Rotorflight LUA Scripts

Rotorflight is a Flight Control software suite designed for single-rotor helicopters. It consists of:

• Rotorflight Flight Controller Firmware
• Rotorflight Configurator, for flashing and configuring the flight controller
• Rotorflight Blackbox Explorer, for analyzing blackbox flight logs
• Rotorflight LUA Scripts, for configuring the flight controller using a transmitter running:
  • EdgeTX/OpenTX (this repository)
  • Ethos

Built on Betaflight 4.3, Rotorflight incorporates numerous advanced features specifically tailored for helicopters. It's important to note that Rotorflight does not support multi-rotor crafts or airplanes; it's exclusively designed for RC helicopters.

This version of Rotorflight is also known as Rotorflight 2 or RF2.

Information

Tutorials, documentation, and flight videos can be found on the Rotorflight website.

Features

Rotorflight has many features:

• Many receiver protocols: CRSF, S.BUS, F.Port, DSM, IBUS, XBUS, EXBUS, GHOST, CPPM
• Support for various telemetry protocols: CSRF, S.Port, HoTT, etc.
• ESC telemetry protocols: BLHeli32, Hobbywing, Scorpion, Kontronik, OMP Hobby, ZTW, APD, YGE
• Advanced PID control tuned for helicopters
• Stabilisation modes (6D)
• Rotor speed governor
• Motorised tail support with Tail Torque Assist (TTA, also known as TALY)
• Remote configuration and tuning with the transmitter
  • With knobs / switches assigned to functions
  • With LUA scripts on EdgeTX, OpenTX and Ethos
• Extra servo/motor outputs for AUX functions
• Fully customisable servo/motor mixer
• Sensors for battery voltage, current, BEC, etc.
• Advanced gyro filtering
  • Dynamic RPM based notch filters
  • Dynamic notch filters based on FFT
  • Dynamic LPF
• High-speed Blackbox logging

Plus lots of features inherited from Betaflight:

• Configuration profiles for changing various tuning parameters
• Rates profiles for changing the stick feel and agility
• Multiple ESC protocols: PWM, DSHOT, Multishot, etc.
• Configurable buzzer sounds
• Multi-color RGB LEDs
• GPS support

And many more...

LUA Scripts Requirements

• EdgeTX 2.5.0 or OpenTX 2.3.12 or later transmitter firmware
• A receiver supporting remote configuration:
  • a FrSky Smartport or F.Port receiver, or
  • a Crossfire v2.11 or newer receiver, or
  • an ELRS 2.0.1 or newer receiver

Installation

Please download the latest version from GitHub and copy the contents of the SCRIPTS folder to your transmitter. You will know that you've done it correctly when you find the rf2.lua file located in the /SCRIPTS/TOOLS directory. Plus, you should now see Rotorflight 2 listed in the Tools menu of your transmitter.

Copying the SCRIPTS folder

USB Method

1. Connect your transmitter to a computer with an USB cable
2. Open the new drive on your computer
3. Unzip the file and copy the SCRIPTS folder to the root the new drive
4. Eject the drive
5. Unplug the USB cable

SD Card Method

1. Power off your transmitter
2. Remove the SD card and plug it into a computer
3. Unzip the file and copy the SCRIPTS folder to the root of the SD card
4. Eject the SD card
5. Reinsert your SD card into the transmitter
6. Power up your transmitter

If you copied the files correctly, you can now go into the Tools menu on your transmitter and access the Rotorflight 2 tool. The first time you run the script, a message 'Compiling...' will appear in the display before the script is started. This is normal and is done to minimise the RAM usage of the script.

Usage

See the LUA Scripts page.

Background script

The optional background script rf2bg.lua features Real Time FC Clock synchronization and the Adjustment Teller.

• RTC synchronization will send the time of the transmitter to the flight controller. The script will beep if RTC synchronization has been completed. Blackbox logs and files created by the FC will now have the correct timestamp.
• The Adjustment Teller will tell you what adjustment you just made. It supports all adjustments except profile adjustments.
  • S.port/F.port: the telemetry sensors 5110 and 5111 should be available. Discover or add them if they aren't.
  • CRSF: the telemetry sensor FM should be available. Also do a set crsf_flight_mode_reuse = ADJFUNC in the CLI and save.

The background script can be configured as either a special or global function in EdgeTX/OpenTX. The image below illustrates how to set up the background script as a special function. This configuration ensures that the script runs automatically as soon as the model is selected.

Building from source on Linux

• Be sure to have make and luac in version 5.2 installed in the path.
• Run make from the root folder.
• The installation files will be created in the obj folder. Copy the files to your transmitter as instructed in the Installation section as if you unzipped from a downloaded file.

Contributing

Rotorflight is an open-source community project. Anybody can join in and help to make it better by:

• Helping other users on Rotorflight Discord or other online forums
• Reporting bugs and issues, and suggesting improvements
• Testing new software versions, new features and fixes; and providing feedback
• Participating in discussions on new features
• Create or update content on the Website
• Contributing to the software development - fixing bugs, implementing new features and improvements
• Translating Rotorflight Configurator into a new language, or helping to maintain an existing translation

Origins

Rotorflight is software that is open source and is available free of charge without warranty.

Rotorflight is forked from Betaflight, which in turn is forked from Cleanflight. Rotorflight borrows ideas and code also from HeliFlight3D, another Betaflight fork for helicopters.

Big thanks to everyone who has contributed along the journey!

Contact

Team Rotorflight can be contacted by email at rotorflightfc@gmail.com.