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AT 209 – Autonomous Aircraft Technology and Maintenance I
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Lab 11: Believer Avionics, Controls, and Motor Setup Lab

Overview

In this lab we simulated the avionics, controls, and motors used in the Believer aircraft, focusing on powering, arming, and verifying proper connection and calibration of system components. We set up and calibrated the DATX, configured the LUA script, created a mock avionics layout, mapped control inputs to servo outputs, set key parameters (RCMAP and SERVO#_FUNCTION), and calibrated ESCs and motors. The lab ended with updating the team wiring diagram.

DATX Setup

Questions

1. What is CRSF and SBUS? What are the differences? SBUS is a serial bus protocol, while CRSF (Crossfire) is a higher‑performance protocol used by TBS. CRSF offers better performance and lower latency but is more complex. SBUS is simpler and widely compatible.
2. What is Multi‑Bind on the TBS Tracer? Multi‑bind allows one transmitter to bind to multiple receivers at the same time.

DATX Calibration Task Checklist

Powered on the DATX.
Observed stick inputs and verified positions.
Performed stick calibration in the HARDWARE menu.
Verified calibrated stick movement on the home screen.
Opened LUA Script → Tracer Micro TX.
Ensured Multi‑Bind was enabled.
Connected RX to the Cube and powered on.
In LUA Script → Tracer Nano RX, verified SBUS output.
Set Channel 1 = SBUS (no other channels modified).

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Avionics Setup

GCS Platform Health

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RCMAP_X Table
Name
Setting
RCMAP_BRAKE
0
RCMAP_FLAP
5
RCMAP_PITCH
2
RCMAP_ROLL
1
RCMAP_THROTTLE
3
RCMAP_YAW
4
There are no rows in this table
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SERVO#_FUNCTION Table
Name
Setting
SERVO1_FUNCTION
FlaperonRight
SERVO2_FUNCTION
FlaperonLeft
SERVO3_FUNCTION
Throttle
SERVO4_FUNCTION
Throttle
SERVO5_FUNCTION
VTailLeft
SERVO6_FUNCTION
VTailRight
SERVO7_FUNCTION
Rudder
There are no rows in this table
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DATX Control Input to Servo Output Table
DATX Control Input
Servo Outputs
Right Stick
FlaperonRight, FlaperonLeft, VTailLeft, VTailRight
Left Stick
Throttle (3 and 4), VTailLeft, VTailRight, Rudder
There are no rows in this table
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DATX Connection Verfification

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Live Servo Data Outputs

Motor and Control Setup

Questions

1. What does the RCMAP_X parameter control? It determines which port on the Cube corresponds to each RC control.
2. What does the SERVO#_FUNCTION control? It assigns which aircraft control surface or function each servo output is responsible for (flaperons, V‑tail, throttle, etc.).
3. List all possible power sources:
Servo: BECs → Battery
Motor: ESC → BEC → Battery
Cube/FCU: Battery + BEC

Task Summary

Connected a servo and ESC to FlaperonRight and Throttle.
Servo did not work initially.
Once ESC was powered, the servo began functioning.
Connected ESC to thrust stand and applied power.
Performed ESC calibration in Manual Mode while the aircraft was armed.
Verified correct calibration with throttle ramp to 100%.
(Insert photos of thrust stand and ESC setup)
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Reflection

This lab helped me get a clearer idea of how all the avionics and controls on the Believer actually work together. Calibrating the DATX showed me how important it is for the controller sticks to match what the flight controller sees, and turning on Multi‑Bind plus setting up SBUS made the transmitter, receiver, and Cube all talk to each other correctly.
Setting the RCMAP and SERVO#_FUNCTION values made it easier to understand how each control input gets sent to the right servo. If these are wrong, the plane wouldn’t respond the way you expect, so getting them set correctly really matters.
I also learned a lot about how power flows through the system—what gets power from the battery, the ESCs, and the BECs. Calibrating the ESC was a big part of the lab because without it, the motor won’t act right or could even be unsafe. Doing the calibration in Manual Mode while the aircraft was armed reminded me to always keep safety in mind.
Overall, this lab tied together the transmitter setup, wiring, control mapping, and motor setup. It helped me see the whole system working as one, which is important before we actually install everything on the real Believer.

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