Page 78 - Build Your Own Quadcopter_ Power Up Your Designs with the Parallax Elev-8

Chapter 3: Building the Ele v-8 57

1. Connect an ESC to the ESC programming card’s BEC port. Be sure to line up the
black wire with (-), the red wire with (+), and the white wire with (Signal).
Warning: Do not connect to the Programming Card’s BEC port and Batt port at the same
time; this would damage the card.
2. Connect your charged LiPo battery to the power harness.
note: I changed the sequence from the original order shown in the Parallax instruction
sheets. The programming card is not recognized if you connect the LiPo battery first and then
connect the card to the ESC. This is probably due to the default ESC initialization sequence.
3. Set the ESC card to the configuration shown in Figure 3.32 and Table 3.2, and then
push OK to program the ESC. Repeat with each ESC, using the same settings. Be
sure to cycle power between each programming cycle.

Connect the Motors and Synchronize the ESCs

After programming the ESCs, it is time to connect each one to its motor and test it to make
sure it is turning in the proper direction. For this step, your receiver will temporarily connect
directly to (and receive power through) each ESC.

Warning: Do not connect a battery or other power source and an ESC to your receiver at the same
time. If you do, you will permanently and catastrophically damage both the ESC and receiver.

StoP: You should not have propeller blades on your motors yet! If you do, remove them now!

1. If you have not done so already, bind your transmitter to your receiver as per your
R/C controller’s instruction manual.

Figure 3.32 ESC programming.