One of the crucial vital settings in FPV drone tuning is charges—they decide how your drone responds to stay inputs. In case your charges are too excessive, your quad will really feel twitchy and laborious to regulate. In the event that they’re too low, it might really feel sluggish and unresponsive. On this tutorial, I’ll break down what Betaflight charges are, how they work, why Precise Charges are the best choice, and decide the excellent charges in your flying model.
Charges Want Tuning
Identical to PID and filters, charges have to be positive tuned to optimize your drone’s efficiency. You’ll be amazed by the numerous enhancements you may obtain in your flying expertise by tuning charges to match your distinctive flying model and necessities.
Betaflight provides a complete of 5 charge programs:
- Precise Charges
- Betaflight Charges
- Raceflight Charges
- KISS Charges
- Fast Charges
Nonetheless, essentially the most extensively used are Precise and Betaflight Charges.
On this tutorial, we’ll delve into the important thing options of Precise Charges and Betaflight Charges, how they work, and the way I discover my most popular charges. If you’re undecided which charge system to make use of, my suggestion for each rookies and skilled pilots can be to start out with the default – Precise Charges. It’s efficient and intuitive to make use of.
Understanding Precise Charges
“Precise Charges” are the default charges in Betaflight, offering an easy method to setting most rotational velocity (e.g., coming into 1000 corresponds to 1000deg/sec) and middle sensitivity values. No extra guessing, as this method is way extra intuitive and fewer complicated for pilots in comparison with the older Betaflight charges.
If you’re new to the interest, I’d advocate utilizing Precise charges. Should you come from one other kind of charges, there are a lot of on-line instrument that provide help to convert charge values between these completely different programs.
There are 3 values in Precise Charges: Middle Sensitivity, Max Fee, Expo.
Middle Sensitivity
Middle Sensitivity pertains to the responsiveness across the middle stick place. A decrease worth provides finer, smoother management, whereas a better worth ends in a extra reactive drone to stay motion.
Max Fee
Max Fee defines the drone’s spin velocity at full stick deflection. The worth entered represents the precise most rotational velocity. For instance, coming into 700 means your drone will try to rotate at 700 levels/sec at full stick.
Nonetheless, remember the fact that the utmost angular velocity will be restricted by your motors. When motors attain their bodily limitations and can’t spin any quicker, the utmost angular velocity is capped, whatever the greater worth set in Betaflight.
Expo
Expo flattens the curve between middle stick and full stick. To attain a extra linear charge, maintain Expo low. For a broader middle stick area with finer management, improve Expo. Remember the fact that growing Expo additionally reduces middle sensitivity. Whereas Expo will be as excessive as 1.0, extreme Expo would possibly trigger decreased middle stick sensitivity and make the drone’s response extra unpredictable in direction of full stick (extra jumpy).
Tuning Precise Charges
Begin by setting the Middle Sensitivity. Cruise round and navigate by means of gaps to check the specified management precision across the middle stick. For small changes and exact aiming by means of gates and gaps, the drone have to be exactly managed. If the Middle Sensitivity is simply too excessive, the drone will overreact and turn into jittery. Overview your flight footage will provide help to choose extra objectively.
Subsequent, set up your Max Fee by performing flips and rolls – be sure you are pleased with how snappy your drone is. This step must be comparatively simple.
Lastly, follow freestyle strikes involving varied stick positions between middle and full stick. To flatten the speed curve, add some Expo, however remember that this will cut back predictability in direction of full stick. Should you improve Expo an excessive amount of, it’s possible you’ll want to boost Middle Sensitivity barely to compensate. Expo is primarily a matter of non-public choice.
Repeat this course of for roll, pitch and yaw, or it’s possible you’ll copy the identical values for all 3 axes.
My Charges
Right here’s a basic guideline for various flying kinds and functions based mostly on my private expertise:
- Cinematic / Racing: 500-800 Max Fee
- Freestyle: 600-1000 Max Fee
- Line of Sight: 1000+ Max Fee
Then set middle sensitivity in line with your flying model. Reducing middle sensitivity helps you to make tiny corrections with out jerky motion—that is particularly helpful for cinematic flying and {smooth} freestyle traces.
- Cinematic: 50-150 Middle Sensitivity
- Freestyle: 100-200 Middle Sensitivity
- Racing / Line of Sight: 150-300 Middle Sensitivity
Expo controls how {smooth} or aggressive your stick response is in the course of stick journey. In case your quad feels too linear and robotic, including a little bit of expo could make actions really feel extra pure. Should you fly freestyle, a small expo curve makes methods like juicy flicks and snap rolls really feel smoother. However an excessive amount of expo could make actions far much less predictable.
- Cinematic: Excessive expo (0.4 – 0.7) for ultra-smooth pictures.
- Freestyle: Medium expo (0.3 – 0.6) for stability between smoothness and snap.
- Racing: Low expo (0 – 0.3) for fast, linear and predictable response.
My Freestyle Charges
Pitch/Roll
- Middle Sensitivity: 190
- Max Fee: 1000
- Expo: 0.70
Yaw
- Middle Sensitivity: 200
- Max Fee: 650
- Expo: 0.55
Observe that my charges differ relying on how I maintain the sticks. When “pinching”, my max charges are comparable, however middle sensitivity tends to be greater as a result of I can transfer the sticks extra precisely when I’m pinching in comparison with thumbing. Listed below are my thumbing charges for comparability:
Pitch/Roll (Thumbing)
- Middle Sensitivity: 140
- Max Fee: 1000
- Expo: 0.50
Yaw (Thumbing)
- Middle Sensitivity: 180
- Max Fee: 650
- Expo: 0.40
My Tiny Whoop Charges
Pitch/Roll
- Middle Sensitivity: 230
- Max Fee: 1000
- Expo: 0.62
Yaw
- Middle Sensitivity: 250
- Max Fee: 1300
- Expo: 0.68
Discover my yaw charge is just a little greater as a result of I exploit a number of yaw when flying tiny whoops indoor because of the quantity of fast sharp turns.
Delving into Betaflight Charges
Betaflight Charges is a legacy system, and whereas I don’t advocate it I believed it could be good to have just a little introduction for newcomers. Why I don’t advocate it? Effectively, it’s more durable to make use of than Precise Charges as a result of the three phrases are interdependent, making it much less intuitive to make use of.
RC Fee
RC Fee impacts the speed curve’s slope linearly all through the complete stick vary and determines how rapidly the quadcopter rotates at full deflection. Should you’re acquainted with computer systems, you may consider it as mouse sensitivity.
The next charge ends in a extra responsive however twitchier quad. Small stick actions will produce important quad actions. Growing the RC Fee additionally boosts the quad’s spin velocity, enabling quicker flips and rolls.
Nonetheless, remember the fact that the utmost angular velocity will be restricted by your motors. When motors attain their bodily limitations and can’t spin any quicker, the utmost angular velocity is capped, whatever the greater worth set in Betaflight.
RC Expo
RC Expo, also called Exponential or just Expo, reduces sensitivity close to the stick’s middle the place positive controls are wanted (for Roll, Pitch, and Yaw) however doesn’t change the utmost angular velocity at full stick.
Expo is a proportion worth, starting from 0% (0) to 100% (1). At 0%, the rise in rotational velocity between minimal and most stick enter is linear, forming a “V” form with no stick enter within the middle. At 50% stick enter, your quad will rotate across the given axis at precisely half the utmost rotational velocity.
Growing Expo reduces sensitivity round mid-stick, requiring additional stick motion to attain the identical rotational velocity. Visualize Expo as remodeling the “V” form right into a “U”, with a better expo proportion flattening the “U” across the center.
Tremendous Fee
Tremendous Fee (or just Fee) will increase each max angular velocity and sensitivity across the middle stick.
By elevating the Tremendous Fee, you may preserve average stick sensitivity round mid-stick for traditional flying maneuvers whereas nonetheless attaining snappy rolls and flips on the stick endpoints.
Tremendous Fee primarily combines the results of RC Fee and Expo, permitting for extra flexibility in attaining the specified stick really feel.
So why use Tremendous Fee? We will simply use RC Fee and Expo proper? Sure, kind of, however having Tremendous Fee provides us extra flexibility in attaining the stick really feel we wish.
Tuning Betaflight Charges
Tuning charges in the end depends upon private choice and “really feel.”
Start with the default Betaflight values: RC Fee 1.0, Tremendous Fee 0.7, Expo 0 for all three axes.
When tuning my charges, I at all times modify RC Fee first. Carry out flips and rolls, and if the quadcopter spins too slowly, improve RC Fee till glad. Observe down the max angular velocity (deg/sec) within the Betaflight Configurator. For my freestyle rig, I often goal for round 700-800 levels per second.
Subsequent, merely cruise round (with out flips or rolls) and make sure the quadcopter responds swiftly and predictably to your stick inputs throughout turns. If it’s too delicate for exact motion, improve Expo. If it’s too sluggish to react (not delicate sufficient), lower Tremendous Fee whereas growing RC Fee to compensate and lift the max angular velocity.
Expo isn’t at all times vital since Tremendous Fee can present the identical impact. Nonetheless, in case you nonetheless discover small actions round mid-stick too delicate, improve Expo till you strike the correct stability between precision and responsiveness.
Professional Tip: Making use of Expo on the radio (TX) reduces your stick decision, so at all times set Expo within the flight controller software program each time doable!
It’s possible you’ll must iterate by means of the method a number of instances till the charges really feel excellent. Keep in mind that pitch, roll, and yaw charges don’t have to be similar—freestyle pilots typically favor greater roll and yaw charges however decrease pitch charge, it’s all private choice.
Totally different flight controller software program has completely different ranges and scaling in PID, charges and expo, so the identical numbers don’t essentially give the identical ends in a distinct firmware. It’s best to be capable of discover on-line converters if you wish to migrate to a distinct FC firmware.
To provide you some examples, listed here are the Charges and Expos I used previously:
Freestyle
- RC Fee – 1.2
- Tremendous Fee – 0.77
- RC Expo – 0.20
Clean Cruiser:
- RC Fee = 0.80
- RC Expo = 0.00
- Tremendous Fee = 0.65
Expo is ready to zero right here on function, that is to keep away from overreacting in shut conditions and truly provides you general smoother consequence.
Aggressive Acro Quad:
- RC Fee, Pitch/Roll = 1.80, Yaw = 2.00
- Tremendous Fee, All = 0.64
- RC Expo, Pitch/Roll = 0.20, Yaw = 0.15
Tiny Whoop Charges
- Roll+Pitch: RC Fee 1.2, Tremendous Fee 0.75, Expo 0
- YAW: RC Fee 1.3, Tremendous Fee 0.80 Expo 0
- If utilizing acro mode, allow crash_recovery, there are some settings (get crash_ in CLI) you would possibly need to tune first to keep away from false self-centering.
As your flying ability improves, and also you turn into extra comfy performing aggressive manoeuvres, you can attempt to crank up your charges. And additionally, you will in all probability need to use a bit extra expo to take care of correct positive management.
There isn’t any proper or flawed Expo and Fee values, so long as it fits you. For instance, I’ve shaky fingers, so my expo could be a bit greater than others. :p
Don’t Change Your Charges!
Some pilots modify their charges for various drones, however this may be counterproductive.
Sustaining constant charges throughout all of your quads is essential for creating muscle reminiscence. Having constant charges lets you instinctively management the drone’s actions. Should you’re consistently tweaking your charges, your instincts won’t ever totally develop. As a substitute, decide one set of charges and keep on with them—this can provide help to construct constant, instinctive stick management, it doesn’t matter what you’re flying.
That mentioned, this rule primarily applies to quads of comparable dimension and energy. Should you’re flying drastically completely different plane—akin to a 5″ freestyle quad and a tiny whoop—it is smart to regulate charges accordingly. These drones have very completely different flight traits and are flown in completely completely different environments, so utilizing completely different charges for every is each sensible and vital.
Throttle Mid and Throttle Expo
Throttle Expo modifies the form of the throttle curve, flattening it across the “Throttle Mid” level. This enables for a gentler throttle response and most stick decision round this throttle stage.
Throttle Mid adjusts the place within the throttle curve the place Throttle Expo is utilized. By default, it’s set to 50% throttle (0.50), however in case you plan to make use of Throttle Expo, Throttle Mid must be set to the throttle of cruising velocity. That is the place you will have essentially the most throttle decision, and Throttle Expo would possibly make altitude management simpler for you.
Throttle Mid is not going to have any impact in case you set Throttle Expo to 0, as your throttle curve will stay a straight line whatever the Throttle Mid setting.
Alternatively, you may arrange a throttle curve in your transmitter for much more exact throttle management.
Last Ideas: The Magic of Precise Charges
Switching to Precise Charges in Betaflight was a game-changer for me. It gave me full management over how my quad responds with out annoying unintended effects from outdated charge programs. Should you’re nonetheless on previous Betaflight charges, do your self a favor—swap to Precise Charges and by no means look again. You’ll get smoother, extra predictable, and easier-to-tune management.
Edit Historical past
- 2015 – Article created
- 2018 – Article up to date
- 2021 – Added information about new function in Betaflight: Precise Fee
- 2022 – Utilizing Precise Fee as the usual, up to date screenshots, up to date Fee Tuning directions,
- 2023 – Simplified URL, optimized title
- Feb 2025 – Up to date tutorial