Asking in this forum since it is a BLheli32 config question.
Building a 4+1, What is the proper BLHeli32 config for a VTOL setup.
Specifically the ESC settings for throttle?
The defaults should be fine. I think Steffen recommended “By RPM” on PWM frequency if you have that. Maybe post a screenshot of your current settings.
Hi Andy,
I have not configred anything yet or even wired it up. I’m just trying to get basic information at this point to better understand what I need to configure.
I pulled this screenshot from oscarliang website so we can discuss a little in detail.
The motor direction i believe can be set in Ardupilot if it is not correct.
It is the Misc column where I have trouble understanding not having experience with these 4in1 ESC or quads for that matter. I fly planes so this is a little foreign to me. I have a futaba radio which is configured for RC plane, i believe the Heli model throttle joystick is dead center on those models. In the default config below I don’t know what minimum throttle at 1040 means? For example, if I transition from flight to VTOL, does it automatically spin up the quad motors at a specific RPM based on this minimum throttle value?
In the manual: BLHeli/BLHeli_32 ARM/BLHeli_32 manual ARM Rev32.x.pdf at master · bitdump/BLHeli · GitHub
It states this for Throttle Cal Enable, does this mean it needs to remain enabled all the time?
“If disabled, throttle calibration is disabled”
Appreciate your help.
Show us your configuration and then we can make recommendations. You can ignore throttle cal if you are using dshot (which you should)
Hi Andy,
I’ll do that once i get everything hooked up. At this point nothing is connected yet. I’m just trying to do my due dilligence and get smart on this Blheli32 config options.
If you had not mentioned Dshot I would be lost. I just read up on Dshot as it is new to me. DShot ESCs — Copter documentation
I know the ESC i have supports Blheli32 and Dshot so I believe I’m good there. I do need to configure Ardupilot with the parameters in the link above so it is enabled it looks like.
Since I will be using Dshot it sounds like you stated I don’t need to worry about the throttle settings in Blheli32.
I knew this endeavor would be a learning experience. I’m hoping i can share this knowledge with others for their builds in my build thread. I really appreciate your help and guidance
Thanks, I’ll watch the video and I’m sure ill have some questions
What a great video Andy thanks for sharing that. I will follow your steps to ensure the lumaneir ESC I have matches what you ahve. Now you are building a quad and it sounds like the settings should be the same for my VTOL 4+1 setup.
I don’t see anything specific to the Durandal FC i have which states it supports Dshot but I don’t see anything which states it does not. I have my wiring from the lumaneir ESC going to the AUX ports based on what I had read in other PX4 documentation. Do you see anything wrong with this?
https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-dshot-escs.html
(States for FC without IOMCU any port can be used) plus the latest version is 4.5x so it should in theory not be a problem.
I found it interesting the documentation for my FC which i’m unsure if it is an error. It states the below but there is no Aux channel 6-8. I did put my ESC outputs to Aux 1-4 and one of the ground pins on AUX port 5 so I believe I should be ok from a grouping perspective.
The Durandal supports up to 16 PWM outputs. First first 8 outputs (labelled “MAIN”) are controlled by a dedicated STM32F100 IO controller. These 8 outputs support all PWM output formats, but not DShot.
The remaining 8 outputs (labelled AUX1 to AUX8) are the “auxiliary” outputs. These are directly attached to the STM32H743 and support all PWM protocols as well as DShot.
All 13 back-side PWM outputs have GND on the top row, 5V on the middle row and signal on the bottom row.
The 8 main PWM outputs are in 3 groups:
PWM 1 and 2 in group1
PWM 3 and 4 in group2
PWM 5, 6, 7 and 8 in group3
The 8 auxiliary PWM outputs are in 2 groups:
PWM 1, 2, 3 and 4 in group4
PWM 5 and 6 in group5
PWM 7 and 8 in group6 (no DMA, no DShot)
Channels within the same group need to use the same output rate. If any channel in a group uses DShot then all channels in the group need to use DShot.
https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/common-durandal-overview.html
Use Aux 1-5 (Servo 9 to 13) for D-shot ESC. If your 4in1 is Dshot (BLHeli 32), but the +1 motor is just PWM then it will need to be on one of the Main outs along with the servos.
It looks like the additional “aux” pins are on the ADC connector on the side of the controller. Read: Don’t worry about them.
https://ardupilot.org/plane/docs/common-durandal-overview.html
Good catch on the side pins being AUX.
That is how I have them planned for wiring.
Here is high level interconnect in the how to build I’m doing to help the next person with their VTOL build
Thanks again for all the great information. I feel much smarter than I did before talking to you. I’m sure I’ll have some more follow-up questions if you don’t mind me bugging you.