Maintenance

Interval Inspections

Every 15 Flights

ALTA X is designed to be as low-maintenance as possible. It is recommended to check ALTA X’s fasteners regularly. This check should occur roughly after every 15 flights. To check ALTA X’s fasteners, apply a tightening torque to each fastener on the chassis using the supplied hex drivers. The fasteners should not slip.

Inspect Fastener Tightness

Check the tightness of the following fasteners to verify no loose fasteners:

• Motor mount bolts

• Boom clamping bolts

• Prop hub bolts

• Prop bolts

• Top and bottom chassis bolts

• Closeout panel bolts

• FPV camera mounting plate bolts

• Boom stay attachment bolts

• GPS/Compass mounting bolts

If a fastener does slip, tighten it using the methods described in the Fastener Installation section. Do not apply additional thread locking compound unless the fastener has repeatedly come loose.

Every 15 Flight Hours

Inspect Fastener Tightness

Check the tightness of the fasteners as described above.

Inspection Wear Components

Inspect the following items. Replace if worn.

• Propeller blades - Chips, cracks, or deep scratches

• ActiveBlade bumpers - Broken or crushed

• Frame Bumpers - Broken or crushed

• Pan Isolator Rings - Tearing or gummed up to the post

Inspect Boom Ring Latch Tightness

Check boom latching tightness by closing the latch. There should be a firm closing force and click. Adjust the tension by using a 2.0mm hex wrench on the set screw located in the rear of the latch link.

Every 3 Months: Battery Maintenance

For long-term storage, it is recommended you put your batteries on a storage charge every 3 months. The batteries can over discharge over time due to parasitic loss in the BMS. Making sure your batteries are at proper storage voltage every three months will prevent permanent damage due to over-discharging.

The longevity and health of the battery is fully dependent on how you treat and care for it. One important aspect of the care of a lipo is storage voltage. Storing the battery at a charged voltage for more than 2-3 days will start to degrade the battery. The optimal storage voltage for lipos is 3.8v to 3.9v per cell (45.6v to 46.8v total.) After a mission, a Lipo charger can be used to put batteries in “Storage Mode”. This will either discharge or charge your battery to get it to storage voltage. Batteries should be placed in a cool environment with a recommended storage temperature from 10°C to 25°C. For storage make sure your battery is kept in a dry fireproof cabinet.

Every Year or Every 1000 hours

We recognize that our users put Freefly gear into a wide variety of demanding situations and count on their equipment to perform reliably. Freefly recommends that users send their equipment back on the following intervals for a checkup to ensure optimal long-term performance and reliability.

We recommend that your Alta be serviced once a year or every 1000 flight hours.

Freefly will inspect your Alta with specific emphasis on:

• Wear / fatigue items

• Updated / improved / revised components

• Confirm performance thresholds:

  • Motors

  • Sensors

The service will include:

• Service bulletin and firmware updates.

• Full airworthiness inspection

• Full cleaning and fastener replacement (as needed)

• System level test and re-qualification

Replacement of Parts

Spare or replacement parts are available for sale separately at freeflysystems.com. Please refer to the store for a current listing of all available spare parts.

Use Of Threadlocker

Bolts and screws used in the daily use of this aircraft do not require threadlocking compound. This includes the screws holding on the battery trays, vibration isolation system and the Skyview landing gear parts.

However, for the structural fasteners described in parts of this section blue Loctite 243 compound or equivalent is required. Apply sparingly to the threads before insertion.

Fastener Installation

The Freefly hex drivers included with ALTA X are designed to limit the torque that can be applied to each bolt or screw and help prevent stripping the fastener head.

Thread all fasteners into their respective holes until snug (when the fastener head bottoms out and lightly clamps the two mating parts together).

To prevent excessive tightening and damaging the fastener or parts, twist the driver from the smaller diameter knurled section of the tool between your thumb and index finger for small fasteners (under size M3) or with your thumb and two forefingers for larger fasteners (size M3 and larger).

Before performing any part replacement, ensure that ATLA X has been unplugged from any power source. Leaving ALTA X powered while performing any work on it can result in a potentially dangerous situation.

Fastener Torque Values

Replacing ActiveBlade Bumpers

Replacing Propeller Sets

Props are supplied as a weight matched and balanced pair. Only fit props in the factory supplied pair.

Replacing ActiveBlades

Replacing Pan Isolator Rings

Replacing Frame Bumpers

Opening Chassis

1.	Set aircraft on a stable level work surface.During disassembly, take care to note the location of fasteners and orientation of parts, as this will greatly help with reassembly.
2.	Remove the following fasteners (reference drawing below): (x4) M4x16 Combo - which secure the boom stays to the boom (x4) M3x10 Combo - which secure the closeout panels (x4) M3x10 Combo - which secure the battery connector mount (x2) M3x10 Combo - which secure the center ring (x4) M4x14 Combo - which secure the center ring (x4) M3x10 SHCS - which secure the battery tray and latch mount Remaining M4 bolts that secure the top chassis to each hinge. See detail in drawing below. Note: There are 3 different length M4 bolts in this area.
3.	The top chassis can now be removed from the machine, and the inner cover lifted off to access the enclosure area.
4.	To reassemble, refit the enclosure making sure it is well seated and there are no trapped wires.
5.	Attach the power connector with (x2) M3x10 bolts before reseating the top chassis, making sure the orientation is correct.	`
6.	Reassemble the remaining chassis fasteners. Take care to align the fasteners correctly. It is recommended to get all fasteners started before torquing. Loctite 243 or equivalent should be used in all these locations.

Replacing Booms

If replacing more than one boom, replace one at a time to reduce the chances of mixing up connections.

Updating Firmware

Autopilot and system component firmware is updated via the USB expansion port on ALTA X located in the chassis closeout between booms 1 and 2. To update firmware download the latest FW files from the ALTA X Firmware page and follow the instructions below.

For troubleshooting, you can view details of the bootloading process by connecting to the GPS2 UART on the expansion connector with a USB to UART adapter and a cable using the dronecode/PX4 UART standard pinout. The UART settings are 57600 baud, 8-N-1.

Test radio channels, arming, and disarming behavior after firmware updates to ensure radio mapping has been preserved. Incorrect radio mapping can lead to loss of control.