A2 Flight Control System User Manual V1.20 November, 2014 Revision Thank you for purchasing DJI products. Please strictly follow these steps to mount and connect this system on your aircraft, install the PC Assistant Software on your computer, as well as installing the DJI Assistant App on your mobile device. Please regularly check the web page of corresponding products on our website www.dji.com, which is updated regularly.
Content INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................4 PRODUCT INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................4 IN THE BOX ...........................................................................................................................4 EQUIPMENT PREPARED BY USERS ........................................................................................
4.1.2 Cruise Control ......................................................................................................37 4.2 SERVO GIMBAL FUNCTION................................................................................................39 4.3 FLIGHT LIMITS ...............................................................................................................39 4.3.1 Max Height, Radius Limits & Home Fence...........................................................39 4.3.
Introduction Product Introduction The DJI A2 Multi-Rotor stabilization controller is a complete flight system for various multi-rotor platforms for commercial and industrial aerial photography. Based on the technology and design philosophy of DJI’s Ace series of high-performance controllers, the A2 offers you a brand new flight experience. Its flight mode provides a seamless transition for current Ace One, WKM AP professionals.
System Introduction The A2 flight control system uses the Controller Unit at its core, which is connected with the IMU, GPS-COMPASS PRO、LED-BT-I、PMU and ESCs to complete the system. The system can achieve the height-lock and position-lock functions by using the IMU and the GPS, to control the aircraft. Please carry out the following procedures to finish assembly, configuration and flight-testing. Mount the A2 flight control system on your aircraft finish connection.
1 Assembly and Configuration For hardware installation, software configuration and compass calibration please adhere to the following sections. 1.1 Hardware Installation and Connection (1) Please adhere to “1.1.1 Mixer Type Supported” to choose a mixer type and assemble your aircraft. (2) Please adhere to both “1.1.2 Hardware Connection Diagram” and “1.1.3 Important for Assembly and Connection” to install and connect all units on your aircraft. 1.1.
1.1.2 Hardware Connection Diagram Important CAN-Bus, it provides power supply and communication. A2 can automatically identify the device connected. ESC 1# ESC 2# CAN1 and CAN2 ports are working independent, device connected are non-interchangeable. E.g. IMU and GPS-COMPASS PRO to CAN1; LEDBT-I to CAN2; PMU to CAN1 or CAN2. ESC 3# ESC 4# ESC 5# ESC 6# ESC 7# ESC 8# 90o Supply power for all ports on both sides of controller unit.
Port Description Indicate the linking status Link button of Built-in receiver DR16 and transmitter Multi-function PWM output channels, can directly give output signal from the Receiver if mapped to a Receiver channel* Connect to ESC To parachute To S-BUS Receiver BEC，Connect to X1 of PMU for voltage detection IMU GPS-COMPASS PRO iOSD MARK II, Z15 from DJI To DSM2 satellite Receiver To PW port of PMU LED-BT-I 2.
Link Procedures 1. Turn on the transmitter, it begins to send signals after 1.5secs. 2.Power on the flight control system, configure the Receiver type as DR16 in the Assistant software. 3.Press the LINK button, hold for 2secs, wait until the LED blinks Red . 4.Release the LINK button, the LED turns Green on after successfully linking. 0.5m
hover or Go-home as configure in the FailSafe in the Assistant software. When using the dual-mode Transmitter, please set the transmiting mode as DSM2 in SYSTEM SET UP->FRAME RATE ->MODE, which should not be DSMX. Support DSM2 satellite Receivers used with all SPEKTRUM Transmitters, e.g. DX6I DX7S DX8 DX18 etc., as well as JR Transmitters, e.g. DXS9II DXS11. C.
E. Traditional Receivers If using Traditional Receivers, the DJI D-BUS Adapter is required. Please follow the diagram for connection, set the Receiver referring to your Receiver manual, and select the Receiver type as D-BUS in the Assistant software->Basic->R/C-> Receiver Type. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Traditional Receiver Important · When you use a traditional receiver, DJI D-BUS ADAPTER is required.
(2) IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit): Built-in inertial sensors, for the measurement of aircraft attitude; built-in pressure sensor for the detection of aircraft altitude. Should be connected to the CAN1 port of the Controller Unit, and be mounted according to the required location and orientation. The IMU has been calibrated before delivery, it should be used under the specified temperature; otherwise the temperature may have an effect on the IMU performance.
(3) GPS-COMPASS PRO GPS-COMPASS PRO module has a built-in GPS and compass. The compass is used for geomagnetic field measurement. It should be mounted according to the required location and orientation. Compass calibration is required before use. DO NOT use and store the compass in the ferromagnetic material environment. Mounting Procedure: a) Use the epoxy resin AB glue to assemble the GPS bracket first. The longest one is recommended.
(4) PMU (Power Management Unit) The PMU provides dual BECs (Battery Eliminator Circuit): (1) PW port outputs power for the whole Flight Control System with current no more than 2A. (2) PX port outputs power (3A@5V) and V-SEV signal using the low voltage protection function. In addition, there are two CAN-Bus ports for LED-BT-I connection and other DJI products (e.g. DJI 2.4G Data Link).
1.2 Software Installation and Configuration Please configure the A2 flight control system in the Assistant Software according to the following instructions. Users are required to configure every item within the “Basic” page when use the A2 flight control system for the first time. 1.2.1 Installing Driver and Assistant Software Installing and running on Windows 1. Download driver installer and Assistant Software installer in EXE format from the download page of A2 on the DJI website. 2.
Installer in DMG format supports only Mac OS X 10.9 or above. Usage of A2 Assistant software on Mac OS X and Windows are exactly the same. The Assistant software pages appear in other places of this manual are on the Windows for example. 1.2.2 Configure using Assistant Software on a PC A2 flight control system can takes power via the USB port during configuration, no additional battery is required.
Normal: the transmitter and receiver are linked and communicating well. “RC Disconnect: the A2 Flight Control System is powered on, but the transmitter is powered off. STATUS” RC-LOST: RC signal is lost (e.g. the transmitter is turned off after power on) or the receiver description is sending F/S signals (e.g. the aircraft flies out of the range which transmitter is controllable).
Step 2. Toggle the control mode switch to its three positions, accordingly the cursor will move to some control mode. Step 3. Power off the Transmitter, the FailSafe will be enabled and the cursor will point to any area out of the control modes. Step 4. If all steps above are realized, that indicates the control mode switch is set successfully. Important In step 2, if the cursor doesn’t point to the correct control mode area (e.g.
1.2.4 Configuration Checking 1 2 7 3 8 5 4 9 10 6 11 12 *Fig. above for reference only, please adhere to actual GUI. Check List ① ② ③ ④、⑤ ⑥ ○ ⑦~ 11 ○ 12 Description Check the IMU orientation direction. Check the Mixer Type of aircraft. Make sure the motors are rotating normally, and propeller installation is in correct direction. The Receiver type is correct. Check the basic and attitude gains. Move the sticks to test whether the cursors moves following the sticks.
1.2.5 Tools 1 4 2 3 ① Config Export or import the tuning parameters and restore the default setting and reset the BTU module. ② Sensors Read gyroscope, acceleration and compass sensor value. ③ IMU Calibration Calibrate IMU based on the gyroscope and acceleration sensor readings from Assistant. Calibrate is needed, when: Gyroscope Mod value exceeds 1.5. Acceleration Mod value below 0.98 or exceeds 1.02. Steps to follow when calibrating IMU: 1.
④ Device Information and Connection Status All devices that connected to the A2 flight controller are highlighted, however, disconnected devices appear grey. Single click a highlighted device to upgrade its firmware. You can also upgrade all firmware by clicking the “Upgrade All” button. © 2013-2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved.
1.3 Compass Calibration The Compass can assistant the GPS to position the aircraft, which is very important during flight. As we know, the compass is very sensitive to electromagnetic interference, which will cause abnormal compass data, and lead to poor flight performance or even flight failure. Compass Calibration MUST be done for first time use. It is recommended to calibrate the compass outdoors after the Controller Unit finds 7 or more GPS satellites.
2 Basic flying Read this section before basic flight testing. 2.1 Control Mode Instruction The aircraft performs differently when using different control modes. Please read the following table to know the different control modes, which may help you to achieve a more involved flight experience. Control Mode GPS ATTI. Mode ATTI. Mode Command YES Linearity Yaw Roll and Pitch Throttle Manual Mode Control the aircraft to rotate in clockwise and counter clockwise direction.
GPS Involved YES NO Low-voltage LED alert with Descending or Go Home & Protection Landing precautions Environment Open flying field; Narrow Space; recommended Good GPS signal GPS signal bad Only LED alert Regain control in emergency The difference between ATTI. Mode of position-2 and ATTI. Mode of position-3 is that they are working differently in protection situations. © 2013-2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved.
2.2 Flying Environment Requirements (1) Before use of the product, please accept some flight training (Using a simulator to practice flying, getting instruction from a professional person, etc.). (2) DO NOT fly in bad weather, such as rain or wind (more than moderate breeze) or fog. (3) The flying field should be open without tall buildings or other obstacles; the buildings of steel structure will interfere with the compass.
2.4 Power on and Check (1) Control mode LED indicator Power on the Transmitter then the flight control system. Toggle the control mode switch to different positions. Control Mode LED indicator Control Mode GPS ATTI. Mode Switch LED (Stick not in midpoint Manual Mode ATTI. Mode (2)) (Stick not in midpoint (2)) No LED indicator Put the Control Mode switch to GPS position for basic flying test.
(2) The firmware version of IMU and Controller Unit is mismatched; please upgrade the firmware of IMU or Controller Unit. (3) The firmware version of GPS and Controller Unit is mismatched; please upgrade the firmware of GPS or Controller Unit. (4) The transmitter calibration has exited abnormally, please recalibrate. (5) The transmitter calibration results with big bias, please recalibrate. (6) The transmitter calibration results with big mid point bias, please recalibrate.
2.6 Basic Flying Test Carry out the following procedures to complete the basic flight test. 1. Wait the GPS signal to be well LED Place the aircraft away from you and others at least 3 meters and wait the ≥6 (about 30 seconds). or no Red LED 2. Start motors and takeoff aircraft. LED Execute CSC to start motors; all sticks back to midpoint as soon as motors start, then push the throttle stick to take off the aircraft, meanwhile the home point is recorded.
4.Hover In GPS ATTI. Mode，the aircraft will hover when the throttle/yaw/roll/pitch sticks are all released at mid-point. 5.Landing Use the throttle stick to control the landing speed, try to land your aircraft gently to avoid shock or crash. Please refer to the next section “Protection Functions Setting” to take precautions. (1) Low voltage alert: yellow quick flashes or red quick flashes. (2) FailSafe: LED indicator blinks blue.
3 Protection Functions Setting Set protection in the Assistant software ->Advanced page. FailSafe and Low voltage protections are required. 3.1 FailSafe FailSafe works when the Transmitter (TX) signal is lost, the flight control system will automatically control the aircraft to reduce injuries or damage.
enter FailSafe and go home by using the Go Home switch rather than turning off the Transmitter in emergency situations. (3) Make sure there are no obstacles during aircraft go home and users are familiar with the methods to regain control. How to regain control in FailSafe 3-position Position-1 Switch GPS ATTI. Mode Regain control Position-3 Position-2 ATTI. Mode You have to toggle the control mode switch once to regain control if the signal recovers. ATTI.
(1) Please pay attention to the LED alert of low voltage and make sure the power is enough for go home and landing. Insufficient power reserve will cause the aircraft to crash as well as other consequences. (2) If the second level low voltage alert occurs in below procedures, the aircraft will descend automatically. a) When the aircraft is in FailSafe and Go Home process。 b) When the aircraft is controlled by the Ground Station. © 2013-2014 DJI. All Rights Reserved.
4 Advanced Features The advanced features of A2 include IOC (intelligent orientation control), gimbal control, parachute activation and so on. It also enable users to tweak the A2 configuration via the A2 Assistant wirelessly through the Bluetooth connection. 4.1 IOC (Intelligent Orientation Control) function 4.1.1IOC IOC Help users to set the Flying direction; Should be enabled in Assistant software. Flying direction The flying direction of aircraft when pushing the Roll and Pitch sticks.
There are six types of IOC switch setting. Below are the three recommended options of IOC switch setting which may be configured in the Assistant software. Switch positions A B C 1 OFF OFF OFF 2 CL CL CL 3 HL POI BTM Step 2 Forward Direction, HP and POI Recording After you enable the IOC in assistant software, the flight control system will record the forward direction and home point automatically after power on, if the recording conditions are met.
following conditions. All conditions must be true. 1. ≥6. 2. Distance between aircraft and the recorded home point is less than 8m. 3. Current control mode is in GPS ATTI. Mode or ATTI. Mode of switch position-2. Step 3 CL, HL and POI flying test Please study the following diagram then make an IOC flying test.
(2) During HL flying if one of the following conditions occur, the flight control system will exit HL and enter into CL: the aircraft is within of 10m from HP; the control mode is changed to ATTI. Mode; <6(LED (2) or (3)). Step 4 Banked Turn mode flying test Banked Turn Mode is useful when you want to perform banked turns one handed. It allows you to pitch and roll to turn without using the yaw stick. Application examples: 1.
Using Banked Turn Mode (Mode 2): 1. Select “Use Roll” to disable the yaw stick or select “Use Yaw” to disable the roll stick. 2. Push pitch stick to move the aircraft forward or backward. 3. After that, Push roll stick left or right to perform banked turn as the following diagram shown. No yaw stick required. 4. When the aircraft is hovering, yaw is controlled by the roll stick instead. 5. Rapidly pull the pitch stick to the mid-point to stop the aircraft.
Assign a 3-gear switch on the remote control for Cruise Control. Follow the steps below to use Cruise Control. Use the control sticks to accelerate the aircraft to your target speed then toggle the assigned Cruise Control switch to “Set” or “Continues”. The action of three different gears of the cruise speed is defined as follow: Close Deactivate Cruise Control. Set Move the switch to this position in flight to “Set” the cruising speed.
4.2 Servo Gimbal function Connect the servos of your gimbal to the Controller Unit as the fig. below，roll servo connects to F3 port and pitch servo connects to F2, and configure in Advanced->Gimbal page in the Assistant software. No Receiver channel is asked to be mapped for the F2 or F3 port if gimbal function is enabled in the Assistant Software.
Max Height Max Radius Home Point Height of aircraft when powered on GPS ATTI mode Limits Ground Station Tips Max Height Flight height must be under the set height. Warning: Height limit reached. Max Radius Flight distance must be within the max radius. Warning: Distance limit reached. ATTI mode Flight Limits Max Height Flight height restricted to 120m and under. Max Radius Ground Station Tips Warning: Height limit reached.
Assign a switch on the remote control to turn the home fence feature on and off. The safety radius range can be set between 12m and 100m. (1) Home fence feature works only with GPS-ATTI mode. NO home fence limit for ATTI mode and navigation mode. (2) Failsafe procedure overrides the home fencing feature. 4.3.2 Flight Limits of Special Areas Restricted areas include airports worldwide. All restricted areas are listed on the DJI official website at http://www.dji.com/fly-safe/category-mc.
Category A Category B Safety Zone Category B “safety zone” is comprised of a “no-fly zone” and a “warning zone”. 0.6 miles (1 km) around the safety zone is a designated “no-fly zone”. A “warning zone” has been set around the safety zone. When you fly within 0.6 miles (1Km) of this zone, a warning will appear on the DJI Ground Station. Category B GPS ATTI mode Zone No-fly Zone Restriction Motors will not start.
Restricted-altitude flight zone If the aircraft enters a restricted area in ATTI mode and GPS ATTI mode activates, it will descend to a safe altitude and hover 15 feet below the safe altitude. Warning zone Blink yellow quickly and continue for 3 seconds before normal blinks. No flight restriction applies, but there will be warning message. Free zone No restrictions. None. Semi-automatic descent: All stick commands are available except the throttle stick command during the descent and landing process.
Manual ＜6 × √ × ≥6 × × × Flight Limits can be disabled in the Assistant as below. Users cannot take off the aircraft in some Special Areas even the Flight Limits is disabled in the Assistant. 4.4 Parachute Function The A2 now supports the DJI Dropsafe parachute system which can be enabled in the A2 Assistant. The X3 and F4 ports should be connected. There are two methods to deploy the parachute. 1.
is above 5m during flight. Please configure in the Advanced->Gear page in the Assistant software. Connect the landing gear of S800 EVO to the Controller Unit as fig. below. (1) Make sure to enable and configure the Intelligent Gear function in the Assistant software first, and then connect the gear to the F1 port.
Supported iOS devices iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, iPod Touch 5, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad air, iPad mini, iOS6.1 or above is required. Bluetooth version is required to be 4.0 or above. Required versions of DJI Assistant App & Firmware Require DJI Assistant App version 1.1.14 or above and the firmware of A2 Controller Unit version 2.1 or above, as well as the firmware of LED-BT-I module version 2.0 or above. Specifications Bluetooth version 4.
2. Every time you run the DJI Assistant App, the App will search the Controller Unit automatically. 3. The gain value displayed on Mobile Device and PC may be a little different, that is OK for use. Step 3 Flying Test Procedures 1. Get the aircraft ready, run the DJI Assistant and make sure it is connected with the main controller. (The indicators on the DJI Assistant are ) 2. Start the motors. 3. The “View” page shows the relative parameters real-time when flying. 4.
Appendix LED indicator descriptions Control mode GPS signal Manual Mode: No indicator Best ( ATTI. Mode: (1) (sticks not in mid-point (2)) GPS ATTI.
Specifications General Built-In Functions Built-in Receiver External Receiver Supported Multiple Control Modes 9 Types of Supported Multi-rotor 2-axle Gimbal Supported Other DJI Products Supported Enhanced FailSafe Low Voltage Protection Intelligent Orientation Control 4 Configurable Outputs Dynamical Systems Protection Sound Alarm PC & Bluetooth Ground Station Configure Parameters Via Bluetooth Peripheral Supported Multi-rotor Quad-rotor: I4, X4
FAQ Use with other DJI products The A2 can be used with other DJI products such as iOSD Mark II, Z15 series gimbals, S800 EVO and 2.4G Data Link(iPAD Ground Station function), H3-2D, H3-3D, etc. Users should connect them to the correct CAN-Bus port. CAN1: iOSD Mark II, Z15 series. CAN2: 2.4G Data Link (iPAD Ground Station function), H3-2D, H3-3D. The following 2.4G Data Link connection diagram is the connection for your reference.
The following H3-2D connection diagram is the connection for your reference. 2S~6S Battery ESC 1# ESC 2# ESC 3# ESC 4# ESC 5# ESC 6# ESC 7# ESC 8# 90o 2S~6S Battery (1) H3-2D/3D users should upgrade the firmware to the latest version (GCU V1.6& IMU V1.6 or above). (2) If the 2.4G Data Link and H3-2D/3D are used at the same time, a CAN-HUB module is required. When using the A2 flight control system firmware version V2.
Channel Mapping Instructions for PC Assistant Software Basic Channel Default Settings A Roll Control of the Controller Unit, mapped E T R U Usage Descriptions to the Channel 1 of Receiver During Assistant Software usage, please click Pitch Control of the Controller Unit, the “Calibration” button, to calibrate the mapped to the Channel2 of Receiver Transmitter sticks travel.
Controller Unit, unmapped. Gimbal functions in Assistant Software, then the F3/F2 are used for gimbal control; even D3/D2 are mapped to channels of Receiver, and the signals from the mapped Receiver channels will be ignored. You can use F4 for switching the video channel of iOSD Mark II, then map D4 to a Receiver channel. IOC IOC function of the Controller Unit, Click “Unmapped” button to map IOC to a unmapped. Receiver channel. It is recommended to use a 3-position switch channel.
Recommended Mapping for Futaba Transmitter (Mode 2) User Controller Unit Channel Receiver Channel Recommended Transmitter Switch A Channe 1 (AIL) Joystick J1 E Channe 2 (ELE) Joystick J2 T Channe 3 (THR) Joystick J3 R Channe 4 (RUD) Joystick J4 U Channe 7 (AUX5) 3-Position switch, e.g. SG K1~K6 Channe 5 (GEAR) Knob switch, e.g. LD, RD Pitch Channe 6 (Vpp) Knob switch, e.g. LD, RD D1/D3/D2 ---- ---- D4 Channe 9 (AUX1) 2-Position switch, e.g.
Transmitter type AREA FASST FUTABA 18MZ Default FASST-MULTI\FASST-7CH FUTABA 14MZ with TM-14 Default MULT\7CH FUTABA 14SG FRANCE\GENERAL FASST-MULTI\FASST-7CH FUTABA 12Z 2.4G FASST with TM-14 Default MULT\7CH FUTABA 12FG 2.4G FASST with TM-14 Default MULT\7CH FUTABA 10CG or 10C with TM-10 Default 7CH FUTABA 9C SUPER with TM-7 or TM-8 Default 7CH FUTABA 8FG SUPER FRANCE\GENERAL MLT2\MULT\7CH FUTABA 8FG FRANCE\GENERAL MULT/7CH FUTABA 7C 2.
Disclaimer Please read this disclaimer carefully before using this product. By using this product, you hereby agree to this disclaimer and signify that you have read it fully. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. A2 flight controller is designed for experience multi-rotor enthusiasts providing excellent self-leveling and altitude holding, which completely takes the stress out of flying RC multi-rotors for both professional and hobby applications.
