IMPORTANT Read before flying! Operation Manual
Contents 01 03 04 06 07 Meet IRIS Parts Charging the Battery Attaching Propellers Safety and Failsafes 08 11 13 13 14 19 20 Learn to Fly Flight Modes Return to Launch Geofence First Flight Planning Missions Flying Missions 21 Specifications and Resources 22 Learn More and Support
Meet IRIS . + Thank you for purchasing IRIS+. IRIS is a personal aerial imaging platform powered by open-source hardware, software, and firmware. Please read this manual carefully before your first flight and pay close attention to safety information. Happy flying! Important note: When using a GoPro with IRIS, always ensure that the WiFi on the GoPro is turned OFF.
Front antenna safety button front arms (blue) Rear USB port status LED battery compartment rear arms (black) 02
Parts Controller your direct link to IRIS Ground station radio with USB and Android adapters Battery kit battery, guard bag, and charger with international travel adapters Propellers and tool kit four propellers with propeller tool and small, medium, and large hex keys (1.5 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm) Tall legs Switch to tall legs to use IRIS with the Tarot Gimbal or for extra clearance on landing. Use the small (1.5 mm) hex key to loosen the set screw in the bottom of the leg.
Charging the Battery IRIS is powered by a rechargeable lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. Store the battery at half charge then charge fully before flying. Batteries must ship at half charge, so please charge before your first flight. Each full battery provides up to 22 minutes of flight time without a gimbal and up to 16 minutes when using a Tarot Gimbal.* 1 Connect charger to the power adapter cable and a wall outlet. Connect the red cable to the + port and the black cable to the - port.
4 Secure battery inside the guard bag while charging. Charge until the status indicator displays green. Charging Complete Battery Safety Protect the battery from extreme heat, extreme cold, puncturing, and flammable surfaces. Always transport, charge, and store the battery in the guard bag. Charge the battery using a designated LiPo balance charger only. Always monitor the battery while charging. Flying with a low battery is a safety risk and can render the battery unusable.
Attaching Propellers IRIS uses four propellers: two with black nuts and two with silver nuts. Attach the propellers with black nuts to the motors with black tops and the propellers with silver nuts to the motors with silver tops. Each propeller has locking and unlocking direction symbols. To attach, spin the propeller in the direction of the locking symbol. The propellers will automatically tighten onto the motors when you arm IRIS before takeoff.
Safety IRIS has powerful motors and high-speed propellers. Never place your hands near propellers while IRIS is armed or the safety button displays solid red. Always press the safety button until it displays blinking red before handling. Always fly in an open area away from people and buildings; do not attempt to fly indoors or in a confined space. Do not fly over people, near airports, or in any situation that could pose a hazard to those around you.
Learn to Fly left stick: throttle & yaw Left Stick Left Stick Maneuver IRIS in flight using the controller sticks. Throttle Left Stick Move the left stick up and down to control altitude. left stick To take off and to gain altitude, raise the throttle stick slightly above center position. Left Stick Set the throttle stick to center to maintain the current altitude. Lower the throttle stick below center to decrease altitude.
ver + Land ver + Land Yaw wer just slightly wer just slightly hover Move the left stick horizontally LeftStick Stick to rotate IRIS and change orientation. Left hover For a slow rotation, move the stick slightly away from the center Left Left in either direction. Moving the stick farther from the center creates a faster rotation. left stick ft Yaw ft Yaw Righ Righ Move the stick to the left to rotate counterclockwise. ght Yaw ght Yaw Move the stick to the right to rotate clockwise.
Pitch and Roll The right stick allows you to control IRIS’ position in the air. Move the right stick to tell IRIS to move in that direction: forward (toward the blue arms), back (toward the black arms), left (toward the left arms), or right (towards the right arms). How far you move the stick from the center before releasing it tells IRIS how fast to move. right stick Move the right stick forward to fly forward. Forward Forward Forward Forward Back Move the right stick back to fly backward.
Flight Modes Full Autonomy mode switch IRIS includes three flight modes: manual flight (STD-altitude hold), hover mode (LTR-loiter), and mission flight (AUTO). Use the switch on the Return to Launch right side of the controller to select a flight mode. Loiter Standard (altitude hold mode) STD fly manually Full Autonomy Altitude Hold Start your flight in standard to select altitude hold mode, and fly IRIS manually using the controller.
Auto mode AUTO Altitude Hold fly a mission Select auto mode to fly an autonomous mission. IRIS will automatically fly the series of waypoints saved to the autopilot. See pages 19 and 20 for Loiter instructions on planning and flying missions. Do not activate auto mode unless you have saved a mission to IRIS using a ground station application.
Return to LaunchAltitude (RTL) Hold land at the launch point Set the RTL switch to ON to end your flight and return IRIS to the launch point automatically. Ensure that the RTL switch is set to OFF before takeoff. Loiter 1 2 15 meters When commanded to RTL, IRIS will: 1 Achieve minimum altitude of 15 m (50 ft) or maintain current altitude if above 15 m. Fullfor Autonomy 2 Move to launch point and loiter 5 seconds. 3 Land at launch point.
First Flight Select an open area for flying, away from people and buildings, and remember to bring the Flight Checklist and a fully charged battery. Determine the boundaries of your flying area before takeoff, and select a level, unobstructed space as a launch point. Follow these preflight and postflight steps in the order shown here and on the Flight Checklist every time you fly. Preflight 1 Check IRIS. Point the controller antenna up and the IRIS antenna down for the strongest signal.
Press and hold the DN button on the controller to view flight data from IRIS. See the Flight Checklist for more information about controller flight data. 3 Connect battery. Press the sides of the battery compartment together and rotate the door down. Insert battery, and attach the yellow connectors. Wait 10 seconds before closing the battery door or moving IRIS at all while the internal sensors calibrate and the status LED shows blue and red.
4 Press safety button. Press the safety button until it is solid red. IRIS is now live. Do not handle IRIS while the safety button is solid red and IRIS is live. Always press the button until it displays blinking red before approaching the propellers. Stand back! Motors inactive, safe to handle 5 Motors active, deactivate before handling Check LED. Check the LED to view the status of IRIS. Wait to proceed until you see the blinking green light indicating that IRIS has acquired GPS lock.
Flight Left Stick Take off and gain altitude by raising the left stick slightly above center. Set the left stick to center to maintain the current altitude. Rotate counterclockwise and clockwise by moving the left stick left and right. Left Stick Left Stick Left Stick Fly forward, backward, left, or right by moving the right stick in the Left Stick direction you want to fly. Lower the left stick below center to descend. Release the right stick to level IRIS.
Postflight 1 2 Disarm motors. After landing, hold the left stick downleft until the motors stop spinning. 3 Disconnect battery. 4 Press safety button. Press the safety button until it displays blinking red to make IRIS safe to handle. Power off controller. Your first flight is now complete! Follow the steps shown here and on the Flight Checklist every time you fly. Tips for New Fliers: Practice these exercises to help you master flight controls.
Planning Missions To plan a mission, download a ground station application from 3DR.com/iris/info, and install onto your laptop or Android device. Mission Planner for Windows DroidPlanner 2 for Android 1 Power IRIS, connect the radio to your laptop or Android device, and select Connect. Connect the blue end of the Android adapter to your device and the black end to the radio. Select Connect. 2 Connect the USB adapter to the radio and your laptop. Select AUTO, 57600, and Connect. Configure waypoints.
Flying Missions Loiter 1 Perform a pre-mission test flight. 2 Arm IRIS in standard. When you’re ready to start the mission, arm IRIS in standard Left Stick (STD). Fly a brief test flight to verify that all controls (throttle, yaw, roll, and pitch) are responding normally. Altitude Hold 3 Switch to AUTO. Stabalize If you planned a takeoff waypoint into your mission, switch to AUTO on the ground, and raise the throttle to initiate the mission.
Specifications Autopilot: Firmware: GPS: Telemetry radio: Motors: Frame type: Propellers: Pixhawk v2.4.5 ArduCopter 3.2 3DR uBlox GPS with Compass (LEA-6H module, 5 Hz update) 3DR Radio Telemetry v2 (915 mHz or 433 mHz) 950 kV V 9.5 x 4.5 T-Motor multirotor self-tightening counterclockwise (2) 9.5 x 4.5 T-Motor multirotor self-tightening clockwise (2) Battery: Low battery voltage: Maximum voltage: Battery cell limit: Battery weight: 3S 5.1 Ah 8C lithium polymer 10.5 V 12.
Learn More Visit 3DR.com/iris/info to learn about: »» 3PV™ Follow Me and DroidPlanner »» Opening the shell »» Replacing the arms and motors »» Installing software »» Planning a mission »» Updating firmware »» LED meanings and tones Visit copter.ardupilot.com to learn about: »» Additional flight modes »» Configuring parameters, including yaw behavior during autonomous flight, descent speed during RTL, and more Visit planner.ardupilot.com (Mission Planner) and planner2.ardupilot.
