TAROT X6

User Manual

UAV SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL

Contents
Disclaimers .......................................................................................... 4
About the Tarot X6 ............................................................................. 5
Safety First ........................................................................................... 6
Parts ..................................................................................................... 8
What’s Included ................................................................................. 9
Operational Limits ............................................................................ 10
Transmitter Setup .............................................................................. 10
Model ............................................................................................ 10
Binding ........................................................................................... 12
Assembly ........................................................................................... 13
Charging Your Batteries................................................................... 15
Li-Po Battery Safety ....................................................................... 15
Charging ....................................................................................... 16
Ground Station ................................................................................. 17
Planning a Mission ........................................................................ 17
Controls ............................................................................................. 19
Throttle ........................................................................................... 19
Yaw ................................................................................................ 19
Pitch and Roll ................................................................................ 20
Other Controls............................................................................... 21
Flight Mode Switches ................................................................ 21
Landing Gear Control .............................................................. 21
Flight Modes ..................................................................................... 22
SET A............................................................................................... 22
SET B ............................................................................................... 23
Failsafe .............................................................................................. 24
Transmitter Signal Loss .................................................................. 24

3
 Ground Station Link Loss .............................................................. 24
Low Battery ................................................................................... 24
Power On.......................................................................................... 25
Connect to Mission Planner ............................................................ 25
Arming .............................................................................................. 26
Landing............................................................................................. 27
Changing the Tarot X6 Configuration ........................................... 27
Backing Up the Default Configuration ....................................... 28
Restoring the Default Configuration........................................... 28
Changing the Battery Setup ....................................................... 28
Mandatory Configuration ........................................................ 29
Configuration with Mission Planner. ............................................ 31
Changing the Taranis QX7 Configuration ..................................... 31
Contact information........................................................................ 32

Disclaimers
I. If your order includes customization, the devices and
equipment installed in your Tarot X6, as well as its
programming, may differ from the ones mentioned in this
manual.
II. The safety measures suggested in this manual do not cover
every possible danger scenario, being aware of all the
possible risks of handling and operating unmanned aerial
vehicles and parts related to them is responsibility of the
owner and operator of the Tarot X6.
III. This manual doesn’t contemplate international regulations for
unmanned aerial vehicles, knowing these regulations is
responsibility of the owner and operator of the Tarot X6.
IV. UAV Systems International is not responsible for any damages
occurred to any of its products after delivery.
V. UAV Systems International is not responsible for any
malfunctions derived from any change to the default settings
of the Tarot X6 or any of its components and accessories.

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VI. UAV Systems International is not responsible for any damages
caused by any malfunctions of the Tarot X6.

About the Tarot X6

Thank you for purchasing our Tarot X6 heavy payload
hexacopter!

The Tarot X6 is a powerful multicopter with six rotors, capable of

lifting up to 11 lb (5 kg) and flying for an average of 17 minutes.

The Tarot X6 comes equipped with a Pixhawk family flight

controller, a mRo GNSS and compass device, and the reliable
mRo SiK telemetry radio, for ground station communication;
Controlled by a highly functional FrSky Taranis QX7 transmitter
with a FrSky L9R long range receiver. The Tarot X6 features a
micro USB port for programming and communication, a safety
button that disables the motors and a buzzer for sound alarms.

In addition, the Tarot X6 frame is constructed almost entirely of

carbon fiber, making it lightweight and resistant, and its six arms
fold for easy storage and transportation; the landing gear has a
clearance of 12.6 in (32 cm) above the ground, providing ample
space for many kinds of payloads; in addition the landing gear
folds while flying, using a switch in the controller.

You are now the owner of a beautiful piece of technology;

we’re sure you will enjoy working with it just as much as we
enjoyed making it.

5
Inside this manual you will find very important information about
the Tarot X6, that you should know before your first flight. Please,
take your time to read it before thoroughly before your first flight.

Safety First
UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) sure are
a lot of fun, but please, always keep in
mind that they are not toys; safety
measures must be taken before, during,
and after each flight, in order to avoid
accidents that might harm people,
animals and property nearby; or
damage/destroy your UAV.

Each section of this manual explains the procedures while taking

safety into account; However, here’s a list of the most general
safety measures you must keep in mind at all times.

1) Tighten the screws. UAVs, especially multicopters,

vibrate while flying, which can cause the screws to get
lose over time. Before flying, make sure there are no lose
screws or nuts; if any are found, tighten them using the
correct screwdriver or wrench.
2) Charge your batteries. Taking off without fully charging
your batteries is extremely irresponsible and very likely to
end in a crash. Never fly your UAV unless you’re sure all
your batteries are charged. Always put your safety and
others’ before anything else.
3) Pilot skills. Don’t fly the UAV if you didn’t receive the
proper training, or let anyone else fly it without proper
training. In addition, never drink and fly.
4) Know your drone. Each UAV is different so it is very
important that you read the manual before taking off;
make sure you understand what type of UAV it is, its
operation limits and what behavior you should expect
from it.
5) Take it slow. As exciting as it can be putting your drone’s
capabilities to the test, it can be dangerous for you and
the people nearby. Start slow, get familiar with the
vehicle’s response to the transmitter and the flight
modes before trying your stunts. If you’re unfamiliar with

6
 flying a UAV, you should purchase a smaller trainer
drone first to become familiar.
6) Location. Different UAVs are suited for flying in different
conditions, in addition, depending on the country, the
fly zones might be regulated by the law. Don’t risk
getting yourself hurt or fined. Check our website For a
comprehensive list of local laws around the world.
www.uavsystemsinternational.com/drone-laws-by-country
7) Pay attention. Always keep your drone monitored, this
includes when flying in automatic flight mode; In case
of an emergency you may need to regain manual
control of it.
8) Power off. Follow the safety procedure for power off
according to your drone; never leave an armed drone
unattended; always power off the vehicle first, then the
transmitter.
9) Handle with care. Store your drone in clean, safe
conditions and take care of it while traveling. Avoid
leaving the drone where it could get damaged.
10) Batteries. Be careful handling your Li-Po batteries, read
the charge and discharge instructions and store them in
fiberglass Li-Po bags. Mistreating your batteries can
result in fires and explosions.

7
Parts

8
What’s Included
Your new Tarot X6 package includes the following:

Tarot X6 UAV Tarot X6 spare parts

FrSky Taranis QX7 Transmitter Transmitter configuration SD

card

Li-Po Batteries Li-Po charger

mRo Ground station radio Tarot 18”carbon fiber

propellers with holding discs

If any of the parts above are missing, please contact UAV

Systems International before attempting to fly your drone.

9
Operational Limits
Always fly your Tarot X6 within its operational limits. Take into
consideration that weather conditions and fast flying can
significantly reduce the flight time.

Max range (distance from transmitter) * 2 mi (3.2 km)

Max flight speed 15 m/s
Max ascent speed 6 m/s
Max flight time 17 min
*Consider speed and flight time. Make sure the Tarot X6 has
enough battery remaining to return to home.

Transmitter Setup
The Tarot X6 uses a FrSky L9R long range receiver and a FrSky
Taranis QX7 Transmitter for radio control. This combination is very
effective for long range flights.

The Taranis QX7 Transmitter runs on extremely customizable open

source software and can store up to 60 different models, so if
you want to try a different transmitter configuration (please
review Disclaimer V), you can just create a copy of the factory
settings (this is explained in Backing up the default configuration,
page 28) and modify it. If you lose the factory settings, please
contact UAV Systems International for the files.

Model
A model in the Taranis QX7 is the set of options and parameters
set up to control a specific vehicle.

The Tarot X6 model is saved in the transmitter configuration SD

card and it has to be loaded to the Taranis QX7 before anything
else. In order to get this done you must follow the steps below:

1) Power off the Taranis QX7.

2) Insert the transmitter configuration SD card in the Taranis
QX7 SD card slot.
3) Power on the Taranis QX7.
4) If a warning regarding the SD card version appears just
press the selection knob, at the right of the screen.

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5) Press the menu button (left of the screen, button at the
center with three horizontal lines) once in order to get to
the MODE SELECTION screen.
6) Use the selection knob to highlight any empty slot (we
recommend the one with the lowest number).
7) Press the selection knob.
8) Highlight “Restore model” and press the knob.

9) Use the knob to select and restore the Tarot X6 model.

10) Now you will see the Tarot X6 model on the MODEL
SELECTION screen.

11) Select the Tarot X6 model and press the knob. A menu
should pop up.
12) Highlight “Select model” and press the knob.

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 13) Press and hold the power button to power off the
transmitter.

The model is now stored in the transmitter’s internal memory.

Binding
Once you have restored the Tarot X6 model, the next step is to
establish a link between that model and the receiver installed in
your vehicle.

In order to Bind the Taranis QX7 transmitter with the L9R receiver
you have to do the following:

You might need help from another person to make this easier.

1) Power off your Tarot X6.

2) Use a small hex key, a paperclip or anything that fits to
press and hold the bind button on the L9R receiver
(marked as F/S).

3) Power on the Tarot X6 while holding the bind button

(you can plug a battery or connect it to a computer
with the USB cable).
4) Release the button; if the led indicator in the L9R
receiver shows solid red and green, then the receiver is
in bind mode, if it doesn’t, repeat from step 1.
5) Power on your Taranis QX7 transmitter.
6) Press the menu button in your transmitter in order to go
to the MODE SELECTION screen.

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 7) Press the PAGE button once, now you should be on the
SETUP screen.
8) Use the selection knob to go down until you get to the
Internal RF section.
9) Check that the options in that section are configured as
follows:
Mode LR12
Ch. Range CH1-12
RxNum (any number will do)

10) Use the knob to highlight [Bnd] in the RxNum options,

and press the knob. The transmitter will start beeping
and the led on the L9R receiver will blink.
11) Press the knob again, the beeping should stop.
12) Power off the Tarot X6, then power off the transmitter.
13) Power on the transmitter, then power on the Tarot X6.
14) The led in the receiver should now be solid green,
meaning the transmitter and receiver were successfully
bound.

Assembly
Power off your Tarot X6 before performing the following steps.

The Tarot X6 comes fully assembled except for the carbon fiber
propellers. Follow the steps below to assemble the propellers:

1) Unfold the arms. Unfold the arms and secure them with
the red holders. Use the flowing figure for reference.

13
 The red holder is perpendicular to the arm when locked.

2) Identify the propellers. You should have three CW

(clockwise) propellers and three CCW (counter
clockwise) propellers. If they’re not tagged use the
picture below for reference.

CLOCKWISE(CW) COUNTER CLOCKWISE (CCW)

3) Notice the spin direction. Each arm is tagged with the
motor spin direction (CW or CCW). You can use the
figure below for reference.

4) Place and hold.

a) Put the propellers on top of the motors according
with the motor spin direction, place them so the motor
14
 shaft passes through the propeller’s center hole, and
the holes on the sides are aligned with the holes on the
motor.
b) Place the holding disc on top of the propeller,
aligning its holes with the propeller holes.
c) Use the 3mm Hex screws to hold the propellers. Make
sure the screws are tightened but be careful not to
apply too much force or you could strip the threads of
the motor holes.

Charging Your Batteries

Before using your batteries, it’s very important that you
understand the basics of Li-Po battery safety.

Li-Po Battery Safety

Many things have been said about Li-Po batteries being
dangerous and explosion-prone. The truth surrounding this
popular belief is that a Li-Po battery is safe to use under the right
conditions, if it has been handled, stored, used, and charged
properly. On the other hand, a Li-Po battery that hasn’t been
handled properly (it has been hit, punctured or taken any kind of
damage; it was discharged below its safe voltage or at higher
currents than its C rate specifies; it’s puffed or leaking) is very
dangerous and should be disposed of.

Li-Po batteries are safe to be disposed of at your local battery

disposal service. Learning where you can dispose of your
batteries before you have to do it is the responsible thing to do.

The basic precautions you must take in consideration when using

Li-Po batteries are the following:

1) Store and charge your batteries in a dry environment

and inside a Li-Po safe bag or other fire proof container.
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 2) Never leave a battery unattended while charging.
3) Read your Li-Po charger user manual and make sure
you’re using it properly.
4) Charge the battery at the specified current, usually the
battery’s capacity without three zeros (1C), use the
following table for reference. Never charge above
these values.

Battery capacity Recommended charging current (1C)

1250 mAh 1.25 A
5000 mAh 5 A
10 000 mAh 10 A
5) In a double battery UAV setup, ensure that both
batteries have the same level of charge.
6) Never discharge a battery under its safe voltage (19.8
Volts is the absolute minimum for the Tarot X6 batteries).
7) Never hit, puncture, smash, expose to heat or fire, or do
anything to the battery that might damage it.
8) If the battery looks damaged, it’s puffed or leaking, do
not attempt to use it and dispose of it immediately.

Charging
1) Place your battery inside a Li-Po safe bag.
2) Identify the polarity of your battery’s power cable (the
one with the yellow plug), and your charger; red for the
positive terminal and black for the negative terminal.
3) Plug the power cable to the charger’s power adapter,
check the wire colors for polarity (red to positive, black
to negative).
4) Plug the balance cable (the one with seven leads) to
the balance slot marked as 6s in your charger.
5) Power on your charger.
6) Set the charger for Li-Po charge, set the voltage to 6s
(22.2V) and the current as mentioned in step 4 of the Li-
Po battery safety section (page 15).
7) Press and hold the start button, then press the start
button again. The charge should begin now, if it
doesn’t, check your charger’s user manual.
8) Remember to never leave your battery unattended
while charging.

16
Ground Station
A ground control station is simply a computer or other smart
device running a compatible ground station software. The
ground station communicates with the Tarot X6 using the
telemetry radios, and shows the drone’s current position, speed
and heading, among other data.

There’s a number of Ground control

station programs you can use. The
instructions in this manual are for the
windows compatible Mission Planner
software, which can be downloaded
for free from the official site:

https://tinyurl.com/MissionPlannerDownload

If you are interested in other options, check the following link:

https://tinyurl.com/GroundStations

Planning a Mission
Missions are sets of actions programmed to be executed in a
predetermined order. As its name indicates, the Mission Planner
ground control station software also allows the user to create
missions and upload them to the Tarot X6.

You can plan and upload a mission to your Tarot X6 by doing the
following:

1) Go to the FLIGHT PLAN tab by clicking on the FLIGHT

PLAN icon (second from left to right on the top left
corner of the main screen).
2) Click on the map to add waypoints, you will see them
appear on a list under the map.
3) Use the arrows at the bottom of the screen to change
waypoint types and altitude.
4) Optionally you can click the Save WP File button at the
right of the map to save the mission to your computer
for future use or edition.

17
 5) Connect the Tarot X6 by plugging the USB cable to the
micro USB port in the Tarot X6 and to any of the
available USB ports in the computer.
6) Perform the steps 1 to 5 in the Connect to Mission
Planner section (page 25). Make sure the batteries are
not connected to the Tarot X6.
7) Click on the Write WPs button at the right of the map in
order to upload the mission. Now the Tarot X6 has a
mission programmed to be executed anytime you fly in
Auto mode.

Keep in mind the Tarot X6 operating limits and flight time. Don’t
try to perform a mission that would require a longer flight time or
distance range than your vehicle is capable of; remember that
unfavorable weather conditions will reduce the flight time;
monitor your vehicle at all times since it’s not capable of
avoiding unplanned obstacles and be ready to regain manual
control in case of emergency.

The Tarot X6 can store one mission at a time, uploading a new

mission will delete any mission previously saved.

You can use the Read WPs button in Mission Planner to

download a mission from your Tarot X6.

18
Controls
There are four parameters you can control with the transmitter
sticks: Throttle, yaw, pitch and roll.

Throttle
The throttle input (left stick, vertical movement) controls the
speed of the motors, thus the altitude of the Tarot X6, its behavior
is fairly similar in AltHold, PosHold and Loiter modes and works as
follows:

Gain Altitude Maintain current Descend

altitude
Only in Stabilize mode:

Maximum motor spin speed Minimum motor spin speed

Yaw
The yaw input (left stick, horizontal movement) controls the
orientation of the Tarot X6 by rotating it around its vertical axis
(yaw axis).

Rotate Maintain current Rotate clockwise

counterclockwise orientation
19
 Left yaw Right yaw

Pitch and Roll

The pitch and roll input (right stick, vertical and horizontal
movements respectively) control the horizontal position of the
Tarot X6.

Tilt nose down, Level, maintain Tilt nose up, move

move forward position backwards

Tilt left, move left Level, maintain Tilt right, move

position right

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Other Controls
Flight Mode Switches
The flight mode switches usage and available flight modes are
explained in the Flight modes section (next section) of this
manual.

Landing Gear Control

The retractable landing gear is controlled by one of the two
three-position switch located on the upper right corner of the
transmitter’s front face.

Retracted Remain Land

As a safety feature, the center position of the switch will not

affect the state of the landing gear, also if the Tarot X6 is
powered while the switch is in the “retracted” position, the
landing gear will not retract until the switch has gone all the way
to its “land” position and back to “retracted”.

Never retract the landing gear before take-off.

The Figure below shows the location of the flight mode and
landing gear control switches.

21
Flight Modes
The Tarot X6 comes programmed with six flight modes in two sets
(A and B). A has the modes Stabilize (manual), Loiter (Hold
position, altitude and heading) and Auto (Fly a mission); the set B
has the modes AltHold (manual with altitude hold), PosHold
(Hold position, altitude and heading) and RTL (Return to launch
zone).

Use the two position switch on the top left side of the transmitter
to select a set and the three position switch on the front left of
the transmitter to select a flight mode.

A B

1
Stabilize (armable) AltHold (armable)

2 Loiter (armable) PosHold(armable)

3 Auto RTL

SET A
Stabilize (Manual): Stabilize mode provides the greatest level of
manual control over the Tarot X6, but it needs constant
adjustment of the controls. In Stabilize mode, the Tarot X6 will
behave as follows:

The throttle input controls the overall speed of the motors,

needing constant adjustment in order to maintain altitude; The
roll and pitch inputs control the lean angle of the Tarot X6, when
the right stick is centered, the Tarot X6 will level; The yaw input
controls the heading of the Tarot X6, when the stick is centered,
the vehicle will maintain its current heading.

22
Loiter (Hold): In Loiter mode the Tarot X6 will maintain its position,
altitude and heading when the sticks are centered. In this mode,
the Tarot X6 will behave as follows:

The throttle input controls the climb and descent speed of the
Tarot X6, when the throttle stick is centered, the Tarot X6 will
maintain its current altitude; The roll and pitch inputs control the
horizontal position of the Tarot X6, with low speed displacements.
and the Yaw input controls its heading.

Auto: In Auto mode, the Tarot X6 will perform a previously

programmed mission. The Planning a mission section of this
manual (page 17) provides information on how to program and
upload a mission to the flight controller.

During an automatic mission, the Tarot X6 will follow the path

marked in Mission Planner and will not avoid obstacles by itself.
Monitor your vehicle at all times and be ready to regain manual
control if necessary.

You can’t arm in Auto mode. You have to arm in any of the
armable modes listed at the beginning of this section, take off
and then switch to Auto mode.

It’s strongly recommended to run a test flight before performing

an automatic mission, in order to make sure the Tarot X6 is
responding properly.

SET B
The set B uses the AltHold mode as the default armable mode,
making it easier for beginners, although it’s not necessarily a
beginner’s mode; the PosHold mode for position hold; and the
RTL option, which makes the drone come back to the spot
where it was armed.

AltHold (Manual): The AltHold is a manual flight mode that uses

the built-in barometer to ensure the Tarot X6 maintains its altitude
when the throttle stick is centered. In this mode it will not hold its
position. In AltHold mode, the Tarot X6 will behave as follows:

The throttle input controls the climb and descent speed of the
Tarot X6, when the throttle stick is centered, the Tarot X6 will
maintain its current altitude; The roll and pitch inputs control the
lean angle of the Tarot X6, when the right stick is centered, the
Tarot X6 will level, but will not maintain its position; The yaw input

23
controls the heading of the Tarot X6, when the stick is centered,
the vehicle will maintain its current heading.

PosHold: In PosHold mode the Tarot X6 will maintain its position,

altitude and heading when the sticks are centered. In this mode,
the Tarot X6 will behave as follows:

The throttle input controls the climb and descent speed of the
Tarot X6, when the throttle stick is centered, the Tarot X6 will
maintain its current altitude; the roll and pitch inputs control the
horizontal position of the Tarot X6, as well as the speed of the
horizontal displacements; and the yaw input controls its heading
and yaw axis rotation speed.

RTL (Return to launch): When this mode is activated the Tarot X6

will climb to a given altitude (15 m) and return to the point where
it was armed. Then slowly descend, land and disarm the motors.

Be ready to regain manual control and land manually if the

Tarot X6 is descending too fast or far from the launch point.

Failsafe
The Tarot X6 has a number of software safety features we refer to
as the Failsafe configuration. This configuration allows the Tarot
X6 to perform actions in the event of a transmitter or ground
control communication loss, or a low battery situation.

Transmitter Signal Loss

If the Tarot X6 loses connection with the radio transmitter, it will try
to automatically return to its launch site.

Ground Station Link Loss

If the Tarot X6 loses communication with the ground station, the
vehicle will try to return to its launch site, unless it is in auto mode
and has a stable transmitter connection.

Low Battery
If the voltage of the batteries drops to 21 volts, or the battery
monitor reaches a 20% of remaining battery capacity, the
vehicle will try to perform a return to launch. You will recognize
this failsafe condition for the fast-repeating beeping alarm tones
the Tarot X6 produces under these circumstances.

24
Be ready to land the vehicle if any of the above scenarios occur.

Power On
Once you’re sure the propellers have been installed correctly
and all the screws and nuts are secured, you’re ready to power
on your Tarot X6.

1) This drone is made to fly outdoors, in open spaces. Stay

away from people and property.
2) Secure the fully charged batteries on the tray using the
Velcro stripes and belts included in your package.

Do not use batteries if they’re not fully charged.

Do not connect the batteries yet.
3) Place the X6 on a stable, leveled surface and keep it still
during the powering on process.
4) Power on your transmitter, make sure the throttle stick
(left) is down and the right stick is centered.
5) Connect all batteries to the power harness, the LED
lights on the Flight controller will blink and the buzzer will
play the “Startup OK” tones
https://tinyurl.com/StartupOk
6) Keep the Tarot X6 still and leveled for the next 10
seconds, while the flight controller starts its sensors.
7) Press the safety button until it displays solid red.

Now the flight controller is able to make the motors

spin. Step away!
8) Wait until the Tarot X6 acquires full GPS lock. This process
can take from thirty seconds to a couple of minutes,
depending on the number of visible satellites and the
atmospheric conditions. Once the Tarot X6 has learned
its position, it will play the “Ready to arm” tones.

Connect to Mission Planner

This is optional but highly recommended. If you want to fly using
a Ground Station do the following:

1) Press and hold the safety button on the Tarot X6 until it

blinks. This is not necessary for the connection but it’s a
safety measure.

25
 2) Open Mission Planner.
3) Connect the mRo telemetry radio to the computer
using the USB cable or plug it directly to the Tarot X6
micro USB port (don’t do this if you’re going to fly). Wait
until the driver is installed.
4) Go to the connection options on the top right corner of
the Mission Planner main screen. Select the right serial
port (usually COM 27) and a baud rate of 57600.
If you’re connected with USB cable plugged directly
into the vehicle, the port usually is COM 3 and you have
to select a baud rate of 115200.
Never attempt to fly if your drone is connected directly
to the ground station with the USB cable.

5) Click on connect and wait until the software finishes

receiving all the parameters.

Now you can see the data that the Tarot X6 is sending
to the Ground Station including current position,
orientation, altitude, speed, battery status and a
number of messages regarding the Tarot X6 current
situation.
6) Press and hold the safety button until it displays solid red.
Once again you’re ready to arm.

Arming
Note: The Tarot X6 won’t arm unless all the steps in the Power On
section (page 24) have been performed. Don’t arm if you
haven’t read this manual in its entirety.

For safety reasons, when the Tarot X6 is powered the motors are
disabled and need to be armed so it can take off. In order to
arm the motors, select an armable mode on your transmitter
(Stabilize, AltHold, PosHold, Loiter) and hold the left stick
down/right for a few seconds, you will hear a long beep and the
propellers will start spinning.
26
Now the Tarot X6 is armed and you can raise the throttle stick to
gain altitude. Once the Tarot X6 is above the ground it is safe to
retract the landing gear using the dedicated switch in the
transmitter.

Always remember:

Keep safety in the highest regard at all times.

Landing
Before landing, make sure the Tarot X6 Landing gear is in Land
position, as described in Landing gear control (page 21).

You can use the RTL mode to make the Tarot X6 return to its
launch site and land, or do it manually, following these steps:

1) Use your transmitter to slowly descend until the Tarot is

on the ground.
2) Hold the left stick down/left until you hear a beep and
the motors stop spinning. Now the Tarot X6 is disarmed.
3) Press and hold the safety button until it blinks.
4) Disconnect the batteries and place them in their
respective Li-Po bags.
5) Power off your transmitter.

When using RTL, be ready to regain manual control and land

manually if the Tarot X6 is descending too fast or far from the
launch point.

Changing the Tarot X6 Configuration

One of the most attractive features of the Tarot X6 is that it can
be reconfigured using the Mission Planner software; among the
parameters you might want to change are the flight modes,
failsafe configuration, battery monitor settings, transmitter
calibration if you decide to use a different transmitter, and sensor
calibration if you change or add new sensors.

Read and understand Disclaimer V (page 4) before continuing

27
Backing Up the Default Configuration
We strongly recommend you create a backup copy of the Tarot
X6 default configuration before making any changes. You can
accomplish this by following the steps below:

1) Connect the Tarot X6 to the computer with the USB

cable and follow steps 1 to 5 in the Connect to Mission
Planner section (page 25).
2) Go to the CONFIG/TUNNING tab by clicking on the
CONFIG/TUNNING icon (fourth from left to right on the
upper left corner of the main screen).
3) Click on Full Parameter List.
4) Click on the Save to File button and give your new file a
name such as “Tarot X6 factory parameters”.

In the event you lose the default configuration, please contact

UAV Systems International for a copy of the files,

Restoring the Default Configuration

In order to restore your previously saved backup copy of the
Tarot X6 default configuration, follow the steps below:

1) Connect the Tarot X6 to the computer with the USB

cable and follow steps 1 to 5 in the Connect to Mission
Planner section (page 25).
2) Go to the CONFIG/TUNNING tab by clicking on the
CONFIG/TUNNING icon (fourth from left to right on the
upper left corner of the main screen).
3) Click on Full Parameter List.
4) Click on the Load from file button.
5) Browse and select your default parameter list file.
6) Click on the Write Params button.
7) Restart the Tarot X6.

Note: If you changed the transmitter configuration, the Tarot X6

will not work with its default configuration. Check your transmitter
inputs before flying. If you changed or added new sensors or
devices, it’s possible that they won’t work with the default
configuration and some calibration will be required.

Changing the Battery Setup

You can try different battery setups in order to improve the Tarot
X6 performance while carrying different payloads. Before

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acquiring new batteries for your Tarot X6, make sure you
understand the following.

• Know your electric concepts. Basic electricity notions

(voltage, current, resistance, circuit, etc.) are required in
order to make an effective Li-Po batteries setup.
Read the following sentence: Li-Po batteries are
connected in parallel in order to increase the total
capacity (mAh), if connected in series, the battery
capacity will remain the same while the voltage will
increase. If the last sentence is not totally clear to you,
don’t try to change the battery setup.
• 6S batteries only, same model, connected in parallel.
The Tarot X6 has a Mauch BEC optimized for 6S batteries
which provides power to the flight controller; it also has
a battery voltage failsafe configuration for a 6S setup.
The Tarot X6 will fail if any other type of battery is
plugged or if the 6S batteries are connected in series
instead of parallel.
• C rating. Choose the C rating of your batteries so the
whole setup can provide 200 A. Ask an expert if you
don’t fully understand what the C rating means.
• Cables and plugs. Use the correct cables and plugs for
your new power harness, if you don’t know how to
select the cable and plug ampacity, ask an expert.
Don’t try to fabricate your own power harness if you
don’t have experience in electronics and multicopter
builds.
• Higher capacity doesn’t mean longer flight time. To put
it simple, adding extra batteries to increase capacity will
also add extra weight and decrease overall efficiency.
Don’t rush into buying the bigger, heavier, batteries.

Mandatory Configuration
Note: failing to perform this configuration will likely end up in a
crash, make sure you follow all the steps.

1) Total capacity (mAh). Add the capacity off all the

batteries you are going to connect at once (remember
they must be connected in parallel), for example, if
you’re using two 12 000 mAh batteries, the total
capacity will be 24 000 mAh.

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 2) Connect to Mission Planner. Connect your Tarot X6 to
the computer with the USB cable, following the steps in
the Connect to Mission Planner section (page 25).
3) Replace capacity value. Go to the Initial Setup screen
and under Optional Hardware, find Battery Monitor.
Change the Battery capacity value in the box with the
one calculated in step 1.

4) Safe battery low limit. Your batteries must never

discharge below a safe limit, usually between 20% and
25% of the total capacity. Multiply the total capacity
times the percentage and divide by 100.
For example, with a 24 000 mAh of total capacity and a
22% of reserved capacity.
22
24000 mAh × = 𝟓𝟐𝟖𝟎 𝐦𝐀𝐡
100
5) Replace the Reserved mAh value. Go to the Initial Setup
screen and under Mandatory Hardware, find Failsafe.
Change the Reserved mAh value in the box with the
one calculated in step 4 and press enter.

6) Disconnect. Go back to the Flight Data Screen, click on

DISCONNECT, unplug and plug back in the USB cable.
7) Verify. Connect the Tarot X6 to Mission Planner and
verify that the values were successfully changed. If they
were not, repeat the steps.
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Note: double check your calculations, if the numbers are not
correct, it might end up in a crash.

Configuration with Mission Planner.

You can setup your Tarot X6 using Mission Planner. This can be a
fairly straightforward process, but must be done carefully, and
running tests in order to avoid crashes.

The ardupilot website provides all the information needed to set

up your drone, the following links are a good starting point to
understand how this configuration is done:

tinyurl.com/copterconfig

tinyurl.com/advancedcopterconfig

Changing the Taranis QX7

Configuration
The flexible Taranis QX7 transmitter allows you to customize many
settings, not only those which affect the behavior and
performance of your vehicle, but also those oriented to make
your flight experience safer, easier and more enjoyable, such as
sound alarms, failsafe settings, on screen messages, etc.

In order to modify your transmitter settings, you will need the

OpenTX Companion software, which can be downloaded for
free from the official OpenTX website.

www.open-tx.org/downloads

The OpenTX Companion manual will guide you through the

configuration process, in addition, the Open TX project is open
source, which means that the community posts additional
documentation, experiences and video tutorials available
online.

tinyurl.com/companion-manual

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Contact information
For support, contact us at our website:

www.uavsystemsinternational.com/contact

or send us an e-mail:

support@uavsystemsinternational.com.

Or give us a call:

Phone: +1 (855) UAV 4002

+1 (855) 828 4002

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