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How to fly on 4G LTE (User Manual)

SoftIce edited this page May 18, 2019 · 5 revisions

Preparation

  • Charge your batteries!
  • Ensure the device connected to Skycontroller 2 via USB is not Wi-Fi connected to the Disco. Disable auto-join for Disco's SSID (e.g. DISCO-123456) or disable Wi-Fi entirely.
  • Disable Geofence in FreeFlight Pro if you want to overcome the 2 km max. limit
  • 👉 Find a big open space for the take-off! Keep in mind that the Disco will automatically Return-To-Home (RTH) upon disconnection. If the Skycontroller 2 is not able to reconnect (via 4G or Wi-Fi), the Disco will land automatically in a circular pattern (80 meters diameter) at the take-off location. Therefore, it is always recommended to take-off in an area with no trees around you within 40 meters.
  • 👉 Make sure CHUCK's battery connectors are fine, otherwise apply the Ballpen Trick.

Ready, 4G, go!

⚠️ Note: the pre-flight set-up on 4G takes longer than when using stock Wi-Fi, i.e. for the end-to-end connection to be up and running, Glympse to be loaded, etc. We strongly recommend not to place the Disco on a surface where the fuselage's hole below gets fully blocked once turned on (e.g. grass). This will prevent the fan from carrying away the hot air and can potentially cause overheating of CHUCK. It's a good practice to only close the canopy cover when ready for take-off for the same reasons.

  1. Turn on the Disco with the 4G/LTE USB modem plugged in and wait for the Glympse SMS/Push Notifications to arrive.
  2. Open the Glympse link and start tracking the Disco's position.
  3. Enable tethering on your mobile device (iOS: "Personal Hotspot" or Android: "Portable WLAN hotspot")
  4. Start the SkyController 2 and wait until it's connected to the Disco via Wi-Fi (LED: green solid)
  5. Double press Settings button on Skycontroller 2.
    LED: flashing blue/white for 1 seconds (to indicate switch-over to 4G/LTE mode)
    LED: flashing magenta (trying to associate to mobile Wi-Fi hotspot and obtaining IP address)
    LED: flashing blue (starting zerotier and trying to reach Disco via zerotier tunnel)
    LED: solid blue (Disco is connected via 4G/LTE)
  6. Plug in FreeFlight Pro device into Skycontroller 2 via USB cable.
  7. Wait for video streams to start (takes between 10 and 20 seconds)
  8. Press the take-off button and fly! 😀

👉 It is recommended to bring the Disco up to a safe altitude first (at least above the tree line/tallest buildings around). In case you experience a disconnection during the flight, the Disco will Return-To-Home by itself at the highest flown altitude (of the current flight).

Switch back to Wi-Fi during flight

  1. Double press Settings button on Skycontroller 2.
    LED: flashing green/white for 1 seconds (to indicate switch-over to Wi-Fi mode)
    LED: flashing red (trying to associate to Disco and obtaining IP address)
    LED: solid green (Disco is connected via Wi-Fi)
  2. Continue to fly! (on limited range though 😕)

⚠️ Note: it is not advised to switch to Wi-Fi while the Disco is just above the take off point. Switching to Wi-Fi will cause 4G/LTE to disconnect, which will put the Disco into Return-To-Home mode. As it's already above the take off point, it will initiate circular landing. In case the switch-over to Wi-Fi (around 5-10 seconds) takes too long, the circular landing might end in a unplanned tree visit.