Somewhat inspired by the Umma85/95 cinewhoops, BetaFPV released their own “pusher” BNF (bind-and-fly) drones, the Beta85X V2 and Beta95X V2. Conversion kits are also available for turning your old 85X and 95X into a pusher.
Where to Buy
BNF Quads (pre-built):
- Beta85X V2: https://oscarliang.com/product-ht5k
- Beta95X V2 Analog: https://oscarliang.com/product-cbim
- Beta95X V2 DJI FPV: https://oscarliang.com/product-vwx0
Pusher Conversion Kits:
- For Beta85X: https://oscarliang.com/product-7z1w
- For Beta95X: https://oscarliang.com/product-jps7
Pusher Benefits
A “pusher” configuration is basically a flipped over quad, with the motors and flight controller mounted upside down.
This doesn’t really change flight performance, the main advantage of a pusher is the large space available on top of the quad after it’s turned upside down, free from the obstruction of the spinning propellers.
A pusher cinewhoop is nothing new, but it was made popular by Ummagawd’s Umma85 and Umma95, see my build logs here:
These are very cool looking builds, with very effective “clean and dirty” vibration dampening sections, all made possible by the pusher configuration. However, speaking from experience, they were very difficult to build, and it’s tedious to access the flight controller (you basically have to take it apart to connect the USB cable), mostly due to the DIY nature of these builds.
Enters the Beta85X V2 and Beta95X V2!
The new design from BetaFPV makes these pushers a lot easier to use. And if you already own the original version of the Beta85X and 95X, you can just get the pusher conversion kits without spending extra on a new quad.
Pusher Conversion Kits
Thanks to BetaFPV for sending me these conversion kits, unfortunately I don’t have a spare Beta85X or Beta95X to try them (as both have been built into the Umma85/95), but I’ll use them when I have a chance :)
The Beta85X Kit comes with the following parts:
There are two HD camera mounts for the Insta360 GO, and the Naked GoPro Lite V2
And the Beta95X kit comes with the following parts:
The parts are more or less the same as the 85X, just different bottom plates (carbon fibre) for the larger frame size.
Again it comes with Insta360 GO and GoPro Lite V2 Mounts.
And the VTX holder
Betaflight Changes
If you buy a pusher off the shelf, chances are it’s already configured for you. But if you are converting your normal quad into a pusher, there are a few things you have to change in Betaflight for it to work correctly, because the FC and motors are flipped upside down.
Table of Contents
FC Board Orientation
In Configuration tab, find Board and Sensor Alignment, and set Roll degrees to 180
Now go to the Setup tab, and confirm if the 3D model is now moving the same direction as your quad.
Motor Remapping
Next, Remap motor 1 to motor 3, and motor 2 to motor 4. You can do this in Betaflight CLI. I have a tutorial explaining what Resource Remapping is.
Enter ‘resource’ and take note of the pin numbers for motors 1-4. This is going to be different on different flight controllers. These are the pin numbers from mine.
Simply swap the pin numbers for motor 1 and 3, and for motor 2 and 4, enter it back in CLI, in my case, this becomes:
resource MOTOR 1 B06
resource MOTOR 2 B07
resource MOTOR 3 B03
resource MOTOR 4 B04
save
Now test your motors and see if they work properly.
Motor Rotation
Finally, check motor spin directions, reverse them if necessary. You should also decide whether you want to run “props out” or “props in” (I prefer props out on this build):
Mounting Propellers
Propellers should be mounted “upside down” too just like the motors.
13 comments
Hi Oscar, I’m curious if motor cooling would be the same with a ouster design than a puller design.
*pusher
If i wanted to make a pusher without flipping the FC do i just flip motors to underside of frame and flip props? Do i need to change anything in Betaflight or can i keep as is?
Hello Oscar, thank you for your very useful articles, I am always following you. I just finished building my 95xV2, but at a first test flight, I noticed that the propeller on the side of the Vista USB port is making a slight contact with the port when turning. This can also be heard by the noise it’s making while the motors are spinning. Tried to lift it up anyway just for a few seconds and it flew quite well but it came down with that motor quite overheated. Even on the opposite side of the Vista the clearance is almost nothing but at least it’s not making contact. I wonder if others are having enough clearance between that prop and the USB c port. Thanks!
Can you provide a cli Dump and Diff All so we can see the PID’s and PID profiles you are running
The plugs on my Beta95X V2 seem to be giving me problems. Is there a pinout diagram I can use to delete these plugs in place of solder joints?
My VTX keeps cutting out mid-flight. It comes back on if you apply pressure to the plug. Sometimes it seems the flight controller will lose communication with the ESC as well. I think all the plugs are kind of losing connectivity.
Any help would be appreciated.
I am a beginner and just got one. Since was delivered without a manual and I cannot find one online, can somebody tell me where are the Radio (TBS Nano), the FC and Vtx switches ?
I’m also wondering about how to arm and configure my mode2 RadioMaster Tx 16s
Thank you for any information
Thank you for the great article! I did this conversion and noticed that when I let off the throttle the drone wobbles a ton, do you happen to have any idea how I can get rid of the wobble?
I’m loving mine so far. The group I’m flying with in my town told me that I should upgrade the betaflight firmware but I’m not really that sure on how to do it just yet. Is there any real improvements from 3.5 for the flight itself?
Actually the props remain upright. The motors are upside down, not the props.
i mean the props should be mounted the other way round relative to the motors :) i’ve seen many people left the props unchanged after converting to pusher :)
So they should be upside down as well? If you turn your head upside down, is it on the motor the normal way or the opposite way? Thanks, this could be what i am missing with my build.
if you flip over the drone (bottom facing up), the motors should be facing up, and the propellers should be mounted the opposite way.