Drone & Rocketry

Possible Causes

• •ESC not calibrated
• •Motor order incorrect in firmware
• •Props on wrong motors
• •Throttle not at zero before arming

Diagnostic Steps

1. 1.Verify throttle stick is at minimum before arming
2. 2.Check Betaflight/ArduPilot motor order matches physical layout
3. 3.Confirm props are on correct motors (CW/CCW)
4. 4.Calibrate ESCs individually or via flight controller
5. 5.Check motor direction in Betaflight motor tab

Possible Causes

• •Power supply noise on video transmitter
• •Ground loop between camera and VTX
• •Insufficient filtering on power leads
• •VTX overheating

Diagnostic Steps

1. 1.Add LC filter on VTX power lead
2. 2.Use shielded video cable between camera and VTX
3. 3.Check VTX is not overheating — ensure airflow over VTX
4. 4.Try different video channel to avoid interference
5. 5.Separate power leads for camera and VTX if possible

Possible Causes

• •Props on wrong motors
• •Motor direction reversed
• •Motor order incorrect
• •Accelerometer not calibrated

Diagnostic Steps

1. 1.Verify prop direction — CW props on CW motors, CCW on CCW motors
2. 2.Check motor direction in Betaflight motor tab with props off
3. 3.Verify motor order in Betaflight matches default layout
4. 4.Calibrate accelerometer with drone on level surface

Possible Causes

• •VTX interference on RC link frequency
• •Low TX power
• •Antenna damaged or disconnected
• •Receiver not bound correctly

Diagnostic Steps

1. 1.Check RC receiver antenna is not near VTX antenna
2. 2.Verify RC link is on correct frequency and not interfering with video
3. 3.Inspect receiver antenna for damage
4. 4.Re-bind receiver to transmitter
5. 5.Check RSSI values in OSD — should be above −90 dBm at operating range

Possible Causes

• •Battery capacity degraded
• •Flying style too aggressive
• •Incorrect battery C rating for application
• •LiPo not fully charged

Diagnostic Steps

1. 1.Check battery internal resistance — above 20 mΩ per cell indicates aging
2. 2.Check voltage sag under load — more than 0.5V per cell sag indicates weak pack
3. 3.Log motor current draw and compare to battery C rating
4. 4.Charge battery fully to 4.2V per cell before flight

Possible Causes

• •Battery voltage low
• •Continuity check failing on ejection charges
• •Incorrect switch wiring
• •Firmware not recognizing launch detect threshold

Diagnostic Steps

1. 1.Verify battery voltage meets minimum for altimeter
2. 2.Check ejection charge lead continuity — most altimeters require less than 5Ω
3. 3.Verify arming switch is wired to correct terminals
4. 4.Use altimeter's beep code to diagnose fault — consult manual for code meanings

Possible Causes

• •Single ejection charge failure
• •Apogee or main charge burned but did not ignite propellant
• •Wiring fault on one channel
• •Altitude threshold set incorrectly for main deploy

Diagnostic Steps

1. 1.Verify both channels show continuity before flight
2. 2.Check main deployment altitude setting — must be lower than apogee
3. 3.Inspect ejection charge leads for secure connection to terminals
4. 4.Use backup altimeter for redundancy on high-power flights

Possible Causes

• •Antenna obstructed inside airframe
• •Cold start delay
• •Interference from altimeter or other electronics
• •GPS module not powered

Diagnostic Steps

1. 1.Ensure GPS antenna has view of sky — do not mount inside carbon fiber tube
2. 2.Allow 5–10 minutes for cold start GPS fix before flight
3. 3.Keep GPS away from other electronics
4. 4.Verify GPS is powered and check LED status indicator

Possible Causes

• •Antenna pointing away from ground station at apogee
• •Transmit power insufficient for altitude
• •Frequency interference at launch site
• •Antenna damaged during flight

Diagnostic Steps

1. 1.Use omnidirectional antenna on rocket and ground station for tumbling flight
2. 2.Increase transmit power within legal limits
3. 3.Monitor frequency for interference before launch
4. 4.Review telemetry log for last received altitude to determine where link was lost