eMotion in-depth guide

• Advanced Instruments: This section displays the current internal temperature of the drone, the number of GPS signals detected and the estimated accuracy of the the position.

101Advanced functionalities



### 5.5 Setup Phase tab

The Setup Phase tab is used to define the setup phase of a flight plan. This phase includes the definition of the Home and Start waypoints and the actions to be taken before and after the mission phase of the flight plan. The Setup Phase tab is divided into the following sections:

• Take-off parameters: You can predefine a take-off heading and transition
102eMotion in-depth guide

altitude. To enable this feature, expand the ‘Take-off parameters’ box andcheck the ‘Activate directional take-off’ check box. A new arrow is now displayed on the map. This arrow defines the take-off heading, the drone will try to stay on the track defined by the arrow.

You can now grab the arrow on the map in order to modify the take-off heading. Furthermore you can also pre-set the take-off direction and the take-off transition altitude in the Setup Phase tab. Default value: Unchecked, Heading: 0 ◦ , Transition altitude: 20m/ATO Caution: Setting the take-off transition altitude too low may cause the drone to perform a change of direction too early and may result in a crash. Setting the take-off transition altitude too high may cause the drone to drift sideways after take-off if there is too much wind.

• Start waypoint: Here you set the position, change altitude parameter, altitude above take-off (m/ATO), turn direction and radius of the Start waypoint. You can set the location by clicking the button and clicking on the desired location in the Map Area.
103Advanced functionalities

Default values: Change altitude: During transit, Altitude: 75 m/ATO, Turn direction: anticlockwise, Radius: 30 m, Location: 80 m West of the position calculated from satellite signals on start-up
• After take-off: You can either command the drone to start the missionphase immediately after reaching the Start waypoint or to wait for a command from eMotion . This second option is useful if you want to modify the flight plan while the drone is already in flight, or if you want to resume an incomplete mission. Default value: Start mission
• After mission: Use this panel to select the action you wish the drone to execute once it completes the mission phase. The eBee can either automatically go to the Home waypoint and land, go to the Home or Start waypoint and wait for a command or to restart the mission phase. Default value: Land
• Home waypoint: Here you set the position, change altitude parameter, altitude (in m/ATO or m/AMSL if ‘Land at a different altitude than take-off’ is selected), turn direction and radius of the Home waypoint. You can set the location by clicking the button and clicking on the desired location in the Map Area. Default values: Change altitude: Keep highest, Altitude: 75 m/ATO, Turn direction: anticlockwise, Radius: 30 m, Location: position calculated from GPS signals on start-up
• Landing: With this panel you can choose between a Circular landing or a Linear landing on the Home waypoint. If you select ‘Linear landing’ the panel expands to show options on approach sectors. You can define up to four approach sectors, each of which has a heading and a span, either by dragging in the map area or by manually setting parameters in the panel. See section ‘ Linear landing ’ on page 72 for details how to correctly select the Home waypoint and approach sectors. Default value: Linear landing, Approach sectors: single sectorwith a Heading of 0 ◦ and Span of 20 ◦
104eMotion in-depth guide

• Landing location altitude: You can also configure the altitude of the landing location if it is different from the Take-off altitude. Expand the ‘Landing location altitude’ panel and select an altitude in m/AMSL or in m/ATO. It is also possible to predefine the landing altitude based on elevation data byclicking on the ‘Set absolute landing altitude based on elevation data’ button. This button will pre-set the altitude each time it is clicked (i.e. if the landing position is changed, the altitude is not automatically pre-set based on the Improved SRTM model, the user has to press the button each time that the landing position is changed). Default value: Landing location altitude: 0 m/ATO
• Setup phase reset: Pressing the ‘Reset all setup phase parameters’ will reset the Home and Start waypoints to the take-off location and reset the rest of the parameters on the tab to factory defaults. Clicking the ‘Reset all waypoints and photo targets’ will remove all the waypoints and photo targets in the currently loaded in the drone.
• Flight plan actions: A complete flight plan includes all the Setup phase(Start and Home waypoints, Take-off and Landing parameters, etc.), Mission phase (waypoints), Camera (camera model, photo targets, etc.) and Flight (working area radius and ceiling, Security actions, etc.) parameters.

– Reset flight plan resets the current flight plan to default parameters39
.

– Load flight plan from file... and Save flight plan to file... load and save the current flight plan (both setup and mission phases) to a XML file for later reuse.

– Click Save flight plan in drone to save the current flight plan to the eBee’s on-board memory. Once a flight plan is saved in the drone’s memory, itwill become the default flight plan the next time the drone is started and will appear in eMotion upon connection. The drone also keeps track of its last waypoint during a flight. If you have saved theflight plan to the drone in this way, it can resume an incomplete mission from the point it was interrupted. You can then, for example,
39 this action is only available when the drone is not in flight
105Advanced functionalitiesland mid-mission to change the drone’s battery or import images using the Flight Data Manager, then take off again and the drone will complete the mission from the point it left off. Note: To resume an incomplete mission, in the Start Waypoint panel on the Flight Setup tab, set the After take-off action to Wait on startwaypoint. Launch your drone, then when it reaches the Start waypoint, let it circle the waypoint once, then click RESUME MISSION on the Control Bar. Note: The drone will not resume a saved mission at the point it was interrupted if any changes have been made to the mission waypoints, or if the saved mission would cause the drone to leave the working area. Note: It is not necessary to save a flight to the autopilot in order to fly! This is an advanced option meant to reduce the preparation time required when the same flight is performed many times and allow interrupted missions to resume.

106eMotion in-depth guide



### 5.6 Mission Planning tab The Mission Planning tab is used to automatically define a set of waypoints based on a mission area and a set of image parameters. Clicking on this tab will make a grey box appear in the Map Area that represents the mission area to be mapped. You can modify this area’s location, size and rotation using the handles around it, as explained in section ‘The mission phase of a flight’ on page 24.

Note: The quality of the output orthomosaic is usually lower on the outer edges of the area that is photographed, as there is less overlap between images. The area photographed is thus always calculated to be bigger than the mission area selected so as to ensure maximum image overlap within the mission area itself. Note: If there is no flight plan overlaid on the mission area rectangle then the mission is too large and cannot be flown by the eBee. This can be for two reasons: either the distance between two waypoints is too long for the drone to cover in a single flight, or the waypoints are too far from the Take-off and landing locations.

107Advanced functionalities

The Mission Planning tab is divided in several panels. The first panel, Mapping and mission parameters, contains the parameters that define the requirements of a particular mission:

• Difficult terrain: Clicking this button will fill in preset values to the rest of the parameters. The Difficult terrain preset is meant for imaging terrain with complexfeatures such asforests. High image overlap is recommended to increase the amount of features that can be matched between images, though at the cost of lower image resolution (due to higher altitude).
• Easy terrain(default): This preset is meant for simple terrain such as quarries or agricultural areas where high-resolution images can be taken with
108eMotion in-depth guide

relatively low image overlap.
Note: The preset values are recommended settings that have demonstrated good results when images are then used in Postflight Terra 3D to create orthomosaics. Do not hesitate, however, to modify these parameters to suit the particularities of the terrain you are mapping or the local regulations and airspace constraints.

• Mission area: You can select either a rectangular mission area for simple terrain (as described in section ‘The mission phase of a flight’ on page 24) or a polygonal mission area for more complex terrain (as described in section
‘Advanced polygonal mission area ’ on page 62). Default value: Rectangular

• Ground resolution: The target ground resolution to be achieved, expressedin centimetres per pixel. This parameter is directly linked to the flight altitude: a higher resolution (few cm/px) requires a lower altitude, while a lower resolution (many cm/px) requires a higher one. Default value: 4.0 cm/px

• Camera: The camera payload that is currently selected 40 . Make sure the correct camera model is set in the flight planner to correctly calculate the required flight line spacing and distance between photos.

• Desired altitude: The target altitude value is the desired altitude abovethe ground at which the drone will take images. It is automatically calculated based on the Ground resolution and the characteristics of the onboard camera.

40 see section ‘Camera tab’ on page 118 for details on changing the camera type
109Advanced functionalities

Note: eBee has a minimum distance between images that depends on wind strength and direction. The maximum longitudinal overlap depends on this minimum distance as well as the calculated altitude and the camera model. If the calculated altitude is too low the drone may not be able to achieve the required longitudinal overlap. This will be indicated by a icon. Flying at an altitude of less than 40 m is potentially dangerous and will be indicated by a icon.

• Use elevation data to set absolute waypoint altitudes: Checking thisbox will enable the flight planner to adjust the absolute altitudes of all mission waypoints based on elevation data. This advanced planning mode is described in detail in section ‘3D mission planning using elevation data ’ on page 63 . Default value: disabled
• Lateral overlap: The percentage of overlap between the ground coverageof pictures from adjacent flight lines. For most mapping purposes, a minimum of 50% is usually required. Higher coverage values may increase the mapping quality but will increase the flight duration. Default value: 60 %
• Longitudinal overlap: The percentage of overlap between the ground coverage of pictures taken consecutively in the same flight line. Default value: 70 %
• Generate perpendicular flight lines: Checking this box creates a second pass over the desired area perpendicular to the first pass. This option will significantly increase the overall image overlap and therefore improve the resulting map quality in Postflight Terra 3D. It is particularly useful for difficult terrain at the cost of doubling the required flight time. Default value: disabled
• Reverse flight direction: By default, the flight planner will design a flight in which the drone begins a mission at the farthest waypoint and finishes
110eMotion in-depth guide

closer to the Home waypoint. Checking this box reverses the order of the planned mission waypoints. Be cautious, however, to ensure that there is enough reserve battery to return to the Home waypoint at the end of the mission. Default value: disabled
• Save parameters as default: Clicking this button will save the current parameters of the Mission planning tab as the default ones in eMotion . The next panel contains advanced parameters used by the flight planner:

• Starting waypoint: The waypoint ID of the first waypoint used to implement the mapping mission, as organized in the Waypoint list in the Mission Waypoints tab. This option is useful when including more than one missionarea into a single flight. The default valuefor a new mission is 1. When planning for a second area to be covered in the same flight, the ‘After previous’ button sets the starting waypoint after the waypoints used for the previous area. Default value: 1
• Wind estimate: The estimated wind speed and direction. Incorrectly setting the windspeed affects the estimated flight time of the eBee and maycause it to return to Home before completing the desired flight plan. Clicking the ‘Use current wind estimate’ button will copy the wind speed currently estimated by the drone to the Wind estimate field. Default value: direction: 0 ◦ , speed: 0 m/s
• Max flight time: This parameter sets the maximum estimated flight time for a single flight. If the flight planner estimates a longer flight time for the currently-selected Mission area it will split the mission into two or more flights. Default value: 40 min The third panel, Mission plan actions, includes the ‘Upload’ button which is used to upload the resulting mission waypoints to the autopilot. If there are multiple

111Advanced functionalities

flights required this button becomes a drop-down list, and you can upload each flight individually. Caution: Clicking ‘Upload’ will directly modify the waypoints required for the flight plan in the eBee. If the drone is flying towards or around one of these waypoints, its navigation will be affected to reflect the new waypoint parameters. Clicking the ‘More’ button reveals several more options:

• Load mission area...: Click to load a previously-saved mission area and parameters from an Auto Flight Planner (.afp) file.

• Save mission area...: Click to save the current mission area and parameters to an Auto Flight Planner (.afp) file. This can be useful for example to map the same area with different image and mission parameters, or to save and restore a large mapping mission that requires multiple flights. Notethat this saves only the mission area shape and location along with the associated mission and image parameters, not the actual list of waypoints that is then generated or the camera payload model used to calculate the mission plan.

• Load last used mission area: Clicking will load the last mission area that was successfully uploaded to an eBee autopilot, whether itwas a real or simulated one. This option is useful when you want to repeat your last mission and did not explicitly use the ‘Save mission area...’ button.

• Load mission area from KML file: Use this option to load a polygonal mission area directly from a KML file (produced in Google Earth TM for example).

• Load mission area from map object: Use this option to load a polygonal mission area from a previously-imported map object (see section ‘Toolbar’ on page 90).

• Reset mission area: Clicking will reset the mission area to the default rectangular size and reposition it in the centre of the Map Area. It will also reset
112eMotion in-depth guide

all mapping and mission parameters to their last saved default values41
.

• Restore factory settings: Click to restore all the parameters of this tab to their default settings. The last panel of this tab displays the characteristics of the flight(s) resulting from the selected image parameters:

• Number of flights: The resulting number of flights that must be performed to cover the chosen mission area. If the mission area cannot be mapped in a single flight, eMotion will split it into the minimum possible number of flights. The estimated distance that can be covered in a flight is calculated assuming a fully charged battery and an accurate wind estimate.

• Flight time: This is the estimated flight time for each of the flights.

• Total flight distance: The total distance that will be flown during all of the flights.

• Total ground coverage: The total area that will be mapped during all of the flights.

• Number of flight lines: The total number of flight lines in the mission phase of the flight plan, not including flight lines to and from the Take-offor landing locations. The second number represents the flight lines perpendicular to the first number.

• Flight lines spacing: The required distance between parallel flight lines, calculated using the Lateral overlap and Ground resolution parameters.

41 Default values for mapping and mission parameters are set by clicking the ‘Save parameters as default’ button.
113Advanced functionalities

Note: If the flight line spacing is low enough to cause your drone to overshoot the beginning of a flight line, eMotion will automatically switch to an alternating flight line pattern. Your drone will fly along every other flight line, then return to fill in the gaps. If the spacing becomes too small even for an alternate flight lines, a will appear beside this parameter to indicate the warning. You can remove this warning by decreasing the Lateral overlap or the Ground resolution.

• Mean flight lines altitude above elevation data: Mean altitude difference between all flight lines and the ground altitude, based on the topmost elevation data layer (3D flight planning only).

• Max flight lines altitude above elevation data: Maximum altitude difference between a flight line and the ground altitude, based on the topmost elevation data layer (3D flight planning only).

• Min flight lines altitude above elevation data: Minimum altitude difference between a flight line and the ground altitude, based on the top-most elevation data layer (3D flight planning only).

• Distance between photos: The required distance between each consecutive photo taken in the same flight line, calculated using the Longitudinal overlap, Ground resolution and Camera model parameters. The wind also has an influence as the ground speed increases with back wind. Note: The eBee has a minimum distance between photos that depends on the wind speed and direction. If the calculated distance that is too short will be indicated with a icon. This is not critical for the flight, but it may reduce the longitudinal overlap of the images. Consider reducing the ground resolution (fly higher) to achieve the selected longitudinal overlap, or reduce the longitude overlap itself to remove this notice.

• Single image coverage: The estimated ground area covered by a single

114eMotion in-depth guide

image, based on the Altitude over take-off location parameter (assuming flat terrain).
• Number of waypoints: The total number of waypoints to cover the mission area.
• Elevation data sources: The elevation data sources being used to calculate the altitudes of the waypoints. This can be either the default ‘Improved SRTM’ within eMotion or imported custom data sets, depending on which one is activated and is at the top of the list in the ‘Elevation data’ Preference pane. The flight characteristics are updated automatically as you modify the mission area in the Map Area or the parameters in the first panel.

115Advanced functionalities



### 5.7 Mission Waypoints tab

The Mission Waypoints tab contains a list of all mission waypoints currently on the drone autopilot. It can be used for finer control of individual waypoints in the current mission. The list of waypoints displays the ID, Change altitude parameter, Altitude and Action related to each mission waypoint. Clicking on a mission waypoint in the list or in the Map Area will expand the panelto display all the parameters related to that waypoint. These parameters are explained in detail in section ‘Waypoints and their properties’ on page 58 . Changes made to the selected waypoint are sent to the drone immediately after selecting an item in the popup menu or upon hitting the ‘Enter’ key in the text fields. You can reposition the waypoint by clicking the button and then clicking at the desired position in the Map Area. You can make the selected waypoint the current waypoint by clicking the button.
116eMotion in-depth guide

Caution: Any change to the waypoints or their parameters are directly sent to the drone and may therefore impact its flight behaviour. We recommend that you take great care before modifying waypoints while the drone is in flight. You can add new waypoints by clicking the button or by right-clicking on the Map Area and selecting ‘Add waypoint here’. Clicking the button will remove all mission waypoints from the drone. Note: All modifications made to the waypoint list will be lost whenthe drone is switched off, unless the list is explicitly saved into the autopilot using the ‘Save flight plan in drone’ button in the Setup Phase tab (see Section ‘Setup Phase tab’ on page 102).

117Advanced functionalities



### 5.8 Camera tab

The camera tab is an advanced tab that can be used to precisely control the functioning of the camera. It also contains controls for taking oblique imagery. It is split into several sections: ‘Camera model’, ‘Photo targets’, ‘Camera control’, and ‘Camera parameters for mapping’.
118eMotion in-depth guide

The ‘Camera model’ section is used to define the camera or payload currently connected to the eBee. The list contains all payloads currently supported on the eBee. The ‘Photo targets’ section allows you to program a set of photo targets that the drone will capture with an oblique angle. You can define a photo target location, distance to the object and the heading and pitch of the photograph. The drone will then automatically calculate a flight plan in order to capture the photo with the desired parameters.

• Photo sequence control: Clicking the ‘Start sequence’ button will send the drone to the first photo target location and subsequently take images of all the photo targets currently in the ‘Photo targets’ list. Clicking the ‘Stop sequence’ will send the drone back to the Home waypoint.
• Photo targets: This panel contains the list of photo targets to be taken in a sequence. Clicking the button will add a new photo target. You can set the location by using the cross-hairs and clicking in the Map Area. By default, the location of a new photo target is the same as the previous one in the list. Clicking the will remove all photo targets from the sequence list. Each photo target has the following properties:

– Change altitude: The way the drone transitions to the altitude of the current photo target. This parameter is set to ‘Keep highest’ for all photo targets and cannot be modified.

– Minimum altitude after photo: This is the calculated minimum altitude the drone will reach at the end of a photo capture manoeuvre, based on the desired ground resolution.

– Ground resolution: The desired ground resolution in the centre of the image that will be pointed at the photo target position.

– Distance: The calculated straight-line distance between the droneand the photo target, and the defined pitch angle. For a given distance, as the pitch angle increases, the distance to the ground decreases.

– Heading: The heading angle with respect to North of the photo target.
119Advanced functionalities

– Pitch: The pitch angle with respect to vertical of the photo target.

– Altitude reference: The altitude reference of the photo target altitude, either ATO or AMSL.

– Target altitude: The altitude of the photo target.

– Position(Coordinate): The precise latitude and longitude of the centre of the waypoint.
• New photo target increment: This panel makes it easier to make a series of oblique photos of the same target with a regular angle increment in order to aid reconstruction of a 3D model. Every new Photo target that is added using the button will be placed at the same location as the previous one, but with an increment in heading and pitch angles defined by the ‘Heading increment’ and ‘Pitch increment’ parameters, respectively. Default value: Heading increment: 0 ◦ , Pitch increment: 0 ◦
• Automatically reset target altitude based on elevation data: Check this box to use elevation data to set the absolute photo target altitudes.If this box is unchecked, photo targets are presumed to be at the same altitude as the take-off location. Default value: disabled The ‘Camera control’ section has the following functions:

• Take photo now: Clicking this button will send a command to the drone to take a single picture at its current location. This command can be sent during the mission phase of a flight plan. Note: The ‘Take photo now’ button has no effect during Take-off, Circular landing, Linear landing and Emergency landing modes.

• Continuous photo sequence: These radio buttons define how the drone is taking images. When the default option ‘Auto’ is selected the drone will start and stop continuous photo shooting based on the actions associated
120eMotion in-depth guide

with mission waypoints. Selecting ‘On’ overrides waypoint actions and enables continuous shooting. Conversely, selecting ‘Off’ will override waypoint actions and disable continuous shooting. Default value: AutoThe ‘Camera parameters for mapping’ section is used to define detailed parameters related to the camera and has the following functions:

• Pitch angle: By default the eBee takes images at a default estimated pitch angle of 7 ◦ relative to the horizon. This angle provides the best compromise between image quality and flight endurance. In some cases, however, you may wish to change this value to suit your imaging needs. Increasing this angle to 15 ◦ provides a slightly more perspective view of a building. Note, however, that a higher pitch angle will cause the drone to slow down every time it takes an image, losing altitude and decreasing flight time and longitudinal overlap. Decrease the pitch angle down to 0 ◦ can capture more vertical images of the ground if mapping precision at low altitudes is of utmost importance. However, decreasing this angle will cause the drone to lose altitude with each image taken, requiring it to return to the target altitude before taking another image, once again decreasing both flight time and longitudinal overlap between images. Default value: 7 ◦
• Distance between photos: Check the ‘Use manual parameters’ box to manually set the distance between photos in the direction of flight. This option may be used to override the automatic settings based on altitude and longitudinal overlap. Default value: Unchecked, Distance between photos: Automatic Note: Depending on the altitude and the wind the desired distancebetween images may not always be achievable. The minimum distance with no wind and at sea level is around 35-40 m.

121Advanced functionalities

Clicking the button will provide further options:

• Save parameters as default in drone: Saves the currently-set camera parameters to the eBee’s autopilot’s memory.
• Restore factory parameters: Returns the parameters to their default values and automatically send them to the drone’s autopilot.

122eMotion in-depth guide



### 5.9 Flight Parameters tab

The Flight Parameters tab includes some advancedfunctions that govern the overall behaviour of the drone while in flight. It is separated into two sections: ‘Flight parameters’ and ‘General information’. The ‘Flight parameters’ section includes the following items:

• Working area radius: This is the radius of the working area around the take-off location. Flying outside of this area will create a warning and cause the drone to return to the Home waypoint. Default value: 500 m
• Working area ceiling: This is the maximum altitude above the take-off location at which the drone can fly. Flying above this altitude will create a warning and cause the drone to return to the Home waypoint. Default value: 300 m/ATO
123Advanced functionalities

• Manual control mode: Selects between Full Manual control and Assisted Manual control when the remote control is turned on 42
. Default value: Full Manual control
• Security actions: The next checkboxes are used to disable certain Security actions43
. • Ignore RC signals: Checking this option will result in the drone ignoring any signals coming from a remote control (RC) transmitter on the ground. Default value: unchecked Caution: In certain regions it is illegal to disable the remote control connection between the drone and the operator on the ground. Please check the laws in your region before enabling this option.

• Return to Home in case of strong wind: Checking this box will enable the Security action related to high wind strength (return to Home waypoint). Un-checking this box will disable the Security action, however the drone will continue to estimate the wind strength and direction and the In-flight warning will continue to appear. Default value: checked Caution: The eBee is not designed to fly in winds above 12 m/s. Flying in high-wind conditions increases the chances of a crash that may damage the drone and is done at your own risk.

• Return to Home in case of poor GPS coverage: Checking this box will enable the Security action (return to Home waypoint) related to poor GPSsignal coverage. Un-checking this box will disable the Security action, however the In-flight warning will continue to appear. Default value: checked 42 see section ‘ Manual control of the eBee’ on page 127 for more information 43 see section ‘ In-flight warnings’ on page 151 for more information on Security actions related to specific In-flight warnings
124eMotion in-depth guide

• Return to Home in case of camera malfunction: Checking this box will enable the Security action (return to Home waypoint) related to a cameramalfunction. Un-checking this box will disable the Security action, however the In-flight warning will continue to appear. Default value: checked
• Return to Home after 30s in case of link loss: Checking this box will enable In-flight warnings and Security actions related to a loss of the communications uplink between eMotion and the drone (return to Home after 30 s of link loss). Un-checking this box disables both the In-flight warning and the Security action and will result in the drone continuing on its flight path even if it does not re-connect with eMotion . Default value: unchecked
• Climb in case of detected ground proximity (<30 m): The eBee features a ground sensor that continuously checks the presence of the ground. If this box is checked and the ground sensor detects a height above theground of less than 30 m, the drone will climb to a safe height of 60 m before continuing the mission. Default value: checked
• Use ground sensor for landing: The eBee uses its ground sensor togetherwith its estimate of the wind speed during its landing manoeuvre to calculate the ideal moment to perform a final brake and enter deep stall. If thisbox is unchecked the drone will ignore the ground sensor during its approach and will assume that the landing location is precisely at the same altitude as indicated in eMotion . This will result in a landing precision that is decreased and dependent on the strength of the wind. Default value: checked Note: Un-checking this feature is only recommended when performing a linear landing in uneven terrain where the height measured bythe ground sensor during approach would imply an undesired approach slope correction.

125Advanced functionalities

Clicking the ‘More’ list will provide further options:

• Save parameters as default in drone: Saves the currently-set flight parameters to the eBee’s autopilot’s memory.
• Restore factory parameters: Returns the flight parameters to their default values and automatically sends them to the drone’s autopilot. The ‘General information’ section displays information specific to your eBee. This includes the current firmware and bootloader versions loaded into the autopilot, the serial numbers of the airframe and the autopilot, the total number of flights performed by drone and the total time spent in the air. Note: The flight counter is incremented every time the take-off procedure is initiated by shaking the eBee back and forth 3 times, even if take-off is subsequently aborted. Clicking ‘View flight database...’ will bring up a window that presents a summary of all the flights performed by the drone using this computer.

126Manual control of the eBee 

## 6 Manual control of the eBee
Goal of this section: This section describes how to use the remotecontrol to manually control the drone, either in Full Manual or Assisted Manual modes. Caution: Operation of the eBee in either Assisted or Full Manual mode requires the skills of an experienced RC aircraft pilot.SenseFly Ltd cannot be held responsible for damage caused by manual control of the drone. Any damaged caused by manual control of the drone will void the warranty.


### 6.1 Enabling manual control By default, the eBee flies autonomously and does not need the provided remote control to be operated. However, by using the remote control, it is possible to override the drone’s autopilot by switching to one of two available manual modes: Full Manual or Assisted Manual. In Full Manual mode the sticks of the remote control directly set the motor power and the angle of the ailerons of the drone. In Assisted Manual mode the sticks of the remote control are used to set the speed, turn rate and climb or sink rate. Note: Ensure that the ‘Ignore RC signals’ option in the Flight Parameters tab is unchecked 44, otherwise the drone will ignore the commands from the remote control and remain in autonomous operation mode. Turning on the remote control will cause the drone to change to either Assisted Manual or Full Manual mode, depending on the ‘Enable assisted manual control’ setting in the Flight Parameters tab45 of eMotion . Turning off the remote control will cause the drone to return to the last autonomous operation mode it was in

45 see section ‘ Flight Parameters tab’ on page 123 for more details on this setting
127Advanced functionalities

before Manual mode was enabled. Caution: We recommend that you only turn the remote control on when it is held by a pilot ready to take manual control of the drone, and that you turn it off when putting the remote control down. Manual control of the eBee can be achieved at any time if the drone is within range of the remote46
.

Caution: The remote control is preconfigured for use with the eBee. In particular, the trim dials, used to finely adjust the position of the drone’s ailerons, are calibrated to ensure optimal flight characteristicsand should not be adjusted. Changing the remote control’s configuration, including the trim settings, may compromise the flight characteristics of the drone. If, for any reason, the preset settings should be lost, contact your eBee reseller.

46 see section ‘ Drone specifications’ on page 171 for the range of the remote control
128Manual control of the eBee



### 6.2 Pre-flight testing of the remote control If you plan to use the remote control during a flight we recommend that you first test it on the ground. Ensure that the eBee is set to Full Manual mode47 and follow these steps: 1. Check that the left stick on the remote control is in the low position to prevent the propeller from spinning. 2. Turn on the remote control. 3. Turn on the eBee by connecting the battery. Once the drone detects the signal from the remote control it will change to one of the manual modes.
Caution: The motor of the eBee is now controlled by the remote control and will begin spinning if the left stick is pushed up. Always keep the area around the propeller clear of obstacles and body parts to prevent injury.
4. Move the right stick on the remote control to verify proper reception by the drone and correct servo direction. 5. Turn off the remote control for take-off. Note: If the remote control is switched on while it is performing preflight checks the ailerons will not move when the checks are completed and the GPS signals are acquired.For more information on using the remote control, refer to the original user manual, available from the Knowledge Base within my.senseFly48
.
47 see section ‘ Enabling manual control ’ on page 127 48 http://my.sensefly.com
129Advanced functionalities



### 6.3 Full Manual mode Full Manual mode allows you to have direct control over the eBee’s actuators, overriding all control from the on-board autopilot. The left stick controls the thrust. For safety reasons, the left stick should remain at the lowest position at all times, except during flight. The right stick controls the elevator and the ailerons in the same way as a typical aircraft control stick (or the joystick with a flight simulator). Note that the drone uses its ailerons to fulfil the functions of both ailerons and elevator in a classicalairplane. When the ailerons function in the same direction, they act as the elevator. When the function in opposite motion, they act as ailerons. We recommend you perform a standard take-off procedure in autonomous mode and only switch to Full Manual mode when the drone is in the air. If you wish to take-off in Full Manual mode, however, you must use the following steps: 1. Prepare the drone for flight as described in section ‘ Preparing the eBee for flight’ on page 30 while keeping the remote control turned off and the left stick at its lowest position. 2. Turn on the remote control. You now have manual control over the main thrust motor and the servo-motors. Caution: The motor of the drone is now controlled by the remote control and will begin spinning if the left stick is pushed up. Always keep the area around the propeller clear of obstacles and body parts to prevent injury. 3. Firmly grasp the eBee horizontally with level wings using both hands, one hand on the front of each wing. Shake the drone back and forth 3 times longitudinally (within approx. 3 seconds). The status LED will pulse blue while the drone’s autopilot performs a start-up sequence. As the motor is now controlled by the remote control, it will not begin spinning. Once the sequence is complete, the status LED will turn green (solid or blinking, depending on the angle at which you are holding the drone).
130Manual control of the eBee

Caution: Taking off without performing the motor power-up sequence will result in the eBee staying in Idle mode during the entire flight and is not recommended. The drone will no longer be able to enter automatic mode while in flight and must land using manual control. 4. The eBee is now ready for manual take-off. Orient yourself into the wind, and confirm that the take-off direction in front of you is free of obstacles. We recommend that you take off at full power and into the wind by setting the left stick to its highest position and releasing the drone when the status LED is solid green. 

### 6.4 Assisted Manual mode In Assisted Manual mode the sticks on the remote control set the desired speed, turn rate and climb or sink rate. These commands are then transferred to control signals for the individual actuators by the autopilot based on feedback from its sensors. This control scheme simplifies control of the eBee. Caution: Though it may be easier to fly the eBee manually when in Assisted Manual mode it remains dangerous and should be used with care. In particular, the pilot must still be aware of obstacles in the area, the altitude of the ground, the inversion of control commands when the drone is flying towards the pilot and the distance between the drone and the pilot. We recommend that you only try Assisted Manual mode when in a large open space with no obstacles and low wind. In this mode the left stick is used to set the desired speed of the eBee. Setting the left stick between 10% and 100% sets a desired speed between 10.5 and 20 m/s.Setting the stick below 10% turns off the motor, allowing the drone to slowly descend in a glide. The drone may even engage reverse thrust to limit its speed during descent. The right stick is used to set the direction of flight of the eBee. Moving the stick
131Advanced functionalities

left or right will set a left or right roll angle of up to 45 ◦ /s, respectively. Moving the stick down will set a climb rate of up to 3.5 m/s. Moving the stick up will set a sink rate of up to 3.5 m/s. Releasing the right stick at any point will return the drone to a straight flight path at a constant altitude. It is not possible to take-off in Assisted Manual mode. You may only switch to Assisted Manual mode after completing the standard take-off procedure49
. Caution: There is no clear indication during the take-off procedure that the eBee will change to Assisted Manual mode rather than Circle Start Waypoint mode after the take-off transition altitude is reached 50. For this reason we recommend that you do not turn on the remote control unless you are ready to manually control the drone right after take-off. To perform a manual landing we recommend the following procedure: 1. The drone should always perform a linear landings into the wind. Face the downwind direction and confirm that there are no obstacles in an area of atleast 100 m downwind and a width of 20 m in either direction from downwind. 2. Set the drone to an altitude of around 50 m from the landing altitude by moving the right stick up or down. 3. Fly downwind until the drone is around 100 m away from the landing location. 4. Turn the drone upwind and towards the landing location by moving the right stick left or right. 5. Set the speed to a low value by moving the left stick down to around 25% of its maximum value. 6. Bring the drone closer to the ground by controlling the sink rate with the right stick. Keep the drone descending until it is around 5-10 m from the ground.
49 as described in section ‘Take-off ’ on page 43
132Manual control of the eBee

7. Once the drone is around 5-10 mfrom the landing location, cut motor power using the left stick and allow the drone to glide down to the ground.

133

## Part III



# Maintenance, Repair and TroubleshootingMaintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting 

## 7 Maintenance and repair of the eBee
Goal of this section: This section describes how to update accompanying software and on-board firmware, keep your drone in goodworking condition and perform small repairs such as cracks in the airframe.


### 7.1 Updating the eBee software Occasionally, senseFly Ltd releases a software upgrade for the eBee to provide additional features to our users or to correct potential issues. As of version 2.0.2, eMotion will check for new versions during start-up51 and will display a message with update instructions if a new version is available. We recommend, however, that you check my.senseFly52 regularly for updates to ensure you have the latest version of the software. Caution: We are constantly working to improve the performance of our products and we are dedicated to providing our customers withthe newest software as soon as it becomes available. Since the highest level of flight safety can only be achieved with the latest software release, senseFly Ltd can only offer warranty service for products that have been properly updated. To upgrade eMotion or Postflight Terra 3D to the latest version, download the installer from my.senseFly and follow the standard install procedure (see section ‘ Installing eMotion, Postflight Terra 3D, and the ground modem drivers’ on page 20). It is not necessary to uninstall previous version of eMotion before installing the new one. Every version of eMotion is packaged with an accompanying firmware revision which must be installed on the drone before it can be used. To upgrade the firmware

51 provided that there is an internet connection 52 http://my.sensefly.com
136Maintenance and repair of the eBee

of the eBee follow these steps:
1. Connect the battery to the drone. 2. Connect the USB cable between the computer on which you installed eMotion and the autopilot of the eBee as shown in the figure. The connector is beside the camera connector and is marked with a icon. The status LED will turn white as soon as you connect the cable. 3. Launch eMotion53
.

4. In eMotion, click the icon and select ‘Updater eBee...’. 5. Click ‘Update’ to begin the updating process. Wait until the process is complete, which is indicated by the text ‘File downloaded successfully’.

53 you can also update without launching eMotion using the separate Updater eBee program in the Windows Start or Apps menu
137Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Note: You may need to install a driver the first time you upgrade your firmware. The driver will be installed automatically but may cause the firmware update to fail. If this is the case, retry the update process by clicking ‘Update’ again, without disconnecting the battery or cable from the drone or closing the ‘Updater eBee’ program.
6. Disconnect the USB cable and the battery. It is important that both the drone and eMotion have the same software version for them to work properly together. Make sure that you keep both up-to-date. To check which version of eMotion you have installed, use the ‘About eMotion...’ item in the ‘Window’ menu. The eBee firmware version can be seen in the Flight Parameters tab once connected (see section ‘ Flight Parameters tab’ on page 123 ). 

### 7.2 Cleaning and storage Use a damp cloth to wipe off dirt from the eBee. In order to avoid structural deformation of the wing, it is recommended to store the drone either in its transport case or on a flat surface at room temperature. Caution: Never bring the eBee into direct contact with water, as this may damage the electronics within the drone airframe.

138Maintenance and repair of the eBee



### 7.3 Full airframe and sensor inspection Beyond the general airframe inspection that is performed before every flight, we recommend that you perform a full airframe and sensor inspection regularly to keep your drone in good operating condition. Caution: The autopilot, sensors and actuators within the Central Body of the eBee are specially calibrated and should only be modified by your eBee reseller. Opening the Central Body of the eBee will void the warranty. The inspection includes the following checks: Check 1: Motor and Servos The eBee uses a brushless DC motor to turn its propeller and generate thrust. The servos are the two actuators connected through a servo connection mechanism to both ailerons. Damaged actuators can prevent the drone from flying correctly and thus it is important to ensure their proper functioning.

To check the actuators, follow these steps: 1. The motor must be clean and spin smoothly without friction to function
139Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

correctly. Ensure that there is no sand or other obstructions within the motor. If there is something blocking the motor from spinning smoothly blow some air through the motor to dislodge the obstruction. 2. Make sure the left stick of the remote control is all the way down to keep the motor off

54. Place the eBee at the edge of a flat surface and keep the area around the propeller clear. Caution: The propeller on the eBee spins at high speeds and can cause deep cuts if it comes into contact with exposed skin. Always wear gloves and glasses when any work is done requiring the battery to be connected to the drone. 3. Switch the drone on by connecting the battery. 4. Connect to eMotion . Ensure that ‘Manual control mode’ is set to ‘Full Manual control’ and that the ‘Ignore RC signals’ setting is not checked 55
. 5. Switch the remote control on. 6. Move the right stick on the remote control and check the aileron motion. The ailerons must smoothly and quickly follow the stick. When the stick is not moved, the ailerons must stay still. When travelling from one end to the other, fast or slow, the ailerons must smoothly follow without twitching. 7. Hold down the drone against the flat surface with one hand to prevent it from moving. Gently move the left stick on the remote control to spin up the motor and propeller. The motor should run smoothly without making excessive noise. 8. When done, switch the remote control off. In case of doubt, take a short video and follow the instructions in section ‘ Reporting a problem with your eBee’ on page 168 for advice.
54 see section ‘ Manual control of the eBee’ on page 127 for details on using the remote control 55 see section ‘ Flight Parameters tab’ on page 123 for more details on these settings
140Maintenance and repair of the eBee

Check 2: Inertial sensorsThe inertial sensors are used by the autopilot to compute the attitude (i.e. its orientation in space) of the drone. The attitude is displayed by the artificial horizon in the Flight Monitoring tab of eMotion . To check the inertial sensors, follow these steps: 1. Switch the eBee on by connecting the battery and connect to eMotion . 2. Put the drone on a flat surface (typically an office floor) and check that the artificial horizon is level. 3. Take the drone with your hand and put it in different orientation. Make sure that the artificial horizon displays the corresponding orientation. The artificial horizon should follow smoothly the motion of the eBee and it should not drift when the drone is not moving. In case of doubt, take a short video and follow the instructions in section ‘ Reporting a problem with your eBee’ on page 168 for advice. Check 3: Barometric pressure sensor The barometric pressure sensor is used to measure the altitude from the take-off location. To check it, follow these steps: 1. Switch the eBee on by connecting the battery and connect to eMotion . 2. Move the drone from your feet to above your head (about 2 m altitude variation). 3. Check the altitude on the vertical bar right of the artificial horizon or in the Status Panel next to the drone icon on the map). The displayed altitude should follow the drone motion, i.e. if the drone is raised by 2 m, the altitude reading should increase by about 2 m. When the drone is not moving, the altitude reading may slowly drift by up to ±10 m. Check 4: Air speed sensor The air speed sensor is connected to the pitot probe by a pair of tubes. To check it, follow these steps:

141Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

1. Visually check the pitot probe. Make sure that it is properly fixed to the airframe and that both tubes are properly attached and not damaged). The holes in the probe must be clear and free of dirt or other small obstructions. 2. Switch the drone on by connecting the battery and connect to eMotion . 3. Gently blow into the front opening of the pitot tube from a distance ofaround 5 cm. The airflow direction should match the natural flow experienced in flight. 4. Check the air speed displayed on the vertical bar left of the artificial horizon. At rest, the displayed air speed should be close to zero (it may drift up to about 2 m/s). When blowing in the pitot probe there should be an air speed indicated in the ‘Flight Monitoring’ tab of eMotion that should easily reach values above 8 m/s. Check 5: Ground sensorThe ground sensor is composed of a high-speed optical sensor and a lens assembly. The lens assembly must be clean and unobstructed for the sensor to work correctly. 

### 7.4 Repairing the eBee airframe Small repairs of cracks in the airframe can be done using contact glue such as UHU® POR glue. Take care to use only contact glues that are specifically designed for Expanded Polypropylene (EPP). If you have doubts about the extent of the damage, always contact your eBee reseller to verify if the damage can be easily repaired by yourself or if you need to send your drone in for repair to. Caution: Never fly your eBee if it has cracks in the airframe.


### 7.5 Proper battery care Proper care of your eBee’s battery is important to prevent damage to your drone and to maximize flight time. With a fully charged battery, the drone will fly for
142Maintenance and repair of the eBee

about 45 minutes. Frequent altitude changes, presence of wind, use of old batteries and/or frequent photo acquisition may significantly reduce the flight endurance. Batteries perform better at medium or high air temperature and it is normal to observe shorter flight times in cold weather. The eBee is powered by a Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery composed of three cells connected in series. A single LiPo cell can have a range between 3 V (empty) and 4.2 V (full) in its normal operating range. This results in an empty battery voltage of 9 V and a fully-charged battery voltage of 12.6 V. A well-balanced and healthybattery should have all three cells at a voltage very close to each other and between 3 and 4.2 V. The charger delivered with your drone automatically checks for healthy voltages of all three cells and only attempts charging if they are within limits. If the cells are out of balance, the charger will take care of balancing them. If the charger detects a voltage outside of the allowable range it will indicate an error either by flashing the status LED red, or by the LED staying off. This means that the battery is over-discharged and should be discarded. Caution: The batteries delivered with your drone are designed to be charged with the charger delivered with your eBee. senseFly Ltd cannot be held responsible for any consequences resulting from usinga different charger. In particular, using a charger improperly configured or designed for other types of batteries may lead the battery pack to be permanently damaged or to catch on fire. LiPo batteries do not exhibit any memory effect. We recommend that you always fully charge them after use even when they are only partially discharged. When not using the battery store it in the carrying case provided with your drone. Avoid leaving the battery in direct sunlight.

143Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Caution: If any of the cells of your battery pack are overly discharged the battery may be irreversibly damaged and becomes dangerous to charge. If the battery grows beyond its regular size or if any of the cells are punctured it is also likely damaged and should be discarded. Forcefully charging a damaged battery may lead it to take fire. Do not attempt to charge an over-discharged or damaged battery. Dispose of the battery safely.

144Troubleshooting 

## 8 Troubleshooting
Goal of this section: This section describes the various error messages that may be displayed during start-up or while the eBee is in flight and provides some tips on solving the simplest problems. In the case of a more serious problem, this section describes how to prepare the required data on the problem and report it to your eBee reseller. The eBee can generate several types of error messages depending on its flight mode. Some of these messages are minor and simply need to be acknowledged through eMotion, whereas others require more specific action from the user. As long as the drone is connected to eMotion, error messageswill appear in the Status Panel in the Map Area, as well as in the Drone Status panel of the Flight Monitoring tab.

Error messages are divided into four categories: Pre-flight errors, Take-off vetoes, In-flight warnings and Critical failures.
145Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting



### 8.1 Pre-flight errors As soon as the battery is connected to the drone it performs a series of pre-flight checks to thoroughly test its on-board systems. The start-up process is described in detail in section ‘ Preparing the eBee for flight’ on page 30 . If an error occurs during these pre-flight checks the status LED will blink red and a description of the error will appear in eMotion . In most cases, re-connecting the battery will suffice to remove the error. Table 3 presents all the Pre-flight errors that may occur and possible actions to fix the error. If the problem is related to the firmware in the on-board autopilot, try re-loading the firmware using instructions in section
‘ Updating the eBee software’ on page 136 . If an error persists after reconnecting the battery several times we recommend you report the problem by following the instructions in section ‘ Reporting a problem with your eBee’ on page 168 . Table 3: Pre-flight errors eMotion text Description and User action Incorrect firmware detected There is an error with the current version of the

firmware in the eBee’s autopilot. User action: Re-load the correct firmware56
. Battery too low for take-off The battery level is too low to perform a take-off.

User action: Re-connect a fully-charged battery. Drone flight log memory full The memory card used to store the Drone flight log is

full. User action: Empty the memory card by following the instructions in section ‘ Importing images and flight data ’ on page 50 .

56 see section ‘ Updating the eBee software’ on page 136
146Troubleshooting

Pitot malfunction A high airspeed was detected while on the ground.

User action: Be sure to protect the drone from thewind and re-connect the battery. If the problem persists, perform Check 4 in section ‘ Full airframe and sensor inspection ’ on page 139 . If this does not solve the problem contact your eBee reseller. High current A too high current was detected, which may be

caused by an internal problem. User action: Re-connect the battery. If the problem occurs twice, contact your eBee reseller. Magnetometer malfunction There is an error with the drone’s magnetic field sensor. User action: Re-connect the battery. If the problem persists, contact your eBee reseller. EEPROM malfunction There is an error with the memory chip of the drone’s

autopilot. User action: Re-connect the battery. If the problem persists, contact your eBee reseller. Barometer malfunction There is an error with the drone’s barometer.

User action: Be sure to place the drone on a flat surface, reconnect the battery and do not move the drone until pre-flight checks are complete. If the problem persists, perform Check 3 in section ‘ Full airframe and sensor inspection ’ on page 139 . If this does not solve the problem contact your eBee reseller.

147Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

De-calibrated INS or Attitude malfunction The orientation sensors were not calibrated correctly.

User action: Be sure to place the drone on a flat surface, reconnect the battery and do not move the drone until pre-flight checks are complete. If the problem persists, perform Check 2 in section ‘ Full airframe and sensor inspection ’ on page 139 . If this does not solve the problem contact your eBee reseller. Ground sensor malfunction There is an error with the drone’s ground sensor.

User action: Ensure that the ground sensor on thebottom of the drone is clear of debris and is not damaged, then re-connect the battery. If the problem persists, perform Check 4 in section ‘ Full airframe and sensor inspection ’ on page 139 . If this does not solve the problem contact your eBee reseller. Invalid flight controller gains There is an error with the firmware in the drone’s autopilot. User action: Re-connect the battery. If the problem persists, contact your eBee reseller.

148Troubleshooting



### 8.2 Take-off vetoes After successfully completing pre-flight checks the status LED becomes a solid green to indicate that the drone is ready for take-off. At this point the eBee continues to monitor its sensors and battery level. If at any point the drone detects a condition that prevents it from beginning the automatic take-off procedure it displays a Take-off veto in eMotion and the status LED changes to a blue pulse. Once the Take-off veto is cleared the status LED returns to a solid green colour to indicate that the drone is ready for take-off. Table 4 on the next page presents all the Take-off vetoes that may occur and possible actions to remove the veto. If a veto persists after performing the suggested action, we recommend you report the problem by following the instructions in section ‘ Reporting a problem with your eBee’ on page 168 .

149Maintenance, Repair and Troubleshooting

Table 4: Take-off vetos eMotion text Description and User action Drone not horizontal (roll or pitch) The eBee must be held horizontally with level wings

to initiate take-off. User action: Hold the drone horizontally. Motor is blocked Excessive current was detected from the motor.

User action: Check that the propeller is mounted correctly and that the motor is freely turning and try the take-off procedure again. Battery too low for take-off The drone requires a fully-charged battery for the

take-off procedure. User action: Change the battery. Wings not detected The drone’s wings are not attached correctly or the

wing struts are damaged. User action: Ensure that the wings are fully inserted into the main body and that the wing struts are not damaged, as described in section ‘ Preparing the eBee for flight’ on page 30 . USB cable detected The eBee has detected a USB cable connected to the

drone’s autopilot. User action: Remove the USB cable before take-off.

150