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1st April 2021
This post will give a broad overview of all the common RC protocols in FPV, and how they fit into th
communication system in an FPV drone, and what their differences are.
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A protocol is like the language spoken between devices within an FPV drone.
Different components use different protocols, so some components, like the receiver and the flight c
have to be bilingual – they “listen” in one language (input) and “speak” in another language (output)
Protocols in FPV can be divided into 3 groups:
Each of these links has different requirements, which is why different protocols are used.
This is the wireless radio control protocol (radio link) between radio and receiver. Most radio manufa
FPV Protocols Explained (CRSF, SBUS, DSHOT, ACCST, PPM, P... https://oscarliang.com/rc-protocols/
have their own proprietary radio link unless it’s an open source radio system like ExpressLRS.
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Here is a list of common TX protocols:
ExpressLRS
TBS Crossfire
TBS Tracer
ImmersionRC Ghost
ACCST (Frsky)
ACCESS (Frsky)
DSM (Spektrum)
DSM2 (Spektrum)
DSMX (Spektrum)
AFHDS (Flysky)
AFHDS 2A (Flysky)
A-FHSS (Hitec)
FASST (Futaba)
Hi-Sky (Deviation / Devo)
It’s a long list, but really the only ones you need to know is ExpressLRS, TBS Crossfire/Tracer and
ImmersionRC Ghost. The rest are not popular in FPV drones today.
Frsky has two TX protocols, ACCST and ACCESS. Note that for ACCST, there is the older V1 and
V2, and the two are not compatible.
ACCST:
D16: for X-series receivers, e.g. X4R-SB, R-XSR, XM+
D8: for D- and V-series receivers, e.g. D4R-II, D8R-II+, V8FR-II, VD5M, etc
LR12: for the long range receiver L9R
ACCESS: Frsky’s latest air protocol, New Frsky Air Protocol – ACCESS
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DSM2 and DSMX are the two TX protocols used by Spektrum radios.
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DSM2 signal is known to be resistant to noise, interference and other transmitters transmitting on th
frequency. It also finds a backup frequency at start-up in case the primary frequency fails. This grea
the chance of losing signal, however if both channels becomes unusable you may still lose the conn
DSMX was based on and improved from DSM2, which also uses the same encoding scheme. The
is the DSMX signal is able to switch to a new frequency channel in case of cut out within a couple o
milliseconds, so in theory you wouldn’t even notice the glitch.
DSM2 is still a popular technology, if you are away from sources of radio interference (such as WiF
microwaves, and wireless security cameras), it should work just as well as DSMX, but DSMX for su
reliable.
Unlike the communication between TX and RX, the communication between RX and FC is a wired
communication. It is desirable that the protocol have low latency. Latency is basically the time it take
receiver to “translate” the signal from the transmitter into the signal that it is going to send to the flig
controller. Less latency means your quadcopter will respond quicker to what you tell it to do.
Some RX protocols are universal and used in receivers from different manufactures, but some can
exclusive to certain brands. Here is a list of common RX protocols:
CRSF (ExpressLRS, TBS Crossfire and Tracer)
SBUS (Futaba, Frsky)
IBUS (Flysky)
PWM (universal)
SPI_RX (universal) – More detail in this article
PPM or CPPM (universal)
GHST (ImmersionRC Ghost)
FPort (Frsky)
XBUS (JR)
MSP (Multiwii)
SPEKTRUM1024 (Spektrum DSM2)
SPEKTRUM2048 (Spektrum DSMX)
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The most common protocol used in FPV right now would be CRSF, which is used by ExpressLRS, T
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Crossfire and Tracer. FrSky and other SBUS receivers should use SBUS. Spektrum Satellite receiv
use SPEKTRUM2048 or SPEKTRUM1024, depending on whether they are DSM2 or DSMX. FlySk
use iBus. These are the most common serial receiver types likely to be encountered.
To find out what RX protocol your drone is using, go to the Receiver tab in Betaflight (in the below s
2 is the receiver type and 3 is the protocol):
PWM stands for pulse width modulation. This is perhaps the oldest radio control protocol, back in th
when there was no flight controller, the receivers were used to control the servos and ESC directly w
standard PWM signal.
It involves three wires, typically colored as ground (black), +5V (red), and signal (white or yellow), w
communicate with devices like servos or ESCs (Electronic Speed Controllers).
The length of the pulse specifies the servo output or throttle position, and therefore it shares charac
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both digital and analog signals. The length of the signal pulse normally varies between 1000µs and
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(micro seconds), with 1000µs being the minimum & 2000µs the maximum.
The downside of this is probably the wiring mess, as you have one servo cable for every channel. A
PPM and SBUS are often preferred over PWM when using an FC, which pass all the channels thro
single wire and yet offer the same performance if not better.
PPM is also known as CPPM or PPMSUM. A PPM signal is basically a series of PWM signals sent
another on the same signal wire, and modulated differently.
The advantage of PPM over PWM is that only one single wire is needed for several channels, educ
cable clutter. So typically, you would only need to connect the ground, power and signal wires for up
channels.
As the channel values don’t arrive at the same time, it’s not as accurate or jitter-free as serial comm
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(which we will cover in a minute).
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A serial protocol is a digital loss-less protocol that uses only 3 wires (signal, power, ground) for mult
channels. Unlike PPM which is a signal in time domain, serial protocols are completely digital which
they are made up of a bunch of one’s and zero’s.
As the name suggests, serial protocols require a serial port on the flight controller (aka UART).
Aka S.BUS or Serial BUS, is commonly used by Futaba and FrSky. It supports up to 16 channels us
one signal wire. SBUS signal should be connected to the RX pin of an UART.
Note that the SBUS signal in Frsky’s receivers is inverted, and therefore (normally) on F1 and F4 F
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are dedicated SBUS input which indicates there is an inverter in place for the inverted SBUS signal
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for F3 and F7 FC’s, the processor has built-in inverters on all of their UART’s, and so you can conn
to any UART you want.
CRSF is developed by Team Black Sheep (TBS) for their Crossfire RC system. It’s similar to SBUS
digital RX to FC protocols. With just four wires and the capability of both telemetry and radio contro
robust and efficient technology. ExpressLRS’s adoption of CRSF is a testament to its potential.
The main advantages include fast update rate and two-way communication capabilities, allowing fe
such as hassle free Telemetry to be injected into the radio link with no additional UART port require
IBUS is flysky’s serial protocol. It’s a two way communication which means it can send and receive
port for servo data output and one port for sensors.
XBUS is used by JR, which supports up to 14 channels in one signal wire. One of the advantages is
time delay between each channel.
MSP (Multiwii Serial Protocol) was created as part of the multiwii software. Basically it allows you to
commands as the RC input and it supports 8 channels in one signal cable.
FPort is developed by Frsky and Betaflight developers. Normally, control signal and telemetry data
separate connections, but FPort manages to combine them into one single bi-directional signal, wh
it more compact and easier to manage.
Unlike Frsky’s SBUS which is inverted, FPort is compatible with F4 flight controllers UART without a
inverters or hacks.
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You can learn more about FPort and how to setup here.
MAVLINK is a telemetry protocol similar to SmartPort. While SmartPort is developed by FrSky, MAV
developed by the Pixhawk/ArduPilot community. Both are robust, allowing for two-way communicat
between the controller and device. This real-time feedback is invaluable, especially for drones, prov
crucial flight data.
Communication between the FC and ESC’s is wired as well. ESC protocols are basically the flight c
telling the ESC how fast they should drive the motors.
The FC has to communicate to the ESC’s at a much faster rate than the receiver has to communica
FC. That’s because apart from taking commands from the pilot, the flight controller is also constantl
lots of data from various sensors such as gyro and accelerometer at a much faster rate (e.g. 2 to 8
times per second), ESC protocol speed must keep up with the PID loop frequency for optimal perfo
Here is a list of the protocols for FC to ESC that you are likely to encounter in this hobby (this list is
of what’s available in Betaflight FC firmware).
PWM
Oneshot (Oneshot42, Oneshot125)
Multishot
Proshot
Dshot (Dshot150, Dshot300, Dshot600)
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Note that DShot is a bi-directional protocol, not only the ESC gets commands from the FC, it also te
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how fast the motors are running (RPM), which is then used in RPM filter in Betaflight.
The choice of TX and RX protocols is pretty much determined/limited by your hardware, as most re
support certain TX and RX protocols.
If you are buying a pre-built drone, then you don’t have to worry about it at all. But if you are buildin
scratch, then your decision would affect what you should/can buy. Just pick a radio transmitter you
then find a compatible receiver, preferably support one of the serial protocols.
Take a look at what gear I use in this post.
We do not have the proper equipment to test TX and RX latency yet, but fortunately our friend Dron
Youtube have been doing this type of testing for many different kind of TX and RX.
In a radio control system, the latency happens in multiple places. There is latency between your stic
RF module on the TX (before it’s transmitted through the air), between transmitter and receiver (sig
at speed of light so almost negligible), and also there is latency between the receiver and your flight
This is the testing result captured from one of the testing video:
Flysky i6X – 13.7ms
Turnigy Evolution – 14.6ms
Crossfire (on X10) – 19.5ms
Frsky Horus X10 – 31.5ms
Frsky QX7 – 36.3ms
Spektrum DX6i – 41.5ms
Of course, lower latency is better, but I don’t think that’s all the reason in choosing a radio. You shou
consider the reliability of the RC connection, the features of the radio and ergonomics. But really, ca
extra latency affect someone’s flying? Maybe, maybe not.
And there is speculation that the latency of the Flysky system actually increases with range while th
is more consistent. Hopefully someone will test and confirm.
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March 2015 – Article created for RX protocols
July 2017 – expanded list of TX protocols
Feb 2018 – added section about latency
Apr 2021 – updated article
Feb 2023 – revised
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