Hardware and Software for Telemetry

The ELEV-8 v3’s Flight Controller has a socket that is compatible with XBee modules from Digi.  Because the radio link used by the transmitter and reciever for flying your ELEV-8 v3 operates in the 2.4 GHz band, it is important to use XBee radios that operate in a different freqency band.  In the United States, the best band for this application is the 900 MHz band (868 MHz will be required instead in some countries).  This frequency band allows both good range and data throughput.

WARNING: Do NOT attempt this with 2.4 GHz radio modules, as their signals may be detected by your quadcopter’s receiver and cause unexpected or dangerous behavior!

Hardware Needed

For this activity you will need:

• (1) built and tested ELEV-8 v3 Quadcopter (Parallax #80300)
• (1) ELEV-8 900 MHz Telemetry Kit (Parallax #32480)
• (Optional) 2 inches of 1.5-inch diameter clear heat-shrink tubing

If you wish to source telemetry parts individually, you will need the following:

• (2) XBee-PRO 900HP SB3 DigiMesh Module (XBP9B-DMST-002) (Item #32411)
• (2) Digi 900 MHz RPSMA Antenna, Female (A09-HASM-675) (Item #32410)
• (1) Parallax XBee USB Adapter Board (Item #32400)
• (1) USB A to USB Mini-B Cable (Item #805-00006)
• (2-3) Small zip-ties
• (Optional, but recommended) a 6-8 inch RP-SMA (reverse polarity SMA) extension cable
• (Optional) 2 inches of 1.5-inch diameter clear heat-shrink tubing

Software Needed

• Download and install the XCTU Configuation Tool from Digi.
• Make sure that you have installed the latest compatible versions of the Parallax GroundStation Software for Windows or for Mac and the ELEV-8 Flight Controller firmware.
• If you have never connected your Flight Controller to this specific computer before, you may need to install FTDI VCP Drivers for your specific operating system before connecting any hardware.