From this point onward, using PID-Toolbox is mandatory. The program used to be free, but since mid-2024 it can only be downloaded via a Patreon membership (starting at $4/month). In my opinion, anyone who wants to use this software and can spare the price of a coffee should support the immense work Brian White put into it by purchasing at least a one-month membership.

https://www.patreon.com/ThePIDtoolboxGuy

Before you start PID tuning, a few things must be considered:

• Filter settings should be good enough that no spikes appear in the light green area in Blackbox Explorer.
• Physical inspection: Check all screws, mounts, and the overall frame integrity.
• The drone must be in the same state as it will be flown in 95% of cases. This means:
  • If you plan to fly with an extra camera, it must be mounted during tuning.
  • Pilots who usually fly in concrete-heavy environments and often have slightly worn propellers should use similarly worn propellers for tuning. Tuning with fresh props and then flying with slightly damaged ones could result in a fly-away.

In short: the quad must be tuned as it will actually be flown.

Before you get started, you need to connect the copter to the Betaflight Configurator once again. Switch to the Command Line Interface (CLI) (at the bottom in the tabs) and enter the following commands:

set pidsum_limit = 1000

set pidsum_limit_yaw = 1000

save

This gives the PID controller more headroom to work with.

Now switch to the PID Tuning tab and enable Expert Mode in the top right corner. This will give you access to additional sliders.

Move the following sliders all the way to the left: Stick Sensitivity, Dynamic Damping, and Drift Wobble. Set Damping to 0.4. Log flights for PD balance and the main multiplier are performed in Angle Mode, so enable that mode and set RC Rate to 1, with all others at 0.

For these flights, the copter is only wobbled forward, backward, left, and right. Lift off quickly and perform at least 10 full stick deflections on both Pitch and Roll. Hold the stick firmly and make sure it doesn’t snap back to center—otherwise, the data is unusable. If you’re flying with a digital VTx, reduce its power to the lowest setting to prevent overheating during testing. Analog VTx can be set to the lowest power via Betaflight. Finally, ensure Blackbox is activated and empty, the Blackbox mode is enabled simultaneously with arming, and the ADC filters on your transmitter are off. Then you’re ready!

Setting P-D Balance

The ratio of P to D is the most important setting when tuning. Too much P causes overshoot in the step response, which can be counteracted by increasing D. The heavier and more sluggish the quad, the higher the P value must be to compensate for the weight. For a 5-inch drone, a slider value of 1.0 is usually sufficient. For 7-inch drones: 1.2–1.3, 10-inch: 1.4–1.5. For this guide, we assume a 5-inch drone.