Spektre 1.2 Multi-Rotor Aircraft

Overview and Operations Manual

3D Robotics Proprietary Information and Export Notification

This document contains technical information that is proprietary in nature and is intended for 

use only by the customers and partners of 3D Robotics, Inc. Technical data in this 

document may also fall under specific export control laws. Information in this document 

should not be transferred to a foreign person without prior authorization from the appropriate 

government agencies.
2 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

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3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3

Table of Contents

List of Tables........................................................................................................5

List of Figures ......................................................................................................5

Scope ....................................................................................................................7

Safety ....................................................................................................................7

Manual Sections ..................................................................................................7

Support Documentation......................................................................................8

Abbreviations and Acronyms.............................................................................9

Revision History ................................................................................................11

Aircraft Description ...........................................................................................13

General Description...................................................................................................13

Spektre 3 View Drawing ............................................................................................14

Aircraft Specifications and Performance Characteristics .....................................15

Autopilot and Avionics Overview.............................................................................16

Command and Control..............................................................................................17

Aircraft Communications Flow.................................................................................18

Electrical System Overview......................................................................................19

Propulsion System ....................................................................................................20

Flight Control and Actuators....................................................................................21

Aircraft Payload .........................................................................................................23

Mission Planner Software Overview/ Operation.............................................24

Mission Planner Description ....................................................................................24

Mission Planner Setup ..............................................................................................25

Caching Map Data......................................................................................................27

How to Plan a Mission...............................................................................................28

Setting Failsafes for the Mission..............................................................................31

System Assembly and Setup............................................................................33

Aircraft Assembly......................................................................................................33

Leg and Arm Assembly............................................................................................34

Battery Mounting .......................................................................................................36

Aircraft Inspection.....................................................................................................36

Aircraft Structure......................................................................................................36

Propellers.................................................................................................................37

Motor Pod ................................................................................................................37

Aircraft Battery .........................................................................................................38

Payload.......................................................................................................................39

Ground Control Station Assembly...........................................................................40

Remote Video Terminal Setup..................................................................................41

Radio Control Transmitter (RCTx) Setup ................................................................42

Aircraft Launch Procedures .............................................................................45

Normal Operational Procedures.......................................................................47

Flight Limitations:......................................................................................................47
4 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Aircraft Failsafes and Non-Normal Flight Procedures ...................................49

1. Aircraft Battery Failsafe ....................................................................................49

2. Loss of GPS Signal...........................................................................................50

3. Geo-Fence Excursion .......................................................................................51

4. EKF/ Inertial Navigation Health.........................................................................52

5. Telemetry/ GCS Link Failsafe...........................................................................52

6. RCTx Link Failsafe ...........................................................................................53

Aircraft Recovery and System Disassembly...................................................55

Appendix ............................................................................................................57

Appendix A - Flight Mode Description.....................................................................57

Appendix B - Maintenance Schedule Matrix ...........................................................58

Spektre Operations Checklist...........................................................................59

Preflight Briefing Guidelines ....................................................................................59

Airspace Coordination .............................................................................................59

Flight Objectives ......................................................................................................59

Safety Items.............................................................................................................59

Non-Normal Flight Procedures ................................................................................59

Preflight Procedures .........................................................................................60

Ground Station Assembly ........................................................................................60

Remote Video Terminal (RVT) Assembly................................................................60

Aircraft Assembly.....................................................................................................60

Radio Control Transmitter Setup .............................................................................60

Aircraft Preflight .......................................................................................................61

Flight Plan Building ..................................................................................................61

Aircraft Launch ..........................................................................................................61

Normal Flight Procedures.........................................................................................61

Non-Normal Flight Procedures / Aviate - Navigate - Communicate......................62

Aircraft Recovery and Disassembly ........................................................................62

Notes...................................................................................................................63
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 5

List of Tables

Table 1 - Abbreviations and Acronyms..................................................................9

Table 2 - Spektre Aircraft General Specifications................................................15

Table 3 - PixHawk Autopilot Specifications .........................................................16

Table 4 - Radio Frequency Matrix .......................................................................17

Table 5 – Spektre Motor Specifications ...............................................................20

Table 6 - Electronic Speed Controller Specifications...........................................22

Table 7 - Tools and Hardware Required for Aircraft Assembly ...........................33

Table 8 - Aircraft Inventory Sheet........................................................................33

Table 9 - Aircraft Battery Failsafe Details ............................................................49

Table 10 – Loss of GPS Failsafe Details .............................................................50

Table 11 – Geo-Fence Failsafe Details ...............................................................51

Table 12 – EKF Variance Failsafe Details ...........................................................52

Table 13 – Telemetry/ GCS Link Failsafe............................................................52

Table 14 – RCTx Link Failsafe ............................................................................53

Table 15 - Flight Mode Descriptions ....................................................................57

Table 16 - Spektre Maintenance Schedule..........................................................58

List of Figures

Figure 1 - Spektre Multi-rotor Aircraft ..................................................................13

Figure 2 - Spektre 3 View Drawing ......................................................................14

Figure 3 - Communications Flow.........................................................................18

Figure 4 - Spektre Electrical System Diagram.....................................................19

Figure 5 – Spektre Motor.....................................................................................20

Figure 6 - Spektre Motor/ Propeller Directions ....................................................21

Figure 7 – 3DR 36x Zoom EO Payload ...............................................................23

Figure 8 - 3DR IR/ EO Payload ...........................................................................23

Figure 9 - Mission Planner Overview...................................................................24

Figure 10 - Mission Planner Configuration Window.............................................25

Figure 11 – Mission Planner Time in Air Selection..............................................26

Figure 12 - HUD showing Time in Air ..................................................................26

Figure 13 - Caching Maps ...................................................................................27

Figure 14 - Mission Planner – Autopilot Communications ...................................28

Figure 15 - MP Heads up Display........................................................................29

Figure 16 - Flight Planner Window ......................................................................30

Figure 17 - Failsafe Configuration Window..........................................................31

Figure 18 - Aircraft Leg Assembly .......................................................................34

Figure 19 - Arm Bolt Installation ..........................................................................35

Figure 20 - Aircraft Structure Inspection ..............................................................36

Figure 21 - Propeller Inspection...........................................................................37

Figure 22 - Motor Pod Inspection ........................................................................37

Figure 23 - Battery Inspection..............................................................................38

Figure 24 - Payload Inspection............................................................................39
6 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Figure 25 - Telemetry Radio ................................................................................40

Figure 26 - Remote Video Terminal Example......................................................41

Figure 27 Inspection - RCTx Setup and ..............................................................42

Figure 28 - RCTx Switch Mapping.......................................................................43

Figure 29 - Auto Mode Selection in MP...............................................................46
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 7

Scope

This manual contains the system description, aircraft assembly and disassembly 

procedures, operator’s responsibilities during normal and non-normal operations, 

and a condensed version of these procedures (operations checklist).

Safety

Varying levels of safety warnings are called out in this manual with the definitions 

as follows:

Note - An operating procedure, practice, or condition, etc., which is essential 

to emphasize.

Caution - An operating procedure, practice, or condition, etc., which if not 

strictly observed, may cause damage to the equipment.

Warning - An operating procedure, practice, or condition, etc., which may 

result in personnel injury or death if not carefully observed or followed.

Manual Sections 

This manual contains the following major sections:

1. Aircraft Description – A brief description of the aircraft and the 

performance and physical specifications to include flight controller and 

propulsion system information.

2. Mission Planner Software Overview/ Operation– Description of the 

Mission Planner operating software, setup and basic functionality.

3. System Assembly and Setup– Procedures outlining the aircraft, GCS 

and RVT assembly.

4. Operational Procedures – Overview of the proper preflight, in flight and 

recovery procedures for the Spektre aircraft.

5. System Disassembly – Procedures outlining the aircraft, GCS and RVT 

disassembly.

6. Non-Normal Procedures – Descriptions and how to perform aircraft and 

ground station emergency procedures.

7. Appendix – List of various charts, tables and special procedures. 

8. Spektre Operations Checklist – Condensed version of the Operational 

Procedures. 
8 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Support Documentation

Support documentation and additional material regarding the autopilot and 

functionality can be found online at: http://www.copter.ardupilot.com
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 9

Abbreviations and Acronyms 

Table 1 - Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviation Definition

AC Alternating Current

AES Advanced Encryption Standard

AGL Above Ground Level

Ah Amp Hours

AP Autopilot

ASL Above Sea Level

ATP Acceptance Test Procedure

AV Air Vehicle

AVO Air Vehicle Operator

CM Centimeter

DA Density Altitude

dBm Power Ratio in Decibel

DC Direct Current

DEG Degrees

DTED Digital Terrain Elevation Data

ELOC Electronic Loss of Communications

EO Electro-Optical

EO/IR Electro-Optical / Infrared

EP External Pilot

ESC Electronic Speed Control

ESD Electro Static Discharge

FOD Foreign Object Debris

FMU Flight Management Unit

FW Firmware

GCS Ground Control Station

GHz Gigahertz

GPS Global Positioning System

GSE Ground Support Equipment

GTOW Gross Take-off Weight

GUI Graphical User Interface

HDOP Horizontal Dilution of Precision

IAS Indicated Airspeed

IR Infrared

In Inch

INS Inertial Navigation System

ISM Industrial, Scientific, and Medical

I2C Inter Integrated Circuit
10 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Kg Kilogram

KHz Kilohertz

Km Kilometer

Kw Kilowatt

Kv RPM/ Volt

Lbs Pounds

LED Light-Emitting Diode

LOS Line of Sight

M Meter

mA Milliamp

mAh Milliamp-Hour

MHz Megahertz

mm Millimeter

mW Mill watt

MP Mission Planner

MSL Mean Sea Level

m/s Meters per second

nm Nanometer

NM Nautical Mile

NTSC National Television System Committee

OAT Outside Air Temperature

OZ Ounce

PAL Phase Alternate Line

PPM Pulse Position Modulation

PWM Pulse Width Modulation

RCTx Radio Control Transmitter

RF Radio Frequency

RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

RVT Remote Video Terminal

TCP Transmission Control Protocol

SPI Serial Peripheral Interface

UAS Unmanned Aerial System

UART Universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter

UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply

USB Universal Serial Bus

V Volts

VAC Volts Alternating Current

VDC Volts Direct Current

W Watt

WP Waypoint
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 11

Revision History

Revision 

Level Release Date Description of Change

Affected 

sections/

Pages

Rev. A 16 January 2015 Initial document release All
12 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

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3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 13

Aircraft Description

General Description

The Spektre is a multi-rotor, vertical takeoff and landing aerial vehicle produced 

by 3D Robotics Inc. of Berkeley, California, USA. The aircraft has four rotors in 

an “X” configuration and is designed to carry several payloads to perform various 

commercial tasks such as industrial inspection and mapping. 

The airframe is comprised primarily of lightweight carbon fiber and composite

plastic parts to achieve an optimal strength to weight ratio. The airframe and 

subcomponents have been designed and tested to withstand the stress loadings 

witnessed in normal flight conditions while retaining ample safety factors. 

Figure 1 - Spektre Multi-rotor Aircraft
14 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Spektre 3 View Drawing

Figure 2 - Spektre 3 View Drawing

UNLESS O/W SPECIFIED

DIMENSIONS ARE IN 

INCHES

.X = .030

.XX = .020

.XXX = .005

REMOVE SHARP 

EDGES AND BURRS 

.020 MAX

NEXT ASSY

THE INFORMATION 

CONTAINED IN THIS 

DRAWING IS THE SOLE 

PROPERTY OF 3D 

ROBOTICS, INC. ANY 

REPRODUCTION IN 

PART OR AS A WHOLE 

WITHOUT THE WRITTEN 

PERMISSION OF 3D 

ROBOTICS, INC. IS 

PROHIBITED.

TITLE

SAN DIEGO, CA 

92154

TEL: (858) 225-1414

FAX: (619) 271-8000

REV SIZE

DESIGNED

CHECKED

ENG MGR

DRAWN

PRCMT

THIRD ANGLE 

PROJECTION

MFG

QA

SHEET 1 OF 1 SCALE: 1:4

SPEKTRE 1.2 - 3DR PAYLOAD

XA D

JRWJRW

1/6/2015

11/19/2014

661

26

900

35

661

26

319

13

1/6/2015 11:08:56 AM REVISIONS

REV DESCRIPTION DATE APPROVED

XA PROTOTYPE 04-30-2013

D

C

B

A

D

C

B

A

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

8

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

F

E

F

E

REV

XA D

 3. FINISH: N/A 2. MATERIAL: N/A  1. DESIGN AND CONFIGURATION OF THIS DRAWING TO BE INTERPRETED PER ASME Y14.100, DIMENSIONING AND TOLERANCING TO BE INTERPRETED PER ASME Y14.5-2009NOTES: UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 15

Aircraft Specifications and Performance Characteristics

Key physical and flight parameters are listed in table 2. 

Table 2 - Spektre Aircraft General Specifications

Parameter Value (Imperial) Value (Metric)

Gross Takeoff Weight (GTOW) 10 lbs 4,530 g

Rotor Span 52 In 1,320 mm

Height 13 In 319 mm

Fuel Type Electric/ Lithium Polymer Batteries

Nominal Payload Capacity ~1.1 lbs ~500 g

3DR Payload Option 36x zoom EO and/ or Infrared sensor

Trillium HD25 Payload EO/ IR - E. Stab and Inertial stab. 

Command and Control (C2) Manual Control via RCTx operating on 2.4 GHz, 

frequency hopping 

Command and Control Range .75 NM 1.4 Km

Aircraft Telemetry Up to 1 watt, discrete, frequency agile, ISM 

band, bi-directional radio modem (Rx/ Tx) 

Aircraft Telemetry Range ~1.0 NM 1.8 Km

Video Transmitter 600mW Analog or 27dBm Digital Link

Video Transmitter Range ~ 1.0 NM 1.8 Km

Launch Type - Procedure Vertical Takeoff – Manual or Auto

Recovery Type - Procedure Vertical Landing – Manual or Auto

Navigation - Horizontal GPS / INS

Navigation - Vertical Barometer / INS

Nominal Mission Altitudes 

(AGL) 20 - 350 ft 6 - 107 m

Service Ceiling (@GTOW) 8,000 ft MSL 2,400 m

Nominal Mission Endurance ~30 minutes

Cruise Ground/ Airspeed 5 kts 2.5 m/s

Maximum Ground/ Airspeed 30 kts 15.5 m/s

Max Climb Rate 1,000 fpm 5.0 m/s

Max Descent Rate 500 fpm 2.5 m/s

Headwind Limitation 20 kts 10.3 m/s

Crosswind Limitation 20 kts 10.3 m/s

Turbulence Rating Light

(OAT) Operating Range 20° F - 100° F

Shipping Container Size -

Weight

52 x 22 x 15 inches

70 lbs

1.32 x .56 x .38 m

31.75 Kg
16 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Autopilot and Avionics Overview

The aircraft flight stabilization and navigation management is 

accomplished by the PixHawk autopilot system, which runs a flight control 

firmware stack called ArduCopter 3.2.x in the NuttX operating system. 

The PixHawk autopilot boasts a suite of sensors where incoming data is 

managed by a robust inertial measurement unit (IMU) utilizing an extended 

Kalman filter (EKF) algorithm. This logic makes efficient use of the single and 

redundant sensors creating a reliable system with fail-back capabilities. 

Table 3 - PixHawk Autopilot Specifications

Processor

32-bit ARM Cortex M4 core with FPU, 168 MHz/ 256 KB RAM/ 2 MB Flash

32-bit STM32F103 failsafe co-processor

Sensors

Dual 3 axis 16-bit ST Micro L3GD20H gyro for determining orientation.

Dual 3 axis 14-bit accelerometer and magnetometer for determining outside 

influences and compass heading.

Provision for external magnetometer with automatic switchover if desired.

MEAS MS5611 barometric pressure sensor for determining altitude.

Built in voltage and current sensing for battery condition determination.

Options for dual externally mounted UBLOX LEA GPS for determining absolute 

position.

I/O Interfaces

Fourteen PWM servos or ESC speed control outputs.

Five UART (serial ports), one high-power capable, 2x with HW flow control.

Two CAN I/O ports (one with internal 3.3V transceiver, one on expansion 

connector)

PPM sum signal input.

RSSI (PWM or voltage) input.

I2C and SPI serial ports.

Two 3.3 volt and one 6.6 volt analog inputs.

Internal microUSB port and external microUSB type-B port extension.

Contains its own onboard microcontroller and stacks with the FMU.

Power System

The PixHawk is supplied with an in line power supply with voltage and current 

sensor outputs.

Ideal diode controller with redundant power supply inputs and automatic fail-over.

Servo rail high-power (max. 10V) and high-current (10A+) ready.

All peripheral outputs are over-current protected and all inputs are ESD 

protected.

The provided external safety button enables safe motor activation / deactivation.

Piezo buzzer audio warnings, Flight status indicators and driver for high 

brightness external multicolored LED
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 17

Command and Control

There are a total of three radio frequency (RF) links that control and 

communicate with the autopilot/ aircraft. All links are operating within the ISM 

bands provided for industrial use and operate simultaneously without 

interference. 

Mission plan data is transmitted via Mavlink (a serial telemetry data protocol) on 

the GCS/ Telemetry radio link and is received by an identical radio which 

communicates data to the Mission Planner GUI.

Safety pilot commands are transmitted to the vehicle on 2.4GHz and are 

received onboard by a separate recevier (typical RC equipment). The PWM 

signal reveived is then converted to PPM and sent to the flight management unit. 

Table 4 describes the RF link(s) functionality and operating frequencies.

Table 4 - Radio Frequency Matrix

Description

Transmission 

Device – Power 

Magnitude

Function Frequency

GCS/ Telemetry 

Radio

Bi Directional

serial, UART radio 

modem with 128 

bit AES encryption 

available –

Adjustable up to 1 

Watt

Ground station to 

aircraft 

communications 

for health 

monitoring and 

flight plan 

management

902 – 928 MHz, 

frequency hopping

over 50 channels

Video Link

Commercial grade 

analog video 

transmitter - 600 

mW

Video downlink to 

the remote video 

terminal (RVT)

5.8 GHz

Radio Control

Radio Control

hand held 

transmitter -120 

mW

Camera 

manipulation and 

safety pilot/ 

manual control

2.4 GHz
18 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Aircraft Communications Flow

The aircraft’s communications flow is depicted in figure 3.

Figure 3 - Communications Flow
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 19

Electrical System Overview

The Spektre is an electrically powered aircraft that receives power for propulsion 

and onboard systems from a single Lithium Polymer battery pack. The battery 

pack is under-slung beneath the fuselage and provides a nominal voltage of 22.2 

VDC and has a capacity of 13.0 Ah. This produces a flight time of ~30 minutes 

with 20% battery capacity in reserve. 

The avionics system requires 5V and draws approximately 800 mA. The 

propulsion system draws 24 amps in hover and at cruise groundspeed, with a 

maximum of 40 amps observed in high wind scenarios. 

Payloads typically require 5-12V and draw approximately 2 amps or less. Onboard voltage, current, and battery percentage monitoring provides power 

system health status to the pilot through the telemetry radio and is displayed on 

the Mission Planner GUI. 

Figure 3 shows the distribution of power and signals to and from the autopilot 

and subsystems.

Figure 4 - Spektre Electrical System Diagram
20 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Propulsion System

The Spektre is outfitted with four rotors for propulsion and control. Each rotor is 

driven by a 24-pole, 380Kv brushless electric motor. Motors are designed for 

long life and low maintenance. Radial bearings are ABEC-7 rated. Stators are 

constructed using 0.2mm silicon steel laminations and ultra-high temperature 

pure-copper windings. All windings are secured with a continuous Kevlar-tie wrap 

around all stator teeth. The magnet bell uses N40UH and N450UH Neodymium 

sintered-magnets, an upper magnet retaining ring, machined slots, and epoxy 

bonds to secure a permanent magnet connection. Additional motor specifications 

are listed in Table 5. 

Table 5 – Spektre Motor Specifications

Kv 380 

RPM/V Bearings Triple, 694ZZ/634ZZ

Continuous 

Current 36+ A Mount Pattern

4 x M4/3 x 25 mm, 3 x M3/2.5 x 

32 mm

Continuous 

Power 1065+ W Motor Weight 155 g (210 g with wires/bullets)

Maximum 

Efficiency >91% Propeller Size Up to 18”

Voltage Range 14.8 –

29.6 V

Motor 

Timing 22 – 30 deg

Io (210V) 0.6 A ESC PWM 

Rate 8-16 KHz

Rm (wind 

resistance) 0.075 Ohm Magnetic Poles 24

Figure 5 – Spektre Motor
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 21

Flight Control and Actuators

The Spektre is controlled via differential thrust of the four rotors using 

commanded rotor speed. Figure 5 shows the orientation and direction of rotation 

for each rotor in the “X” configuration. An electronic speed controller (ESC) is 

dedicated to each motor to apply power and change RPM as directed by the 

autopilot. 

Figure 6 - Spektre Motor/ Propeller Directions
22 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

The ESCs used on the Spektre feature dynamic PWM and motor advance timing 

algorithms and 490 Hz refresh rate for high-speed response to flight control 

commands. Critical components of the ESC are protected by two thermal-epoxy 

bonded aluminum heat sinks. Table 6 lists the specifications of the ESCs. 

Table 6 - Electronic Speed Controller Specifications

Refresh rate 600 Hz PWM Rate 16 KHz

Maximum 

Current

95 a (5s burst) Advance 

Timing

22-30 deg

Maximum Power 2790 W (5s burst) Weight 32 g (54g with 

wires/bullets)

Continuous 

Current

55+ A Power Leads 13 AWG, 200 deg C

Continuous 

Power

1625+ W Motor Leads 15 AWG, 200 deg C

Maximum 

Efficiency

>98% ESC Lead 22 AWG, 3-wire JR

Voltage Range 7.4 – 29.6 V Maximum 

RPM

240,000 RPM
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 23

Aircraft Payload

The Spektre can carry various cameras on an external 2 or 3-axis gimbal 

platform mounted beneath the center section. Figures 7 and 8 show examples of 

payload types. For instructions on a specific payload please see the operations 

checklist and manufacturer data. 

 Figure 7 – 3DR 36x Zoom EO Payload

 

 Figure 8 - 3DR IR/ EO Payload
24 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Mission Planner Software Overview/ Operation

Mission Planner Description

Mission planner (MP) is the command and control graphical user interface (GUI)

between the operator and the aircraft for running in a Windows environment. This 

software is used to plan autonomous missions, monitor aircraft health, 

dynamically re-task the aircraft in-flight and setup aircraft functionalities; e.g. 

failsafe’s, sensor calibration and camera configurations.

Figure 9 - Mission Planner Overview
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 25

Mission Planner Setup

Mission Planner is a free download that can be found at 

ardupilot.com/downloads/. The Downloads portion of the website is always 

updated with links to the latest download for your specific operating system. 

Once downloaded, navigate to the “Downloads” folder and extract the zipped file 

to the directory of your choice. 

1. Double click the MP installer executable and follow the steps through the 

installation process.

2. After installing MP, open the application.

3. Select the Config/ Tuning Page from the top-level menu and then select the 

“Planner” Tab on the left. 

Figure 10 - Mission Planner Configuration Window

4. Select the appropriate units of measurement for distance and speed for your 

area and air traffic control.

5. Check the “Enable Speech” box to enable audible alerts. 

6. Select the Flight Data page from the top-level menu. 
26 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

7. Right Click in the HUD and select “User Items” from the drop down box. 

8. Check the “Time in Air” box to add a flight timer into the HUD.

Figure 11 – Mission Planner Time in Air Selection 

9. The time in Air data field will then be populated as shown in figure 11.

Figure 12 - HUD showing Time in Air
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 27

Caching Map Data

Satellite imagery of the area you intend to fly is only available in the field if the 

user has cached the imagery for the area. This is accomplished from the 

Planning window found in the top-level menu.

1. Open the Planning Window

2. Ensure that an Internet connection is available and navigate the map to the 

area to be flown. 

3. Zoom in as far as possible until the area to be flown fills the entire screen.

4. Right click anywhere on the map and select “Map Tool” from the drop down.

5. Select the “Prefetch” option and answer yes to the next popup window.

Figure 13 - Caching Maps 
28 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

How to Plan a Mission

1. Connect the GCS/ Telemetry radio to an open USB port on the GCS 

computer.

2. Select the appropriate comm port from the communications drop down

located in the upper right hand corner of MP. This will typically be the only 

comm port available. 

3. Select a baud rate of 57600 from the drop down window to the right of the 

comm port drop down. 

4. Press the connect icon to the right of the baud rate drop down and MP will

then begin to connect and pull parameters from the autopilot.

 

Figure 14 - Mission Planner – Autopilot Communications
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 29

5. After the connection is complete the user can see information in the artificial 

horizon such as: battery voltage, altitude and indicated airspeed start to 

populate and change. 

Figure 15 - MP Heads up Display
30 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

6. Select the Planner window to begin planning an autonomous mission.

7. Set the “Default Alt” to your desired altitude of the flight plan. Keep in mind 

that the altitude for the waypoints are recorded in above ground level (AGL) 

relative to the altitude when the aircraft in armed.

8. Left click a location on the map where a waypoint or command point is to be. 

Continue to do this until all of the waypoints and command points for the 

mission are populated. 

9. Open the waypoint matrix window by selecting the double arrows on the right 

hand side of the waypoints bar, located below the map window. This is 

highlighted in figure 16.

10.Configure the waypoints and commands points as necessary and send the 

flight plan to the aircraft by selecting the “Write WPs” button.

11.You can verify that the WP’s were received by requesting the flight plan data 

from the aircraft by selecting the Read WP’s button. 

Figure 16 - Flight Planner Window
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 31

Setting Failsafes for the Mission

There are several failsafe settings available for multiple types of failure modes. 

System failsafe can be set from the Failsafes tab located in the Initial Setup 

window. A full description of failsafe conditions and events is described in tables 

9 through 14 under the Failsafe’s and Non-Normal Operations section of this 

manual.

Figure 17 - Failsafe Configuration Window
32 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

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3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 33

System Assembly and Setup

Aircraft Assembly

This section of the manual describes how to correctly assemble the Spektre 

aircraft in preparation for flight. The operator should always follow the prescribed 

preflight checklist before every flight.

The tools and hardware for aircraft assembly are described in Table 7.

Table 7 - Tools and Hardware Required for Aircraft Assembly

Quantity Description

1 Hand Operated Screwdriver for arm bolts

4 M3 x 40mm arm bolts

4 M3 Thumb Nuts

1. Inventory the aircraft and aircraft parts. The inventory sheet can be found in 

the lid of the aircraft case. 

Table 8 - Aircraft Inventory Sheet

Spektre Aircraft Inventory

Quantity Description

1 Spektre Aircraft

1 Aircraft Manufacturing and Data Log

1 Aircraft Flight Log

1 GCS/ Telemetry Radio

2 GCS/ Telemetry Radio Antenna

1 Radio Control Transmitter

1 Spektre Tool Kit

2. Remove the aircraft from the case by lifting up on the aircraft arms and slowly 

pulling the aircraft up. 

Warning

Loss of aircraft or injury to personnel or property can occur if these steps are not 

followed carefully.
34 SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 3D ROBOTICS, INC

Leg and Arm Assembly

1. Extend the aircraft legs until they are engaged into the leg mounts. 

Figure 18 - Aircraft Leg Assembly
3D ROBOTICS, INC SPEKTRE OPERATIONS MAN. – REV. A 35

2. Swing the aircraft arms out to where the arm bolt holes are aligned with the 

arm/ body plate mounting locations. 

3. Insert the four M3 x 40mm arm screws into the arm mounting locations until 

the heads are resting flush on the aircraft top shell. 

4. By hand, screw on the four M3 thumbnuts onto the arm bolts from the 

underside of the aircraft. 

5. Using the supplied screwdriver, tighten the arm bolts while holding the 

thumbnuts until the fastener is very secure. 

Figure 19 - Arm Bolt Installation