CAP10 with HD FC and HDZero. Low latency and no problems with FPV aerobatics. The beautiful blue sky was impressive.




Specs
Airframe : RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Cap 10
Flight Controller : BETAFPV F4 2-3S 20A AIO FC V1/STM32F405/Serial ELRS 2.4G V1
Firmware : Betaflight 4.5.0 RC1
VTX : HDZero Race VTX V3
Servos : EMAX ES09MA(Aileron), ES09A(Elevator and Rudder)
Motor : H-King 2206-1500KV
Prop : GWS EP-8040
BEC : Mateksys Micro BEC 6S
Battery GAONENG 3S 660mAh HV(90C/180C)
Remote ID : Braveridge BVRPT

HD FC
BETAFPV F4 2-3S 20A AIO FC V1/STM32F405/Serial ELRS 2.4G V1 was used. Since this FC has an HD connector, connection with HD VTX is very easy. No external receiver is needed because it has a built-in serial ELRS receiver. I added an external BEC for stable operation to withstand the transient current of the servos.
The motor was connected to M1 pad, GPS was connected to TX1/RX1 pads, and servos were connected to TX6/RX6 pads and P0.5 pin of BB51F16G MCU for motor 3(see diagram).

...Continue Reading

LDARC 450X twin mod. for high-speed flight. The result was 124 km/h.

LDARC 450X twin mod. (0 min 54 sec)

Airframe : LDARC 450X
Flight Controller : Happymodel CrazyF411 ELRS AIO 4in1 Flight controller built-in UART 2.4G ELRS and 20A ESC for Toothpick
Firmware Betaflight 4.5
Servo : Power HD HD-1440A x 2
Motor:T-motor M1103 11000KV x 2
Prop: Gemfan Hurricane 2015-2(1.5mm) x 2

Battery : Gaoneng 300mAh 3S HV
Weight 92g

Flight Controller
Happymodel CrazyF411 ELRS AIO 4in1 was used. 2 motors were connected to M2 and M3 connecters. 2 servos were connected to TX1 and RX1 pads(see the dIagram below). TX2 and RX2 pads can't be used for servos because they are connected to an internal ELRS receiver.

All CLI commands I used are as follows

resource MOTOR 1 B06
resource MOTOR 2 B07
resource MOTOR 3 NONE
resource MOTOR 4 NONE
resource SERVO 1 A09
resource SERVO 2 A10

mixer CUSTOMAIRPLANE
mmix reset
mmix 0 1.000 0.000 0.000 -1 #left motor with differential thrust
mmix 1 1.000 0.000 0.000 1 #right motor with differential thrust
smix reset
smix 0 2 0 -100 0 0 100 0 # aileron mixing for left ailevon
smix 1 3 0 -100 0 0 100 0 # aileron mixing for right ailevon
smix 2 2 1 -100 0 0 100 0 # elevator mixing for left ailevon
smix 3 3 1 100 0 0 100 0 # elevator mixing for right ailevon
set servo_lowpass_hz = 5 # to avoid structure coupled vibration
set small_angle = 180 # to arm motor in any attitude
save

PID Profile settings:
P I D
ROLL 24 24 15
PITCH 30 30 15
YAW 100 100 15

...Continue Reading

This time I put two 1106 6000KV motors(later replaced with 1404 4500KV motors) on Storm wing and flew it with 4s battery to increase speed. The motors were placed in a tractor configuration to make it quieter. I also installed Futaba remote ID and measured the ground speed with a cell phone.

RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Storm twin mod. ( tractor version ) (1 min 22 sec)

Airframe : RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Storm
Flight Controller : Happymodel CrazyF411 ELRS AIO 4in1 Flight controller built-in UART 2.4G ELRS and 20A ESC for Toothpick
Firmware Betaflight 4.3.1
Servo : FUTABA 7.8g S3114 x 2
Motor : T-motor M1106 6000KV x 2
Prop : Gemfan 2020-4 1.5mm Shaft CLEAR Gray x 2

Faster combination
Motor : GEPRC GR1404 4500KV x 2
Prop : Gemfan Flash 2540-3 x 2

Battery : TATTU 450mAh 14.8V 75C 4S1P
BETAFPV LAVA 4S 450mAh LiHV 75C 15.2V
Remote ID : FUTABA FRID-1
Weight 163g with 4S battery

Flight Controller
I used Happymodel CrazyF411 ELRS AIO 4in1 because it is 4s compatible and has a built in serial ELRS receiver. I use ELRS exclusively except for toy planes because of its long range performance. The FC I bought had ELRS version 3 installed. Wiring is simple with only servos, motors, Remote ID and battery. The FC also has a 5V 1.5A BEC output, which drives two servos and a Remote ID(an external BEC was added for stability later). Left motor/Right motor is connected to M1/M2 connector. Servos are connected to Serial TX1 and RX1.

All CLI commands I...Continue Reading

I modified STORM by adding two 1103 motors. With 3S battery it flies fast. Knife Edge flight is also possible.

RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys STORM twin mod. (1 min 6 sec)

Specs
Airframe : RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Storm
Flight Controller : BETAFPV F4 2-3S 20A AIO FC V1/STM32F405/Serial ELRS 2.4G V1
Firmware Betaflight 4.4.1 BETAFPVF405
Servo : ROBIN 6.0g RB-S060 x 2
Motor : Darwin 1103 8000KV x 2
Prop : GEMFAN 2512-3 CLEAR Gray x 2
Faster combination
Motor:T-motor M1103 11000KV
Prop: Gemfan Hurricane 2015-2(1.5mm)
Battery : GAONENG GNB 3S 660mah HV 90C/180C
Remote ID : Braveridge BVRPT
Weight 136g with 3S battery

Flight Controller
BETAFPV F4 AIO FC V1 was used because it has a 3S output and a built-in ELRS receiver.
The FC also has a 5V 3A BEC output, which is enough to drive two servos and a Remote ID.
　Servos are connected to Serial TX1 and RX1.
In the initial setting of the FC, ports and timer channels are as follows:
motor 1 B00 TIM3 CH3 (AF2)
motor 2 B01 TIM3 CH4 (AF2)
motor 3 A03 TIM2 CH4 (AF1)
motor 4 A02 TIM2 CH3 (AF1)
serial 1 TX A09 TIM1 CH2 (AF1)
serial 1 RX A10 TIM1 CH3 (AF1)
Since motors use TIM2 and TIM3 and serial 1 uses TIM1, there is no timer conflict. Therefore, the servo setting is simply
resource servo 1 a09
resource servo 2 a10

All CLI commands I used are as follows

resource servo 1 a09　#TIM1_CH2
resource servo 2 a10 #TIM2_CH3
mixer CUSTOMAIRPLANE
mmix reset
mmix 0 1.000 0.000 0.000 1
mmix 1 1.000 0....Continue Reading

RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Crack Wing with Virtual Crack Wing (1 min 2 sec)

I made a Graphical OSD using Teensy 4.0 and the old-fashioned LM1881. Data is overlaid by DMA SPI . The OSD is capable of displaying two-dimensional points, lines, and characters, as well as three-dimensional wireframe models. The OSD communicates with FC using USB host function. The electronic parts were placed under the Teensy 4.0 socket to save space.

I made a short video of the elevator and rudder deflections of CAP10 during rolling maneuvers.

Elevator and Rudder Deflections during Rolling Maneuvers - RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys CAP 10 (0 min 30 sec)

Did high speed rolls with Cap 10.

RC Factory / Twisted Hobbys CAP 10, the Rolling Monster (0 min 43 sec)

Specs
Airframe : RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Cap 10
Flight Controller : Happymodel Teeny F4 Pro
ESC : Castle Creations Talon 15A
Servos : EMAX ES09MA(Aileron), ES09A(Elevator and Rudder)
Motor : H-King 2206-1500KV
Prop : GWS EP-8040
Battery GAONENG 3S 380mAh HV(90C/180C)
Remote ID : Braveridge BVRPT

FC
The Teeny F4 Pro has a buck-boost converter, so it can conveniently be powered by BEC 5V output. It has 4 pwm outputs, and I used pwm1 for the motor and pwm2-4 for servos(see diagram below). Originally resouce of motors are as follows:

resource MOTOR 1 B00 #TIM3_CH3 (AF2)
resource MOTOR 2 B01 #TIM3_CH4 (AF2)
resource MOTOR 3 A03 #TIM2_CH4 (AF1)
resource MOTOR 4 A02 #TIM2_CH3 (AF1)

Since B00 and B01 share the same timer(TIM3), assigning B00 to a motor and B01 to a servo will cause a conflict. Therefore, the timer of B01 is set to TIM8_CH3N (AF03) by timer command:

timer B01 AF3 #TIM8_CH3N

I dummy-set A08 to motor 2 because two motors need to be configured in Betaflight airplane setup. All cli commands I used are as follows:

# resource
resource motor 2 a08 #TIM1, dummy-set
resource servo 1 b01
resource servo 2 a03 #TIM2
resource servo 3 a02 #TIM2
timer b01 af3 #TIM8
mixer CUSTOMAIRPLANE
mmix reset
mmix 0 1 0 0 0
mmix 1 2 0 0 0
smix reset
smix 0 2 0 100 0 0 100 0 # AIL
smix 1 3 1 100 0 0 100 0 # ELE
smix 2 4 2 100 0 0 100 0 # RUD
set servo_lowpass_hz = 5 # to avoid structural coupled vibration
set small_angle = 180 # to arm motor in any attitude
save
------
PID and rateprofile I used are as follows:
PID
ROLL 6 12 20
PITCH 24 40 20
YAW 18 30 20

Rateprofile Settings
ROLL 70 2000 0
PITCH 70 670 0
YAW 70 670 0

I tried to fly two Crack Wings in formation with GPS.

RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Crack Wing in Formation (0 min 54 sec)

I have assembled RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Crack Wing again using recent parts.

RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Crack Wing 2023 (1 min 12 sec)

SPECS
FC Happymodel X12 ELRS V2.1
MOTOR T-motor M1104/7500kv
Props Gemfan WinDancer 3028-3 Clear Blue
GPS M8Q-5883
CAMERA RunCam Nano 3
Battery Tattu 450mah 2S

FC
The FC is 5-in-1 AIO, so there is no need to connect separate receiver or ESCs. Left ailevon servo was connected to LED_STRIP pad and right ailevon servo to RX2 pad. GPS RX/TX were connected to TX1/RX1 pads(see the diagram) . CLI commands with differential thrust are as follows:

resource SERVO 1 A00 # SERVO 1 = left ailevon servo, A00 is LED_STRIP of X12
resource SERVO 2 A03 # SERVO 2 = right ailevon servo, A03 is RX2 of X12
mixer CUSTOMAIRPLANE
mmix reset
mmix 0 1.000 0.000 0.000 1 #left motor with differential thrust
mmix 1 1.000 0.000 0.000 -1 #right motor with differential thrust
smix reset
smix 0 2 0 -100 0 0 100 0 # aileron mixing for left ailevon
smix 1 3 0 -100 0 0 100 0 # aileron mixing for right ailevon
smix 2 2 1 -100 0 0 100 0 # elevator mixing for left ailevon
smix 3 3 1 100 0 0 100 0 # elevator mixing for right ailevon
set servo_lowpass_hz = 5 # to avoid structure coupled vibration
set small_angle = 180 # to arm motor in any attitude
save

The FC was mounted underside of the wing(see picture) and board alignment is 0 0 135 for roll pitch and yaw.
My PID setting are roll 50 50 15, pitch 30 30 15 and...Continue Reading

RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Edge 540 Mini with 5in1 Whoop FC (1 min 10 sec)

I installed FC+FPV+GPS on Edge 540 Mini, wondering if these will be common for future RC planes. AUW is 94g.

Flight Controller
Happymodel X12 ELRS V2.1 was used. I chose ELRS version to ensure transmitter range in GPS flight. This FC is 5-in-1, FC+Reciever+ESC+OSD+VTX, weighing only 5.1g. The 12A ESC is enough to fly Edge 540 Mini.

GPS, Servos, Motor
I connected GPS to TX1 and RX1. TX2 is soldered to smartport by default. When AIL servo is connected to LED_STRIP and ELV servo to RX2, there is no pad to connect RUD servo. I had no choice but to connect it to P0.5 pin of the MCU(BB21F16G) for MOTOR4 ESC. This wiring was very difficult.
LED_STRIP, RX2, and MOTOR4 ESC are connected to A00, A03, and B08 of F411 (you can find these information by CLI resource command or by https://github.com/betaflight/unifie...1SX1280.config).

The CLI commands are as follows:

resource SERVO 1 A00 # LED_STRIP for ailelon
resource SERVO 2 A03 # RX2 for elevator
resource SERVO 3 B08 # B08(MOTOR4) for rudder

I connected the motor to M1 connector only but Motor 2 is also set as a dummy to avoid configuration errors.

mmix reset
mmix 0 1 0 0 0
mmix 1 2 0 0 0 # Motor 2 is not used, but was dummy-set to avoid configuration errors.

The entire CLI commands I used were as follows:

resource LED_STRIP NONE
resource SERIAL_RX 2 NONE
resource MOTOR 4 NONE

resource SERVO 1 A00 #...Continue Reading

I assembled the New Super Extra L and tried automated flight of F3A P-23.

RC Factory Super Extra L F3A P-23 - automated flight (2 min 29 sec)

I tried to synchronize the aerobatic flight of Crack Yak XL with music.

RC Factory Crack Yak XL - Automated Aerobatics Synchronized with Music (0 min 32 sec)

Install Betaflight AIO on 1m Edge540 V3 (0 min 33 sec)

I would like to demonstrate that Betaflight AIO FC with a large output current can be used for a large airplane. As an example JHEMCU GHF411 AIO Flight controller, which has 25A ESC and 2.5A BEC output, was installed on the 1m class RC Factory Edge 540 V3. As a result, it could drive 220W Motor and 4 Servos without problems. When using on a larger airplane, make sure the BEC current is sufficient.

・Servo Connection
Since edge540 requires 2 aileron servos, it is necessary to connect 4 servos to FC. LED_Strip, TX1, RX1, TX2, RX2, SCL and SDA are possible pads to connect servos. RX2 cannot be used for servo when SBUS receiver is connected. I used LED_Strip, TX2, SCL and SDA for servo 1 to 4. They are connected to A15, A2, B8 and B9 ports of the MCU, respectively.

First, assign those ports to servos by CLI resource command:
resource servo 1 a15
resource servo 2 a02
resource servo 3 b08
resource servo 4 b09

I attached a table of alternate functions of those ports. From the table, A15 can be assigned to TIM2_CH1 as AF01, A2 to TIM2_CH3 as AF01, B8 to TIM4_CH3 as AF02 and B9 to TIM4_CH4 as AF02.
So the CLI timer commands are:
timer a15 af01
timer a02 af01
timer b08 af02
timer b09 af02

Especially servos connected to SCL and SDA will not work without last 2 timer commands. From the table, you can see that the servo timer settings do not conflict with the motor timer settings.

・Betaflight...Continue Reading

Synergy with Whoop Fc (0 min 33 sec)

I installed Whoop FC, Crazybee F4FR Pro V3.0, on Synergy from RC Factory. FC works as a receiver, ESC and gyro and weighs only 4.3g. It has 2-4S input, 10A ESC, and 1A BEC, so I think it is suitable for Synergy class aircraft. The range of the built-in receiver is not long, so it is recommended to use it for indoor flight. I actually replaced the antenna with a coaxial one for outdoor flight later.

・Servo Connection
Servos can be connected to pads which can be set to timer output ports. For this FC, LED_Strip, TX1, RX1, TX2, and RX2 pads can be used. (IRX1 cannot be used because it is connected to an inverter. BUZZ also cannot be used because it cannot be set to a timer output port.) I used LED_Strip, TX2, and RX2 pads for Servo 1 (AILERON), Servo 2 (ELEVATOR), and Servo3 (RUDDER). They are connected to PA0, PA2, and PA3 of the MCU. Betaflight resource commands are:

resource servo 1 A00
resource servo 2 A02
resource servo 3 A03

The wiring diagram, actual wiring, and assembling the servo connector are shown in the pictures.

・Betaflight Setting
The motor is connected to the M1 connector. FC is placed so that the M1 connector is facing forward and attached to the back of the fuselage (see photo). The board alignment is roll 0 pitch 0 yaw -45.

Betaflight command I used are as follows:

resource led_strip 1 none
resource serial_tx 2 none
resource serial_rx 2 none
resource servo 1 A00
...Continue Reading

Happy Holidays to RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Owners (0 min 32 sec)

Toothpick FC on RC Factory Yak 55 (0 min 26 sec)

This time I installed Happy model CrazyF411 on RC Factory Yak55. The CrazyF411 is a receiver, ESC, OSD and F4 FC. It also has 20A ESC output and 1.5A BEC output, which are enough for 80cm class foamy airplane.

○Servos and Motor Connection
3 Servos were connected to LED_Strip, TX2 and RX2 pads and the motor was connected to M1 connector of the FC ( See the connection diagram ). Betaflight CLI commands I used were as follows.

resource led_strip 1 none
resource serial_tx 2 none
resource serial_rx 2 none
resource servo 1 a00
resource servo 2 a02
resource servo 3 a03
mixer customairplane
smix reset
smix 0 2 0 -100 0 0 100 0 # aileron
smix 1 3 1 -100 0 0 100 0 # elevator
smix 2 4 2 100 0 0 100 0 # rudder
set servo_lowpass_hz = 5
set small_angle = 180

○Roll Rate
Betaflight controls the angular rates of the plane according to the stick inputs. By default, it is set to a maximum of 667 deg / sec, so if you do not increase this, the rotation rates of Yak55 will be limited. Use RC Rate or Rate in Rateprofile Settings to increase the rotation rates. In the video, the maximum roll rate was increased to roll the Yak55 at 900deg/sec.

〇Modified Horizon Mode
I attached a hex file of auto hovering code for CrazyF411 based on betaflight 4.2.9. It will keep the plane vertically in horizon mode. No warranty. You can override the control even if in the mode. I like outside loop with the mode on. Simply by releasing the sticks, it will return to hovering(See the video). Have fun.

〇Specs
Model : RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Yak55 V2
FC : Happymodel CrazyF411 AIO F4
Motor : T-Motor AT2306 KV1500
Prop : GWS EP-9060
Servos : EMAX ES08DII x 3
Battery : BETAFPV 450mAh 3S 75C Lipo
Size : 80cm(W) x 78cm(L)
AUW : 224g

RC Factory Step One Baby - Simple Figure 8, automated flight (0 min 51 sec)

setup : https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...-with-Whoop-FC

RC Factory Step One BABY with Whoop FC - automated flight (0 min 40 sec)

Whoop FC was installed to RC Factory Step One BABY. Since it flies with brushed motors, I used brushed FC, Happymodel BeecoreX FR F4.

○Betaflight Setting
The setting is very simple because it uses only two motors. The right wing motor was connected to the motor 1 connector of the FC and the left one was to motor 2 connecter. The differential thrust was set to control yaw by rudder. The betaflight cli commands were as follows:

# mixer
mixer CUSTOMAIRPLANE
mmix reset
mmix 0 1.000 0.000 0.000 -1.0 #Motor1
mmix 1 1.000 0.000 0.000 1.0 #Motor2
set small_angle=180

PID Setting
Since the yaw axis control was used to control the motor speeds, only yaw PID settings were necessary. I used P 15 I 0 D 0.

Board Alignment
FC was placed inside the fuselage as shown in the photo. The board alignment was roll -90 pitch -135 yaw 0. Since FC gets very hot, it is recommended to remove the canopy and cool down after each flight.

○Wheels
GWS 25mm wheels were installed for takeoff and landing in the gym.

○FPV
This is optional but BeecoreX has OSD and VTX, so you can turn it into an FPV plane by simply connecting a camera (Runcam Nano 3, weighs only 1.1g!). Be careful of cooling FC. It may be necessary to place the FC outside the fuselage.

○Like an Indoor Rubber-Powered Airplane
You can fly Step One BABY with the above settings. I attached a hex file I used to make it fly like an...Continue Reading

Toothpick FC on Gripen (0 min 28 sec)

I installed Toothpick FC, Happymodel CrazyF411, to RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Gripen. CrazyF411 supports 2-4S battery input and has 20A ESCs, 1.5A BEC, and Frsky diversity receiver. It weighs only 6.3g. Since I used the FC as a reciever, ESCs, and a 6 axis gyro for Gripen, the wiring became very simple. Total weight was 170g with battery.

〇Servo connection
CrazyF411 is very similar to CrazybeeX. I connected 2 servos to TX2 and RX2 pads which are PA2 and PA3 of the MCU. CLI commands for activating 2 servos were:

resource servo 1 a02
resource servo 2 a03

I used servo 1 for right elevon and servo 2 for left elevon.

〇Betaflight setting
I assembled RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Gripen and put the FC on it. I used M2 and M4 connectors which are PB6 and PB8 of the MCU. I used M2 for motor 1 on the right elevon and M4 for motor 2 on the left elevon. Betaflight CLI command was as follows.

resource motor 1 b06
resource motor 2 b08
resource servo 1 a02
resource servo 2 a03
# mixer
mixer CUSTOMAIRPLANE
mmix reset
mmix 0 1.000 0.000 0.000 -0.300
mmix 1 1.000 0.000 0.000 0.300
# servo mix
smix reset
smix 0 2 0 -100 0 0 100 0
smix 1 3 0 -100 0 0 100 0
smix 2 2 1 100 0 0 100 0
smix 3 3 1 -100 0 0 100 0
set servo_lowpass_hz = 5
set small_angle = 180

〇Airplane also needs to hover.
I attached a hex file of auto hovering code for CrazyF411 based on betaflight 4.2.9. It will...Continue Reading

Whoop FC on a Plane (0 min 27 sec)

This time I connected 3 servos to Whoop FC, Happymodel CrazybeeX.
CrazybeeX supports 2S input and has 5A ESC and 1A BEC. This is ideal for a small airplane such as RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys Mini series. CrazybeeX can be used as a reciever, ESC and gyro. If they were installed separately, the total weight would be 24g. CrazybeeX weighs only 7g with cable and connectors. Which do you prefer? I replaced the antenna with a coaxial one for outdoor flight later.

〇Where should I connect servos?
CrazybeeX has LED_Strip, TX2 and RX2 pads which line up nicely. I connected 3 servos to these pads.
LED_Strip, TX2 and RX2 are connected to PA0, PA2 and PA3 of the MCU and they can be assigned to TIM5_CH1, TIM9_CH1 and TIM9_CH2. Since Motor 1-4 use only TIM2 and TIM4, there is no timer conflict. CLI command for activating 3 servos will be very simple.

resource servo 1 a00
resource servo 2 a02
resource servo 3 a03

〇Betaflight setting
I assembled RC Factory/Twisted Hobbys MXS-C(Mini) and put the FC on it. I connected the motor to the top right connector and used servo 1, servo 2 and servo 3 for aileron, elevator and rudder. Betaflight CLI command was as follows.

resource motor 1 b08 # top right
resource led_strip 1 none
resource serial_tx 2 none
resource serial_rx 2 none
resource servo 1 a00
resource servo 2 a02
resource servo 3 a03
mixer customairplane
mmix reset
mmix 0 1 0 0 0
smix reset
smix 0 2 0 -100 0 0 100 0 #...Continue Reading