This section covers technical details of ALTA X.

Aircraft Dimensions

Mounting Interfaces - Chassis Underside

Links to CAD

Performance Charts

Flight Time v. Payload

Thrust-to-weight ratio

Maximum Gross Weight

To determine maximum gross weight, determine flight location pressure altitude, and temperature, and refer to the weight in the chart below. Gross Weight includes payload, battery, and structure weight.

The maximum gross weight might exceed the weight allowed by regulatory agencies. When determining gross weight, please consider any such local restrictions on aircraft weight when planning aircraft weight.

The original Alta X that shipped between September 2019 and May 2022 came equipped with DJI M12 Motors. In June of 2022, the Freefly Alta X received a motor update and is now shipping with X9 motors.

Like all Freefly Systems products, we conducted a lot of testing on these motors to ensure reliability, performance, and safety. You can find the testing log book and test plans conducted for the X9 motors here.

The X9 motors are configured in software to match the same thrust performance of the M12 motors.

X9 motors are not susceptible to SB003 Motor Stall on fast descent.

The M12 and X9 motors use the same 33” propeller but have a slightly different ActiveBlade assembly to accommodate a different motor shaft and bolt pattern. Below are photos of the two motors to help you identify which motors you have and which active blade assembly you will need to purchase for spare parts. If you’re purchasing a new Alta from Freefly Systems at the time of reading this you will have X9 motors.

The M12 motors use

• CW ActiveBlade with M3 Fasteners - PN 910-00413

• CCW ActiveBlade with M3 Fasteners - PN 910-00414

The X9 Motors use

• CW ActiveBlade with M4 Fasteners - PN 910-00703

• CCW ActiveBlade with M4 Fasteners - PN 910-00704

Expansion Ports

External Com Expansion

The external communications expansion port is located between booms 1 and 2 on the ALTA.

External Com Expansion (RID)

Telemetry Ports

TELEM 1:

By default, TELEM 1 is used as the telemetry connection for the FRX Pro radio. It is fully configurable for what is sent, baud rate, etc. This port is turned on by default and the RAM usage fully accounted for in the Alta X’s design.

TELEM 2:

This is the telemetry connector that is inside the drone. It is also fully configurable. It is shared with the WiFi module so WiFi must be disabled for TELEM 2 to be used. The use of TELEM 2 requires additional RAM usage. As the RAM availability of the Alta X is limited, use of TELEM 2 may lead to issues caused by insufficient memory. (see SB006)

• The RID capable IO module comes with a “breakout” for TELEM2 to grant easier access to the TELEM 2 port. Pilots flying with Alta Xs that have been manufactured since the March 18th, 2024 release of the RID module or, “standard module users,” will have access to this telemetry port by default. Pilots that have installed the RID IO module themselves or, “broadcast module users,” will need to install the cable connecting the breakout TELEM 2 port to the Alta X’s inner TELEM 2 port.

“Broadcast module” users can reach out to Freefly Support for more information on purchasing the cable needed for use of the breakout TELEM 2 port.

Installing the cable that connects the breakout TELEM 2 port to the inner TELEM 2 port does not change your “broadcast” module into a “standard” module.

Installing the cable that connects the breakout TELEM 2 port to the inner TELEM 2 port requires opening up the chassis of the Alta X. Performing this installation is done at the user’s discretion.

AUX UART:

The AUX UART port is a hardcoded MAVLink stream that controls Alta X’s onboard system functions such as the lights, video OSD, and RID. AUX UART is connected internally as TELEM4, however, attempting to configure TELEM 4 is not advised as any changes to how AUX UART communicates will break the internal operation of the drone. AUX UART is fixed at a 57600 baud rate and has a fixed set of MAVLink messages.

5V External Power

The external expansion connector port 5V power is provided by a dedicated 5V 3A current limited power supply separate of the redundant 5V power supplies for the flight controller. Each output on the external expansion connectors is protected by a 1.1A hold 2.2A trip PTC (Part number 0ZCG0110FF2C). The sum of the power supplying the following components must be less than 3A:

• Motor boom LEDs (approx 1A during flight with 2x red and 2x green LEDs)

• Long range radio if not powered via other means (FRX Pro is powered by 12V)

• All internal CANbus peripherals on CAN expansion connectors

• All external UART, I2C, and CANbus connectors

UART Port - GH-6 Pin

MAVLink serial communications at 57600b 8-N-1

GPS2 Port - GH-6 Pin

Nuttx console output at 57600b 8-N-1.

CAN Ports - GH-4 Pin

Peripheral CANbus for future expansion.

I2C Ports - GH-4 Pin

I2C bus for future expansion

Power Expansion

The power expansion port is located between booms 1 and 2 on the ALTA; it contains three externally-facing and two internally-facing direct battery connected power expansion connectors with female socket pin XT-30 type connectors. Each external output is protected by a 10A automotive mini blade type fuse. The replacement fuse part number is 0297010.WXNV.

The system and fuses are sized to supply 10A or less continuously on each external port simultaneously; the internal connectors share the same fuse with the external connector J1. Please note that the output voltage will vary with system battery voltage as the battery discharges.

FPV Cable Pinout

Cable FPV TX

Every Alta X comes with a cable pre-installed to attach the FPV video transmission system. Freefly provides this FPV system and the appropriate cable to attach the transmitter to the aircraft cable, but if the customer wants to install their own FPV transmitter, please use the pinout below for wiring guidance. Also see note below pinout for camera-specific guidance.

Note: The Freefly-provided FPV system powers the camera via the 5V-passthrough at the VTX. If the customer wants to install their own VTX that does not provide a 5v-passthrough, it is necessary to power the camera directly from the 5V pin (Pin 3). This can be done by moving the pin on the camera cable from pin 4 to pin 3.

In order to maintain control of personal or mission critical information, there are some precautions and best practices that can be used. This information is being included in our documentation as part of our DIU Blue Certification.

WiFi

WiFi can allow an attacker to remotely access the Alta X. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Downloading Flight Logs

• Collecting live telemetry

• Uploading and Downloading Missions

• Controlling the aircraft.

Consider a user with WiFi access to have physical access to the aircraft.

By default, WiFi is not enabled on Alta X. WiFi is permanently disabled on Alta X Blue.

Alta X ships with a default password for all aircraft. If you must use WiFi, it is

Even with a secure password, a sophisticated attacker could still bypass the WiFi encryption, so do not leave WiFi enabled for longer than necessary.

FRX Pro

While the radio link is encrypted, anybody with the ground radio can be considered to have physical access to the aircraft, and all of the above precautions apply.

Dataflash Logs

By default, Alta X records flight logs(from arm to disarm) to internal storage. These logs include information such as:

• Flight path

• Time of flight

• Takeoff location

• Automated mission information (waypoints)

These logs can be pulled from the aircraft if you have physical access, without any user authentication.

Logging can also be completely disabled by setting the following 2 parameters:

• SDLOG_MISSION: 0

• SDLOG_MODE: -1

System Compromisation

Freefly Systems recommends keeping Alta X physically secure at all times. If you suspect that the aircraft has been compromised, please consult these links to flash the latest firmware and reset the aircraft to factory defaults.

Freefly Systems utilizes signed and encrypted firmware packages. The firmware of the flight controller cannot be modified without erasing all of the firmware, and Freefly firmware cannot be loaded if the flight controller has been tampered with.

If you suspect the aircraft has been compromised, you can also send your aircraft to Freefly Systems for service, although standard service fees apply.

Powerplant

Propellers

Battery

Battery Tray Dimensions

Weight

Environmental

Flight Controller

Lighting and Indication

Isolation Systems

Radio Specs