# Kakute F7

WARNING

PX4 does not manufacture this (or any) autopilot. Contact the manufacturer (opens new window) for hardware support or compliance issues.

The Kakute F7 from Holybro is a flight controller board designed for racers.

Note

This flight controller is manufacturer supported.

# Key Features

  • Main System-on-Chip: STM32F745VGT6 (opens new window)
    • CPU: 216 MHz ARM Cortex M7 with single-precision FPU
    • RAM: 320 KB SRAM
    • FLASH: 1 MB
  • Standard racer form factor: 36x36 mm with standard 30.5 mm hole pattern
  • ICM20689 Accel / Gyro (Soft-mounted)
  • BMP280 Baro
  • microSD (for logging)
  • 6 UARTs
  • 1 I2C bus
  • 6 PWM outputs
  • Built-in OSD chip (AB7456 via SPI)

# Where to Buy

The board can be bought from one of the following shops (for example):

TIP

The Kakute F7 is designed to work with the Tekko32 4-in-1 ESC and they can be bought in combination.

# Connectors and Pins

This is the silkscreen for the Kakute F7, showing the top of the board:

Kakute F7 Silkscreen

Pin Function PX4 default
B+ Battery positive voltage (2S-6S)
5V 5V output (2A max)
VO Video output to video transmitter
VI Video input from FPV camera
G or GND Ground
SDA, SCL I2C connection (for peripherals)
R1, T1 UART1 RX and TX TELEM1
R2, T2 UART2 RX and TX TELEM2
R3, T3 UART3 RX and TX NuttX debug console
R4, T4 UART4 RX and TX GPS1
R6, T6 UART6 RX and TX RC port
R7, T7 UART7 RX and TX (RX is located in the plug for use with 4-in-1 ESCs) DShot telemetry
LED WS2182 addressable LED signal wire (not tested)
Buz- Piezo buzzer negative leg (Connect buzzer positive leg to 5V pad)
3V3 3.3V output (200 mA max)
M1 to M4 Motor signal outputs (located in plug for use in 4-in-1 ESCs)
M5, M6 Additional motor signal outputs (located on side of board)
RSI Analog RSSI (0-3.3V) input from receiver
Boot Bootloader button

# PX4 Bootloader Update

The board comes pre-installed with Betaflight (opens new window). Before PX4 firmware can be installed, the PX4 bootloader must be flashed. Download the kakutef7_bl.hex (opens new window) bootloader binary and read this page for flashing instructions.

# Building Firmware

To build PX4 for this target:

make holybro_kakutef7_default

# Installing PX4 Firmware

The firmware can be installed in any of the normal ways:

  • Build and upload the source
    make holybro_kakutef7_default upload
    
  • Load the firmware using QGroundControl. You can use either pre-built firmware or your own custom firmware.

# Configuration

In addition to the basic configuration, the following parameters are important:

Parameter Setting
SYS_HAS_MAG This should be disabled since the board does not have an internal mag. You can enable it if you attach an external mag.
MOT_ORDERING If you use a 4-in-1 ESC with Betaflight/Cleanflight motor assignment, this parameter can be set accordingly.

# Serial Port Mapping

UART Device Port
USART1 /dev/ttyS0 TELEM1
USART2 /dev/ttyS1 TELEM2
USART3 /dev/ttyS2 Debug Console
UART4 /dev/ttyS3 GPS1
USART6 /dev/ttyS4 RC SBUS
UART7 /dev/ttyS5 ESC telemetry (DShot)

# Debug Port

# System Console

UART3 RX and TX are configured for use as the System Console.

# SWD

The SWD interface (JTAG) pins are:

  • SWCLK: Test Point 2 (Pin 72 on the CPU)
  • SWDIO: Test Point 3 (Pin 76 on CPU)
  • GND: As marked on board
  • VDD_3V3: As marked on board

These are shown below.

SWD Pins on Kakute F7 - CLK SWO SWD Pins on Kakute F7:  GND and VDD_3V3