Scout UAV

Assemble arms and support plates

Parts required:
2 support arm plate
4 arms
8 3mm x 20mm hex screw
8 3mm washer
4 3mm locknut

Thread a washer to each of the 3mm x 2mm hex screws.
Take one of the support plates and insert 3mm x 20mm hex screws with 3mm washers into the
eight holes.  If you are using the 1 inch aluminum square tube use 3mm x 30mm hex screws with 3mm washers instead.

This is now your top support plate.

Flip the top support plate so that the screw threads are on top.

Lay the cross assembly upside down and attach the bottom support plate to the cross assembly.
Screw the the locknuts to the four center hex screws.  Place each of the arms through the support screws.

Finally, place the bottom support plate on through the screws on top of the arms.

 

Assemble Power Distribution Plate

1 airframe plate
4 Standoff Male-Female Threaded Hex Aluminum 25mm length

Take the female side of the standoff and screw one onto each of the four corner screws.

Attach the plate to the male end of the standoff’s.

 

Assemble ArduPilot Mega Plate

1 ArduPilot Mega plate
4 Standoff Male-Female Threaded Hex Aluminum 31mm length
1 Vibration Foam cut to the size of the ArduPilot Mega
3 3mm Plastic Phillips Screw
3 3mm locknut

Place the cut vibration foam on top of the ArduPilot Mega plate, make sure to line up the drilled holes and that the sticky side lays on the plate.  Place the ArduPilot Mega on top of the foam and insert the three plastic screws into the mounting holes.

On the bottom side screw on the three locknuts and loosely tighten till there is no play in the screw.  The foam should not be compressed and the screws should not move up and down.

Then place the ArduPilot Mega IMU on top the ArduPilot Mega.

Attach the plate to the male end of the standoff’s.

 

Assemble Battery Plate
1 airframe plate for landing skids
4 Standoff Male-Female Threaded Hex Aluminum 25mm length
8 3mm locknut
4 Phillips 3mm Machine Screws, 14mm Length

Take the airframe plate for landing skids and insert the 3mm x 14mm phillips screw into each of the holes drilled for the landing skids.  Attach the landing skids to the underside of the plate.

Screw on a locknut to each of the landing skids screws.

Place two strips of the hook side of Velcro running the length of the top of the battery plate .   Place a strip of the loop side Velcro on the battery’s bottom side.   The Velcro keeps the battery from falling out during flight.

 

Attach the plate to the male end of the standoff’s.  The curve end of the land skids needs to face the front of the aircraft.  Then screw on a locknut to each of the male end standoff’s

 

Assemble Motor Pieces
4 motors
4 cross plates
4 prop mounts
16 prop mount screws
16 machine cross plate screws

This step we are going to assemble the pieces that came with the brushless motors.

First assemble cross plate to bottom of motor.   The bottom of the motor is the end where the 3-power wires exit.
Place the cross plate on the bottom of the motor and align the plate and motors holes.
Add a small amount of threadlocker onto one of the machine cross plate screws.

Screw on the machine screw, tighten until it is snug.  Do not over tighten, this will strip the screw head.

Repeat this process for remain screws and motors.

Do the same process for the prop mounts and screws.

 

Assemble Motor Mounts
4 Y motor mounts
8 3mm x 12mm hex screws
8 3mm x 20mm hex screw ( 3mm x 30mm hex screw if using 1″ aluminum arms)
8 3mm washers
8 3mm locknut

Place the motor on top of the motor mount.  Align the cross plate holes with the two Y end holes.  Insert a 3mm x 12mm hex screw into each hole.  On the underside, secure and tighten with a 3mm washer and locknut.  Repeat this process for the other three arms.

Place Y motor mount on top of the arm.  Line up the two holes on the motor mounts with the holes on the arm.  Insert a 3mm x 20mm hex screw with washers to attach the motor and the arm.  Secure with two locknuts and washers on the underside.  Tighten until snug, over tightening will split the arm.

 

Connect Electronics
Connect radio receiver channels 1-6 to the inputs of the ArduPilot Mega. Connect ESC’s 1-4 to 1-4 Outputs of ArduPilot Mega.  The black wire of the servo cables connects to the bottom pins of the ArduPilot Mega.

 

Connect the XBee to the ArduPilot Mega IMU.

 

ESC

The ESC attach to each arm.  Place a sticker backed looped Velcro to the flat side of the ESC.  Place the hooked side of the Velcro to the right side of each arm.  Connect the three wires from the ESC to the three wires of the motor.  The order of the which wire connects to the motors wires does not matter right now as the order of the wires determine the rotation of the motor.   When testing the motors, if you see the motor is rotating in the wrong direction, switch two of the motor wires to change motors direction.