Holybro Kakute F7 Mini

../_images/holybro-kakutef7mini.jpg

above image and some content courtesy of Holybro

Note

Support for this board is available with ArduPilot-4.0 (and higher)

Note

Due to flash memory limitations, this board does not include all ArduPilot features. See Firmware Limitations for details.

Specifications

  • Processor
    • STM32F745VGH6 32-bit processor
  • Sensors
    • InvenSense ICM20689 IMU (accel, gyro, compass) on vibration isolating foam
    • BMP280 barometers
  • Power
    • 7V ~ 42V input power directly from battery
  • Interfaces
    • 6x PWM outputs
    • 1x RC input
    • 7x UARTs/serial for GPS and other peripherals
    • 1x I2C port for external compass
    • micro USB port

Where to Buy

Pinout

../_images/kakutef7-mini-pinout.jpg

UART Mapping

The UARTs are marked Rn and Tn in the above pinouts. The Rn pin is the receive pin for UARTn. The Tn pin is the transmit pin for UARTn.

  • SERIAL0 -> USB
  • SERIAL1 -> UART1 (Telem1)
  • SERIAL2 -> UART2 (Telem2)
  • SERIAL3 -> UART3 (GPS)
  • SERIAL4 -> UART4
  • SERIAL6 -> UART6 (TX only unless BRD_ALT_CONFIG = 1, then RX available also)
  • SERIAL7 -> UART7 (Receive only, ESC Telemetry)

RC Input

RC input is configured on the R6 (UART6_RX) pin. It supports all RC protocols, however for Fport BRD_ALT_CONFIG should be set to 1 and configured as described in FPort section.

FrSky Telemetry

FrSky Telemetry is supported using the T6 pin (UART6 transmit). You need to set the following parameters to enable support for FrSky S.PORT.

Note

FrSky Telemetry is supported on all UARTs, UART6 TX is suggested as it’s RX input is already being used for RC input and avoids consuming another UART.

OSD Support

The KakuteF7 Mini supports OSD using OSD_TYPE 1 (MAX7456 driver).

PWM Output

TThe KakuteF7 Mini supports up to 6 PWM outputs. M1 to M4 are accessed via the connector. M5 and M6 are the pads shown on the above diagram. All 6 outputs support DShot as well as all PWM types.

The PWM is in 3 groups:

  • PWM 1, 2 and 3 in group1
  • PWM 4 and 5 in group2
  • PWM 6 in group3

Channels within the same group need to use the same output rate. If any channel in a group uses DShot then all channels in the group need to use DShot.

Battery Monitoring

The board has a built-in voltage and current sensor. The voltage sensor can handle up to 6S LiPo batteries.

The correct battery setting parameters are:

Compass

The KakuteF7 Mini does not have a built-in compass, but you can attach an external compass using I2C on the SDA and SCL pads.

Logging

The KakuteF7 Mini supports on-board data flash logging.

Loading ArduPilot onto the board

Initial firmware load can be done with DFU by plugging in USB with the bootloader button pressed. Then you should load the “with_bl.hex” firmware, using your favourite DFU loading tool.

Once the initial firmware is loaded you can update the firmware using any ArduPilot ground station software. Updates should be done with the xxxxxxxxxx.apj firmware files.