Continuing forward from the Purdue Matrice 210 Certification process our AT219 class moved forward and began learning all about the DJI Matrice 600 Pro (M600). From February 22nd to March 26th of 2021 our class was focused on working towards understanding the M600. Our class spent lab time learning about the physical components, how to perform general maintenance, setting up the aircraft, and how the platform works with the DJI Pilot software. Familiarity with all aspects of any UAV platforms is important, however it is especially needed with a large platform like the M600. Often many people see "drones" as toys. The M600 is by no means a toy. With its six long exposed carbon fiber props, the M600 is a tool for data collection. After going through the learning process here at Purdue, I am now comfortable and confident in my skills to use the M600 for data collection.
Below I will show a scanned version of the test that was taken to showcase our knowledge on the M600, and discuss the importance of knowing each part of it.
Section 1
The first section of the test covered the general specifications of the aircraft, controller, and battery. Knowing the general specification helps a UAV pilot understand what missions the aircraft is suited for. Factors including size, payload capacity, speed, wind resistance, operating temperature, transmission distance, and more play a major role in selecting a UAV for a mission. Knowing what each specification is also comes in handy when in the field when many environmental factors can come into play.
Section 2
The second section of the test was over the layout of the controller. The way I learned about the controller was by sitting down in the lab area with the controller in hand and having the user manual next to me as I physically found each part of the controller. Knowing the layout of the controller is very important. When manually flying a UAV you don't generally have time to look down at the controller and figure out what button you need to press. So being fully comfortable with the controller before ever going out on a mission is very important.
Section 3 and Section 4
The next two sections covered indicator LEDs on both the controller and the aircraft. This is the aircrafts most direct way to communicate with the pilot. Understanding this communication is key for properly and safely conduct any operation. Knowing what the aircraft is trying to convey without having to spend precious time looking it up makes you a much more confident pilot.
Section 5, Section 6, and Section 7
Sections 5 and 6 covered the A3 and the A3 Pro flight controllers. Section 7 covers the Lightbridge 2 Air Systems. This section gets into the hardware of the M600. Understanding the components of the aircraft can help when it comes to assessing potential issues that arise. It also provides insight into how the aircraft functions on a technical level.
Section 8 through Section 12
These sections are all related to the M600s batteries. Section 8 covers the automatic functions that the batteries have built in. Section 9 shows the diagrams for how to tell how much battery life a battery has left. Section 10 shows expected level of battery health. Section 11 shows the diagrams for how the battery LED display communicates with the pilot about what issue the battery has. Section 12 (in the below image) shows the LED indicators for how far along the battery is into the charging process. Understanding all these things is important because without batteries, the aircraft doesn't fly. Understanding h0w the batteries work, and how they communicate is key to consistent safe operations.
As you may see on Section 8 I missed a majority of the points. The reason behind this is because the instructor graded them with the idea that they should be in order. Not being aware that this is how that section would be graded meant that I put all of the correct information down, just sadly not in the right order.
Section 13
This section covers the Return to Home safety setup of the aircraft. Understanding what preprogrammed safety features exists in the aircraft's system is important as the pilot should not ever feel like they are no longer in control of the aircraft and no longer understand what the aircraft is doing.
Section 14
The final section of the test covers the redundancy system of the A3 Pro flight controller. Like discussed earlier knowing about the flight controller can help with diagnosing issues with the aircraft. And understanding what each color of the LED represents allows you to quickly understand what the aircraft is trying to communicate?
