Generally, our flight controllers use 16MB black boxes. Some pilots will think that the memory is too small to record a large number of flight logs, so sometimes they will choose to connect an external black box. Most external black box solutions on the market are called Open Lager, which uses an MCU to allow the flight controller to send the black box records from the serial port and then store them in an external SD card.
1、Choose SD card
We also need to pay attention when choosing an SD card. It is recommended that you choose an 8GB size (it is not recommended to choose a larger one) and format it. It is recommended to format the SD card under a Windows system. During the formatting process, the Mac OS system will write a hidden file to the SD card by default. This hidden file will mark the SD card, causing the external black box to fail, can't work normally. The formatted SD card is inserted into the external black box.
2、How to connect the external black box to the FC?
The external black box is powered by 5V, so the 5V pad of the external black box is connected to the 5V pad of the FC, the GND of the external black box is connected to the GND of the FC, and the TX pad of the external black box is connected to the RX pad of the FC. The RX pad of the external black box is connected to the TX pad of the FC.
3、How to use the external black box in Betaflight?
Connect the flight controller to the computer and enter Betaflight, confirm the port to which the external black box is connected, such as Uart 5, so we set the Uart 5 peripheral in Betaflight to black box logging, and then click Save and Restart. Reconnect the flight controller, select the BLACK BOX section on the left, change the black box setting onboard flash memory to serial port, click save and restart. At this point our external black box has been set up, and all black box data will be recorded to our SD card normally. When we unlock, unlocking without propellers will also record flight data (NOTE: the propellers must be removed when unlocking). After powering on and unlocking, the external black box lights up red, proving that it can start recording data. Enter Betaflight, go to the motor section on the left side of the motor and unlock the motor. The blue light of the external black box is flashing, proving that the black box data is being recorded.
4、How to clear external black box data?
Data can only be cleared by formatting the SD card. Please be sure to select a Windows system to operate.
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