SPRacingF3Mini Manual Latest
SPRacingF3Mini Manual Latest
Thank you for directly supporting the Cleanflight project with your purchase.
Featuring a race timing transponder system the SPRacingF3Mini is truly designed for racers. Analyze your race
and flight telemetry/blackbox logs using the built-in MicroSD card socket.
The SPRacingF3Mini gives you all the features you need for the heart of your aircraft, whether you’re into FPV
racing, acrobatic flying or aerial photography it’s perfect.
Features
• Next-generation STM32 F3 processor with hardware floating point unit for efficient flight calculations and faster ARM-Cortex M4 core.
• MicroSD-Card socket for black box flight log recorder - optimize your tuning and see the results of your setup without guesswork.
• Race transponder built in - just turn up at a race and have your lap times recorded.
• Onboard regulator (BEC) for powering the FC, receiver and small servos.
• Features the latest Accelerometer, Gyro and Mag/Compass and Baro/Altitude sensor technology.
• 2 Buttons for binding Spektrum Satellite receivers, activating USB bootloader mode or resetting the configuration. More future uses coming!
• Wire up using using pin headers for all major connections for excellent crash-durability. Use either right-angled or straight pin-headers.
• No compromise I/O. Use all the features all the time; e.g. Connect your USB + OSD + SmartPort + SBus + GPS + LED Strip + Battery Monitor-
ing + Sonar + 8 motors - all at the same time!
• 8 PWM output lines for ESCs and Servos. Arranged for easy wiring on standard pin headers.
• Supports direct connection of SBus, SumH, SumD, Spektrum1024/2048, XBus receivers. No external inverters required (built-in).
• Supports direct connection of 3.3v Spektrum Satellite receivers via 3 pin through-hole JST-ZH connector.
• Dedicated PPM receiver input.
• 3 Serial Ports - NOT shared with the USB socket.
• Telemetry port (via pin header or USART2 JST-SH socket).
• Micro USB socket.
• Dedicated output for programmable LEDs - great for orientation, racing and night flying. (Currently mutually exclusive with the Transponder).
• Dedicated I2C port for connection of OLED display without needing flight battery.
• Battery monitoring for voltage and current.
• RSSI monitoring (analogue or PWM).
• Buzzer port for audible warnings and notifications.
• Developer friendly debugging port (SWD) and boot mode selection, unbrickable bootloader.
• Symmetrical design for a super tidy wiring.
• JST-SH sockets only for I2C/UART2 and SWD.
• Barometer mounted on the bottom of the board for easy wind isolation.
• Flashing via USB or serial port.
• Stackable design - perfect for integrating with OSDs and power distribution boards.
• Modular design - the core of the board measures 36x22mm but has the ability to be mounted using standard 30.5mm mounting holes.
• LEDs for 3v, 5v and Status for easy diagnostics.
• Copper-etched Cleanflight and #RB logos.
Software
The SPRacingF3Mini runs the open-source Cleanflight flight control (FC) software which has an ever-growing com-
munity of friendly developers and users. Being open-source means that you too can contribute to the system.
Cleanflight comes with a detailed manual that is reviewed and maintained by the Cleanflight developers and
community. No more out-of-date wiki pages and second-hand information.
See http://cleanflight.com for links to the manual. PDF copies can be downloaded from the github releases pag-
es. Ensure you reference the manual that is appropriate to your firmware version.
History
The hardware was designed by the lead developer of Cleanflight, Dominic Clifton, to be more capable than the
previous-generation STM32F1-based boards and to set the benchmark for a fully-featured STM32F3-based mini
board.
• Observe polarity at ALL TIMES. Check and DOUBLE CHECK before applying power. Do not
rely on wire color-coding alone.
• POWER OFF before unplugging, plugging in or making any connections.
• Only use 2S to 5S batteries via the BATTERY connection. 25V MAX.
• Connect only one 5.0v SOURCE of power to the VIN pins / Do not connect more than one
SOURCE of power to two or more of the VIN pins. e.g. If you are using ESCs with BECs then
remove the center RED wire from all but one ESC connector.
• Do not connect SOURCES of power to the pins marked with 5v. They are OUTPUTS for supplying
power to other devices.
• Do not connect a LiPo to the 5.0v VCC pins.
• The 3.3v supply is for low-current use only. 100mA MAX.
• Do not use a VIN voltage source higher than 5.0v. Check your 5v supply is actually outputting
5.0 volts, check it before powering the FC via VCC. - do not just assume it is 5v.
• Do not connect GND, 5v, VIN or 3.3v to each other (short circuit).
• Do not connect GND, 5v, VIN or 3.3v to any inputs or outputs unless specifically stated.
• Do not connect any input or output to any other input or output unless specifically stated.
• Do not allow dirt/dust/glue/etc into the pressure sensor (barometer).
• Keep magnets away from the flight controller.
• Do not use excessive force when pressing the buttons.
• Do not use excessive force when inserting or removing MicroSD cards.
• Always align USB plug and socket when inserting/removing USB cables to prevent damage to
the USB socket.
• Do not draw more than 1A from the 5V regulator (sum of all current used by 5v and VIN con-
nected devices).
• When detaching break-off tabs support main section of PCB and use grips on the edges parts
that are to be removed - do NOT squash any components. Ensure you watch the instructional
video BEFORE attempting to break off tabs. See website for video.
GENERAL ADVICE
Follow the advice below for best performance and long-life of your flight controller:
• Apply resin/glue to reinforce JST-SH connectors - helps if you crash your aircraft.
• To further protect the board from crashes you can add a some additional solder to the edges of
the JST-SH and USB sockets to reinforce them.
• The PCB has triangle-shaped pads on the corners, you can solder-bridge them to PCB header
pins in adjacent holes to reinforce the corners. The triangle pads are electrically isolated.
• Support JST connector sockets when inserting cables.
• Ensure your MicroUSB cable does not contact the PCB edge. Use a different USB cable or trim
your cable plug to fit if required. Do NOT force the cable in if the plug is too big.
• Using an enclosure/box for the flight-controller is recommended.
• Install open-cell foam under the pressure sensor - sandwich some between the FC and frame.
• Route motor/battery wires as far away from the compass sensor (magnetometer) as possible.
• Using color coded pin headers is recommended (not supplied), especially for BATTERY connec-
tions.
• For optimum performance do everything you can to prevent vibrations reaching the acceler-
ometer/gyro sensor. e.g. balance motors, props use rubber isolation grommets and secure
everything.
SPRacingF3Mini http://seriouslypro.com - http://cleanflight.com Page 3
2 A TOP 3
B
1. UART3 headers. 1 4 A. 5V OK LED.
2. Spektrum Satellite JST-ZH B. 5V 1A Voltage Regulator.
socket holes.
5 C 6 C. STM32F303 processor
3. Battery headers. with FPU.
4. Current/RSSI headers.
5. PWM 7-8 headers. 7 D. 3v3 Voltage Regulator.
6. PWM 5-6 headers. D 8
E. Orientation Indicator.
7. UART1 and PPM headers.
9 E F
F. 2 Buttons.
8. BOOT Pads. G. MicroUSB socket.
9. VIN-5v Bridge Pads. H. Accelerometer, Gyro and
10. SWD debugging socket. G Magnetometer (Compass)
11. BUZZER headers & 3v3 Pad.
H 11
sensor.
12. UART2/LED/IR headers and
VIN pad.
10 I. M3 mounting holes.
13. PWM 1-4 headers. J. STATUS LED.
K. 3V3 OK LED.
14. IR LED headers. 12 I
1 2
3
UART2 (2)
Table Legend
1. Port name
J K
1 l GND 2. Port number
13
2 VCC 3. PCB marker / Pad
3 TXD/SWDCLK shape
4 RXD 4. Pin number
4 5. Signal Name
5 6
6. Signal Color
14
UART3 (1) UART3
1 n RXD (R3) Use for GPS/OSD/SerialRX.
2 l TXD (T3)
BATTERY (3) BATTERY - WARNING: DOUBLE CHECK and TRIPLE CHECK POLARITY
1 n +V (Battery Positive) For connecting a 2-5S LiPo battery (6.6V MIN / 25V MAX). Use to power the board and accessories. Also
2 l GND supplies power to the 5V regulator and 5v PINS. Can be used to power VIN pins when VIN-5v Pads are
bridged.
SWD/DEBUG (10) SWD/DEBUG connector - Used for software development or flashing via SWD
1 l GND Cannot be used when UART2 is enabled. Use an ST-Link debugger with OpenOCD or a J-Link debugger.
2 R NRST
3 D SWDIO If for some reason you cannot flash using USB DFU or UART1 you can reinstall firmware using this port.
4 C SWDCLK
IR LED IR LED
1 n IR + Used to connect two IR LEDs when using transponder feature. One LED per pair of holes. One LED each side.
2 l IR - Do NOT connect two LEDs to one pair of holes.
The LONG leg of the LED goes in the SQUARE hole. The SHORT leg of the LED goes in the ROUND hole.
NOTE:
Rev-E boards have a misprint on the silk screen for IR+ and IR-. Use the pad shapes to determine correct signal.
You can check the transponder LED is working by using a mobile phone camera pointed straight at the LED when the transponder is enabled via the
board and in the software. The LED will pulse an infrared signal which usually shows up purple via a mobile phone camera.
BOTTOM
1. Sonar Pads A. MicroSD card socket
2. Button Pads B. Barometer (Pressure Sen-
3. Analogue RSSI Pad
1 sor)
4. I2C1 connector
5. UART2 connector
6. Transponder Enable Bridge
Pads
A
2 3
B
4 5
I2C1 (4) I2C1 connector - Used for external sensors and OLED displays.
1 l GND The SCL and SDA are 3.3v signals.
2 5v
3 SCL
5.0v is always supplied via the on-board voltage regulators, even when powering via USB.
4 SDA WARNING: logic level converters are REQUIRED if your sensors require 5.0v signals.
UART2 (5) UART2 connector - Used for 5.0v Serial IO. (GPS, etc.)
1 l GND MUST NOT be used when SWD port is in use.
2 5v
5.0v is always supplied via the on-board voltage regulators, even when powering via USB.
3 TXD/SWDCLK
4 RXD
Cables
The flight controller is not supplied with any cables. There are sockets for 3 4-pin JST-SH plugs/cables.
IMPORTANT: Ensure that you leave some slack in your cable routing as this will help if you crash your aircraft.
Do not reply on cable color-coding due to manufacturer variations. Always check before applying power.
Buttons
The buttons can currently be used for Spektrum Satellite Binding, Rebooting into the bootloader (when firmware is
operational) and Resetting the configuration to defaults. See the Cleanflight software manual for further details.
Button press timing, corresponding status LED patterns and functionality is subject to change as this new feature
develops.
If you have ideas for additional button usages please submit via the Cleanflight issue tracker.
MicroSD Card
The MicroSD socket allows MicroSD/SDHC/SDXC to be inserted.
HOWEVER, Currently only MicroSD and MicroSDHC are supported. MicroSDXC is NOT currently supported by
Cleanflight.
For full details on how to enable logging, SD card speed requirements and how to view logs please see the
Cleanflight software manual.
Your aircraft will fly better if you analze your logs and tune accordingly.
2
1
5 4
(Note: The picture above shows ‘SPRACINGF3’ for example purposes only - See step #3)
Troubleshooting
Q: It beeps continually.
A: Verify your RX is receiving data and your battery voltage monitoring is configured correctly, verify that the
board is aligned correctly and is not at an angle.
Q: Unable to connect and a repeating light sequence occurs on the activity LED.
A: Check the Cleanflight manual for how to interpret the error code (count the long flashes).
Transponder
The SPRacingF3Mini features a DUAL IR LED transponder system. For optimum performance ensure you read the
following section.
Mounting - Ensure that the IR LEDs can shine light from their installed location onto the track-side receiver, unob-
structed. e.g. ensure that props, motors, arms, etc, are not in the way of the light shining from the LEDs.
Orientation - Ensure the LEDs point outwards from the aircraft towards the track-side receivers. The more receivers
you use the better the code reception will be. You can mount the transponder so that the LEDs are on the same
side or one on each side. When mounting them on the same side mount them in a V pattern so they point slightly
outwards from each other and not at the same point. You can mount them in a vertical V pattern; so the light
shines on multiple receivers, or in a horizontal V pattern; so that one LED light shines on a receiver as the aircraft
approaches and the other LED shines on the same receiver as the aircraft passes. Race organizers should test
what works best for their track and advise pilots before racing. Pilots in doubt should ask their race organizer.
Relocation - The transponder section can be detached, relocated and reconnected to the board using the LED, 5v
and GND pins.
Verifying operation - Ensure that the TRANSPONDER feature is enabled in Cleanflight. Ensure that the ENABLE
solder pads are bridged with solder. Ensure that the TRANSPONDER code has been configured via the Race
Transponder configuration section in the Cleanflight Configurator. Once this is done you can use a CMOS/CCD
camera without IR block pointed directly at the IR LEDs and you should see them pulsing. A mobile phone camera
works well for this, your FPV camera and screen/goggles may be OK if it doesn’t block IR light.
Once you have verified that the IR LEDs pulse IR light then you can scan your SPRacingF3Mini past one of the
iLAP receivers. The iLAP receiver just needs power, no software configuration is required to verify that the code is
working.
The first time the iLAP receiver can read the transponder code the LAP light will pulse once, while the iLAP receiver
can read the code then the activity light (ACT) will be flashing.
Each time the LAP light flashes the receiver transmits transponder code and timing information via it’s COM port
to the computer it is attached to.
By default the iLAP receivers will not transmit the transponder code to the PC twice in a row unless the transponder
code has not been received for over one second.
For further iLAP receiver configuration and setup advice refer to the iLAP documentation.
Software support and contributions from many, many authors. For a complete list see github contributors.
https://github.com/cleanflight/cleanflight/graphs/contributors
Community
Thanks to everyone from the AWESOME Cleanflight community for code, artwork, support, ideas, feedback, and
everything else. Without you all this product would not exist.