We have noticed that the Betaflight update is a bit of a hurdle for many people. That's why we have created this "Ultimate Update Guide" for you in which we explain from start to finish which steps you need to follow and how to reload presets. This applies to both new copters and those that have been sitting in the corner for a while.
This blog post is also available as a video. You can find it on our YouTube channel. And while you're there, why don't you leave a subscription :D
INFO:
Betaflight 4.5 will be released soon. The video was recorded earlier and covers the update up to version 4.4. The basic update process remains the same. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. The Betaflight team provides the following information:The basic flight parameters have not changed from 4.4 to 4.5. Previous filters, PID settings and other tuning values should not need to be changed.
The Betaflight Configurator must be used in version 10.10.
As usual, the complete deletion of the chip is mandatory when flashing. Reconfiguring from scratch is safer than importing a CLI dump or a saved preset, and users of GPS Rescue, Angle and Horizon modes should NOT use their old values. Otherwise, most flight, Rx, mode, OSD and GPS parameters have not changed since 4.4. All new or renamed parameters will have default values, so importing a 4.4 save file (Presets>Save) is okay in most cases.
Angle, Horizon and GPS Rescue users should NOT use the previous values in 4.5. The new 4.5 default values should be used! Also, no 4.3 or earlier dumps or defaults should be loaded into 4.5! Always test new firmware carefully and in a controlled environment!
Betaflight 4.5 Release Notes: https://betaflight.com/docs/wiki/release/Betaflight-4-5-Release-Notes
If you have not yet had any contact with the Betaflight configurator, you must first download it from the GitHub page and install it.
https://github.com/betaflight/betaflight-configurator/releases/latest
Now you can connect your Quad to the PC via a USB data cable (!) and click on Connect in the top right corner of the configurator. As soon as you connect the Quad, the appropriate Betaflight port should also be selected directly.
If this is not the case, you may have used an external cable or you may need to install the Zadig driver. This is often the case with Windows. If nothing is displayed, try the ImpulseRC tool.
Before actually flashing the firmware, you should first make a backup of your current configuration. If something goes wrong or your FC does not work with 4.4, you can always flash back and restore your old settings using the backup. Here you should check which version your quad is currently on. If your quad is on Betaflight <4.2, enter the command diff all in the command line (CLI, at the bottom of the configurator). Diff all includes all three PID profiles, diff does not. Dump also outputs the default values, which can be useful if the default values have changed between versions. Betaflight then writes all settings that differ from the factory settings to the console. On the right below the prompt line you will find the Save button. This creates a text document in which all settings are saved. Alternatively, you can also save the text from the command line to a text document yourself.
If you already have Betaflight 4.3 on your FC, you can create a backup file directly within the preset tab. The button for this is located at the top right, above the preset search bar.
If you are using an analog VTx, you should also back up your VTx settings to this. This also works across versions. To do this
select the Video Transmitter tab at the bottom left and then select "Save to file". Betaflight will then create a .json file that you can import back into the new firmware
.
IMPORTANT:
The jumps from Betaflight 4.2 to 4.3 and 4.4 are major updates from the developers! Therefore, these backups are primarily intended for problems where you need to flash back to your original version! There are migration tools that can convert the diff all backup text from a 4.2 version to a 4.3 version, but there is no guarantee that everything will actually work! If you definitely want to rule out the possibility of your quad falling out of the sky due to a possible migration error, you should rather make your backup differently.
I prefer to take screenshots of the individual tabs in Betaflight, because then I can also see directly where I have to adjust what. This is particularly useful with
BNF copters. The quickest way to find out what is connected to which port is to simply take a picture of the Serial Ports tab.
Believe me... I've already been allowed to flash copters where the owner has neither made a backup nor written down the ports beforehand. This is especially great when the manufacturer has no documentation either. Screenshots cost nothing, but can save time if the worst comes to the worst.
Once you have made your backup, in whatever form, it is time to flash the fresh firmware. To do this, disconnect the Quad at the top right and
click on Update firmware directly to the left. We leave the slider for displaying pre-releases untouched and go directly to Auto-Detect and the configurator automatically reads out your FC type. If you are not sure whether Betaflight has detected the correct FC, reconnect to the quad via Connect and read the settings via diff all in the CLI. The FC type can also be found there. This is then at the top. If the two types match, select the firmware. In our case, this is Betaflight 4.4.2. We do not need a reboot sequence, we delete the chip completely during an update and we also leave the baud rate as it is.
Since version 4.4, it is also possible to select which protocols and functions are to be installed directly during flashing. For the radio and telemetry protocols, you select the protocols that are appropriate for you. The motor protocol must of course match the one that you have previously used or that is supported by your ESC. To do this, either look in the documentation of your ESC or in your backup screenshots.
Under Options, we can now select which additional functions we want to install. If your quad has no LEDs, no GPS or you only fly
analog anyway, you can deselect these options. This can reduce the load on your FC processor.
Then click on Load firmware [online] at the bottom right and then on Flash firmware. The loading bar should then run from left to
right without any incidents and your quad is flashed to 4.4.
However, the real work begins now.
Set all ports exactly as they were before. If you have not taken a screenshot, you must now look on the FC to see which
part is connected to which port. At this point at the latest, you should realize that the screenshots really pay off ;) Once you have set all ports, click on Save and restart at the bottom right.
Here we start with the gyro settings. The orientation is one of the most important settings of all, because if the copter flies forwards, but the gyro
thinks it is flying backwards, then it will be funny, annoying or painful. Depending on how far you stand away from the copter. You can also check what you set here directly in the top tab after saving and restarting. If you move your copter in your hand, the copter should move in the same way in Betaflight. If not, adjust the gyro settings again until the movements match. The same applies to the compass settings.
You can set the DShot beacon as you wish, I would leave both sliders set to On. Then it beeps when the radio contact breaks off or the corresponding switch is flipped at
. Further settings for when the copter should beep can be found under the DShot-Beacon setting.
If you still have GPS installed on the quad, this tab also contains the slider to activate GPS.
In this tab, you apply the exact settings that were previously set. If you leave the default values here, you will usually be rewarded with an incorrect
current measurement and will wonder why your quad can suddenly only fly half as long with the same battery because the OSD shows that the battery is empty.
The failsafe settings would be the subject of a separate video. In the top right-hand corner, select what should happen if your radio connection is lost. In the best case scenario, you actually select that the UAV should fall out of the sky if no GPS is installed. To do this, select the first option at level 2. You can set how long it takes for the copter to fail-safe under signal loss duration.
With the PIDs, you also use the settings you used before. But be careful! The range of setting options for the PID controller increases with every Betaflight update. The default values of the PID controller work well for most 5" copters, but it can happen that they do not work for your 3", 4" or 7" copter because, for example, functions such as I-Term Relax and similar were not previously available. It can therefore happen that you can transfer your values from the backup, but due to new functions the copter does not fly as you are used to. In this case, only a new tuning of your PID controller will help, which makes sense with a major update of Betaflight anyway ;)
then check your rates and the filter settings and click Save again.
Now it's time to get your radio out and switch it on, because we are now going to check the radio link and set it up. First select the way in which the receiver communicates with the FC. If you have a separately soldered receiver, select Serial or the corresponding item for your radio protocol.
Then select your radio protocol for your receiver under Serial receiver. Now Betaflight only needs to know which channel of the radio is responsible for what
. In most cases this is AERT1234 or also called Mode 2. next, check whether your radio has a connection to the FC. If your receiver is not supplied with power via the FC, you must now plug in a battery. Of course, remove the propellers first!
If you have a connection between the radio and the FC, you can now check whether the channel assignment is correct. Go through everything once. This means throttle, yaw, roll and pitch and observe whether the copter moves accordingly in Betaflight. If everything is OK, save and reboot!
In addition to the stick inputs, Betaflight also needs to know what to do with different switch positions. After all, the copter must also be
armed! The simplest option, and the reason why we went through the receiver tab beforehand, is automatic assignment. Which modes you need is of course up to you, so I'll show you how to assign the arm switch.
In the "Arm" box, click on Add range and the slider bar will appear to specify which switch position you want to arm at. Leave the
drop-down menu set to AUTO and now move the switch on the spark with which you want to arm. Betaflight automatically adopts the channel
of the moved switch and you only have to use the slider to specify the position at which the copter should arm. Once you have assigned all modes, click save again and off you go!
If you still haven't done so, now is the time to take off your propellers, because we are now going to control the motors! First, select the motor/ESC protocol that you used before. In most cases, this is DShot300 or -600. Next, Betaflight wants to know in which direction the motors are turning, i.e. either outside-in or inside-out. If the cutting edge of your front propellers turns inwards, i.e. towards the cam, you are flying outside-in and do not need to change anything. If your front propellers turn outwards, i.e. away from the cam, Betaflight must know this and you click on Reverse direction of rotation of the motors. If you forget to do this, you will be surprised on your first flight that your copter takes off briefly and then disarms.
We can also check the direction of rotation and the numbering of the motors at this point. To do this, we take a battery, connect it, activate the motor test mode and move the sliders of the corresponding motor number up a bit one after the other. Motor 1 should of course start turning. Go through all 4 motors and see if the numbering matches. Then move the master slider up a little. With a piece of paper or plastic that you now hold against the motor bell, you can check the direction of rotation
. If a direction of rotation does not match, switch the motor test mode off again. If a motor summation or direction of rotation does not match, you can change it using the wizard. You can see how it works in our video, Betaflight also guides you through the configuration very well if your motor settings do not match.
If you are using analog and have previously saved your settings as a .json file, you can restore your settings via the file in the Video transmitter tab. To do this, click on the Load from file button at the bottom center, select your file and everything will be back to the old settings.
For those who are using digital VTx, an article on how to configure the OSD with the O3 AirUnit will be coming soon.
In the OSD (On Screen Display) you select the values that are relevant for you when flying. For example, the battery voltage. As soon as you have selected a value, you can drag and drop it into the preview image. This is how it will be displayed later in the goggles.
If you have restored everything (correctly), your copter should fly properly and you will also benefit from the new Betaflight functions.
If you have any questions, simply comment below our video.
See you next time
Fabian
