EMAX Nighthawk Pro Setup Guide

The EMAX Nighthawk Pro uses the Skyline32 Flight Controller. It's a new board based off the Naze32, which is hugely popular with FPV Racers. The Skyline32 is compatible with Baseflight and Cleanflight just like the Naze32. We will be using Baseflight in this tutorial as that is what EMAX recommends using. This blog follows on from our previous blog, EMAX Nighthawk Pro Unboxing.

Downloading the Software

The first thing you will need to do is to download the Baseflight software. Go to the Chrome Webstore and launch the Baseflight Configurator. You will see the following screen once the app installs and launches successfully.

Sensor Calibrating

Safety Warning - Please make sure the propellers are removed from the Nighthawk before proceeding further. Connect the Nighthawk Pro using an USB cable to the PC. The Baseflight app should automatically connect with the Skyline32 Flight Controller and load the 'Setup' screen. Place the Nighthawk Pro onto a level surface and press 'Calibrate Accelerometer' This process should only take a few seconds and the log window on the top of the app will tell you when it is complete. Press the 'Calibrate Magnetometer' button. Calibrating the Magnetometer will require you to rotate the Nighthawk Pro 360 degrees on all 3 axis (x, y and z). You will have 30 seconds to complete this, just be careful not to accidentally disconnect the USB cable whilst maneuvering the craft.

Craft Configuration

Now that the sensors are fully calibrated, we move on to the 'Configuration' tab. We have highlighted in red all the settings that needs to be changed with it's correct values.

Receiver Set-up

Setting up the Nighthawk Pro with the FrSky X8R receiver is extremely straight forward. In the 'Receiver' tab, select 'JR/Spektrum' in the Channel Map drop down box and press 'Save'. This picture shows how we connected the FrSky X8R receiver, this receiver was already bound to our Taranis out of the box. Please note different receiver will need different channel mapping, but you can easily work out which mapping you need by moving the control sticks on your transmitter to see whether the the correct channel bar moves.

Mode Selection

Now that the radio is configured. We need to map the Auxiliary switches to change flight modes and arm the motors. Select the 'Mode Selection' tab and toggle all your Auxiliary switches to see which switches are bound to which channel, the orange column should move as you toggle the switches. Once you have decided on which switches you are going to use, you will need to map the modes via the tick boxes. We recommend having a 3 way switch to map the basic 'Angle', 'Horizon' and 'Mag' flight modes and a 2 way switch to map the arming of the motor. Press 'Save' once you are happy with the mapping.

ESC Calibration

Safety Warning - Please make sure the propellers are removed from the Nighthawk before proceeding further. Select the 'Motor Testing' tab. Move the 'Master' slider all the way to the top and tick the check box under 'Motor Test Mode Notice'. Plug the battery into the Nighthawk Pro and wait for the maximum throttle confirmation sound (2 Beeps). Move the 'Master' all the way down and wait for the minimum throttle confirmation sound (1 Long Beep). You should then hear a series of beep based on the battery type you have plugged in (1 beep for each LiPo Cell). Unplug the battery and the calibration is complete. The Nighthawk Pro is now fully setup and ready for it's first test flight.

EMAX Nighthawk Pro Price and Availability

EMAX Nighthawk Pro is available for £199.00 with free shipping at RC Geeks. We also stock a full range of spare parts for the Nighthawk Pro. If you would like any help or advice on the Nighthawk Pro, or any of our other FPV Racer range, please get in touch.