Setup guide
Connecting the 2.5W VTX
Power, video and SmartAudio for the Fiodel 2.5W VTX, on the Fiodel F405 and on other flight controllers, and what it will and will not transmit as shipped.
01Antenna first
Fit the MMCX antenna before the transmitter is ever powered, and keep the heatsink and fan in place: it ships with both fitted.
CarefulPowering a transmitter without an antenna can destroy its power amplifier.
02On the Fiodel F405 Flight Controller
The flight controller has a socket of its own for an analog transmitter, J7, and its 10 V regulator can output the 15 W this transmitter may ask of a supply. What J7 carries, and where it goes on the transmitter's plug (J5):
The same four signals are on the 10V, G, VTX and T3 pads on top of the flight controller: with the tinned-lead cable, red, black, yellow and green go there.
Flight controller J7 Transmitter J5 What it is Pin 1, +10 V Pin 6, power in Power, from the 10 V rail Pin 2, GND Pin 2, GND Ground Pin 3, video out Pin 3, video in Video, with the OSD on it Pin 5, TX3 Pin 4, SmartAudio Channel and power control, on UART3 CarefulNever connect it to a 6-pin HD VTX socket with a straight cable. That socket carries 10 V on the pin where this transmitter puts out 5 V.
03On another flight controller
Power comes from the battery, 2S to 6S, or from the flight controller's 10 V video-transmitter supply if its regulator can output 15 W. Take the video from the flight controller's video-out pad so that the OSD is on it, and connect SmartAudio to the TX pad of a free UART.
04Betaflight
On the Ports tab set the UART the green wire is on — UART3 on the Fiodel F405 — to VTX (TBS SmartAudio).
Betaflight needs a VTX table before it can change channel and power over SmartAudio (Video Transmitter tab). Without one, set them with the two buttons on the transmitter.
05Power levels
2.5 W is what the hardware is capable of. The transmitter ships limited to 1 W maximum; higher power can be unlocked by licensed professionals.
Pit mode keeps the output low while you are on the bench or in the pits.
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