Initial Connection and Parameter Protection

Prerequisites

• A Windows computer with Mission Planner/QGC installed.
• A USB Type-C cable that supports data transfer.
• A securely mounted FlyCore flight controller, RC receiver, and required peripheral wiring harnesses.
• A correctly inserted SD card.
• If using the onboard UM982 dual-antenna function, securely mounted primary and secondary antennas.

For instructions on installing, connecting, and using Mission Planner, see the official Mission Planner documentation. The official web pages referenced here may be updated. When using them, verify the interface, functions, and parameter definitions for ArduPilot Copter 4.8.0.

1. Pre-Power-On Checks

1. Remove all propellers and ensure that the motors cannot accidentally spin with the propellers attached.
2. Check that the flight controller is securely mounted and that there are no metal foreign objects or short-circuit risks nearby.
3. Check the positive and negative power connections and the wiring harness connections.
4. Confirm that the PWM connectors transmit control signals only. Power required by servos, ESCs, or other actuators must be supplied externally according to the actual load.
5. Check that the USB cable, RC receiver, RTK antennas, and peripheral wiring harnesses are connected to the intended ports.
6. Confirm that the SD card is correctly inserted.

Verification Results

• The power polarity and input voltage have been confirmed.
• There are no short-circuit risks around the flight controller.
• All propellers have been removed.
• Every peripheral connection can be traced to a clearly identified port.

2. Connect to Mission Planner

1. Connect the FlyCore flight controller to the computer using a USB Type-C data cable.
2. Open Mission Planner.
3. In the upper-right corner, select the COM port corresponding to the flight controller.
4. Select a baud rate of 115200.
5. Click Connect.
6. Wait for the connection to complete. Confirm that the ground station displays the flight controller attitude and that the GPS, RC, and parameter pages are accessible.

If the Connection Fails

Troubleshoot in the following order:

1. Check whether the USB cable supports data transfer.
2. Check whether the correct COM port is selected or whether it is occupied by other software.
3. Check whether the computer-side driver is working properly.

3. Back Up Before Making Changes

1. Export the current parameters from Mission Planner and store the backup securely.
2. After each change to the mounting orientation, compass, GPS/RTK, EKF3, or serial port parameters, save the parameters and restart the flight controller.
3. After restarting, reconnect to Mission Planner and verify that the changed values have been saved.
4. Repeat the ground checks affected by the parameters.

For parameter descriptions, value ranges, and default values, see the ArduPilot Copter parameter documentation. Always defer to the parameter descriptions actually loaded on the current flight controller.

4. First-Connection Acceptance Checks

• Mission Planner connects reliably, and the attitude and parameter pages can be read normally.
• The current parameters have been exported and backed up.
• There are no unexplained persistent alarms in Messages.

For further troubleshooting, see Downloading and Analyzing Data Logs in Mission Planner, and retain the logs together with the corresponding firmware, parameter backup, and flight records.