DJI F450 + RTK (Pixhawk 3 Pro)
Last updated
Last updated
The DJI® Flame Wheel F450 Quadcopter is designed for amateur aerial photography, first person view applications, and general flying entertainment. This topic provides full build and configuration instructions for using the frame with the Pixhawk 3 Pro flight controller. Additionally this build includes an RTK GPS and a distance sensor for precision positioning.
Key information:
Frame: DJI Flame Wheel 450
Flight controller: Pixhawk 3 Pro
Positioning: RTK GPS
Autopilot: Pixhawk 3 Pro
Frame: DJI Flamewheel 450
Motors: 3DR Iris Plus 950kv rebranded T-Motors MN2213
ESCs: Hobbywing XRotor 35A Micro 3-6S BLHeli
Blades: Graupner 10"x5" (You need to print these adapters to be M6 compatible)
Distance sensor: Lidar-Lite V3
GPS: Here+ RTK GPS
Telemetry: 3DR Telemetry
Battery: Roxxy LiPo - 4S, 4000mAh
In addition we use a FrSky X4R-SB 3/16ch 2.4Ghz receiver and a FrSky Taranis controller. You will also need zip ties, double sided tape, a soldering iron and a 3D printer in case you use the same Blades, for this build. The GPS mast was reused from an Intel Aero.
The Pixhawk 3 Pro can be attached using the double sided tape because the IMU inside is already dampened.
In this setup the autopilot is rotated by 180 degrees so that it's easier to access the SD card. But if you rotate the base plate by 180 degrees instead, the flight controller board can be mounted facing forward. Either way works, just make sure to set the board rotation correctly in QGroundControl afterwards.
General pinout for the Pixhawk 3 Pro can be found here.
:::note The 3DR Telemetry radio used here is no longer available. Comparable alternatives can be found in Telemetry Radios > SiK Radio. :::
The 3DR Telemetry radio does not come with a JST GH connector which the Pixhawk 3 Pro uses. The pinout remains the same and just the plug needs to be changed. Use the TELEM 1 port on the Pixhawk 3 Pro.
| pin | Pixhawk 3 Pro Telem 1 | 3DR Telemetry |
|---|---|---|
1 | VCC | VCC |
2 | TX | RX |
3 | RX | TX |
4 | CTS | CTS |
5 | RTS | RTS |
6 | GND | GND |
The pinout for the Lidar Lite V3 and the Pixhawk 3 Pro I2C 1 port is as follows.
| pin | Pixhawk 3 Pro I2C 1 | Lidar Lite V3 |
|---|---|---|
1 | VCC | VCC |
2 | SCL | - (Power enable) |
3 | SDA | - (Mode control) |
4 | GND | SCL |
5 | - | SDA |
6 | - | GND |
:::note This RTK GPS has been discontinued. Alternatives can be found here :::
The Here+ RTK GPS comes with an 8 pin connector suited for the Pixhawk 2. In order to use it with the Pixhawk 3 Pro (or a Pixracer), a 6 pin connector has to be used and pin 6 and 7 are not needed (see below). The additional pins are for the safety button and can be attached as well if needed.
More information on the pinout can be found in this document, page 17.
| pin | Here+ GPS | pin | Pixhawk 3 Pro GPS |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | VCC_5V | 1 | VCC |
2 | GPS_RX | 2 | GPS_TX |
3 | GPS_TX | 3 | GPS_RX |
4 | SCL | 4 | SCL |
5 | SDA | 5 | SDA |
6 | BUTTON | - | - |
7 | BUTTON_LED | - | - |
8 | GND | 6 | GND |
General documentation on how to setup your quad in QGroundControl can be found in Basic Configuration. Specific setup instructions are provided below.
In the Airframe configuration, select the Generic Quadcopter airframe (Quadrotor x > Generic Quadcopter).
In the Actuators configuration in QGroundControl
Update the vehicle geometry to match the Flamewheel 450
Assign actuators functions to outputs as wired.
Test the configuration using the sliders.
RTK GPS is plug and play. For more instructions see here.
To enable the Lidar-Lite V3 (connected via I2C), the parameter SENS_EN_LL40LS has to be set to I2C.
This can be done in QGroundControl (see Finding/Updating Parameters) as shown below:
:::note After setting the SENS_EN_LL40LS you will need to restart the flight controller. :::
Set the following parameters as well:
MAV_PROTO_VER=2: use MAVLink protocol version 2
CBRK_IO_SAFETY=22027: disable the safety button
EKF2_GPS_POS_X, EKF2_GPS_POS_Y, EKF2_GPS_POS_Z: set the GPS device offset with respect to the board (NED coordinates).
Airframe selection sets default autopilot parameters for the frame. These may be good enough to fly with, but you should tune each frame build.
For instructions on how, start from Autotune.
