FPV Racing Fundamentals
FPV Racing Fundamentals
FUNDAMENTALS
on 3.7
s i
Ver
Agenda
1. Terminology 12. Flight mode setup
2. Practice toys 13. Radio RX protocols
3. History
14. Accelerometer trim
4. Flight controllers
5. Global wire layout
15. Buzzer & battery monitor
6. Build instruction 16. RC rate
7. Motors and ESC 17. PID Tuning example
8. Radio mode and axis names 18. Adding Bluetooth
9. Firmware and GUI
19. Taranis tips
10. Calibration
20. FPV setup
11. Flight Controller alignment
12. Check motor ID and rotation direction 21. Propellers
13. Minimum motor throttle 22. Legal
14. Failsafe 23. Checklists
Terminology
Acro model Processor: STM32F303 CPU (32bits ARM Cortex M4 with FPU)
Codename:
SP RACING F3
Power distribution board
ES
C C
s
ES
s +12- +5-
BEC
-
Lipo Battery +
+
-
3S: 3x3.7v=11.1v -
+
PDB
bat
4S: 4x3.7v=14.8v +
-
-
+ s
+
-
C s ES
ES C
mo
t or PDB: Power Distribution Board to r
mo 1
3 BEC: Battery Eliminator Circuit
ESC: Electronic Speed Control
FC: Flight Controller
Mandatory Wire layout
SBUS
CPPM
S.Port
5V
GND
GND
5V
RX (SBUS)
TX
Sonar trigger
Sonar echo
Current sensor
RSSI
G
Optional Wire layout
Allow FC to measure
battery voltage
(then trigger buzzer)
G
Step 0: DO NOT mount the
frame ! 4 landing legs Use le ss
Upper camera
Front FPV support
camera frame e le ss
Us
Upper camera
support’s vibration
Top plate dampeners
4 arms
2 base plates
Step 1: Fixing motors to ZMR
frame arms
WARNING:
Motors central axis NEEDS to be perfectly
centered!
If not perfectly
centered: During
rotation clip will touch
borders and be
ejected!
Step 2: Think about FC
direction
There are multiples ways for FC direction:
Standard: 90° rotated:
USB on the back (not USB on the side (easy to
easy to access) access)
Step 2bis: Think about ESC
control wires connectors
1th option: 2th options: 3th option:
90 degrees pin 90 degrees pin Straight pin header
header outward header inward
5V only for FC
(no more!)
long spacer
Short spacer
Warning: carbon
frame is conductive!
Step 5: Motor cables
soldering
1. Put heat shrinkable around each ESC first!
2. Motors 1 and 4: Straight cable
3. Motors 2 and 3: Crossed cable
Brushless DC electric motor
Animated GIF
(shift F5)
Electronic Speed Controller
Input:
PWM order from Flight controller
Power from battery
Motor rotor position by Hall Effect or back EMS
Output
3 phase voltages for the motor
Processors
ATMega
Amtel
SILicon labs
Electronic Speed Controller
Command and axis names
Mode 1 Mode 2 (right stick is like a joystick)
E T E
T
l h l
h
e r e
r
v o v
o
a t a
t
t t t
Vertical axis t
o l o
"YAW" l
r e r
(produced by rudders on e
a plane)
Rudder Aileron Rudder Aileron
Analogic value between 1000 and 2000 are sent for each channel
3 switch position send: 1000, 1500 and 2000
2 switch position send: 1000 and 2000
Radio examples:
Best quality/price Sp
ec tr um
strong
i um
Radio RX wire: m
ed
Weak
m
ed
iu
strong
ES FC Firmware
C C
s
• CleanFlight / BetaFlight ES
s GUI (Google
FC +12-
Chrome
+5- app)
BEC
• Cleanflight/betaflight
+
-
+
-
+
-
+ PDB
bat
-
ESC Firmware
+
-
+
s
• BLHeli -
C s ES
ES ESC Bootloader C
• BLHeli / Simon-K
ESC GUI
• BLHeliSuite
Download softwares
TAER example
Connecting FC to PC
1. Install USB-Serial drivers
2. Connect FC and check correct serial port detection by your PC
3. DISCONNECT the FC
4. Install & start BetaFlight
5. Click on Firmware flasher
6. Select board: SPRACINGF3 (for Emax F3) or NAZE (for naze32)
7. Firmware: 3.0.1
8. Enable:
1. Full chip erase
2. Manual baud rate: 256000
9. Click on: Load Firmware [Online]
10. CONNECT the FC
11. Click on: Flash Firmware
Calibration
2. Save
Flight controller alignment
+90° -90°
2. Save
Flight controller alignment
1
Buzzer
FC
Batt
ES
C C
s
ES
s 12vBEC 5v
+
-
-
+
+
-
+ PDB -
Plug your battery
+
- s and check if this
-
+
ES value is updated to
C s C
ES current battery
voltage
BLHEli Suite
2 3 4
Motor ID and minimum level
tests
For each motor: Check correct ID an
minimum value for the slowest « smooth »
rotation and write down all 4 values
Kept the bigger value of these 4 tests
REMOVE
PROPELER
FIRST !!!!!
ESC range value
3. Save
Multiprotocol module
https://github.com/pascallanger/DIY-Multiproto
col-TX-Module
Module support 2 communication protocols for
speaking to the remote:
PPM, default mode. Need to use the rotary switch
on the module for selecting protocol
Serial (2 bridges to solder). Needs to upgrade radio
firmware, but it’s the most powerfull mode.
Need to buy:
Multiprotocol TX Module for FrSky Taranis
(optionnal): programmer for firmware upgrade
Multiprotocol module
1. Modify module for serial mode and install upgrade pin connectors
Solder 2 bridges
(TX and RX) for Solder 6 pins
enabling serial (usefull for firmware
upgrade only)
1. Start by increasing and testing the YAW rate (less dangerous to try)
3. save
2. save
Adding bluetooth (Complex!)
1. Why? Allow to configure PIDs from a smartphone
2. Needs:
1. Bluetooth Serial HC-05 adapter (4€ on banggood)
2. Arduino uno clone (for configuring HC-05 adapter) about 10€
3. Some cables
4. Optional: USB/TTL converter for checking correct TX/RX pins
5. Optional: Small switch for power off Bluetooth when not needed
3. Using your Arduino: Configure HC-05 at 115200 baud (because default 9600
is too slow) and change its name and PIN code
4. Connect it to the Flight Controller Serial/UART port
1. VCC => VCC
2. GND => GND
3. TX => RX
4. RX => TX
5. Limitation: ESC calibration and ESC firmware upgrade/setup are not
supported across bluetooth module
Basic of FPV
TX: Video transmitter parts (mounted on your multicopter)
FPV camera
600TVL minimum, PAL
IR blocked: Better colors during day flight
IR sensitive: Better picture during night flight
Video Radio Transmitter (VTX)
Configurable: between 25mW (maximum in France and mandatory for official
meeting) and 600mW (outdoor with trees)
Raceband compliant
Never power on without an antenna plugged: It will burn!
Antenna
RX: Video receiver parts (mounted on your head)
Video radio receiver (VRX)
Diversity automatically select best signal from 2 Antennas
Screen / Goggles (800 x 480 minimum)
Battery
Antenna
Antenna connector Jungle
Animated
GIF (press
12vBEC 5v
+
-
+
- Lipo
3S: 3x3.7v=11.1v
+
-
+ PDB -
+ 4S: 4x3.7v=14.8v
-
-
+
http://
www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/Drones
-civils-loisir-activite
Legal: Where can I fly?
https://
www.geoportail.gouv.fr/donnees/restrictions-
pour-drones-de-loisir
Pre-flight checklist (at home)