Mounting
Please follow these mounting instructions for SLANTRANGE 2p & 2i systems regardless of your aircraft:
The field sensor must be oriented forward throughout the flight; on the 2i and 2p, the Ethernet and AIS ports are located on the front of the sensor. Ensure your mission planning software turns your aircraft 180 degrees after each pass. DO NOT fly forward on one pass, crab to one side, and then fly backward on the next pass.
The field sensor requires cooling airflow while in operation; mount on the aircraft so cooling airflow reaches the sensor. Do not leave the field sensor on for extended periods of time without cooling airflow (e.g. for several minutes on the ground before takeoff or after landing), and do not leave the battery connected when not in use. The exception to this rule is when downloading data: when the sensor is successfully connected to SlantView, it enters low power mode and cooling airflow is not required.
The AIS must have an unobstructed view of the sky, and the white dome should point directly upward (zenith) when in flight. Mount the AIS on top of the aircraft, making sure propellers, antennas, batteries, cables, etc. will not cast shadows on the white dome.
Connect the field sensor to a power supply, either its own external battery mounted to the aircraft, or the aircraft’s onboard batteries via a power wire harness. The sensor will boot up as soon as power is connected.
Make sure the power cable running from the aircraft or external battery to the field sensor, and the AIS cable running from the field sensor to the AIS, are secured so they cannot contact the propeller blades in flight.
Your SLANTRANGE system can use onboard aircraft batteries or externally mounted batteries. If making a custom power cable, you must connect your wires to the barrel plug with correct polarity. Connect the positive wire to the short lead on the barrel connector, and the negative wire to the long lead on the barrel connector.
If using a rotary wing aircraft, mount the field sensor to compensate for the forward tilt of the aircraft in flight by angling the mounting bracket. The angle needed to maintain the sensor’s downward (nadir) orientation will vary based on multirotor weight distribution and velocity. For reference, a DJI Matrice M100 flying a SLANTRANGE sensor at 8 m/s requires a 8 degree mounting angle offset on average.
To rigorously determine your aircraft’s orientation in flight, mount the system flat to the bottom of your aircraft, and fly a mission at the altitude and speed you expect to typically conduct missions. Download the data and open in SlantView (see SlantView User Guide for instructions). In SlantView, select Display-Image view-Show metadata. The inertial measurement unit on the SLANTRANGE sensor records aircraft pitch, roll, yaw, and heading for every image taken. By scrolling over several images in the Map Window, and viewing the sensor pitch reading displayed in the top left of the image window, you can estimate the average pitch of the aircraft, and angle your mounting bracket accordingly.
DJI Matrice 100 Example
The following are instructions for mounting your 2p SLANTRANGE system to a DJI Matrice 100. The 3p system requires a different mounting procedure.
Mount the sensor bracket using the three screws provided.
Mount with shorter standoffs towards the front of the copter.
Using the angled spacers and M2.5 screws, mount the sensor onto the standoffs with power plug towards the back of the copter.
Mount the AIS bracket onto the top of the copter on the opposite side of the GPS antenna.
Mount the AIS with the plug towards the front of the copter.
Connect the AIS and 2p sensor.
All Aircraft
SLANTRANGE systems are constantly being integrated with new aircraft. If you have any questions about integration with your platform, listed here or not, please contact us at slantrange.com, on Twitter @slantrange, or on Facebook!
We and our customers have tested, and recommend the following aircraft:
Action Drone AD2
Click here for details on the Action Drone AD2
BirdsEyeView FireFLY6
Click here for details on the FireFLY6
DJI Inspire 2
Click here for details on the Inspire
DJI Matrice 100
Click here for details on the Matrice 100
DJI Matrice 200
Click here for details on the Matrice 200