Tiny Whoops are very popular with FPV pilots due to their small size and agility, making them ideal for indoor flights and tight spaces. However, getting the best performance from your Tiny Whoop requires fine-tuning a number of settings on your Betaflight, Bluejay, FPV, and wireless. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through the optimal configuration to help you get the most out of your Tiny Whoop.
Be sure to check out these cool accessories for Tiny Whoops: https://oscarliang.com/best-tiny-whoop/
Setting up the FPV system
When flying indoors, there is typically no need to run more than 25mW of power from the VTX. This will maximize flight time and reduce VTX overheating.
Since it is common to have a 5GHz WiFi router at home, choosing a VTX channel that is farther away from the WiFi frequency band may improve video quality (e.g. Raceband channel 8). Additional tips on choosing FPV channels: https://oscarliang.com/fpv-channels/
For convenience, I usually use two blunt antennas on my FPV goggles, pointing at a 90 degree angle to each other. These antennas are lighter and more compact. The polarization direction (RHCP or LHCP) is usually not important, as most Tiny Whoops use a linearly polarized lightweight dipole antenna. If you are not sure which to choose, RHCP is a more popular choice for analog FPV. See my antenna recommendations: https://oscarliang.com/best-fpv-antenna/#Antennas-for-VRX-and-FPV-Goggles
Setting up a radio link
If you are flying indoors and using an ExpressLRS wireless link, consider selecting the lowest power level possible (e.g. 25mW or 10mW). This will significantly extend the wireless battery life.
As for packet rate, consider using 500Hz or F1000Hz for minimum latency. Most people will probably not even notice the difference between 150Hz and 500Hz, so don’t worry too much about packet rate. I personally use 250Hz on all my other quads, so I’d go with 250Hz for consistency.
To avoid unwanted oscillations, don’t forget to apply ExpressLRS presets based on your specific packet rate.
Flashing Bluejay Firmware
I recommend flashing Bluejay to your ESC for two reasons:
- Higher PWM frequencies are allowed.
- Bidirectional DShot is allowed in Betaflight to enable RPM filter.
Follow the tutorial on how to flash Bluejay: https://oscarliang.com/bluejay-blheli-s/
Choose the PWM frequency that suits your needs. 24KHz provides better motor performance, leading to more responsive and accurate control, 96KHz maximizes flight time, 48KHz provides a good balance between responsiveness and efficiency. I tested various PWM frequencies on my BetaFPV Air65 and the flight times were as follows:
- 96KHz: 4:00
- 48KHz: 3:40
- 24KHz: 2:50
Prop input vs prop input
Prop in and prop out refer to the motor rotation direction and propeller mounting. Here is a tutorial that explains it in more detail: https://oscarliang.com/reversed-motor-prop-rotation-quadcopter/
Props in is the default configuration in Betaflight, but Props out is more popular in Tiny Whoops. Basically, you should start with Props out in Tiny Whoops, as it generally flies better and is the standard. However, if you have washout issues during corners and descents, Props in can solve it. Don’t just take my word for it, try different configurations to see what works best for you.
Betaflight configuration
Set angle mode
- Angular strength: 90 (if you feel it is too tight, reduce the number).
- Angle restrictions: 60 (This setting controls how much you can tilt before it starts to limit tilt in angle mode. In a way it’s similar to speed and exposure. The highest I can think of is 80. If it’s too unstable, lower it to 65 or even lower. I like 60-65 for indoor flying).
Disable air mode
I usually disable Airmode in the Configuration tab when flying in Angle mode. This helps with crashes. Whoop doesn’t overreact and freak out, making recovery easier.
If you are flying in Acro mode and assign Airmode to the same switch as Angle mode, Airmode will automatically activate when you disable Angle mode.
Throttle Scaling
In the Rates tab, I set the throttle limit to Scale and 90%, as I rarely use 100% throttle when flying indoors. Zooming out will give me more throttle resolution. You can also set it to 80% or lower for more comfortable cruising.
To determine how much to reduce, enter a throttle percentage into the OSD, record yourself flying as fast as you can, and watch the DVR to see what max throttle you normally use. If you use 100% throttle, don’t set any throttle limits at all. However, if you use a lower max throttle, reducing the throttle will give you better resolution.
Reducing throttle will not decrease flight performance. The motors can run at 100% whenever needed to stabilize the quad. This is unlike “motor power limiting” which limits how fast the motors can run and makes the hoop less responsive.
Other settings
- Throttle Boost: 6-10 (recommended when setting the throttle scale below 90%. The throttle of an ATV reacts more quickly).
- VBAT sag compensation: 100% (increases quad consistency across battery packs, but increases risk as you may forget when to land).
- Motor idling: 8%~10%(motor tap)
- Set battery voltage: In the Power & Battery tab, set Minimum Cell Voltage to 3.0 V and Warning Cell Voltage to 3.2 V. This will prevent the battery from being over-discharged.
- OSD Settings: Run a minimal OSD setup that avoids distractions by only displaying the essentials like battery voltage, flight time, and warnings.
Switching speed profile
If you fly both Acro and Angle modes, you may want to use different rates. You can set different rates using Rates Profiles, and the best way to switch between rate profiles is through the “Adjustments” tab. If you only fly Angle mode, you can ignore this section.
For example, when switching between Angle and Acro modes using AUX2 (a 2-position switch), when it is at the low position of 1000, it is in Angle mode, and when it is at the high position of 2000, it is in Acro mode.
Activate the first available slot in the Adjustments tab.
- Set “When Channel” to a switch that toggles between Angle and Acro modes (AUX 2 in this example).
- Expands “within range” to the entire range.
- Set “Then Apply” to “Profile Selection Evaluation”.
- Set “Through Channel” back to “AUX 2”.
In this example, when in Angle mode it switches to Rate Profile 1, and when in Acro mode it switches to Rate Profile 3. Note: Since we are using a 2-position switch, we are skipping Rate Profile 2. If you use a 3-position switch, you can switch between Rate Profiles 1, 2, and 3.
conclusion
Setting up your Tiny Whoop with these configurations and tips will greatly enhance your flying experience. Remember, these are just starting points and you may need to fine-tune your settings based on your specific hardware and flying style. Happy flying!
