Holybro Kakute H7

:::warning PX4 does not manufacture this (or any) autopilot. Contact the manufacturer for hardware support or compliance issues. :::

The Holybro Kakute H7 is full of features including dual plug-and-play 4in1 ESC ports, HD camera plug, barometer, OSD, 6x UARTs, full Blackbox MicroSD card slot, 5V and 9V BEC, easy soldering layout, and much more.

The Kakute H7 builds upon the best features of its predecessor, the Kakute F7, and further improves on hardware components and layout. Dual plug'n'play 4-in-1 ESC connectors simplify support for x8 and Octocopter configurations, keeping assembly simple and clean.

The board also has an on-board barometer, LED & buzzer pad, and I2C pad (SDA & SCL) for external GPS/Magnetometers.

:::note This flight controller is manufacturer supported. :::

Key Features

  • MCU: STM32H743 32-bit processor running at 480 MHz

  • IMU: MPU6000

  • Barometer: BMP280

  • OSD: AT7456E

  • Onboard Bluetooth chip: Disabled with PX4

  • 2x JST-SH1.0_8pin port (For Single or 4in1 ESCs, x8/Octocopter plug & play compatible)

  • 1x JST-GH1.25_6pin port (For HD System like Caddx Vista & Air Unit)

  • Battery input voltage: 2S - 8S

  • BEC 5V 2A Cont.

  • BEC 9V 1.5A Cont.

  • Mounting: 30.5 x 30.5mm/Φ4mm hole with Φ3mm Grommets

  • Dimensions: 35x35mm

  • Weight: 8g

Where to Buy

The board can be bought from one of the following shops (for example):

:::tip The Kakute H7 is designed to work with the Tekko32 4-in-1 ESC and they can be bought in combination. :::

Connectors and Pins

This is the silkscreen for the Kakute H7, showing the top of the board:

PinFunctionPX4 default

B+

Battery positive voltage (2S-8S)

SDA, SCL

I2C connection (for peripherals)

5V

5V output (2A max)

3V3

3.3V output (0.25A max)

VI

Video input from FPV camera

VO

Video output to video transmitter

CAM

To camera OSD control

G or GND

Ground

RSI

Analog RSSI (0-3.3V) input from receiver

R1, T1

UART1 RX and TX

TELEM1

R3, T3

UART3 RX and TX

NuttX debug console

R4, T4

UART4 RX and TX

GPS1

R6, T6

UART6 RX and TX (R6 also located in the GH plug)

RC port

R7

UART7 RX (RX is located in the plugs for use with 4-in-1 ESCs)

DShot telemetry

LED

WS2182 addressable LED signal wire (not tested)

Z-

Piezo buzzer negative leg (Connect buzzer positive leg to 5V pad)

M1 to M4

Motor signal outputs (located in plug for use in 4-in-1 ESCs)

M5 to M8

Motor signal outputs (located in plug for use in 4-in-1 ESCs)

Boot

Bootloader button

PX4 Bootloader Update

The board comes pre-installed with Betaflight. Before PX4 firmware can be installed, the PX4 bootloader must be flashed. Download the kakuteh7_bl.hex bootloader binary and read this page for flashing instructions.

Building Firmware

To build PX4 for this target:

make holybro_kakuteh7_default

Installing PX4 Firmware

The firmware can be installed in any of the normal ways:

  • Build and upload the source

    make holybro_kakuteh7_default upload
  • Load the firmware using QGroundControl. You can use either pre-built firmware or your own custom firmware.

:::note KakuteH7 is supported with PX4 master & PX4 v1.13 or newer. If you are loading the pre-built firmware via QGroundcontrol, you must use QGC Daily or QGC verision newer than 4.1.7. :::

PX4 Configuration

In addition to the basic configuration, the following parameters are important:

ParameterSetting

This should be disabled since the board does not have an internal mag. You can enable it if you attach an external mag.

Serial Port Mapping

UARTDevicePort

USART1

/dev/ttyS0

TELEM1

USART3

/dev/ttyS2

Debug Console

UART4

/dev/ttyS3

GPS1

USART6

/dev/ttyS4

RC SBUS

UART7

/dev/ttyS5

ESC telemetry (DShot)

Debug Port

System Console

UART3 RX and TX are configured for use as the System Console.

SWD

The SWD interface (JTAG) pins are:

  • SWCLK: Test Point 2 (Pin 72 on the CPU)

  • SWDIO: Test Point 3 (Pin 76 on CPU)

  • GND: As marked on board

  • VDD_3V3: As marked on board

These are shown below.

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