Motor Wiring to Pixhawk Order

ArduCopter Copter 3.5
1

Hi:

I have been pulling my hair out trying to get a Pixhawk 2.1 with ArduPilot 3.5 on a quad off the ground. My current test is an Quad X 4 with T-Motors MT3520-11 KV400 and Maytech ESC’s 40A opto. I am coming from DJI Controllers and I think this mindset has been the major problem as ever flight it wants to flip. What I mean by my problem, DJI shows the motor order as follows:

motors

However, when I again checked out the motor order on Ardupilot.org I was presented with this diagram:

Motor%20Order%202

So I am going to ask a really dump question which I believe is the solution to my question. I presume that I need to connect the motor on the bottom left shown by Ardupilot as #2 to the #2 position on the Pixhawk and similarly for the others?

I believe I have had the same problem with an X8 between DJI and Ardupilot. DJI’s X8 order is:

x8

While Ardupilots motor order is:

Ardupilot%20x8

For some reason, I looked at this before but it never clicked in my brain housing that I needed to rewire the motors according to the Ardupilots X8 diagram.

2

Just follow the Arducopter motor order/ channel number and direction…

3

I’ve built x4’s and x8’s - following the ardupilot docs works… just wipe out the dji part of your brain - numbering is different on Ardupilot…

4

One other very important point:

When you go to Initial Setup > Optional Hardware > Motor Test, the test sequence (A,B,C…) DOES NOT FOLLOW MOTOR NUMBER (1,2,3,4…) ORDER.

In Motor Test, Motor A is right Front, B is the next motor CLOCKWISE, and so on…

5

Hello Dave,

If I am wiring the F405 TE to a generic 4-in-1 ESC, should I also follow the Arducopter order?
and match the ESC numbers to the Arducopter diagram shown here?
image

This is what the ESC looks like:
image

Thanks a lot!

6

You could use the Betaflight X configuration.

https://ardupilot.org/copter/docs/connect-escs-and-motors.html#quadcopter

1 Like
7

Yes. Then use Mission Planners Motor Test to confirm its correct.

1 Like
8

That ESC looks like a bastard order.

9

Yeah, might have to flip it over. It does seem odd.

10

If the battery connection is at 3 o’clock I guess it’s Betaflight-X :thinking:

11

I feel like I’ve had an ESC that wired up on the side… Might have been on a whoop or something like that though.

12

Thanks a lot. SInce the cables from the motors are not long enough to reach the ESC, I am adding some 2mm banana plug connectors and that will allow me to make changes easily!

13

Not advisable. Soldered connections are best for ESC to motor connections.