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RangeX Epic DIY Manual

General Information

The RangeX Pro demands caution to prevent injury. Never connect the battery without removing propellers or using a smokestopper while on the bench.

Equipped with INAV as its flight controller software, the RangeX Pro enables reliable GPS features such as Return to Home (RTH) and position hold. Though acro flying isn't as optimal as with Betaflight, for Long Range missions, this is a minor trade-off, and familiarity with INAV's characteristics develops quickly.

It's advisable to inspect and retighten all screws after the initial successful flights due to motor-induced vibrations. Regularly checking these screws ensures continual drone reliability.

Purchasing the BNFs with the InstantFly Kit includes the pre-mentioned procedures. However, going through these processes offers a comprehensive understanding and allows optional adjustments for personalized drone preferences. Our preset settings cater to beginners and experienced pilots, facilitating cinematic flying.

Content of Shipment

  • RangeX Epic CFK Kit
  • Standoffs and Screws
  • 3D Kit
  • Silicon Battery Pad

Tools needed

  • Soldering Iron
  • Solder
  • M2 Screwdriver
  • M3 Screwdriver
  • Cutter Knife
  • HotAir Gun or Lighter
  • Cable Cutters

Safety information

Building Steps

Step - Frame

Screw the frame together

Step - Electronics preparation

LEDS

Solder AWG XY wire to the the + and - pad's of the cob led strip. Then apply double sided tape to the cob led strip. Then we recommend to coat the solder connection with silcone coating.

ESC

Solder a AWG XY wire to the + and - pad's of the esc. Also solder two additional red and black AWG XY wires the + and - pad's of the esc.

Receiver

Grab your TBS Diversity RX and solder the following 5 wires provided with the rx.

  • Red –> RX 5v
  • Black –> RX GND
  • Yellow –> RX TX
  • White –> RX RX
  • Green –> RX CH5
  • We also recommend to coat the rx.

FC

Grab your FC, add the silicone standoffs and coat the underside of it. Then solder the TBS diversity RX to the FC using the 4 wires. You can also solder two wires providing 5v and GND for the rc switch. You can also see that we pretinned the gps connections.

DJI O3

Grab your O3 unit and then loosen the two front facing + screws on the bottom of the unit. Now remove the camera connector carefully. Then proceed to remove the 4 M2 screws on the camera housing. Now you can unscrew the two + screws on the side of the camera housing and start to carefully pry the housing apart. Then you remove the camera connector carefully by lifting it up on it's edged. Now you can use a sharp object to carefully remove the glue from the silicone grommet. Once the glue is removed you can now push the silicone grommet facing outwards the camera unit and pull by side. Then slide the cable trough the hole on the back of the housing. Now pull the longer 15cm cable through that opening and connect the camera connector. Now you can close up the camera housing again and screw it back together with the two + screws. Now carefully add the silicone grommet again. Watch out for the right direction and slowly work the silicone back in place. Then you can put the aluminium plate on the bottom of the o3 unit back in place securing the connector. Now also remove the other two + screws on the bottom side of the unit. Now grab the 3d printed o3 holders provided in the kit and screw them onto the bottom of the o3 unit using the M1.6 screws. Now you can also remove the original o3 antenna and screw the antenna holder back in place.

Step - Motors

IMAGE Add the 4 motors to the arms. You may have to bend the wires down onto a flat surface first. We recommend to use blue loctite for the 12mm M3 motor screws.

Step - Mount LED's

IMAGE Now you can mount the LED's to the side braces of the frame facing downwards. The cables should be facing backwards.

IMAGE Now tape the LED's on both sides for additional support and to protect the pads.

Step - Immortal T and Cable Management

IMAGE Get your Immortal T extra extetnded antenna and put it into the provided TPU mount. Now route the cables along the arm including the Immortal T and LED cables. Then tape them into place.

Step

Step

Step

Step

Step

Air Unit heat information

The O3 Air unit produces a lot of heat. Although actively cooled with a small fan, long term hovering or even standing can induce automatic power off due to heat limits of the O3 Air unit. Air stream during forward flight keeps the unit cool enough for reliable operation.

USB connection

The RangeX offers 3 different ways to connect the flight controller to your computer:

  • external USB C: easy and reliable connection, every internal device / sensor is supplied with power. Good for checking / changing settings and calibration. Do not plug in the battery when connected with this method.
  • Bluetooth BLE: No cables needed, great for compass calibration. Slow reading speed.
  • internal USB C on the FC: Fastest connection, only needed for downloading flight logs.

Center of Gravity Information

For optimal performance, aim to position the COG (Center of Gravity) of the RangeX Pro as close to the dotted line as you can. When using a 6s 4500 mAh, ensure it sits toward the rear for better balance. This balance is crucial to maintain smooth flight dynamics and prevent vibrations.

rangex_pro_manual_cog.jpg

Before the first flight

Open and Close the Canopy

Opening Procedure

  • Remove 4 horizontal screws (2 on each side).
  • Remove 1 vertical screw from the back.
  • Gently lift the canopy upwards, ensuring the antenna passes through the hole.
  • Disconnect the small antenna “plug” from the SMA connector.

rangex_pro_manual_1_compressed.jpeg

Closing Procedure

  • Carefully place the canopy on the drone, ensuring the antenna passes through the hole.
  • Check fitting on all sides. Ensure the motor and immortal T antenna wire snugly fit into the slots.
  • Add 1 vertical screw to the back.
  • Add 4 horizontal screws (2 on each side).
  • Insert the small antenna “plug” into the SMA connector.

Binding your Remote Controller

The RangeX Pro receiver arrives in bind mode. The button on the RX does not need to be pressed for initial binding, but here is the full procedure nevertheless:

  • Power on your transmitter.
  • Enter Bind mode on your transmitter.
  • Power up the drone's receiver. USB power might suffice, or connect the battery (without propellers).
  • Press the bind button on the Crossfire receiver within 20s of powering the RX.
  • Confirm the bind procedure on your TX.

Adjust channel mapping in the receiver tab based on your transmitter. Typically, changing from TAER to AETR (or vice versa) aligns channels with stick axis.

Change Flight Modes

To reassign buttons on your remote controller, assign AUX channels to each flight mode using Inav configurator.

  • Connect the drone via USB port of the flight controller to your computer
  • launch INAV configurator
  • Connect to the correspondent port
  • Navigate to “Modes” tab
  • Choose AUTO for the mode in question and press the corresponding button on your TX
  • Don't forget to hit save!

**IMPORTANT**

For all models that support GPS rescue: The GPS rescue should not be activated if you are within 50m of the starting point. If the drone is within 50m radius of the starting point and GPS rescue is activated, the drone will drop form the sky. Only activate GPS Rescue manually if the drone is more than 50m away from its starting point.

Binding your DJI Goggle

  • Power on your DJI Goggle.
  • Connect the battery to your BNF model. Only do this with props removed or a smokestopper.
  • Wait until the Red LED appears on the DJI O3 VTX.
  • Press the button on your DJI Goggle. It should beep twice every second.
  • Press the button on the DJI VTX. The goggle confirms the binding by beeping twice.

LED Setup

The LEDs can be turned on and off with your remote controller. The LEDs are soldered to the Crossfire diversity RX on channel 5. You can change the channel on Output 5 to your preferred switch in the menu of the crossfire Diversity RX after it has been bound to your remote.

Compass Calibration

The compass is calibrated in house for our testing, but depending on your location it's mandatory or recommended to recalibrate near the actual flying location. To do this:

  • Connect the drone to your computer via USB or Bluetooth
  • go to calibration tab in INAV configurator
  • hit the calibrate magnetometer button. You now have 30seconds to move the drone so that each of the 6 sides points to the ground for around 5 s.

Double-check good calibration by:

  • Go into Setup Tab in INAV Configurator
  • Check the heading displayed and compare to your phone or any compass. A deviation of max 5° is ok, better calibration yield better results.

rangex_pro_compass_compressed.jpg

Change Rates

Rates affect the flight feel and determine the maximum speed of rotation around each axis for your drone. Our presets allow smooth and cinematic flight, but it is a good idea to experiment with the rates on order to find your personal settings.

  • Connect the drone via USB port of the flight controller to your computer
  • launch INAV configurator
  • Connect to the correspondent port
  • Navigate to “PID” tab
  • Swap to “Rates & Expo” tab
  • Adapt the parameters to your needs
  • Don't forget to hit save!
public/rangex-epic-diy-manual.txt · Last modified: 2024/12/09 18:01 by admin

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