The new BrainFPV Radix line of flight controller and power board comes from Martin Luessi and BrainFPV.\u00a0 I had the opportunity to put these much anticipated boards to the test, and will cover my experiences with them, from building them into the multirotor to setting them up and flying.[ultimate_spacer height=”25″][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”1141″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When I first saw the Radix on BrainFPV\u2019s website, I was immensely impressed with the specs and the design that went into both boards.\u00a0 The Radix combo really put off a vibe of being well engineered for use in freestyle, racing, and even endurance multirotors.\u00a0 While the two Radix boards don\u2019t come as a combo, they are designed to be paired together.\u00a0 However, the BrainFPV Radix FC will also work very well independent of the PB.\u00a0 As such, let\u2019s look at them separately first, then together, as they are truly meant to be.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
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Looking at the stats for the Radix PB, I was pretty impressed and was eager for a clean build using this along with the Radix FC.\u00a0 Once I got the package open, I gave it a good once over.\u00a0 BrainFPV packed quite a big punch in such a small space, and were able to do that without having to jam both sides of the board with components.\u00a0 In fact, only five small components are on the underside of the board, and are flush mounted pretty tight under there.\u00a0 However, you will still need to raise the board off your carbon frame due to this, but only about the height of one nylon nut.<\/p>\n
There are multiple options for soldering your ESC\u2019s and XT-60 pigtail available.\u00a0 You can solder either to the top of the board, or to the underside, or a combination of the two.\u00a0 ESC power terminals are pads, however the signal, ground, and telemetry nodes are all through hole, which give you a measure of security for those wires.<\/p>\n
BrainFPV also provides two versions of power that you can provide for your VTX. Radix PB supports high voltage options like the Immersion RC Tramp, the TBS Unify HV, or the Lumenier TX5GX, just to name a few.\u00a0 If you\u2019re not using those, and have a 5v VTX, or if you are plan on pushing the PB to its 8S range, you can use the 5v option.\u00a0 For accessories, a harness cable that links the PB directly into the Radix FC, eliminating the need for messy wiring.\u00a0 All in all, pretty impressive.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
First off, BrainFPV has really great support documentation available for the Radix line of products in the form of the Radix Hardware Manual<\/a>\u00a0and the effort putinto the manual to make it easy for pilots to get started. , I had the guide pulled up on my tablet, and gave it a once over before getting started.<\/p>\n First, I prepped my ESC\u2019s, Then I started by tinning the pads on the Radix PB.\u00a0 \u00a0Here, my first real complaint about the board.\u00a0 Solder had some difficulties penetrating the plating, and refused to layer on nicely due to the HASL plating used.\u00a0 Thus, after the first pad, I stopped and cleaned the board with electronics parts cleaner.\u00a0 I had hopes that it would help, however it made little impact.\u00a0 Eventually, I was able to power through it and get everything tinned.<\/p>\n The layout of the board in regards to the signal, ground, and telemetry wires was also a little awkward, and because of this, caused the ESC wires to crisscross, which seemed a little odd to me.\u00a0 Even so, not a deal breaker, but something that I wasn\u2019t used to.\u00a0The last issue I had was minor.\u00a0 The XT-60 terminals are pads, instead of through hole.\u00a0 Probably more personal preference than anything, however I do prefer the security of through holes on the pigtail connections as it just seems more solid overall.<\/p>\n Overall, was I happy with the Radix PB?\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s a very solid design, with great stats to back it up.\u00a0 However, is there room for improvement?\u00a0 Absolutely.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”1150″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”1132″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1123″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Again, like the Radix PB, I was pretty pumped about getting my hands on the Radix flight controller, as it has a lot of great features.\u00a0 BrainFPV is really standing behind their product with some unique customization options and support.\u00a0 First off, the Radix has one the best integrations of the Betaflight OSD of any flight controller on the market.\u00a0 BrainFPV gives the pilot the option to use their \u201cLogo Customizer<\/a>\u201d to add a pilot and team logo to the OSD.\u00a0 Downloads several popular logos are possible, with an option to\u00a0 upload a picture of your own using the directions and the logo customizer will kick out a compatible image.<\/p>\n The Radix FC also comes standard with a barometer built onto the board, thus giving the pilot feedback on altitude in flight, with a full graphic overlay on the OSD.\u00a0 BrainFPV also built in a MicroSD card slot built in for black box logging, providing ample storage space to dial in the PID tune.\u00a0 Radix FC joins the ranks of the very small group of flight controllers with a dedicated camera control pad that gives the pilot control over the settings of their FPV camera on the fly.<\/p>\n Radix has an F4 Bosch processor running at 180MHz, providing fast processing times, and plenty of processing power to spare and four UARTS for all peripherals and control options.\u00a0 For accessories, a silicone wiring connector for pairing with the Hobbywing 4-in-1 ESC, which for this application I did not use. Five silicone vibration dampening grommets are also in the package.<\/p>\n Consequently, be it racing, freestyle, or endurance, the BrainFPV Radix FC should have you covered.\u00a0 Overall, with these features, the Radix is a well rounded and feature rich offering from BrainFPV.<\/p>\n First, I installed the included silicone grommets giving the board some vibration isolation from the rest of the multirotor.\u00a0 The grommets, paired with a nylon nut, are also the only height you need to separate the flight controller from the PB.\u00a0 The Radix FC did not have the same HASL plating as the Radix PB, which made soldering a much easier affair.<\/p>\n Second, I with soldered the connector for my FrSky XSR, connecting the power, ground, SBUS, and SmartPort wires to the through hole pads on the rear of the board.\u00a0 Likewise, wiring\u00a0 up the Immersion RC TrampHV connector to the front of the board\u00a0 was just as easy, connecting the video out and telemetry cables.\u00a0 Finally, also on the front of the board, I connected the video in and OSD connectors from the FPV camera.\u00a0 I opted to power the FPV camera from the TrampHV directly to avoid any potential ground loop issues.\u00a0 I’m not saying that the on board power filtering on the BrainFPV Radix FC isn\u2019t adequate, however I always opt for the safer route.<\/p>\n While wiring up the Radix FC, I did notice that the pads are very well laid out, putting them exactly where they need to be.\u00a0 From there, all that was left was connecting the Radix PB to the flight controller with the silicone wire connector that came with the PB.\u00a0 Because of the limited wiring, the build went incredibly quick, and made the margin for error much smaller.<\/p>\n On a side note, the BrainFPV Radix FC can be used as a standalone flight controller, separate from the Radix PB or Hobbywing 4-in-1 ESC.\u00a0 There are pads on the bottom of the board that will replace the connector for those that would like to use a different PB.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”1149″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\nPros:<\/h3>\n
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Cons:<\/h3>\n
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BrainFPV Radix Flight Controller<\/h2>\n
BrainFPV Radix Flight Controller Specs<\/h3>\n
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Initial Thoughts on the BrainFPV Radix Flight Controller<\/h3>\n
Wiring the BrainFPV Radix Flight Controller<\/h3>\n
Betaflight Setup<\/h3>\n