Copyright © Parallax Inc.
ELEV-8 Flight Controller (#80204)
v1.2 1/4/2017 Page 6 of 10
The polarity is marked on the board; the center pin is positive, and the two outer pins are negative
(GND). Only one of the negative terminals needs to be connected, which provides flexibility with the
choice of power supply cable.
WARNING! ALWAYS double-check your connections and ensure your
battery is connected with the correct polarity BEFORE plugging into
your Flight Controller!
Altimeter / Barometer
The LPS25H sensor contains an ultra-compact absolute piezo-resistive pressure sensor. It provides
absolute barometer readings in the 260-1260 hPa range, which the Flight Controller uses to determine
altitude. The sensor has a tiny air hole in the top of its case that must be protected from water ingress,
direct sunlight, and direct airflow to ensure accurate readings; a piece of open-cell foam serves this
purpose in the ELEV-8 v3 Quadcopter Kit.
USB Micro-B Socket
The USB socket can be used to load the Flight Controller firmware, to provide power to the Flight
Controller during testing, and to communicate with the Parallax Ground Station software.
The Flight Controller USB interface uses a standard FTDI USB controller. For best results, download and
install FTDI drivers for your operating system before connecting the Flight Controller to your computer;
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
. which most computers will
automatically recognize and install when connecting for the first time. If you need to download drivers,
please check the resources section at the end of this document, or contact Parallax Technical Support for
assistance.
The USB 2.0 specification limits individual USB devices from drawing more than 500 mA from a computer.
As such the Flight Controller USB port is input current limited to prevent it exceeding 500 mA.
The typical current consumption of the Flight Controller without optional accessories will not exceed
100 mA. Powering optional accessories, such as an XBee wireless module, additional RGB LEDs, or other
external devices through the Flight Controller will increase the current requirements. When customizing
your Flight Controller application, calculate the total current draw of external devices, and disable or
unplug them when working from USB power as needed.
WARNING! It is NOT recommended to connect the Flight Controller
to a Non-Powered USB hub, as that may not be able to supply the full
500 mA per port.
