throttle up

Increase speed and 

altitude.

throttle down

Decrease speed and 

altitude.

throttle fully down

Land.

yaw left

yaw right

Fly the X8 manually using the RC controller.

yaw

throttle

Throttle: Move the left stick forward and backward to control altitude and 

 acceleration.

Yaw: Move the left stick horizontally to rotate and control orientation. 

 Navigate by orienting the X8 with the blue arms facing forward.

Pitch: Move the right stick vertically to fly forward and backward.

Roll: Move the right stick horizontally to fly to the left and to the right.

Controls 

roll

pitch

roll and pitch center

roll left

roll right

pitch up

pitch down
Auto - fly a mission

Fly an autonomous mission. This is the mode that the X8 will use to create the map.

Altitude hold - assisted manual control

Altitude hold mode provides manual control of roll, pitch, and yaw, while allowing the 

autopilot to maintain the current altitude automatically. Set the left stick to center, 

and the copter will automatically maintain the current altitude. Raise the throttle stick 

above center to increase altitude (and to take off), and lower the throttle stick below 

center to decrease altitude. Adjust altitude and orientation with the left stick, and 

navigate with the right stick. 

Loiter - hover

With automatic autopilot control of altitude, position, and orientation, loiter is the 

easiest way to fly. Just release the sticks and the copter will hover in place.

Return to launch (RTL) - recall and land

Activate RTL during the mission to end your flight automatically. RTL commands 

the X8 to achieve a minimum altitude of 15 meters, return to the launch point, hover 

for five seconds, and land. Use the right stick to adjust the position of the X8 during 

landing,

Stabilize - full manual control

Stabilize allows full manual control of altitude, position, and orientation without

autopilot assistance. 

GEAR/

 FLAP/

either 0

To select a flight mode:

First, set the GEAR/MIX switch to select a

FLAP/GYRO switch to 0, 1, or 2 to select

With GEAR/MIX set to GEAR,

set FLAP/GYRO to: 0 for Stabilize 

 1 for Loiter

 2 for Auto

With GEAR/MIX set to MIX,

set FLAP/GYRO to: 0 for Stabilize

 1 for Altitude ho

 2 for RTL

Modes 

RC controller (top)
Pre-flight Checks

Visual Check

Before flying, examine the X8 to verify the following:

» All propellers are tightly attached in the correct order with the writing 

 on each propeller facing the sky.

» All propellers can spin without obstruction.

» The antenna is oriented vertically.

Test Flight

Before flying the mission, fly a brief test flight to ver

» Responds to controls correctly in stabilize 

» Holds position in loiter mode.

» Correctly executes a return-to-launch com

LED Indicators

Low battery, automatic landing

Loss of RC signal, automatic landing

System error, see troubleshooting guide

Loss of GPS signal, automatic landing

Initializing, please wait

Acquiring GPS, please wait

Armed

Tones

Visit 3DR.com/X8-M to listen to Pixhawk’s status tones.

GPS Lock

Auto, RTL, and loiter modes requires GPS lock. W

the autopilot will automatically search for GPS lock

use auto, RTL, or loiter modes during your flight, e

autopilot acquires GPS lock before takeoff, indicate

green status LED. Autopilot ready, GPS locked
Arming and disarming are important steps that must be completed before takeoff and after 

landing. There are two steps to arming the X8: the safety button and the throttle stick. !

The arming and disarming pro

can safety start and stop mot

The X8’s motors will spin whe

propellers are clear of any obs

hands, before arming. 

Do not handle the propellers o

the safety button is 

active (solid red).

Arming

1

When you’re ready to fly, place the copter at 

a clear launch point, with the blue arms facing 

away from you.

2

Press and hold the safety button until it displays solid red. 

This indicates that the X8 is now active. Stand back!

Motors inactive, safe to handle

Motors active, deactivate before handling

3

To arm the motors, hold the left stick 

down/right until the motors spin.

Disarming

1

To disarm the motors, hold the left

down/left until the motors stop.

2

Press and hold the safety button u

The motors are now inactive, and t

handle.

Arming and Disarming

Before arming, check the status LED. Before you fly, wait for the autopilot to acquire GPS 

lock. The LED will flash blue while the X8 acquires GPS; this can take a few minutes. Once 

you see the flashing green LED, the autopilot has acquired GPS lock. 

Autopilot ready, GPS locked

Autopilot ready, no GPS

Initializing, please wait. 

Pre-arm check failure, see page 39.
FPV System Operation

If you selected to receive an optional FPV/OSD system, the components are pre-installed 

into the X8 to transmit on-board video.

AV receiver

Antenna

Batteries (1 plus 1 spare)

Receiver cables

Parts 2 Wire and power receiver

Attach an antenna to the receiver. Connect the AV outpu

port. Connect the RC power cable to the receiver DC IN

connector.

1 Charge battery

Charge both batteries before your first flight. Set the charger to LiPo and 1A. Connect the 

white battery connector to the 3S port, and connect the XT60-JST charger adapter to the 

red battery connector and yellow 

charger connector.

3S port

Transmitter

Camera

Remove lens ca

3 Remove lens cap

The video transmitter is powered by the main flight batte

turn on when the X8 is powered. To turn off the transmit

JST connector. Remove the lens cap from the camera b

LiPo 1A

4 Viewing video

When using a 3DR Black Pearl Monitor to view your vide

changes modes), the channel to 8 (+ and - buttons), and

button to access the menu).

For more information about configuring the FPV/OSD sy
Flying Mapping Missions

Takeoff Checklist

Before flying the mission, check the following:

» Camera is on with mission script ready and is secured into the 

 mount with the mini-USB cable connected and the cap removed. 

» X8 is powered and connected to the ground station with all pre-flight 

 checks passed.

» The survey mission has been adjusted to account for present 

 environmental conditions and saved to the X8.

Initiating 

For automatic takeoff, arm the X8 in stabilize mode

raise the throttle to initiate the mission.

For manual takeoff, initiate the mission in flight by s

Monitoring

Mission Planner Flight Data: Attitude

1 Heading direction

2 Bank angle

3 Altitude* (black) and rate of climb (blue bar)

4 Ground speed

Status

4 Distance to current waypoint > 

 current waypoint number

5 GPS status*

6 Battery status*

1 Ground station signal*

2 GPS time

3 Currently 

 enabled mode

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

5

6

Monitor the X8 closely during the mission using your line of sight and the 

Mission Planner Flight Data screen.

Actions

1 Change waypoints or restart

2 Change modes

3 Change altitude

Flight Map

1 Current heading

2 Direct path to current waypo

3 GPS-reported direction of tra

Full battery: 16.8 V

Low battery failsafe: 14 V

 End your flight at 14.1 V! !

*Failsafe behavior enabled
Failsafes

Low Battery Failsafe

Environmental conditions can affect power consumpt

display to monitor the voltage of the battery during flig

If the battery reaches 14 V, the X8 will land automatica

blinking yellow status LED and a quick repeating tone

The X8 is programmed with a set of failsafe behaviors to prevent a crash in the event of a loss 

of one of the data or communication channels required for autonomous flight. Although certain 

failsafes have assigned LED indicators and tones, it is unlikely that you will be able to see these at a 

distance. Monitor the Flight Data screen for failsafe indications. If a failsafe is triggered, the assigned 

behavior will activate. To override the failsafe behavior (RTL in most cases), use the controller to 

regain manual control. 

Regaining Manual Control

To regain manual control during the mission, switch to altitude hold mode using the controller. If 

you’re a confident operator, switch to stabilize mode for full manual control. If you observe instability 

in the X8’s flight behavior or it the aircraft moves outside your designated safe flying area, switch to 

RTL. Turning off the controller will automatically trigger an RTL and can be used in an emergency 

situation as a hard recall command.

Ground Station Signal Failsfe

Physical obstructions and interference from nearby wireless signals can affect the X8’s connection 

with the ground station. Use the Mission Planner Flight Data display to monitor the ground station 

connection strength during flight.

If the X8 loses contact with the ground station for over five seconds, it will automatically return to 

the launch point and land. 

RC Controller Signal Failsafe

Physical obstructions and interference from nearby wireless signals can affect the X8’s connection with the RC controller. 

If the X8 loses contact with the RC controller, it will return to the launch point automatically and 

land, indicated by a blinking yellow status LED.

GPS Failsafe

Enclosed areas, physical obstructions, and lack of ava

Use the Mission Planner Flight Data display to monito

If the X8 loses GPS lock for over five seconds, it will la

Altitude Failsafe

The X8 has a 120 m altitude geofence enabled by def

will automatically RTL.

400 ft

(120 m)
3 Process

On-Site Quality Check 31

Spot Check 31

Download Images 31

Download Log File 32 

Pix4D Rapid Check 33

Full Processing 33
On-Site Quality Check 

Before leaving the survey site, check the images using Pix4D to ensure 

sufficient quality for mapping by downloading the images from the SD 

card, downloading the log file from the X8, and completing Rapid Check 

Initial Processing in Pix4D.

If you observe poor image quality or the quality report returns errors, see 

the Image Quality Troubleshooting section on page 38 and repeat the 

mission. 

playback button

SD card file structure: Download images

Spot Check (Optional)

The quickest way to see the images after a flight is to unlock the SD 

card and restart the camera. The camera will load the default Canon 

programming and you can select the playback bottom to review the 

images.

Download Images

Unlock the SD card and load into your ground

folder and locate the folder for your flight. Cop

folder on the ground station and delete them f
Pix4D uses the GPS data from the X8’s log file to georeference the images. To 

download the X8’s dataflash log, power the X8 and connect to Mission Planner. 

The download process will be faster if you connect the micro-USB cable directly 

to Pixhawk’s micro-USB port instead of connecting using the ground station 

radio. (When connecting directly to the X8, set the rate to 115200.)

On the Flight Plan screen, select the DataFlash Logs tab under the heads-up 

display, and select Download DataFlash Log over Mavlink.

The Log window shows the X8’s recent flights. Select the flight for your mission, 

and select Download These Logs. This will save the log file to your computer in the 

location displayed under the list of flights.

To retrieve the log file, access your computer’s file structure under Program Files/

Mission Planner/logs/OCTOROTOR, and select the .log file for the date of your flight.

Mission Planner: Flight Data heads-up display

Mission Planner: Download Logs Program

Download Log File
1

Open Pix4D Mapper, and create a new 

project.

2

Select Aerial Nadir as the 

project type.

After creating the project, select the Local Processing screen (Process 

menu). Check the option for Initial Processing and Rapid Check. Uncheck 

all other local processing options, and select Start.

Pix4Dmapper Rapid Check: Create Project

3

After adding the images, select From File to add t

X8’s log file. In the pop-up window, select 3D Ro

format, and upload the dataflash log file downloa

Pix4Dmapper Rapid Check: Initial Processing

Pix4D will generate a Quality Report that will indicate if the images are of 

sufficient quality to create a map. 

To complete full processing for the map, visit support.pix4d.com for instructions.

Full Processing
Appendix

Aerial Imaging Concepts 35

3DR EAI 36

Image Quality Troubleshooting 38

Operational Troubleshooting 39
Aerial Imaging Concepts

Understanding key concepts in aerial images can help you understand the mission planning process and create 

better maps.

Distance-Based Imaging

By default, the X8 captures only the images required to create the map. The autopilot monitors the distance 

traveled by the X8 and sends a command to the camera to capture an image at the distance interval specified 

by the camera trigger distance parameter (CAM_TRIGG_DIST). This parameter is set by the Mission Planner 

Survey Tool during survey configuration by calculating the minimum distance between images based on the 

parameters specified for the survey (altitude, overlap, sidelap). This distance-based imaging allows for more 

precise data collection, resulting in less images and data storage cost.

Once configured, the Survey Tool creates an event at the start of the mission script (after takeoff) to set the 

camera trigger distance to the specified interval and an event at the end of the mission (before landing) to reset 

the camera trigger distance to 0. Therefore, while on the ground and during landing, the camera captures no 

images because the camera trigger distance is set to 0 m.

Time-Based Imaging

The X8 is also equipped to capture images at a consistent time interval instead of using distance. This function 

can be useful if you want to capture images over an area without planning a mission. This time-based imaging 

results in more images per area, and therefore more processing time and storage cost. See the intervalometer 

option on page 36 to enable time-based imaging.

Overlap and Sidelap

To capture images for the map, the X8 flies a lawnmower-like pattern in strips across the survey site. The frontto-back overlap between sequential images is called overlap; the side overlaps of adjacent pictures in different 

strips is called sidelap. The overlap and sidelap parameters in the Survey Tool (see Advanced Options page 

16) determine the distance between images and the number of images to be captured based on the projected 

ground area that each image will cover, called a footprint. The Survey Tool uses a default overlap of 50% and a 

default sidelap of 60%. Increasing overlap and sidelap improves the accuracy of the map while increasing flight 

time and processing time.

In the Survey Too

the specified cam

be assigned to th

the projected ima

number of image

Default overlap: 

Default sidelap: 6
3DR EAI

3DR EAI is based on KAP UAV Exposure Control Script v3.1: a great opensource project for kite and UAV aerial photography. 

Start and Stop Script

Ensure the camera is set to P (program) mode before powering the camera. 

Upon startup, 3DR EAI starts automatically and listens for commands from the 

autopilot, indicated by waiting for USB signal. To stop (and re-start) the script, press 

the shutter button. The script will display INTERRUPTED when stopped.

CHDK Menu

The CHDK menu contains all the standard options provided with CHDK. 

To access the CHDK menu, stop the script and select the MENU button.

Script Menu

The script menu allows you to change the param

itself, including changing the trigger mode and a

script menu, stop the script and select the FUNC

are configured for the X8 and SX260 and do not

standard operation. 

Trigger Type

This parameter allows you to control how the ca

Trigger type defaults to USB for distance-based i

missions. For time-based imaging, select Interval

Shot Interval parameter.

Trigger Type default: USB (mapping)

Variable intervalometer: Interval (default to 2 seco

Script start: waiting on USB signal

Script stopped: INTERRUPTED FINISHED

Script menu

CHDK menu Script menu: Trigger Type
Updating the Script

3DR EAI is an open-source project and continuously improving. To download the latest script, visit 3DR.com/X8-M and select 3DR EAI Source. You will 

be redirected to the GitHubt repository where you can right-click on Raw and select Save Link to download the latest script labeled 3DR_EAI_SX260.lua. 

To update the script on the SD card, unlock the SD card and open it on your computer. Navigate to CHDK/Scripts and replace the existing 3DR_EAI_

SX260.lua file with the updated script file from GitHub.

Resources

Visit 3DR.com/X8-M for links to resources.

3DR EAI GitHub Repository: github.com/diydrones/ardupilot/tree/master/Tools/CHDK-Scripts

KAP UAV Exposure Control Script v3.1: chdk.wikia.com/wiki/KAP_UAV_Exposure_Control_Script

CHDK v1.3: chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK_1.3.0_User_Manual

Download latest script from GitHub

New script file Script file on SD card

Mem

If th

long

re-c

3DR
Image Quality Troubleshooting

If you observe poor image quality during the spot check or if you receive error 

messages during processing, use the settings below to troubleshoot the image 

quality.

Blurry Images

To correct motion blur, adjust the shutter speed using the Target Tv parameter in the 

script menu.

Target Tv (shutter speed) default: 1/1250

To correct moderate motion blur: Set to 1/1600.

To correct severe motion blur: Set to 1/2000.

Overexposure

If the images are overexposed but do not show any motion blur, it can be due to 

flying in extremely bright conditions. To correct this, set the Allow use of ND filter 

parameter to YES in the script menu.

Allow use of ND filter default: No

To correct overexposure: Set to Yes.

Processing Errors

If you receive errors from Pix4Dmapper during processing, increase the overlap and 

sidelap during survey configuration to improve the quality of the image set.

Overlap default: 50%

Sidelap default: 60%

To improve processing: Set overlap to 60% and sidelap to 70%.

Example image: motion blur S

Example image: overexposure S
Operational Troubleshooting

No Images Captured

1 If the camera did not capture any images during the mission, first perform a 

 physical inspection on the X8.

Is the mini-USB cable connected to the camera’s USB port?

Are the AUX OUT 6 pins connected on Pixhawk?

AUX OUT 6: black (-), red (+), white (s) 

Is the camera battery charged? Unlock the SD card to view the Canon’s 

 battery level indicator.

LED Error Indicator

If the status LED displays blinking yellow, the X8 is failing one the pre-arm safety checks. To determine the specific failure, check the 

heads-up display on the Mission Planner Flight Data screen. There will be an error message specifying the failed check.

Radio Calibration Failure: Perform Radio Calibration in Mission Planner or RC controller re-binding

Accelerometer Calibration Failure: Perform Accelerometer Calibration in Mission Planner

Compass Calibration Failure: Perform Compass Calibration in Mission Planner

GPS Failure: Wait for improved GPS signal or move to a more open area

2 Take a distance-triggered test image on

 the camera trigger distance parameter 

Power the X8 and connect to Mission Plan

Parameter List. Change the CAM_TRIGG_DIST

Params. Disconnect the X8 from Mission Pl

to see if the autopilot triggers the camera.

Mission Planner Full Parameter List: Set CAM_TRIGG