V 3.1
MHV Quadcopter Workshop
Page 33 of 36
ARM the quadcopter and throttle up again to confirm the motors now spin correctly.
Build Checklist
Check that all of the following activities have been completed before flight
Transmitter settings loaded and calibrate
Receiver bound to transmitter
Telemetry radio NET_ID changed
ESC’s calibrated
All propellers give an upward force when spun up
Pixhawk settings loaded
Pixhawk accelerometers, RC channels calibrated
Pixhawk compass calibrated
Confirm GPS lock
Test Flights
Activate the ground station software and connect to the Pixhawk. Confirm that telemetry is
downloading.
Add the propellers and battery to the quadcopter and give it ~20 seconds to boot. If you have your
laptop handy, launch your ground station software and connect to the quadcopter via the telemetry
radio links.
ARM the quadcopter by:
1.
Pressing and holding the safety switch of the quadcopter until the ESC’s beep.
2.
Tilting the left stick to the right for 4 seconds.
The light on the Pixhawk go solid green and a long low tone will play. The ground station will also
show that the quadcopter is armed.
DISARM the quadcopter via the reverse process.
For safety reasons, the quadcopter will not ARM if the throttle is not at zero of if it does not have an
accurate (<2m HDOP) GPS lock.
Raise the throttle to 25%. Gradually raise is further until the quadcopter takes off. Once it is 1m off
the ground, slowly decrease the throttle for a gentle landing.
If the trims on the quadcopter are slightly off it will slip to one side.
Repeat the small hops a number of times until you are familiar with the throttle levels needed for a
safe takeoff and landing.
Start making the hops a bit longer and use the throttle to maintain a safe altitude.
