# X8-M Operation Manual
Thank you for purchasing an X8-M! This manual contains important information about your aerial mapping platform. Please read these instructions before your first flight.

1 Plan 1 2 Fly 19 3 Process 30 Appendix 34

Online information portal: 3DR.com/X8-M 3DR support: help@3DR.com Terms and conditions: 3DR.com/terms Pix4D instructions: support.Pix4D.com

# 1 Plan
Parts 2 Flight Battery 3 Charging 3 Safety 3 Powering the X8 4 Camera Setup 5 3DR EAI 5 Charging 5 Starting a Mission 5 Mounting 6 Ground Station Setup 7 Download Software 7 Connect to Radio 7 Mission Planning 8 Operating Parameters 8 Load Maps 9 Draw Polygon 10 Configure Survey 11 Save and Write Mission 18

# Parts

RC controller and accessories batteries (2) X8

FPV/OSD System If you selected to receive a FPV/OSD system, those components will be included with the X8’s accessories. See page 27 for parts and instructions. registration card and Pix4D license key1 Connect the charger to the power adapter cable and a wall outlet. Connect the red cable to the + port and the black cable to the - port.



## +

– 2 Set the charger to LiPo and 3A.

LiPo 3A

3 Connect the white connector to the 4S port, and join the two yellow connectors together.

4S 4 Secure the battery inside the guard bag, and charge until the status indicator displays green.

Charging

Complete The X8 is powered by a rechargeable lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. Charge the battery before your first flight.



# ! Flying with a low battery is a s a battery permanently unusable. battery. Charge the battery using a de s only. Always monitor the batte r battery from extreme heat, ext r flammable surfaces. Always tr a battery in the guard bag. Inspect the battery for damag e observe any swelling of the p a to function, do not use the ba t recycling center, and dispose o Canada, visit call2recycle.org t dispose of the battery in the tr 

# Flight Battery Charging Safety

Charger with power cable and split-wire charging cable Charger settings

Flight battery charging wiring Charging in process2 Attach the battery to the underside of the copter using the velcro straps, and join the yellow connectors. 

# Powering the X8


# ! It is important to establish c before powering on the X8. on the controller before co n battery. When powering off disconnect the battery befo the controller. 1 Turn on the controller. To avoid triggering the controller’s startup alarm, ensure that all switches are set back (away from you) and the throttle stick is set fully down.

RC controller Throttle stick

Switches

# Camera Setup The X8 includes a Canon PowerShot SX260 HS running the 3DR EAI script.

SD card locked Load 3DR EAI 

### » Fly a mapping mission SD card unlocked Load default Canon software 

### » View images on camera 

### » Save images to ground station 

### » Update script 

# 3DR EAI (Exposure-Aperture-ISO)3DR EAI runs on the Canon Hacker Development Kit (CHDK), a powerful opensource tool that expands the functionality of Canon point-and-shoot cameras. 3DR EAI optimizes image exposure and integrates with the Pixhawk autopilot to enable distance-based imaging. This software is designed to load off the camera’s SD card, leaving the original Canon programming intact. The yellow switch on the side of the SD card allows you to lock or unlock the card. Lock the SD card to run 3DR EAI; unlock the SD card to save images to your ground station or to boot the camera with its original programming. For more information about 3DR EAI, see page 36. 

# Charging Charge the camera battery before your first fligh t fully charged, insert the battery into the camera.

status indicator


# Starting a Mission To prepare the camera to fly a mapping mission, that the mode dial is set to P (program) mode. Po w camera using the silver button on the top. 3DR EA automatically, and you will see the script messag e camera display. Check to see that the last line of t reads waiting on USB signal. The camera is now rea d

Camera ready to map: waiting on USB signal Canon battery charger

Power off the camera before removing the SD card. 

## !Camera running 3DR EAI Camera running Canon softwaremounting plate

latch When the camera is ready to start the mission, open the latch, and insert the camera into the mount. Close the latch, and rotate the mount so the camera faces down. Connect the mini-USB cable to the camera. 

# Mounting The camera mount includes a cap to protect the UV filter d fly, remove the cap, and check that the filter contains no d that could affect image quality. If you notice any damage t o image quality, screw off the filter and replace with the extr a

Connect mini-USB cable here.
Camera (side) Camera enclosure with cap Camera encl

mini-USB cableMission Planner

Your license key for Pix4Dmapper can be found on the registration card inside the documents package. Visit mapper.pix4d.com/license-redeem to create an account and redeem your license key; then visit pix4d.com/download to download Pix4Dmapper Discovery. Pix4D will automatically upgrade from the Discovery edition to the LT 3DR Edition (or Pro Edition if you selected to upgrade) when you log in to the program with your Pix4D account information. Mission Planner is a full-featured ground station application for planning missions and monitoring the X8 in flight. Download Mission Planner from 3DR.com/download_software
. If you already have Mission Planner installed, make sure you’re running the most recent version: Select the Help tab and Check for Updates
.

Mission Planner: Help tab 

# Ground Station Setup

Pix4Dmapper LT 3DR Edition To connect the X8 to Mission Planner, connect the grou n the laptop, and power the X8. 1 Connect the ground station radio to your laptop using the micro-USB cable. Open Mission Planner.

3 Select Flight Data to view live data from the X8. 2 Select 5 (When micro- U 

# Connect to Radio Download Software Mission Planner allows you to turn a Windows laptop into a full-featured ground station for configuring and monitoring autonomous missions. You will need to take this laptop into the field when you fly the mission. As part of the mission procedure, you will use the Pix4D Rapid Check to verify the quality of the image set before leaving the field.

Ground station laptop with radio connected Mi s

Mission P

### Operating Parameters
Camera Canon SX2 Camera Orientation Landscape Operating Altitude 50-120 m Default Altitude 60 m Low-Wind Conditions 0-6 m/s High-Wind Conditions 7-10 m/s Maximum Wind Conditions 10 m/s Operating Speed 1-17 m/s Default Speed 5 m/s Estimated Maximum Flight Time 14 min Estimated Ground Resolution 2 cm/pixel Estimated Maximum Survey Area .1 km 2 Minimum Photo Interval 2 seconds The X8 is a complete solution for creating high-resolution visual-spectrum aerial maps.

Pixhawk autopilot system Pix4Dmapper LT 3DR Edition Canon SX260

3DR EAI

To create a map, the X8 flies an autonomous mission over the survey site, using the integration between the Pixhawk autopilot and custom-programmed camera to capture images at a consistent distance interval. Pix4Dmapper then stitches these images together into a georeferenced, orthorectified mosaic. The accuracy of the map depends on the configuration of the mission. Planning a mission that captures high-quality images requires balancing the X8’s operating parameters with the environmental factors at the survey site. 

# Mission Planning Operating Parameters1 Open Mission Planner, select Flight Plan , and zoom to your flying location. 2 Right-click on the map, select Map Tool and Prefetch , and accept the defaults prompts. Mission Planner will download the maps for the selected location to your computer.

3 Mission Planner will attempt to load the map data from the current level of zoom down to the closest level of zoom available. However, it can take hours to pre-fetch every level of zoom, and it is unlikely that the closer levels will be useful in planning the mission. To shortcut this process, check the slider on the right side of the map. The levels of zoom are represented by this slider from 0 (bottom) to 25 (top). Press the ESC key to skip levels of zoom at a greater detail than you need for mission planning. 

# Load Maps Mission Planner allows you to plan the mission away from the mapping location; however, it is important to assess the environmental conditions on site at the time of the mission and adjust the flight plan if necessary. Alternatively, you can plan the entire mission at the mapping location. To create or alter the mission, Mission Planner requires an Internet connection to access the maps. If you’re unable to access the Internet on site, follow the instructions below to pre-fetch the maps within Mission Planner while you have Internet access.

Mission Planner Flight Plan tab: zoom to mapping location Mission Planner Flight Plan tab: Select Prefetch2 Right click on the map. Select Draw Polygon and Add Polygon Point . Click and drag to add points around the area you want to map. 3 Right click on the polygon. Sele Survey (Grid ) to open the Survey T

Units The Survey Tool uses metric units. If your Mission Planner is set to imperial units, please change the settings to use metric to plan the mission. Support for imperial units in Mission Planner is coming soon; check 3DR.com/X8-M for updates. 

# Draw Polygon
To begin planning the mapping mission, select the area you want to map using the Polygon tool. You’ll be able to adjust the size and shape of the polygon later in the mission configuration process.

1 Select Flight Plan , and zoom to your mapping location.

Mission Planner Flight Plan tab: zoom to mapping location
Mission Planner Flight Plan tab: draw polygon 

## !

# Configure Survey: Set Default Parameters

Set Camera Canon SX260-SX280

Set Camera Orientation Check the option for Camera top facing forward
.

Set Default Speed 5 m/s
Apply Survey Speed Check the option for Use speed for t If unchecked, the mission will use t default speed of 5 m/s regardless selected in the Survey Tool. Mission Planner: Survey Tool

Mission Planner: Survey ToolSet Angle Wind Direction In environments with winds of less that the X8 flies into the wind. In wi the flight path to travel perpendicul cross-wind. No. of Strips Adjust the angle so that the X8 ma k complete its course. The No. of Stri p passes the X8 will make as you ad j Review Wind Conditions On-Sit e Always assess the wind conditions of the mission and adjust the missi o Adjust Polygon Click and drag the red polygon points to adjust the size and shape of the polygon from the Survey Tool. 

# Configure Survey: Set Angle

wind

Ang l Ang l



# ! Use caution when flying in w may degrade as a result of i appropriate groundspeed. wind wind Mission Planner: Survey ToolSet Altitude Recommended altitude: 60 m Operating altitude: 50-100 m Increasing altitude decreases flig h cover more area per minute. Dec r ground resolution. Set the altitud e resolution while keeping the flight the altitude under 120 m.

Keep altitude below 120 m, and e appropriate for your flying area an



# !

Check Flight Time Flight Time estimates the duration estimated flight time must be un d charged X8 battery. To decrease altitude or speed. High winds, humidity, high altitud e affect power consumption and re the environmental factors at your flight time. In this example, we increased sp e flight time below 14 min while all o conditions. When increasing spe e increased power required to trav e time. Check Ground Resolution Ground Resolution is the centimeters per pixel that you will have in the map and corresponds to the amount of detail that you will see. To improve ground resolution by decreasing the number of centimeters per pixel, decrease altitude. 

# Configure Survey: Set Altitude
Mission Planner: Survey ToolCheck Photo Interval Photo Every must be longer than 2 seconds camera.
Altitude Increasing altitude increases photo interva
Keep altitude below 120 m, and ensure th appropriate for your flying area and local re



# !

Speed Decreasing speed increases photo interva

Ensure that the Use speed for this mission op t 

# ! Configure Survey: Check Photo Interval
Mission Planner: Survey ToolTakeoff and Land WP’s For automatic takeoff and landin g Check the Add Takeoff and Land WP’s o Check the Use RTL option. After initiating the mission, the X8 w the survey altitude, and begin the m the X8 will automatically return to th e For manual takeoff and automati c Uncheck the Add Takeoff and Land WP ’ Check the Use RTL option. Take off manually, and initiate the mi mission, the X8 will land automatica 

# Configure Survey: Set Takeoff and Landing

Mission Planner: Survey ToolCheck Advanced Options to view the Survey Tool’s advanced configuration options.

Adjust Overlap and Sidelap Overlap and sidelap are set to 50% and 60%, respectively, by default. See page 35 for an in-depth discussion of these parameters. Adjust StartFrom During the mission, you will maintain contact with the X8 through the RC controller and ground station signals. If these signals are lost during flight, the X8 will respond with the assigned failsafe behaviors. See page 29. If your mission is likely to experience a loss of signal, it is best practice to start from the corner of the mission farthest from the launch point. 

# Configure Survey: Advanced Options

Camera Config The options under the Camera Config tab allow you to configure a camera other than the SX260 and won’t be used for operating the X8. Survey Tool: Grid Options (Advanced) Select Grid Options Mission Planner: Survey ToolBefore accepting the survey, check that the mission complies with the X8’s operating parameters. Once you accept the survey, you will not be able to edit it directly by re-opening the Survey Tool. If you need to adjust the survey, clear the mission (right click, select Clear Mission), and repeat the survey configuration process.

Camera Canon SX260-SX280 Altitude 50-100 m Camera top facing forward checked Flying speed 1-17 m/s Use speed for this mission checked (optional if speed set to defaul t Photo Every greater than 2 s Flight time under 14 min depending on environme n



# ! Do not accept the mission if a exceed the X8’s operating limi t Operating Parameters 

# Configure Survey: Accept Survey

Accept Select Accept to save the mission. If Mission Planner prompts you for a ho m altitude that you specified in the SurveySelect Write WPs to save the mission to the X8. Select Save WP File to save the mission file to your comp u repeat this mapping mission, load th e WP file from your computer. On the Flight Plan screen, save the waypoint file to your computer and write the mission to the X8. 

# Save and Write Mission

# 2 Fly Safety 20 Aircraft Operation 21 Components 21 Assembly 22 Controls 23 Modes 24 Preflight Checks 25 LED Indicators and Tones 25 GPS Lock 25 Arming and Disarming 26 FPV System Operation 27 Flying Mapping Missions 28 Takeoff Checklist 28 Initiating 28 Monitoring 28 Failsafes 29To ensure safe and successful flying, familiarize yourself with the safety information on this page. Always fly in accordance with your location regulations and these best operating practices.

100 ft (30 m) Always fly at least 100 feet (30 m) away from people, vehicles, and buildings. Make the safety of people and property your first priority! Always fly below 400 ft (120 m) and within your visual line of sight. Don’t let the X8 get too far away from you; make sure you can always see its orientation. Don’t fly in low light, heavy wind, rain, or other conditions that might impede visibility. Always fly at least 5 miles (8 km) away from airports and other areas where pilots operate manned aircraft. 5 miles (8 km) 400 ft (120 m) Before you fly, determine the boundaries of your safe flying area. If the X8 moves outside the designated area or exhibits instability in flight, switch to altitude hold mode and land the copter manually. The X8 will not avoid obstacles on its own, including during missions. As the operator, it’s your job to recognize and avoid obstructions while flying. Always be ready to regain manual control of the copter in the event of an unsafe situation. Spinning propell e safety button ind help you prevent high-speed prop e • When the X 8 button will b motors are i n safe to han d • When you’re safety butto n indicates th a propellers c a propellers s a hold the safe 

# ! You can find more safe instructions where you visual line of sight 

## Location Propeller 

# Safety

# Aircraft Operation Components

safety button camera integration cable

status LED Pixhawk autopilot
front arms rear arms

camera mountPropellers Remove the nuts and washers from the motors. Add SFP propellers and SF propellers as marked below with the writing on the propellers facing towards the sky. This will be a tight fit; apply pressure and twist the propeller onto the shaft. Place the washer over the propeller, and sec nut tightly on top using the propeller wrench
. Arms Remove the bolt and nut outside each arm. Rotate the arm into position, insert the bolt through the plates and the arm, and secure the arm in place with the nut. The X8 arrives in travel configuration. Complete these steps to prepare the copter for flight.

travel position remove secure with bolt

flight position slide each arm into position

Ensure writing on all propellers faces the sky. 

# ! Assembly

Top motor: SF
Bottom motor: SFP

Bottom motor: SF Top motor: SFP Top motor: SF
Bottom motor: SFP

Bottom motor: SF

Top motor: SFPthrottle 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