Eachine Aurora 90 Quick Start Guide

Introduction

This document provides a quick start guide for the Eachine Aurora 90 FPV drone. It covers the drone's specifications, components, binding procedures for various radio systems, arming/disarming, and configuration settings.

The drone features a 90mm wheelbase and is designed for FPV racing and freestyle flying.

1. Specifications

Brand name: Eachine

Wheelbase: 90mm

Size: 118mm*118mm*70mm

Weight: 73g (battery not included)

Flight controller: Minicube Betaflight F3 6DOF built-in OSD

Motor: Eachine 1104 7500KV brushless motor

ESC: 10A BLHELI_S 16.5 1-2S 4 in 1 ESC Dshot600

Propeller: 2035 4 leaf propeller

Receiver: Frsky/DSMX/Flysky AFHDS2A (optional)

Camera: 600TVL HD CMOS 1/4 inch

VTX: 5.8g 25MW 48CH NTSC/PAL video transmitter

OSD: Betaflight OSD

Firmware of flight controller: Betaflight 3.1

Flight time: 3-4 minutes

Rear LED Ready: (LED_Strip function)

Buzzer Ready: Yes

Battery: 7.4V 450mah 80C lipo battery

Charger: B3PRO 2S balance charger

Dimensions Diagram: The drone has a wheelbase of 90mm. The overall dimensions are 118mm x 118mm x 70mm, as shown in a diagram with top-down and side views.

2. Components

The Aurora 90 package includes the following components:

Exploded View Diagram: An exploded view diagram illustrates the assembly of the Aurora 90, showing the placement of the frame, flight controller, motors, propellers, receiver, VTX/camera, and battery.

3. Flight Controller Connection Diagram

The flight controller (HALOF3) features various connection ports. Key connections include:

• Power: +5V, 3.3V/5V output (switchable), GND.
• Motor Outputs: M1, M2, M3, M4 for connecting the motors.
• Receiver Input: RCIN, SBUS, PPM, DSMX, etc. The diagram shows specific pin assignments for different receiver types (e.g., Solder pin1+2 for 3.3v DSM2/DSMX, pin2+3 for 5v PPM/SBUS).
• Peripherals: OSD, BUZ+ (Buzzer Positive), BUZ- (Buzzer Negative), LED.
• UARTs: TX1, RX1, TX2, RX2 for serial communication.
• Other: USB port, Boot pad.

4. 2.4G Receiver Pins Diagram

Diagrams illustrate the pin configurations for different 2.4G receiver versions:

• Frsky version: Shows pins for SBUS, +5V, GND, BIND, BUZ-, BUZ+. Includes A2 Voltage detector for 1S-3S Lipo.
• Flysky version: Shows pins for PPM, +5V, GND, BIND, BUZ-, BUZ+. Includes HALORX.
• DSM2/DSMX version: Shows pins for DSMX, +3.3V, GND, BUZ-, BUZ+. Includes HALORX_DSMX.

5. Frame Type and ESC Connection Diagram

The drone uses a 'Quad X' frame configuration. The diagram shows the motor outputs M1, M2, M3, M4 on the flight controller.

Propeller Installation:

• Fix the 2035R propellers onto the M1 and M4 motors (CW motors).
• Fix the 2035L propellers onto the M2 and M3 motors (CCW motors).

Caution: Ensure screws are tightened securely.

6. 5.8G VTX Channels List

The following table lists the 5.8G VTX channels and frequencies for different groups (GA, GB, GC, GD, GE, GF):

Video Connections:

• Orange: Camera video signal
• Blue: Video out
• Red: +5V
• Black: GND

VTX Controls:

• NTSC/PAL Switch: Short touch up 2S; Short touch switch to reverse video display.
• Frequency group A~F: Selected still touch up to 2S; Channel CH1~CH8 selected with short touch.

7. Charge the Battery

Charging Procedure:

1. First insert the LiPo battery balance plug into the B3 Compact charger.
2. Connect the power cable to the wall outlet (charger accepts 110v to 240v). The charger LED will flash orange when powered correctly.
3. During charging, the LED will be solid RED. When charging is completed, the charger will display a solid GREEN LED.

Attention:

• If the Red LED flashes, there may be an issue with the charger or battery; stop charging.
• Use only for charging 2S and 3S batteries. Never attempt to charge more than one battery at a time, as this may damage the charger or cause fire.
• During charging, place the charger in a dry, ventilated area, away from heat sources and flammable/explosive substances.
• Always allow the battery to cool down for at least 10 minutes before charging. Overheated batteries may swell or catch fire.
• Do not charge a damaged battery (cuts, swelling, or bends).

Charging Diagram: A diagram shows the 7.4V LiPo battery connected to the B3 Compact charger, which is plugged into a power supply.

8. Aurora 90 Frsky BNF Version Binding Procedure

Steps:

1. Power the Aurora 90 while holding the Bind button. The blue LED on the receiver will become solid, indicating it is in binding mode. Release the Bind button.
2. Turn on your Radio transmitter and select D8 mode for the Receiver. Navigate to the Receiver [Bind] option and press ENT to bind with the Aurora 90. The blue LED on the receiver will turn off, indicating successful binding.

Blue LED Status Meaning:

• Solid: Works normal or Binding mode
• Blinking: Lost signal
• Off: Binding successfully

Radio Interface: A screenshot of a Taranis transmitter shows the menu for setting receiver mode and binding.

9. Arm/Disarm Aurora 90 Frsky BNF

The default Arm/Disarm switch is AUX1 (Channel 5). AUX2 (Channel 6) is set for flight mode changes, and AUX3 (Channel 7) for activating the buzzer. These can be customized via Betaflight Configurator.

Betaflight Modes Configuration: The Betaflight Configurator 'Modes' tab allows setting ranges for switches to assign functions. For ARM, AUX1 is used (Min: 1400, Max: 2100). For AIR MODE and ANGLE, AUX2 is used (AIR MODE Min: 1525, Max: 2100; ANGLE Min: 1175, Max: 1500).

Radio Setup: On the Taranis X9D, navigate to the MIXER interface and set a switch (e.g., "SA" or "SB") for CH5 to ARM/DISARM the motor. A 3-step switch is suggested for changing flight modes.

Arming: Toggle the AUX1 switch. The buzzer will beep once, and the flight controller's Red LED will turn off and then become solid, indicating the motor is armed. "ARMED" will also be displayed on FPV goggles or monitors.

Cautions: Motors may spin at a low speed when armed in Air mode.

10. Aurora 90 Frsky BNF Version Receiver Configuration

If the firmware has been flashed, follow these steps in Betaflight Configurator:

1. Enable Serial_RX for UART3.
2. Set the RECEIVER Mode to RX_SERIAL.
3. Set the Serial Receiver Provider to SBUS.

Note: Remember to configure a Serial Port (via the Ports tab) when using the RX_SERIAL feature.

Caution: Keep the Aurora 90 away from the radio more than 50cm during dual-way transmission to avoid losing telemetry signal.

11. Aurora 90 Flysky BNF Version Binding Procedure

Steps:

1. Power the Aurora 90 while holding the Bind button. The blue LED on the receiver will blink fast, indicating it is in binding mode. Release the Bind button.
2. Ensure your Flysky Radio is set to AFHDS 2A Mode. Turn on your radio while holding the binding button to initiate binding with the Aurora 90. The blue LED will turn off briefly, then start blinking slowly, indicating successful binding. The blue LED will be solid when the connection is established.

Blue LED Status Meaning:

• Solid: Works normal
• Blinking slowly: Lost signal
• Blinking fast: In binding mode
• Off: Binding successfully

Radio Interface: A screenshot of a Flysky FS-16 transmitter shows the binding process.

3. Default Receiver Channel Map for Aurora 90 Flysky

The default receiver channel map for Aurora 90 Flysky version is AETR1234. Ensure your transmitter matches this configuration to enable arming.

Channel Map Display: A visual representation shows channel assignments (Roll, Pitch, Yaw, Throttle, AUX 1-8) with corresponding values.

12. Arm/Disarm Aurora 90 Flysky BNF Version

The default Arm/Disarm switch is AUX1 (Channel 5). AUX2 (Channel 6) is for flight mode, and AUX3 (Channel 7) is for the buzzer. These can be customized in Betaflight Configurator.

Betaflight Modes Configuration: Similar to Frsky, the 'Modes' tab in Betaflight Configurator is used. For ARM, AUX1 is used (Min: 1400, Max: 2100). For AIR MODE, AUX2 is used (Min: 1600, Max: 2050). For ANGLE, AUX2 is used (Min: 1200, Max: 1600).

Radio Setup: On the Flysky Radio, navigate to the Aux. channels interface and set a switch (e.g., "SWA", "SWB", or "SWC") for CH5 to ARM/DISARM the motor. A 3-step switch (like "SWC" on Flysky FS-16) is recommended for changing flight modes.

Arming: Toggle the AUX1 switch. The buzzer beeps once, and the flight controller's Red LED turns off and becomes solid, indicating the motor is armed. "ARMED" will appear on FPV goggles or monitors.

Cautions: Motors may spin at a low speed when armed in Air mode.

13. Aurora 90 Flysky Version Receiver Configuration

If the firmware has been flashed, follow these steps in Betaflight Configurator:

1. Select RX_PPM from the RECEIVER Mode.

Ports Configuration: The 'Ports' tab shows configuration options for UARTs. For Flysky, it typically involves setting UART3 to Serial RX.

Note: Not all combinations are valid. Do not disable MSP on the first serial port unless you know what you are doing.

14. Aurora 90 DSM2/DSMX BNF Version Binding Procedure and Satellite Receiver Setup

The Aurora 90 DSM2/DSMX BNF Version integrates a compatible Satellite receiver. The binding procedure is as follows:

1. Connect the Aurora 90 DSM2/DSMX BNF Version to a computer and open Betaflight Configurator.
2. In the CLI tab, type: set spektrum_sat_bind = 9 for DSMX radio, or set spektrum_sat_bind = 5 for DSM2 radio.
3. Type save. After the flight controller reboots, remove the USB cable (power off the board).
4. Reconnect the USB cable. After a cold start, the satellite LED (Orange) should start blinking. Turn on your transmitter while pressing the bind button.
5. After binding, the satellite LED should be solid. Connect Betaflight and use the receiver tab to test the satellite's functionality.
6. Finally, go to the CLI tab, type set spektrum_sat_bind = 0, and then type save to prevent the satellite from re-entering binding mode upon repowering.

Orange LED Status Meaning:

• Solid: Works normal
• Blinking fast: Binding mode
• Off: Lost signal

Cautions: For some DSM2 Radios, the orange LED may blink slowly after successful binding.

2. Default Receiver Channel Map for Aurora 90 DSM2/DSMX

The default receiver channel map for Aurora 90 DSM2/DSMX Version is TAER1234. Ensure your transmitter matches this configuration to enable arming.

Channel Map Display: A visual representation shows channel assignments (Roll, Pitch, Yaw, Throttle, AUX 1-8) with corresponding values.

15. Arm/Disarm Aurora 90 DSM2/DSMX BNF Version

The default Arm/Disarm switch for Aurora 90 DSM2/DSMX BNF Version is AUX1 (Channel 5). For Spektrum radios, Channel 5 is often the Gear switch. AUX2 (Channel 6) is for flight mode, and AUX3 (Channel 7) is for the buzzer. These can be customized in Betaflight Configurator. A 3-step switch is recommended for changing flight modes.

Betaflight Modes Configuration: The 'Modes' tab in Betaflight Configurator is used. For ARM, AUX1 is used (Min: 1400, Max: 2100). For AIR MODE, AUX2 is used (Min: 1525, Max: 2050). For ANGLE, AUX2 is used (Min: 1150, Max: 1500).

Transmitter Setup: Turn on the transmitter and set a switch for CH5 to ARM/DISARM the motor. For transmitters like SPEKTRUM DX6/DX6I, the default CH5 is the GEAR Switch.

Arming: Toggle the AUX1 switch. The buzzer beeps once, and the flight controller's Red LED turns off and becomes solid, indicating the motor is armed. "ARMED" will appear on FPV goggles or monitors.

Cautions: Motors may spin at a low speed when armed in Air mode.

16. Aurora 90 DSM2/DSMX BNF Version Receiver Configuration

If the firmware has been flashed, follow these steps in Betaflight Configurator:

1. Enable Serial_RX for UART3.
2. Set Receiver mode to RX_SERIAL.
3. Select SPEKTRUM1024 for DSM2 Radio or SPEKTRUM2048 for DSMX Radio as the Serial Receiver Provider.

Ports Configuration: The 'Ports' tab shows configuration options for UARTs. UART3 should be set to Serial RX.

17. OSD Configuration

Steps:

1. Connect the Aurora 90 to the computer and open Betaflight Configurator.
2. Navigate to the OSD option to configure the layout.

OSD Elements: Users can enable and position various elements on the OSD display, including:

• RSSI Value
• Main Batt Voltage
• Crosshairs
• Artificial Horizon
• Horizon Sidebars
• Ontime
• Flytime
• Flymode
• Craft Name
• Throttle Position

Craft Name: The 'Craft Name' can be set in the configuration options.

Video Format: Options include AUTO, PAL, and NTSC.

Units: Imperial or Metric.

Alarms: Configure alarms for RSSI, Capacity, and Minutes.

18. LED Strip Function & 19. LED Strip Status

The flight controller allows control over colors and effects of individual LEDs on a strip. The default setup can be customized.

LED Strip Configuration: LEDs can be configured on a grid. Wiring order is important for saving settings. Double-clicking a color allows editing HSV values.

LED Functions: Options include Function None, Overlay, Warnings, and Indicator.

LED Orientation and Color: A grid shows positions (N, O, U, W, E, D, S) and color selection (0-15).

LED Strip Status: The status table maps LED patterns to drone states:

• Disarmed: No specific pattern mentioned, but implied default.
• Armed: No specific pattern mentioned, but implied default.
• Brake: 4 LEDs Blinking Fast
• Throttle: 4 LEDs Blinking Fast
• Roll left: 2 LEDs Blinking Fast
• Roll right: 2 LEDs Blinking Fast