Betaflight Won’t Connect (Reasons, and How to Fix It)

If you can manage to connect Betaflight to your drone, you will find controlling and flying any multi-rotor craft enjoyable. Betaflight is a flight controller software that enhances performance and helps to fly your drone with ease. The challenge is that installing the firmware to your device may be difficult and requires a bit of experience. However, if it is successful, you will be on your way to an even more enjoyable drone flying experience.

Betaflight will not connect to your drone when there is an issue with the radio transmitter or receiver. Or, it may refuse to connect if you missed a step while setting up or installing the software. Also, it will not connect on a low battery or when the flight mode does not support the software.

When the drone cannot connect to Betaflight, the first thing you will want to do of course is find a way of fixing the problem. But first, you may need to figure out why it’s having trouble connecting Betaflight to the drone, in order to solve the issue. Read on to learn more about the most common reasons why Betaflight may not be connecting to your drone and how you can fix the issues.

It Is Not Connected Correctly #

For you to be able to fly the drone, you must connect the controller correctly. Sometimes, you may miss an essential step by accident. This makes it difficult for the controller to work properly. Luckily, this is one of the easiest problems to fix. All you need to do is to trace back the connection and repeat the process. Typically, Betaflight works by sending a signal to the drone to instruct it what to do. When this signal is not delivered, it becomes difficult for the drone to take action. Notice that the controller sends these signals via the transmitter to the drone’s receiver.

Fixing the transmitter connection should immediately resolve the Betaflight issues. If not, the source of the problem may lie elsewhere.

The Connection with the Radio Transmitter is Problematic #

If the drone cannot connect with the radio transmitter, it is difficult for the Betaflight to connect to the drone. To fix this problem, it will require that you set up the protocol mode from the beginning. Also, check and ensure that the power button is not off.

The Betaflight Receiver Tab Has an Issue #

Suppose your receiver tab is damaged or is not working as it should? It may be difficult for the drone and Betaflight to connect. But it is fairly easy to diagnose this problem and fix it – you will see a prompt any time you attempt to connect the two. To fix this problem, ensure that the receiver and the transmitter are on the same channel. If you choose the wrong channel map, then Betaflight will not connect.

You Selected the Wrong Arm Switch #

Having a proper arm in default is essential when you want to fly a drone. As a result, you may want to try to switch the mapping to a proper arm in the drone’s transmitter to allow Betaflight to connect easily. When a correct arm is selected, it informs the receiver about the arm switch and makes it possible for Betaflight to connect.

Mode Confirmation Issues #

The drone must confirm proper arm mode before Betaflight can be connected. Therefore, choosing the proper arm mode is necessary. Once you do this, you will see the right arm turn orange to confirm and enable Betaflight to connect.

Low Battery #

The battery must be charged for the drone to connect to Betaflight. All of the mechanical devices utilize the power from the battery to connect. If the battery does not supply the required energy, the components will not run, making it impossible for Betaflight to connect. To fix the problem, fully charge the battery. In addition, check the contacts and the terminus and ensure they are connecting properly to the battery.

Problem with Functioning #

If the drone and the flight controller are having problems, Betaflight will not connect. In this case the fix to the problem will mean ensuring that both the drone and the flight controller are functioning properly. Some of the things you may need to do to fix the problem include:

Binding the transmitter – you will need to press and hold down the receiver button to connect the drone to the battery. After this, you will see the green LED flicker, implying that the transmitter is entering the binding mode. You will then need to select BIND, upon which you will see the green LED flicker slowly. It would help if you can end the BIND mode on the transmitter. After a few seconds, switch it on again, and you will see a pure green LED, which implies a functioning quad.

Human errors – beware of a few mistakes that people make when following the steps. Firstly, confirm the FC board version in the drone and follow the correct binding procedure.  Also, you may need to set the transmitter in the right protocol mode. You will then need to power up your drone and transmitter once again as soon as the binding is complete.

How to Connect Betaflight to Your Drone Properly? #

Option1 #

In some cases you can install Betaflight to the drone by simply downloading the app on your computer and installing it. Also, ensure to install Betaflight drivers. Once you download and install the software, use a USB to connect the controller to your machine and connect the Betaflight to your quad. This may work or may not work.

Option 2 #

This is a step-by-step process that will help you connect Betaflight to the drone properly. It entails the following steps:

Step 1: Binding the transmitter #

To bind the transmitter, press and hold down the receiver button to allow you to connect the quad to the battery. If done correctly, you will see the green LED flicker meaning that the quad will be entering the binding mode. Bind the transmitter to ensure that it connects with your targeted drone and not with someone else’s drone. If the binding is completed successfully, you will see the green LED flicker as it enters the binding mode. The LED light will then flicker when the binding is complete. Once it starts flickering slowly, end the Bind mode and switch it on again. You will see a pure green LED suggesting that the quad is working.

Step 2: Confirming Connection #

As soon as you complete the binding, connect the drone to your Betaflight GUI receiver. You will then need to attach it to the receiver tab and power on the transmitter. The next thing you should do is to move the radio sticks. It ensures the radio channel mapping and the response are the same. But if you notice that the response is not correct, select the right mapping mode in sync with the transmitter and click on the Save button. 

However, if you cannot confirm the connection link between the transmitter and the drone or, worse, still get the wrong channel map, it may not be possible to connect the controller to your drone.

Step 3: Setting the Arm Switch #

All drones have AUX1 configured to a default arm. Therefore, switch mapping to AUX1 may be necessary. Ensure to check and verify that arm switches preparations are within the controller’s GUI receiver tab

Step 4: Confirming The Arm Mode #

It is the last step to help ensure that Betaflight is connected to your drone correctly. Therefore, what you will need to do is to move to your quad’s mode tab and have a look at the configuration in Betaflight GUI. Switch the switches, and you will be able to see the cursor change position. If you notice that the grey background has changed to orange, then the drone is ready for a flight. As a result, you will see the motor spin and throttle up.

Note that in some cases, you will need to configure your drone as well. Start by removing the propellers; otherwise, they can cause injuries if you try to configure a drone with propellers attached.  Once you remove the propellers, go to the setup tab and press the calibrate accelerometer tab. But you will need to ensure that the flight controller is on a level surface and is stationary. Also, you will need to click on “calibrate accelerometer” to complete the setup.

Also, it may be necessary for you to check and ensure that Betaflight knows your drone’s orientation. If the controller is mounted back to front, upside down, or is misaligned, go to the setup tab and have a look at your drone’s 3D model on the screen. Tilt it a bit to see if 3D tilts. Also, the green arrow must be on your drone and should indicate the forward direction.  Therefore, if the green arrow tilts forward after you tilt the quad forward, things are ok.

Conclusion #

Connecting the drone with Betaflight is an easy thing to do, but most people don’t get it right on their first attempt. Therefore, if you try and fail, then there are mistakes that you will need to fix. But even after fixing the problem, the drone may not fly. So, recheck the procedure and ensure to connect your drone to Betaflight properly before you can try flying the drone. Keep on tweaking, and you’ll get it!

Image Credit: Betaflight.com