0.3: Flying with Remote Control

You are about to take your first flight with CoDrone Mini! Before you do, there are a few important notes to ensure a safe flight!

• Make sure you have enough space to fly comfortably.
• Beware of ceiling fans and breakable items. You wouldn’t want to knock anything over!
• Keep pets out of the room so CoDrone Mini does not become a chew toy.
• Fly indoors only.
• Be careful with the wires connecting the battery and the charger. Disconnect them by pulling on the plastic piece, not from the wire.
• Do not attempt to pull off the propellers yourself without a special propeller remover. Pulling the motor off with your fingers can result in the motor wires ripping out.

Now that you’ve read the procedures, read on to get started!

In addition to programming your CoDrone Mini with Blockly or Python, you can fly it with the included remote control. You can use the remote with either 2 AAA batteries (not included) or the provided USB cord.

If you are powering the remote through the USB, the remote will turn on once you connect it to power. If you are using batteries, press and hold the power button in the middle of the controller for more than 3 seconds to power CoDrone Mini on and off.

After powering your remote, connect the battery to the drone. The drone and remote should already be paired together out of the box. If the LED on the remote and the LED on the drone are both solid and not blinking, you are good to go!

If your LEDs are still blinking even after powering your drone and remote, follow these steps:

1. Unplug the battery in your CoDrone Mini and plug it back in.
2. Within 20 seconds of plugging the battery in, shake your CoDrone Mini until you see flashing red and blue lights.
3. Press and hold the pair button on your remote until you hear a jingle. Your CoDrone Mini’s light should be solid and your drone and remote should be paired!

Remember, this pairing process is only for flying your drone with the remote. For pairing to Blockly to do some coding, look ahead to the next few lessons!

SPEED: Press this button briefly to increase CoDrone Mini’s speed. After the button is pressed 3 times, the speed will decrease to the lowest setting. 

START/STOP: To have CoDrone Mini take off or land, press and hold the button for more than 3 seconds.

LED: Press the LED button briefly to change CoDrone Mini’s LED color.

FLIP: To rotate CoDrone Mini 360°, hold the button during flight while moving a joystick.

To reset CoDrone Mini’s sensor, press and hold the reset button while the drone is still connected.

To pair CoDrone Mini to its controller, press and hold the pair button for more than 3 seconds when CoDrone Mini is not in flight.

Throttle: CoDrone Mini flies up when the left joystick is pushed up and flies down when the left joystick is pushed down.

If the left joystick is pushed down during flight and CoDrone Mini lands on the ground, the motor will stop.

Rotation: Push the left joystick to the left to turn CoDrone Mini to the left. Push the left joystick to the right to turn CoDrone Mini to the right.

Forward-backward movement: Push the right joystick up to fly CoDrone Mini forward. 

Push the right joystick down to fly CoDrone Mini backward.

Left-right movement: Push the right joystick to the left to move CoDrone Mini to the left. 

Push the right joystick to the right to move CoDrone Mini to the right.

F button: If CoDrone Mini drifts backward without any flight commands, press the F button to adjust the trim.

Headless on: To activate headless mode, press and hold the F button when CoDrone Mini is not in flight.

B button: If CoDrone Mini drifts forward without any flight commands, press the B button on the controller to adjust the trim.

Headless off: To turn headless mode off, press and hold the B button when CoDrone Mini is not in flight.

L button: If CoDrone Mini drifts to the right without any flight commands, press the L button on the controller to adjust the trim.

M1: To change to Mode 1, press and hold the L button for more than 3 seconds while landing.

R button: If CoDrone Mini drifts to the left without any flight commands, press the R button on the controller to adjust the trim.

M2: To change to Mode 2, press and hold the R button for more than 3 seconds while landing.

CoDrone Mini’s default is set to Mode 2. Before you change to a different mode and fly your drone, be sure you are familiar with the controls in that mode. Check the quick start manual included with your CoDrone Mini for more information.