DIY KITS QUAD FRAME KIT Thank you for purchasing a 3DR Quad Frame Kit! These instructions will guide you through assembling and wiring your new autonomous multicopter.
CO NT E NTS Your 3DR Quad Kit contains: 30 mm steel bolts (4) 25 mm steel bolts (12) 30 mm threaded spacers (4) 18 mm threaded spacers (12) 8 mm threaded spacers (4 plus 4 spare) Top plate Bottom plate 5 mm steel bolts (8 plus 2 spare) 5 mm nylon bolts (28 plus 4 spare) Metal nuts (16) Nylon nuts (8 plus 8 spare) APM plate Accessory plate Landing gear pieces (8) Metal lock washers (8) Rubber washers (4) Zip ties (8) Black arm (3) Blue arm (2) Power distribution board Five-wire RC receiver cable B
Recommended electronics: 3DR APM 2.6: 4 mm JP1 jumper connector 6 mm PPM jumper connector 3DR APM 2.6 Telemetry adapter cable 3DR uBlox GPS+Compass: 3DR Radio: Micro USB cable 6-position to 5-position GPS cable Radios (2) Antennas (2) Micro-USB cable Android OTG cable Autopilot connectors 3DR uBlox GPS board with compass 4-position compass cable FRAME AS S E M B LY 1 Choose + or x Your 3DR Quad can be flown in both + (plus) and x (cross) configurations.
3 Install motor collets Attach a threaded collet to the top of each motor using the four small screws included with collets. Apply threadlock to each screw before fastening. Repeat for all four motors. Motor collet assembly 4 Assemble legs Your Quad has four legs, each comprised of two landing gear pieces. To assemble each leg, align two landing gear pieces and attach through the three bottom holes using three 18 mm spacers and six 5 mm nylon bolts.
POWE R W IRI NG 1 Place power distribution board The power distribution board (PDB) allocates power to your copter’s motors. Place the PDB in the center of your copter through the hole in the top plate. Align the PDB so the four 8 mm spacers insert into the four holes in the PDB. Secure with four nylon nuts. 2 Solder connectors to electronic speed controllers Electronic speed controllers (ESCs) regulate how much power is applied to each motor.
4 Connect power module to PDB Connect power module 6-position cable to the power module 6-position port. Place power module in the center of your copter near the PDB. Connect PDB red and black cable (with yellow XT60 connector) to power module XT60 connector. PDB Power module with 6-wire cable IN STA LL A P M 1 Mount APM Place APM 2.6 in the center of the APM plate with the arrow on the case facing as shown. Use the mounting foam to secure the APM to the plate.
Accessory plate 3 Mount GPS Place the GPS module onto the square end of the accessory plate with the arrow pointing towards the center of the plate. Use double-sided foam tape to secure case to plate. Ensure arrow on GPS points forward! 4 Wire additional components to APM 3DR uBlox GPS with Compass: Connect the 6-position to 5-position cable to the GPS 6-position port and to the APM GPS port (use top-entry port not side-entry port).
5 Attach APM plate to top plate Locate the PDB four-wire cable (multicolored) and the power module six-position cable (red and black); thread these cables up through the slots in the APM plate where they can connect to the APM. APM plate Now we’ll attach the APM plate to the top plate. The APM plate connects to the ends of the four 30 mm bolts securing the inside holes of the arms. Place the four holes in the APM plate over the exposed 30 mm bolts on the top plate and secure with 30 mm threaded spacers.
After selecting the MSI, read the safety information and select Download: Download Open the downloaded file to run the Mission Planner Setup Wizard. Select the option to proceed if prompted with a security warning. Device Driver Installation Wizard Mission Planner Setup Wizard will automatically install the correct device drivers.
CALIBRATION Mission Planner’s mandatory hardware calibration steps allow you to program and configure the APM autopilot for your copter. APM USB port Connect APM to your computer using the provided micro-USB cable. Windows will automatically install the correct drivers for APM. Select Initial Setup, Install Firmware, and Quad to install flight code firmware onto APM. Now you can connect APM to Mission Planner. 1 Connect APM to Mission Planner: 2 3 1 Select Arduino Mega. 2 Select 115200.
Flight Modes: Move each switch on your transmitter to its available positions. Mission Planner will indicate the currently selected position with green highlighting. Select a mode for each switch position, and select Saves Modes to assign. Failsafes: Failsafes are advanced safety precautions that can be very useful for your copter. Consult the online documentation at copter.ardupilot.com to learn more about configuring and testing failsafes.
Remove plastic rings from propeller package, select the one with the smaller internal diameter, and insert it into the back of the propeller hub. Prop nut Add propeller to motor collet with writing facing up in relation to the sky. Add the washer and prop nut above the propeller; tightly fasten prop nut to threaded collet. Washer Propeller Collet Safety Check! Ensure writing on props faces up. Motor SECURE W I R ING Before flying, use zip ties to secure ESCs to the frame.
