How to Setup Betaflight OSD: Configuration and Element Layout Examples

The Betaflight OSD (On-Screen Display) is a powerful feature that allows you to view critical flight information directly on your FPV feed. This tutorial will guide you through the steps to set up and configure the OSD in Betaflight, operate the OSD menu, and provide useful CLI commands for common OSD element setups.

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What is Betaflight OSD?

Betaflight OSD is a feature that overlays flight data such as battery voltage, flight time, RSSI, and more onto your FPV video feed. This feature is incredibly useful for monitoring the performance and status of your drone while flying. You can even use it as a menu to change your drone’s settings including PID, rates, filters, VTX channel and more.

This tutorial focuses on OSD for analog FPV systems. If you are using the DJI FPV System, check out this tutorial on how to set it up: https://oscarliang.com/dji-fpv-system-setup/#betaflight-osd-setup.

Hardware Requirements

Most Betaflight flight controllers (FC) support OSD for analog FPV systems, with a few exceptions that are designed specifically for HD digital FPV systems. This should be stated in the FC specifications.

For an FC to support OSD in analog FPV system, it must have an integrated OSD chip (AT7456E). HD digital systems do not require this chip for OSD functionality.

Wiring

Connect your FPV camera and video transmitter to the flight controller. The camera signal goes to the “Vin” (video input) pad on the FC, while the VTX signal connects to the “Vout” (video output) pad.

Betaflight Configurations

Enabling OSD Feature

Download and Install Betaflight Configurator: https://oscarliang.com/download-betaflight-configurator/. Plug your flight controller into your computer using a USB cable. Open Betaflight Configurator and click on the Connect button.

In the Betaflight Configurator, go to the Configuration tab and enable the “OSD” feature. That’s it—your OSD is now activated.

OSD Tab Interface

Navigate to the OSD tab in Betaflight Configurator. This is where you configure which elements appear on your FPV feed.

On the left, you’ll see a list of OSD elements. Simply turn on or off the elements you want to display on the screen.

You’ll notice three checkboxes for each element, these correspond to the 3 available OSD profiles that you can switch between during flight. This allows you to use completely different OSD layouts and elements at any time by flipping a switch on your radio. If you don’t need multiple OSD profiles, set “Preview for” to OSD Profile 1, and “Active OSD Profile” to OSD Profile 1 as well. Then, check the first box for the element you want to display.

Configuring OSD Elements

Click on an element from the left-hand menu to add it to the preview screen, then drag it to your desired location.

My frequently used elements include:

• Battery Voltage: Displays the battery voltage, so you know when to land and avoid over-discharging your LiPo.
• Battery Average Cell Voltage: Automatically calculates the voltage per cell, simplifying monitoring (e.g., 16.0V for a 4S battery will display as 4.0V).
• Timer2: This is your flight time, it displays how long the drone has been armed. This is different from “Timer1,” which shows powered-on time.
• Warning: A must-have. Displays messages if anything is wrong with the quad, aiding in troubleshooting.
• Battery Current Draw: Shows amp draw in real time. It requires a current sensor.
• Battery Current mAh Drawn: Shows how much battery has been consumed. It requires a current sensor.
• Link Quality
• RSSI dBm Value: Preferable over RSSI which is a percentage value.
• Throttle Position
• VTX Channel: Useful for confirming the channel in use.

Tips for OSD Placement:

• Avoid Clutter: Try not to overcrowd your screen with too much information. Focus on the essentials to keep your FPV feed clear and readable.
• Use Logical Placement: Place your critical OSD elements in locations where they are easily readable without obstructing your view.

OSD Settings

On the right side of the OSD tab, you’ll find various OSD-related options, most of which can be left at default. However, here are some key settings to consider:

• Video Format: Choose Auto, PAL, NTSC, or HD depending on your camera/FPV system. For analog, I recommend setting it to “Auto” so it detects the correct video format for you. For DJI, Walksnail and HDZero, set this to HD.
• Alarms: Set limits for RSSI, battery capacity, flight time, and altitude. When these limits are reached, the data will flash on-screen as a warning.

Operating the OSD Menu

Betaflight OSD not only displays flight information but also allows you to access a configuration menu directly from your goggles. This menu lets you adjust various settings of the drone without connecting to a computer, including PID settings, rates, VTX power/channel, and more. This feature is handy for fine-tuning your quadcopter in the field. Note that not all options in Betaflight Configurator are available in the OSD menu, so you might still need your computer or an Android app for full configuration.

To access the OSD menu, disarm your drone and use your transmitter sticks (mode 2):

• Throttle center
• Yaw left
• Pitch up

Your throttle should remain at around center during menu navigation.

Navigating the OSD Menu:

• Pitch Up/Down: Move up and down the menu items.
• Roll Right: Enter a menu item.
• Roll Left: Go back or exit.
• Roll: Change parameter values.
• Yaw Right: Quickly save and exit.
• Yaw Left: Go back to the last menu.

After making adjustments, save your settings by going back to the main menu and selecting “Save & Reboot.”

Changing Betaflight OSD Font

You can change the OSD font by clicking the “Font Manager” button located at the bottom right of the OSD tab. Select a font preset (I recommend “Bold”) and click “Upload Font.”

In this window, you can also upload a custom logo, which will appear when you plug in the battery.

Be aware that once you’ve uploaded a new font, it won’t show in the preview window, but it will display correctly in your goggles.

FAQ and Tips

• Q: I’m getting a core temperature warning. Should I be concerned?
  • A: This can happen when the drone is sitting on the bench for too long without proper cooling. It’s usually a non-issue, and you can disable this warning in the OSD tab under “Warnings”.
• Q: I’m getting an RSSI warning. Should I be concerned?
  • A: Ensure you’ve set the correct RSSI alarm value. By default, it’s set to -60 which is too high for ExpressLRS. Adjust it to match your system’s sensitivity limits. For example, for ExpressLRS 250Hz, the sensitivity limit is -108dBm, so I normally set the warning to be around -93dBm (-15dBm link margin). You can set this in CLI: set osd_rssi_dbm_alarm = -93. More info here: https://oscarliang.com/lq-rssi/#What-is-RSSI
• Q: I’m not getting OSD text on the screen. Why?
  • A: If you can see the Betaflight logo when power on, that suggests your OSD is working, ensure you’ve selected OSD elements and are using the correct OSD profile. If there’s no Betaflight logo at startup, check your video format (NTSC/PAL), set it to Auto if in doubt. Also check your camera and VTX wiring. Or else it could be a faulty OSD chip on the FC.
• Q: How do I change the craft name in the OSD?
  • A: The craft name input field is located in the Configuration tab.
• Q: I’m seeing a lot of “V” letters on the screen.
  • A: This indicates  the font file is missing on the FC. Simply re-upload the font file in the OSD tab should fix this.
• Q: The OSD doesn’t save the font and other OSD settings.
  • A: Try plugging in your battery while making changes in Betaflight Configurator to ensure the OSD chip is fully powered. Warning: make sure to remove the props first for safety.
• Q: “Upload Font” isn’t responding.
  • A: Try plugging in the battery before connecting the USB to Betaflight Configurator, then try again.

My OSD Setup CLI Commands

Configuring OSD elements from scratch for every quad you build can be time-consuming. To make things easier, I’ve compiled some of my preferred OSD elements/layout configurations that you can easily copy and paste into the CLI.

Analog (without GPS)

set osd_vbat_pos = 6465
set osd_link_quality_pos = 2112
set osd_rssi_dbm_pos = 2080
set osd_tim_2_pos = 6520
set osd_throttle_pos = 2298
set osd_vtx_channel_pos = 2101
set osd_current_pos = 2327
set osd_mah_drawn_pos = 6496
set osd_craft_name_pos = 6155
set osd_warnings_pos = 6410
set osd_avg_cell_voltage_pos = 2348
save

Analog (with GPS)

set osd_vbat_pos = 2371
set osd_link_quality_pos = 2179
set osd_rssi_dbm_pos = 2147
set osd_tim_2_pos = 2467
set osd_flymode_pos = 2456
set osd_throttle_pos = 2391
set osd_current_pos = 2421
set osd_mah_drawn_pos = 2404
set osd_gps_speed_pos = 2359
set osd_gps_lon_pos = 2065
set osd_gps_lat_pos = 2048
set osd_gps_sats_pos = 2115
set osd_home_dir_pos = 2190
set osd_home_dist_pos = 2156
set osd_flight_dist_pos = 2435
set osd_altitude_pos = 18508
set osd_warnings_pos = 14601
set osd_avg_cell_voltage_pos = 2339
save

Analog (Tiny Whoop)

set osd_vbat_pos = 6444
set osd_link_quality_pos = 2112
set osd_rssi_dbm_pos = 2080
set osd_tim_2_pos = 6520
set osd_throttle_pos = 2298
set osd_vtx_channel_pos = 2101
set osd_current_pos = 2327
set osd_mah_drawn_pos = 6496
set osd_craft_name_pos = 6155
set osd_warnings_pos = 6410
save

Minimalist Setup

For those who prefer a clean and uncluttered view, the minimalist setup focuses on displaying only the essentials:

set osd_vbat_pos = 2433
set osd_rssi_dbm_pos = 2150
set osd_tim_2_pos = 6520
save

HD (with GPS)

set osd_vbat_pos = 2529
set osd_link_quality_pos = 2337
set osd_rssi_dbm_pos = 2305
set osd_tim_2_pos = 2625
set osd_flymode_pos = 3662
set osd_throttle_pos = 3598
set osd_current_pos = 3628
set osd_mah_drawn_pos = 2561
set osd_craft_name_pos = 2049
set osd_pilot_name_pos = 2081
set osd_gps_speed_pos = 3375
set osd_gps_lon_pos = 3112
set osd_gps_lat_pos = 3080
set osd_gps_sats_pos = 2369
set osd_home_dir_pos = 2266
set osd_home_dist_pos = 2232
set osd_flight_dist_pos = 2593
set osd_altitude_pos = 18584
set osd_warnings_pos = 14677
set osd_avg_cell_voltage_pos = 2551
save

HD (without GPS)

set osd_vbat_pos = 2529
set osd_link_quality_pos = 2337
set osd_rssi_dbm_pos = 2305
set osd_tim_2_pos = 2625
set osd_flymode_pos = 3662
set osd_throttle_pos = 1550
set osd_current_pos = 3628
set osd_mah_drawn_pos = 2561
set osd_craft_name_pos = 2049
set osd_pilot_name_pos = 2081
set osd_warnings_pos = 14677
set osd_avg_cell_voltage_pos = 2551
save

Conclusion

Setting up the OSD in Betaflight is straightforward, but with some customization, you can significantly enhance your FPV experience. Whether you’re using the OSD to keep track of your battery life, monitor your flight time, or access the configuration menu on the fly, it’s a feature that every pilot can benefit from. Use the steps and commands in this guide to tailor your OSD setup to your specific needs, and enjoy a more immersive FPV flying experience.

Edit History

• Jul 2017 – Article created
• Apr 2021 – Removed information regarding MinimOSD, no longer applicable; updated article with the latest information and screenshots
• Aug 2024 – Tutorial updated and added my OSD setups in CLI commands