I tried to love the Holybro Kakute F7 flight controller – I really did – but it was not to be. The Kakute F7 flight controller creates Betaflight temperature alerts galore, runs with high-amp consumption when the props aren’t even spinning, and the drone behaves like an enraged hornet in flight.
After Betaflight updates and scouring the internet for solutions and I gave up and sought refuge with a Matek F405-CTR board. This I coupled with the Holybro Tekko32 35A 4 in 1 ESC. The result … a tamed beast. No heat, and a smooth running drone.
The Matek and Kakute share the same dimensions, so a replacement is not a complex layout change. Prior to installation I shaved off the Matek’s XT30 terminal tab to keep it flush on the frame. I found it best to wire the +/- from the ESC to the flight controller first and check the power was operating. It means you don’t accidentally fry the board if you invert the cables by a mistake. Next step – some creative wiring on the underside of the flight controller to connect the 4-in-1 ESC signal cables, and finally re-wiring the receiver, beeper, GPS and video transmitter. Helpful wiring hints for getting the 4 in 1 ESC working with a Matek – thanks Daniel:
Et voila – a bit of reassembly and configuration in Betaflight and we’re back in business …
