#11033 Kakute F7 - FPV Sampa

#11033

KakuteF7

UserManual&InstallationGuidev1.0

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Contents

Overview..........................................................................................1

FeaturesSpecificationsWarrantyandReturnPolicy

PinoutDiagram..............................................................................4

InstallationGuide.........................................................................5

UpdatingBetaflightFirmware.............................................11

InstallingDriversInstallingBetaflightConfiguratorFlashingNewFirmware

InitialConfiguration.................................................................15

ConnecttoTheBoard

PortsConfiguration

Blackbox

AdditionalReference................................................................25

AdjustPIDs/Rates/vTXfromTaranis..........................26

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OverviewTheHolybroKakuteF7flightcontrollermakesiteasytobuildyourmultirotor.Itintegratesflightcontroller(FC)andon-screendisplay(OSD)inone.TheKakuteF7’slayoutmakesiteasytowireuptheothercomponentsofthemultirotorwhilekeepingthebuildneatandtidy.

Features• SupportsBetaflight,Butterflight,andCleanflight.• BetaflightOSD.ChangePIDs,adjustcommonconfigurationparameters,andchangevideo

transmitterchannelandpowerlevel,allusingyourtransmittersticksandgoggles.• Soft-mountingbuiltin.TheIMU(“gyro”)chiponthisboardismountedonvibration-isolating

foam.Thismeansthatthereisnoneedtosoft-mounttheboarditself.• High-performance/low-noise/highsensitivityIMU.ICM20689with6-axisgyroand

accelerometer.Canrunatupto32kHzsamplingrate.• Readyforautonomousflight:IntegratedBMP280barometerandSCL/SDApadsforusewith

externalGPS/magnetometerunits.• 2oz.copperPCBallowsupto120Amaximumcontinuouscurrent.• Dedicatedbootloaderbuttonforeasyfirmwareflashing.• Low-profiledesignfitsintoevenverycompactframes.• Inputvoltage7vto42v.Powertheboarddirectlyfromtheflightpack,upto6S(on“B+”pad

only).• Automaticvoltagemonitoring.NoneedtorunaseparatevBatwireforvoltagemonitoring;the

KakuteF7monitorsvoltagedirectlyfromthepowersupply.• Filteredvoltageoutputforclean,noise-freevideo.On-boardregulatorsoutput5vatupto2

ampsand3.3vatupto200mAtopowerperipheralssuchasreceiver,videotransmitter,FPVcamera,orLEDstrip.

• SupportsBLHelipass-throughforeasyESCupgradeandconfiguration.

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Specifications• MCU:STM32F74532-bitprocessor• IMU:ICM20689(SPI)• Barometer:BMP280• CurrentSensor:Approximately130ampsmaximummeasurablevalue• USBVCPDriver(allUARTsusablesimultaneously;USBdoesnottakeupaUART)• 6hardwareUARTS(UART1,2,3,4,6,7)• AllUARTSsupporthardwareinversion.SBUS,SmartPort,andotherinvertedprotocolsworkon

anyUARTwithout“uninverthack”.• Supportsserialreceivers(SBUS,iBus,Spektrum,Crossfire)only.PPMandPWMreceiversarenot

supported.• TFcardforBlackboxlogging• Dimensions:35x41x7mm(includesfoam-mountedgyroboardinheight)• MountingHoles:Standard30.5mmsquaretocenterofholes• Weight:9g

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WarrantyandReturnPolicyIfyoubelievethatyourKakuteF7isdefective,pleasecontactus.Ifwedeterminethattheboardisdefective,itwillberepairedorreplacedatnochargetoyou.WemayaskyoutosendyourKakutetoourservicecenterforexaminationorrepair.Shippingcostsareyourresponsibility.Returneditemsshouldincludetheoriginalpackagingandallaccessories.

Ifproductisdamagedordefective,wewillrepairorreplaceit.Refundsareonlygivenwhenproductislostbytheshippingcompany.Therefundamountislimitedtothepriceoftheproduct.Shippingcostsareneverrefundable.

Contactusat:

• Email:[email protected]• FacebookPage:Holybro• FacebookGroup:HolybroHobbyOfficialGroup

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PinoutDiagram

Topofboard

Pin FunctionB+ Batterypositivevoltage(2S-6S)5v 5voutput(2Amax)VO VideooutputtovideotransmitterVI VideoinputfromFPVcameraGorGND GroundSDA,SCL I2Cconnection(forperipherals)R1,T1 UART1RXandTXR2,T2 UART2RXandTXR3,T3 UART3RXandTXR4,T4 UART4RXandTXR6,T6 UART6RXandTXR7,T7 UART7RXandTX(RXislocatedintheplugfor

usewith4-in-1ESCs)LED WS2182addressableLEDsignalwireBuz- Piezobuzzernegativeleg Connectbuzzerpositivelegto5vpad3V3 3.3voutput(200mAmax)M1toM4 Motorsignaloutputs(locatedinplug)M5,M6 Additionalmotorsignaloutputs(locatedat

sideofboard)RSI AnalogRSSI(0-3.3v)inputfromreceiverCAM AnalogFPVcamera-controloutputBoot Bootloaderbutton

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InstallationGuideInstalltheKakuteF7inyourquadcopterframe.Donotcompletelyreassembletheframe.LeavetheKakuteF7accessiblesothatyoucansolderwirestoit.Forexample,leavethetopplateofyourframeoffsothatyouareworkingonlywiththebase-plate.HavingtheKakuteF7mountedintheframewillallowyoutoensurethatwirelengthsarecorrectasyousolderaccessoriestotheboard.Whenindoubt,it’salwaysbettertoleavealittleextrawire.YouwillmostlikelybeinstallingtheKakuteF7withaPowerDistributionBoard(PDB)ora4-in-1ESC.TheKakuteF7willprobablyinstallontopofthisboard,intheflightcontrolstack.Youshouldinstallthemotorsontheframe,solderthemotorwirestotheESC,andsoldertheESCstothePDB(ifyou’reusingaPDB)beforeyoubegininstallingtheKakuteF7.Be100%surethatthefront-facingarrowontheKakuteF7facesthefrontofthequadcopter!Ifforsomereasonthisisnotpossible,thenyoumustuseCleanflightorBetaflight’s“boardalign”featuretocompensate.

“BoardAlign”FeatureDocumentation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeuSq71pYF0

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YoumustuseareceiverthatsupportsaserialprotocolsuchasSBUS,iBus,Spektrum,orCrossfire.YoucannotuseaPPMorPWMreceiverwiththeKakuteF7.ForallreceivertypesexceptCrossfire,solderthereceiversignalwiretopadR6.Ifyouareusingatypicalcable,thesignalwirewillbewhiteoryellow.ForCrossfire,connectpin1onthereceivertopadR6;connectpin2onthereceivertopadT6.(YouwillneedtosetuptheCrossfirereceivertooutputCRSFprotocolonpins1and2.Thisisoutsidethescopeofthismanual.)SolderthereceivergroundwiretotheGNDpadbelowR6.Inatypicalcable,thegroundwirewillbeblackorbrown.Ifyourreceiverrequires5vpower(mostreceiversexceptforSpektrumSatellite),solderitspowerwiretothe5vpadthatisbeneathT6andnexttoCAM.Inatypicalcable,thepowerwirewillberedororange.Ifyourreceiverrequires3.3vpower(mostSpektrumSatellitereceivers),solderitspowerwiretothe3v3padinthelower-rightcornerofthepinheader.Donotconnectareceiverthattakes3.3vpowertoa5vpadoryouwilldestroyit.Besuretoreferencethepinoutdiagramforyourreceiver,toensurethatyouareconnectingthecorrectpadstogether.

TelemetryallowstheKakuteF7toreportvalues,suchasbatteryvoltage,backtoyourtransmitter.Thetransmittercanbeconfiguredtogiveaudiblealertsonlowbattery,andothersuchfunctions.Telemetryisalsousefulbecauseitallowstheuseof“LuaScripts”toconfigurethequadcopterfromthetransmitter.Ifyouintendtousetelemetry,solderthetelemetrywirefromyourreceivertotheT4padontheKakuteF7.OnFrSkyreceivers,thetelemetrywireislabeledasSmartPort.IfyouareusingCrossfire,thereisnoseparatetelemetrywire.

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Beforewiringupyourcameraandvideotransmitter(vTX),youmustdeterminewhetheryouwillpowerthemby5vorbatteryvoltage(vBat).Youmustrefertotheproductspecificationsforyourcameraandvideotransmittertodeterminewhatmaximumvoltagetheyallow.Thesecantypicallybefoundontheproductlistingpageofthevendorthatsellstheequipment.

Ifthevoltagethatyouwillusetopowerthecopter(suchas4Sor5S)istoohighforyourcameraorvTX,youmustpowerthemfromthe5vregulator.IfthevoltagethatyouwillusetopowerthecopterislessthanthemaximumratedvoltageofyourcameraandvTX,youmaypowerthemfromvBat.Mostcamerastodaycantakeupto6Svoltagesafely.ManyvTXcantakeupto6Svoltage,howevertheTBSUnifyProisoneexception:itrequires5vmaximum.

Rememberthattheratedloadofthe5vregulatorontheKakuteF7is2amps.Thismeansthatthesumoftheaccessoriesyourunfromtheregulatorcannotexceed2amps.Thisshouldbeenoughcurrenttorunacamera,receiver,andvideotransmitter(evenahigh-poweredvTXliketheUnifyPro).However,ifyouhaveother5vaccessories,suchas5vLEDs,youmightexceedtheratedcapacityofthe5vregulator.Inthatcase,youwouldhavetorunsomeoftheaccessoriesfromvBat,toremoveloadfromtheregulator.WhenaccessoriesarerundirectlyfromvBat,theydonotloadtheregulator.

Torecap:thesumofthecurrentdrawnbyallaccessoriesonthe5vpadsmustbelessthan2amps.

Solderthevideowirefromthevideotransmitter(vTX)totheVOpadontheKakuteF7.SolderthevideowirefromthecameratotheVIpadontheKakuteF7.DependingonwhetheryouintendtorunoffvBator5v,solderthepowerwireforthecameraandvTXtoeitherthe5vortheB+padnearesttowhereyousolderedthevideowire.SolderthegroundwirefromthecameraandthevTXtotheGpadnearesttowhereyousolderedthevideowire.

Somevideotransmittersallowthechannel,transmitpower,andothersuchparameterstobeconfiguredremotely,throughtheBetaflightOSD.Thismeansyoucanchangechannelandtransmitpowerusingyourgogglesandtransmittersticks,insteadofpushingabuttonorflippingDIPswitchesonthevTXitself.Thisisahugeconvenience!

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IfyouhaveavTXthatsupportsvTXRemoteControl,then:ForSmartAudiovTXincludingTBSUnify,HolybroAtlatlV2,andRaceDayQuadsMach2,soldertheaudiowirefromthevTXtotheT1padontheKakuteF7.ForTrampTelemetryvTXincludingtheImmersionRCTrampandtheHolybroAtlatlV1,soldertheTwirefromthevTXtotheT1padontheKakuteF7.OthervTXmaylabelthispindifferently.Refertotheirdocumentation.

RSSImonitoringallowsyoutoviewthesignalstrengthofthecontrollinkbetweenyourtransmitterandyourreceiverintheOSD.Thiscangiveawarningwhenyouaregettingclosetotheedgeofyourrange,aswellasshowingyouifyouhavedamagedequipment,suchasanantennathathasbeencutbyaprop.IfyouintendtousetheRSSIinput,soldertheanalogRSSIoutputofyourreceivertotheRSSIpadontheKakuteF7.ManyreceiversdonotsupportanalogRSSIoutput,soyoumaynotbeabletousethisfeature.

HowtowireupanalogRSSItoyourreceiver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX_PWoLhooU

AnalternatewaytogetRSSIinyourOSD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-evOAS9Mkg

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SomeESCssupportafeaturecalledESCTelemetry.ThisfeatureallowstheESCtoreportdatasuchasmotorRPMandampsbeingusedbytheESCbacktotheflightcontroller.SincetheKakuteF7doesnothaveabuilt-inPDB,itcannotmeasurecurrentdirectly,anditcantakeadvantageofthisfeature.IfyourESCssupporttelemetry,andifyouintendtouseit,thensoldereachoftheESCtelemetrywirestotheR7padthatisintheplugheader.TheKakuteF7comeswithaplugthatfitsintothisheader.

ConnecttheESCsignalwirestotheM1,M2,M3,andM4wirescomingoutoftheplugheader.TheKakuteF7comeswithaplugthatfitsintothisheader.ThemotoroutputsarenumberedM4(closesttotheUSBport),then3,2,1(farthestfromtheUSBport).It’simportanttoconnectthesewirestothecorrectmotoronyourquadcopter.InBetaflightandCleanflight,themotorsarenumbered:1–BackRight2–FrontRight3–BackLeft4–FrontLeftThesignalwireisathinwire,typicallyyelloworwhite.It’susuallyconnectedtothesamesideoftheESCasthepowerwires.SincetheKakuteF7comeswithapre-wiredplug,youwillneedtoconnectthewiresfromtheKakutetothewiresfromyourESCs.Alternatively,youmightde-solderthesignalwiresfromyourESCsandsoldertheKakutewiresdirectlytotheESCs.SomeESCshaveasignalgroundwireandsomeESCsdon’t.IfyourESChasathinblackwirethatistwistedwiththesignalwire,thatisthesignalground.SincetheKakutedoesnothavesignalgroundpads,wesuggestcuttingthegroundwireoffyourESCsordesolderingit.

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ConnecttheB+wireintheplugheadertoabatteryvoltagesource,suchasthebattery+padonyourPDBor4-in-1ESC.YourPDBor4-in-1ESCmayhaveanothervBatpadthatisspecificallydesignedforpoweringanaccessoryliketheKakuteF7.It’ssimplertouseadedicatedpadorwire,ratherthansolderingtothemainbattery+pad.ConnecttheGwireintheplugheadertoaGroundsource,suchasthebattery–padonyourPDBor4-ni-1ESC.

FPVCameraControlisafeatureofBetaflightthatallowsyoutoaccessyourFPVcamera’son-screenmenuusingyourtransmittersticks.Withthisfeature,youcaneasilyadjustbrightness,contrast,andothercamerasettingsinresponsetochanginglightingconditions.

TherearetwoformsofCameraControl:analoganddigital.Analogcameracontrolisforcamerasthatuseananalog-stylejoystickinput.DigitalcameracontroliscurrentlyreservedforsomeRuncamcameras.Lookattheplugonthebackofyourcamera.Ifyouseeapinlabeled“OSD”thenyourcamerausesanalogcontrol.IfyouhaveaRuncamcamerawithpinslabeled“RX”and“TX”,thenyourcamerausesdigitalcontrol.

Ifyourcamerausesanalogcontrol,solderthe“OSD”wireonthecameraplugtotheCAMpadontheKakuteF7.Ifyourcamerausesdigitalcontrol,solderthecameraTXwiretopadR3ontheKakuteF7.SolderthecameraRXwiretopadT3ontheKakuteF7.

TheKakuteF7hasaCameraControloutputthatfullyimplementstheanalogcameracontrolfeature,howeverthefeaturedoesnotwork100%reliablywitheverycameraonthemarket.Ifyouhookupthewireandthefeaturedoesn’twork,youmayneedtoadjustsomecommandlineparameters,orthefeaturesimplymaynotworkwithyourcamera.


UpdatingBetaflightFirmwareLikeallsoftware,thesoftwarethatrunsyourflightcontrollerhasversions.JustlikeWindowsXPwasfollowedby2k,then7,8,and10.ThesoftwarethatrunsyourflightcontrolleriscalledBetaflight.PuttinganewversionofBetaflightonyourKakuteF7iscalled“flashing”yourboard.

Evenifyoudecideyoudon'twanttoupdateyourfirmwarerightnow,youstillneedtoinstalltheVCPdrivertoconfiguretheboard.So,youmustatleastgothroughstep1belowtouseyourboard.

InstallingDriversBeforeyoucanflashyourboard,youmustgetthedriversinstalledonyourcomputer.IfyouareonMacOSorLinux,YourO/Scomeswiththedriversyouneedpre-installed.Youdonotneedtoperformthisstep.Youmayskipdirectlyto“InstallingBetaflightConfigurator”.

IfyouareonWindows,youmustinstallthedriversmanually.Thisisaplacewherebeginnersoftenstruggle.We’regoingtopresentthestepshere,andifyoucanfollowthem,thengreat,butmanypeoplewon’tbeabletofollowthem.Ifyouneedamorepersonalapproach,hereisalinktoavideothatwalksyouthroughtheprocessinmoredetail.

AllAboutBetaflightDrivers,IncludingHowtoInstallThem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ygG6Y5zXI

Herearethestepsyouwillperform:

1. DownloadtheVirtualCOMPort(VCP)driverinstallerfromhere.Unfortunately,youmusteithercreatealoginorgivethemyouremailaddress,thenwaitforthemtoemailyoualink,todownloadtheactualinstaller.Werecommendthatyoucreateauserloginbecausethe“sendyoualinkinanemail”methodsometimestakesalongtimetogothrough.

a. TocreatealoginattheSTMsite,firstgotothisURL.b. Click“CreateanAccount”c. Enteryourinformationinthenextpageandclick“Register”d. Youwillreceiveaconfirmationemail.Completetheconfirmationprocess.e. LogintotheSTMsiteusingtheloginyoujustcreatedanddownloadtheVCPdriver

installerfromthelinkinstep3.2. RuntheVCPinstallerandletitfinish.3. DownloadtheImpulseRCDriverFixerfromhere.4. RuntheImpulseRCDriverFixer.Itwillinstructyoutopluginyourflightcontroller.5. PlugtheKakuteF7intoyourPCviaUSB.TheImpulseRCDriverFixershouldcomplete

successfully.


ThevideolinkedaboveshowsaprocessofusingZadigtoreplacetheVCPdriver.TheImpluseRCDriverFixerisaneasierwayofdoingthesamething.So,usetheImpulseRCDriverFixeranddon’tmessaroundwithZadiglikethevideoshows.

IsItOverYet?THATWASSUPERANNOYINGWASN’TIT.Yes…weknow.

Thegoodnewsis,youdonotneedtorepeatthisprocessagain.Sortof.Youneverneedtoinstallthedriversagainonthiscomputer,unlessyoureinstalltheoperatingsystemforsomereason.Ifyouuseanothercomputerforthefirsttime,youwillneedtoinstallthosedriversonit.Also,youmayneedtore-runtheImpulseRCDriverFixersometimeswhenyougotoflashtheboard.Ifyoutrytoflashtheboardanditfails,repeatsteps3through5above.InstallingBetaflightConfiguratorBetaflightismanagedusingtheBetaflightConfiguratorapplication,alsoknownforshortastheBetaflightGUI,orjust,“TheGUI”.(GUIispronounced“gooey”incaseyouwondered.Onlyweirdossay,“GeeYouEye”.)DownloadtheBetaflightConfiguratorapplicationhere:

https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight-configurator/releases

ThisisastandardapplicationpackageforWindows,MacOS,orLinux.Afteryoudownloadit,installandrunitthesameasanyotherapplication.

OnMacOSyoumustgivetheapplicationpermissiontorunandaccessthenetwork.Thesimplestwaytodothisistoright-clicktheinstallerandchooseOpen.Asecuritypromptwillappearasking,“Areyousureyouwanttoopenit?”ClickOpenonthispromptandtherelevantconfigurationchangeswillbemadeautomatically.


FlashingNewFirmwareAtthispoint,ifyouwanttoupdateyourfirmware,hereishowtodoit.Butifyoujustwanttogofly,please,goforit!Youdon’thavetoberunningtheabsolutelatestfirmwaretohaveagoodtime.Justforgetaboutthisnonsense!

Toflashyourfirmware,youmustconnecttheboardin“bootloadermode”.Bootloadermodemeansthattheboardisreadytoacceptnewprogramming.Toputtheboardintobootloadermode,holddownthebootloaderbuttonwhilepluggingintheUSBcable.LeavethebuttonpressedforamomentafterpluggingintheUSBcabletobesureit“takes”.

IfyourKakuteF7isinbootloadermode,thenyouwillsee“DFU”inthepulldownmenuintheupper-rightoftheconfigurator,asshownhere:

Ifyoudon’tseeDFUinthepulldownmenu,theneithertheboarddidn’tdetectthatyouhadthebootloaderbuttonpressedoryourdriversarenotinstalledcorrectly.Ifyoudon’tseeDFUinthepulldownmenu,youcannotflashnewfirmwaretotheboard.Itwon’twork.

Fortheadvancedusers,asimplerwayofgettingintobootloadermodeistogototheCLIandtype“bl”.Thiswillreboottheboardintobootloadermode.Thisisespeciallyusefuliftheboardisinstalledinacopterwhereitisn’tconvenienttopressthebootloaderbutton.Inrarecases,the“bl”commanddoesn’tworkandyoumustpressthebootloaderbuttonontheboard.


Herearetheremainingsteps:

1. Gotothe“FirmwareFlasher”tab.2. Select“KAKUTEF7”inthe“Chooseaboard”pulldownmenu.Ifyouflashanyotherboardtype,

theKakuteF7willnotfunction.Itwon’tbedamaged,itjustwon’tworkuntilyouflashKAKUTEF7totheboard.

3. SelectthelatestversionofBetaflightinthe“Chooseafirmwareversion”pulldownmenu.4. Clickthe“LoadFirmware(Online)”button.Thebuttonwillchangetoread“Downloading”.The

FlashFirmwarebuttonwillchangefromgraytoorange.5. Clickthe“FlashFirmware”button.Thescreenshouldautomaticallyscrolldowntoshowthe

statusbar,whichwillfillwithorangeastheflashingprocesscompletes.6. Flashingwillbefollowedbyaprocesscalled“Verifying”.Verificationsometimesfails,butthis

isn’taproblem.Iftheflashcompletes,everythingisusuallyfine.7. Un-plugyourboardandthenplugitbackinagain,thistimewithoutholdingdownthe

bootloaderbutton.8. ForWindowsusers,thepulldownmenuintheupperrightoftheconfiguratorwillreadCOM3

(orsomeothernumber).ForMacOSandLinuxusers,thepulldownwillreadsomethingstartingwith/dev/tty.Thisisnormal.Ifthepulldownmenureads“ManualSelection”thenyourboardisnotbeingdetected.ThismayindicatethatyoudidnotusetheKAKUTEF7targetwhenyouflashedtheboard.OritmayindicatethatyourVirtualCOMPort(VCP)driverswerenotinstalledcorrectly.

Youarereadytoconfigureyourboard.


InitialConfigurationThefullconfigurationofBetaflightcouldtakehourstodocument.Inthissection,we’lldescribeafewthingsthatarespecifictothisboard.Thiswon’tbeenoughtogetyouintotheair,sowe’llalsopointyoutosomevideosyoucanwatchifyou’renotperfectlysurewhatelseyouneedtodo.Evenpeoplehaveafewbuildsundertheirbeltmaybeskippingsomeimportantstepswithoutrealizingit!

ConnecttoTheBoardPlugtheboardintoUSB.StartBetaflightConfigurator.Youshouldsee“COM3”(orsomeothernumber)intheupper-rightmenu.Click“Connect”.

TheGUIwillload.

PortsClickonthe“Ports”tabontheleftsideofthewindow.

TheUARTsonyourKakuteF7areversatile;anyUARTcanbeusedforanyfunction.ThisisdifferentfromtheKakuteF4,inwhichcertainfunctionshadtobeassignedtocertainUARTs.Inthewiringinstructionsabove,certainUARTsweresuggested,suchassolderingtheSBUSreceivertoR6.Howeveryoudon’thavetofollowtheserecommendationsifforsomereasontheydon’tworkforyou.Ifyoufollowedtheinstructionsinthisguide,thescreenshotaboveshowshowtoconfigurethePortstab.

WhenyouconfigurethePorts,keepthefollowingguidelineinmind:eachUARTcanbeusedforonefunctiononly.Eachcolumn(SerialRX,TelemetryOutput,SensorInput,Peripherals)representsasinglefunction.SoeachUARTrowshouldonlyhaveonefunctionactiveatatime.Ifyoutrytoenablemultiplefunctions,theconfigurationmayberejected,ortheresultsmaybeunpredictable.


Foreachfunction,identifywhichUARTnumberyouconnectedtheperipheralto.SoifyousolderedyourreceiversignalwiretopadR3,thatwouldbeUART3.IfyousolderedyourSmartPorttelemetrywiretopadT1,thatwouldbeUART1.ThenumberfollowingtheRorTindicatestheUARTnumber.

OneachrowinthePortstab,enabletheonefunctionthatyouconnectedottheTXand/orRXpadsforthatUART.Themostcommonoptionsarebelow.

• USBVCPistheportthatisusedtotalkbetweentheKakuteF7andtheConfiguratorGUI.MSPistheprotocolthattheyusetotalktoeachother.IfyouturnoffMSPonUSBVCP,youwillnotbeabletocontacttheboardanymoreviatheConfigurator.Youwillhavetore-flashtheboardanderaseyourconfigurationtogetbackintoit.Sufficeittosay,thisisbad,andyoushouldn’tdoit.Don’tturnoffMSPontheUSBVCPlineinthePortstab.

• IfyouareusingFrSkySmartPorttelemetry,intheTelemetryOutputcolumn,chooseSmartPortfromthepulldownmenu.

• Enable“SerialRX”fortheUARTthatyousolderedthereceiversignalwireto.IfusinganSBUSorSpektrumreceiver,thiswillhavebeentheRXpadonly.ForaCrossfirereceiver,youwillhaveusedboththeTXandRXpadofthesameUART.

• IfyouareusingRunCamdigitalcameracontrol,inthePeripheralscolumn,chooseRunCamDevice.

• IfyouareusingESCTelemetry,ontheUART7line,intheSensorInputcolumn,chooseESC.AlthoughyoucantechnicallyuseanyRXpadforESCTelemetry,theR7padsarespecificallylocatedatthecornersoftheboardforthispurpose.

• IfyouareusingSmartAudioorImmersionRCTrampTelemetrytocontrolyourvideotransmitter:inthePeripheralscolumn,chooseeitherTBSSmartAudioorIRCTramp,dependingonwhichtypeoftransmitteryouareusing.


ConfigurationClickonthe“Configuration”tabontherightsideofthewindow.Scrolldowntothe“OtherFeatures”section.

• Ifyouareusinganykindoftelemetry(SmartPort,Crossfire,etc.),enableTELEMETRY.

• IfyouareusingaprogrammableLEDstrip,enableLED_STRIP.

• AirModeincreasesauthoritywhenthethrottleisallthewaydown.Werecommendleavingthisoptiononallthetime.

• TheKakuteF7hasbuilt-inBetaflightOSD.TheOSDoptionshouldalwaysbeenabled.

• IfyouareusingESCtelemetry,enabletheESC_SENSORoption.

• TheANTI_GRAVITYoptionincreasesthestabilityofthecopterwhenthethrottleisraisedorloweredquickly.Werecommendenablingthisoption,andsettingAntiGravityGainto3.0inthePIDTuningtab.Detailedinstructionsfortuningthisvalueareoutsidethescopeofthismanual,butthisdefaultsettingwillworkwellformostquads.

Next,gototheReceiversectionofthe“Configuration”tab.SincetheKakuteF7onlysupportsserial-typereceivers,configurationofthissectionissimple.

• SettheReceiverModeto“Serial-basedreceiver”.

• SettheSerialReceiverProvidertothetypethatmatcheswhatkindofreceiveryouhave.FrSkyandotherSBUSreceivershoulduseSBUS.SpektrumSatellitereceiversshoulduseSPEKTRUM2048orSPEKTRUM1024dependingonwhethertheyareDSM2orDSMX.FlySkyreceiversuseiBus.CrossfirereceiversuseCRSF.

Thesearethemostcommonserialreceivertypesthatarelikelytobeencountered.


BlackboxIfyouhaveenabledtheBlackboxfeature,gototheBlackboxtabontheleft-handsideoftheconfiguratorwindow.IntheBlackboxtab,atthetop,settheBlackboxloggingdeviceto“SDCard”(itshouldbesetlikethisbydefault).SettheBlackboxLoggingRateto2kHz.TouseBlackboxlogging,insertaFAT-formattedSDcardof32GBorsmallerintotheSDcardslotontheKakuteF7.YoucanusetheBetaflightBlackboxLogViewerapptoexamineblackboxlogs.


OSDIntheOSDtab,youcanchoosewhichvaluesyouwanttoseeonscreenwhileyouareflying.EnableanddisableindividualelementsusingtheElementstogglesontheleft.

TheVideoFormatsectionletsyouchoosewhetheryourcameraisNTSCorPAL.BetaflightdefaultsthisvaluetoAuto,butAutosometimespickswrong.Ifthishappens,youmightnotseeanyOSDtext,orthebottomoftheOSDtextmightbeoffthebottomofthescreen.Insomecases,youwon’tseeanyvideoatall—justtheOSD.Becauseofthis,werecommendmanuallysettingtheVideoFormattoNTSCorPALdependingonwhichtypeofFPVcamerayouhave.

YoucanrearrangetheindividualOSDelementsonscreenbydraggingthemwithyourmouseinthe“Preview”sectionofthewindow.

SomeindividualOSDElementsofnoteare:

MainBattVoltage:Thisisprobablythesinglemostimportantelementtouse.Yourbatterymustnevergobelow3.3voltspercellunderanycircumstances,oritwillsufferdamage.Fora3Sbattery,thiswouldbe3times3.3=9.9volts.Fora4Sbattery,itwouldbe13.2volts.Anytimethebatterygoesbelowthislevel,itislikelybeingdamaged,atleastalittle.Moreimportantly,youwillhaveverylittlepowerandmaycrashifyouaredoingaggressivemaneuvers.

Although3.3voltsistherecommendedabsoluteminimum,youwillgetthebestlifeoutofyourbatteriesifyoukeepthevoltageaboveabout3.5voltspercell—10.5voltsfor3Sand14.0voltsfor4S.Ifyouareflyingandyounoticethebatterygoingbelowthislevel,itmightbetimetoland,oratleastgoeasieronthethrottle.Ifyourbatteriesconsistentlydroptothislevelwhenyoutrytofly,itmightbetimetogetnewbatteries.

Whenyouareusingthebattery,itsvoltagewilldrop.Thisisreferredtoas“sag”.Afteryouland,thebatterywillrecoverasmallamountanditsvoltagewillrise.Ourrecommendationisthat,thebatteryshouldbeatnolessthan3.75voltspercell—11.25voltsfora3Sand15.0voltsfora4S—afterithas


beenallowedtorestattheendofaflight.Ifyourbatteriesareconsistentlyrestingatbelowthislevelattheendofadayofflying,thenyoumightbeshorteningtheirlifespanatleastalittle.

mAhDrawn:Althoughvoltageiswhatultimatelydetermineswhetherabatteryisbeingdamaged,mAhmaybeabetterwayofdecidingwhentoland.Becausevoltagesagswhenyouraisethethrottleandrecoverswhenyoulowerthethrottle,itcanbehardtotellexactlyhowused-upthebatteryis.mAhislikea“gasgauge”foryourbattery.Itshowshowmuchcapacityyouhaveconsumed,independentofotherfactors.

Agoodpracticeistodrawfromabatterynomorethanabout80%ofitsratedmAh.So,a1300mAhbatterywouldbeabletodeliverabout1000to1100mAh.Withahealthybatteryandanhonestbatteryrating,thiswillresultinthebatteryrestingatabout15.0voltsafterflying.Ifyoudraw80%ofabattery’sratedcapacityanditisrestingathigherthan15.0volts,themanufacturermighthaveunder-rateditscapacity.Ifthebatteryisrestingatlowerthan15.0volts,themanufacturermighthaveover-rateditscapacity.Also,rememberthatbatterieslosecapacityastheyage.Abatterythatconsistentlyfailstodeliver80%ofitsratedcapacitywithoutsaggingbelow14.0voltsmightneedretirement.

CurrentSensorCalibrationThecurrentsensorinyourKakuteF7hasbeensetwithanominalcalibrationvalue.However,youmaybeabletoimprovetheaccuracybyperformingamoreprecisecalibration.WerecommendthatyourecordthemAhusedattheendofyourfirstfewflights,thencompareittothemAhthatyourbatterychargerputsbackintothebatteries.ThenadjusttheCurrentScaleinthePowerAndBatterytabtocompensateforanydifference.

Hereisanexample:

• OSDshows1100mAhDrawnattheendoftheflight.• Chargershows1000mAhputbackintothebattery.• 1100/1000=1.10.TheOSDisreading10%high.• CurrentScaleworksbackwardsfromhowyoumight

think.TomaketheOSDreadlower,youmakeCurrentScalelarger.SincetheOSDisreading10%high,weneedtoINCREASECurrentScaleby10%.ThiswillcausetheOSDtoread10%lower.

• IftheCurrentScalewasat400,wewillmultiplyitby1.10toadd10%,meaningthenewvalueshouldbe440.

ThemAhputbackinbythebatterywillseldomperfectlymatchthemAhreportedbytheOSD,butbytakingseveralmeasurementsandaveragingtheresults,youcanusuallygetitreasonablyclose.


UsingTheOSDIfyouareusingaBetaflightFlightControllerwithBetaflightOSD,youcanmanagetheAtlatl’stransmitpowerandchannelfromwithintheOSD.

ThegraphicsaboveshowthestickcommandtobringuptheOSDmenu.Thestickcommandis:throttlecentered,yawleft,pitchforward.Theexactstickcommandthereforedependsonwhichmodeyourtransmittersticksarein.

IntheOSDmenu,usepitchup/downtomovethecursorbetweenmenuitems.Whenamenuoptionhasa>symboltotherightofit,thisindicatesthatitcontainsasub-menu.Roll-rightwillenterthesub-menu.Forexample,inthescreentotheright,movingthecursorto“Features”andthenmovingtherollsticktotherightwillenterthe“Features”sub-menu.

TomanagethevTX,enterthe“Features”menu.Fromthere,enter“VTXSA”ifyouareusingaSmartAudiodevice,or“VTXTR”ifyouareusinganImmersionRCTelemetrydevice.

Mode2 Mode1


ThescreentotherightshowsthecurrentvTXsettings.Fromhere,youcanchangethefrequencyband,channel,andpowerlevelofthevideotransmitter.Aftermakingthechanges,movethecursorto“Set”andpressroll-righttoconfirmthesettings.


UsingFPVCameraControlIfyouhaveconnectedtheCAMpadontheKakutetoyourFPVcamera,orifyouareusingaRuncamcamerawithTXandRXpads,thenyoucanusetheFPVCameraControlfeatureofBetaflight.ThisfeatureallowsyoutoaccessyourFPVcamera’ssetupmenuusingyourtransmittersticks.

HereishowtousetheCameraControlfeature.Withthequaddisarmed,putthethrottleat50%(centered).Pushyaw-rightonthetransmitterstick.YouarenowinCameraControlmode.

WheninCameraControlmode,thepitchandrollinputs(rightstickforMode2transmitters)input“up/down/left/right”pressesonthecamerajoystick.Pushingyaw-rightinputsone“click”onthecamerajoystick.Usetheseinputsexactlyasifyouhadpluggedajoystickintothebackofthecamera.

Whenyouaredoneadjustingthecamera,pushyaw-lefttoexitCameraControlmode.

IfyouareusingtheCAMpadontheKakute,thecameracontrolfunctionmaynotworkwitheveryFPVcamera.ThisisalimitationofhowBetaflightimplementsthisfunction,andnotadefectintheKakute.AftersettingupCameraControl,werecommendthatyoucenter-throttle&yaw-righttwoorthreetimesinarow.Ifyouareusingdigitalcontrol,themenushouldappear.Ifyouareusinganalogcontrolandthemenudoesnotappear,yourcameramaynotworkwiththisfeature,oryoumayneedtoadjustsomecommand-lineparameters.


SavingYourConfigurationOnceyouhavefinishedbuilding,configuring,andtuningyourmultirotor,it’sagoodideatobackupyourconfigurationsothatyoucanrestoreitlater.Thisisusefulifyouloseyourquad,orifyoudamageyourflightcontroller,orifyouaccidentallylockyourselfoutofyourflightcontrollerandmustresetittogetbackin.

Beforeweshowyoutherightwaytosaveandrestoreyourconfiguration,letuswarnyouaboutthewrongway.BetaflightandCleanflighthavea“saveconfiguration”and“restoreconfiguration”button.Withoutgoingintotoomuchdetail,theyhavesomesignificantdrawbacksthatmeanwedon’trecommendthatyouusethem.

Thecorrectwaytosaveyourconfigurationisasfollows.

1. ConnectyourKakutetoyourPCbyplugginginUSB.2. StarttheBetaflightGUIapp.3. GototheCLItab.4. InthetextboxatthebottomoftheCLI,type“diffall”andhitenter.Thiswillcausetheflight

controllertodisplayallconfigurationoptionsthatyouhavechangedfromthedefaultvalues.5. Inthelower-rightcorneroftheconfigurator,clickthe“SavetoFile”button.6. Savethefilesomewhereyouwon’tloseit.

Torestoreyourconfiguration,dothis:

1. Openthetextfileinyourtexteditor.2. Highlighttheentirecontentsofthefile.3. Right-clickinthetexteditorwindowandchoose“Copy”.4. ConnectyourKakutetoyourPCbyplugginginUSB.5. StarttheBetaflightGUIapp.6. GototheCLItab.7. ClickthemouseonceinthetextboxatthebottomoftheCLItabtoplacethecursorthere.8. Insteadoftypinganycommands,right-clickinthetextboxandchoose“Paste”.9. PresstheEnterkeyonyourkeyboard.Thepasted-intextwillrapidlyscrollpast.10. Type“save”inthetextboxatthebottomofthescreen.11. PressEnter.Theflightcontrollerwillrebootandtheconfigurationwillberestored.


AdditionalReferenceHerearesomelinkstoadditionalvideostohelpyoubuildyourquadcoptersuccessfully.

Betaflight3.3UltimateSetupGuide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vJCrHj9s6s

HowtoCalibrateYourESCs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Mg-9M0l24

IfyouareusingananalogprotocollikeOneshotorMultishot,calibratingyourESCsismandatory.MostESCstodaysupportDshot.IfyourESCssupportDshot,youshoulduseit,andyoucanskipthisstep.

Failsafe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dikr9oDzQqc

Failsafeiswhathappenswhenyouflytoofarawayoryourreceivergetsdisconnectedfromyourflightcontroller.Ifyoudon’tconfigurefailsafe,thequadcouldflyaway,oritcouldcrashintosomething…orsomeone.

DON’TFLYWITHOUTVERIFYINGTHATFAILSAFEWORKSCORRECTLY.

Toverifyfailsafe,removeyourprops,thenpluginyourbatteryandarmyourcopter.Thenturnoffyourtransmitter.Yourmotorsshouldstopwithin1to3secondsatmost.

Ifyourmotorsdon’tstopwhenyouturnoffyourtransmitter,DONOTFLYYOURMULTIROTORUNDERANYCIRCUMSTANCES.


AdjustPIDs/Rates/vTXfromTaranisIfyouhaveaFrSkyTaranisradioandifyouareusingtelemetry(suchasSmartPort,FPort,orCrossfire),youcanuseyourTaranistochangeyourPIDsandrates.

ThisisdonebyinstallingapieceofprogrammingcodecalledaLuascriptonyourTaranis.IfyouarealsousingSmartAudio,youcanuseaLuascripttochangeyourvTXsettings.ThisisthesameasifyouwereusingtheBetaflightOSD,butitworkswithoutyouhavingtoputyourgoggleson.

Detailedinstructionsforhowtodothisarebelow:

HowtoUpgradeTaranistoOpenTX2.2andInstallLuaScripts

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDb7WF6c8kLrGADjuxJUm5M2szXd_j8

Documents

#11033 Kakute F7 - FPV Sampa