Autel Explorer™ App Manual Applicable to EVO II, EVO II Pro, EVO II Dual 2019-12-30
Contents 1. About This Manual 1.1 Legend 1.2 Before Your First Flight 05 05 05 2. Mobile Device Preparation 2.1 Installing the App 2.2 Pairing Your Mobile Device 2.3 Connecting the Mobile Device to the Aircraft 06 06 06 07 3. Home Screen and Flight Mode 3.1 Home Screen 3.1.1 Weather Conditions 3.1.2 Connected Aircraft 3.1.3 Open the Aircraft Interface 3.1.4 How to Connect 07 08 08 08 09 09 4. Camera Screen 4.1 Aircraft Status Bar 4.2 Camera Operation Panel 4.2.1 Camera Settings 4.
Contents 5. Intelligent Photo 5.1 Manual Flight 5.2 Dynamic Track 5.2.1 Setup and Start Dynamic Track 5.3 Parallel Track 5.4 Tripod Track 5.5 Viewpoint 5.5.1 Setup and Start Viewpoint 5.6 Orbit 5.6.1 Setup and Start Orbit 5.7 Gesture 5.7.1 Setup and Gesture Mode 5.8 Virtual Reality (VR) 5.8.1 Setup and Start Virtual Reality Mode 5.9 Precision Flight 5.9.1 Setup and Start Precision Flight 5.10 Dual Stability 5.10.1 Setup and Start Dual Stability Mode 5.
Contents 6.6 Loading a Saved Mission 6.7 Flying the Mission 6.8 Waypoint Flight Operations Control 49 49 50 7. Aircraft Status 50 8.Settings 8.1 Flight Control Settings 8.2 Visual Navigation Settings 8.3 Remote Control Settings 8.4 Image Transmission Settings 8.5 Aircraft Battery Settings 8.6 Gimbal Settings 8.7 General Settings 53 54 56 56 56 57 57 58 Autel Robotics 2020 All Rights Reserved.
1. About This Manual EVO™, EVO II™, Autel Explorer™, Starpoint™, and the Autel Robotics® logo are trademarks of Autel Robotics Co., Ltd., registered in China, the United States, and other countries. All other products and company names mentioned in this manual are registered trademarks of their respective holders. Welcome to the Autel Robotics family. Use this manual to get a detailed look at the features and functions of the Autel Explorer™ app and connected aircraft.
WARNING: Make sure the aircraft and other components are all included in the box. Do not use incompatible components or attempt to modify the Aircraft in any way inconsistent with the instructions in the official aircraft documentation. 2. Mobile Device Preparation When you use the Autel Explorer™ app with EVO or EVO II, your mobile device becomes a First-Person View (FPV) monitor and ground station for remote piloting and flight configuration and operation. 2.
2.3 Connecting the Mobile Device to the Aircraft Follow the steps below to connect your mobile device to the aircraft: Power on the remote control. Power on the aircraft. Connect your mobile device as shown below. The Autel Explorer™ app should open automatically. If the Autel Explorer™ app does not auto-start, tap the app icon on your mobile device to open the app. When the connection is successful, the aircraft model EVO or EVO II will be displayed in the upper center screen.
3.1 Home Screen The following figure shows the Home screen of Autel Explorer™. 3.1.1 Weather Conditions The current weather conditions summary is displayed in the lower left corner of the home screen. Pleasant Weather: Temperature, visibility, and wind speed are all well-suited for flight. Weather Cautious: Pay close attention to the weather conditions during flight. Severe Weather: Dangerous weather conditions. DO NOT FLY THE AIRCRAFT.
IMPORTANT: Selecting the correct aircraft model is especially important with creating missions when not connected. Mission files are only compatible with the aircraft model selected at the time the mission was created. 3.1.3 Open the Aircraft Interface There are 2 aircraft interfaces available. Choose the correct interface based on the type of flight and camera operations you will be performing. Camera Tapping the Camera button opens the Consumer-Grade Smart Photography Operations interface.
4. Camera Screen Tap Camera to enter the camera screen for a first-person view. After you connect your mobile device to the Aircraft, the system will run a self-check to ensure that it is ready to be flown safely. On-screen prompts will walk you through each step in the overall status. The camera screen can be divided into 10 parts as shown in the following figure.
4.1 Aircraft Status Bar The aircraft status bar resides on the top of the camera screen. The bar displays flight critical information. Tapping the flight bar displays an expanded information panel with additional flight, aircraft, and remote control information. The following table describes the aircraft status bar’s icons and their function. Icon Name Description Home Tap this icon to go back to the Home screen. Aircraft Operations Tap this icon to select Intelligent Flight modes.
4.2 Camera Operation Panel The vertical panel on the right-hand side of the Camera screen is the camera operation panel. The following table describes the camera operation panel’s icons and their function. Icon Name Description Album Tap this icon to browse the recorded pictures or videos. Tap this icon to take pictures or record videos. NOTE: Before taking a photo, select a shooting mode from the photo parameter bar. For details see Camera Parameter Bar.
Over Exposure Warning On, Off Off Subtitle .ASS File On, Off Off Anti-Flicker Auto, 50 Hz, 60 Hz Auto Video Encoding Format H.264, H.265 H.264 Save Location SD Card, Flash Card Flash Card Reset Camera Tap to reset all Camera Settings to their default values. NOTE: Format SD Card Always format the SD card using the Autel Explorer™ app. Other format utilities can render the SD card unusable for storing photos and videos. WARNING: Always back up your photo and video files before formatting.
4.3.1 EVO II Camera The EVO II's 8K camera takes photos with a resolution of up to 48 MP (8000 x 6000) and records 8K video at 25 fps or 6K video at 30 fps, with a bit rate of up to 120 Mbps. Photo Parameters In Photo mode the camera parameter bar reflects the following parameter settings.
Color Style NONE, LOG, B&W, NOSTALGIC STD.(Standard) 000, NEUT.(Neutral) -100, LAND.(Landscape) +1+10, Custom Digital Zoom 1.0X - 8.0X NONE Standard 000 The default value for Custom is 000 1.0X Video Parameters In Video mode the camera parameter bar reflects the following parameter settings. Parameter Available Values Default Value PIV (picture in video) Manual, 5s, 10s, 30s, 60s Manual Format MOV, MP4 MOV 8K (7680 x 4320) 6K (5760 x 3240) Resolution 4K (3840 x 2160) 4K (3840 x 2160) 2.
If Exposure Mode is set to Auto, the EV -3.0, -2.7, -2.3, -2.0, -1.7, -1.3, default value is 0. -1.0, -0.7, -0.3, 0, +0.3, +0.7, +1.0, If Exposure Mode is set to Manual, +1.3, +1.7, +2.0, +2.3, +2.7, +3.0 the default EV is dependent on the selected resolution and frame rate. WB Color Style Digital Zoom Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Incan, Neon, Auto Custom (2,000K-10,000K) The default value for Custom is 6000K NONE, LOG, B&W, NOSTALGIC NONE STD.(Standard) 000, NEUT.
Exposure Mode Auto, Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority Auto If Exposure Mode is set to Auto, the ISO 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 ISO is dependent on the selected EV value. If Exposure Mode is set to Auto, the default EV is 1/80. Shutter 1/80, 1/8000 to 1/30 If Exposure Mode is set to Manual, the default shutter speed is dependent on the selected EV value. If Exposure Mode is set to Auto, the EV -3.0, -2.7, -2.3, -2.0, -1.7, -1.3, default EV is 0. -1.0, -0.7, -0.3, 0, +0.3, +0.7, +1.
6K (5472 x 3076) 5K (4800 x 2700) Resolution 4K (3840 x 2160) 4K (3840 x 2160) 2.7K (2720 x 1528) 1080P (1920 x 1080) Frame Rate Exposure Mode 120 FPS, 60 FPS, 50 FPS, 48 The default value depends on the FPS, 30 FPS, 25 FPS, 24 FPS selected resolution. Auto, Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority 100, 200, 400, 800, ISO 1600, 3200, 6400 Auto If Exposure Mode is set to Auto, the default ISO is dependent on the selected resolution and frame rate.
4.3.3 EVO II Dual Camera The EVO II Dual's dual-sensor camera includes an 8K camera plus an infrared imaging camera. It can operate in two modes: single-sensor or dual-sensor PIP. In addition the camera takes infrared images at a resolution of 640 x 512 and records videos at 60FPS (United States) or 9FPS (Other countries).
Video Parameters (Infrared) In Video mode, the camera parameter bar reflects the following parameter settings. Parameter Available Values Default Value Format MOV, MP4 MOV Resolution 640 x 512 640 x 512 Frame Rate 9 FPS, 30 FPS, 50FPS 60 FPS (United States) 9 FPS (Foreign) Color Digital Zoom White hot, Black hot, Rainbow, RainHC,Ironbow,Lava,Arctic,Glowbow,Graded Fire,Hottest 1.0X, 2.0X, 3.0X, 4.0X, 5.0X, 6.0X, 7.0X, 8.0X Lava 1.
Video Parameters (Picture in Picture) In Video mode each recording will generate 3 videos at the same time including: 1. 640x512 thermal imaging video 2. 4K visible light video 3. Picture-in-picture video. The camera parameter bar reflects the following parameter settings. Parameter Available Values Default Value Format MOV, MP4 MOV 1.Resolution(Visible) 4K (3840 x 2160) 1080P (1920 x 1080) 2.Resolution(PIP) 720P (1280 x 720) 3.
Auto If PIV is set to Auto, the camera will automatically take photos at predetermined intervals during video recording. There are 4 time intervals available in Auto mode: 5, 10, 30, and 60 seconds. 4.5 Gimbal Angle 0° The gimbal angle icon is located in the lower left corner of the camera screen. The number in the icon displays the current gimbal angle in degrees. The blue arrow rotates as the angle changes. Autel Robotics 2020 All Rights Reserved.
4.5.1 Adjusting Gimbal Angle 0° The gimbal angle can be adjusted using one of 2 methods. The camera gimbal will rotate accordingly as shown in the following figure. 90° Adjust Gimbal Angle by APP Click the icon 0° in the lower left of the screen, a scroll bar will show on the right side, press and hold the middle button and drag to change the gimbal angle. Press icon to set the gimbal angle to 0 degrees and press icon to set the gimbal angle to 90 degrees.
4.6 Voice Assistant To activate the voice function you can use three methods: 1. Click the icon in the lower left screen. 2. Press the left button on the back of the remote control. 3. Say “Hello, EVO”. Make sure to open microphone access before operation with a good network connection. You can use this voice function to access the flight controls, camera control, switch pages, and execute missions on the aircraft.
Icon Name Description Direction Tap this icon to unlock the map’s orientation. When locked, the map is oriented north. When unlocked the map will track the mobile device’s orientation. The red arrow always indicates north. Me: Centers the map to your current location Home: Centers the map to the current home point Location Aircraft: Centers the map to the current aircraft’s location Map View: Choose between Normal, Hybrid, and GPS map views.
5.1 Manual Flight When the APP is opened, the default flight mode is Manual Flight which allows the user to manually operating via remote control to take off, movement, and landing the aircraft. When not being operated, the aircraft will hover in place. Under manual flight, the aircraft will stop flying when it encounters obstacles when the vision system is on. Switching to manual flight will stop other intelligent photography modes and exit the original modes.
5.2 Dynamic Track Aircraft automatically tracks the target at a fixed distance. The aircraft will try to maintain the flight behind the target. If the target stops moving, the aircraft hovers until the target starts moving again. Dynamic Track allows you to highlight and mark moving objects using the mobile device. Once marked and the operation started, the aircraft will track the object as it moves. The aircraft will fly over and around objects automatically while maintaining track on the object.
A 3 second countdown will start automatically. After the aircraft successfully starts the tracking, the target will be surrounded by a green rectangle. Set the height and distance of the tracking target. The default tracking distance will be about 10ft (3m). At this time, you can also adjust the setting through the remote control. For best results while tracking, the system will keep a distance 10-40ft (3-12m) between the aircraft and target.
5.3 Parallel Track Aircraft tracks the target from the side at a relative fixed distance. Parallel track is similar to dynamic track. The flight trajectory of the aircraft will remain parallel to the target trajectory. If the aircraft starts tracking while on the side of the target, the aircraft will remain in the same position when tracking. The types of target recognition, target selection, startup, etc. are consistent with the dynamic tracking.
5.5 Viewpoint Viewpoint allows you to send the aircraft towards a selected destination using a touch of the screen. Follow the instructions in the Learning Center of the Autel Explorer™ app before performing a Viewpoint mission for the first time. After closing the Learning Center, you will see a horizontal line in the middle of the screen. Tap above the horizontal line to make the Aircraft take off. Tap below the line to make the Aircraft land.
The aircraft will fly towards the selected target and will try to avoid obstacles. During the flight you can tap other points on the screen to change the flight direction. To change the flight speed, you can adjust the speed bar in the lower center of the screen. Default Flight Speed The default flight speed of the aircraft in a Viewpoint mission is dependent on the number of connected GPS satellites.
5.6.1 Setup and Start Orbit After the aircraft takes off, increase the flight altitude to at least 10 m before using the Orbit function. NOTES: On the SET or START button of the app screen, the capital "A" enclosed in the brackets stands for the Customizable Button A on the back of the remote control. You can also press that button to create the same setting. Creating an Orbit Mission Using Basic Settings When setting an Orbit mission via Basic Settings, the aircraft location is the determining factor.
Creating an Orbit Mission in Expert Mode Tap the Settings icon in the upper right corner of the app screen to enter the Expert Mode. Follow the steps below to create an Orbit mission: 1 Tap the drop-down box to select a center point of the orbit. There are 3 ways available for selecting a center point: Select Aircraft Location and tap SET to set the current aircraft location as the center point. Select My Location and tap SET to set your current location as the center point.
5.7.1 Setup and Gesture Mode Lock the tracking target The person in the camera raises both hands into a V shape and holds for more than 0.5 seconds until being surrounded by a rectangular frame. Start or stop recording The locked person raises one hand and holds for more than 0.5 seconds. Take a photo The locked person raises both hands horizontally and holds for more than 0.5 seconds. 5.
5.8.1 Setup and Start Virtual Reality Mode There are no user settings for this mode. Entering this mode will start automatically as shown below: 5.9 Precision Flight Precision flight limits the aircraft’s speed, vertical angle, and rotational speeds in order to provide a more stable platform for video recording at low altitudes and when shooting slow or non-moving objects. Follow the instructions in the Learning Center of the Autel Explorer™ app before using Precision flight for the first time.
5.10 Dual Stability Dual Stability mode limits the aircraft’s speed and braking characteristics in order to achieve a more stable platform for video recording during flight. Follow the instructions in the Learning Center of the Autel Explorer™ app before performing using Dual Stability mode for the first time. NOTES: Before using this intelligent photo mode the aircraft must be in the air . Always maintain a safe distance from the aircraft when beginning operations to prevent injury or damage. 5.10.
5.11 Intelligent Photo Operations Control All Intelligent photo operations can be paused or canceled at any time during the operation. If paused, the operation remains active and the aircraft will hover in place. If need to cancel, you can click the intelligent photography icon to switch back to manual flight. Pause Operation To pause the operation, press the Pause button on the remote control for 1s or tap the Pause icon on the screen of the Autel Explorer™ app.
6. Mission Planner 6.1 Overview The Autel Explorer Mission Planner is a full-featured, waypoint mission creation and editing tool. The planner includes many advanced capabilities useful for the professional pilot using your EVO II aircrafts to cover a variety of industrial applications. Examples of industrial applications include (but not limited to): Photogrammetry (2D and 3D). See: https://en.wikipedia.
Waypoint : A Free-form mission provides the most flexible waypoint mission operation. The user is responsible for all waypoint locations and flight parameters. Area Routes: User can choose from 2 area route types (Rectangular or Polygon). Area missions provide advanced, automated flight operations and include flight path calculation and camera controls tuned for many professional flight operations.
Home Mission Selection Map Tool Setting Mission Stastistics Video Feed Status Messages Start Mission Save Mission Add Waypoint Route setting Add POI Delete All Start and End Switch Home – Return to Home. Mission Selection – Return to the pages of new missions or historical missions. You can create a new area, waypoint mission, or open historical missions. Map Tool Location a.Me – Centers the map to your current location. b.Aircraft – Centers the map to the current aircraft location.
Save Mission – Click icon to name and save the waypoint mission. Status Messages – Status and information messages are displayed in time order on the left of the screen. Video Feed – The live video feed from the aircraft. 6.4 Mission Operations 6.4.1 Creating A New Mission New missions are created using 1 of 3 available pre-defined mission patterns: Waypoint – The user must define all individual points and (optionally) settings for each point.
Create The First Waypoint The first page after entering a waypoint will be as shown below: Please make sure the network is available, the page will automatically load the map of the current location. You can also manually move, zoom the map, or search the place in the upper middle of the page. Find the location as your first waypoint and click it to add the first waypoint. Edit Waypoint Mission Location, altitude, speed, camera, gimbal, and various additional settings are set individually per waypoint.
Waypoint Settings Height – Defines the aircraft elevation (above take-off point). Speed – The speed the aircraft will travel. Individual speeds take effect from the selected aircraft and are maintained until the next waypoint containing a different speed setting. Action – A waypoint could include one waypoint action ( Flyover and Hover) and camera actions. When the waypoint action is "Fly Over", it can only have one camera action.
Take Photo Time Lapse Distance Lapse Record b. When Waypoint Action = “Hover” Time Lapse – The camera will take photos for “Photo Time”, in seconds every “Time Interval” second. Record – Start recording video for the duration configured in “Video Time”. None Time Lapse Record Gimbal Pitch – The camera gimbal will move the gimbal to the configured pitch when the waypoint is reached. Heading Route – The aircraft turns towards the next waypoint (default).
Route Settings to enter route settings, the page is shown below: Click the icon Height – Indicates the common elevation for all waypoints. Speed – Indicates the common speed for flight. Heading Route – The aircraft turns towards the next waypoint (default). Individual waypoints can override the heading direction as required. Free – User controls the aircraft heading using the remote control. Custom – User can set route direction of each waypoint.
Create Rectangular or Polygon The first page after entering a regional route plan is shown below: Please make sure the network is available, the page will automatically load the map of the current location. You can also manually move, zoom the map, or search the place in the upper middle of the page. Find the location you want to create the area mission and click it to complete the rectangular or polygon area route mission. The default flight area will be placed at this position.
area. Touch, hold, and drag the rotate indicators allow you to rotate the flight path around its center. Once the position of the flight path is correct, the settings (see Area Route Configuration) are configured correctly, you are ready to save (see Saving a Mission) and fly (see Flying the Mission). Polygon Area Route Configuration The following settings are common to all aerial mission types. Height – (Default 60m) The distance above the takeoff point that the drone captures photos.
Course Angle – (Default AUTO) Sets the orientation of the flight path. When set to AUTO, the app calculates the path for most efficient battery consumption. Range: 0-360 degrees. Finish Action Go Home – (Default)Return and lands at the take-off location. Hover – Hover at the location and altitude of the last waypoint. NOTES: Front OverLap and Side OverLap have a direct relationship to image processing.
6.6 Loading a Saved Mission All saved missions located on the device appear under the Create New Mission in the Mission History section. The mission’s save date and a small image representing the mission area are displayed to assist in located the mission to load. Missions are displayed in the “most recent saved” order with recently saved missions appearing near the top and older missions towards the bottom of the list.
6.8 Waypoint Flight Operation’s Control All Waypoint Flight Operations can be paused or canceled at any time during the operation. If paused, the operation remains active and the aircraft will hover in place. If canceled the flight operation is halted. Pause Operation To pause the operation, press the screen of the Autel Explorer™ app.
NOTES: If any of the following conditions are detected the operation will be automatically ended. Once ended the aircraft may perform additional operations depending on the condition as indicated below. Low battery level: A message will pop up on the app screen telling you that the aircraft is returning home automatically. Critically low battery level: The operation will end and the aircraft will automatically land on-site. If the GPS signal strength is too weak, the Aircraft will enter the ATTI mode.
360° 2 Hold the aircraft horizontally and rotate it until the rear LED indicators on the aircraft turn solid green. 360° 3 Hold the aircraft vertically with the nose facing downward and rotate it until the rear LED indicators on the aircraft turn solid green, indicating that the calibration is successful. Flight Mode The Aircraft automatically selects the most suitable flight mode based on the GPS signal strength.
Icon Aircraft Movement Ascend Descend Rotate Left Rotate Right Move Forward Move Backward Move Left Move Right Remote Control Battery This parameter displays the current remote control battery level. You can also check the remote control battery level on the camera screen. For details see Aircraft Status Bar. Aircraft Battery This parameter displays the current aircraft battery level. Aircraft Battery Temperature This parameter displays the current temperature of the aircraft battery.
8.1 Flight Control Settings Novice Mode You can toggle the switch to enable or disable the Novice mode. If this mode is enabled, the maximum flight speed is fixed at 5 m/s, altitude at 30 m, and distance at 100 m. NOTES: If the Novice mode is enabled aircraft motors can be started only in GPS mode. Go-Home Altitude A safe altitude can be set for your aircraft to go home automatically.
Compass Calibration When calibrating the compass, please make sure there are no metal objects around to prevent interference. Advanced Settings Front LED indicators – You can toggle the switch to turn on or off the front LED indicators. EXP – This parameter is used to control the aircraft's rotation speed when you push the command stick.
8.2 Visual Navigation Settings The Aircraft has many visual navigation features to protect itself during the flight. These features include: Visual obstacle avoidance Landing protection Show radar map Accurate landing Auxiliary Bottom Light For each of these features you can toggle the switch to turn it on or off. The Autel Explorer™ app provides detailed instructions related to these visual navigation features. 8.
Image Transmission Mode The image transmission mode can be High Definition or Smooth. 8.5 Aircraft Battery Settings Aircraft battery settings provide a series of readings. Using these readings you can monitor and manage the current aircraft battery levels and warning status. IMPORTANT: For safety purposes, do not set Low Battery Warning below 25%, as this is the minimum battery level for Go Home to function properly.
Adjust Gimbal Roll Axis This setting allows you to adjust the roll axis of the gimbal to find the best angle for your photos. Gimbal Pitch EXP This setting allows you to adjust the sensitivity of the gimbal pitch. 8.7 General Settings Home point Set your current location or the current aircraft location as the home point. Units Choose your preferred unit system: Metric (km/h), Metric (m/s), or Imperial (mph).
