Instruction manual - International edition

Rev 0.9 - Jan 2015 (Preliminary)

‘Living Manual’

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Living Manual

Note that this manual is ImmersionRC’s first trial run of a ‘living manual’.

Instead of downloading a static PDF file, the manual is an online document which reflects

edits, additions, and corrections as they happen.

The Living Manual also allows readers to add their comments, which editors can use to refine

the documentation.

Confused by part of the build? Wishing for a better explanation of part of the build? Leave a

note and the editors will listen.

Overview

The XuGong v2/Pro quadcopter is the successor to ImmersionRC’s XuGong v1, the first

commercially available foldable quadcopter.

The addition of an integrated brushless gimbal, a comprehensive onboard electronics board,

and a host of other new features make this a quantum leap up from the original platform, and

the ideal FPVers quadcopter to take with you on a trip or vacation.

Key features include:

● Compact Foldable Design

● 2 axis brushless gimbal for GoPro Hero 3/4

● Lightweight frame with > 20 minute flight times

● Built-in OSD, with multicopter enhancements

● Single-cable link to the EzUHF Rx, with full uplink status

● Carbon fiber frame, CNC milled aluminium arms

● Integrated telemetry down-link.

● USB port for future upgrades

● Live stream from GoPro

● Flight camera (backup camera)

● GPS data picked off the DJI NAZA (no need of an extra GPS unit)

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Package Contents, v2/Pro

Power Distribution board, including:

- OSD

- Camera switch

- GoPro Power Supply (5.0 V)

- GPS Interface

- Current/Voltage Sensor

- PPM in/out

1.5mm Matte Carbon Fibre frame

plates, 8 pieces.

Countersunk M4 Aluminium screws

and matching nyloc nuts.

4 pairs.

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T-Nut parts, 12 sets of:

- M3x8mm aluminium screw

- M3 nyloc nut

- Plastic retainer

Arm Assembly, including:

- 4x Outer arms, with installed

thrust bearings.

- 1x Inner spider

- 4x Arm locking buttons

- 4x Arm locking springs

- 4x M4 recessed washers.

- 4x White teflon washers

Rubber parts:

- 8x Anti-vibration dampers

- 4x feet

Anti-vibration damper security locks,

2 sets.

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Bag of spare parts containing:

- 2x Dampers

- 2x Sets of damper retainers

- 2x Feet

- 4x Arm locking springs

- 4x Arms locking buttons

PPM in/out cables

NAZA GPS Pickoff cable

Note: this cable must be connected

directly to the NAZA GPS. Connecting

it between NAZA PMU and NAZA

won’t work.

GoPro cable

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FlightCam cable

Note: this is a picture of the "first

batch" cables. The correct ones have

the black in the middle.(the cable is

OK and can be used unchanged with

FatShark 600/700 tvl CMOS)

VTx video/audio cable

VTx power cable

Package Contents, Gimbal (Optional)

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2-Axis brushless gimbal.

Note: package ships with a DJI

Phantom mount, which is not

required for use on a XuGong

but you must keep it as it is

required to upgrade the gimbal.

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Preparation

Before starting assembly of the XuGong it is highly recommended to wash the carbon fibre

parts in water, to remove any fibres which might remain after the production process.

These plates are pre-washed in the factory, but a second washing after shipping is

recommended.

Dry the plates completely before starting assembly.

Step #1: Frame Assembly

The first step in the assembly of a XuGong v2/Pro is to assemble the carbon-fibre frame, and

mount the gimbal onto it.

Note: Unlike the v1 version of the quadcopter, the frame can be completed before the

electronics are installed. The larger hole above the flight controller, and the larger holes in the

bottom of the frame, allow electronics to be installed without removing frame plates.

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The frame is assembled using our custom ‘T-Nuts’. These consist of a plastic retaining part,

an aluminium ‘nyloc’ M3 nut, and an aluminium M3 bolt.

The nut may be inserted into the retainer, with the flat part of the nut facing the flat part of the

retainer.

This pair is then inserted into the ‘T’ hole in the first

plate, and the screw inserted through the hole in the

second plate.

The resulting structure is extremely strong, and will

easily survive even the most serious of crashes,

protecting the electronics that it houses.

Be careful with the orientation of the front

gimbal-bulkhead plate, which has two mounting

holes which line up with matching holes in the

back of the gimbal.

Pre-inserting all of the nut/retainer assemblies into all T-Nut slots in a part will speed up

assembly:

Tips: It’s also a good idea to insert the rubber feet on the bottom plate at this point. It can be

almost impossible to do it once the frame is assembled. Careful not to twist the rubber feet in

carbon plate as it will cut the rubber

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It is advisable to install the gimbal at this point, since the screws are a not easy to access

once the frame is assembled.

WARNING: when installing the gimbal make sure to use the screws that come with it.

Pay special attention to the ones used to mount the gimbal on the top plate (M2x5). Using

longer screws may cause electrical shorts.

Before completing the frame, it is highly advisable to mount the lower part of the Naza GPS

support, since screws must be installed from inside the frame.

WARNING: Never install the GPS mounting screws with the threaded end of the screw

in the battery compartment. Doing this would cause a fire when the LiPo battery is installed

in the compartment!

Install the screws with the domed head inside the compartment, and the threaded part, and

nut, on the outside of the frame.

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Step #2: Arm Assembly

The milled aluminium arms are the next thing to assemble. The outer arms are supplied with

the thrust bearing (the hinge parts) pre-assembled.

NOTE: It is highly recommended to avoid disassembling the bearing, since springs and

ball-bearings have a habit of launching themselves across the room.

NOTE: To prevent wearing out the thrust bearing and to avoid ‘squeaky’ noises when folding the

arms it is recommended to put a tiny bit of silicone grease on the ball bearings so that they are

lubricated and will not wear out the plastic parts. The use of any other grease is not

recommended as it often is acidic and will degrade the plastic over time.

Assembly of the ‘center spider’ to the outer arms is simple, install the thrust bearing part into

the center spider, add the red washer, install the M4 domed-head screw, and the nyloc nut.

NOTE: An additional small thin, white, M4 washer is included in the kit. This must be installed

between the head of the M4 domed-head screw, and the red washer. The washer prevents the

continuous rotation of the arms from unscrewing the screw.

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To assemble the arm locking lever, simply insert the spring into the hole in the outer arm, and

press the lever into place (a fair amount of force is needed, don’t worry, they don’t break

easily).

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Once the arms are complete, they can be attached to the central electronics plate (Power

Distribution Board) using the supplied M4 countersunk screws, and matching nyloc nuts.

Ensure that the swept-back arms (the front arms) are towards the front of the plate.

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Step #3: ESC Mounting

ESCs are mounted under the center section of the arms (the ‘center spider) using a high-bond

double-sided tape.

NOTE: Nylon ties, velcro straps, etc. cannot be used to mount the ESCs due to the fact that the

outer section of the arm folds over the inner section.

A heat-shrink tube may be used, assuming the tube is thin enough to allow the arms to fold.

Once the ESCs are mounted, their power cables may be cut to length, and soldered to the

power distribution board, using the solder points shown below:

The pads are arranged so that the coaxial power cables of the DJI E300 ESCs can be easily

soldered (the outer shield of the coax cable is cut back and soldered on the negative pad, and

the center conductor soldered onto the positive pad).

NOTE: Don’t be afraid to cut the ESC power cables as short as needed, they can always be

extended if the ESCs are to be transferred to another platform in the future.

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Step #4: Motor Mounting

The outer frame arms are designed for standard 2212-sized, 920kv brushless motors.

For motors which use self-tightening props (highly recommended), it is important to ensure

that the two clockwise, and two counter-clockwise motors are installed in the correct

locations.

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Three motors have been selected by the ImmersionRC team, and flown successfully for many

hours.

1) The motor from the DJI E300 motor/ESC set. This motor is easy to install using the

screws supplied in the E300 kit. Cables do need extending with these motors either by

soldering extension wires, or using the supplied extension cables.

2) The Tiger AirGear 350 motor/ESC set. Note that some of these motors ship with a

prop-shaft circlip which has long ‘teeth’ which can foul on the center hole of the arm.

To fix this, either change the circlips for a style without these teeth, or use a drill press

to make the hole in the outer arm slightly larger.

Cables do need extending with these motors either by soldering extension wires, or

using the supplied extension cables.

3) The custom Tiger AirGear 350 set supplied by ImmersionRC. These already have the

correct circlip installed, and the correct cable length for the XuGong (available shortly

from XuGong resellers).

Once the motor is installed, and cable extenders (if needed) are attached, it is a good idea to

‘braid’ the cables, for cosmetic, and functional reasons.

Since 95% of our demographics are male, plaiting skills are probably limited. A quick google

search will explain the technique. Alternatively, ask the wife/girlfriend/mother for help at this

point :-)

Last thing to note, ensure that the cables are the correct side of the arms to allow folding.

This means in front of the front arms, and behind the rear arms.

NOTE: As always when mounting brushless motors, ensure that the screws used are not too

long, and cannot damage the internal windings of the motor.

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Step #5: Electronics Installation

Once the frame, and arm/power board assemblies are complete, the next step is to start

installing the electronics.

The basic idea is the following:

1) Everything gets connected to the power board, including the flight controller, video tx

(but excluding the cameras)

2) The Naza GPS cable is inserted into the supplied pick-off cable, which is then in turn

connected to the GPS input of the Naza lite ( or the GPS input of the Naza PMUv2 on a

Naza v2). The 5-pin picoblade connector is then hooked to point 6​, shown below.

3) The flight controller is dropped through the hole in the top of the frame, and secured

(using double-sided foam tape and/or nylon ties) to the base of the frame. For recent

flight controllers with a seperate BEC, this is installed alongside the flight controller.

Note that in order for the cables in the rear of the Naza to clear the battery bulkhead,

ensure that the Naza is mounted as far forwards as it can go (clearing the ESC cables of

course). You may wish to connect as many of the flight controller cables as possible

before securing it into the frame, as once in place, attaching the cables can be quite

fiddly.

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Once all cables are connected, the power distribution board may be secured to the top frame

plate using the supplied red silicone dampers (Yes, this is a little tricky, but you are almost

done!)

The recommended location of the Vtx is behind the front left supporting plate, with the

antenna exiting through the supplied hole in the front bulkhead.

Why the left plate you ask... because if the antenna unscrews in flight for any reason, the

antenna will drop behind the gimbal, and not into the front-left prop.

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Instead of pointing the antenna to the top, you might consider pointing it down, clearing so the

obstruction created by the other elements when in flight. In this case you might rather

consider a straight Spironet antenna, bending it down.

All credits to RCSchim

If you don’t want to use the Naza GPS, you can connect a NMEA GPS​like a LS20031.

Please refer to the picture below for the GPS connector pinout:

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Note: 1 and 5 are connected to the same VCC.

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The Power Distribution Board connections

1) PPM Output to the Flight Controller (*)

2) PPM Input from the R/C Receiver (*)

3) i2c link to 8 channel EzUHF receivers (deprecated, replaced by UPSTAT)

4) Video Tx Power, full flight pack voltage

(NOTE: Do not attempt to power a DJI lightbridge from here... current draw is far too

high and will result in burned PCB traces)

5) Video Tx hookup (Video/Audio output, and 5V DC input for Flight Camera power)

6) GPS hookup (Use the supplied DJI Naza intercept cable to use the Naza GPS, it must

be directly connected to the Naza GPS).

7) FlightCam Input (Powered from the Video Tx)

8) GoPro/HD camera Input

9) USB Interface

10)Gimbal Connection

(*) 1 & 2 are interchangeable.

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Step #6: Flight Control and UHF Configuration

DJI Naza Configuration

The Naza should be configured following the instructions provided by DJI, and their

configuration tool.

For XuGong compatibility, ensure the following is configured:

1) PPM input mode (all channels down a single PPM cable)

2) Camera gimbal disabled (the XuGong gimbal is independent of the Flight Controller)

With a 5200 mAh 4S LiPo ( like the Multistar 4S 5200mAh ), set gain values to 100%:

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EzUHF Configuration

The single-cable PPM connection between the EzUHF receiver and the XuGong power board

requires v1.51 (or later) of firmware to support the uplink status.

The configuration of the EzUHF receiver should be as follows:

1) 10 Channel PPM output

2) PPM on servo channel 1

3) UPSTAT on PPM slot 10

Note: To ease programmation of UPSTAT on a receiver equipped with v1.51 of firmware, a new

version of the ImmersionRC tools is required, v1.41. This is now available from our website.

Simply click the ‘Configure for XuGong v2/Pro’ to setup your EzUHF receiver.

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R/C Transmitter configuration

Channel assignments for the XuGong v2/Pro are as follows:

Roll CH1 (roll left/right)

Tilt (Pitch) CH2 (nose up/down)

Throttle CH3

Yaw CH4 (rudder)

Gimbal Tilt CH5

Video Switch CH8

FrSky Taranis set up with the Naza­M Lite

With this configuration flipping the SF switch will override any mode and place the quad into

failsafe mode.

Mode Offset MultPx Switch

GPS Atti 170 Add SE ↑

Atti 6 Add SE -

Manual -162 Add SE ↓

Fail Safe -64 Replace SF ↓

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Step #7: Cleanup, and Fly

Before flying for the first time, take some time to tidy up the wiring, secure ‘flapping’ cables

with nylon ties, and ensure that the cables to the gimbal/gopro are free to follow the

movement of the two gimbal axes.

To prevent damage to the power distribution board in a serious crash, insert two (or more) of

the security locks through the silicone dampers, and lock them underneath. These unique

locks allow the power board to ‘float’ above the frame, eliminating vibration, but providing

support in a crash.

Step #8: Tune

To tune the current sensor, for precise flight-time estimates, start with a fully-charged battery

pack and note the mAh consumed value from the OSD during the first flight. Then charge the

pack, and note the number of mAh used to recharge. It will tune the current sensor to

perfection.

Attach the power distribution board to a PC using a USB cable, and start the latest

ImmersionRC tools version (download link here).

Select the Sensor Diagnostics and Calibration for End Users​button and follow the steps to

calibrate the voltage, and current sensors.

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Upgrading the XuGong v2/Pro

To upgrade your XuGong v2/Pro you need:

1) ImmersionRCTools 1.40.5 or higher installed on your pc

2) USB Micro-B cable

XuGong v2/Pro Upgrade Operation Step-by-Step

1) On the right of the gimbal connector, there is a button.

2) Press and hold it, then connect the USB cable to your PC.

3) Wait for the XuGong led to flash slowly (1Hz)

4) Open ImmersionRCTools and select XuGong v2/Pro

5) Select ‘Program’ tab and click ‘Update Firmware’

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6) Browse to the firmware location, select it and click ‘Open’

7) A dialog box ‘Upgrade Completed’ will appear to notify you that

the upgrade process has completed successfully

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The 2-axis Gimbal (Optional)

The gimbal is a G3 2-Axis Gimbal from Feiyu-Tech.

It has two different modes as described below.

Rocker Speed Mode

the receiver output control the speed in °/s at which the camera tilts.The neutral value

correspond to 0°/s;maximum value correspond to 15°/s; the minimum value correspond to

-15°/s.

Rocker Position Mode

The receiver output controls the position of the camera. The neutral value of the receiver

output correspond to the horizontal position of the Gimbal; maximum value correspond to the

max tilt angle; the minimum value correspond to the min tilt angle.

the only way to change modes is by flashing the corresponding firmware.

The default firmware loaded in it is Rocker Speed Mode v2.12.

We suggest you to upgrade to 2.13​since it fixes some issues with the imu:

“Improved the attitude stability of the IMU module when under the condition of vibration

and overload. The initialization of the IMU is more reliable.”

You can download the current firmwares and the upgrade software from FY-TECH official

website G3 2-Axis Gimbal Firmware Download

To upgrade the gimbal you will need all Phantom accessories supplied with the gimbal. Do

not discard these!

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Gimbal accessories

Phantom mounting plate (also used to

power and upgrade the gimbal).

Power cable (connect to P2 connector on

Phantom mounting board)

Phantom board to USB to TTL converter

(connect to P3 connector on Phantom

mounting board)

USB to TTL converter

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Gimbal Upgrade Operation Step-by-Step

1) Connect the two cables on the Phantom mounting board as shown below

The phantom mounting board needs to be powered via the power cable using a 2S~4S

LiPo (input voltage range 7-17 V, overload protection 0.8 A), but do not plug the LiPo

yet​.

2) Connect the USB to TTL converter as show below

3) Download the “Feiyu Tech New USB Driver” from FY-TECH official website USB Driver

Download

4) Install the driver on your PC

5) Connect the USB to TTL converter to your PC

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6) Open the Gimbal Update V2.0 software provided with the firmware

7) Choose the correct COM port and select 115200 (baud rate ) then click ‘OPEN’

Note: It seems that the current software is buggy and only allows you to select COM3

or COM4, so you may have to force the use of one of this port following the procedure

below:

a. Open Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Device Manager and right click on

Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge

b. Click on ‘Properties’:

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c. Click on ‘Advanced’:

d. Select COM3 or COM4 and then click ‘OK’

8) Plug the LiPo ( the gimbal needs the gopro to calibrate correctly at startup, so be sure

the GoPro is mounted at this point )

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9) If everything is ok you will see:

10)Click ‘OPEN FILE’ and choose the correct firmware

You will see the information like in the following picture.

11)Click ‘UPDATE’ button to start upgrading.

12)A dialog box ‘SEND OK’ will appear to notify you that

the upgrade process has completed successfully.

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Miscellaneous

A few notes supplied by some of our test pilots. The kind of things that a XuGong pilot needs

to know:

1) The flight time estimate is based upon an 80% battery drain value, and not a full drain.

If you are getting 20 minute flight time estimates, then unless you are running some

pretty poor LiPos, the estimates are reasonable.

2) For long flight times, avoid high ‘C’ rating packs. The new generation of 10C packs are

lighter than typical packs, and are quite capable of powering the XuGong (5Ah * 10 =

50A, typical hover current is about 12-13A).

3) Common sense, but try to avoid the use of very high power A/V Transmitters with

antennas mounted close to the brushless gimbal.

A 5.8GHz 600mW Tx, with a SpiroNET Omni mounted in the suggested location is just

fine, but a 1W 1.3GHz Tx, mounted in the same location will almost definitely upset the

sensitive IMU on the gimbal.

4) For longer range flying, use a full dipole on the EzUHF receiver, and not a ‘sander style’

whip. The full dipole will give you, in practice, a 10dB improvement in range.

Use a flexible cable for the ground-plane half of the antenna (galvanized bike brake

cable works fine), and let it simply bend when the quad is on the ground.

5) Keep the Naza GPS high above the quad, either using the supplied carbon-fibre rod, or

an equivalent length foldable design.

Mounting it too close to the electronics on the quad will definitely result in poor flight

performance.

6) Before each flight, take great care ​to ensure that the four arm locking levers are firmly

locked into place. An arm which folds in flight will result in instant unhappiness.

Similarly after a crash (or unexpected ‘hard landing’), check that the levers are

undamaged. A set of four replacements are shipped with the product, and spares are

available from our network of resellers.

7) Before each flight, ensure that the arm hinges are tight. If arms are routinely loosening

over time, apply a drop of threadlock to the M4 mounting screw.

8) The switch between the flight cam, and GoPro, is manual, controlled from a channel on

the R/C remote. If the selected camera input appears to be non-functional (GoPro

shutting down in flight for example), the other camera will be selected automatically.

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9) The selection of PAL/NTSC is automatic, even when the flight cam, and GoPro are

using different standards. It is, however, recommended to configure the flight cam and

the gopro to use the same video standard.

10)The component-side of the Power Distribution Board is coated with a conformal

coating, to reduce the effects of dirt and moisture. Note that this does not make the

quadcopter fully waterproof, and flying into thunderstorms is still not recommended.

11)The PPM passthrough from the R/C Rx to the Flight Controller is passive, and adds no

additional latency, or risk of an OSD firmware crash downing the quad. The needed

PPM channels for switching, and the gimbal control, are ‘sniffed’ from the PPM line

without the OSD being ‘in the loop.

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Specifications

Maximum Prop Size 10”

Recommended Flight

Controller

DJI Naza Lite, or v2

Recommended Motors 2212, 920kv

Recommended ESCs 15A

Recommended R/C Rx EzUHF, 4 channel cased, or 8 channel diversity, w/v1.51 or later

installed. (Note EzUHF-Rx v1.51 is compatible with EzUHF-Tx

v1.50), Single-cable PPM hookup.

Recommended Video Tx ImmersionRC 600mW 5.8GHz

Recommended Antenna ImmersionRC SpiroNET Omni

Recommended Battery Hobby King 5200mAh 4s, 10C

Typical hover current is ~12-13A

Onboard GoPro Supply 5V, at 1.5A maximum

(Flight cam powered by VTx)

GPS Naza GPS pickoff (Position + static compass)

Flight Time > 20 minutes with recommended configuration

Camera Switch Manual, between flight cam and GoPro, with automatic failover.

Camera Compatibility Any 5V flight cam, Fatshark 600tvl CMOS highly recommended,

GoPro 3 or 4 on the gimbal. GoPro battery is optional (depending

on FW version of GoPro, the battery is necessary to start video

recording)

Telemetry ImmersionRC telemetry downlink, compatible with antenna

trackers, and the iTelemetry apps on smart-phones.

(Positional, Uplink status, Battery status)

Gimbal XuGong 2-axis brushless gimbal option. Single cable connection to

the XuGong.

Weight AUW (Grams) ~1.5kg typical

Folded Size 24cm W x 30cm L x 14cm H

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Battery Compartment

Size

~5cm W x 12cm L x 3cm H

Spare parts

Please contact your reseller for any spare parts required.

Support

First line of support is handled by the reseller. If you encounter any problems with your

ImmersionRC product please contact them first.

For support on issues involving equipment from other brands and also general support for

ImmersionRC products, the best place to go is the ImmersionRC section of FPVlab.com.

We actively monitor this forum and provide support here.

Tutorial Video

XuGong v2/Pro Build video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHdq2r8PPf8

Gimbal Upgrade video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QN4ygJ6uiU

Thanks to d3wey for these great videos!

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Regulatory notice

The use of this product may be prohibited in your country/region/state, please verify that the

RF output power and frequencies used by this transmitter comply with local rules and

regulations, this product may require a license to operate.

Directions on safety

ImmersionRC advocates the safe use of their products, always make sure you equipment is in

proper working order, is checked prior to every flight and that your are familiar with and

respect the equipment's capabilities and limitations. Do NOT fly recklessly, do NOT fly near

airports, freeways, towns, people, etc, basically anywhere where a equipment failure or pilot

error can result in injury or damage to people and/or property.

Warranty

For warranty claims or repair requests please consult the retailer that you purchased this

product from, they will be able to help you with your warranty claim or repair request.

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Social Networks

Like Us​

We would like thank you for purchasing this ImmersionRC product.

Like ImmersionRC’s Facebook page and be kept up-to-date with news, product releases,

firmware updates, tips and tricks, and other information relevant to the FPV hobbyist.

http://www.facebook.com/ImmersionRC

You can also follow us on Google Plus

google.com/+immersionrc

We have even been known to Tweet on occasion

https://twitter.com/@immersionrc

Feedback

We would like to hear from your experience with your the XuGong v2/Pro.

For that, we have created a facebook page dedicated to this frame, so don’t hesitate to post

any comments\suggestions\video about your experience ( good or bad ) with your XuGong

v2/Pro

https://www.facebook.com/IRCXuGong

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