Preflight Checks

1. Ensure that both batteries have sufficient charge and are plugged in correctly

2. Make sure nothing is blocking the propellers

3. Use zipties to strap in any loose cables

Connecting the batteries

Connect the connectors as shown in the images.

Jetson battery

Motors and Pixhawk battery

Connecting the RC controller

1. Turn on the Spektrum DXe controller by sliding the middle switch up

2. If RC receiver (Holybro SiK Telemetry Radio) light (orange) on the drone is flashing rapidly, the controller needs rebinding.

• Rebind by holding the “bind” button while turning on the controller. Keep holding the bind button until the RC receiver stops flashing.

3. Turn off kill switches

• Flap -> 1
• Rate -> Lo
• Motor/Thro -> Arm

Arming the drone

Manual control

• Use QGroundControl manual control. Connect the Holybro SiK Telemetry Radio to your ground control computer and launch the program.

Autonomous flight

• Use offboard control script in this repo for autonomous flight. This will arm the drone and command the drone to hover.

ros2 run spark_softdrone offboard_control_srv