Constructing a brand new multirotor? You genuinely ought to shop for a flight controller then! This put up is our last guide to selecting and shopping for the high-quality flight controller for quadcopter and multirotor kind crafts and is cut up up into two sections:
- 1. Shopping for concerns like ease of setup, supported sensors, talents and fly-potential.
- 2. A list of what we suppose the exceptional flight controller for quadcopter and multirotor type crafts are (some of those even aid constant wing and different kinds of crafts) today with a short review of every one. The section is similarly divided into subsections of amateur, racing and luxurious flight controllers for self sustaining flight and cinematography.
The way to select a flight controller for your craft?
What do you need to accomplish and what is your finances?
To determine out what is the high-quality flight controller to your craft, you ought to first parent out what precisely you are attempting to accomplish. Are you a beginner trying to construct that first quadcopter/multirotor? Do you want to build a quick, racing style multirotor? Or are you a tech savvy cinematographer looking to build a multirotor to add on your photography and videography repertoire?
Of path, depending on what you need to accomplish, the fee will range. A flight controller like the kk2.X for a beginner or a naze32 (that's commonly popular on racing quads), might be way less expensive than a flight controller able to autonomous flight and videography. Racing quads are regularly geared up with flight controllers which can be on the cheaper quit of the dimensions (especially due to the fact they are susceptible to crashing).
Ease of setup and firmware
I don’t realize about you, however to us, a flight controller that may be a pain to setup is much less treasured than one that is straightforward to get going with. A few boards are well matched with configurator software program packages together with cleanflight and openpilot, which might be very clean to setup. Cc3d and naze 32 are examples.
Different forums like the kk 2.X fashions, include an on-board ui that makes tuning (pid, as an instance) very clean, without having to move back to your laptop all the time. Many forums include their own configurator bundle and firmware.
Fly-ability
Now not all flight controllers fly the identical. A few flight controllers are higher than others at managing and balancing. The kk 2.X version’s handling abilities as an example, is some distance inferior to the eagle tree vector.
Brief observe:
Please make sure to replace your flight controller firmware earlier than even putting it up and taking it out for flying. Many boards have suggested to have considerably advanced their fly-potential from their initial firmware launch (which include the kk 2.Xs).
Supported sensors and talents
Closing however no longer in any way the least, you should keep in mind the abilities that the said flight controller helps. The following is a list of sensors and functions that you have to test whether or not or not the flight controller helps, depending on your desires:
- Microcontroller bit size (8bit vs 32 bit): 32 bit flight controllers are a long way advanced to 8 bit ones in terms of dealing with the craft
- Gyroscope and accelerometers : all flight controllers have these
- Barometer : holding altitudes (a requirement for maximum cinematography based multicopters)
- Magnetometer : useful for detecting direction (head maintaining)
- GPS : useful for independent flights
- Whether or now not the flight controller supports the sort of craft you want to build: (quadcopter, hexacopter, tricopter, octacopter and so forth and so forth)
Nice beginner flight controller
KK 2.X
The KK2 board might not be the maximum performance handing over. It additionally doesn’t come with many advanced functions and help. Though, is among our favourite, in particular because of the ease of setup and the help for almost all flight configurations (which includes quadcopter, hexcopter, octocopter, tricopter, fixed wing and so forth). The on-board display makes it extraordinarily easy to music with this craft, making it very novice friendly. What’s extra, it is also some of the cheapest flight controllers you may get!
What’s fantastic?
- Cheap
- Helps nearly all flight configurations
- On board Lcd display screen and buttons that makes programming it very easy
- Plenty of tutorials on the internet on how to set it up
What’s awful?
- Comes with an eight bit microcontroller, this means that it's miles slower
- Now not the nice at handing and balancing a craft
- Doesn’t include any of the superior functions (like gps or barometer)
Best racing drone flight controllers
CC3D
Similar to the KK2 board, the CC3D board doesn’t come with many superior functions and sensors. It doesn’t come with an on screen show both. Despite the fact that, the board is well suited with cleanflight, openpilot and so forth, making it very clean and dependable to setup and paintings with.
The CC3D also comes with a 32 bit microcontroller as opposed to the 8 bit one on the KKv2, making it in the direction of Naze32 acro in terms of overall performance and abilties. You can construct racing quads with those. Essentially, there may be little distinction between the 2 boards in case you flash cleanflight onto the CC3D board.
What’s extremely good?
- Reasonably-priced
- Supports nearly all flight configurations
- 32 bit microcontroller
- Well suited with software program applications and firmware like openpilot and cleanflight
- Smooth to setup
What’s bad?
- A pain to track, in particular and not using a on-board display screen
- Doesn’t come with any of the advanced capabilities (like GPS or barometer)
Naze32 (both acro and full versions)
Naze32 acro is much like the CC3D, but the full version comes with additional sensors – a barometer and the potential to feature gps. The Naze32 comes with baseflight, however you can additionally use cleanflight. The Naze32 also has a constructed in frsky telemetry inverter and helps all fashionable receivers. This board is akin to the CC3D, in view that it's far very comparable. If you are into drone racing, this is the fine flight controller you may get.
What’s superb?
- Cheap, especially the acro model
- Supports nearly all flight configurations
- 32 bit microcontroller
- Like minded with cleanflight
- Easy to setup
What’s awful?
- Doesn’t include a protective case just like the cc3d board
- The acro version doesn’t include any of the advanced capabilities (like gps, barometer or magnetometer)
Kiss
The Kiss fc is any other 32 bit flight controller akin to the Naze32 and CC3D. It doesn’t have a barometer or magnetometer and it doesn’t include a flash reminiscence chip both. Not like flight controllers like the Naze32, the kss fc comes with its very own custom firmware and software program which is tons extra “dumbed down” and less complicated to setup than some thing just like the cleanflight.
This is a notable flight controller average for a small racing style quadcopter however it doesn’t support octocopters, which might be a bummer. However howdy, in case you are going for a small, racing fashion multirotor, you probable are better off now not constructing an octocopter in the first location!
What’s super?
- Cheap
- 32 bit microcontroller
- Kiss fc firmware and software packages are extraordinarily clean to setup, especially if you are a amateur
Controls a craft thoroughly, inspite of minimal tuning
What’s terrible?
- No flash memory chip or compatibility for packages inclusive of cleanflight
- Can get difficult to song the pid controls
- Bad manual
Best flight controllers for self sufficient flight, gps and cinema
ArduPilot APM
At the pricier stop of the sale, the ArduPilot APM is a outstanding entry level flight controller that helps gps and self reliant flight (consisting of RTH and different features). It additionally helps telemetry and flight logs. In precis, it consists of all of the essential sensors and greater, which includes a magnetometer and a barometer. You also have the potential to feature more sensors. A less expensive predecessor to the 3DR pixhauk, we determined to encompass it on this first-rate flight controller listing.
What’s exceptional?
- Supports all types of sensors and has telemetry and flight logging abilities
- Exceptional software program, easy to setup
- Well examined
What’s bad?
- Getting obsolete with little to no assist. Pixhawk is the way forward
- 8 bit microcontroller
- We observed that the flight performance was bad (in comparison to flight controllers just like the naze32 as a minimum)
- PID tuning can take a while
Exceptional flight controller Top Pick : Eagle Tree vector + OSD
This ought to be our favorite flight controller that supports self reliant features. We assume that the eagle tree vector is the most flexible flight controller accessible. If independent flight is what you are seeking out, this is it. It also comes with an OSD and connector (that is available in one of a kind variations), this means that you won’t should get them one by one.
The vector FC is pretty smooth to program and setup and the controller handles a craft (supports multiple extraordinary crafts such as fixed wing aircrafts) thoroughly with minimal tuning. Extra than worth of being covered in a listing of quality flight controllers
What’s top notch?
- Very flexible and supports all varieties of sensors and has telemetry abilties
- 32 bit microcontroller
- First rate software program, easy to setup
- Helps many different flight configurations, together with constant wing
- Controls a craft very well, in spite of minimum tuning
- Easy to music
What’s terrible?
- Pricier than a few inexpensive fcs, but definitely we suppose it's far worth procuring!
Here's a awesome video on putting in the eagle vector, if you plan on getting one:
Exceptional flight controller for autonomous flight: 3DR pixhawk
Coming with an open supply software and firmware, the 3DR pixhawk is probably one of the quality flight controllers for self reliant flight and the quantity of features. The 3DR pixhawk may be thought of as a successor to the AMD flight controllers and much more powerful but no longer almost as well examined, making it worthy of being referred to as as one of the quality flight controllers obtainable.
What’s exceptional?
- Helps all types of sensors and has telemetry talents
- 32 bit microcontroller
- Great software program, easy to setup
- Helps many special flight configurations
- Backup gadget
- Constructed nicely
What’s horrific?
- High-priced
- You want to add an additional ppm encoder board when you have a non-s.Bus receiver like futaba
Best flight controller for cinematography: DJI Nava M – V2
Very popular due to the dji phantom drones, the Nava M – V2 has an top notch GPS capability. We think that the naza is simpler to setup than the 3DR pixhawk, but gives lesser functions specially because unlike the pixhawk, the naza isn't open supply. DJI does promote many addons to this flight controller even though. Understand that if you get the lite version, those addons and add-ons will no longer be supported. If you want to construct a craft capable of cinematography, the M – V2 is the manner to move. Honestly the best flight controller for cinematography.
What’s extremely good?
Helps all kinds of sensors and has telemetry abilities
32 bit microcontroller
Exceptional software program, easy to setup
Brilliant guide
What’s horrific?
- Doesn’t guide tricopter configuration making it much less flexible than the similar eagle vector. We suppose this is a large drawback, thinking about the rate
Click here to check present day rate on amazon
Conclusion
To summarize, remember the following before making a buy:
- What do you want to build with the flight controller? A 250 fashion quad? An independent flying gadget? A cinematography capable drone?
- Read opinions at the performance of the stated flight controller, watch youtube movies to peer how they carry out.
- Supported sensors and different abilities
- Open supply vs closed supply?
- Is the stated flight controller new or is it examined very well and struggle hardened over time?
That’s all oldsters! We are hoping this guide at the best flight controller enables you in deciding on the perfect flight controller to your next construct. If you have any questions or tips, please drop them below and we’ll make certain to answer and love you for it!
Best flight controller for quadcopter 2017: How do i select?