Menu

Setting 

Options

Built-in 

Guide

1. View 2. Restore &Upgrade 3.Set 4.Check
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Click “Info” to view 

user information 

and software

version etc.

Enter “Tools”to restore default 

settings.Andcheckwhetherthe 

firmwareisthelatest.

Enter “Basic” page. 

Set the Aircraft, 

Mounting, RC, Gain”

in eachtab.

Enter “View” 

page tocheckall 

basicsettings.
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“RC 

STATUS”

description

Normal: the transmitter and receiver are linked and communicating well.

Disconnect:theA2FlightControlSystemispowered on,butthetransmitterispoweredoff.

RC-LOST:RCsignal is lost(e.g.thetransmitteris turnedoffafterpoweron)orthereceiver 

issendingF/Ssignals (e.g.theaircraftfliesoutoftherangewhichtransmitteris

controllable).

The firmwareversionandtheAssistantSoftwareversionshouldbematchedwhen using thesoftware 

to configure the A2 flight control system, otherwise the software will not work. It’s recommended to

keepthefirmwareversionandAssistantSoftwareversionuptodatetoavoidthisissues.

Configure thecontrolmodeswitch

Users should configure the control mode switch in the Assistant software in the following page. Only the control 

mode switch has been set correctly, the control mode displayed in the left bottom corner will be the same to the 

controlmodepointed bythecursor onthechannelU.

Configuration steps Exambles

Step1.

Power on your Transmitter, map a 3-position 

switch on the transmitter to the U channel of 

Controller Unit as the control mode switch, of 

which two positions are default as Atti. Mode 

and GPS Atti. Mode and the third position is 

optional, users can set as Atti. Mode or

Manual Mode.
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Step 2.

Toggle the control mode switch to its three 

positions, accordingly the cursor will move to 

some controlmode.

Step 3.

Power offtheTransmitter, theFailSafe will be 

enabledandthecursorwill pointtoanyarea 

outofthecontrolmodes.

Step 4.

Ifallstepsabovearerealized,thatindicatesthe 

control mode switch is set successfully.

Important

In step 2, if the cursor doesn’t point to the correct control mode area (e.g. the following figures), that indicates

abnormal control mode switch configuration. Users must re-configure the Endpoint and FailSafe functions in the 

Transmittertomakethecursorpointtotherightcontrolmodeandtheaccordingareasbecomeblue.
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Configuration Checking

*Fig. above for reference only, please adhere to actual GUI.

Check List Description

1 ChecktheIMUorientationdirection.

2

Check theMixerTypeofaircraft.

Makesurethemotorsarerotatingnormally,andpropellerinstallationis incorrectdirection.

3 The Receiver type is correct.

4、5 Check the basic and attitude gains.

6

Move the sticks to test whether the cursors moves following the sticks. Toggle the “U” switch to

testthecontrolmodesetting.

7~○11

Advancedconfiguration,userscanconfigureitaccordingtotheirrequirementsafterreadingthe

manual.

○12 ChecktheChannelMapbetweentheTransmitterandA2flightcontrolsystem.

1 2 7

3 8

9

4

5

10

6

11

12
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Tools

1 Config

Exportorimportthetuningparameters andrestorethedefaultsettingandresettheBTUmodule.

2 Sensors

Readgyroscope,accelerationandcompasssensor value.

3 IMUCalibration

Calibrate IMU based on the gyroscope and acceleration sensor readings from Assistant. Calibrate is needed, when:

GyroscopeMod valueexceeds1.5.

Acceleration Mod value below 0.98 or exceeds 1.02. Steps

tofollowwhencalibratingIMU:

GotoIMUCalibrationsectionafterpowering onA2,waituntilA2enters “Ready” status.

Click“Calibration”,takenoteofthefollowingwarningmessage:

1 4

2

3
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PlacetheIMUonastationaryandhorizontalsurfaceandensureA2logofacesupward.

Click “OK”to proceed.
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4 DeviceInformationandConnectionStatus

All devices that connected to the A2 flight controller are highlighted, however, disconnected devices appear grey. 

Single click a highlighted device to upgrade its firmware. You can also upgrade all firmware by clicking the 

“UpgradeAll”button.
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Position1*

Position 3

Position1->3->1 once

1.3 Compass Calibration

Calibration Cautions

DONOTcalibrate your compass wherethere is strongmagnetic interference, suchasmagnetite, 

carpark,andsteelreinforcementundertheground.

DONOTcarryferromagneticmaterialswithyouduringcalibration,suchaskeysorcellphones.

CompassCalibrationisveryimportant;otherwisetheflightcontrolsystemcannotwork.

Calibration Procedures

Chooseanopenspacetocarryoutthefollowingprocedures.

Situations that require recalibration

Situations Descriptions

CompassDataabnormal LED blinks yellow and green (∝)).

Flyingfieldaltered Flying field has changed over a long distance.

Mechanical alteration

The mounting position ofGPS-COMPASS PRO PLUS module changes.

ElectronicunitssuchasControllerUnit,CAN-HUB,batteryetc.havebeenadded, 

removed, remounted or other alterations.

Mechanical structures of the aircraft has changed

Drifting duringflying Evident drifts occurred in flight such as the aircraft doesn’t fly straight

Quickly flip thecontrol 

mode switch

360o Rotate theaircraft 

horizontally

360oRotate the aircraft 

vertically (Nose downward)

Startverticalcalibration

Control 

Mode LED

Succeed Fail

Position1*

Position 3

Position1->3->1 

Flip 6~10 times

Re-calibrate

Start 

cali

Start horizontal calibration

The Compass can assistant the GPS to position the aircraft, which is very

important during flight. As we know, the compass is very sensitive to

electromagnetic interference, which will cause abnormal compass data, and lead to

poorflightperformanceorevenflightfailure.CompassCalibrationMUSTbedone

forfirsttime use.

It is recommended to calibrate the compass outdoors after the Controller Unit

finds 7 ormore GPS satellites.

Regular calibration enables the compassto keep optimal performance.
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Attitude errors LEDoftenblinkserrorindicatorwhentheaircraftturnsaround.
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2 Basic flying

ControlModeInstruction

Control Mode GPS ATTI. Mode ATTI. Mode Manual Mode

Command

Linearity

YES

Yaw

Controltheaircrafttorotateinclockwiseandcounterclockwisedirection.Maximum rudder 

angular velocity 150°/s

Roll andPitch

Aircraftattitudecontrol;Midpointofstick isfor0 ̊attitude, 

and its endpoint is 35 ̊.

Max-angular velocity is 150°/s.

No attitudeangle limit.

Throttle

Aircraft height control.Maintainthe altitude best above 1 

meterfrom ground when the throttle stick is in mid position.

No altitude locking when the 

throttle stick is inmid position.

All Sticks 

Released

LockpositionifGPSsignalis 

adequate.

Only attitude stabilizing. 

No position locking.

Keep original attitude.

GPSLost

Once GPSsignal lost the flight 

control system will enterATTI. 

Mode automatically. Return to 

GPSATT1. Mode afterGPSsignal

has recovered for 2 seconds.

--- ---

IOC Supported CL/HL/POI/BTM CL None

Control Mode 

Switch position-1 position-2 position-3

Configurable

Control Mode

GPS ATTI. Mode ATTI.Mode* ATTI.Mode* Manual Mode

Assign a 3-position switch of the transmitter asthe control mode switch. The

position-1 is defaulted as“GPS ATTI.Mode” andtheposition-2is“ATTI.Mode”.

Theposition-3canbesetas“ManualMode” or“ATTI.Mode” in

A2 assistantsoftware.

The aircraft performs differently when using different control modes. Please

read the following table to know

thedifferent controlmodes,whichmayhelpyoutoachieveamoreinvolvedflight

experience.

Readthissectionbeforebasicflighttesting.
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FailSafe 

Protection

The flight control system will enter FailSafe 

Mode if the Transmitter signal is lost and no 

matterifTransmittersignalrecoversornot,

system will not exit FailSafe mode automatically.

The flight control system will enter 

FailSafeModeiftheTransmittersignalis 

lostandthesystemwillexitFailSafeonce

the signal recovers.
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GPSInvolved YES NO

Low-voltage

Protection

LEDalertwithDescendingorGo Home& 

Landing precautions

OnlyLEDalert

Environment 

recommended

Openflying field; 

GoodGPSsignal

NarrowSpace; 

GPSsignalbad

Regain control inemergency

The difference between ATTI. Mode of position-2 andATTI. Mode of position-3 is that they are working differently 

in protection situations.
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Flying Environment Requirements

Before use of the product, please accept someflight training (Using a simulatorto practice flying, 

getting instruction from a professional person, etc.).

DONOTflyinbadweather,suchas rainorwind (morethanmoderatebreeze) orfog.

The flying field should be open without tall buildings or other obstacles; the buildings of steel 

structurewill interferewiththecompass.

Keep the aircraft away from obstacles, crowds, power lines, trees, lakes and rivers etc.

Try to avoid interference between the remote control Transmitter and other wireless equipment. 

(Nobasestationorcelltoweraround)

The flight control system can’t work at the South Pole and the North Pole.

All parts must be kept out of the reach of children to avoid CHOKE HAZARD; if a child 

accidentally swallows anypart you should immediately seekmedical assistance.

CheckListbeforeFlying

Doublecheck the following list,otherwise, ifanyone of the following items iswrong itmay lead to flightaccident.

Allpartsareingoodcondition,noageingordamagedcomponents

Motor rotatingdirection

Propellermountingdirection

Mixer Type set in assistant software

IMU and GPS-COMPASS PRO PLUS mounting direction

Transmitter channel mapping and sticks movement direction correct

Compasscalibration

ESC connection

IMU and GPS-COMPASS PRO PLUS firmly mounted

Inaddition,checkthefollowingitemstomakesurethesystemcanwork.

The Transmitter battery is fullycharged.

Theaircraftbatteryisfullycharged.

Do notoverload the aircraft.
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Power on andCheck

ControlmodeLEDindicator

Power ontheTransmitterthentheflight controlsystem.Togglethecontrolmodeswitchtodifferentpositions.

ControlModeLEDindicator

Control Mode

Switch GPS ATTI. Mode ATTI. Mode Manual Mode

LED (Sticknotinmidpoint (2)) (Sticknotin (2)) NoLEDindicator

Set

Put the ControlMode switch toGPSpositionforbasic flying test.

Note:whentheGPSsignalLEDindicatorisbadorworst (2) or (3)) and lasts for more 

than3secs,theflightcontrolsystemwillenterintoATTI.Mode.

GPS signal LED indicator

GPSsignal indication blinks after every Control mode indication.We suggest flying when GPSsatellites are more 

than 5.

StartMotorsMethods

CSC (Combination sticks commands) is used to start motors instead of just pushing the throttle stick. One of the 

followingmethodscanbeusedtostart/stopmotors.

Undertheconditionsstatedbelow,themotorswillstopinATTI.Mode/GPSATTI.Mode:

Thethrottlesticks isunder10%formorethan3secsaftermotorsstart.

Thethrottlesticksisunder10%formorethan3secsafterlanding.

The throttle sticks is under 10% for more than 3secs and the inclined angle of aircraft exceeds 

70°。

CSC CSC 2 CSC 3 CSC 4 1

GPS signal LED indicator

Worst ( <5): (3) Bad ( =5): (2) Well ( =6): (1) Best ( > 6):No indicator
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If motors fail to start, please referto the following list fortrouble shooting.

(1) The Controller Unit fails to obtain the firmware version of IMU and GPS, please check the

connection or upgrade the IMU and GPS.
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The firmware version of IMU and Controller Unit is mismatched; please upgrade the firmware of IMU or

Controller Unit.

The firmware version of GPS and Controller Unit is mismatched; please upgrade the firmware of GPSor

ControllerUnit.

The transmitter calibration has exited abnormally, please recalibrate.

The transmitter calibration results with big bias, please recalibrate.

The transmitter calibration results with big mid point bias, please recalibrate.

Incorrect channel mappings, please make sure the basic channels A/E/T/R/U are mapped correctly.

InvalidSNorSNerror;pleasecontactyourdealerorDJIcustomservice.

TheControllerUnitis locked,pleaseunlocktheControllerUnitandreconfigurealltheparameters in the 

Assistantsoftware.

IMU disconnected, please check the connection.

Compass data abnormal, please eliminate magnetic interference and recalibrate the compass.

When Flight limit function is enabled, if the aircraft fly out of the max-radius in ATTI. mode and the motors are 

stalling, the motors will fail to spool up in GPS ATTI. mode cause the Flight limit function works.

The attitudestatus isbadandtheLEDindicatorblinks white,themotors willfailtospoolup.

TheTransmitterdisconnected,themotorswillfailtospoolup.

The A2 flight control system is connecting and communicating with the Assistant software, the motors will fail

tospoolup.
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3.Operate sticks to control the flying attitude of the aircraft during flight

Transmitter (Mode2) Aircraft Operations

BasicFlying Test

Carry out the following procedures to complete the basic flight test.

1.WaittheGPSsignaltobewell LED

Place the aircraft away from you and others at least 3 meters and wait the ≥6 

(about 30seconds). ornoRedLED

2.Startmotorsandtakeoffaircraft. LED

ExecuteCSCtostartmotors; allsticksback tomidpointas soon asmotors start, then push

the throttle stick to take off the aircraft, meanwhile the home point is recorded. NOTE: 

36secsafterpoweron;10secsafter ≥6; Motors have been started, auto-record the 

position as home point at the first timethe throttle stick is raised

(∝)

Afterthehomepointis recordedsuccessfullyandthedistancefromaircraftislessthan8m, 

LED indicator will blink 6 violet continually. Note: only when GPS signal is good (no Red

LED)LEDindicatorwillblink6violetcontinually.

(6)

Throttle

Stick

Push Throttle sticks to control the aircraft 

to elevate and descend. The aircraft can 

lock to an altitude when the throttle stick 

isatmidpoint.

YawStick Push the yawstick to rotate the aircraft in 

clockwise or counter clockwisedirection.

Roll Stick

Push roll stick to control the aircraft left 

or right, pitch stick to control forward or 

backward.

When both roll and pitchsticks are at 

midpoint:
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Pitch

Stick

GPSATTI.Mode:theaircraftwill 

be stabilized and locked in 

horizontal position.

ATTI.Mode: the aircraft will be 

stabilized but unlocked in 

horizontal position.
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4.Hover

InGPSATTI.Mode,theaircraftwill hoverwhen thethrottle/yaw/roll/pitchsticksareallreleasedatmid-point.

5.Landing

Use thethrottlestick tocontrolthe landing speed, try to land youraircraft gently to avoid shock or crash.

Pleaserefertothenextsection“ProtectionFunctionsSetting”totakeprecautions.

Lowvoltagealert:yellowquickflashesorredquickflashes.

FailSafe: LED indicator blinks blue.

Moreover, you may come across the following abnormal situation, please carry out the operation below.

Compassdata isabnormal;theLEDblinks yellowandgreenalternatively.Pleasere-calibratethe 

Compass.

IMU data is abnormal, the LED blinks four green. Please contact your dealer.
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3 Protection Functions Setting

FailSafe

TX

signal

Descriptions

Home 

Point 

(HP)

≥

6

Homepointwillberecorded:

After30secondsofstrongGPSsignal

10 seconds later after green LEDs have stopped blinking, when throttle sticks are 

moved away from mid point.

FailSafe

Customizethefailsafetodefinewhathappensifremotecontrolsignalislost.Choose

fromeitherautohovering,RTHor"RTHatapresetaltitudeintheA2Assistant"

One-Key 

Go Home

A switch can be set to trigger RTH without signal loss. If One-Key RTH is enabled 

during flight, aircraft control will cease and LED lights will indicate Control Mode. 

Release the RTH switch to regain control. If the Failsafe has been triggered the 

switch willnotwork.

With One-Key RTH in progress, aircraft orientation can be controlled while the

aircraftreturns.

FailSafe and Go Home procedures

3TransmitterSignalLost

LED (∝)

6LandingafterHovering15secs

LED (∝)

2 Confirm Home Point

≥7

LED (6)

5GoHome(20mcanbecustomized)

HeightoverHP>20m

20m Elevate to 20m

Height over HP<=20m

LED (∝)

<8m

1 Record Home Point (HP)

LED (∝)

4SignalLostLasts3secs.

LED (∝)

FailSafe works when the Transmitter(TX)signal islost,the flight controlsystem

will automatically controlthe

aircrafttoreduceinjuriesordamage.

Set protection in the Assistantsoftware ->Advanced page. FailSafe and Low voltage

protections are required.
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The aircraft will not go home (only attitude stabilizing) in the condition <6 or GPS is not 

working,evenifTransmittersignal islostorGoHomeswitchistriggered.

It is recommended to set the Go Home switch in the Assistant software. Users are suggested to
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Howtoregaincontrol inFailSafe

3-position

Switch Position-1 Position-2 Position-3

GPS ATTI.Mode ATTI. Mode ATTI. Mode Manual Mode

Regain control

You haveto toggle the controlmodeswitch 

oncetoregaincontrol ifthesignalrecovers.

Regain control as soon as signalrecovers.

LowVoltageProtection

Protections OptionSelected Conditions LED Aircraft

First level

LED ---- (∝) None

GH&Landing

Make sure the home point is recorded and

no obstacles in going home and landing path.

(∝) Go-Home &Landing

Second

level

LED ---- (∝) None

Descending ---- (∝) Descending directly

Go-Home & Landing Usage Tips

DescendingUsageTips

(1) Thehomepointrecordedis thesameinbothFailSafeandLowvoltageprotection.Theaircraftwillnot go

homeinthefollowingcases:

a) Controlmodeswitchisattheposition-3(ManualModeorATTI.Mode)

b)

c)

GPS signal is bad ( <6)

The distancebetween aircraftandthehome pointis less than 25m, and the heightoverthe Home

pointlessthan20m.

Low voltage protection is used to alert low battery voltage during flight; in this

case, usersshould promptly fly back the aircraft and land to avoid unexpected

damages.

To use thisfunction please set in Assistant software->Advanced->Voltage page to

configure two voltage levels.

enter FailSafe and go home by using theGo Home switch ratherthan

turning offthe Transmitter in emergency situations.

(3) Makesure thereare noobstacles during aircraft go homeandusers are

familiarwiththemethods

toregaincontrol.
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The aircraft will not hover when the throttle stick is at the mid point. Push the 

throttle stick to 90% of its endpoint, the aircraft will still ascend slowly if you

continue to pull the throttle stick, and the control of Pitch,

Roll and Yaw are the same as before.
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Please pay attention to the LED alert of low voltage and make sure the power is enough for go 

home and landing. Insufficient power reserve will cause the aircraft to crash as well as other 

consequences.

If the second level low voltage alert occurs in below procedures, the aircraft will descend 

automatically.

WhentheaircraftisinFailSafeandGoHomeprocess。

WhentheaircraftiscontrolledbytheGroundStation.
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4 Advanced Features

IOC (Intelligent Orientation Control) function

4.1.1IOC

IOC HelpuserstosettheFlyingdirection;ShouldbeenabledinAssistantsoftware.

Flying direction TheflyingdirectionofaircraftwhenpushingtheRollandPitchsticks.

Forwarddirection The flyingdirectionofaircraft when thepitchstick ispushedforward.

Normal flying

IOCisdisabled.Forwarddirectionispointingtothenosedirectionandchanges

along with thenose.

CL(course lock) 

mode

Its forward direction is pointing to the nose direction when recording, which is 

fixed until you re-record it or exit from CL.

HL (home lock) mode

Record a Home Point (HP), push Pitch stick to control the aircraft far from or

neartotheHP.

POI mode

Point of Interest. Record a point of interest (POI), the aircraft can circle around

thePOI,andthenosealwayspointstothePOI.

BTM (Banked Turn)

mode

In this mode, the roll and yaw sticks are combined to help you perform banked

turnswithonlyonehand.

Conditions of IOC function

Flying

IOC

Setting

Control Mode

GPS-COMPASS 

PRO PLUS

Required

GPS Satellites Distance Limits

Normal ---- ---- ---- Basictocontrolmode None

CL Enabled NotManualMode Compass None None

HL Enabled GPS ATTI. Mode GPS ≥6 Aircraft 

≥10m HP

POI Enabled GPS ATTI. Mode GPS ≥6 Aircraft 5m~500m

POI

BTM Enabled GPS ATTI. Mode GPS ≥6 None

Step1IOCswitchsetting

The advanced features ofA2 include IOC (intelligentorientation control), gimbal

control, parachute activation

and so on. It also enable users to tweak the A2 configuration via the A2 

Assistant wirelessly through the Bluetooth connection.
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Please enable theIOCfunction inAdvanced->IOCpageofAssistant software. Then choose a 3-positon switch on 

the Transmitter to set as IOC switch, which is used to select the different IOC modesand manually record the
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Forward direction, HP and POIrecording.

There are six types of IOC switch setting. Below are the three recommended options of IOC switch setting which 

may be configured in the Assistant software.

Step2ForwardDirection,HPandPOIRecording

After you enable the IOC in assistant software, the flight control system will record the forward direction and home 

point automatically after power on, if the recording conditions are met. You can manually re-record the forward 

direction, home point and POI during flying. Note that no BTM recording is required. Read the following table for 

the recording method details.

A B C

Forward 

direction

Forward 

direction

Forward 

direction

Switch positions A B C

1 OFF OFF OFF

2 CL CL CL

3 HL POI BTM

CL HL POI

Recorded

Orientation

Aircraft’s noseas forward

direction

Home point

Thepositionthattheuser

wishtoflyaround.

Conditions 36secs after power on

10secs later after ≥6; 

Motors have been started.

10secs later after ≥6.

Automatically

Automaticallyrecordat36

secsafterpoweron

Automatically record atthe first

time you push the throttle stick

NoAutomaticrecordmethod

Manual

AccordingtoanyoptionofIOCswitchsetting,quickly toggletheswitchbetween adjacent 

positions 3-5 times to record manually.

2 A B C

3 HP POI None

Successful (20) (20) (20)
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DO NOT toggle the switch between the position 1 and 3 frequently, which may re-recordthe 

position 2.

The newHomePointandForwardDirectioncanbesetonlyafteronehasalreadybeen recorded 

automatically.

HP is not only used in IOC, but also in FailSafe and Low voltage as go home and landing 

destination. The flight control system will automatically record the HP even if IOC function is 

disabled in Assistant software but Forward direction and POI can be recorded only afterIOC is

enabled.
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HP POI Flyingdirection Forwarddirection Route Auxiliary line

Step 3 CL, HL andPOI flying test

Please study the following diagram then make an IOC flying test. IOC LED indicator blinks ( (2) means not all

stick(s)atthemidpoint)

Flying

IOC

switch

Record

Pitch stick control of aircraft Roll stick control of aircraft

Normal OFF None

CL CL

HL HL

POI POI

DO NOTtoggle the IOC switch frequently in HL flying to avoid re-recording the HPunwittingly.

IOC function is available only when all the required conditions are satisfied. If any condition is omitted

the flight control system will exit IOC.Pleasekeepan eye on the LEDto knowthe current controlmode.

Once the Home Point is recorded successfully, LED will blink (6) continually under the following

conditions.Allconditionsmustbetrue.

1. ≥6.

Distancebetweenaircraftandtherecordedhomepointislessthan8m.

CurrentcontrolmodeisinGPSATTI.ModeorATTI.Modeofswitchposition-2.
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(1) It is recommended to start the HL flight when the aircraft is >10m away from the HP. If starting 

the HL when the distance between aircraft and HP is less than 10m and it’s the first time you 

start HL after power on, then the flight control system will only enter HL after flying out of the
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Step4BankedTurnmodeflyingtest

Banked Turn Mode is useful when you want to perform banked turns one handed. It allows you to pitch and roll to 

turnwithoutusingtheyawstick.

Applicationexamples:

Normal and FPV aerial photography in this mode is smooth and simple, giving a different visual feel to your 

work.

Inthismode,therollandyawsticksarecombinedtohelpyouperformbankedturnswithonlyonehand.

Setting steps (Mode 2):

ToenableBankedTurnMode,replacethePOIgearoftheIOCswitchwithBankedTurngear.

With Banked Turn Mode activated, you can circle the aircraft with just one stick. To do this, Mode 2 (throttle 

on the left stick) users should select the “Use Roll” option while Mode 1 (throttle on the right stick) users 

should select the “Use Yaw” option.

10mrange.WheninHomeLockmode,theaircraftcannotenteranyareawithina10meterradius

oftheHomePoint.

(2) During HL flying if one of the following conditions occur, the flight control system will exit HL and

enterintoCL:thecontrolmodeis changed toATTI.Mode; <6(LED (2) or (3)).
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Using Banked Turn Mode (Mode 2):

Select“UseRoll”todisabletheyawstickorselect“UseYaw”todisabletherollstick.

Pushpitchsticktomovetheaircraftforwardorbackward.

After that, Push roll stick left or right to perform banked turn as the following diagram shown. No yaw stick 

required.

Whentheaircraftishovering,yawis controlledbytherollstick instead.

5. Rapidly pull the pitch stick to the mid-point to stop the aircraft.

Flying

IOC

switch

Record

Pitch stick Roll stick Pitch stick Roll stick Pitch stick Roll stick Pitch stick Roll stick

BTM BTM None

BankedTurnModeworksonly withGPS-ATTImode(GPS≥6).Theaircraftwill stopand hover when 

less than 6 satellites are found.

Once the aircraft performs side slip, adjust the drift damping value. Note that too big valuemay lead

toaircraftvibration.

4.1.2 Cruise Control

Cruise Control allows you to lock the speed of the aircraft, freeing you to control the gimbal while maintaining 

flight.

Applicationexamples:

Bymaintainingsteady flight, youcanfocusmoreonyourshotsand gimbal control,andyourtotalflighttimeis 

increasedbyeliminatingunnecessaryspeedchanges.

Activate Cruise Control to lock your aircraft into its current horizontal speed when you release the control 

sticks.

CruiseControlonlyworks whenIOChasbeenenabled.TicktheCruiseControlbox intheA2Assistanttoenableit.
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Assigna3-gearswitchontheremotecontrolforCruiseControl.Followthestepsbelowto useCruiseControl.

Use thecontrol sticks to accelerate the aircraftto yourtarget speed then toggle the assigned CruiseControl switch 

to “Set”or“Continues”.

The actionofthreedifferent gearsofthecruisespeedisdefinedasfollow:

Close

Deactivate Cruise Control.

Set

Move the switch to this position in flight to “Set” the cruising speed. The speed at the point that the switch is 

toggled will be maintained. If you use the control sticks to adjust aircraft speed, the aircraft will return to its 

originalspeedoncethecontrolsticksreturntocenter.

Continues

In this position the aircraft will maintain its speed of flight however if you accelerate or slow down, it will 

continueflyingat thenewspeedoncethecontrol sticks returntocenter.

Cruise Control only works in GPS-ATTI mode (GPS > 6).

The aircraftwill exit CruiseControlmodeandhover atitscurrentaltitudewhen less than6GPS satellites

are detected, switches to ATTI. mode or enters auto go home mode. To enter“Set” and “Continue”

modes,youmustfirstgointo“OFF”mode.

CruiseControlisdisabledduringBankedTurnmodeflying.

Maximum speed is 15m/s under Cruise Control mode.
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Servo Gimbal function

Pitch

FlightLimits

All unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operators should abide by all regulations from such organizations as the ICAO 

(InternationalCivilAviationOrganization)andtheirown nationalairspaceregulations.Forsafetyreasons,theflight 

limits function is enabled by default to help users use this product safely and legally. The flight limits function 

includes height, distance limits and safety zone.

In Ready to Fly mode, height, distance limits and No Fly Zones work together to manage flight. In Ready to Fly 

(non-GPS) status, only height limits applies and flights cannot go higher than 120m.

DefaultparametersinAssistantSoftwarearecompliantwithinthedefinitionsofclassGruledbyICAO. 

(RefertoAirspaceClassification to getmore details).As eachcountry has itsown rules,make sureto

configuretheseparameterstocomplywiththeserulesbeforeflying.

Max Height, Radius Limits &HomeFence

The Max Height & Radius restricts the flying height and distance. Configuration can be done in the A2 Assistant. 

Oncecomplete, youraircraftwill fly ina restrictedcylinder.

Connect the servos of your gimbal to the Controller Unit asthe fig. below,roll

servo connectsto F3 port and pitchservoconnectstoF2, andconfigurein

Advanced->Gimbal pageintheAssistantsoftware.NoReceiver

channel is askedto bemapped forthe F2 or F3 portif gimbalfunctionis

enabled in theAssistant Software. Note:EvenyoumapReceiverchannelstoF3

andF2(WhichareshownasD3andD2intheAssistantSoftware

-> Channel Mapping), the F3 and F2 will not give outputsignals from the mapped

Receiver channels.

F2

Roll

F3
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Max 

Height

Max 

Radius

Home Point

Height of 

aircraftwhen

poweredon

GPS ATTI mode

Limits Ground Station Tips

Max Height Flight heightmustbeundertheset height. Warning: Height limit reached.

Max Radius Flightdistancemustbewithinthemaxradius. Warning: Distance limit reached.

ATTI mode

Flight Limits Ground Station Tips

Max Height Flight height restricted to 120m and under. Warning: Height limit reached.

Max Radius Nolimits

If you fly out of the limit, you can still control the aircraft, but cannot fly it further.

Iftheaircraftfliesout of themax radius inATTImode,it will fly backwithin range automatically.

Home fence is a safety feature that prevents the aircraft from coming in too close to an operator. When enabled, 

the aircraft will not beable to enter a safe area defined by the user.

Application examples:

Supplysafeguardfornewusersincaseofdamagefromwrongoperation.

Keepuserssafewhenaircraftfliescloseinahighspeed.

ThesafetyradiuscanbesetintheA2Assistantasshownbelow:
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Assignaswitchontheremotecontrolto turnthehomefencefeature onandoff.Thesafetyradius rangecan 

be set between 12m and 100m.

Home fence feature works only with GPS-ATTI mode. NO home fence limit for ATTI mode and 

navigationmode.

Failsafe procedure overrides the home fencing feature.

FlightLimitsofSpecialAreas

Restricted areas include airports worldwide. All restricted areas are listed on the DJI official website at 

http://www.dji.com/fly-safe/category-mc. Restricted areas are divided into category A and category B. Category A

areas cover major international airport such as LAX and Heathrow, while category B areas includes smaller airports. 

CategoryASafetyZone

The category A “safety zone” is comprised of a small “no-fly zone” and a range of “restricted-altitude zones”. 

Flightisprevented inthe“no-fly zone”but cancontinue withheightrestrictions inthe restricted-altitudezone.

1.5 miles (2.4 km) around a designated safety zone is a no-fly zone, inside which takeoff is prevented.

1.5 miles (2.4 km)to 5 miles (8 km) around restricted areas are altitude restricted, with maximum altitude going 

from 35feet(10.5m)at1.5miles (2.4km)to400feet(120m)at5miles (8 km).

A“warning zone” has beenset aroundthe safety zone.When youfly within 320 feet (100m) of the safety zone,a 

warning message will appear on the DJI Ground Station.
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CategoryA

Category B Safety Zone

CategoryB“safetyzone”iscomprisedofa“no-flyzone”anda“warningzone”.

0.6miles(1km)aroundthesafetyzoneisadesignated“no-flyzone”.

A“warningzone”hasbeensetaroundthesafetyzone.Whenyouflywithin0.6miles(1Km)ofthiszone,awarning 

willappearontheDJIGroundStation.

Category B

GPS ATTI mode

Zone Restriction Rear LED Flight Indicator
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No-fly Zone

Motors will not start.

If the aircraft enters the restricted area inATTI mode but 

GPS ATTI mode activates, the aircraft will automatically

descendtolandthenstopitsmotorsafterlanding.

Blinkredquicklyandcontinue 

for 3 seconds before normal 

blinks.
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Restricted-altitude

flightzone

If the aircraft enters a restricted area in ATTI mode and 

GPS ATTI mode activates, it will descend to a safe altitude 

andhover15feetbelowthesafealtitude.

Blink yellow quickly and 

continuefor3secondsbefore 

Warning zone normal blinks.

No flight restriction applies, but therewill be warning 

message.

Free zone

No restrictions. None.

Semi-automatic descent: All stick commands are available except the throttle stick command during 

thedescentandlandingprocess.Motorswill stopautomaticallyafterlanding.UsersmusttoggletheS1 

switch to regain control. This is the same as regaining control during Failsafe. Please refer to regain

control during failsafe procedure.

When flying in the No-fly Zone, LED flight indicators will blink red quickly and continue for3 

seconds, then switch to indicate current flying status and continue for 5 seconds at which point 

it will switch back to red blinking.

When flying in the Restricted-altitude flight zone and Warning zone, LED flight indicators will 

blink yellowquickly and continue for 3 seconds, then switch to indicate currentflying status and 

continue for5 seconds at which pointit will switch back to red blinking.

For safety reasons, please do not fly close to airports, highways, railway stations, railway lines, 

citycentersandotherspecialareas.Trytoensuretheaircraftisvisible.

ConditionsofFlightLimits

In different working modes and flight modes, flight limits will differ according to number of GPS satellites found. 

The following table demonstrates all the cases(√: available; ×:unavailable).

All flights are restricted by height, distance and special areas simultaneously. The Failsafe and Ground Station 

operations are not restricted to flight limits, but if Ground Station function is used, the flight will be restricted the 

specialarealimitsbuiltintoGroundStation.RefertotheGroundStationmanualfordetails.

Control Mode number of GPSfound Limits of SpecialArea Max Height Max Radius

GPS

≥6 √ √ √

<6 × √ ×
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ATTI. ≥6 √ √ ×
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<6 × √ ×

Manual ≥6 × × ×

FlightLimitscanbedisabledintheAssistantasbelow.

Users cannot take off the aircraft in some Special Areas even the Flight Limits is disabled in the 

Assistant.

Parachute Function

TheA2nowsupports theDJI Dropsafe parachutesystem whichcanbeenabled intheA2Assistant.TheX3andF4 

portsshouldbeconnected.Therearetwomethodstodeploytheparachute.

Motorswillautomaticallystopandtheparachutewilldeploybyusingswitchontheremotecontrol.

In the event of an emergency (aircraft descends faster than 10 m/s), motors will automatically stop and the 

parachute will deploy.

Parachute will deploy once the aircraft descends faster than 10 m/s in manual mode.

Once parachute function enabled, motors will automatically stop and the parachute will deploy.

RefertoDJIDropsafeusermanualformoredetails.

Gear function
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OnceenabletheIntelligentGearfunction,thegearisdefault downontheground

orincaseofemergency (e.g.

motorfailure tolerance, auto landing); you cancontrol itto be upordown by a

switchwhen the aircraft altitude
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Make sure to enable and configure the Intelligent Gear function in the Assistant software first, 

and thenconnectthe geartotheF1 port.

The Gear channel is required to be mapped with a channel on Receiver if the Intelligent Gear 

functionisenabledinAssistantSoftware,andtheF1portwillgiveoutputsforretractingcontrol.

Once you map the Gear channel, F1 port will give output signals from the controller for retract

control. Otherwise, even the Intelligent Gear function is enabled; F1 will give output from D1 (it’s

necessary to map the D1 channel with a channel on Receiver as your demands).

Attitude Control When One Motor Output Fails

Select Course lock orhome lockmodeforflying theaircraft into asafe area to land when the aircraft is 

far away or the attitude can’t be recognized.

DJI Assistant App Usage

Bluetooth status indicator

Normal

Communicating

Abnormal

Antenna ofBluetooth

There is a built-in Bluetooth in the A2 LED-BT-I module. With a DJI Assistant 

App installed on yourmobile

device, remote parameter configuration can be obtained via Bluetooth

communication between the A2 Flight Control System and the mobile device.

ForHexa-rotor, includingHexa-rotorI,Hexa-rotorV,Hexa-rotorIY andHexarotor Y,the aircraft withA2 flight

controlsystemisattitudecontrollablewhenonemotoroutputfails.

is above5mduring flight.

PleaseconfigureintheAdvanced->Gear pageintheAssistantsoftware.

ConnectthelandinggearofS800EVO to the ControllerUnit asfig. below.
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Supported iOS devices

Required versions of DJI Assistant App & Firmware

Specifications

Bluetooth version 4.0 Environment temperature -10°C~+50°C

Communication distance 50m Consumption 240mw(0.04A@6V)

DJI Assistant App Usage

Step 1 Download and installation

1. SearchtheDJIAssistant inAppstore onmobiledeviceandinstall it.

Step 2 Connect theA2Controller Unitand the DJIAssistantApp

Prepare an iOS device supported 4.0 Bluetooth, and then enable the Bluetooth function on the mobile 

device.

Power on the transmitter and theA2 Flight Control System, make sure theBluetoothStatus Indicatoris 

solid Red .

RuntheDJIAssistantApp.Youmaybeaskedto registerthroughinternetwhenfirst login (theaccountof

PCAssistantsoftwareisOKforlogin);followthetipstosetMainControllernameandpassword.

Observe the indicators on the left bottom of the software. ( connection indicator and

communication indicator) On the DJI Assistant App, if the communication indicator , please double 

checktheconnectionsanddriverinstallation;otherwiseiftheindicatoris , go to next step.

Selectthe“Basic”option.Pleasefollowstep-by-stepforyourfirst-time-configuration.Basicconfiguration 

is necessary. Click the icon togettheconfigurationdetails.

Youcanclickthe“Advanced”optionformoreparametersettings.Advancedsettingisoptional.Thereare

Motor, F/S, IOC, Gimbal, Voltage, Limits, Gear, etc.

CheckallparametersintheViewpage.

Select“More”to obtain more details. Including: Restore MC default settings, Accounts, Main Controller 

List, Information, wiki, Rate DJI Assistant, FAQ, Feedback, About.

Require DJI Assistant App version 1.1.14 or above and the firmware of A2 Controller

Unit version 2.1 or above, as

wellasthefirmwareofLED-BT-Imoduleversion2.0orabove.

iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPod Touch 5, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad air, iPad mini,

iOS6.1oraboveisrequired.Bluetoothversionisrequiredtobe4.0orabove.
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1. MakesuretoupgradetheLED-BT-Imoduletothe latestfirmwareviathePCAssistantsoftware

onaPCbeforeyouusetheDJIAssistantAppwith theA2FlightControlSystem.
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Step 3 Flying Test Procedures

Gettheaircraftready,runtheDJIAssistantandmakesureitisconnectedwiththemaincontroller. (The 

indicatorsontheDJIAssistantare )

Start the motors.

The “View” page shows the relative parameters real-time when flying.

Go tothe “Basic”andclick intothe “Gain” pagetoset thevaluesofall gains real-timeduringflying.

Go tothe “Basic”andclick intothe “Tool” pagetoviewthevaluesofIMU&Compass real-timeduring 

flying.

Finishtheflyingandlandyouraircraft.

Only the parameter referred above can be changed during flying. Others can be configured after

landing.

2.

3.

EverytimeyouruntheDJIAssistantApp,theAppwill searchtheControllerUnitautomatically.

The gainvaluedisplayedonMobileDeviceandPCmaybealittledifferent,thatisOKforuse.
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Appendix

LED indicator descriptions

Controlmode GPS signal

Manual Mode: No indicator Best >6):Noindicator

ATTI. Mode: (1)(sticks not in (2)) Good = 6): (1)

GPS ATTI. Mode: (1) (sticks not inmid-point (2)) Bad = 5) : (2)

Ground Station: (1) Worst <5): (3)

Flight Attitude

Attitude good: No indicator Attitudestatusbad: (3)

IMUdatalost,calibrateIMU (4)

Compasscalibration

Horizontal calibration (∝) Calibration Failed (∝)

Vertical calibration (∝) AbnormalCompassData (∝)

Lowvoltagealert

Firstlevelalert (∝) Second level alert (∝)

FailSafe mode

During theFailSafe (∝)

Compass Abnormal after power on (∝)

Errors

System Error (4) Compass Abnormal after power on (∝)

IOC Recording

Record home-point successfully (20)

Aircraft is in the 8m range of HP (6)

Record forward direction successfully (20)

Record a Point Of Interest successfully (20)

Bluetooth

A2Assistantisconnected/disconnectedtotheflightcontrolsystem (∝)

WhentheLEDblinks (3), please hover orland the aircraft and wait forthe white LED to go off.

WhentheLEDblinks (3),itisnotrecommendedtofly.

WhentheLEDblinks (4), please contact your dealer.
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Specifications

General

Built-In Functions Built-in Receiver

Multiple ControlModes

2-axle GimbalSupported

Enhanced FailSafe

Intelligent Orientation Control

DynamicalSystemsProtection

PC&BluetoothGroundStation

External Receiver Supported

9 Types ofSupportedMulti-rotor

OtherDJIProductsSupported

Low Voltage Protection

4 ConfigurableOutputs

SoundAlarm

Configure Parameters Via Bluetooth

Peripheral

Supported Multi-rotor Quad-rotor:I4,X4

Hexa-rotor:I6,V6,Y6,IY6

Octo-rotor: X8, I8, V8

Supported ESC output 400Hz refresh frequency.

Supported Transmitter for Built-in Receiver FutabaFASST(MULT,MLT2,7CH)SeriesandDJIDESSTSeries

External ReceiverSupported Futaba S-Bus, DSM2, PPM

Recommended Battery 2S~6SLiPo

OtherDJIProductsSupported Z15, iOSD Mark II, D-BUS Adapter, S1000,S900 EVO, 2.4G

Data Link, H3-2D, H3-3D, DJI Dropsafe Parachute

Electrical & Mechanical

Power Consumption MAX 5W (Typical Value: 0.3A@12.5V)

Operating Temperature -5°Cto+60°C

TotalWeight <= 224g (overall)

Dimensions MC: 54mm x 39mm x 14.9mm

 IMU: 41.3mm x 30.5mm x 26.3mm

GPS-COMPASSPROPLUS:62mm (diameter) x14.3 mm

 PMU: 39.5mm×27.6mm×9.8mm

LED-BTU-I:30mm x 30mm x 7.9mm

Flight Performance (can be effected by mechanical performance and payloads)

Hovering Accuracy (In GPS ATTI. Mode) Vertical: 0.5m

Horizontal: 1.5m

MaximumWindResistance <8m/s (17.9mph / 28.8km/h)

Max Yaw Angular Velocity 150deg/s

MaxTiltAngle 35°

Ascent/Descent 6m/s
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FAQ

UsewithotherDJIproducts

2.4G Data Link and Z15 GCU connections diagram (CAN1 port)

The A2 flight controller is compatible with DJI accessoriessuch asthe iOSD Mark

II, Z15 gimbals, the 2.4G Datalink with iPad Ground Station, and so on. Connect

the these devices to the proper CAN ports as listed below:

CAN1:iOSDMark II, Z15 series gimbals.

CAN2: 2.4G Datalink (with iPad Ground Station), H3-2D, H3-3D gimbals.

Connect Z15 gimbals to CAN1 port if your A2 firmware version is 2.4 or below.

ConnectZ15gimbalstoCAN1or CAN2 portif your A2 firmware version is 2.5.Use

a CAN-Hub to acquire an extra CAN port when connecting multiple CAN devices.
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2S~6S

Battery

ESC 1#

ESC 2#

ESC 3#

ESC 4#

ESC 5#

ESC 6#

ESC 7#

ESC 8#

2S~6S

Battery

90o
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2.4G Data Link and Z15 GCU connections diagram (CAN2 port)

2S~6S

Battery

ESC 1#

ESC 2#

ESC 3#

ESC 4#

ESC 5#

ESC 6#

ESC 7#

ESC 8#

90o

2S~6S

Battery
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AlwaysupdatetheA2andZ15gimbalfirmwaretothelatestversion.
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Where the Z15 gimbal is connected determines how it must be controlled. If connected to CAN1, two controllers 

and two receivers are required to control the aircraft and the gimbal separately. If connected to CAN2, a single 

remotecontrollerwith14channelscancontrolboththeaircraftandthegimbal,requiringonlyonereceiver.

When using a remote controller alone, a Futaba T14SG remote controller is compatible. Note that 12 

channelscanbeconfiguredforversionsbelow5.0,while14channelscanbeconfiguredforversion5.0.With 

a training cable, users can use two remote controllers for aircraft and gimbal control. Referto the Futaba 

user manual for details.

When using twoDJI remotecontrollers andasingle receiver, the remotecontrollers work asMaster and 

Slave for aircraft and gimbal control. Only the DJI NDJ6 version 1.0.2.26 or above is compatible. Follow the

stepsbelowtosetthetworemotecontrollersasMaster/Slave:

Link one remotecontrollertotheflightcontrolsystem, which will betheMaster.

Plug one headof the trainer port cableintothe otherremotecontroller, whichwill be theSlave.

Turn the gimbal control dial on the Master controller to the left and hold, then plug the other head of 

the trainer port cable into the Master controller.

TheMasterremotecontrollerwillemitabeepingsoundiftheconnectionissuccessful.Nowyoucan 

release thedial.
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 The gimbal’s firmware should be updated as below:

o H3-3DGCU V1.12 orabove

o Z15-5D GCU V2.4 or above, IMU V1.8 or above

o Z15-5D II GCUV2.4orabove,IMUV1.8orabove

o Z15-GH3 GCU V2.4 or above, IMU V1.8 or above

o Z15-GH4 GCU V2.4 or above, IMU V1.8 or above
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ThefollowingH3-2Dconnectiondiagramistheconnectionforyourreference.

1) H3-2D users should upgrade the firmware to the latest version (GCU V1.6& IMU V1.6 or above).

2) Ifthe2.4GDataLinkandH3-2Dareusedatthesametime,aCAN-HUBmoduleisrequired.

ESC 3#

ESC 4#

ESC 5#

ESC 6#

ESC 7#

2S~6S

Battery

2S~6S

Battery

ESC 1#

ESC 2#

ESC 8#

90o

f) Z15-BMPCC GCU V2.4 or above, IMU V1.12 or above

(2) Z15-5N, Z15-GH2, Z15-7N and Z15-5R do not support connection with CAN2 port.
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Channel Mapping Instructions for PC AssistantSoftware

Basic Channels Default Settings UsageDescriptions

A Roll Control of the Controller Unit,

mapped to the Channel 1 of Receiver During Assistant Software usage, please click 

the “Calibration” button, to calibrate the 

Transmitter sticks travel. During calibrating, 

make sure to operate strictly following the 

prompts; otherwise may lead to calibration 

failure.

Click the “Map” button, then you can re-do 

mapping for A/E/T/R/U.

E Pitch Control of the Controller Unit,

mapped to the Channel2 ofReceiver

T Throttle Control of the Controller Unit,

mappedtotheChannel3ofReceiver

R Yaw Control of the Controller Unit,

mappedtotheChannel4ofReceiver

U Control Mode Switch of the Controller

Unit,mappedtotheChannel7ofReceiver

Knob Channels Default Settings Usage Descriptions

K1~K6 Remote Gains Adjustment of the

Controller Unit, unmapped.

Click “Unmapped”buttontomapK1~K6tothe

channelsofReceiver.

Direct Channels Default Settings Usage Descriptions
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D1~D4 Direct Channels (The corresponding ports 

are F1~F4 on the Controller Unit) of 

Controller Unit, unmapped.

Click “Unmapped” button to map D1~D4 to 

the Receiver channels. If you enable the 

Gimbal functions in Assistant Software, then 

the F3/F2 are used for gimbal control; even 

D3/D2 are mapped to channels ofReceiver, 

and the signals from the mapped Receiver
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channels will be ignored.

You can use F4 for switching the video 

channel of iOSD Mark II, then map D4 to a 

Receiver channel.

Advanced

Channels

Default Settings Usage Descriptions

IOC IOC function of the Controller Unit, 

unmapped.

Click “Unmapped” button to map IOC to a 

Receiverchannel.Itisrecommendedtousea

3-position switch channel.

Go Home One-KeyGoHomefunctionofthe 

Controller Unit, unmapped.

Click “Unmapped” button to mapGo Home to

the Receiver channel. It is recommended to 

use a 2-position switch channel.

Gear Intelligent Gearfunction of the Controller 

Unit, unmapped.

If you enable the Gear function in Assistant 

Software, then the F1 is used for the gear

control of S800EVOlanding.

H-Fence(Home

Fence)

Home Fence functionunmapped Click “Unmapped” button to map Home 

Fence onto the Receiver channel. It is 

recommended to use a 2-position switch

channel.

CC (Cruise 

Control)

Cruise Control function unmapped Click “Unmapped” button to map Cruise 

Control to the Receiver channel. It is 

recommended to use a 3-position switch

channel.

S-Gimbal Groundstationservogimbalfunction 

unmapped

Click “Unmapped” button to map Ground 

station servo gimbal to the Receiver channel. 

It is recommended to use a 3-position switch

channel.

Zenmuse

Channels

Default Settings Usage Descriptions

ROLL ROLL channelunmapped Click “Unmapped” button to map ROLL to the 

Receiverchannel.Itisrecommendedtousea

level switch channel.
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TILT TILT channelunmapped Click “Unmapped” button to map TILT tothe 

Receiverchannel.Itisrecommendedtousea

level switch channel.
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PAN PAN channelunmapped Click “Unmapped” button to map PAN tothe 

Receiverchannel.Itisrecommendedtousea

level switch channel.

MODE MODE channel unmapped Click “Unmapped” button to map MODE to 

the Receiver channel. It is recommended to

use a 3-position switch channel.

SHUT SHUTchannelunmapped Click “Unmapped” button to mapSHUT to the 

Receiverchannel.Itisrecommendedtousea

2-Position switch with spring backfunction.

AUX1 AUX1channelunmapped Click “Unmapped” button to mapAUX1 to the

Receiverchannel.Itis recommendedtousea 

3-position switch channel.

AUX2 AUX2 channelunmapped Click “Unmapped” button to mapAUX2 to the 

Receiverchannel.Itisrecommendedtousea

2-position switch channel.

AUX3 AUX3channel unmapped Click “Unmapped” button to mapAUX3 to the 

Receiverchannel.Itisrecommendedtousea

2-position switch channel.

RecommendedMappingforFutabaRC(Mode2,A2V2.4orbelow)

Controller Unit Channel Receiver Channel Recommended Transmitter Switch

A Channe 1 (AIL) Joystick J1

E Channe2(ELE) Joystick J2

T Channe3 (THR) Joystick J3

R Channe 4 (RUD) Joystick J4

U Channe 7(AUX5) 3-Position switch, e.g.SG

K1~K6 Channe5 (GEAR) Knob switch, e.g. LD, RD

Pitch Channe 6 (Vpp)* Knob switch, e.g. LD, RD

D1/D3/D2 ---- ----

D4 Channe9(AUX1) 2-Positionswitch,e.g.SF

IOC Channe10(AUX2) 3-Position switch, e.g.SG

Go Home Channe 11(AUX3) 2-Position switch with spring back function, e.g. SH
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Gear Channe 8 (AUX4) 2-Positionswitch,e.g.SF
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H3-2D Channe12(AUX5)* Knob switch, e.g. LD、RD

H-Fence Channe 6 (Vpp)* 2-Positionswitch,e.g.SF

CC Channe12(AUX5)* 3-Positionswitch,e.g.SB

*Notethatthesesettingsshouldbeconfiguredaccordingtoyourrequirements.

RecommendedMappingforFutabaRC(Mode2,A2V2.5andFutababelowV5.0)

Controller Unit Channel Receiver Channel Recommended Transmitter Switch

A Channe 1 (AIL) Joystick J1

E Channe2(ELE) Joystick J2

T Channe3 (THR) Joystick J3

R Channe 4 (RUD) Joystick J4

U Channe 7(AUX5) 3-Position switch,e.g.SG

IOC/CC Channe 8 (AUX4) 3-Position switch, e.g.SA

Gear Channe 9 (AUX6) 2-Position switch,e.g.SF

PAN Channe5(GEAR) Levelswitch,e.g.LS、RS

TILT Channe 6 (Vpp) Levelswitch,e.g.LS、RS

MODE Channe 10 (AUX1) 3-Position switch, e.g. SC

Photo Channe 11(AUX2) 2-Position switch with spring back function, e.g. SH

Video Channe 12 (AUX3) 3-Position switch, e.g.SG

Notethatthesesettingsshouldbeconfiguredaccordingtoyourrequirements.

RecommendedMappingforFutabaRC(Mode2,A2V2.5andFutabaV5.0)

Controller Unit Channel Receiver Channel Recommended Transmitter Switch

A Channe 1 (AIL) Joystick J1

E Channe2(ELE) Joystick J2

T Channe3 (THR) Joystick J3

R Channe 4 (RUD) Joystick J4

U Channe 7(AUX5) 3-Position switch,e.g.SG

IOC Channe 8 (AUX4) 3-Position switch,e.g.SA

CC Channe 9 (AUX6) 2-Positionswitch,e.g.SF

Gear DG1 2-Positionswitch,e.g.SF

ROLL Channe 10 (AUX1) Knob switch, e.g. LD、RD

PAN Channe5(GEAR) Levelswitch,e.g.LS、RS
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

Rd63

TILT Channe 6 (Vpp) Levelswitch,e.g.LS、RS
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

Rd64

MODE Channe 11(AUX2) 3-Position switch, e.g. SC

Photo DG2 2-Position switch with spring back function, e.g. SH

Video Channe12(AUX3) 3-Position switch, e.g.SG

Notethatthesesettingsshouldbeconfiguredaccordingtoyourrequirements.

RecommendedMappingforDJINDJ6RC(A2V2.5)

Controller Unit Channel Receiver Channel Recommended Transmitter Switch

A A Master remote control J1

E E MasterremotecontrolJ2

T T MasterremotecontrolJ3

R R Masterremotecontrol J4

U U Master remote controlS1

Gear X2 MasterremotecontrolS2

ROLL A Slave remote control J1

PAN E Slave remote control J2

TILT R SlaveremotecontrolJ4

MODE U Slave remote controlS1

Photo X1 Slave remote control LD

Video X2 Slave remote controlS2

Notethatthesesettingsshouldbeconfiguredaccordingtoyourrequirements. 

Followthestepsbelowtocheckifthechannelsareworkingproperly:

 RuntheA2AssistantandgototheChannelMappingpage.

 Move the Master remote controller’s sticks and switches to ensure they are working properly on the

Channel Mappingpage.

Note: Forthe H3-3D gimbal, set a 2-position switch with spring back function forthe TILTchannel and a 2-position 

switchfortheMODEchannel.

SettingsofgainvaluesforYourReference

To set the value of basic gain and attitude gain you can refer to the following diagram. These values are only for 

reference and may vary in practice.

Aircraft Configuration Information Basic Attitude

Motor ESC Propeller Battery Weight Pitch Roll Yaw Pitch Roll Vertical

F450 DJI-2212 DJI-30A DJI-8 Inch 3S-2200 890 g 150 150 135 150 150 140

F550 DJI-2212 DJI-30A DJI-8 Inch 4S-3300 1530 g 170 170 150 160 160 150

S800 EVO/Z15 DJI-4114 DJI-40A DJI-15Inch 6S-15000 7000g 140 140 130 140 140 130
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

Rd65

S1000/5D gimbal/

5Dcamera

DJI-4114 DJI-40A DJI-15Inch 6S-15000 9200g 120 120 120 170 170 120

S1000/5D gimbal/

5Dcamera

DJI-4114 DJI-40A DJI-15Inch 6S-15000 9300g 120 120 120 170 170 120

The Transmitter setup of FUTABA

PleaseconfiguretheFrequencyitemonyourTransmitteradheretothetablebelow.(ThenamesofFASSTmodes 

herearebasedtotheTransmitterFUTABAT8FG,pleaseensuretoselectthemostsimilar modeasthenames 

differsfordifferentTransmitters)

GPSSNR FunctionsDescription

The DJI A2 Assistant (version 1.1.22) and iPad ground station (version 1.4.62) have recently added “SNR Health” and 

“SNR Fluctuation”indexmonitors forGPSsignals.User canmonitorGPSsignal quality, ensuring they havestrong 

and stable signals for better flight performance. By referring to these two values, user will be empowered to find 

thebestlocationsfortakeoffandflight,whilealsodetectingareasthatmightinterferewithGPSsignals.

The SNR interface provides you with “SNR Health” and “SNR Fluctuation” index monitors whose values change 

according to aircraft maneuvers and environmental interference.

The “SNR Health Index” shows the GPS signal strength captured by the GPS receiver. A larger number 

indicates a stronger GPS signal. We highly recommend pilots only take off when the SNR health value is 

greaterthan36.

Transmittertype AREA FASST

FUTABA 18MZ Default FASST-MULTI\FASST-7CH

FUTABA 14MZ with TM-14 Default MULT\7CH

FUTABA 14SG FRANCE\GENERAL FASST-MULTI\FASST-7CH

FUTABA12Z2.4GFASST withTM-14 Default MULT\7CH

FUTABA12FG2.4G FASST with TM-14 Default MULT\7CH

FUTABA 10CG or 10C with TM-10 Default 7CH

FUTABA9CSUPERwithTM-7orTM-8 Default 7CH

FUTABA 8FG SUPER FRANCE\GENERAL MLT2\MULT\7CH

FUTABA 8FG FRANCE\GENERAL MULT/7CH

FUTABA 7C 2.4G Default Default

FUTABA 6EX FASST Default Default
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

Rd66

The “SNR Fluctuation Index” shows the overall stability of the craft’s current GPS signal. A smaller number
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

Rd60

means that the signals will fluctuate less and provide a more stable GPS signal overall.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

Rd61

A2 Receiver TypeDescription

Fordifferenttypesofreceiver, displaysontheA2Assistantsoftwarewill bedifferent. 

For PPM receivers with Failsafe, the display is as below:

Fortheotherreceivers,thedisplayisasbelow:

For example, when used with DJI Lightbridge, you will see the second display after disconnecting the remote 

controller and Lightbridge.Atthis time, theA2 LEDwill blinkblueand theaircraft will enterFailsafe.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

Reserved. 60

Disclaimer

Pleasereadthisdisclaimercarefullybeforeusingthisproduct.Byusingthisproduct,youhereby agreetothisdisclaimerandsignify that

youhave read itfully.

THISPRODUCT IS NOTSUITABLEFOR PEOPLE UNDER THEAGEOF 18.

A2 flight controlleris designed for experiencemulti-rotorenthusiasts providing excellentself-leveling and altitude holding,whichcompletelytakesthestressoutofflying

RCmulti-rotors forbothprofessionalandhobbyapplications. Despite the product having a built-in flight control system and our efforts in making the operation of the

controller as safe as possible when the main power battery is connected, we strongly recommend users to remove all propellers when calibrating and setting

parameters. Make sure all connections are good, and keep children and animals away during firmware upgrade, system calibration and parameter setup. DJI 

Innovations accepts no liability for damage(s)orinjuries incurred directlyorindirectlyfromthe useofthisproductinthe following conditions:

o Damage(s) or injuries incurred when users are drunk, taking drugs, drug anesthesia, dizziness, fatigue, nausea andanyotherconditionsnomatterphysicallyor

mentallythatcouldimpairyourability.

o Damage(s) or injuries caused by subjective intentional operations.

o Any mental damage compensation caused by accident.

o Failuretofollowtheguidanceofthemanualtoassembleoroperate.

o Malfunctions caused by refit or replacement with non-DJI accessories and parts.

o Damage(s)orinjuriescausedbyusingthirdpartyproductsorfakeDJIproducts.

o Damage(s) or injuries caused by mis-operation or subjective mis-judgment.

o Damage(s) orinjuries caused by mechanical failures due to erosion, aging.

o Damage(s)orinjuriescausedbycontinuedflyingafterlowvoltageprotectionalarmistriggered.

o Damage(s) or injuries caused by knowingly flying the aircraft in abnormal condition (such as water, oil, soil, sand and other unknown material ingress into the 

aircraft or the assembly is not completed, the main components have obvious faults,obvious defect or missing accessories).

o Damage(s)orinjuriescausedbyflyinginthefollowingsituationssuchastheaircraftinmagneticinterference area, radio interference area, government regulated

no-fly zones or the pilot is in backlight, blocked, fuzzy sight,andpooreyesightisnotsuitableforoperatingandother conditionsnotsuitableforoperating.

o Damage(s) or injuries caused by using in bad weather, such as a rainy day or windy (more than moderate breeze), snow, hail,lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes

etc.

o Damage(s) orinjuries caused when the aircraft is in the following situations: collision, fire, explosion, floods, tsunamis, subsidence, ice trapped,avalanche,debris

flow, landslide,earthquake, etc.

o Damage(s)orinjuriescausedbyinfringementsuchasanydata,audioorvideomaterialrecordedbytheuseof aircraft.

o Damage(s) or injuries caused by the misuse of the battery, protection circuit, RC model and battery chargers.

o OtherlossesthatarenotcoveredbythescopeofDJIInnovations liability.

Trademark

DJI and A2 are registered trademarks of DJI. Names of product, brand, etc., appearing in this manual are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective

owner companies. This product and manual are copyrighted by DJI with all rights reserved. No part of this product or manual shall be reproduced in any form without

the prior written consent or authorization of DJI. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the product or information contained herein.
©2013-2014 DJI. All Rights

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