1. Introduction
This manual provides detailed instructions for the installation, wiring, and configuration of the SpeedyBee F405 V4 3-6S 30X30 Flight Controller and 55A 4-in-1 Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) Stack. Designed for FPV freestyle drones, this stack offers robust performance and integrated features for an optimal flying experience. Please read this manual thoroughly before proceeding with installation and operation.
2. Package Contents
Verify that all components are present in your package based on the option purchased:
Option 1 - SpeedyBee F405 V4 55A 30x30 Stack
- SpeedyBee F405 V4 Flight Controller x 1
- SpeedyBee BLS 55A 4-in-1 ESC x 1
- 35V 1000uF Low ESR Capacitor x 1
- M3 Nylon Nut x 5
- M3 silicone O Ring x 5
- M3*8mm Silicone Grommets (for FC) x 5
- M3*8.1mm Silicone Grommets (for ESC) x 5
- SH 1.0mm 15mm-length 8pin Cable (for FC-ESC connection) x 1
- SH 1.0mm 75mm-length 8pin Cable* x 1
- M3*30mm Inner-hexagon Screws x 5
- DJI 6pin Cable (80mm) x 1
- XT60 Power Cable (70mm) x 1
*When the ESC tail faces the drone's front, use this cable for the flight controller and ESC; both ends plug interchangeably.
Option 2 - SpeedyBee F405 V4 Flight Controller
- SpeedyBee F405 V4 Flight Controller x 1
- M3*8mm Silicone Grommets (for FC) x 5
- SH 1.0mm 30mm-length 8pin Cable (for FC-ESC connection) x 1
- DJI 6pin Cable (80mm) x 1
Option 3 - SpeedyBee BLS 55A 4-in-1 ESC
- SpeedyBee BLS 55A 4-in-1 ESC x 1
- 35V 1000uF Low ESR Capacitor x 1
- M3 silicone O Ring x 5
- XT60 Power Cable (70mm) x 1
- SH 1.0mm 30mm-length 8pin Cable (for FC-ESC connection) x 1
- M3*8.1mm Silicone Grommets (for ESC) x 5
3. Product Overview
3.1 Dimensions
- F405 V4 Flight Controller: 30.5mm x 30.5mm mounting (4mm hole diameter), 41.6mm x 39.4mm board size, 7.8mm height.
- BLS 55A 4-in-1 ESC: 30.5mm x 30.5mm mounting (4mm hole diameter), 45.6mm x 44mm board size, 8mm height.
- Stack Height: 16.1mm when assembled.
3.2 Layout
F405 V4 Flight Controller Layout
Key components and pads include:
- Barometer
- Antenna
- Bluetooth Chip
- Orange LED
- 4-level LED battery indicator
- Green LED
- BOOT Button
- 5V 3A BEC
- GPS & Compass
- Betaflight LED
- VTX (Analog)
- VTX (DJI)
- 8pin Connector (to ESC)
- TVS Diode (Anti-voltage spike)
- OSD Chip (AT7456E)
- SD Card Slot (Use SDSC/SDHC cards, format to FAT32)
- DJI Air Unit Connector
- MCU: F405
- USB TYPE-C Port
- Gyro (ICM42688P)
- Red LED, Blue LED
BLS 55A 4-in-1 ESC Layout
Key features include:
- Motor 1-4 connections
- Capacitor pin holes (GND, BAT+)
- 8pin connector (to FC)
- Driver Chips
- MCU (BB21)
- TVS Diode
4. Installation & Wiring
4.1 General Wiring Diagram
This diagram illustrates connections for various peripherals including Spektrum, ELRS, PPM, SBUS receivers, LED strips, Servos, Buzzer, GPS, DJI Air Unit, and Analog VTX.
4.2 Connection with FC & Motors
Note 1: In order to prevent the stack from being burnt out by voltage spikes on powering up, it is strongly recommended to use the Low ESR capacitor included in the package.
Note 2: The FC and ESC can also be connected via direct soldering. Soldering pads definition is as follows:
- F405 V4 Flight Controller: Connects to BLS 55A 4-in-1 ESC via 8-pin cable or direct soldering pads.
4.3 Receiver Connections
Importance notice for ELRS receiver
We recommend connecting the ELRS receiver's TX and RX to the T2 and R2 pads on the flight controller. However, when using the DJI Air Unit simultaneously, some ELRS receivers may not be recognized properly by the flight controller. If you encounter this issue, you need to disconnect the SBUS signal wire from the Air Unit harness. You can use tweezers to pick out the SBUS wire from the 6-pin harness connector (or directly cut this wire) and insulate the exposed part of the wire carefully.
Importance notice for SBUS receiver
When using an SBUS receiver, the SBUS signal wire of the receiver must be connected to the SBUS pad on the front side of the flight controller (this pad internally uses UART2). If you are also using the DJI Air Unit (O3/Link/Vista/Air Unit V1), you will need to disconnect the SBUS signal wire from the Air Unit harness. Failure to do so will prevent the SBUS receiver from being properly recognized by the flight controller. You can use tweezers to pick out the SBUS wire from the 6-pin harness connector (or directly cut this wire) and insulate the exposed part of the wire carefully. Do NOT connect this wire to assure the external SBUS receiver work properly!
4.4 Cable Connection vs DJI Air Unit
- Cable Connection vs DJI O3 Air Unit: Use 6-pin cable comes with the O3 Air Unit.
- Cable Connection vs RunCam Link/Caddx Vista Air Unit: Use 6-pin cable comes with the F405 V4 stack (See accessory No.11 in the package section).
- Cable Connection vs DJI Air Unit V1: Use 6-pin cable comes with the F405 V4 stack (See accessory No.11 in the package section).
5. Specifications
SpeedyBee F405 V4 30x30 Flight Controller
| Product Name | SpeedyBee F405 V4 30x30 Flight Controller |
|---|---|
| MCU | STM32F405 |
| IMU (Gyro) | ICM42688P |
| USB Port Type | Type-C |
| Barometer | Built-in |
| OSD Chip | AT7456E chip |
| Bluetooth | Supported. Used for Flight Controller configuration (MSP should be enabled with Baud rate 115200 on UART4) |
| WiFi | Not supported |
| DJI Air Unit Connection Way | Two ways supported: 6-pin connector or direct soldering. |
| 6-pin DJI Air Unit Plug | Compatible with DJI O3 Air Unit/Vista/Link/Caddx Vista/DJI Air Unit V1, no wire is needed to be changed. |
| Blackbox MicroSD Card Slot | MicroSD Card Slot. Supports SDSC and SDHC type of the microSD card. It is strongly recommended to use SpeedyBee SD cards or other cards with 'Class 10' or 'UHS-I' rating. Ensure the card is formatted to FAT32. |
| Current Sensor Input | Supported. For SpeedyBee BLS 55A ESC, scale = 400 and Offset = 0. |
| Power Input | 3S - 6S Lipo (Through G, BAT pins from the 8-pin connector or B pads on the bottom side) |
| 5V Output | 9 groups of 5V output, one +5V pads and 1 BZ+ pad (used for Buzzer) on front side, and 7 groups of 5V output on the bottom side. |
| 9V Output | 2 groups of 9V output, one +9V pad on front side and other included in a connector on bottom side. Designed for VTX power. |
| 3.3V Output | Supported. Designed for 3.3V-input receivers. Up to 500mA current load. |
| I2C | Supported. Used for magnetometer and GPS module even when the FC is powered through the USB port. Up to 1A current load. |
| ESC Signal | M1 - M8 on bottom side and M5-M8 on front side. |
| UART | 6 sets (UART1, UART2, UART3, UART4 (dedicated for Bluetooth connection), UART5 (dedicated for ESC telemetry), UART6) |
| ESC Telemetry | Supported (UART5) |
| DMA | Supported. SDA & SCL pads on front side. Used for magnetometer, sonar, etc. |
| Traditional Betaflight LED Pad | Supported. 5V G and LED pads on bottom of the front side. Used for WS2812 LED. (Betaflight firmware LED_STRIP) |
| Buzzer | BZ+ and BZ- pad used for 5V Buzzer. |
| RSSI Input | Supported. |
| BOOT Button | Press and hold BOOT button and power the FC on at the same time will force the FC to enter DFU mode, this is for firmware flashing when the FC gets bricked. |
| LED_STRIP | The LED_STRIP pad on the bottom of the front side can be used to control the LED strip connected to LED1-LED4 connectors on the bottom side. To use it, please connect the LED strip to the LED_STRIP pad on the bottom of the front side, and then enable the LED_STRIP feature in Betaflight. If you want to use the LED1-LED4 connectors, please connect the LED strip to the LED1-LED4 connectors on the bottom side, and then enable the LED_STRIP feature in Betaflight. |
| RSSI Input | Supported. Named as RS on the front side. |
| SmartPort / F.Port | Supported. |
| Supported Flight Controller Firmware | Betaflight (Default), INAV |
| Firmware Target Name | SPEEDYBEEF405V4 |
| Mounting | 30.5 x 30.5mm (4mm hole diameter) |
| Dimension | 41.6(L) * 39.4(W) * 7.8(H)mm |
| Weight | 10.5g |
SpeedyBee BLS 55A 30x30 4-in-1 ESC
| Product Name | SpeedyBee BLS 55A 30x30 4-in-1 ESC |
|---|---|
| Firmware | BLHeliS J-H-25 |
| Wireless Configuration | Full Configuration Supported in the SpeedyBee app |
| PC Configurator Download Link | https://esc-configurator.com/ |
| Continuous Current | 55A |
| Burst Current | 70A (10 seconds) |
| TVS Protective diode | Yes |
| External Low ESR Capacitor in the package | 1000uF Low ESR Capacitor (in the package) |
| ESC Protocol | DSHOT300/600 |
| Power Input | 3-6S Lipo |
| Power Output | VBAT |
| Current Sensor | Supported (Scale=400, Offset=0) |
| ESC Telemetry | Not supported |
| Mounting | 30.5 x 30.5mm (4mm hole diameter) |
| Dimension | 45.6(L) * 44(W) * 8(H)mm |
| Naked PCB board weight | 13.8g |
| Heatsink weight | X |
| Weight with Heatsink | 23.5g |
6. Operating
The SpeedyBee F405 V4 Flight Controller and 55A 4-in-1 ESC stack is designed for use with Betaflight firmware. Basic operation involves:
- Firmware Flashing: If the FC gets bricked, press and hold the BOOT button while powering on to enter DFU mode for firmware flashing.
- Configuration: The Flight Controller supports full configuration via the SpeedyBee app using its built-in Bluetooth chip (MSP must be enabled on UART4 with Baud rate 115200).
- SD Card Usage: Insert a MicroSD card (SDSC or SDHC, Class 10 or UHS-I, FAT32 format) into the slot for Blackbox logging.
- LED Control: The FC supports WS2812 LED strips connected to the dedicated LED_STRIP pads.
7. Troubleshooting
- FC not recognized in DFU mode: Ensure the BOOT button is held down during power-up. Try a different USB cable or port.
- ELRS/SBUS Receiver not recognized with DJI Air Unit: Disconnect the SBUS signal wire from the DJI Air Unit harness. This wire can be carefully removed from the 6-pin connector or cut and insulated.
- Voltage spikes burning out the stack: Always use the provided Low ESR capacitor on the main power input to filter voltage spikes.
- MicroSD card not recognized: Ensure the card is SDSC or SDHC type, Class 10 or UHS-I, and formatted to FAT32.
- Bluetooth connection issues: Verify that MSP is enabled on UART4 in Betaflight with a Baud rate of 115200.
8. User Tips
- For optimal performance and longevity, always connect the included Low ESR capacitor to the main battery leads of the ESC.
- When connecting receivers, pay close attention to the specific wiring requirements, especially when integrating with DJI Air Units, to avoid signal conflicts.
- Utilize the SpeedyBee app for convenient wireless configuration of your flight controller.
- Regularly check for firmware updates for both the FC and ESC to benefit from performance improvements and bug fixes.
9. Warranty and Support
This SpeedyBee product comes with a manufacturer's warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. For detailed warranty terms, technical support, or service inquiries, please refer to the official SpeedyBee website or contact your retailer. Keep your proof of purchase for warranty claims.
