For those miniature connectors, I just bought some boxes of pre-crimped silicon covered wires with connectors of different sizes from Amazon. That's so useful to have in this hobby.
Hi Darren - thanks for this and the other videos you’ve done! One bit of feedback, however - regarding your frequent comments about connectors vs solder pads. In some cases, it’s not about ability. In my case, I am afflicted with a condition that causes tremors in my hands. All the practice in the world will not make it possible for me to solder those small pads. I’m able to do well enough to get some splices done when necessary, and can manage the big pads on the PDB, but I’m personally very thankful that SB has seen fit to include the connector options on their boards, and hope they will continue doing it! Cheers, and be well!
Great review Darren! I just ordered two for the coming season after your video. I understand your comment about the VTX switch but isn't that very easy to do by adding a mosfet to one of the servo pins to switch the VTX on and off?
You can DIY a VTX switch. Ideally 4 resistors, 2 fets, and a cap. That will make a decent power switch you can operate from a GPIO on the flight controller.
I have thought about it. Especially when at work we’re designing our own flight controller. But I don’t really have the time at the moment. I know a feature set I would like though. So maybe in the future.
Hi Darren, have a hard time to connect telemetry from the mini. First off the mini did not have the specific connector included but had one left over from one of my SB Wing FCs. Can nowhere find a layout for the different connections like Tx2/Tx4. Using a Frsky X8R receiver. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Hi Darren, a lot of your videos have helped me get my head around what flight controllers can do (and iNav). Up until now I have just used standard Hobbyeagle V3 type gyros in fixed wing. I fancy converting a plane to FC and iNav. One thing I haven't got clear is the difference between what iNav & FC can do for stability vs a old school gyro (esp for Acro/normal stability mode). With the Hobbyeagle gyros you can adjust the gain on the fly, from a pot or switch on the Tx, so the amount of stability input can be adjusted depending on wind conditions. I don't see a similar feature in iNav.... maybe it's clever enough not to need it?
A nice comprehensive overview. More features than I was expecting for the size. Thanks Darren. This FC definitely on my order list. Something to check: if the Mode (tab) switching option for duel-analog cameras is supported in INAV for the Mini-F405? Been hoping that digital camera would offer a dual camera switch option to share a VTX. Seems most assume only a single camera on a quad, overlooking planes where having a 2nd Earth pointing, rear-facing, or tail-mounted view are more common options. With HD video, so many fun possibilities for dual perspectives exist.
It’s sad that they do not support 12 volts like the big brother Poor old luddites like me that use 1.3 ghz high power transmitters for long range FPV MUST have 12 volts !! Not sure I would like to try the “Use battery jumper” as 16.8 volts would blow the 1.3 unit I reckon Love the big brother but not this mini unit
I’m guessing those old Partom or RMRC VTX. To be honest, they would be pretty big and heavy VTX to have on a small aircraft that this mini FC is made for. The bigger one would likely be the better choice anyway. For 12v, you could just use a separate BEC. Like how we used to have to do it before we were spoilt with flight controllers with multiple DC-DC converters on board.
@@MrD Yeah another point of failure with a BEC. I see your point about a small model but I still use them on the Dolphin, Albabird and Reptile Dragon V2 Great review thanks
A possible reason why some people don't like soldering: There are lots of Chinese soldering tips on the market that seem to fit around a 3.8 mm heating core, but they are a tiny bit too roomy inside, so they fail to pick up heat reliably. They will reluctantly melt solder, but never get hot enough to work well. That simple fact hampered my efforts for years until I discovered the problem. If some of you out there you struggle, check to see if there's too much play in the inner diameter of your tips.
Just installed this in a nano goblin, seems to be pretty great for that purpose. I'm sure people have figured it out but it's worth noting that the cable with the connector not installed is for the GPS, not the HD vtx, they specifically left the connector off so that you can install the wires in the order needed for whatever gps you are using. (in my case an hglrc m100 with compass, which works flawlessly). The lack of a vtx power switch is a bummer, especially since I am using digital, but I have been just using a usb power source ( portable phone charger) plugged into the board, without the flight batt connected, to let the gps get locked without powering the vtx and risking overheating. Then plug in the flight batt and disconnect the external ups power to keep the board powered, or vise versa, the gps will almost instantly lock again if the board is only powered of for a second...and off you go. So far have had no issues. If that is a no-no for some reason I'd love to hear why, as I am by no means an expert.
Using a power bank to power the GPS but not the VTX is fine. It will allow the cold start to take place. The switch to the main battery for the flight. I know quite a few people who do this. There’s not problem in doing it. It would just be nicer if you didn’t have to. Happy flying
I'd like to see switchable power on more FCs, even bake it in to the 9v VTX power pin. The HD systems can get pretty warm waiting for a cold GPS to fix.
That's what usually happens. The VTX switch is a pretty simple circuit. It just cuts the supply to the positive pin to the VTX. It can be a simple circuit with 2 resistors and 2 fets, or a bombproof circuit with 4 resistors, 2 fets, and a capacitor. They would cost pennies for a flight controller manufacturer to add to the flight controller.
It sounds great in theory. But in reality I don’t think it would work. - is it for a single motor plane? - is it for a twin? - is it for a VTOL? - what A ESC is needed? With quads, these questions are much simpler and easier to answer. On a fixed wing, there is much more variation.
Thanks, that was a very detailed and useful review 👍 . I will buy one locally, it's in stock. Speedybee mentions a min voltage of 7V, this is on 2S a 3.5V per cell. For 2S li-ions something to keep an eye on. A VTX power switch would be nice indeed. In the meantime I use in my builds a computer 2.54mm Jumper connection in the + lead of the digital VTX. And the lack of a 9V BEC is not a deal-breaker in most configurations. It seems a good small FC .
I've fitted one to my ZOHD Drift. It's a tight fit. I used the vertical pins to connect receiver, esc and servo's to the FC. I designed and printed a GPS cover extender of 10mm tall. This so I could carve out space in the EPP gps cover to allow the servo wires some room to bend downwards to the lower room that houses the ZOHD esc and my receiver. The FC is of great quality and, as always with SpeedyBee FC gear all connectors and wire looms come packed in the box as well.
Nah, there is room for a FRsky GR6 and 3 dubro connectors of the 3 servo extension wires. 😆 But to be serious, the horizontal servo pins that are also packed in the box are a no go. There is no room in the Drift to plug in and unplug the servo connectors with that pin array. So you definetely need to modify the original GPS cover to make room for the servo connectors.
is it possible to use the servo output with pin header for example S8 or S9 for LED? that would be easier than having to use the dedicated LED solder pad
I fitted one of these to my Swordfish last week, having the PDB on top worked out really well, I'll be getting more of these 😀 Shame about the lack of VTX switched output😒
Don't buy this FC it's crap, I had rx uart problems, servo outputs went bad after five minutes on the bench while testing servos. I moved the servo output to S6 from S4 and got the servo working again but then the motor output on S2 went bad. Believe me, I pulled the servos and ESC all working fine with a servo tester. I even swapped the ESCs on the header pins S1 & S2 the problem just moved from not running the right motor to the left motor.
@@flat-earther Yes, I contacted Speedybee support and after they gave me the runaround for a few weeks they sent me just a new FC board. They are so cheap that they couldn't even just send me a whole new FC kit.
@@flat-earther I bought it from Pyrodrone, Speedybee gave me the runaround for a bit but eventually sent me a new FC board only. I still haven't had the chance to install the FC in a plane yet. A flying buddy also had a problem with his Speedybee mini which he bought directly from Speedybee and they still gave him the usual runaround but are sending him a new FC board only.
It's unfortunate they chose uart 3 for GPS, because having something 4v5 powered on uart 3 can interfere with flashing and potentially boot. Would have been better to put GPS on uart 2, 4, or 6.
It’s not about that. I’ve not had any problems with GPS modules powered from 4.5v. In fact, it’s been useful. It’s because there is an issue with some STM32 MCUs. Where if you have a device on UART 1 or 3. It can cause issues entering DFU or flashing the flight controller.
@@wtfmimshag The processors used on these boards (F4, F7, etc) can be flashed using any of three three ports: the USB port UART 1 UART 3 While powering up to DFU mode, they check for activity on any of those ports to see if you're trying to flash it. If you have a GPS (or receiver) talking on one of those ports, the chip can think you're trying to flash it over that port. Hence the common practice of using uart 2 for the RX and uart 6 for GPS. Because those ports aren't used for flashing. If you've ever needed to disconnect something from a uart in order to get flashing over USB to work, that's why. Because between USB, UART 1, and UART 3, whichever talks first is the one the chip will think is being used for flashing.
Does the board have to be powered by a battery for the receiver tabs in INAV work? The receiver is bound but I get no response in the configurator. I tried to use UART 1 and it keeps deferring back to UART 2 after reboot. I can’t figure out what’s going on.
In general, it depends on the flight controller. If the pads are labelled 4v5. They should be powered by USB. If they’re labelled 5v, they likely require the battery plugged in. I would keep the receiver on UART 2. If the receiver is bound, but INAV doesn’t see anything. Firstly, the receiver is getting power (otherwise it would be off and not bound). I would check the protocol, then the wiring. To make sure they’re right.
@@jeffatkins8103 they’re just suggested. In reality, other than for inverted protocols on F4 boards (because they need a hardware inverter). You can put anything on any UART. It is strange that they’re suggesting UART 1 for an RC link though. Firstly, that’s usually a good UART to leave with MSP enabled as a fallback. Secondly, having devices connected to UART 1 and 3 can cause issues entering DFU. If it’s working, it’s fine. But when you update. If you have a problem, try removing the device from UART 1 and 3. That may get it working.
![☀ Достойное сердце для серьезной птички [Speedybee F405 Wing Mini]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ku9Na3thOuw/mqdefault.jpg)
![☀ Достойное сердце для серьезной птички [Speedybee F405 Wing Mini]](/img/tr.png)
For those miniature connectors, I just bought some boxes of pre-crimped silicon covered wires with connectors of different sizes from Amazon. That's so useful to have in this hobby.
Any chance of a link to these connectors please?
@BogHopperFPV they’re JST SH connectors.
You're totally correct about the boards lack of VTX power switch.
Hi Darren - thanks for this and the other videos you’ve done! One bit of feedback, however - regarding your frequent comments about connectors vs solder pads. In some cases, it’s not about ability. In my case, I am afflicted with a condition that causes tremors in my hands. All the practice in the world will not make it possible for me to solder those small pads. I’m able to do well enough to get some splices done when necessary, and can manage the big pads on the PDB, but I’m personally very thankful that SB has seen fit to include the connector options on their boards, and hope they will continue doing it! Cheers, and be well!
Connectors for everything EXCEPT telemetry... 😡
That is a fair comment. In which case, I’m glad these FCs exist, so that more people can enjoy the hobby.
Received 2 yesterday in the mail. Looking forward to getting one setup. Thanks for in-depth review.
Great review Darren! I just ordered two for the coming season after your video. I understand your comment about the VTX switch but isn't that very easy to do by adding a mosfet to one of the servo pins to switch the VTX on and off?
You can DIY a VTX switch. Ideally 4 resistors, 2 fets, and a cap. That will make a decent power switch you can operate from a GPIO on the flight controller.
Great review Darren - thanks for making
Darren, have you thought of designing your own board?
I have thought about it. Especially when at work we’re designing our own flight controller. But I don’t really have the time at the moment. I know a feature set I would like though. So maybe in the future.
Hi Darren, have a hard time to connect telemetry from the mini. First off the mini did not have the specific connector included but had one left over from one of my SB Wing FCs. Can nowhere find a layout for the different connections like Tx2/Tx4. Using a Frsky X8R receiver.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Hi Darren, a lot of your videos have helped me get my head around what flight controllers can do (and iNav). Up until now I have just used standard Hobbyeagle V3 type gyros in fixed wing. I fancy converting a plane to FC and iNav. One thing I haven't got clear is the difference between what iNav & FC can do for stability vs a old school gyro (esp for Acro/normal stability mode). With the Hobbyeagle gyros you can adjust the gain on the fly, from a pot or switch on the Tx, so the amount of stability input can be adjusted depending on wind conditions. I don't see a similar feature in iNav.... maybe it's clever enough not to need it?
A nice comprehensive overview. More features than I was expecting for the size. Thanks Darren. This FC definitely on my order list.
Something to check: if the Mode (tab) switching option for duel-analog cameras is supported in INAV for the Mini-F405? Been hoping that digital camera would offer a dual camera switch option to share a VTX. Seems most assume only a single camera on a quad, overlooking planes where having a 2nd Earth pointing, rear-facing, or tail-mounted view are more common options. With HD video, so many fun possibilities for dual perspectives exist.
As far as I know. It will be in 7.1.
Hi Darren, I lost the MSP connection / INAV 7 on my Matek F405 TE. How do I get it back? Thanks for a good tip. Regards Didi
It’s sad that they do not support 12 volts like the big brother
Poor old luddites like me that use 1.3 ghz high power transmitters for long range FPV MUST have 12 volts !!
Not sure I would like to try the “Use battery jumper” as 16.8 volts would blow the 1.3 unit I reckon
Love the big brother but not this mini unit
just use a Matek 12V micro BEC
I’m guessing those old Partom or RMRC VTX. To be honest, they would be pretty big and heavy VTX to have on a small aircraft that this mini FC is made for. The bigger one would likely be the better choice anyway.
For 12v, you could just use a separate BEC. Like how we used to have to do it before we were spoilt with flight controllers with multiple DC-DC converters on board.
@@MrD Yeah another point of failure with a BEC. I see your point about a small model but I still use them on the Dolphin, Albabird and Reptile Dragon V2
Great review thanks
@@nellodude for all those aircraft I’d go for the larger anyway. There’s plenty of space in them.
A possible reason why some people don't like soldering: There are lots of Chinese soldering tips on the market that seem to fit around a 3.8 mm heating core, but they are a tiny bit too roomy inside, so they fail to pick up heat reliably. They will reluctantly melt solder, but never get hot enough to work well. That simple fact hampered my efforts for years until I discovered the problem. If some of you out there you struggle, check to see if there's too much play in the inner diameter of your tips.
Great tip, thanks for sharing 👍🏻
Just installed this in a nano goblin, seems to be pretty great for that purpose. I'm sure people have figured it out but it's worth noting that the cable with the connector not installed is for the GPS, not the HD vtx, they specifically left the connector off so that you can install the wires in the order needed for whatever gps you are using. (in my case an hglrc m100 with compass, which works flawlessly). The lack of a vtx power switch is a bummer, especially since I am using digital, but I have been just using a usb power source ( portable phone charger) plugged into the board, without the flight batt connected, to let the gps get locked without powering the vtx and risking overheating. Then plug in the flight batt and disconnect the external ups power to keep the board powered, or vise versa, the gps will almost instantly lock again if the board is only powered of for a second...and off you go. So far have had no issues. If that is a no-no for some reason I'd love to hear why, as I am by no means an expert.
Using a power bank to power the GPS but not the VTX is fine. It will allow the cold start to take place. The switch to the main battery for the flight. I know quite a few people who do this. There’s not problem in doing it. It would just be nicer if you didn’t have to.
Happy flying
I'd like to see switchable power on more FCs, even bake it in to the 9v VTX power pin. The HD systems can get pretty warm waiting for a cold GPS to fix.
That's what usually happens. The VTX switch is a pretty simple circuit. It just cuts the supply to the positive pin to the VTX. It can be a simple circuit with 2 resistors and 2 fets, or a bombproof circuit with 4 resistors, 2 fets, and a capacitor. They would cost pennies for a flight controller manufacturer to add to the flight controller.
Thanks Darren, excellent, informative review. Many thanks for your hard work and dedication.
Thanks. I’m glad you found the video useful 👍🏻
Learning so much about FPV in addition to the X20S. Glad to be a patreon of your superb channel.
Glad you enjoyed it Doug 👍
I'd love to see the shield or PDB turned into an esc. It would make a great integrated wing stack.
It sounds great in theory. But in reality I don’t think it would work.
- is it for a single motor plane?
- is it for a twin?
- is it for a VTOL?
- what A ESC is needed?
With quads, these questions are much simpler and easier to answer. On a fixed wing, there is much more variation.
Thanks, that was a very detailed and useful review 👍 . I will buy one locally, it's in stock. Speedybee mentions a min voltage of 7V, this is on 2S a 3.5V per cell. For 2S li-ions something to keep an eye on. A VTX power switch would be nice indeed. In the meantime I use in my builds a computer 2.54mm Jumper connection in the + lead of the digital VTX. And the lack of a 9V BEC is not a deal-breaker in most configurations. It seems a good small FC .
I've fitted one to my ZOHD Drift. It's a tight fit. I used the vertical pins to connect receiver, esc and servo's to the FC. I designed and printed a GPS cover extender of 10mm tall. This so I could carve out space in the EPP gps cover to allow the servo wires some room to bend downwards to the lower room that houses the ZOHD esc and my receiver.
The FC is of great quality and, as always with SpeedyBee FC gear all connectors and wire looms come packed in the box as well.
Damn, I bet that was a tight fit in the Drift. It's a tight fit to get a small 6 channel receiver in there 😆
Nah, there is room for a FRsky GR6 and 3 dubro connectors of the 3 servo extension wires. 😆 But to be serious, the horizontal servo pins that are also packed in the box are a no go. There is no room in the Drift to plug in and unplug the servo connectors with that pin array. So you definetely need to modify the original GPS cover to make room for the servo connectors.
What voltage is the dji pad? Vbat or regulated?
If vbat, are any additional considerations necessary?
It uses the video voltage. So VBAT or the voltage of the servos. Whichever you choose.
It uses the video voltage. So VBAT or the voltage of the servos. Whichever you choose.
is it possible to use the servo output with pin header for example S8 or S9 for LED?
that would be easier than having to use the dedicated LED solder pad
Not without building your own custom target.
@@MrD thanks for your reply.
wow that's surprising.
in Betaflight it's possible to remap resources in CLI.
I wish INAV could do that.
@@flat-earther BetaFlight doesn’t have to worry about timers or important things like that. Resource remapping can be dangerous.
I fitted one of these to my Swordfish last week, having the PDB on top worked out really well, I'll be getting more of these 😀 Shame about the lack of VTX switched output😒
Hrhr, ordered one 5mins before your Video came out 🤘
Hope you like it Jan! Mine's going in the T1
Don't buy this FC it's crap, I had rx uart problems, servo outputs went bad after five minutes on the bench while testing servos. I moved the servo output to S6 from S4 and got the servo working again but then the motor output on S2 went bad. Believe me, I pulled the servos and ESC all working fine with a servo tester. I even swapped the ESCs on the header pins S1 & S2 the problem just moved from not running the right motor to the left motor.
wow. did you get it figured out? did you ask Speedybee for help?
@@flat-earther Yes, I contacted Speedybee support and after they gave me the runaround for a few weeks they sent me just a new FC board. They are so cheap that they couldn't even just send me a whole new FC kit.
@@madsloper okay good to know.
did you buy it direct from speedybee? because some companies won't help if it's not bought direct from them.
@@flat-earther I bought it from Pyrodrone, Speedybee gave me the runaround for a bit but eventually sent me a new FC board only. I still haven't had the chance to install the FC in a plane yet. A flying buddy also had a problem with his Speedybee mini which he bought directly from Speedybee and they still gave him the usual runaround but are sending him a new FC board only.
Very good job. A review like I like it.👍👍👍
Thanks 👍
It's unfortunate they chose uart 3 for GPS, because having something 4v5 powered on uart 3 can interfere with flashing and potentially boot. Would have been better to put GPS on uart 2, 4, or 6.
Good point. It's a good idea to avoid UARTs 1 and 3 where possible.
Agreed. In my experience GPS are suitably fussy about voltage input that they dont even power up reliably from 4v5/USB.
It’s not about that. I’ve not had any problems with GPS modules powered from 4.5v. In fact, it’s been useful.
It’s because there is an issue with some STM32 MCUs. Where if you have a device on UART 1 or 3. It can cause issues entering DFU or flashing the flight controller.
@@MrD thanks Darren, maybe it says more about the quality of my motherboard's USB power output lol
@@wtfmimshag
The processors used on these boards (F4, F7, etc) can be flashed using any of three three ports:
the USB port
UART 1
UART 3
While powering up to DFU mode, they check for activity on any of those ports to see if you're trying to flash it.
If you have a GPS (or receiver) talking on one of those ports, the chip can think you're trying to flash it over that port.
Hence the common practice of using uart 2 for the RX and uart 6 for GPS. Because those ports aren't used for flashing.
If you've ever needed to disconnect something from a uart in order to get flashing over USB to work, that's why. Because between USB, UART 1, and UART 3, whichever talks first is the one the chip will think is being used for flashing.
Thanks Darrin! I pre-ordered one last week and it has already shipped
Does the board have to be powered by a battery for the receiver tabs in INAV work? The receiver is bound but I get no response in the configurator. I tried to use UART 1 and it keeps deferring back to UART 2 after reboot. I can’t figure out what’s going on.
In general, it depends on the flight controller. If the pads are labelled 4v5. They should be powered by USB. If they’re labelled 5v, they likely require the battery plugged in.
I would keep the receiver on UART 2. If the receiver is bound, but INAV doesn’t see anything. Firstly, the receiver is getting power (otherwise it would be off and not bound). I would check the protocol, then the wiring. To make sure they’re right.
For whatever reason the receiver on the 405 mini wing is on UART 1. That’s a first for me!
@@MrD I tried UART 1 again and all is well. 🤔
@@jeffatkins8103 they’re just suggested. In reality, other than for inverted protocols on F4 boards (because they need a hardware inverter). You can put anything on any UART. It is strange that they’re suggesting UART 1 for an RC link though. Firstly, that’s usually a good UART to leave with MSP enabled as a fallback. Secondly, having devices connected to UART 1 and 3 can cause issues entering DFU. If it’s working, it’s fine. But when you update. If you have a problem, try removing the device from UART 1 and 3. That may get it working.
@@MrD thank you! Everything is working fine on UART 1 so we’ll leave it at that I guess.