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Put Astro Map to work!
The Freefly Mapping Payload is Sony's 61-megapixel Alpha 7R IVA camera integrated with a Freefly gimbal. It ships with a 24 mm lens, and several other lenses are supported.
The payload is optimized for photogrammetry. It also supports inspection and scenic photography.
Weather is a big driver of how good the resulting maps will be. Because of lens limits and the requirement for high shutter speeds to reduce motion blur, maps are best when taken with bright light. The best results are around noon when the sun is directly overhead and casting few shadows; a bright, overcast day also works well for similar reasons.
When ambient light is low due to heavy clouds or in the evenings, the camera will expose the scene but will have to increase ISO to get reasonable exposure. Beyond ISO 1000, noise and blur from the denoising filter in the camera will start to impact photo quality.
If light conditions are low, the shutter speed can be reduced. However, the drone will need to fly slower to ensure no motion blur. The camera lens is sharpest above f/5, but the aperture can be opened up to provide more light. Some lens artifacts and blurring around the edges may be present with a wider aperture/lower f-stop.
Additionally, flying over wet surfaces may cause problems for photogrammetry workflows. It tends to make asphalt very dark, which can cause stitching software to have a hard time, and reflective surfaces can't be used to stitch photos.
AMC caches recent maps. To make certain that maps for a specific location are stored on your Herelink before you go to a site with no internet, download them while the Herelink is connected to wifi.
1. Figure out the minimum safe flying altitude at your site (i.e. above obstacles and giving a good line of sight). Enter this value in AMC > Vehicle Setup > Safety > Return Altitude.
3. Open AMC Plan view, and select "Pattern" in the left sidebar (creates flight path that covers the site and automatically triggers photos). Choose a pattern type and shape and it'll appear on the map. Don't detail the shape yet- We'll come back to that.
4. In the Pattern/Survey waypoint settings, open the Camera tab, and select Preset: Sony ɑ7R IV - 24 mm SIGMA.
5. Set Altitude. Start in Pattern waypoint settings and enter the minimum safe value from step 1. Check the Ground Sample Distance (GSD) value at the bottom of Pattern Waypoint settings. If GSD is smaller than your needs, increase altitude to increase GSD. Then go to Mission Waypoint settings and enter the same altitude.
6. Turn on Terrain Display by selecting the square T button in the bottom-left corner. Check the heightmap to make sure the flight path clears the terrain by a comfortable margin.
7. Set speed. Check the Photo Interval value at the bottom of Survey settings along the right. This interval needs to be 2 seconds or more. If it's less, decrease the mission flight speed or increase forward overlap (if this is acceptable for your mission). If the photo interval is larger than 2 seconds, you can optionally increase your flight speed.
8. Adjust the Pattern area. Make sure the green area (the area to be flown and photographed) is larger than the map you need. Make the green area larger on every side by at least the width between flight passes. Note the estimated flight duration at the top of the screen. If the duration is longer than 23 minutes, it's likely to require a second flight.
9. Add a Return waypoint command if you want the aircraft to come home and land when finished. This is optional but recommended. If the mission's last command is a Pattern or Waypoint, AMC will not notify you that the mission has ended. The aircraft will hover at the last waypoint, likely until the battery failsafe is triggered and Astro returns home automatically.
If these instructions are unclear or if you have any additional questions, you can learn more about planning in the AMC docs or contact us at support@freeflysystems.com.
To get high-quality results, every area of interest in the map should appear in 5 or 6 overlapping photos. Obtaining this much coverage along edges or in corners requires that the area to be flown is larger than the area to be mapped. Also consider that if the gimbal is not pointing straight down (for crosshatch surveys and such), the drone will need to fly PAST areas that need to be seen in images because the image is looking in front of the drone.
The USB flash drive included will be formatted to work with Astro. In the event that you encounter issues or would like to use a different USB flash drive with Astro, follow the instructions in the USB Formatting section. Be sure enough space is available; you will need at least 16GB for a single mission.
Astro Map and the mapping payload both include a Samsung 64GB flash drive. If you want to replace or purchase additional flash drives, we recommend trying to get the same model as we have tested this drive thoroughly. It will also help our support team troubleshoot any issues you might encounter.
Body Exposure Compensation Dial: 0, and the lock button engaged
Lens Aperture ring: A
Lens Focus switch: AF
Focus: Auto (infinity does work as well)
Exposure Mode: Manual
ISO: Auto
Aperture: f/5 - f/11 depending on lighting conditions
Shutter: 1/1000 or greater (can go as low as 1/500 but aircraft needs to slow down to prevent blur.
Storage: USB Drive
When light is low (e.g. dark cloudy day), we need to adjust the shutter speed and aperture to avoid an excessive increase in the ISO sensitivity. The first step is to open the aperture. If an aperture of f/5 is still not bright enough, the second step is to decrease shutter speed. Working in this order keeps shutter speed as high as possible to minimize motion blur. If shutter speed must be reduced and motion blur is seen, reduce flight speed. Wider apertures than f/5 can be used, but the photos will lose sharpness, so be sure to test if the quality of the resulting images will satisfy the needs of your mission.
2. Open the camera view for the payload, and select the settings icon. Select the lens that matches what you're using (default 24mm).
High Res Mapping Payload Output Specification
The standard workflow for mapping with Astro takes photos from the camera, geotags them, and writes them to the attached USB stick. The usb stick will contain data from each flight in separate folders.
Photos can be saved to either SD card or USB drive. When photos are saved to the SD card, no geotag is applied. However, all other files will be written to USB drive if one is connected, as well as small thumbs of the RAW photos. Do not use "BOTH" setting at the moment.
Naming: <SequentialFlightNumber>_<DATE>_<TIME>
There may be multiple folders that start with the same <SequentialFlightNumber>
if photos were taken on the ground but without a flight.
Each folder will contain the following:
This file contains the GNSS observations from the aircraft's RTK GPS, and is used in conjunction with the base station data to precisely locate the astro in space. The file also includes RTKlib-style "marker" entries at the timestamp when each photo was taken
This JSON formatted file includes the precise timestamp and gimbal angle for each photo captured.
This JSON formatted file includes the aircraft position, attitude, timestamp, and capture url for each photo taken.
Name: YYYY-MM-DD-[SequentialNumber matching directory].json
File type: JPG
Naming: per camera settings
Geotags: Each photo is geotagged in its EXIF header, including geographic position and altitude in WGS84 (GPS) coordinate frame. The altitude in the aircraft geotags is based on the EGM96 geoid.
Note that additional tag information may be written later when post processed by a PPK app.
This folder contains small 512x341 thumbnails of the photos taken. They are geotagged as well, and are sometimes useful to upload to a photo photogrammetry site such as ESRI sitescan to ensure that photos are geotagged as expected. They can even be used to create a quick, coarse map.
Link to example datasets. These datasets have been copied from the USB drive attached to Astro.
Note that Base Station observation files are also included in separate folders in case you'd like to perform PPK.
Known issue with Site Scan Reality Engine
Processing photos in Site Scan using the new Reality Engine, the outputted map can be less accurate than photos processed with the Legacy Engine. We are working with Esri resolve this.
Currently, we recommend processing maps in Site Scan using the Legacy Engine.
AMC will override these camera body settings:
Shooting Mode dial, if set to P.
Exposure Compensation dial, if set to 0.
Other camera body controls and menu options will be honored. For example:
Focus Mode (e.g. wide, zone).
Exposure Metering Mode (e.g. spot).
Exposure Compensation dial, if set to non-0 value.
File type: JPG and RAW are available.
When shooting RAW files, we recommend selecting File Storage: Camera (SD card). The system will store RAW files to USB, but the transfer time is prohibitively long, imposing a delay of several seconds between shutter releases.
Choose a survey flight path angle that minimizes the number of turns (or in other words, think about maximizing long, straight flight paths). For example, if surveying a complex next to a road that runs at a 30-degree angle, rotating the survey lines to match may reduce the maneuvering Astro has to do and will result in shorter missions and better pictures.
Rotate the survey entry/exit points to start and end at logical places. It is usually more efficient and safe to start at the furthest point from your takeoff location, as your mission will likely end closer to the home point when battery levels are most critical.
Use overlap and sidelap settings suitable for your processing software and output type. AMC's defaults (70%) are reasonable starting places, but reducing these values can allow faster flight and more area coverage. Lower front overlaps will allow Astro to fly faster in a mission, but be sure the value is acceptable for whichever processing software is in use.
Known issue: Photos aren't exactly equally spaced in the flight direction causing some small variation in spacing. This might require a slightly larger forward overlap setting to ensure there is enough overlap in every case.
Astro can cover areas greater than 200 acres in a single flight at 2cm GSD. Some tips for flying these types of missions:
Uncheck the "refly at 90°" option at the bottom of the Survey settings while planning a mission. This will cause Astro to only fly over the ground in single-direction passes as opposed to a cross-hatch pattern.
If possible, fly from the center of a large survey to reduce the distance between the Herelink and Astro. The maximum telemetry distance is shown in AMC during mission planning if you're at the takeoff location. Being able to have a line of sight to the vehicle at all parts of the survey is important for safety as well as maintaining a solid data link.
Fly at 10-12m/s. The aircraft can fly up to 15m/s, but the flight time will actually increase if flying above 12m/s and result in a longer flight.
A "typical" large area survey might have the following parameters: 12m/s speed, 120m altitude, 70% front overlap, 65% side overlap, and the gimbal angle pointing down (90°).
Astro defaults to limiting the distance between waypoints to 900m. This is intended as a safety check to ensure that an accidental waypoint doesn't send the drone out of range to an unintended location. However, this may limit the length of a reasonable survey in some edge cases. This value can be increased by changing the parameter MIS_DIST_WPS. Do not set it larger than necessary to maintain the safety benefit.
Smaller areas can be covered the same as a large project, but usually higher detail is desired. In these cases, a crosshatch pattern can be used with gimbal pitch to get better detail on the sides of vertical objects. This gives better 3D reconstructions.
Check the "refly at 90°" option at the bottom of the Survey settings while planning a mission.
Set the gimbal angle to around 70 degrees to get better imagery on the sides of objects.
Fly lower (60m or less) depending on the situation. Lower altitude will result in higher-density photos; just make sure that safety is the highest priority and that no obstacles intersect with your flight path.
Make sure to fly well beyond the boundaries of the object being surveyed when the gimbal is tilted to ensure that it can be seen from all sides.
Generally speaking, slower flights will provide more accurate results.
For normal operation, it is recommended to unplug both batteries, and then connect a new set for each flight. However, the aircraft can hotswap batteries to allow for the continuation of a mission that requires more than one flight. To hotswap, do the following:
Disconnect one of the discharged flight batteries from Astro.
Replace the removed battery with a fully charged pack.
Press the power button on the battery twice and ensure it turns on and says "hotswap" on the new battery's LCD screen.
Disconnect the second discharged battery.
Replace the second removed battery with a second fully charged pack.
Power on the second battery the same way, and ensure both are powered up.
Continue mission after the post-processing for the previous flight has been completed and there is no longer a progress bar on the Herelink.
It's possible to plan missions and monitor flights from AMC on a computer or tablet. Here's the procedure to connect another device to the Herelink.
Astro remembers the settings that you can change within the AMC software. Next time you power on the system and when the camera establishes a connection with Astro, Astro will set these settings.
If a setting is not exposed in the app, we are most likely not overriding this setting. In order for these settings to be changed and saved even if the unit is powered off, follow the below procedure:
Using the wheel on the Herelink, tilt the gimbal/camera down at an angle so it's easier to access the buttons on the camera.
Using the menu or “fn” buttons on the camera, change the desired settings.
Turn the camera power off by using the rotary switch on top of the camera.
Wait 10 seconds. The camera takes a while to save settings to its own memory.
Power the camera back on. Confirm that the settings that you changed have persisted.
The USB-C connector needs to be disconnected from the left side of the camera to reset the camera settings in Menu > Setup7 > Setting Reset > Camera Settings Reset. Use a thin driver to unplug and connect the USB-C, as it helps with the lack of clearance afforded by the gimbal.
This is a set of example calibration values for the Sony Alpha 7R IVA with Sigma 24 mm lens, which can be used for photogrammetry initial conditions. Each lens is slightly different, but these values are good initial values if the software in use can't solve them directly.
For inspection, we recommend these settings:
Camera body setting > Focus Mode: Center
Camera body setting > Exposure Metering Mode: Center
AMC setting > Grid: Reticle (which approximates the focus area)
AMC setting > Focus: Auto
Astro Map is primarily intended for photos, but with some minor modifications it can be used to record video.
Once these settings are changed, you can switch between taking images and video footage using this button in Photo Mode:
These free applications make it easy and simple to improve the accuracy of your survey through their use of Post Processed Kinematic corrections.
If you are not able to follow these steps exactly, there is more guidance below.
Set up your base station (list of tested stations are below) and get it recording
Fly your mission with Astro, then wait for it to finish processing photos after landing
Shutoff Astro
Pull USB-C stick, and insert into iPad (if accessing base-station data from iPad)
Go to Files app, browse to USB drive, and determine which folder has the files from this scan. i.e. folder 58
If using EMLID REACH:
Open EMLID app:
Stop logging all 3 logs (position, raw data, base correction)
After they are zipped, download all 3 files to the usb stick in the same directory as the scan
Freefly PPK Desktop Application takes photos and GPS data generated by Astro during a Mapping mission, as well as data from a GNSS base station, and applies the Post-Processing Kinematics (PPK) algorithm to tag photos with highly accurate geotags.
Download the software from https://freeflysystems.com/support/astro-support
Current PC Version: 1.0.0-beta - Released 11/2023
Current Mac Version: v0.0.3-beta - Released 06/2022
Table of Contents:
Compatible Devices, Download Links
Input, Output, Workflow
Debugging tips if you encounter errors
Operating Systems
Note, for the current app version, you will need to override current mac security settings through instructions provided here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491
Trimble R2,10,12
Emlid RS2
Generally, any device that can output RINEX (Observation and Navigation data files)
Important Tip: PPK process and upload to mapping software is 10x faster if you have the files in your local storage instead of thumb drive
Output folder from High Res Mapping Payload.
RINEX files (OBS and Nav Data files) from GNSS base station (that was actively recording GNSS data for the full duration of the time that the Astro mission was running).
GNSS base station coordinate
Using pre-surveyed point as reference coordinate
Using Reference Network calculation (i.e. NOAA's CORS, Washington state's WSRN)
For very basic results, averaged value from base station rinex file
Photos in PPK_Photos folder with corrected geotags.
Updated 2022-06-01
PRE-PPK CHECKS
As summarized above, to start PPK-ing your photos to get centimeter level geotag accuracy, you need to:
Complete an Astro Map mapping mission that writes photos, imagelog.json, *capture.obs, and *capture.json file into a mission folder (see Fig 1 below) into the USB-C thumb-drive. This is a simple and streamlined process, and you will generate this folder if you follow with the instructions in Astro Mapping Payload: Quick Map Workflow.
Fig 1. Here is what the mission folder generated by an Astro Map mission might look like:
Have a GNSS base-station running and recording satellite data throughout the duration of the flight that can produce (Observation and Navigation data files). Grab the RINEX data files (usually ends with .<##>O - for OBS or .<##>P for NAV, sometimes just .RNX for both file types). If the file names are ambiguous, you can inspect the files and look at the first few lines to see if they contain the keywords Observation (for obs file) or Navigation (for nav file) data file. IMPORTANT - Ensure that the NAV data file is a "MIXED NAV" data file that contains nav data for all constellations.
Grab the Observation and Navigation data files (either individually) or the folder that contains them and place it into the Astro Map mission folder that contains the photos and the other mapping mission artifacts (imagelog.json, *capture.obs, and *capture.json).
Placing base station file into the folder shown below:
Fig 2. Placing base-station files into the folder shown above. The file types might be different
Pre-PPK Notes:
Do not close any pop-up cmd prompt or terminal windows (this is due to the application running a subprocess necessary for PPK-ing)
It's a good habit to check to ensure that the original geotags on a couple of the photos somewhat correspond to the image location.
To do this: Use an exif inspection tool, grab the geotag from an image, search up coordinates on Google Earth, compare to see if the photo content somewhat matches up with coordinates on Google earth
If the images do not align, it might be a good idea to get the flight log (.ulog) file from the mission and use the Use ULOG workflow in the Freefly PPK app to get proper alignment.
Freefly PPK Processing:
Open FreeflyPPK application.
Click on browse at the top to choose the Astro Map mission and select the folder.
The application should browse the folder and search for the requirements and automatically fill in all of the requirements.
4. If you know where the base station ground coordinate was, then enter it. This can be done using a GNSS reference network processing provider (i.e. in Washington state you can use Washington State Reference Network, in the U.S. you can use NOAA CORS and upload your base RINEX files) You can use either DMS or Decimal coordinates (Click the DMS Coordinates
check-box.)
5. If you don't know the base station coordinate, by changing from MANUAL
on the drop down to AVERAGE FROM OBS
you can get a very rough estimate of the base station. It applies single point positioning to the base station RINEX files. The averaged postion will be displayed on the status bar once the project processing begins.
6. Go ahead and select how high you placed the receiver from the ground (usually your base station tripod pole will have a marking to let you know). The application will take care of antenna phase center variation based on the base-station type detected from the base-station OBS file.
7. If you are rerunning the same mapping mission folder, checking the Overwrite Output check-box will overwrite the output folder with the current processing output. It is set to overwrite on default since the application can otherwise keep on making copy of the photos and take a lot of space on your computer. If the Overwrite Output check-box is not checked, then the application will rename the previous folder and save the output of the current processing to PPK_Photos. *TIP: you want to explore output with multiple settings (i.e. different base station coordinates or base station files), it might be beneficial to rename the PPK_Photos folder to something more useful*
8. Once all of the project requirements are met, you will be able to click the Process button and the application will correct the geotags on your photos after it conducts PPK on them. It will output them into the PPK_Photos folder and keep your original images untouched. Monitor the output and ensure all or most of the photos are tagged with Q=1 quality. The Q value corresponds to the quality of the corrected geotag. Q=1 is great. Q=2 is ok. Anything higher is not accurate.
9. Once your images are PPK-ed, you can use a map generation provider like ESRI Sitescan (which is recommended and we have tested on) and upload the images from the PPK_Photos folder. In the Advanced Processing Settings:
If you completed the PPK process with a surveyed point or reference network, use the +/- margin of error they provided to you in the base station location for the geolocation accuracy.
If you use the AVERAGE OBS FILE option in the FreeflyPPK app, use +/- 100 cm. Note that it is not recommended to run AVERAGE OBS if you want high fidelity maps.
Debugging Tips:
Known Issue: If drone is flying below sealevel or drone is flying at negative altitude in the chosen base-station coordinate system, then the application will fail the geotagging process (status list error). This will be fixed in a future release.
If you entered base station coordinates in Degrees, Minute, Second format, make sure you use the correct sign. i.e. If the coordinate you are entering is 122° 09' 7.93789" W, on Freefly PPK, you should enter -122 09 7.93789
If the correct base station file is not be detected correctly, remove all of the base files from inside of the project path folder. Then, individually go into modify the selected base and rinex files using the modify buttons below the status box. Check content inside the base files for "Observation" and "Navigation" to ensure you are choosing the correct files.
One of the first debugging things you can do is to close the application and reopen it. More advanced users can go in and delete the .ppk_history file in their home directory to remove application cache file.
Check to see if the rtkdata_events.pos in the working directory has been generated properly. If everything looks good there, but there is an issue with photo tagging. (i.e. "Issue with abc.jpg tagging" alert, then there is likely an error with your filesystems (see common file systems error).
Common file systems errors: Not enough space on your hard drive. Make sure the project path has plenty of space. A bunch of 25MP images can fill up your storage device quickly. Again, as previously mentioned, you will get much better performance if your project folder is in your local hard-drive instead of an extenal drive.
If you have any issues with Freefly PPK and have questions for Freefly Support team, it would help if you sent as many of your files as you are able to (i.e content of working directory, capture.obs, sequence.json, and base-directory folder). It helps to include a screenshot of the application during an error, but ensure you expand the status list so that the whole error is visible in the photo. Since this is our first release of Freefly PPK software, we are actively working to improve the user experience based on feedback.
Precise Flight by Auterion is an alternative option for the PPK workflow. It can be downloaded from the App Store.
iOS devices - primarily useful with iPad
Set up base station and get it recording
Fly mission with astro, wait for it to finish processing photos after landing
Shutoff astro
Pull usb stick, and place into ipad
Go to files app, browse to usb stick, and determine which folder has the files from this scan. I.e. folder 58
Open emlid app
Stop logging all 3 logs (position, raw data, base correction)
After they are zipped
Download all 3 files to the usb stick in the same directory as the scan
Extract data
Go to files app
Browse to the folder with the photos in them
Click once on the zip file with the emlid raw RINEX data in it to unzip
It will create a folder in that directory
Delete old data?
Go to preciseflight app
Select base station folder, will be the RINEX directory inside of the flight folder
Select the vehicle folder- it is the folder with your mission number such as “58” that has the photos in it
Decide if you want to set base position manually, enter as desired
Enable compensate camera offset
Hit process, wait the 30-60 seconds for processing
When processing is complete, the files will be located in the Auterion Precise Flight app on the ipad (not on the USB stick).
When working properly, Sitescan app can be pointed at that folder to upload the photos
I’ve been using files app to copy the PPK’d photos into a new folder on the usb drive and then transferring to computer.
Bugfix: Fixed the SD card corruption issue, preventing the gimbal from powering on
New: Added tilt limits to mongoose of -90 and +30 degrees tilt
Improvements:
Improved heading control
Calibration and process updates to improve attitude performance
Added GPS date time as supplied by Astro to log
Initial Release
Download the provided firmware package.
Extract the .zip folder contents.
Open the extracted folder- the top level folder that you will need to copy onto the gimbal will be called "freefly". Do not copy the folder that states the firmware version.
To upgrade Gimbal firmware, connect the gimbal to a laptop using a USB-C cable.
The USB-C connector is located on the Smart Dovetail of the gimbal
Ensure the gimbal is not powered by the aircraft
The gimbal will show up on the computer as an external drive called "FREEFLY"
Open that drive and you will see a folder named "freefly". This is the current firmware file that you need to replace.
Delete this folder and replace it with the new firmware folder "freefly' that you downloaded in Step 1
Remove the USB-C cable from the gimbal and connect the gimbal to an Astro using the Smart Dovetail to power on the gimbal.
Insert 1 SL8 Battery into the aircraft and fully latch the battery, but do not power on the aircraft at this time.
Use a paperclip or small screwdriver to hold down the Firmware Load button on the gimbal- this button must be pressed and held for 10 seconds while powering on the aircraft.
This small button is recessed into the gimbal housing and is located next to the USB-C connector on the Smart Dovetail.
Power on the aircraft by double clicking the button on the SL8 battery.
Ensure that the Firmware Load button is held down during this time for 10 seconds while the new firmware is loaded onto the gimbal.
When firmware is successfully updated, the gimbal should stabilize correctly and video feed will show on the Herelink controller.
Note: Normal usage should not require this process. Reset the camera settings only if the Freefly factory settings have been changed or you are having issues with your Mapping Payload and Freefly customer support has instructed this process.
Note! The camera will not save settings unless you turn off the camera using the switch on the camera and wait 45 seconds for the settings to save before removing power to the gimbal (turning Astro off or removing the gimbal from Astro).
Here's an example video of the camera settings being changed (switching from JPEG to RAW, in this case).
Note! The camera will not save settings unless you turn off the camera using the switch on the camera and wait 45 seconds for the settings to save before removing power to the gimbal (turning Astro off or removing the gimbal from Astro).
With Astro off or with the gimbal removed from the aircraft, connect a USB-C cable between a computer and the USB-C port on the payload side of the dovetail. A drive will mount on your computer. The logs are located under "freefly\movi\logs".
The Mapping Payload's high pixel count allows you to cover a large amount of area quickly at low resolution, or collect very high-resolution imagery at lower altitudes. Approximate GSD, coverage per flight, and expected altitude are listed below for reference. This is based on a 70% forward and 65% side overlap, single pass (no crosshatch).
A single Astro flight with the Mapping Payload is typically 25 minutes. The exact time depends on the survey area's geometry, the number of turns required, and the flight speed, as well as environmental factors such as wind speed and direction. Note that the time presented in AMC is an estimate, and not adding return or transit waypoints may affect its calculation. A good rule of thumb is to aim for an AMC-calculated flight duration of 22-23 minutes. This should allow the flight to complete and return before hitting the battery reserve.
Sony Alpha 7R IVA (model ILCE7RM4A/B)
Astro's maximum payload weight is 1500 grams.
We're currently in the process of testing more lenses, but we have no announcement for when we'll give an official endorsement.
Lens selection in AMC only matters for mission planning calculations (overlap, photo trigger, etc) and for infinity focus to work properly.
If you plan a mission with a non-standard lens, make sure that the correct lens is selected in the Survey section of the Plan screen. If your lens isn't on the dropdown, you can enter the details manually by selecting Custom Camera instead of a specific lens.
When changing lenses, select your lens from the Focal Length dropdown in Camera Settings found in the camera settings.
If your lens isn't on the dropdown, pick any lens from that menu and use auto-focus.
Loosen both fasteners in the camera hotshoe as well as the ¼-20 fastener with the washer so the camera is free to slide forward/backward.
Hold the gimbal by its Pan/Roll arms and ensure the tilt motor can spin freely.
Shift camera forward/backward in its slot until the camera does not tip up or down when it is positioned horizontally and released.
To ensure the camera is very well balanced, test pointing the camera ~30 deg up/down; a well balanced camera will also not move in either of these two positions.
Once the camera balance is correct, tighten the ¼-20 fastener as well as the two fasteners on the hotshoe.
Ensure the lens cap is removed while balancing the payload!
If you buy an Astro Map, this isolator is already installed.
If you buy a Mapping Payload, you will need to upgrade your Astro Base with this Isolator Upgrade.
Smart Dovetail is not hotswap compatible. To avoid damaging Astro or your sensor, please power off the aircraft before attaching or removing a Smart Dovetail payload.
There are multiple versions of the isolator, check to make sure you have the correct version
We recommend a USB 3.1 drive with a write speed above 50 mb/s.
The USB flash drive included will be formatted to work with Astro. If you encounter issues or would like to use a different USB flash drive with Astro, format using the instructions below.
Open Disk Utilities and click on the flash drive in the sidebar.
Select the Erase option at the top of the window.
In the Format dropdown, select MS-DOS FAT and click Erase.
Once that completes, click the Eject arrow near your flash drive on the sidebar.
Open This PC to show all connected drives.
Locate the USB drive you want to use with Astro, right-click on the image, and select "Format...". A small window should open.
Select ExFat under the File System dropdown, uncheck the Quick Format box, and click Start.
Once that completes, right-click on the USB drive in This PC again and select Eject.
AMC provides control of these settings in flight by pressing the icon on the right of the screen while in Photo Mode:
Parameter | Value |
---|---|
Data transfer to USB-C is not fast enough to record video at the a7R-IV’s fidelity. As such, video needs to be recorded to the a7R-IV's internal memory card. You will need to purchase a faster SD card in order to record at full quality. We have tested this Lexar Professional SD card, but any full-sized UHS-II SD card should work. You will also need to change the location to which the camera saves videos and images. Press the icon on the right of the screen while in Photo Mode, and change the Image Storage dropdown to Camera.
GSD (cm) | Coverage (acres per flight, single pass) | Speed (m/s) | Altitude (m) |
---|
Parameter | Value |
---|
Parameter | Weight (g) |
---|
Parameter | Value |
---|
Focal Length (mm) | Model | Weight (g) | Compatability |
---|
Freefly offers a to attach to the Astro Base Kit that is compatible with the Mapping Payload.
The Astro Map and Mapping Payloads ship with this
The USB thumb drive can slow down over time. This can propagate issues throughout the system. Fully the drive could help resolve this issue, but it is best practice to replace the flash drive if you are experiencing issues after a long period of use.
Focal Length (mm)
24.351
Principle Point X (pixels)
4714.485
Principle Point Y (pixels)
3172.286
R1
-0.017
R2
0.071
R3
0.009
T1
0.001
T2
0
0.5 | 62 | 4.75 | 31 |
1 | 98 | 9.5 | 63 |
1.9 (capped by 400ft altitude) | 220 | 12 | 121 |
Sensor Size (pixels) | 9504 x 6336 |
Sensor Size (mm) | 35.7 x 23.9 |
Pixel Size (μm) | 3.76 |
Smart Dovetail mount | 106 |
Weight with no lens | 1162 |
Weight with default lens | 1390 |
Weight with default lens and mount | 1496 |
Minimum gimbal angle | -90° (straight down) |
Maximum gimbal angle | +30° |
24 (ships with) | 228 | Supported |
24 | 165 | Supported |
35 | 165 | Supported |
75 | 230 | Supported |
40 | 176 | Testing |
50 | 187 | Testing |
50 | 176 | Testing |
How to fine-tune the gimbal pointing controls
The Wiris Pro payload has zoom rate scaling on tilt. This means that as the zoom level of the EO camera is increased, the tilt rate of the gimbal will be decreased to give more pointing control
The overall gimbal tilt speed (slow/med/fast) can be adjusted under the camera settings
By default, yaw control of the aircraft is unaffected by the zoom level of the camera, however, zoom rate scaling can also be applied to yaw/pan through Slow Speed Mode.
For even more control, the global yaw rate of Astro can also be adjusted if desired. The default global yaw rate of Astro is 75 degrees/second.
This can be adjusted by going to Advanced Mode (tap the Auterion logo in the upper left hand corner 7 times) --> Vehicle Setup --> Parameter --> MPC_MAN_Y_MAX. The units are in degrees/second.
Be careful when changing parameters and double-check what you are doing. Changing the wrong parameter can cause unexpected behavior or lead to a crash!
Slow Speed mode is a togglable flight mode that affects the sensitivity of the aircraft's yaw when the camera is zoomed in.
Slow Speed mode can be toggled on and off while in flight when Astro is in Position mode. It's active when the icon is lit up and you are viewing the EO video stream
Slow Speed mode will automatically deactivate when viewing the IR stream
Slow Speed mode is turned off by default
Only the aircraft's yaw speed is affected, not the maximum translational/vertical speed of the aircraft
Learn more about the Astro aircraft here:
The Wiris Pro Payload consists of a Freefly gimbal and an integrated Wiris Pro camera. It is developed for use with Astro and other vehicles that are compatible with the Freefly Smart Dovetail and the Pixhawk Payload Bus standard. More information about how to interface this payload with another aircraft is available here:
The Wiris Pro Payload is only supported in Astro firmware version 1.3.2 or later
Make sure to update the Herelink controller to the latest version too! The Wiris Pro Payload requires version FFARU01230623.
Make sure to use the Astro Isolator, not the Mapping Isolator. Check out the isolator section for more info
Orient the gimbal under the aircraft so that it is facing forward and the Smart Dovetail is facing upwards.
Slide the gimbal Smart Dovetail into the Isolated Dovetail receiver that is on the underside of the aircraft. Slide until you hear an audible click of the safety latch and the connector is fully seated.
Close the dovetail locking lever until tight and the gimbal is secure.
Open the dovetail locking lever so that it is loose.
Hold the safety latch so that it is disengaged.
Slide the gimbal dovetail towards the front of the aircraft to fully disengage from the Smart Dovetail Mount and remove the gimbal.
Listen for the audible ‘click’ when inserting the payload into the Smart Dovetail to ensure it is safely connected to Astro.
Never hotswap the payload. Ensure that Astro is powered off before installing or removing the payload.
We offer an option foam insert for the Astro hard case. It replaces the insert for the Mapping Payload, so you can store Astro with the Wiris Pro payload installed
Start by removing the Mapping Payload insert. There is a velcro strip on the bottom of the foam
Insert the Wiris Pro payload bottom foam. Note the orientation
Install the upper piece of the foam around the gimbal from the front of Astro
While Astro can fly in the rain, the Wiris Pro camera does not offer any ingress protection, so we do not recommend flying in any precipitation.
In cold temperatures:
We recommend allowing 3-5 minutes of warm-up time after powering on. This allows the IR sensor inside the Wiris Pro to reach a steady operating temperature for the most accurate temperature measurements. During the warmup time, the gimbal and camera will still work as normal, however the temperature data from the IR sensor may be less accurate.
Make sure your Astro batteries don't get too cold. More info can be found in this section of the wiki.
The Wiris Pro Payload matches Astro's operational temperature range of -20C to +50C
Check that the Wiris Pro Payload is secured in the Smart Dovetail mount and that the safety latch is closed.
When you’re ready to fly, perform the standard preflight checks for Astro (found below).
To remove photos from the USB drive, remove it from Astro and insert it into a computer.
Do NOT format the SSD of the Wiris Pro when connected to a PC. This can brick the camera and will require it being sent back for repair.
To remove media stored on the SSD, first power the Wiris Pro Payload on the aircraft. Then connect a cable to the micro-USB port on the side of the Wiris Pro. The drive should appear on a computer as ‘Wiris SSD’, with the files organized in folders by date.
Drag the selected media off the Wiris SSD folder on to your computer.
Right-click and 'Eject' the Wiris drive, then power off the drone and gimbal
Make sure to eject the Wiris drive from your computer before unplugging the cable — power cycle the aircraft and gimbal before capturing any additional video or photos.
The video feed may stop after disconnecting from a PC. This is normal, the video will resume after a reboot of the aircraft
Do NOT format the SSD of the Wiris Pro when connected to a PC. This can brick the camera and will require it being sent back for repair.
The formatting option for the SSD of the Wiris Pro can be found in the camera settings under Advanced SSD Options - Format SSD
The will restart the connection to the Wiris Pro and takes about 30-60s to complete. It is normal for video to briefly stop working as the connection is re-established
Click the link below to download sample images in all possible formats.
When images are saved to the USB drive, they are geotagged with the GPS lat. and long. Gimbal attitude is visible in the gallery, but is not currently included in the image meta data.
These are viewable in the gallery or in the metadata of the image on a PC
Images can be previewed in the gallery in AMC during or after a flight.
Images from the EO camera can be saved in JPEG or TIFF format, and can be opened in most photo software. EO Video is saved as an MP4 file, IR video as a .AVI file.
Images from the IR camera can be saved as a Radiometric JPEG or TIFF. Video can be saved as Thermal Encoded or as Radiometric video. Workswell ThermoLab software is required to view thermal video shot in Radiometric mode, and can be downloaded here:
To download photos from the USB drive, remove it from Astro and insert it into a computer. Then, move the files off
Do NOT format the SSD of the Wiris Pro when connected to a PC. This can brick the camera and will require it being sent back for repair.
To remove media stored on the SSD, first power the Wiris Pro Payload on the aircraft. Then connect a cable to the micro-USB port on the side of the Wiris Pro. The drive should appear on a computer as ‘Wiris SSD’, with the files organized in folders by date.
Drag the selected media off the Wiris SSD folder on to your computer.
Right-click and 'Eject' the Wiris drive, then power off the drone and gimbal
Make sure to eject the Wiris drive from you computer before unplugging the cable. Power cycle the aircraft and gimbal before capturing any additional video or photos.
The video feed may stop after disconnecting from a PC. This is normal, the video will resume after a reboot of the aircraft
Do NOT format the SSD of the Wiris Pro when connected to a PC. This can brick the camera and will require it being sent back for repair.The formatting option for the SSD of the Wiris Pro can be found in the camera settings under Advanced SSD Options - Format SSD
To have the images geotagged with the location of the aircraft, attach a USB thumb drive to Astro’s USB-C port and select ‘USB storage’ in the image storage options.
We recommend clearing out extra photos from your USB drive to reduce the time it takes Astro to sync the USB drive files with the gallery when first plugged in
The flight path of Astro is displayed with a red line on the map in AMC, which can be useful for looking at the area the aircraft has already covered
Setting an isotherm to show colors between a specified temperature range can help with identifying areas of interest quicker
Streaming live video from the aircraft to the Auterion Suite is possible with a strong LTE connection. Additional information on setting up LTE on Astro is here:
The Wiris Pro EO camera provides 1920x1080 images and 1280x720 video from a 1-10x zoom lens. When approaching an object of interest, we recommend keeping the aircraft a safe distance away and zooming in as much as needed to see the detail level required for inspections.
When using Slow Speed Mode, camera tilt and pan are scaled with the zoom rate, so the control inputs become less sensitive the more zoomed the camera is.
Be careful not to become disoriented when flying with the camera zoomed in. We recommend resetting the camera zoom to 1x before flying to a new inspection location.
The Wiris Pro Payload currently does not support mapping missions.
For information on formatting the USB drive, check out
The USB thumb drive can slow down over time. This can propagate issues throughout the system. Fully the drive could help resolve this issue, but it is best practice to replace the flash drive if you are experiencing issues after a long period of use.
The Wiris Pro Payload is supported in Astro firmware version 1.3.2 or later. Update your astro!
Make sure to update the Herelink controller to the latest version too!
Slow speed mode makes the gimbal easier to precisely control when zooming in.
Learn about it under the Precise Gimbal Control section
If you want images to be geotagged, insert a USB thumbdrive in Astro and set the image storage mode to 'External USB'
Be careful not to become disoriented when flying with the camera zoomed in. We recommend resetting the camera zoom to 1x before flying to a new inspection location.
Do not hotswap or plug in the gimbal when the aircraft is powered on. This can damage the aircraft or gimbal
Make sure you are using the correct vibration isolator
More details can be found in the isolator section
The Wiris Pro takes about 3 minutes to fully calibrate the thermal sensor. You can still use the camera right after boot, but temperature readings may be slightly off
Make sure to eject the Wiris drive from you computer before unplugging the cable. Power cycle the aircraft and gimbal before capturing any additional video or photos.
The video feed may stop after disconnecting from a PC. This is normal, the video will resume after a reboot of the aircraft
Do NOT format the SSD of the Wiris Pro when connected to a PC. This can brick the camera and will require it being sent back for repair.
Check out the Formatting Media section for more info
Occasionally, we have observed that the Wiris Pro gets 'stuck' during bootup. If you are having trouble getting connecting to the camera, check status light on the back of the camera. If the camera has flashing red/blue lights or a solid red light, this is likely the case. In our testing, rebooting the aircraft resolves this issue.
This can happen if the thermal exposure is set very far off from what the camera is looking at.
Set the thermal exposure mode to auto or adjust your exposure temperature in the camera settings menu
You can invert the gimbal tilt control under camera settings
Term definitions!
EO and IR refer to types of photographic sensors.
EO stands for "Electro-Optical", and functions as a standard camera for capturing visible light, just like any smartphone camera.
IR stands for "Infrared", and functions to capture thermal data in a video stream. Temperatures are mapped to colors with a variety of ranges, color pallets, and thresholds available depending on your specific use.
FOV stands for "Field of View", and is represented by an angle, typically in degrees. Think of it as a cone expanding out infinitely in front of a lens with the width defined as an angle. Anything within this cone is visible in your image.
HFOV and VFOV are commonly used to describe the horizontal and vertical field of view, respectively.
These refer to the axis on which your gimbal can rotate.
Pan controls left-to-right rotation. It uses the motor at the very top of your gimbal and is controlled via the direction of your aircraft. Pan may be adjusted using the yaw control on your aircraft.
Roll controls the horizon of your camera. The motor is located at the back of your gimbal, behind the camera, and it is updated automatically to keep your camera level to the horizon.
Tilt controls the angle of the camera vertically, allowing you to point down, up, level, or anything in between. The aircraft operator can control tilt using the tilt wheel on the top left of the Herelink controller.
The Wiris Pro Payload uses the Astro Isolator
There are multiple versions of the isolator, check to make sure you have the correct version
This isolator has the Smart Dovetail connector attached and allows swapping between the Wiris Pro Payload, the Mapping Payload, and other payloads that use the Smart Dovetail standard.
We recommend the Astro Isolator over using the isolator that comes with Astro Map. The Astro Isolator is compatible with both payloads.
Check all the dampers are in good condition before each flight, as these can wear out over time. We recommend replacing all dampers on the isolator every 6-12 months. 30A durometer damper replacements are included in the Astro Isolator Kit and are available through our store:
Bugfix: Fixed the SD card corruption issue, preventing the gimbal from powering on
New: Added tilt limits to mongoose of -90 and +30 degrees tilt
Improved roll tuning
Initial Release
You can access the gimbal logs by connecting the (unpowered) Wiris to a computer, navigating to freefly > movi > logs, and copying the latest file. Share with support to expedite any gimbal-related ticket issues.
Download the provided firmware package.
Extract the .zip folder contents.
Open the extracted folder- the top level folder that you will need to copy onto the gimbal will be called "freefly". Do not copy the folder that states the firmware version.
To upgrade gimbal firmware, connect the gimbal to a laptop using a USB-C cable.
The USB-C connector is located on the Smart Dovetail of the gimbal
Ensure the gimbal is not powered by the aircraft
The gimbal will show up on the computer as an external drive called "FREEFLY"
Open that drive and you will see a folder named "freefly". This is the current firmware file that you need to replace.
Delete this folder and replace it with the new firmware folder "freefly' that you downloaded in Step 1
Remove the USB-C cable from the gimbal and connect the gimbal to an Astro using the Smart Dovetail to power on the gimbal.
Insert 1 SL8 Battery into the aircraft and fully latch the battery, but do not power on the aircraft at this time.
Use a paperclip or small screwdriver to hold down the Firmware Load button on the gimbal- this button must be pressed and held for 10 seconds while powering on the aircraft.
This small button is recessed into the gimbal housing and is located next to the USB-C connector on the Smart Dovetail.
Power on the aircraft by double clicking the button on the SL8 battery.
Ensure that the Firmware Load button is held down during this time for 10 seconds while the new firmware is loaded onto the gimbal.
When firmware is successfully updated, the gimbal should stabilize correctly and video feed will show on the Herelink controller.
You shouldn't need to update the Wiris Pro firmware. If you are advised by Freefly support to do so, here is the process:
You will need:
USB keyboard
Micro HDMI to HDMI cable
HDMI Monitor
We know this isn't an ideal method of updating the camera. If you don't have an HDMI monitor/keyboard and would prefer to have the Wiris updated at Freefly, we will happily update it for you. Just reach out to support@freeflysystems.com
First remove the micro SD card from the side of the Wiris Pro and insert it into a computer.
We do not recommend updating the camera firmware unless advised by Freefly Support. We have extensively testing on this version of software and updating the camera may cause issues.
Download the firmware. The file format is .tar so you may need to enable downloading this format in your web browser. The latest supported version of Wiris Pro firmware is 1.6.42
Place the firmware file on the micro SD card, then re-insert it into the Wiris Pro.
Remove the ethernet cable from the back of the Wiris Pro.
Attach the gimbal to the aircraft; power on the aircraft and gimbal.
Tilt the gimbal about 45 degrees down to allow access to the cable ports.
Use the Herelink tilt wheel to tilt the gimbal
Attach a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable to Wiris. Attach the HDMI end of the cable to a monitor.
Attach a USB-A keyboard to the USB-A port.
Watch the output on the monitor. Using the arrow keys and enter keys on the keyboard, navigate through the Workswell menu:
Press Enter to exit Ethernet mode.
Press the right arrow to expand.
Use the down arrow to go to Advanced Mode.
Use the right arrow to expand.
Press the down arrow to go to Memory.
Press the right arrow to select and then click Enter on Update.
Ensure that the UI detects the correct firmware version to upgrade to and press Enter on Confirm.
Do not power off Astro or Wiris Pro until the update is complete.
Once the update is complete, power off Astro/Wiris Pro.
Remove the USB and HDMI cables.
Be sure to reinstall the ethernet cable from the gimbal in the back of the Wiris Pro.
This payload is an integrated package that combines the EO and IR camera capabilities of the Wiris Pro with Freefly Systems gimbal stabilization, tuning, and testing. The payload uses the Smart Dovetail open-interface for PX4. The payload has been extensively tested and is natively integrated with the Freefly Astro drone, but it is certainly possible to integrate this payload on to other UAV platforms.
Numbers are maximums from a forward-facing and horizon-leveled position.
A single flight with Astro carrying the Wiris Pro Payload is typically 25-30 minutes. Note that the time presented in AMC is an estimate. The exact time depends on a number of factors such as temperature, air density, wind speed, and direction, as well as the flight profile of the aircraft.
To extend flight times while focusing on a fixed area of interest, consider having Astro orbit around the area. In our testing, Astro is most efficient when orbiting at 7 m/s, rather than hovering. The orbit flight mode can be found by clicking on the map while on the ‘Fly’ screen, then clicking the orbit icon:
A full list of Wiris Pro specifications can be found on Workswell’s website:
The Astro Isolator is available. Instructions on how to install the isolator on Astro are below:
To upgrade to the latest version of Astro software, follow the steps on the page below The Wiris Pro Payload is compatible with Astro software version 1.3.2 or later.
Weight (g) | Astro's maximum payload weight is 1500 grams. Wiris Pro Payload (including gimbal) is ~940g |
Dimensions (mm) | When upright and forward facing, the Wiris Pro payload alone has the maximum outer dimensions as follows: 150(width) x 157(length) x 162(height) |
Ingress Protection | None |
Mount | Smart Dovetail |
Operation Temperature | -20C to +50C |
Pan | Roll | Tilt |
+/- 170°. No continuous pan | 52° Left, 92° Right | 50° Up, 120° Down |
Camera Modes | Photo are 1920x1080px, video records at 720p 20 FPS |
File Formats | JPEG images h.264 (.mp4) video |
Focus Mode | Continuous autofocus |
Sensor Resolution (pixels) | 1920px x 1080px |
Sensor Size (mm) | 8.46mm (diagonal) |
Lens Horizontal Field of View (degrees) | 1x zoom → HFOV = 93.5 degrees 1.5x zoom → HFOV = 74.8 degrees 3x zoom → HFOV = 40.6 degrees 6x zoom → HFOV = 21.5 degrees 10x zoom → HFOV = 11.92 degrees |
Camera Modes | Photos at 640x512p, Video at 640x512p 30 FPS |
File Formats | JPEG images Radiometric TIFF images Radiometric full-frame IR recording (raw data recording in 30 Hz) |
Exposure Modes | Auto, Manual, Custom Incremental |
Color Pallets | BlackRed, BlueRed, BWIron, BWIronI, BWRainbow, BWRainbowHC, BWRGB, Fire, Gradient, Gray, GraySlowFade, Iron1, Iron2, Natural, Rainbow, RainbowHC, Sepia, Steps, Temperature, WBRGB |
Sensor Resolution (pixels) | 640px x 512px |
Lens Field of View (degrees) | Wiris Pro Payload ships with a 13mm lens, approximately 45 x 37 degrees FOV (horizontal by vertical). |
The Wiris Pro Payload uses the Smart Dovetail/Pixhawk Payload Bus Quick Release mechanical mount. An overview of the Smart Dovetail, including a 3D CAD model of the Smart Dovetail male and female sides is available here:
You are encouraged to use this model to integrate the Smart Dovetail design into your own UAV! Conversely, you can purchase a Smart Dovetail mount with a 32 x 32mm M3 mounting bolt pattern from Freefly for easy installation:
Refer to the specs section for mass, dimensions, and other information.
For information on the vibration isolation system shipped with Astro Thermal, refer to the section linked bellow.
Isolation systems are aircraft specific and a different system may be optimal for your aircraft, however we offer a couple of options in our store:
Wiris Pro Payload uses the Smart Dovetail interface for power, data, and control. Pinouts for this connector can be found at both links bellow:
The Wiris video and control is passed through over the ethernet pins on the smart dovetail. Info on communicating with the camera can be found in the document bellow.
The gimbal utilizes Mavlink for control from the aircraft over the UART pins.
The Wiris is powered directly from the gimbal, these specs account for the entire package in operation. Power is drawn from the V_BATT pins on the Smart Dovetail pinout.
The Emesent Hovermap ST-X lidar is an excellent payload for creating detailed, accurate lidar point clouds.
Hovermap can interact with Astro as a passive payload, for mapping applications that can be flown with good GPS signal in open spaces with few obstacles.
Hovermap can also use the lidar data of the environment around Astro, and build a 3D model in real time. It can use that data for obstacle avoidance, and even allow Astro to autonomously explore GPS-denied areas like under bridges and inside tunnels and mines.
The mounting kit for Astro can be purchase from Emesent and includes the mounting bracket, fasteners, dampers, and IO cover, and cable.
Remove the isolator and payload cable from the lower chassis. Then, screw the Hovermap ST-X dovetail bracket using the shoulder screws.
Use a 2.5mm driver and Loctite 222 on the screws. Be sure to tighten them down all the way!
Attach the ZPD connector to the IO panel on Astro.
Then screw the cover over the IO panel, torquing the bolts to finger-tight.
Connect the cable to the back of Hovermap ST-X.
Update your aircraft to the latest firmware to enable Hovermap functionality, at least v1.4.6
For assisted and autonomous missions, Astro parameters need to be updated to enable communication with Hovermap and to increase rate setpoint tracking on Astro. See the autonomous section for more details:
Live preview and connection is currently only supported with Pilot Pro + Astro
Install the Emesent Commander App on Pilot Pro. You will need to add your Pilot Pro to the Emesent channel of apps to download it.
Connect the Pilot Pro tablet to the internet via the wifi settings
Open the camera app on the tablet
Scan this QR code and copy the link when it pops up
Open the Freefly Updater app
Go to Settings > Repositories
Click on + ADD REPOSITORIES
Exit the Repository menu
You might need to enable Freefly Updater app in Settings under Install Unknown Apps
Go to Latest > Commander > Install
Open the app once it's downloaded
Permission Commander access pop up messages
Enter
The latest tested version of Commander is 1.2.0_10
This can be found once connected in the Commander app in the 'Web UI' page
Power on Astro, which should also power on Hovermap. Wait until the lights on the back of Hovermap to turn breathing blue.
Open Commander the app and click on the ethernet icon in the upper left corner. Click Change Hostname and set the IP address to 192.168.144.101
Refresh the Commander app and wait for an ethernet connection to be shown. This may take a few minutes.
You're connected to Hovermap through Astro!
See this section on mapping with Hovermap
See this section on flying Astro with assisted/autonomy enabled:
Check out Emesent's documentation for details on how to remove data and post-process for ST-X:
Similar to photogrammetry missions, you can plan a mission inside AMC and upload it to Astro. The process is very similar to planning a mission for the a7R IV Payload:
Hovermap ST-X specific notes:
Flying closer to the terrain or structure will yield better point cloud results. Based on our testing, we recommend staying within 50 meters of the terrain or structure.
If you do need to fly higher than 40m, slow down the mission speed so the lidar has more time to process and gather points from farther away. In our testing, we wouldn't recommend anything farther than 60m at or above 10 m/s from the subject for good results.
If you see several rotated, intersecting versions of your scan after processing the data, a SLAM slip has likely occurred, and you will need to fly the mission closer and/or slower.
Set the camera type to 'Manual (No specs)' so that AMC will display the mission planning parameters in distances rather than GSD.
Instead of setting the mission path based on '% Overlap', set the distance of each track of the mission to be no more than 50 meters apart.
We recommend flying at around 7 m/s as a starting point for your Hovermap mission. You can increase the density of the point cloud generated by flying slower or lower.
If your survey area has lots of 3D geometry, check the 'refly at 90' option to get more points on vertical faces and overhangs.
Astro + Hovermap ST-X is limited to a maximum ambient temperature of +40C/+104F
When carrying the Hovermap ST-X, Astro is at the upper limit of its maximum takeoff weight. Be cautious when flying Astro in hot or high-altitude environments.
Astro will give warnings if the ESCs or motors start to overheat. Heed the warnings!
Astro and Hovermap ST-X can operate in light to medium rain. Be sure to insert the USB-C plug in the IO panel
Hovermap should boot up when Astro is powered on. Hovermap will connect to Astro once the lights turn from orange to a slow blue flash.
Do not plug or unplug the cable while Astro is powered on as this can damage the Hovermap and/or Astro.
Set up the Hovermap scanning via the Commander app.
Click Non-Autonoumous Mapping Mission.
Follow the prompts for pre-flight checks.
Name your mission and check there is enough free storage on Hovermap.
You may get a caution warning that Shield is disabled, this is normal
Start the scan and wait for Commander to complete the pre-flight check.
Once the scanner is running, switch back to AMC to execute the mission.
You can view a live preview of the point cloud generated by ST-X during the mission in the Commander app.
Stop the scan after landing via the Commander app.
When using the FPV camera, AMC will try to take photos during the mapping mission. To turn this off:
Set the Start > Camera actions: Stop taking photos
Turn ON the option under Mission > Options 'Images in turnarounds'
If you power off Astro before stopping the scan, the data can be corrupted!
Check out Emesent's documentation for details on how to remove data and post-process for ST-X:
Paste the link you copied from the QR code (alternatively type this: )
Check that Hovermap is running hvm_st_3.2.1 firmware or later. If not, follow Emesent's documentation on .
Latest for Astro is v3.2.1.
and enable Terrain Following on the Plan screen of AMC.
For added situational awareness during the mission, you can view a live video from the aircraft using the .
Voltage
18-25.2V
Current (Nominal)
0.7-1.5A depending on flight conditions
Current (Max)
5A
Astro is designed to be compatible with a wide variety of payloads.
Astro utilizes the Smart Dovetail which is the reference design for the Pixhawk Payload Bus Standard
Want to see your payload listed here? Click here to tell us about it!
Want to learn about developing payloads for Astro? Check out the Interfaces section of this wiki!
Hovermap ST-X enables assisted (AL1) and autonomous (AL2) flights for Astro in complex environments, allowing pilots to fly around obstacles, map close to objects, fly to difficult to reach places, and fly in GPS-denied in environments.
This wiki page is a high level overview of operating Hovermap on Astro. Please read Emesent's full documentation on how Hovermap works before conducting a flight in assisted or autonomous mode.
In particular, pilots should understand:
For assisted and autonomous missions, Astro parameters need to be updated to enable communication with Hovermap and to increase rate setpoint tracking on Astro. To set these parameters:
Update Astro to 1.5.18 firmware
Power on Astro and Hovermap. Wait for Hovermap to fully boot and connect over ethernet
Start an assisted/autonomous scan. The scan will begin but Hovermap will give an error. This is expected. Astro's parameters have been set by Hovermap but need a reboot to take effect.
Reboot Astro and Hovermap. Parameters are now set, you should be able to start a scan and takeoff.
These parameters fundamentally change how Astro flies! Do NOT fly these parameters without a Hovermap, as this could lead to instability and possibly a crash!
To reset to the default Astro parameters - go to Advanced > Parameters > Tools > Reset to Vehicle Configuration Defaults
Put the S2 switch in the 'up' position to allow Hovermap to take control. When armed, Hovermap will place Astro in 'Offboard flight mode'. To take control away from Hovermap and give the pilot full authority, move the switch to the middle or down position.
Switching S2 is the only way to remove Hovermap from control. Pressing Position/Altitude/Manual mode without S2 change will allow Hovermap to re-establish control of Astro
Open the Commander app. Click Assisted or Autonomous Mission and follow the prompts to setup the mission
If desired, users can have a split screen view of AMC and the Commander app. This is particularly useful if Astro is configured with the optional FPV module.
We recommend setting your shield settings to be as large as possible, while still being able to complete the mission. The minimum settings we recommend for Hovermap on Astro is:
Horizontal 1.5m
Above 1.0m
Below 1.0m
These are the parameters we recommend for most environments.
The shield system is designed to protect Astro and Hovermap from contacting any objects in flight, but it is not foolproof.
The system has limitations, which pilots need to be cautious of when operating Hovermap. The ST-X can collect dense point clouds of objects from several meters away, so it is not necessary to get very close to objects for detailed scans.
It is important to know that Shield is a passive system. It will not protect against objects that are actively moving towards the drone, such as birds, moving ropes or falling rocks.
Always be ready to take over control of Astro in case of unexpected behavior!
The S2 switch in the middle or down position will remove Hovermap from control of Astro and give full authority to the pilot
Read carefully! Ignoring these could result in a crash
Always set the shield limits as large as possible for your mission
After takeoff Aircraft needs to climb above the 'Below' shield threshold before the shield will fully activate.
If the pilot does not climb above this limit, Hovermap will not apply the full shield and it will be possible for the pilot to fly into objects
In gusty environments, it is possible for the aircraft to drift closer to an object than the shield threshold with repeated pilot inputs toward the object.
In particular, this can occur near foliage or other objects like ropes/wires/tarps that can move in the wind, allowing the aircraft to move closer for a brief moment before the object moves back. Hovermap shield is a passive system and won't avoid an obstacle that moves.
It is possible to get the aircraft 'stuck' with obstacles on all sides. If this occurs, take over control from Hovermap and fly Astro to a more open area, then reenable Hovermap.
Calculated RTL path is sometimes inefficient, requiring the aircraft to fly a longer than necessary distance back to the home point
Astro + Hovermap ST-X is limited to a maximum ambient temperature of +40C/+104F
When carrying the Hovermap ST-X, Astro is at the upper limit of its maximum takeoff weight. Be cautious when flying Astro in hot or high-altitude environments.
Astro will give warnings if the ESCs or motors start to overheat. Heed the warnings!
Astro and Hovermap ST-X can operate in light to medium rain. Be sure to install the USB-C plug into the IO panel.
Hovermap should boot up when Astro is powered on. Hovermap will connect to Astro once the lights turn from orange to a slow blue flash.
Set up the Hovermap scanning via the Commander app.
Click Autonoumous Mission.
Follow the prompts for pre-flight checks.
Name your mission and check there is enough free storage on Hovermap.
Start the scan and wait for Commander to complete the pre-flight check.
Once the scanner is running, arm Astro, then click the 'Takeoff' button in the Commander App
You can view a live preview of the point cloud generated by ST-X during the mission in the Commander app.
Hovermap will automatically return home when it calculated RTL time reaches 0. This timer can be seen on the top of the Commander app. The RTL time is calculated based distance, altitude, and manuevers needed to reach the home point
Stop the scan after landing via the Commander app. You will need to disable the shield to be able to land Astro
For added situational awareness during the flight, you can view a live video from the aircraft using the Astro FPV Camera.
When using the FPV camera, AMC will try to take photos during the mapping mission. To turn this off:
Set the Start > Camera actions: Stop taking photos
Turn ON the option under Mission > Options 'Images in turnarounds'
If you power off Astro before stopping the scan, the data can be corrupted!
If Hovermap is causing Astro to behave erratically, drifting, or otherwise abnormally, the pilot can takeover and remove Hovermap from control:
Place S2 switch in middle or down position
Astro will exit Offboard mode. If Astro has GPS lock, the aircraft will transition into Position mode. If not, Astro will transition to Altitude mode.
Switching S2 is the only way to remove Hovermap from control. Pressing Position/Altitude/Manual mode without S2 change will allow Hovermap to re-establish control of Astro
First Person View for Astro!
Mount the FPV module to the front of Astro with two M3x12 FHCS fasteners, which are included in the FPV kit. These use the red hex driver, included with Astro.
Plug the cable into the USB-C port on the Astro IO panel
Upgrade your Astro firmware to 1.5 or later
The FPV module can stay on Astro while folded up in the case!
If you're having trouble getting video, make sure the USB-C cable is fully plugged in
Plug in your USB-C thumb drive to the port on the front of the module
Under camera settings, you should see the thumb drive icon light up and the storage change to the available space on the drive.
You can only save images/video from the FPV camera on to an external USB drive
The Gremsy Pixy PE is compatible with the Pixhawk Payload Bus standard and can be integrated with Astro to fly custom payloads. The dovetail mount of the Pixy PE fits into the dovetail mount on Astro and can communicate via Mavlink.
Astro's stock landing gear is a bit too short for the height of the gimbal, to extend the gear we recommend using standoffs between the aircraft chassis and the landing gear plastic mount. Note that one fastener on each landing gear is longer than the other two. The setup we have used is:
Blue loctite
Each leg needs 3 of the 40mm standoffs, 2 of the 50mm bolts and 1 of the 55mm bolts. The bolts mount to the same holes as the existing landing gear. We haven't extensively tested this configuration, so be gentle on landings to avoid torquing the threaded mounts inside the lower chassis plate.
Make sure to use the Freefly cable and Smart Dovetail mount. We have confirmed that mavlink control currently doesn't work with the Gremsy cable and dovetail mount.
On the latest Gremsy gimbal software (version v7.7.3), set the gimbal to Mavlink mode, make sure the baud rate of the gimbal is 912600, and confirm that it saves.
Recommended Gremsy software settings:
Baud Rate: 912600
Stiffness: Gyro filter to 1 or 2
Follow Controls > Pan > Airborne on
Settings > Mode Settings > Turn Reduce drift by drone > Pan Axis to the far right
The behavior of the gimbal pan changes when the aircraft is armed or disarmed, so if you need to change something be aware that you will likely need to fly the aircraft/gimbal to see how the change affects behavior.
We have had issues where the gimbal sometimes incorrectly reports a successful change of baud rate, so reboot the gimbal and check the settings to make sure it was changed correctly.
This will allow tilt control by using the wheel on the Herelink after rebooting the gimbal.
The 'Pan Window' setting in the current Pixy firmware does not appear to be working as intended. We have reached out to Gremsy about this issue.
Parameter | Value | Note |
---|---|---|
Gremsy gimbal setup documentation is linked .
QTY 8
QTY 4
QTY 12
If tilt control is not working, check that the SER_EXT2_BAUD parameter is set correctly to 912600 baud rate. This can be found by going to --> Parameters
COM_OBL_ACT
2
Hold mode if no hovermap and no RC control
COM_OBL_RC_ACT
5
If no hovermap control, switch to hold mode
COM_LOW_BAT_ACT
Warning
Don't trigger action from low battery, let hovermap take control, or let land failsafe kick in if no hovermap
COM_RCL_EXCEPT
4
Ignores RC loss when Hovermap is in control
Astro Map is a turnkey Freefly drone that includes the Mapping Payload for enterprise mapping workflows.
Learn more about the Astro aircraft here.
The Mapping Payload consists of a Freefly gimbal with an integrated Sony Alpha 7R IVA camera. It is developed for use with Astro and other vehicles that use the Freefly Smart Dovetail and the Pixhawk Payload Bus standard.
If you purchased the Mapping Payload by itself make sure to keep the foam it came in. This foam should be transferred to Astro's case so it can continue to protect the mapping payload when it is stored in the case.
If you purchased an Astro Map then your case already has the gimbal foam installed!
The foam we designed is the safest way to pack and ship your mapping payload. However, it can be cumbersome to figure out how to attach it for the first time. Here is a #protip video showing you how we do it.
Smart Dovetail is not hotswap compatible. To avoid damaging Astro or your sensor, please power off the aircraft before attaching or removing a Smart Dovetail payload.
To install the gimbal:
Power off the aircraft.
Orient the gimbal under the aircraft so that it is facing forward and the Smart dovetail is facing upwards.
Slide the gimbal Smart Dovetail into the Isolated Dovetail receiver that is on the underside of the aircraft. Slide until you hear an audible click of the safety latch and the connector is fully seated.
Close the dovetail locking lever until tight and the gimbal is secure.
To remove the gimbal:
Power off the aircraft.
Open the dovetail locking lever so that it is loose.
Hold the safety latch so that it is disengaged.
Slide the gimbal dovetail towards the front of the aircraft to fully disengage from the Smart Dovetail Mount and remove the gimbal.
For temperature and ingress protection info, please refer to the technical specs section:
No hotswap protection. Do not mate or demate Smart Dovetail while the aircraft is powered.
If the payload has even modest capacitance or other inrush current the connector contacts on both aircraft and payload side will be eroded.
We have tested this payload up to a speed of 15m/s, climb rate of 4m/s, and descent rate of 3m/s. There has been no significant performance testing past these limits. Refer to the performance section of the Astro wiki for more information.
Astro can fly both the Sentera 6X and 65R!
Both payloads are compatible with Astro using the Smart Dovetail connector, which sends power and capture commands to the cameras in flight.
Upgrade the payload software to a compatible version (3.7.0+). Follow the Sentera documentation found here.
Install the payload in the Smart Dovetail mount
Install the GPS mast and cabling securely
Make sure any cables are constrained and can't get caught in the propellers!
As of Astro firmware v1.5 or later, the 6X and 65R camera settings are selectable in the survey dropdown of the plan screen. Simply select the camera you are using and adjust the mission flight path as needed.
See Sentera's wiki for the recommended flight settings:
When planning a mission in AMC - Be sure to set the Camera Action field to 'Survey' and at the bottom of the settings page. This will set the camera to be triggered to take photos during the mission
Use 192.168.42.1 for the IP address
You MUST plug in the USB-C to pull data, data is not stored on the SD card on the Astro thumbdrive.
Turn off your computer wifi connection and ensure the wired network connection is showing connected to "Sentera 65R".
Sentera 65R (use this one) > "Data" folder > "snapshots" folder > select date of flight (folder)s
Sentera 65 SMB (don't use this one)
If you leave the Astro on or hotswap between missions, it'll save all the image in the same folder (annoying for post processing) so ensure you power cycle between missions to make processing easier (create seperate folders).
In Field Agent (sentera's processing software)
Create the field boundary
Then in the field menu select said field
Go to the map layers tab
press the + button in the right corner of the tab
Select individual photos from the upload map layer menu
Add the images to the upload section
Additional information can be found on Sentera's website: