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2014
DJI F450 Construction Guide

Nick Wells

1/1/2014

Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Create Power Cables ......................................................................................................................... 3
Charging cables ............................................................................................................................. 3
Copter power cables ...................................................................................................................... 3
Charge Batteries ................................................................................................................................ 4
To turn off the annoying key beep! ............................................................................................ 4
Charging the transmitter LIPO Battery ....................................................................................... 4
Charging the main LIPO Battery ................................................................................................. 5
Solder Lower Board ........................................................................................................................... 6
Fit Motors to Arms ............................................................................................................................ 6
Attach Arms to Lower Board .............................................................................................................. 6
Connect RX to NAZA Autopilot........................................................................................................... 7
Pairing RX & TX .................................................................................................................................. 8
Transmitter power on sequence (POS): ...................................................................................... 8
First clear existing codes: ........................................................................................................... 8
Bind RX and TX:.......................................................................................................................... 8
Set fixed ID: ............................................................................................................................... 8
Initial TX setup................................................................................................................................... 9
Stage 1 Create Model profile ................................................................................................... 10
Stage 2 Disable Fail Safe........................................................................................................... 10
Stage 3 Calibrate switch travel ................................................................................................. 11
Configure and test NAZA Autopilot .................................................................................................. 12
Autopilot Configuration Stage 1 ................................................................................................... 12
GPS Mounting .......................................................................................................................... 12
Motor Mixer ............................................................................................................................ 12
TX Calibration .......................................................................................................................... 13
Auto Pilot Setup ....................................................................................................................... 14
Gimbal Setup ........................................................................................................................... 14
Voltage Monitor ...................................................................................................................... 14
Check motor Rotation direction ................................................................................................... 15
Configure First Person View Video System ................................................................................... 16
Test recording function................................................................................................................ 16
Install Electronics ............................................................................................................................ 17
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Introduction
This manual is a guide to help you construct the DJI F450 quad copter using the component parts
listed below. There are more detailed instructions in the supplied documents but this guide should
tell you all you need to know to get the copter ready to fly.
Kit Contents
DJI F450 Flame Wheel Quad Copter Kit
NAZA M-Lite GPS Autopilot
Walkera Devention Devo F7 Eyes First Person Video System
B6AC Professional Charger

Useful Links
DJI F450
http://www.dji.com/tutorial/flame-wheel-tutorials/
http://wiki.dji.com/en/index.php/Flame_Wheel
http://wiki.dji.com/en/index.php/Flame_Wheel_F450_Assembly
DJI NAZA M-Lite
http://www.dji.com/tutorial/naza-m-lite-tutorials-en/
http://wiki.dji.com/en/index.php/Naza-M
Walkera Devo F7
http://www.walkera.com/en/showgoods.php?id=495

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Create Power Cables

Charging cables
Cut the black cover off the cable that comes with the charger to expose the 2 pins. Carefully lift the
tabs and move the pins to the outside of the connector as shown top left. This cable can now be
used to charge the transmitter battery.
Chop an unused connector off one of the charging cables and solder on a 4mm HXT bullet connector.
TIP:

Press the bullet into the red cover using a screwdriver, put another cover on the end and
push down onto a table. They take a bit of force to pop in and you can damage the front of
the cover.

Copter power cables

You need to end up with these cables ready to solder onto the lower board. Make the power cable
using purchased connectors. The video power cable can be cut off one of the spare leads from the
video kit.
Power Cable (HXT 4mm Bullet connector)

Nick Wells

Video TX power (HST connector)

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Charge Batteries
The B6AC charger will charge pretty much anything if you have the right cables. There are lots of
different charging and discharging modes so best read the manual for all of them. This will tell you
how to charge whats in the kit.
To turn off the annoying key beep!
1) Press stop until display shows USER SET
2) Press Enter then Inc. till display shows Key Beep.
3) Press Enter then Inc. to set key beep off.
4) Press Stop to exit menu.
Charging the transmitter LIPO Battery
Connect battery like this: (my battery is 800mAh 2S 8.4v)

Make sure you get the polarity right.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

Press Stop till the display shows LiPo BATT then press Enter.
Press Inc. to till the display shows LiPo CHARGE.
Press Enter and set the charge current. (0.8A will charge in 1 hour)
Press Enter and set the battery format (7.4v 2S is the transmitter battery)
Press Enter then press and hold enter to start charge
Charger will detect battery and show R: 2SER S: 2SER. You set 2S and the charger agrees!
Press enter again to start charge.

If anything is wrong the charger wont start. (e.g. wrong polarity or cable unplugged)
The Bottom line shows charge time and energy transferred in mAh (Battery Capacity is 800 mAh).

The charger will switch to trickle charge automatically when done.

During the charge you can press Inc. or Dec. to show more information.
It is advisable to put the battery in a charge bag when charging in case something goes wrong.
Once the charge has completed, the charger will beep and display FULL in the top left corner.

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Charging the main LIPO Battery

Connect the battery like this: (my battery is 5000mAh 3S 11.1v)

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

Press Stop till the display shows LiPo BATT then press Enter.
Press Inc. to till the display shows LiPo BALANCE.
Press Enter and set the charge current. (5.0A will charge in 1 hour)
Press Enter and set the battery format (11.1v 3S is the main battery)
Press Enter then press and hold enter to start charge
Charger will detect battery and show R: 3SER S: 3SER. You set 3S and the charger agrees!
Press enter again to start charge.

If anything is wrong the charger wont start. (e.g. wrong polarity or cable unplugged)
The Bottom line shows charge time and energy transferred in mAh (Battery Capacity is 5000 mAh).

The charger will switch to trickle charge automatically when done.

During the charge you can press Inc. or Dec. to show more information.
It is advisable to put the battery in a charge bag when charging in case something goes wrong.
Once the charge has completed, the charger will beep and display FULL in the top left corner.

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Solder Lower Board

There is more info in the F450 manual about assembly. This is a quick start guide.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Solder the 4 Electronic Speed Controllers (ESC) to the board

Solder main battery cable to the main power pads on the board.
Solder NAZA V-SEN module to the main power pads on the board.
Solder Video TX JST power cable to the main power pads on the board.
Clean and cover solder joints with glue or sealant.

Fit Motors to Arms

Attach motors to arms using the supplied M3 x 8 fixings. See page 6 of (F450 user manual)
Pass the motor wires through the arm as shown.

Attach Arms to Lower Board

Decide which way you want the copter to fly and attach the arms to the lower board using the M2.5
x 8 screws provided.

FRONT

Loosely connect the ESCs it doesnt matter where the wires go.
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Connect RX to NAZA Autopilot

Now we will connect the autopilot and receiver together before connecting to a PC to configure the
NAZA autopilot.
1)
2)
3)
4)

Connect the receiver to the Autopilot as shown using the 3 pin cables.
Connect the NAZA V-SEN USB power unit to 4 pin LED and 3 pin X3
Connect the motor ESCs to the M1 to M4 ports as numbered in the picture.
Connect the GPS compass to the 4 pin EXP. port

FRONT

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Pairing RX & TX
When powering up the DEVO transmitter it has a built in safeguard.
If you dont follow this sequence it wont boot.
Transmitter power on sequence (POS):
1) Set FMOD switch to position 0.
2) Set throttle stick to minimum.
3) Switch on power.

You only need to do this once or if you factory reset the transmitter.
This step isnt in the user manual!
First clear existing codes:
1) Leave the transmitter switched off.
2) Connect BIND PLUG to the battery port on RX.
3) Connect main battery to the copter and the RX701 red LED will flash slowly.
4) Remove the plug then disconnect the power.
The ID codes have now been cleared and the receiver is ready for binding.
Bind RX and TX:
1) Power up receiver
2) Power up Transmitter (remember the POS above)
3) Transmitter will now bind with receiver.
Set fixed ID:
Follow instructions in 10.0 Customized fixed ID on page 12 of DEVO F7 manual.
You have now paired the transmitter and receiver.
Normally you power up the transmitter first and then receiver.
You do it the other way round to bind the receiver.

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Initial TX setup
You only need to do this once or if you factory reset the transmitter. There are several things to set
here using the buttons and onscreen menus on the transmitter. The values here worked for my
build. Once we have configured the transmitter we can test all the settings using the NAZA PC
software and adjust them if necessary.
We need to:
1. Create a model profile for the quad copter.
2. Disable the AUX2 fail safe measures.
3. Calibrate switch travel.

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Stage 1 Create Model profile

Each aircraft you have can have individual saved settings stored as a model profile in the transmitter
so you can switch between them. Here we will create one for the quad copter.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Use the Power On Sequence to boot up the transmitter. (Throttle stick down FMOD = 0)
From the Main Menu
Press DN- to select the Model Menu and press ENT
Press UP+ to select the first model in the list and press ENT then EXT
Press DN- to select Model Name and press ENT
Use UP+ & DN- to select the character, use R+ & L- to set the value.
Choose a name e.g. DJI F450
Press EXT when done
Press DN- to select Type Select and press ENT
Press L- to select Airplane and press ENT twice to confirm.
We use Airplane to enable the AUX1 output. It is used for pitch on a helicopter but we
Need it to set the intelligent orientation control on the autopilot using the mix switch.
Press DN- to select Device Select and press ENT
Use UP+ & DN- to choose option and R+ & L- to set value.
a. Set Flight Switch to Inhibit
b. Set Flap Switch to MIX SW
Press EXT
Press DN- to select Device Output and press ENT
Use UP+ & DN- to choose option and R+ & L- to set value.
a. Set Gear to GEAR SW, Active
b. Set Flap to MIX SW, Active
c. Set AUX2 to FMOD SW, Active
Press EXT three times to return to the flight screen.

7.
8.
9.

10.
11.

12.
13.
14.

15.

Stage 2 Disable Fail Safe

Sounds like a strange thing to do but there is a reason. The receiver has built in behaviour when it
goes out of range. It will hold all servo values as they are which is no good for the autopilot as it then
wont know there is a problem. We want the autopilot to know the transmitter is out of range so it
flies back home and lands.
To do this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Press ENT twice to enter Function Menu

Press DN- to Fail Safe and press ENT
Press DN- to select AUX2 (Default is Servo Hold)
Press L- to select Fail Safe
Press DN- to select value
Press L- to set value to -25
Press EXT twice to return to main menu

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Stage 3 Calibrate switch travel

This sets the output values for each position of the FMOD switch which must match predefined
values in the NAZA autopilot.
To do this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

From the Main Menu

Press ENT to enter Function Menu
Press DN- to Reverse Switch and press ENT
Press DN- to select Flap
Press L- to select Reverse
Press EXT
Press DN- to Travel Adjust and press ENT
Press DN- to select AUX2 first value
Press R+ or L- to set first value to 82.0
Press DN- to select second value
Press R+ or L- to set second value to -87.0
Press EXT once to return to Function menu
Press DN- to select Sub Trim and press ENT
Press DN- to select AUX2
Press R+ or L- to set value to 6.0
Press EXT twice to return to main menu

We have now configured the transmitter output to match all the connections to the NAZA autopilot.
Now we need to hook it up to a PC and test it!

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Configure and test NAZA Autopilot

If you havent done so already install the DJI driver and software onto a Windows PC. Use the WIN8
driver installer for Windows 8. We will now power up the Quad copter, connect it to a PC and run
the NAZA Lite assistant to configure the autopilot.

Autopilot Configuration Stage 1

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Make sure all propellers have been removed.

Switch on the Transmitter (Remember POS)
Connect the main battery to the Quad copter
You will hear some beeps and the LED on the V-SEN board will start to flash.
Connect the USB cable to the V-SEN and your PC. (V-SEN LED will go green)

GPS Mounting
Start up the NAZA Assistant.
Once the NAZA has been detected your screen should look like
this. After the copter is assembled you need to fill in these
details.
If you copy the suggested GPS mounting position, enter the
following values.
X = 0cm, Y = 5cm, Z = -9cm
Click WRITE button to write values to the controller.
Motor Mixer
1. Click the Motor Mixer tab
2. Choose Quad-rotor X
Leave the motor speed at RECOMMAND (engrish)

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TX Calibration
1. Click the TX Cali Tab
2. Set the Receiver Type to Tradition
3. Set Cut Off type to Intelligent
4. Wiggle the sticks on the transmitter and the sliders
should move.
5. Click the REV button on T and E so your screen looks like
this.
6. Press START to calibrate stick travel.
In turn move each stick UP & DOWN then LEFT & RIGHT
several times.
7. Click FINISH when done.
8. Test the Throttle stick, down should move slider left.
9. Test the Rudder stick, left should move slider left.
10. Test the Elevator stick, down should move slider left.
11. Test the Aileron stick, left should move slider left.
12. Test the MIX switch it should move X2 slider.
13. Test the FMOD switch it should move U slider.
a. Position 0 should select Manual mode.
Check the blue M and CONTROL MODE Manual is detected.
If the box is not blue change the 2nd AUX2 value (see page 10)
b. Position 1 should select A mode.
Check the blue A and CONTROL MODE Attitude is detected.
If the box is not blue change the AUX2 sub trim value (Page 10)
c. Position 2 should select GPS mode.
Check the blue GPS and CONTROL MODE GPS Attitude is detected.
If the box is not blue change the 1st AUX2 value (see page 10)
d. Switch off the transmitter.
Check the blue Fail-Safe and CONTROL MODE Fail-Safe detected.
If the box is not blue change the AUX2 value (see page 9)
It is essential that the various modes are detected correctly otherwise you wont be able to use the
autopilot correctly. If the box above the slider is not coloured blue, then that mode is not active, you
need to change the calibration values in the transmitter.
NOTE: You may need to reboot the receiver and reconnect the USB cable after testing failsafe.

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Auto Pilot Setup

1. Click the Auto Pilot tab.
2. Set the following parameters for the DJI F450:
Basic Gain: Pitch=150, Roll=150, Yaw=100, Vert.=105
Attitude Gain: Pitch=150, Roll=150
3. Press WRITE to save values.
4. Set the Fail-Safe method to Go-Home and Landing.
5. Enable Intelligent Orientation Control.
6. Test the MIX switch on the transmitter.
a. Position 0 should select OFF.
b. Position 1 should select Course Lock.
c. Position 2 should select Home Lock.

Gimbal Setup
Not used for now.
To use it you will need to reassign an output from the
transmitter and they are currently all in use.
Voltage Monitor
This is a battery voltage monitor that will put the autopilot into
safe mode if the battery starts to get low.
To enable it:
1. Set Protective Switch to ON
2. Set battery type to 3S

You have now:

1. Configured the aircraft type and geometry.
2. Configured and calibrated the autopilot.
3. Tested the connection between the receiver and autopilot.
4. Tested the transmitter configuration and calibration.
Good Job go make a cuppa!

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Check motor Rotation direction

We need to check the motors are connected correctly and rotation in the right direction.

FRONT

To do this:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Power up the transmitter

Power up the copter (USB disconnected)
Pull both sticks down and left to start the engines!
Hold a piece of paper up to each of the spinning motors to work out rotation.
Make a note of the ones that are wrong.
Disconnect the main battery on the copter.
If a motor is spinning in the wrong direction swap any 2 wires on the ESC.

Once you have swapped the wires check rotation direction again.
TIP:

Set the FMOD switch to 0 (manual) and the motors will stay spinning.
Set the FMOD switch to 2 (GPS Auto), the motors will stop after a couple of seconds.
Mark the top of motors M1 and M3 with pen or paint to help you remember which ones
spin counter clockwise to make it easier to fit the correct propeller.

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Configure First Person View Video System

Now we will connect and test the FPV video system.
Connect the camera, transmitter and control unit as shown below.

To configure the FPV System:

1. Insert the micro SD card in the camera.
2. Connect the Power cable to the lower board.
3. Connect the camera controller to the GEAR port on the receiver.
4. Power up the transmitter
5. Power up the copter
6. On the transmitter, press ENT then DN- to select System Menu and press ENT
7. Press DN- to select Video Select and press ENT
8. Press DN to Select Status then R+ to set it to Active
9. Press DN- to select channel then press R+ or L- to change channels till you see a picture.
10. Press EXT 3 times when done
If there is interference on the video link, change the channel using the dip switches on the video
transmitter, then repeat the setup on the main transmitter.

Test recording function

Toggle the Gear switch on the transmitter. You should see a red dot in the top right corner of the
screen and a recording time bottom right. The camera is now recording!
To stop recording toggle the gear switch again.
TIP:

When recording in flight, make sure you stop recording before disconnecting the power. If
you dont do this you will lose the last recording.

Thats it the flight systems are now fully configured so you can complete the assembly.

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Install Electronics
First make sure you have enough sticky pads to mount everything.
You will need:

2 x circular Pads for GPS Compass

1 x square pad for Radio Receiver
1 x pad for camera
1 x pad for video transmitter
1 x large Velcro pad for battery

Using the supplied double sided pad fix the Naza

Autopilot to the centre of the lower board.
Make sure the direction arrow is pointing to the front
of the aircraft.
FRONT

Using a circular pad stick the RX701 receiver to the

back of the lower board.

Using a pad fix the DV04 camera to the front of the

lower board.

MAKE SURE THE CAMERA IS NOT UPSIDE DOWN!

(The LED is on the bottom)
The led should poke through the slot on the board or
be visible if you are using a thick sticky pad.
Make sure you can tilt the lens ok and it is not
blocked by the lower board.
TIP:

Remove the DV04 sticker from the underside of the camera and stick it on the top to make
sure the sticky pad sticks securely to the camera.

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Cut one of the sticky pads and use 2 strips to attach the
video transmitter to the lower board.

Connect all cables (except the GPS compass) and use cable ties to tidy the bundles. If you can, route
the ESC control cables and the video cables on opposite sides of the NAZA autopilot.
Now fit the top board using the supplied screws.

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Using Super Glue, fix the shaft into both ends of the GPS compass mount, and put it to on side to
dry. Now, using cable ties secure the ESCs and V-SEN and aerials to the arms as shown in the
pictures below.

Feed the GPS compass cable through the arm and connect to the NAZA.

Attach the compass stand to the top board and secure

with a cable tie.
Attach the compass to the top of the arm
making sure the orientation is correct.
Fix the GPS cable to the shaft using a cable tie.

Nick Wells

FRONT

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Finally secure the main power cable to the lower board and add Velcro and the battery securing
strap to the top board.

If you want to fit the landing legs just follow the instructions provided.
Thats it the Quad copter is fully assembled!
Beer time!!

Nick Wells

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