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| TITAN Quadcopter Assembly Instructions 1

TITAN Quadcopter Assembly Instructions

Even if you have built a multirotor before; please read these instructions carefully! There are

a lot of tricks in here that can save you headaches in the future…

1) Use a small screwdriver to pop out all of the scrap plastic bits from the parts.

2) Remove the laser masking tape. There can be some sticky tape residue especially around the engraved logos; I usually just rub it off with a dry paper towel, but you can clean it with soapy water if necessary.

3) Install the Electronics Cover Standoffs onto the Top Frame Plate as shown. Threadlock is recommended for these screws.

4) Install your battery strap- note that the CG mark on the Bottom Frame Plate is on the side your battery mounts to. It is also highly recommended that in addition to the battery strap, you install a strip of adhesive-backed Velcro between the frame and the battery to prevent it from moving in flight.


5) Install the Nose onto the Bottom Frame Plate as shown.

6) If you are going to run power or control wires between the frame plates, here are some tips:

If this is your first multirotor build, don’t worry about getting a clean wiring setup; chances are that you’ll need to change something anyway after your maiden flight (or your first crash). It’s much better to leave everything accessible until you’ve got it flying, you can always tidy things up later.

Use a knife to round off the edge of the wire hole on the underside of the Top Frame Plate as shown. The laser-cut edge is sharp and can wear through wires over time.

Put the Boom Screws through the holes in the Bottom Frame Plate and temporarily install the booms. Layout your wires and make sure that they will fit between the plates, and that they have enough slack so that you can rotate each boom through its full range of motion. ↓

Remember to mark your signal wires, otherwise deciphering which-ones-are-which will be a chore when everything is tied together.

It’s always better to have too much slack than not enough; especially on the signal wires. I usually add 2 inches of slack on my signal wires on the flight controller side, it’s easy to bunch up the slack and tidy everything up with a couple of cable-ties.


7) Attach the Top Frame Plate to the Nose/Bottom Frame Plate as shown. If you have wires to feed through do that as well.

8) Slide the Booms between the frame plates and install the screws one at a time. NOTE: if you are using hollow booms, be very careful not to over-tighten the screws! The screws should be just tight enough that the booms have a little resistance when they rotate. You can install the Boom Screws from the top or bottom, whichever works best with your electronics layout.

9) Install the Arm Retainer O-rings as shown. NOTE: do not wrap the arm retainers over any wires or else they will not hold properly.

10) Press the Landing Gear Brace onto the Landing Gear as shown. A few taps with the handle of a screwdriver may be required to get them fully seated. Fasten them together with cable-ties. The head of the cable-tie should be against the brace.

11) Mount the Landing Gear to the Booms with cable-ties. NOTE: it’s recommended that you use a knife to round off the sharp corners of the cable-tie holes; this will allow them to take slightly harder landings without cutting through the tie. Also, it is recommended that you use mini cable ties rather than standard size ties- if you’re breaking the mini-ties regularly you are probably landing too hard. Remember that every time you break a cable tie it is saving the expensive components from extra stress! ↓


12) Install the motors onto the Motor Mounts, threadlock is recommended.

13) Clean the Motor Mount Pads with rubbing alcohol or window cleaner, they should be slightly tacky to the touch.

14) Install the Motor Mounts to the two front booms with the Motor Mount Pads in between as shown. It is recommended that you install the cable-ties in opposite directions, so if one pulls left the other will pull it back to the right. Make sure they are tight! And make sure that the motor is sitting square on the boom.

15) Install your flight controller (FC) onto the frame using adhesive-backed Velcro (recommended) or foam tape. Make sure that the FC is very secure and level; and that it can’t be moved due to vibration or flight forces. If you are using a small board that doesn’t have a case, it’s a good idea to cut your Velcro around the tall components so that it sits flat on the frame. ↓

16) Install your RC Receiver using the same method as the FC.


17) Complete the wiring connections according to the FC and receiver instructions. Use cable ties to mount the ESCs to the booms, and make sure there is no way that any loose wire can get caught in the props. ↓

18) Install the Electronics Cover as shown.

19) Follow the instructions that came with your electronics to setup your flight controller and radio. Also use your FC to calibrate the ESCs. Don’t install the props yet!

20) Complete the pre-maiden flight checklist on the next page.


Pre-Maiden Flight Checks

1) Only proceed after you have fully configured your flight controller (FC) and radio according to their instructions. DO NOT INSTALL YOUR PROPS YET!

2) Install your battery and check your center of gravity (CG). There are two marks on the Electronics Cover- these marks pass through the CG. If you grip your Electronics Cover at these marks with your thumb and index finger the copter should hang level; if not, move your battery forward or back until it does.

3) NO PROPS! Plug in your battery and arm the FC, then bump the throttle and check the rotation of each motor to make sure it matches what the FC instructions call for. If any of them need to be reversed; simply flip any two of the three wires between the ESC and the motor.

4) NO PROPS! We are now going to check the FC gyro orientation. If you have not gone through the gyro and accelerometer calibration already, do that first (Check the FC instructions).

a) Arm your FC and give it about 25% throttle, then set the radio down. All motors should be spinning, but it’s normal if they are all spinning at different speeds.

b) Pick up the copter and hold it level with the nose facing AWAY from you.

c) Quickly roll the copter to the LEFT- the motors on the LEFT should speed up.

d) Quickly roll the copter to the RIGHT- the motors on the RIGHT should speed up.

e) Quickly pitch the copter NOSE DOWN- the motors on the FRONT should speed up.

f) Quickly pitch the copter NOSE UP- the motors on the BACK should speed up.

g) The common theme here is that if any motor drops from level, it should speed up to resist the movement. If at any point the copter behaves differently; either you have an ESC plugged into the wrong output of the FC, or the FC has the wrong gyro orientation. Consult the FC instructions on how to flip the gyro orientation.


5) NO PROPS! We are now going to check your radio channel orientation.

a) Arm your FC and give it about 25% throttle. All motors should be spinning, but it’s normal if they are all spinning at different speeds.

b) With the copter on level ground and the nose pointed AWAY from you, use your radio to roll RIGHT- the LEFT motors should speed up.

c) Roll LEFT- the RIGHT motors should speed up.

d) Pitch FORWARD- the REAR motors should speed up.

e) Pitch BACK- the FRONT motors should speed up.

f) If any of these inputs are opposite of what they should be- reverse that channel in your radio’s settings and retry.

g) Checking the yaw channel on a quadcopter is hard to do without props; so you will need to do that as soon as you get it flying. Remember, the yaw stick controls the NOSE of the copter; so if you yaw RIGHT- the copter should rotate CLOCKWISE. If you yaw LEFT- the copter should rotate COUNTER-CLOCKWISE.

6) Now, use a prop balancer to get all of your props perfectly balanced; then install them according to the motor rotation called out in the FC instructions.

7) Arm your FC and give it just enough throttle for the props to start spinning, make sure the rotation of all of the props is correct.

8) Now take everything to the flying field and do the pre-flight on the next page!


Pre-Flight Checklist GO THROUGH THIS BEFORE EVERY FLIGHT!

1) Check your surroundings! Make sure you are familiar with the area, and NEVER FLY NEAR PEOPLE! As my insurance agent loves to say: “these things are basically flying saws”. NEVER put your faith in autopilot or GPS- ALWAYS be prepared to switch back to manual control in an instant.

2) Check the condition of all cable-ties, especially the motor mounts. Cable ties can stretch if they get bumped too hard. Even if they look okay- you need to physically grab every motor and tug on it to make sure everything is tight. Replace ties if necessary; they’re cheap.

3) Check the condition of all props- look for stressed areas (on plastic props they will turn white when bent too far) and chips. Also make sure the prop nuts are all tight, especially on reversed props.

4) Install your battery and check your CG.

5) Perform a radio range test (follow your radio’s instructions, this only needs to be performed at the beginning of the day or after a crash).

6) Make sure your Rubber Arm Retainer O-Rings are all properly secured! I’ve lost count of the number of crashes I’ve had because I forgot to secure these after unfolding the frame!

7) Get the copter into a low hover and make sure it is responding properly to your controls before your real flying starts.

8) ALWAYS keep far away from people, and respect other’s property and privacy! Reckless pilots are ruining this amazing hobby- strive to be one of the good guys!

titan quadcopter assembly instructions - fortis … quad assembly instructions... · | titan...

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