1. DL manuals
  2. TBS Discovery PRO
  3. Drones
  4. Quadrotor
  5. Assembly Instructions & Owner's Manual

TBS Discovery PRO Quadrotor Assembly Instructions & Owner's Manual

Summary of Quadrotor

  • Page 1

    Tbs discovery pro quadrotor durable and crash resistant multirotor perfect for amateur and pro aerial videographers revision 2014-09-21 the tbs discovery pro gimbal frame is the perfect tool for amateur and pro aerial videographers. Sporting a fully stabilized, vibration isolated camera gimbal it is...

  • Page 2: Before We Begin

    Before we begin thank you for buying a tbs product! The tbs discovery pro is a new multirotor aircraft from team blacksheep (tbs) for hobbyist, semi-pro and pro aerial videographers. It features the best design practices available on the market to date, providing great flying stability and incredibl...

  • Page 3: Specifications

    Specifications the following specifications are for the normal tbs discovery pro. Long range hardware will be different. Type: asymmetric spider quadrotor airframe: reinforced black fiberglass (rear top rf transparent, bottom pdb) battery: 4s (14.8v) 3300 to 4500mah lipo pack, max. 31 x 47 x 157mm p...

  • Page 4: Parts List

    Parts list before building your tbs discovery pro, make sure the following items are included in your kit. 1x top frame plate 1x bottom frame plate 1x gimbal imu board 1x gopro link card 1x pilot camera mount plate 7x red aluminum spacers 1x battery pigtail 14awg with xt60 connector 2x vtx and camer...

  • Page 5: Required Parts

    Required parts to get in the air the following equipment and parts are needed for assembly. 4x dji flame wheel arms 4x 400hz multirotor speed controller 18-30a 4x 900kv brushless motors (incl. Prop adaptor and mounting screws) 4x 9x5 or 10x5-inch propellers (2xcw, 2xccw) 1x 4s 3300 to 4500mah lipo b...

  • Page 6: Build Guide

    Build guide the tbs discovery pro comes in the usual quality finish and plug & play style the tbs discovery line is famous for. The essentials are fully integrated on the plates, to make the final assembly as easy as humanly possible. No separate boards, wire spaghetti, purchasing stuff from multipl...

  • Page 7

    Frame layout the tbs discover pro frame is designed to reduce wiring and clutter. With simplicity in mind, we put all the electronics for the core, brushless camera gimbal and camera switching nicely integrated onto the top and bottom plates. All connections for the brushless gimbal motors, gimbal i...

  • Page 8

    Vibration free recordings the tbs discovery pro is designed with a new vibration damping system where the gimbal rests on an array of 8+2 silicone mounts to form a push-pull compression system. This eliminates vibrations from propagating to the gimbal frame and hd camera. We provide 5 rounds of damp...

  • Page 9

    Long range photography team blacksheep are the undisputed kings of long range fpv. With the tbs discovery pro you can make camera shots that rival those of real helicopters. You can chase bmx drivers down an entire slope. You can film boats and yachts from the shore. You can shoot breathtaking actio...

  • Page 10

    Video switching another great feature of the tbs discovery pro is the ability to switch the video feed between the live fpv pilot camera and the gimbal camera. Fly through the fpv camera to line yourself up for a shot and then switch to the gopro footage to position the camera (2-axis). Depending on...

  • Page 11

    8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 - + s ppm gimbal bott om link imu/gopro roll pitch vtx cam 5v 12v 5v 12v a udio video gnd pwr pwr gnd a udio video gp out sel vtx2 switch vb at gnd video vtx2 gnd vcc rx tx ua rt gimbal ezuhf rssi link gimal roll gimbal pitch gimbal ppm camera switch analog rssi flight controller ppm...

  • Page 12: Choosing The Right Setup

    Choosing the right setup if you are just getting into the hobby and you have absolutely nothing, consider the following components to buy. Use these suggested setups as a “shopping list” if you are just getting started. Any existing gear you already own (e.G. Remote controls, chargers, batteries) ca...

  • Page 13

    Tbs discovery pro setup for long range flights ● expected flight time: 10-12 min ● cost range: us$ 2’500 - us$ 3’000 ● experience level: expert ● ideal for: long, wide open fields, plains, coastlines and valleys or urban flying r/c transmitter/receiver: futaba 8fg / 7c or graupner mx-12 radio + ezuh...

  • Page 14

    Camera gimbal assembly start by assembling the brushless gimbal. There are a few steps which requires extra attention to detail in order to get the desired silky smooth operation of the gimbal. These are outlined in the following sections. Vibration damping system start by inserting the damping ball...

  • Page 15

    ● on the main mounting plate, the cable for the motor will exit on the top notch and the plate needs to be oriented accordingly. Four of the top damping balls will face forward (toward the gimbal) holding the mounting bracket to the top frame, while the bottom four damping balls will point the oppos...

  • Page 16

    ● use a short length of a servo-wire or a piece of string to more easily feed the damping balls through the 16 holes on the base mounting plate and frame mounting brackets. Wrap the wire or string inside the groove of the balls, one or two turns, feed both ends into the hole, and pull through using ...

  • Page 17

    Gimbal assembly the gimbal screws use 1.5mm (m2), 2.0mm (m2.5) and 2.5mm (m3) hex screwdrivers. Keep the screws loose at the start and fully tighten them at the end of the assembly, this makes it easier to align all the parts. For a good secure fit, use a very small amount of light/medium strength t...

  • Page 18

    Rev. 01. 2014 - by ivc.No/tbs gimbal assembly diagram (1) m3x4mm motor mount screws (2) m2.5x6mm gimbal screws (3) m2x12mm bearing clamp screw (4) m2x6mm grub screws (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (1) (2) (2) (2) note: parts with the same number belong to the same group. (5) m3x6mm lever-to-motor mount screws ...

  • Page 19

    ● to minimize cable tension and friction, feed the 5-pin molex connector through the bearing and slide the bearing over the flange on the left side of the gimbal cage (completed previously). ● align the shrink tube pieces in such a fashion that there is no shrink tube on the inside corner of the cag...

  • Page 20

    ● continue by attaching the main damping mounting plate (completed previously) and back lever arm to the rear/roll motor. Align the cable with the notch in the mounting plate and secure it using 4x m3x6mm screws. Feed the remaining cables through the two oval holes on either side of the plate. Make ...

  • Page 21

    Post frame assembly ● continue assembling the rest of the discovery pro frame and at the end of the build, slide in the gimbal assembly, plug in the 3 cables for pitch, roll and imu to the designated location and secure the gimbal using 6x m2.5x5mm frame (arm) screws. Double check that the right/til...

  • Page 22

    ● if the lever arm touches the flight controller when installed, either move the controller slightly or remove the spacer and two screws (these are not absolutely necessary). ● finally, feed the gopro gimbal velcro strap through the slots on the bottom cage mounting plate. Properly strapped down the...

  • Page 23: Frame Assembly

    Frame assembly the following sections will show you the essential steps to assembling the base of the frame and connect the electronics to the frame. In addition to the following assembly instructions, we have produced a both a summarized “ how to ” video and a full length “how to” build video showi...

  • Page 24

    1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 a a b b c c d d e e f f sheet 1 of 1 drawn checked qa mfg approved tbs associates inc 31.07.2013 dwg no tbs_disc_pro_frame_assy title size a2 scale rev (2) m2.5x5mm frame arm and gimbal screws (1) m3x6.5mm spacer screws (7) aluminium spacers (3) pin header (6) frame a...

  • Page 25

    Spacers ● next, add the red spacers (posts) to the bottom frame plate using the supplied m3x6.5mm hex screws. Add a small drop of threadlock to help secure the frame. It is recommended to only apply on the bottom screws for easy repairs/maintenance. ● there are three spacer positions in the battery ...

  • Page 26

    ● one important note for escs that do not carry the “opto” label or are not tbs bulletproof designs, is that only one of the four escs should provide 5v bec power to the flight controller. The middle red wire on the end connector should be disconnected on three of the escs. If the flight controller ...

  • Page 27

    Flight controller ● decide whether you want to use traditional pwm or ppm/s.Bus control signal mode. The frame is laid out to work with both types of setups. As of writing, tbs suggests the dji naza-m flight controller in ppm/s.Bus mode (together with a compatible receiver) and an optional gps add-o...

  • Page 28

    ● (dji naza only) to save weight and space, the pmu (v2) can be disconnected and removed after the final configuration has been made. Although, 5v power still has to be provided from at least one of the escs. Start out using the following suggested gains for naza-m autopilot and tune accordingly. Se...

  • Page 29

    ● feed the battery straps through the two slots in the battery compartment. Only one strap is really necessary to provide adequate friction to keep the battery fastened. Optional: use different colored frame arms for the front and back pair to make it easier to identify the orientation of the quadco...

  • Page 30

    ● plug in the bullet-connectors to the speed controllers. Swap any two wires to change the direction of rotation if they do not rotate as shown below. See the image above for the most commonly used motor setup (e.G. Naza-m.) 27.

  • Page 31

    Top plate r/c control signal headers ● to get a clean r/c receiver-to-flight controller wiring, it is recommended to use the header on the top plate. There are 8 traces to support up to equally many pwm (pulse width modulation) channels. When using a ppm (pulse position modulation) compatible receiv...

  • Page 32

    ● the channels with a text label, i.E. Ppm, gimbal_roll, gimbal_pitch, cam_switch and rssi_analog, has the signal pin ( ∏ ) hardwired directly to their respective electronics section on the top frame (i.E. Flight controller ppm break-out, gimbal controller roll/tilt, camera switcher, and core rssi s...

  • Page 33

    Core (camera switcher) - enable “switch” in the menu core (camera switcher) - enable “switch” in the menu core (camera switcher) - enable “switch” in the “cam” menu gimbal controller - enable “pwm” source in simplebgc - core profile switching only supports pwm core (camera switcher) - enable “switch...

  • Page 34

    ● (ezuhf rx 8ch only) the core can decode the digital rssi signal from the receiver via the separate “osd link” port and display rssi on each of the two antennas and overall signal quality (including packet loss) of the r/c uplink. A 5-pin molex cable is included which plugs into the ezuhf_rssi_link...

  • Page 35

    ● attach the the 9-pin plate-to-plate bottom link cable to the designated connector on the bottom plate. It carries carries current sensor signal, vbatt, ground, +v5, +v12 up and ppm down. When closing the frame, plug in the cable to the corresponding connector on the top plate. 31.

  • Page 36

    Fpv and gimbal gear the fpv gear is designed to be installed on the front section of the frame to achieve as much separation between the r/c- and fpv-radio environment as possible. Keep in mind that the former is listening while the latter is broadcasting. The quieter the receiving conditions are, t...

  • Page 37: Core Menu Layout

    Core menu layout button enter use up.

  • Page 38

    ● the solder pads next to the sockets can be used to connect your gear, but try to connect your fpv camera and video transmitter via the molex connectors on the board. With that, you will not risk ripping off the pads from the frame when pulling too heavy on a cable. Modify our cable harness when us...

  • Page 39

    ● decide whether you can use the supplied wires and connector socket on the top frame or connect the camera and video transmitter via the round solder pads. The supplied picoblade molex cable “5v vtx” are designed to work with the tbs greenhorn, tbs rookie, lawmate video transmitters, and the suppli...

  • Page 40

    Video transmitter ● put the video transmitter close to the front on the top plate. Use zip-ties and/or self-adhesive foam pads to fit the transmitter. Tbs offers a custom made mounting bracket for easy vertical install over the front-right frame arm. To avoid possible video interference, be sure to ...

  • Page 41

    Note: connecting a video transmitter directly to a shared battery source may induce interference on the video image. Consider adding a filter between the solder pad and video transmitter. Tbs discovery / discovery pro - video transmitter (vtx) setups + -- -- + -- + -- ppm + -- + -- s + - disc over y...

  • Page 42

    Brushless gimbal controller ● plug in the 3 molex cables for the pitch- and roll-motors, as well as the imu board, into the connectors labeled “pitch”, “roll”, and “imu” located near the front on the top plate. ● the controller comes pre-configured with pid gains which are fine-tuned for use with a ...

  • Page 43

    ● if the camera gimbal is not level at start-up, move the gimbal and quad to a perfectly level position (use a bubble leveler) and press the “gimbal cal.” button on the top plate for 3-5 seconds until the gimbal motors release. Wait for the blue led to stop blinking and motors to lock again. Ensure ...

  • Page 44

    Gopro link ● with video switching now possible on the discovery pro, the kit includes a small adaptor which plugs into the gopro 30-pin bus connector to provide video output and the possibility to charge the gopro while in flight. The charging is disabled by default and it is only recommended to ena...

  • Page 45

    ● the osd is enabled by default, to disable it completely hook up video and press the “entr” button on the top plate for 4-5 seconds, toggle to the “osd" menu and select "osd off". ● in the picture above the video feed is switched to the gopro camera. Notice how the osd adapts to the gopro margins. ...

  • Page 46

    Brushless gimbal stabilization integrated gimbal controller setting up a gimbal the right way can be a daunting task, fortunately we licensed the simplebgc firmware (alexmos) and the simplebgc hardware layout from viacopter. The controller has all the parameters pre-set and gains tuned by tbs for a ...

  • Page 47

    Hd camera the gopro hd hero camera is the most commonly used hd recording camera (as of writing) for sport purposes, thanks to its wonderful high-quality picture and compact size. The tbs discovery pro was designed around the gopro to take advantage of its great features. Consider using the gopro se...

  • Page 48

    Center of gravity optimization ● a properly balanced multirotor will distributing the weight (mass) equally over the four motors. The mark on the bottom plate is the center of thrust (ct, cot) mark and the center of gravity (cg, cog) spot is 15mm forward of this mark. When holding the frame in the a...

  • Page 49

    Median median cent er of gr avit y cent er of t hrust rev. 08. 2013 - by ivc.No/tbs center of gravity diagram.

  • Page 50

    Dual-pilot support (advanced users only!) split dual-pilot support is possible in situations where a separate operator for piloting the quad and camera is preferred. Extra equipment is needed for the extra video link and r/c control uplink (2-axis gimbal and yaw adjustments.) installation of the vid...

  • Page 51

    ● dual operator - introducing a separate video operator for the gimbal roll and tilt control requires one additional video transmitter and r/c receiver. Disable the video switcher, cut the trace between the two “gp out sel” jumper pads and solder the left pad to the middle. ● dual operator with yaw ...

  • Page 52

    Tbs core pnp pro installation the tbs core pnp pro upgrade will make the disco pro a full-featured quadcopter. You will be able to see current power index, home direction, speed, altitude, distance to home, exact gps coordinates and notifications to assist you while flying. See the official core pro...

  • Page 53: Discovery

    Xt60 tbs core pnp pro installation diagram for tbs discovery pro vtx 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 - + s ppm gimbal bott om link imu/gopro roll pitch vtx cam 5v 12v 5v 12v a udio video gnd pwr pwr gnd a udio video gp out sel vtx2 switch vb at gnd video vtx2 gnd vcc rx tx ua rt gimbal ezuhf rssi link gimal roll gi...

  • Page 54: Flight

    Flight first flight check that the flight battery and transmitter battery is fully charged. Make sure all the screws on the frame and the propellers are spinning the correct direction and secured, and that the battery strapped down. Balance the quadcopter around the center of gravity (cg) spot by re...

  • Page 55: Good Practices

    Good practices we have compiled a list of all of the things that have been tried and tested in countless environments and situations by tbs crew and other experienced fpv pilots. Follow these simple rules, even if rumors on the internet suggest otherwise, and you will have success in fpv. ● start wi...

  • Page 56

    ● try to achieve as much separation of the vtx and r/c receiver as possible to lower the rf noise floor and emi interference. ● do not buy the cheapest equipment unless it is proven to work reliably (e.G. Parts falling off, multitudes of bug fix firmware updates, community hacks and mods are a good ...

  • Page 57: Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting ● issue: horizontal lines in pilot video downlink solution: if there are lines in the video during flight that disappear as soon as you land, your video transmitter is exposed to too much vibrations. Memory foam in conjunction with the flame wheel vtx mount will take out the vibratio...

  • Page 58

    ● issue: gimbal controller displays a blue light and motors not engaging solution: try to connect your pro to the simplebgc ui software and check what message you get there. There is possibly a bad connection between the top plate and the gimbal imu. Check the connection by verifying the voltage at ...

  • Page 59: Recommended Parts

    Recommended parts below is a list of compatible r/c and fpv gear for the tbs discovery pro quadrotor. This will hopefully make it easier to pick up spare parts and upgrades. Power sets tbs 900kv2 motor / esc combo for the more sophisticated, agile-flight loving pilot or for those requiring super-vib...

  • Page 60

    Propellers ● graupner e-prop 9x5-inch propellers ● graupner e-prop 10x5-inch propellers ● gemfan e-propeller 10x5 carbon fiber propellers ● rctimer carbon fiber 9x5-inch propellers ● rctimer carbon fiber 10x5-inch propellers battery ● tbs 4s 3300mah 30c or kypom kt4500/35-4s lipo pack ● tbs 4s 4500m...

  • Page 61: Spare Parts

    Spare parts you can either get spare parts directly from us ( team-blacksheep.Com ) or from one of our distributors and retailers near you. Our ever-growing list of retailers is published on the left at team-blacksheep.Com/shop . 53.

  • Page 62: Appendix

    Appendix ● frame assembly diagram ● gimbal assembly diagram ● electronics installation diagram ● common r/c receiver setups ● video transmitter installation diagram ● core menu layout ● center of gravity diagram manual written and designed by ivc.No in cooperation with tbs. 54.