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Troubleshooting

Introduction

If you are experiencing difficulties with your Vertex One, or just have a questions about some of the features and capabilities and you haven't found resolution in this online user documentation, this troubleshooting section shall help you answer your questions and resolve your difficulties.

Troubleshooting Failed?

In case the suggested solutions do not solve your problem, please do not hesitate to contact Avular for help.

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Troubleshooting

Connecting to the Vertex One

I am not able to connect via ethernet or any other way to the compute module. How can I restore the original connection?

There is always a backup way to connect via USB-C to the onboard computing module. However this is an internal connection and it requires disassembly on the top cover. Please ask help from Avular in doing this.

Starting up the Vertex One

Why does the Vertex not start and the LEDs stay blue?

Have you just updated the Vertex firmware version? Then you must upload the flight controller again using Cerebra Lab.

Did you just change a non-volatile parameter of the flight controller? Verify that you have disabled the 'mass storage mode' before starting the Vertex again. There might also be a syntax error in the .JSON file. Fix the .JSON file syntax, disable mass storage mode and try again. Also check that your parameter is within the specified bounds.

The Vertex indicated the start-up beep sound but nothing seems to happen?

Pull the PowerPack from the Vertex and wait for 30 seconds before reinserting the PowerPack. Then use the Vertex as you would normally do.

The Vertex indicated a blue rotating animation on its LED and nothing else is happening?

Turn off the Vertex as you would normally do by pressing the power button for 3 seconds. Wait until the drone is fully turned off and restart the drone.

Flying the Vertex One

The Vertex is stuck in the fading purple calibration state. How do I solve this?

The calibration state should not take more than 2 seconds. Try the following solutions:

  • Move the drone to a location where magnetic field disturbance is less likely.
  • Make sure the Vertex is on a solid, not moving surface.

Please check the calibration status if this does not solve the issue.

Vertex is not passing the pre-flight checks (LEDs are not green)

After initialization, the flight controller does a few checks to see if it is ready to fly. In case one of these checks fail, the LEDs do not turn green.

  • Ensure the Vertex One is standing still. When using the Jeti remote controller:
  • Make sure the switches from the RC are in their idle state
  • Make sure the mode of operation requested is equal to the actual mode of operation. It can happen that the RC switch for mode of operation is in manual/automatic position mode, but position mode is not available due to GNSS quality.

Please check the pre-flight check status if this does not solve the issue.

The Vertex LEDs stay white and I can not fly.

The remote controller is not connected to the Vertex. When using the Jeti remote controller, verify that the switches are in their initial required position. Please verify that the RC is charged and powered on.

The LEDs are fading red and I can not arm the Vertex.

The safety supervisor does not allow the pilot to arm the Vertex due to an issue. Please try one of the following solutions:

  • Movement detected, make sure the Vertex is static on a solid, not moving surface.
  • Make sure the Vertex is placed on a levelled surface with no more than a 10 degree slope.
  • Verify that the RC is connected.

If this does not solve the issue, there could be a specific sensor issue. Check the following pages for possible sensor issues:

The Vertex just landed itself and now the LEDs are blinking red.

The Vertex has just performed an emergency landing and does not allow the user to take-off again. The most common reason is because of the state of charge level. Verify that the PowerPack is charged first. A reboot is always required after an emergency landing. Make sure to always first identify the cause of the emergency landing before attempting another flight!

Please check the emergency land page for more possible causes.

I have set up the RTK base station, but how do I know if the Vertex is using the RTK correction signal?

The Vertex should always receive the RTK correction messages over the radio link when the base station is setup correctly, has a fix itself and is within range. Check the 'carrier_solution' signal using the Cerebra Lab Workspace. If this signal shows 1 or 2 there is an RTK fix on the Vertex (with 2 being the best solution). If the signal shows 0, there is no RTK solution received on the Vertex OR the Vertex itself does not have a proper GPS fix yet. If this does not change after a few minutes, check the RTK base station if there is a fix available.

I am sending references from the Jetson but the Vertex is holding its position. Why it is not following the reference?

First verify that the Vertex is in the automatic position mode (white indicators on the back). Check that the reference you are sending is appropriate for the active control mode and that it is a feasible reference within the set limits. Please check the reference status and/or the external reference status to find the exact cause.

Using the PowerPack

The PowerPack LED is red and I don’t understand what’s wrong.

A protection has been triggered. To read out the exact error, insert the PowerPack in the Vertex One Charger and read the error on the Charger’s status indicator. Please consult the Charger’s manual for more details.

I accidentally disconnected the PowerPack from the Charger before the charging was finished and now there’s a red LED light indicated on the PowerPack.

A protection has been triggered. To read out the exact error, insert the PowerPack in the Vertex One Charger and read the error on the Charger’s status indicator. Please consult the Charger’s manual for more details.

It seems the PowerPack can’t be charged to its full capacity.

Please consult your Avular support contact for further action(s).

The PowerPack is getting hot to touch after the removal from Vertex One, is it safe to charge it right away?

The PowerPack contains an advanced overtemperature protection so there shall be no unsafe situation, however this might cause the charging time to extend dramatically when the PowerPack is hot when connected to the Vertex One Charger. The recommendation is to always let the PowerPack cool down for at least 30 minutes before charging.

The PowerPack is getting hot to touch after the charging, is it safe to insert it into Vertex One and fly right away?

The PowerPack contains an advanced overtemperature protection so there shall be no unsafe situation, however this might cause that an emergency landing procedure of Vertex One is triggered during the flight due to triggering of this overtemperature protection. The recommendation is to always let the PowerPack cool down for at least 30 minutes before the next flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Logging

My logging files have a wrong timestamp?

The Vertex time is received through Cerebra Lab. If the time of your laptop is set up to the wrong time at the moment of connecting the Vertex, it may inherit that wrong timestamp. Using a Linux/Windows dual boot can cause issues where your time goes back to UTC.

Wi-Fi, Hotspot & USB connectivity

I do not see the hotspot when turning on my Vertex One?

First, check if the hotspot is turned on. Check the systemctl service named wifi_ap.service or 'wifi_client_mode.service' by executing 'systemctl status wifi_ap.service' or 'systemctl status wifi_client_mode.service' If the service is not running you can turn it on using these instructions If it still does not work you can check the logging using 'journalctl | grep wifi_ap' or 'journalctl | grep wifi_client_mode'. If the logging does not help in resolving the issue please contact Avular for further assistance.

My Vertex doesn't recognize a connected USB device or the device is recognized as USB 2.0 only?

The Vertex only works with high-quality USB 3.x cables. Try using a high-quality USB-C cable or check if the USB port is functional by connecting a different device. If your connected device is still not recognized, please contact Avular.

PowerPack

How do I check if the PowerPack is charged? Can I find out the level of charge?
  • Press the Status button and see the Status Indicator for the SoC indication.
  • Insert the PowerPack in the Charger and read the Status Indicator of the Charger. More details about this can be found in the Vertex One Charger user manual.
  • Insert the PowerPack in the Vertex One, connect the Vertex One to Cerebra Studio and read out the State of Charge. More details about this can be found in the Vertex One user manual.
Does ambient temperature have effect on the use of PowerPack?

Yes. Make sure you always use PowerPack within the specified temperature range. Long-term exposure to both high and low temperatures can irreversibly damage the Li-Ion cells inside the PowerPack.

Effects of high temperatures If you are using the PowerPack continuously close to their temperature limit (30 °C for charging, 40°C for discharging), pay extra attention to the cool down periods before and after charging. Preferably use air-conditioned environment for cool down periods and charging. Continuous exposure to elevated temperatures might cause faster PowerPack degradation and shorter lifetime.

Effects of low temperatures If you are using the PowerPack continuously close to their temperature limit (<5 °C), pay extra attention to keeping the PowerPack in a warm state. If PowerPack gets too cold, the charging/discharging undertemperature protection might be triggered. Li-Ion-based batteries (such as the PowerPack) in cold temperatures might underperform with respect to their nominal charge/discharge capacity.

I have multiple PowerPacks; can I mix-and-match individual PowerPack modules?

No. This is not supported.

I’m planning to use Vertex One in a continuous operation, can I use two PowerPacks?

No. The PowerPack is not designed for back-to-back continuous operation with 2 PowerPacks. A PowerPack needs to cool down after a flight between 15-30 minutes depending on the ambient temperature. In case continuous operation is required, we recommend to use at least 3 PowerPacks to give a sufficient margin that allows these to cool down sufficiently before and after charging. Additional PowerPacks can be ordered from Avular.

I just put my PowerPack in the charger. It doesn't start charging but instead it shows a blinking red LED?

In the section charger, you can find the error codes. Count the error codes and verify the corresponding error state. The most common error is that the PowerPack is outside of its charging temperature range [4 x pulses + 2 sec silence]. This can happen when you try to charge the pack right after you just flew with the Vertex. Remove the PowerPack and retry after 15-30 minutes. If the PowerPack shows a communication error [1 x pulse + 2 sec silence], it might be due to the PowerPack going into a sleep state. This happens to prevent undercharging of the PowerPack. Insert a small pin into the pinhole on top of the PowerPack to get the PowerPack out of it's sleep state. Now you have 4 minutes to retry charging the PowerPack.