Multirotor build tips: Simple manual ESC calibration

[@DmitryLon]

You saved my day, Sir. Initially my ESCs did not move the motors at all. After the calibration they run thmoothly, thanks to your academic approach, I was able to troubleshoot the issue.

[@Painless360]

Glad they helped. Happy flying!

[@jefftiz1]

Thumbs Up! This video has save me money. I put a new ESC in my Walkera 450 and smoked it. I did not know they all have to be Programmed ... I followed your Instructions and it worked perfect. Thank you Sir..

[@Painless360]

You're welcome! :D Happy flying!

[@Jamesbonz_12]

I just want everybody to know that this guy get its done! he makes it a lot easier to make your own build. Thanks for being painless

[@Painless360]

Thanks for the comment. Spread the word and Happy Flying! :D

[@thra5herxb12s]

Thank you for your most excellent tutorials. I now have all motors spinning and the throttle set. Now all I need to do is figure out the failsafes and I'll put the props on and take it for a little spin in the garden before getting it fine tuned. Again many thanks.

[@BigDiesel330]

I've seen this done a ton of times on tutorials with Cleanflight, but now it all makes sense. You rock, as per your usual.

[@Painless360]

Glad it helped, lots of other basics covered in the 'Introduction to Radio Control' series on the channel. Happy flying!

[@hiwayM9]

This is also how I check motor direction on multicopters- every time. I always do a group calibration once assembled, but verifying spin direction is not something I want to do after assembly. Thanks for another well made tutorial.

[@Painless360]

Thanks Hiway. appreciated.

[@MM-oc5kd]

Hi Painless360 Your videos are a MUST for everyone who gets into self-building RCs - THANKS a lot for your effort and even replying on simple questions (probably will make use of that in the near future when I failed the ESC calibration again ;) )

[@B0M0A0K]

Excellent Video. Very clear and easy to understand. Keep up the great work.

[@pratyushpro9060]

Sir I am so much thankful to you for this video. It is so simple and understanding. Thankyou so much.

[@grovehull9478]

Hi Lee, My name is Grove Hull and I really appreciate all the work you do with Painless 360 and OpenTX U. I got bit by the RC bug when I got a Blade 350 QX. I later built a carbon frame for it then decided to try building my own Quad. I got a Happymodel U580 frame with retractable landing gear, Hobby King 30A ESCs 3A UBEC and NTM Prop Drive 28-26 1000KV/235W motors. I got a JIYI P2 controller, but sent it back because it was defective. I then bought a Arducopter 2.6 controller and a Turnigy 9X Radio. I got it set up and the escs calibrated and it would arm and the motors would turn. But then I discovered I could only get 2 flight modes because of some obsolete firmware on the Turnigy unless I cut into it and rewired it to update the firmware. I decided instead to get the FySky Taranis X9D Plus and a X8R receiver and work with it. When I got it, it wouldn’t arm or turn the motors. I decided to recalibrate the escs, but they won’t calibrate. I’ve been trying to get help online to no avail. I tried changing the weight on the throttle mixer up and down… but if I turned it down, I would get some musical sounds from the arducopter, not the same as when I calibrated the escs… it doesn’t ‘sing to me’ like it did with the Turnigy 9X Transmitter. If I go into Mission Planner I am able to calibrate the radio and got the compass and accelerometer calibrated just fine. I tried using this video on manual esc calibration, but when I try that the esc doesn’t sing but I get a high pitched rapid beep from the motor. Do you have any idea what my problem is with calibrating the escs and being able to arm the motors? … it may be simple to you, but I can’t figure out why I can’t get the Taranis to work with this. I've been trying for nearly a month now. Thank you for your time, Grove Hull

[@Painless360]

+Grove Hull Check how far the Taranis is moving the channels. We do cover this in the Taranis series. The radio likes to push the PWM values on the channels below 1000 and above 2000 and this can be confusing for some flight controllers that expect the range to be 1020-1980 or similar. I'd use the 'servo' menu on the Taranis to reduce the endpoints of the main control channels (THR, ELE, AIL and RUD) so that you stand a chance of setting up the board.. Best of luck!

[@grovehull9478]

Thanks a lot. I finally was able to get them to calibrate and turn through the Arducopter controller. You are awesome!

[@grovehull9478]

Do you have a video or instructions how how to set up arducopter flight modes to work with Taranis X9D? I've watched a few, but they confuse me how to get the right frequencies for the different modes going from Taranis to Arducopter.

[@Painless360]

Sure do, also have a article on the OpenTX university..

[@grovehull9478]

Could you send me the links please?

[@BillSheley]

This is very useful. I recently smoked an ESC and I think it was because I didnt properly calibrate the ESCs and 1 motor was working harder to keep the quad in the air.

[@dcfpv_3101]

Me too. Did this work out for you?

[@hovis1954]

Thanks, sorted my problem out. Nice clear video presentation.

[@drkros3]

Great video! Will be bookmarking this for future use.

[@joopdejonge7385]

Thanks for you help all the time for all your video instructions

[@DanielJohnHowTo]

Thank you, I'm looking at building a quad copter from scratch and had heard you have to calibrate the ESCs but had no idea how to do it.

[@Painless360]

Glad the video helped. See the 'Quadcopter Building for Beginners' series for more of the basics covered in order. Happy flying!

[@TechNovaAquariums]

Hi i followed ur videos about APM but i have a problem. I upgraded from CC3d setup to APM 2.8 recently. So the wireing and ESC + other parts should working fine. But when i try to do esc calibrating (both single and all in one methods) my ESC s keep beeping. how to fix this?

[@johncgibson4720]

Thumbs up. I just burned my 50 dollar ESC with MissionPlanner because I didn't watch this video first. It burst into flame. The ESC came with Blade 200 SRX helicopter, and replacement unit is 51 USD on amazon.com .

[@Hondaf22a1]

Well that is strange, i have the same exact escs and when i tired to do the throttle calibration they just continuly beep every second, it doesn't just beep once. any ideas?

[@matiasmoanaguerrero8095]

Did you find out ?

[@brumkid100]

I have my esc units on a quadcopter already all soldered in place, if I disconnect the battery to the pixhawk FC, the power will only be going through the pdb, so only the escs will be getting power, if I then take one at a time a plug them into the throttle port on the receiver, can i do this method? Or will having the power shared between the esc's cause a issue? i dont really want to unsolder everything you see, but I also dont want to fry any parts?

[@abenwinUT]

Great video. I have a different question. When the battery is plugged into the FCB, does the quad have to be on a level/flat surface every time? I'm not talking about calibration, but when flying. My FCB is KK2.0 V1.5 FW. Thanks

[@Painless360]

Thank you for the question. The calibration of the board is a one off event but it is good practice to always set the model down level after connecting the battery to let it initialise. Some other flight controllers will not complete the self diagnostics on power on if not level. Hope this answers your question. Happy flying!

[@notquitepinoy]

thanks for the help I think this is the issue with my tricopter, the left and tail motors are rotating at the same speed while the right one is rotating slower... I will try this and see if it fixes it

[@Seneslau07]

Hi, do you think this process needs to be done with a servo tester that's included in a hand throttle handle like for an electric board, paramotor etc or its potentiometer will always deliver zero to full throttle range regardless calibration?

[@Painless360]

Almost all modern ESCs will use a digital protocol likely DShot. Using that removes the need for calibration... best of luck

[@dre1362]

hi, I'm trying to calibrate opto 12A ESC's but I only get a tone when you connect to the battery. I don't get the ones that allow me set my thrust range. its a 6Xr. I have the jr from the esc connected to channel 3 and another jr cable connected to the battery port of the receiver to supply the 5v it needs since the opto has no power.

[@Painless360]

The ESC normally goes into programming/calibration mode if it sees a high enough throttle on start-up.. I'd check that the PWM signal you're sending it is enough.. Best of luck!

[@chumish22]

I have just picked up a TTX850 and TR625 receiver for my quadcopter. I'm using a NAZE32 flight contoller and want to program it with CleanFlight. My problem is I cannot get the TX to work with the RX. I am nit sure if I should disconnect the ESCs from the NAZE32 first and connect directly to the TR625 to program the radio or if I should leave the ESCs connected to the NAZE32 board and connect the RX to the NAZE32 also? Does anyone have a guide on how to program your TX for a quad copter? I can get the motors to spin when i am in CleanFlight testing the motors, when I use the TX they don't move. Somebody Help please!!!

[@landcruiser77]

I'm building my first hexacopterplease tell me what esc and motors you recommend?

[@christopherchristensen3815]

Hi Painless would like to thank you a lot for your videos. I have Dji f450 with Naza mv2 . Just bought HMF u580 frame - 3508 580kv motors and ZTW Spider 30amp opto small esc (oneshot125) from HobbyKing . Question is : do what your video says but plug in 5v to receiver (4 AA Batteries) because they are opto ESC ? and if I solder all 4 ESC to PDB can I still calibrate one ESC at a time (plugin lipo to PDB ) or do I have to plug 3s lipo battery to each ESC like the video? Im just checking with you to make sure, thanks

[@Painless360]

It's the pwm signal that the ESC receives that starts the whole process so by having them all powered at the same time should be ok. I don't use DJI kit here, so check the manual for the correct method for the flight controller you have. Best of luck!

[@jerryneider9331]

question, my set up futaba t8j-tarot 560 sport- wing-hobby xroto 40a brushless opto esc. Naza M fc.I have just finished calibration.just as you did, everything looks good. motors all turn on mid throttle - etc theirs one thing I do not understand these esc do not sing out at start up?? Is this something I did when setting up throttle?all my other quads do- IS THIS OK??...................Jerry

[@Painless360]

jerry neider The motors should start turning as soon as you move the throttle up (with the board armed). Not mid throttle. I'd check ESC calibration and throttle channel settings on the radio and in the FC. Best of luck.

[@neil200830]

Hello a watched you calibrate your esc to your transmitter for the high and low. in one of the videos. do I have to do this or will clean flight do this for me. or the newer version for every speed controller on my quadcopter. thanks

[@Painless360]

+neil200830 Cleanflight can do this for you. See our Naze32 series.. Best of luck.

[@fotoamgamgfoto3695]

Is it normal to calibrate the ESC directly from receiver's throttle channel and not through the flight controller's motor outputs? There should be no range difference of throttle signal of radio and to motors from FC? (I have quadcopter with APM FC)

[@Painless360]

+FotoAmg AmgFoto In theory yes. There is a way to calibrate through the APM but I've found it didn't always work for me.. Happy flying!

[@andyalexander8064]

Hi Lee, I know you're not providing technical support, but was hoping you had a quick insight. I've commented about my T960 build which has gone great, I've flown it a number of times now. Then the other day I wake up and two of the motors/ESCs won't arm. They keep beeping, but won't spin. The other 4 are fine. I've watched all of your videos on the topic, plus many others. Read the manuals for QGC, MP, read all the advice on every forum I can find. Calibrated about 50 times. I'm completely stuck. Pixhawk 4, Hobbywing Xrotor 40a, Tarot 5208 330kv. I've even replaced one of the ESC's with one of the two unused ones I got so I would have a couple of backups. Still nothing. Motors work, as I used one of the working ECS's on them. Thanks

[@Painless360]

Sounds like they are not getting a signal from the FC. I'd swap the signal cables between a good and bad one to see if that is part of the problem.. Best of luck

[@andyalexander8064]

@@Painless360 Thanks Lee. That did make the ESC work and run the motor. Now the question is, what can I do to fix it? Does that mean the FC is bad? Or is there a setting for each signal wire? Sorry to be a pain. Edit: just adding that I did check the physical wiring. It has continuity, everything is attached.

[@andyalexander8064]

In case anyone is interested, it turns out the power distribution board was bad. I had to get this going, so ordered a new pixhawk, it came earlier than expected. Tried just replacing the main controller, still didn't work. Had to solder in the new board, they all work now. What a pain.

[@charleyboy74]

silly question. but if not calibrated correctly quadcopter would flip when taking off ??

[@Painless360]

+Dave Parker It will not help ;) See my video on 'flipping on take-off' that goes through the common causes...

[@charleyboy74]

+Painless360 thank you

[@shikyshaky1]

thank u for this video! it makes my day and it saved my money!! it works!!

[@dmcrypto9668]

hello... i really need help, ihave been tryingtoload the code as in the initial setup but i keep getting some error that the "the programmer is not responding" also i can only find COM1 and COM 26. So how do i go about this please?

[@rajattripathi362]

Hi, i have some confusion that in my f450 the esc's are soldered to the power distribution board so can i power the pwb and one by one connect the esc to the reciver's throttle channel and calibrate them..... Will it do. Coz all 4 of my esc's are slodered to the pwd... Thnaks in advance .

[@fade2nada]

Do you need to do this before you go through the "vehicle setup wizard" for OpenPilot? Or does that do it for you in their esc calibration? Thanks

[@Painless360]

If you watch the CC3D/250 quad build series we cover this. Best of luck!

[@filou1200]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the page to ask for some advice but I'm a bit puzzled on choice of my ESC. I've got a build underway of a tarot 680pro with 620kv motors and am looking for the right ESC. I read about the ztw spider, HK, Hobbywing flahed with Blheli or simonk etc but clueless which to take. Any advice you can share? Many thanks enjoy your videos as they are a real help. Thanks!

[@Painless360]

You should always select an ESC with more capacity than the motor needs. Hobbyking usually are very good at posting the suggested ESC size. I have a video on this RC Electric Power Systems Simply Explained (ESC, BEC, LIPO, Brushless etc) and at 11:45 I cover some best practice when sizing the ESC and battery for a RC power system. Always go for SimonK or similar flashed speed controllers. The model will respond so much better. Hope it helps.

[@ML-gd1dd]

Can you make a video on how to calibrate the ESC in a Pixhawk controlled airplane with Mission Planner? There seems to be a lot of confusion on whether it is even possible, let alone how to go about it. Thanks.

[@Painless360]

I've shown it in lots of my Pixhawk and Ardupilot videos. See ardupilot.org/copter/docs/esc-calibration.html for the process... Best of luck

[@justinpaul5960]

so in my PID tuning in cleanflight I was using PID controller 1 which was multiwii rewrite. When I switch to 0 or Multiwii (old) the motors seem to stay very close using the Tx... what would cause this??? everyone else was using 1 or 3 with no problems?? I guess I will put this back together and give it a go using the 0 PID setting...

[@justinpaul5960]

+Justin Paul just test flew and it flew perfect! finally :) lol... no idea why the updated PIDs wont work but oh well..she flies!!

[@Overlord277]

If I bought an RTF and busted 2 of the ESCs and motors, can I just slap on new parts or do I have to tune and re-calibrate things?

[@Painless360]

+Overlord277 You can only if the ESCs and Motors you use are IDENTICAL to the ones that are broken..

[@rathormuslifarm]

Hello sir, i have hobbywing 40A esc. I tested all motor and esc individually and all are working fine. But when i connect esc and motors to pixhawk it won't spin (beep sound from all motor after 1sec interval). I have also calibrate all esc and rc signal (connected through ppm encoder) coming to pixhawk and it shows all values in mission planner. So what is the problem.? Thanks.

[@Painless360]

Have you armed it? PixHawk will only arm if you've pressed the safety button etc..

[@rathormuslifarm]

Painless360 yes that i also tried. But not working

[@rathormuslifarm]

I have been disabled safety button.

[@ameto91]

I tried individual ESC calibration after putting them on to a power distribution board. The motors keep stuttering and some don't run at all during calibration. What would be the reason?

[@Painless360]

Could be lots of things. You don't mention the flight controller and software you are using so I can't be more helpful. Have you tried running them individually? Have you tried different ESC protocol settings in the software? Best of luck!

[@ameto91]

It's Arduino with multiwii GUI. I even tried Arduino code that doesn't require multiwii and I get the same. Tried individual calibration and got the same.

[@chadcox1985]

What the difference between this and when you do it through open pilot. Seems like it's the same thing. Having major sync issues. Not sure if my escs are shit and don't work well with my sunnysky 2204s 2300kv. Or if it's something else

[@Painless360]

+Chadeverythingcustom I've had problems with the 'automatic' and 'all-at-once' method of calibration and this is the method that works the best for me. I've had problems in the past where using different ESC firmware versions causes all kinds of odd behaviour.. Best of luck..

[@TurboTyler]

Hello, I did my first hover test last night and it suddenly twitched out and into the ground. I thought it was from my movement but...now when I plug in a lipo there are no beeps and no response on betaflight. Are my esc's dead or burnt up now? Everything looks good but in blheli it says esc #1 fail, and cant connect. I use a 4in1. Thanks

[@Painless360]

That sounds like something gave up the ghost on the test hover - well done for doing the sensible thing and testing it before trying to fly it higher/faster, this is exactly why test hovers are needed! I'd disconnect everything from the FC and see if it connects to the PC.. best of luck!

[@TurboTyler]

Thank you. I realized that the ground wire for the 4in1 was broken underneath the cable braiding. Happy New Year.

[@sickvic3909]

If my receiver is ppm do i need to change it back to pwm to calibrate 1 esc at a time on thr channel

[@Painless360]

Vic Prk ESCs do not understand PPM so yes. Best of luck.

[@FadyAnwar]

Thanks for the clear explanation! Is it necessary to bypass the FC? Also, is it safe for all transmitters to wire directly with ESC? i.e. it wouldn't fry the transmitter..

[@Painless360]

This is not needed on ESCs with DSHOT. So check what you are using. Best of luck

[@FadyAnwar]

@@Painless360 Thanks for the tip

[@ChuckLeone]

Great video! I am having a problem in which my quad will not get off the ground. If I calibrate with Open Pilot's wizard or calibration tab, the 2 CCW motors stutter on the bottom of the throttle curve do not fully spin until the CW motors are already up to neutral speed. I tried to calibrate each one manually via the transmitter/receiver (Turnigy 9x TX and 9x8C RX) but each ESC will just beep continuously until the transmitter is powered down, then they play their tune and speed the motors up until I disconnect power to the ESC. The ESCs are 12a SimonK and the motors are Emax MT1806-2280KV. Any idea why the ESCs will beep continuously like that? I'm starting to wonder if they in fact have a different firmware or are damaged. Any help would be appreciated.

[@Painless360]

Chuck Leone If they will not calibrate using the method in this video then something is up. Once you've calibrated then this way then you can use the output sliders in Openpilot to set the level that each individual motor starts to turn... Best of luck.

[@ChuckLeone]

Painless360 Thank you for the response. Any idea of how to confirm what firmware these ESCs have loaded without using an ESC programmer?

[@AlexCFlying]

Chuck Leone I have the same problem

[@Painless360]

You have calibrated the accelerometers right?

[@ryanm.191]

I did this with my multistar 15a esc, I calibrated it many times now, but it still had a dead zone at the bottom, about 15%, which I need to be fixed, as I'm using two to build a wing, and the two motors start at different stages.... Any help? I'm pretty sure the process is the same.

[@Painless360]

I'd look at the throttle range on the radio and reduce the bottom end slightly and retry the calibration. There can be a dead-zone at the bottom end with some firmware but you're looking for a consistent start point.. Best of luck..

[@ryanm.191]

+Painless360 oh haha, I was literally coming on to say that I got it working, but thanks anyway.

[@TheTomy669]

tried calibration 4 esc together on my multirotor apm 2.8 controlled dx7s and ar6200 didn't manage calibrating all of the escs together. do you have a idea why and what can i do to calibrate them?

[@Painless360]

+Tomy hobby tricky to suggest something without knowing what you tried and what the exact issue is. I'd run through manual calibration again..

[@justinpaul5960]

Hey Painless360, so I got that new ESC and all 4 are now calibrated and in sync using the Master throttle in clean flight, I tried a test flight and all the motors seem to kick on at the same time but once it got in the air it just went crazy and very unsteady... I hooked it back up to cleanflight and when using my taranis plus Tx the motors are not in sync and fluctuate quite a bit....I am so frustrated with this lol any suggestions??? is there some sort of settings in the taranis I need to check?? I have the nighthawk 250 pro kit, naze32 board mounted using nylon screws/nuts..

[@Painless360]

+Justin Paul Nothing to do with the radio, the ESCs are controlled by the flight controller. I would check for vibration on the craft - unbalanced props and motors - and mount on foam to reduce it. Excessive vibration can be seen as movement by the FC and compensated for. Try other PID loops and also look at LPF if you've tried everything else.

[@justinpaul5960]

Yea I was messing around with the pid loops after I wrote the message thank god. I was using 1 (rewrite) and it was very unstable. Switched to 0 (old) and it flys perfect! Thanks for the help and I'm glad I didn't take it all apart before messing with the loops :) now to just get better at flying so I can mount fpv camera and mobius! No worries there I got that all working fine haha thanks again.

[@bobot021070]

Hi. what happen if ur radio has been set with diffrent rates/trims etc. will it be set to all zero then or u need to do zeroing prosess first on the tx b4 proceeding to this demo. thanks and more power. God Bless

[@Painless360]

If there are changes to the range on the throttle channel then I'd recommend that you re-calibrate the ESCs.

[@LOSCABOSLIFE]

Great Video, quick question do I need to have the transmitter throttle trim set to "O" before doing this? This is for a new single motor airplane I'm assembling.

[@Painless360]

Leave the trim at the center mark for calibration. Happy flying!

[@MrIonutz2008]

coud the ESCs be throttle calibrated all together once installed on the quad ? Thank you

[@Painless360]

That's the normal way - see the 'Quadcopter Building for Beginners' series on the channel for more steps..

[@MrIonutz2008]

hi, sorry for bothering you, i just bought 4 little bee 20A OPTO ESCs to replace the original ones on my drone because i can't find one of the originals as spare. I've installed the ESCs and armed the drone but the motors are spinning at very low speed ( not the same as with the original ESCs when arming ). When connect the battery the ESCs give four musical beeps followed by a longer beep but the radio doesn't give any reaction to the motors when try throttle calibrating as on youtube. After many times trying one of them give the usual beeps when i arm the quad but the motor doesn't spin . Can you tell me what i do exactly need (hardware + software) to be able to do calibration on the PC ? Thank you

[@Painless360]

Ionut Popa the best thing I can recommend is go and find the video series on the channel for the flight controller that you are using, I'll have covered calibration in that series. Best of luck

[@MrIonutz2008]

Thank you for recommendation, i've seen the Quadcopter Building for Beginners, very interesting video, it did enlighten me regarding the basic of components and the way they work, now i hope there is not too much particular on my quad so i can resolve the issue following basic rules. I've ordered the servo tester so i will be able to test each ESC individually on the battery then on the quad. Now, do you think i sould buy this www.thedroneworx.co.uk/littlebee-linker-programmer to be able to calibrate them via PC ? Thank you.

[@adhirajsinghyadav765]

HiI was making a quadcopter and a doubt came to my mind.What happens if i connect a 5v battery to the signal wire of the esc with/without calibration?

[@Painless360]

+Adhiraj Yadav not a lot if the fight battery isn't connected..

[@adhirajsinghyadav765]

I mean...The esc is being powered by a battery via the 5v pin and the 5v battery is acting as a 100% PWM signal

[@Painless360]

Nothing will happen PWM stands for Pulse Width Modulation. The length of the pulse determines the throttle value the ESC uses. A steady 5v supply wouldn't be seen as a 'pulse'. I wouldn't connect things in ways that they are not designed for - it's usually results in bad things happening... Best of luck!

[@adhirajsinghyadav765]

Oh! Thanks a lot!

[@trueedgetv9344]

Help! I have one esc that won't calibrate. I started by trying to calibrate them all at once and got 2/4 calibrated, then I individually calibrated the next esc, and now have one esc left that won't calibrate. I can get the attached motor to spin though, but only at about max throttle. I followed your process in this video, and I have tried calibrating through the APM, and neither will work. The issue is that when I put the stick to minimum throttle after doing the rest of the process, the esc does not make a sound indicating it has read the minimum throttle value. Everything else goes normal though with every calibrating method I have tried. Any Ideas? Thanks!

[@Painless360]

You've done most of what I'd expect. I'd try it with one of the other motors to just ensure that it's the ESC. If it is then I'd look at getting another one.. Best of luck!

[@vanokiknadze4423]

what motor do you recommend with this esc?Hobbywing XRotor 40A 2s 6s?SunnySky X2212 KV980 Brushless Motor?

[@Painless360]

vano kiknadze This ESC will work with loads of motors - the weight of the model, battery size (3s or 4s etc.) and how many motors you will use (quad/hex etc.) determine the motors and props, not the ESC..Best of luck.

[@vanokiknadze4423]

Thanks

[@Obamjur]

Hi dear, I have tried to follow this calibration with an Emax 12A BLHeli ESC and Emax MT1806 motor but I did some step wrong and got a throttle inverted (full at bottom). Could you please help me to reverse that mess! Thanks!

[@Painless360]

+Oscar B. Monteiro Jr. Redo it all with the props off.. Best of luck!

[@tomdunphy6865]

+Oscar B. Monteiro Jr. use the reversing switches on your controller

[@Obamjur]

Oh yeah, I got it. I forgot this step when assign a new model in my Tx. Thanks anyway!

[@BiswajitPaul66]

there is lots of channel in receiver, in which I have to connect the esc's 3wire?

[@Painless360]

Sounds like you're new to this. Have a look at the 'Quadcopter Building for Beginners' and 'Introduction to Remote Control' series on the channel. They cover lots of the basics that should help..

[@guessme776]

I successfully calibrated it but whenever I move few points forward from starting point, the motor gets stopped. Please help?

[@Painless360]

Sounds like the calibration didn't work. What troubleshooting have you already done?

[@guessme776]

Well I used servo tester and then I also used arduino for controlling the range but it doesn't work. Seems like it take the both values but doesnt go far from the first value...

[@neoxrah]

Ive calibrated my escs and everything but when I plug them into the flight controller and reciever the motors make 3 beeps when powered on and wont respond to transmitter. Im stuck

[@Painless360]

Happy to help but please watch kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ2sooefiK97f7s and come back to me with more detail of what you've tried..

[@neoxrah]

Thankyou very much. Ended up being that my aileron and rudder plugs were switched so it wasn't arming. All fixed now and working. :D

[@Painless360]

Great news - sometimes it's an easy fix that you can spot by rechecking the basics. Happy flying!

[@HENDERLIVE]

Very nice video man.. Helped me a lot.. But just one question , If I make this one by one (4) connecting them into the throttle port, wouldn't that make a slightly difference between every motor ? , so each one is going to start first than the other one ? Thank you.

[@Painless360]

Ricky Henderson I see why you may think that but this process 'teaches' the ESC *exactly* what the actual throttle range on your radio is so they start at *exactly* the same time when powered up. Best of luck with the setup.

[@edcammarata6430]

Kind sir I just installed a YEP 120A high voltage ESC on my heli with no Instructions that came with this ESC an little help from hobby king other then a web Page. Just though happenstance of me trying and trying it suddenly turned on Just the way u showed in this vidio at nearly half throttle. I did not remove my motor But took off main blades and tail blades flybar padles.as I did not want to upset the Sperr gear mass that was worn in for years. My question do u think I can celebrate This YEP 120A THE SAME WAY AS U SHOWED. I was just so happy to see my motor run again,am afaid I'll do this call and the whole thing will not start again, if almost gave up After 3 days of endless frustrations, its and old 700mm heli with unknown motor Has 2 18.5v lipro in serious 40c 4350 mha any way. Since I cant get any help here do U think I should try the calabration method u showed on your vido? Or just work with it the way it is? I afaid to try because at least it's working now . I was one inch from just giving up on this whole hobby,till that motor snapped on

[@Painless360]

I'm not too up to date with helicopters any more. My days of flying them regularly are behind me. ESC calibration is vital in a Heli as is turning on things like soft start too.. Best of luck!

[@minhdang6502]

Hi, do you know how to calibrate the esc without the rc? Thanks

[@Painless360]

+Minh Dang Some flight controllers have a process for it.. I'd never want a model powered up without a working Rx..

[@AndyJoho]

You don't have a vid on dx6i and how to set it up for a zmr250?

[@yomieluwande8358]

Hi, Painless360 I already calibrated my ESCs when I was using a Open CC3D flight controller. I want to use the same ESCs for an APM set up. Do I need to calibrate again for when I'm setting up an APM quadcopter?Thanks

[@Painless360]

+Yomi Eluwande I would, just to make sure everything in the new machine is happy. Best of luck

[@augustinandre-fouet8548]

Hello, yesterday I was able to fly with my FPV racing drone for the first time then today when I tried to play with it, my ESC/motor won't beep or start... The other 3 will but not this one... Is it broken ? Any help would be appreciated

[@Painless360]

+Augustin André-Fouët possibly. What troubleshooting have you already tried?

[@TWL883]

Help!! I have just got a second hand f450, when i armed it I had smoke coming out of 1 motor, I replaced the motor thinking it was faulty, but the new motor has done the same. do I have a faulty speed controller? how can I tell? I'm looking for any advice any one could give please. Cheers

[@T3hFr00bSh0w]

make sure your battery isn't killing the motor. you might have too much voltage, or you may have soldered something wrong.

[@ryanrebugio102]

i cant calibrate my sunnysky motor with opto 30A esc...what can i do??

[@Painless360]

+Ryan Rebugio Not sure I understand the question...

[@ravbe3486]

Hi. Recently I tried to calibrate my 12A SimonK ESC and according to yr video and maker instruction and it seems that everything went well. The thing that is confusing me is that the calibration is being done with RC on channel 3 but for the normal flying I am using PPM (connected to ch:1). Despite of the calibration I experianced lazy motor issues but I solved this problem by changing the throttle curve on my RC. Now the motors spins equally but whenever I am increasinge throttle more dynamic the model is becoming "crazy" and even sometimes engines revolutions drops suddenly. Do you have any idea what could be the problem? regards.

[@Painless360]

+rav be The channel thing is common - don't worry about that. What do you mean 'crazy' impossible to provide useful suggestions without a lot more detail. Happy to help but please watch kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ2sooefiK97f7s and come back to me with more detail of what you've tried..

[@sadHorsey13]

what's the specification for the battery ? i have a 30 A esc. and my battery is 3300 mAh 25 C . so if i connect it with only one esc will it burn the esc ? because the current in the battery is 3.3*25= about 80 amp

[@Painless360]

+cybernerd adnan The current spec for the battery is the highest amount of current that the battery can safely deliver. It doesn't mean that this is what it pushes out all the time, regardless of what it's connected to. See out 'Introduction to Remote Control' series for more of the basics covered. Best of luck!

[@nilakshatra2024]

Hi, Thank you very much for making this video. Can you please help me out with a problem of mine? When I plug in the battery, one of the ESC falls out of sync over time (in first 3-6 seconds). When I do all at once calibration, one ESC always has a dead band. It causes the quadcopter to tilt. I'm using APM 2.8 with some generic 30 A ESC (sorry my bad, no info available) and 2212 1000kv motors.Any help would be appreciated.

[@Painless360]

If the escs are generic, I'd look at those first. Sounds like you might have a dodgy one. Best of luck

[@ricksquebecrc4627]

hi painless! i`m trying to calibrate my esc`s {hobbywing XRotor Pro 40A 3D Muti-Rotor ESC OPTO} and i follow the calibration process, which is throttle at max , connect servo lead to x8r , power the x8r {bound to taranis) and then power esc`s , but i get a constant beep! but i tryed throttle in the middle and i got a musical beep and the motor works on foward and backward !!! i don`t understand !!~my esc`s values are,, lower point is 1100---middle 1520--- max 1940 but in the taranis inputs does not go lower than 1420,do i have adjust something in the taranis ??.....can you help me please,,thanks painless

[@Painless360]

+RICHARD LUSSIER you're using 3d ESCS designed to spin the motor forward and backwards. I'd look up the calibration for them. We've not used them here. Best of luck!

[@MrIonutz2008]

Hi there, you've done a great video. I have a damaged ESC caused by falling drone. It is a pretty new model and i don't find the ESC as spare. If i buy another kind of ESC with appropriate parameters, do you think it will work with the other three together ? Do i need to programme it to work as the existing ones ? Thank you.

[@Painless360]

+Ionut Popa I've always struggled when trying to use two different types of ESC on a model..

[@MrIonutz2008]

so the answer could be no. what if i replace all four with four same ESC ? would that work ? the drone is a RC LEADING RC 136 model.

[@dradexx]

can I calibrate all at the same time if I have everything connected already? or will I have to take it apart (desolder) and calibrate one by one?

[@Painless360]

Only one way to find out! :D Best of luck!

[@dradexx]

you can! :D

[@stinemark]

This solved my problem, thanks. Question, is correct calibration dependent on the specific receiver planned for flight?

[@Painless360]

+Mark Stine I would always recalibrate the model with the new radio.. Happy flying!

[@jorock63]

hi I hope u can helpme out on this,,whenever I plug in the battery...all 4 motor twitches and emits a beep every second ( its like a lost mosdel beep),I donthave solutions for this cos Im a real dummy to electronics,,tq

[@Painless360]

Please follow my betaflight setup video that takes you through all the steps to avoid problems like that. Best of luck

[@tucber37]

Great video. Was just wandering if this method will work if I've configured my RX to use S-BUS? Thanks.

[@Painless360]

You need to be able to plug the servo lead from the ESC into the throttle channel. It's expecting a PWN signal so you'll need to turn of S-BUS or use an adapter for that to work.. Happy flying!

[@quadrocoptologydotcom9340]

so you dont need a flight controller to do this? is channel one throttle on every reciever?

[@Painless360]

Nope, you can plug the ESC directly into the throttle channel on the receiver (if it has one, newer mini receivers we have now only have outputs for PPM and S-Bus). Happy flying!

[@quadrocoptologydotcom9340]

im using a fr-sky l9R my quad wont stop beeping after a hard crash, the high pulse signals is causing beeping in motors, FC fine, vtx fine, pdb fine, frame is fine, 2 motors bells got jammed up but other then that i cant figure it out, and im assuming channel 1 is throttle?

[@carlmessy]

So can a newer receiver (like my Turnigy iA6C) with only PPM and S-Bus be used to calibrate the esc? Or do I need to find one with a throttle channel? thanks for your help!

[@ziggyzbeak]

I have the flying 3d x8 quadcopter three motors idle at arming but the right front motor does not it seems to work fine after I give it more throttle do I need a new esc or just calibrating. thank you .

[@Painless360]

+ziggyzbeak I'd try re-calibration of the ESCs as a first step... Best of luck.

[@ziggyzbeak]

tthanks ill try

[@thiru486]

how to calibrate it for the reverse ... like in quadcopter

[@Painless360]

github.com/betaflight/betaflight/wiki/3D-Setup Happy flying!

[@adnanulhaque8846]

Hello Lee: do we need to re-calibrate ESC if either of following battery specification change?. 1/ S (i.e. 3S, 4S etc.) 2/ maH (i.e. 2700mah, 3000mah etc.) 3/ C (i.e. 25C, 30C etc.) 4/ weight

[@Painless360]

+adnan ul haque nope, you shouldn't have to..

[@ajduvenhage9025]

How about a spring loaded throtle like on poseiden pro black controller

[@Painless360]

Spring loaded throttles are usually used with flight controllers that manage their height automatically. See my series on Arducopter for example... best of luck

Can I use simonk 30a esc and 2212 920kb motors on apm 2.8?

[@Painless360]

+AkiLä IduNil please watch the APM series, that should help. Best of luck!

Painless360 I've downloaded every single video! ✌👍

[@rajattripathi362]

And can i use 3s 2200mah battery for the calibration process..

[@Painless360]

+Rajat Tripathi So long as the ESC is rated for the voltage of the pack 3s, 4s etc) then it'll be fine...

[@rajattripathi362]

ok thanks

[@Drazee123]

Hi guys! So I'm facing a rather different problem then usual. The other day I was calibrating my ESC with this manual method. After I competed the calibration I moved my throttle around %10-20 range and suspected that the motor was spinning way too fast than it should. So I changed my power source from 6s to 3s just to be safe so I won't burn the motor (Normally it's a 6s build). The thing that I noticed that after hitting the %50 throttle the motor was barely speeding up with 3s source. Normally I would see a obvious difference in speed increase even after %50 in my other build that I did with different motors. So my question is that is it normal to see a little to no increase in speed with a lower voltage power source after calibrating the ESC with a higher voltage source or was I right to test the calibration with a lower voltage source and does what I observed indicates a calibration problem? It feels like if I go around %50 throttle with my 6s source I might burn the motor completely. Should there be a linear increase in speed just like normal even with a lower voltage source? Because it feels like it should since when I increase the throttle I'm increasing the pulse rate even the source in lower than it should. I suspect that even tho I calibrated the esc multiple times I get the feeling that the max throttle is setting around %50 throttle. Would you say that I'm getting scared from the sound of the motor for no reason or that that indicates a problem with the calibration? I'm planning to check the speed of the motor with a tachometer and compare it with the graph of the motor just to be safe but would you say that my thought process is correct or am I missing something? Sorry for the long comment. I'm using a sunnysky r2207 kv 1800 with a 60A skywalker ESC if it helps. Thanks a lot!

[@Painless360]

Using a modern digital protocol like DShot means that you don't have to calibrate. If the throttle response isn't smooth and linear when using PWM then recalibrate and make sure that all of the other settings are default. Best of luck

[@redjr16]

Is it necessary to calibrate the ESCs using the motor you intend to use WITH the ESC? Or, can I build a calibration hub using any motor and just swap in the ESCs I'm going to calibrate the throttle with?

[@Painless360]

You can calibrate with any motor - I guess.. The calibration just sets the PWM values for low and MAX throttle.. Best of luck!

[@mysticfries2722]

I did this on one of my escs and it worked. The second ESC I did it with is now just making the motor twitch a little, even at full throttle. I had the motor going fine just before I did this. Any ideas?

[@Painless360]

I'd check that the calibration worked and that there isn't a broken/bad joint on one of the three ESC/Motor connections.. Best of luck!

[@wm973]

Very nice video. I followed your procedure and found if I waited with throttle up I would get 1 beep 5 times, 2 beeps 5 times and so on until 5 beeps 5 times then returned back to one beep... From what I read this is the program mode. I didn't change anything, only waited for the one beep then throttle down. I hope I did it right. I'm using Turnigy Multistar SBEC 20A ESC's. Appreciate your thoughts.

[@Painless360]

What does that manual say about calibration?

[@wm973]

Painless360 i found an old manual but it differs in the programming mode(beeps). I dont want to do simething that would mess it up. I have a KK2.1 FC. I could set it up because it has a calibration mode and then put it back with the Naza lite FC. Do you think this would work ok?

[@Painless360]

W Morris I strongly suggest going back to HobbyKing and getting the actual manual, without it you are guessing.kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ2sooefiK97f7s can be a useful reminder in cases like this. Best of luck

[@MTB-ENG]

Great video, Thanks Painless360! One quick question: I have a PPM to PWM encoder on my set up. If I calibrate the ESCs the way you show, would that prove to be a problem? Or does the encoder sort things out once that is plugged back in after calibration?

[@Painless360]

+Bryce Bender with modern ESCs you don't really have to do this anymore. If you're ESC has the ability to support DShot then you don't need to calibrate. Best of luck with your build, happy flying!

[@thunderbolt997]

my esc/motor wont beep at all when connecting battery do you think my esc is broken (i have a littlebee esc)

[@Painless360]

Possibly, what troubleshooting have you done already?

[@DonMuffatello]

Is this a better method than using the clean flight one

[@Painless360]

+DonMuffatello Depends on what you mean by 'better'. This was always works...

[@DonMuffatello]

ok

[@quadcopter1023]

Hi, Would this function on the Devo 10 with RX2001 and RX601? You do a great job and you are a good educator.... much appreciated.

[@Painless360]

+Quadcopter102 No idea, I don't have that radio. You do need a receiver that can provide the throttle channel as a PWM signal - if the Rx does that then it should work.. Best of luck.

[@quadcopter1023]

Thanks for reply....

[@ionutdeji2388]

Thanks man! I have no 4th beep after i decrease the throttle. Any ideas?

[@Painless360]

+Aerials make sure the throttle grange in the channel is enough. It will be expecting a value

[@chaitanyakumarmnv3713]

i want to use my bldc motor in forward and reverse and brake i use 30amp hobby power esc and 1400kv bldc motor so how can i calibrate my esc.. will it need to flash any firmware on my esc..

[@Painless360]

Sorry, we've not used any of the 3d capable ESCs here that can reverse a prop. Best of luck with it!

[@justinpaul5960]

Hi Painless360, I love your vids! thanks so much for the great information. So I have a problem that is driving me crazy... I ordered 4 emax simonk 12a esc's and 3 of them are in perfect sync and I have one as you described as lazy... I have calibrated it many times and it is still starting up later than other 3. Even when I power up my naze32 the other 3 all beep in sync on startup but the one starts up a few seconds later.. is this just a bad esc or am I doing something wrong???

[@Painless360]

+Justin Paul Have you tried swapping the motor on the 'lazy' ESC? It could be the motor is a little stiff..

[@justinpaul5960]

I think I did try a couple motors, I will try it again tho.. But why does the (beep..beep..dododoot) on esc 1 lag behind the other 3 escs? When I power the naze motors 2,3,4 are all in sync but esc on motor one doesn't kick in for like 3 seconds after... I even disconnected all escs and just powered them up seperately without naze and timed them... that one esc is definitely delayed... would that have anything to do with it being delayed for motor start up as well?? I ordered a new esc from Florida and should be here saturday but I spent hours troubleshooting and can't figure it out.. thanks for your input!

[@justinpaul5960]

Tried different motors and again there is a good 3 second lag time with this esc's startup beeping... other 3 escs start up within 1 second of power... no idea lol.. is there a delayed start up mode on these 12a EMAX Simonk escs? Then seperate from just the delayed start up, While in clean flight this bad esc doesn't Rev up until 56, other 3 start up at 26. I calibrated all 4 escs manually with Tx. Because of the delay it's close to impossible to calibrate them all together in clean flight because this esc is so delayed from the rest.... suggestions?

[@Painless360]

No, the whole point of SimonK is that the settings are all taken care of. I would go back to the vendor if you've tried another motor in case the firmware on that ESC is different.. Best of luck..

[@justinpaul5960]

Sounds good thanks for your input! Much appreciated. I'll

[@tfuntoy]

I try to cal my esc but after that the motor spin very very slow even in full thro., what can I do? I try recalibrate it many time and no luck,

[@Painless360]

All of them or just one?

[@tfuntoy]

2 out of 4. Half... I think it is a issue with ESC as I swapped motor same happen.

[@Painless360]

+wing hum thomas fung I would go back to the vendor if you can't calibrate them successfully using this method. Best of luck.

[@tfuntoy]

I have tried with different remote finally I could recover it to default setting and it works. But my question now is does the thro lower point and higher pint of Thro need to set it lower by the trim to works?

[@Painless360]

Sorry I do not understand the question..

[@MRAXELGRINDER]

Great video

[@stephenrumer6953]

This helped ALOT! thank you

[@korzer]

I'm stuck here, my d4r-ii doesn't power up from the servo wire coming from the esc, any suggestions? I want to calibrate all esc before I mount and hardwire them onto the quad. The receiver is brand new never powered up

[@Painless360]

I would check that you have plugged in the wire the right way round, and use a volt meter to ensure that there is five or six volts coming out of the positive wire in the middle of the three pin server connection from the ESC. Best of luck.

[@korzer]

Thank you for replying, i have the Turnigy Plush 12AE, they claim BEC output to be 5v/2A. The motors chirp when i power them up, i've watched all your related videos so was careful about polarity, is there any other way i can connect power to the d4r-ii to see if its faulty? I have ordered another one just incase, but it won't arrive for a week or more :/ Thanks again

[@Painless360]

If you have checked that there is +5v out of the red wire in the middle of the cable then it looks like the Rx is faulty. It should light up in some fashion when power is applied. Best of luck.

[@korzer]

Painless360 Hello again, i have now got the receiver working and bound to my Taranis, the motors spin but there is a big dead range so i want to calibrate all the esc's individually before i install everything and solder, i have followed all the steps, double checked the instructions, watched all your videos (again) and they will not calibrate throttle range.. I have worked out how to program the esc with the Taranis but i'm not sure on some of the settings like, 'start up mode- soft,super-soft'. On another video someone was using a programming card to program their plush escs and they changed the Timing to High noting that it was important. Anyway its really frustrating me and your help would be appreciated if you have any idea what it might be, Do i need to flash them with BLheli or something like that to get them to calibrate? hmmm ;)

[@Painless360]

If you are using the ESCs for multirotors then they should be flashed with a firmware that is designed to improve performance and response for those applications - SimonK and BLHeli being two popular ones. I would go back to the vendor for support. Best of luck.

[@WillPark98]

When I plug in my esc's to the power and receiver just like this, they beep but then they do not throttle up or down. help please...

[@Painless360]

Will Park What troubleshooting have you already done?

[@WillPark98]

Painless360 I'm pretty sure I have dead esc, other esc's work with the same receiver and motor combo

[@Painless360]

Only way to tell is swap the motor on the 'dead' esc with one of the others. If the problem stays with the ESC, then it is the ESC at fault. If it follows the motor then its the motor that needs looking at. Best of luck.

[@WillPark98]

Yeah the esc is dead, I bought a quadcopter kit from hobbyking that came with 20A motors but 15A multistar esc's. It's not surprising that two of the esc's would not work.

[@Painless360]

Bummer, sorry to hear that. Good work on figuring out. I'd let HK know and get them to ship out replacements. They are very good with DOA kit. Best of luck with the next two!

[@TOMSHOBBY]

Great video it worked