Some of the necessary 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 arduous to regulate. In the event that they’re too low, it could 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 learn how to choose the good charges on your flying fashion.
Charges Want Tuning
Similar to PID and filters, charges must be nice 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 fashion and necessities.
Betaflight presents a complete of 5 fee techniques:
- Precise Charges
- Betaflight Charges
- Raceflight Charges
- KISS Charges
- Fast Charges
Nonetheless, probably the most broadly 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. In case you are unsure which fee system to make use of, my suggestion for each freshmen 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 a simple method to setting most rotational velocity (e.g., coming into 1000 corresponds to 1000deg/sec) and heart sensitivity values. No extra guessing, as this technique is way extra intuitive and fewer complicated for pilots in comparison with the older Betaflight charges.
In case you are new to the interest, I’d suggest utilizing Precise charges. For those who come from one other sort of charges, there are a lot of on-line device that make it easier to convert fee values between these totally different techniques.
There are 3 values in Precise Charges: Middle Sensitivity, Max Price, Expo.
Middle Sensitivity
Middle Sensitivity pertains to the responsiveness across the heart stick place. A decrease worth presents finer, smoother management, whereas a better worth ends in a extra reactive drone to stay motion.
Max Price
Max Price defines the drone’s spin pace 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, understand that the utmost angular velocity may 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 increased worth set in Betaflight.
Expo
Expo flattens the curve between heart stick and full stick. To attain a extra linear fee, maintain Expo low. For a broader heart stick area with finer management, improve Expo. Take into account that rising Expo additionally reduces heart sensitivity. Whereas Expo may be as excessive as 1.0, extreme Expo would possibly trigger decreased heart stick sensitivity and make the drone’s response extra unpredictable in the direction of full stick (extra jumpy).
Tuning Precise Charges
Begin by setting the Middle Sensitivity. Cruise round and navigate via gaps to check the specified management precision across the heart stick. For small changes and exact aiming via gates and gaps, the drone should be exactly managed. If the Middle Sensitivity is just too excessive, the drone will overreact and develop into jittery. Evaluate your flight footage will make it easier to choose extra objectively.
Subsequent, set up your Max Price 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 numerous stick positions between heart and full stick. To flatten the speed curve, add some Expo, however bear in mind that this will scale back predictability in the direction of full stick. For those who improve Expo an excessive amount of, you might want to lift Middle Sensitivity barely to compensate. Expo is primarily a matter of private desire.
Repeat this course of for roll, pitch and yaw, or you might copy the identical values for all 3 axes.
My Charges
Right here’s a basic guideline for various flying kinds and purposes primarily based on my private expertise:
- Cinematic / Racing: 500-800 Max Price
- Freestyle: 600-1000 Max Price
- Line of Sight: 1000+ Max Price
Then set heart sensitivity in line with your flying fashion. Decreasing heart sensitivity helps you to make tiny corrections with out jerky motion—that is particularly helpful for cinematic flying and {smooth} freestyle strains.
- 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 midst 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. For those who fly freestyle, a small expo curve makes tips 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 photographs.
- Freestyle: Medium expo (0.3 – 0.6) for steadiness 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 Price: 1000
- Expo: 0.70
Yaw
- Middle Sensitivity: 200
- Max Price: 650
- Expo: 0.55
Be aware that my charges differ relying on how I maintain the sticks. When “pinching”, my max charges are comparable, however heart sensitivity tends to be increased as a result of I can transfer the sticks extra precisely when I’m pinching in comparison with thumbing. Listed here are my thumbing charges for comparability:
Pitch/Roll (Thumbing)
- Middle Sensitivity: 140
- Max Price: 1000
- Expo: 0.50
Yaw (Thumbing)
- Middle Sensitivity: 180
- Max Price: 650
- Expo: 0.40
My Tiny Whoop Charges
Pitch/Roll
- Middle Sensitivity: 230
- Max Price: 1000
- Expo: 0.62
Yaw
- Middle Sensitivity: 250
- Max Price: 1300
- Expo: 0.68
Discover my yaw fee is just a little increased as a result of I exploit quite a lot of yaw when flying tiny whoops indoor because of the quantity of speedy sharp turns.
Delving into Betaflight Charges
Betaflight Charges is a legacy system, and whereas I don’t suggest it I believed it could be good to have just a little introduction for newcomers. Why I don’t suggest it? Nicely, 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 Price
RC Price impacts the speed curve’s slope linearly all through your complete stick vary and determines how shortly the quadcopter rotates at full deflection. For those who’re acquainted with computer systems, you may consider it as mouse sensitivity.
The next fee ends in a extra responsive however twitchier quad. Small stick actions will produce important quad actions. Growing the RC Price additionally boosts the quad’s spin pace, enabling quicker flips and rolls.
Nonetheless, understand that the utmost angular velocity may 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 increased worth set in Betaflight.
RC Expo
RC Expo, often known as Exponential or just Expo, reduces sensitivity close to the stick’s heart the place nice 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 pace between minimal and most stick enter is linear, forming a “V” form with no stick enter within the heart. 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 Price
Tremendous Price (or just Price) will increase each max angular velocity and sensitivity across the heart stick.
By elevating the Tremendous Price, you may preserve average stick sensitivity round mid-stick for traditional flying maneuvers whereas nonetheless reaching snappy rolls and flips on the stick endpoints.
Tremendous Price basically combines the consequences of RC Price and Expo, permitting for extra flexibility in reaching the specified stick really feel.
So why use Tremendous Price? We will simply use RC Price and Expo proper? Sure, form of, however having Tremendous Price provides us extra flexibility in reaching the stick really feel we would like.
Tuning Betaflight Charges
Tuning charges finally is determined by private desire and “really feel.”
Start with the default Betaflight values: RC Price 1.0, Tremendous Price 0.7, Expo 0 for all three axes.
When tuning my charges, I at all times regulate RC Price first. Carry out flips and rolls, and if the quadcopter spins too slowly, improve RC Price till happy. Be aware down the max angular velocity (deg/sec) within the Betaflight Configurator. For my freestyle rig, I normally 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 Price whereas rising RC Price to compensate and lift the max angular pace.
Expo isn’t at all times obligatory since Tremendous Price can present the identical impact. Nonetheless, should you nonetheless discover small actions round mid-stick too delicate, improve Expo till you strike the proper steadiness 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!
Chances are you’ll have to iterate via the method a number of occasions till the charges really feel good. Keep in mind that pitch, roll, and yaw charges don’t must be similar—freestyle pilots usually favor increased roll and yaw charges however decrease pitch fee, it’s all private desire.
Completely different flight controller software program has totally different ranges and scaling in PID, charges and expo, so the identical numbers don’t essentially give the identical ends in a unique firmware. You need to be capable of discover on-line converters if you wish to migrate to a unique FC firmware.
To present you some examples, listed below are the Charges and Expos I used up to now:
Freestyle
- RC Price – 1.2
- Tremendous Price – 0.77
- RC Expo – 0.20
Easy Cruiser:
- RC Price = 0.80
- RC Expo = 0.00
- Tremendous Price = 0.65
Expo is ready to zero right here on goal, that is to keep away from overreacting in shut conditions and truly provides you total smoother consequence.
Aggressive Acro Quad:
- RC Price, Pitch/Roll = 1.80, Yaw = 2.00
- Tremendous Price, All = 0.64
- RC Expo, Pitch/Roll = 0.20, Yaw = 0.15
Tiny Whoop Charges
- Roll+Pitch: RC Price 1.2, Tremendous Price 0.75, Expo 0
- YAW: RC Price 1.3, Tremendous Price 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 develop into extra snug performing aggressive manoeuvres, you could possibly 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 nice management.
There isn’t a proper or fallacious Expo and Price values, so long as it fits you. For instance, I’ve shaky fingers, so my expo may be a bit increased than others. :p
Don’t Change Your Charges!
Some pilots regulate 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. For those who’re continuously tweaking your charges, your instincts won’t ever totally develop. As a substitute, choose one set of charges and follow them—this can make it easier 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. For those who’re flying drastically totally different plane—equivalent to a 5″ freestyle quad and a tiny whoop—it is smart to regulate charges accordingly. These drones have very totally different flight traits and are flown in fully totally different environments, so utilizing totally different charges for every is each sensible and obligatory.
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 degree.
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 should you plan to make use of Throttle Expo, Throttle Mid must be set to the throttle of cruising pace. That is the place you have to probably the most throttle decision, and Throttle Expo would possibly make altitude management simpler for you.
Throttle Mid won’t have any impact should 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.
Remaining 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 negative effects from outdated fee techniques. For those who’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 data about new function in Betaflight: Precise Price
- 2022 – Utilizing Precise Price as the usual, up to date screenshots, up to date Price Tuning directions,
- 2023 – Simplified URL, optimized title
- Feb 2025 – Up to date tutorial
