How to calibrate an accelerometer

1. Principle

Accelerometers are used to measure the acceleration of the UAV on different axes, helping the flight controller determine the aircraft's attitude (such as pitch, roll, and vertical movement). Accurate accelerometer calibration is key to ensuring attitude control, automatic mode flight, and altitude hold functions work properly.
The accelerometer calibration process measures gravity acceleration in different directions and stores it as a baseline value. After calibration, the flight controller can correctly identify the UAV's level status and angular deviations in each direction, thereby ensuring the accuracy of attitude estimation.

Important

⚠ Note:
Accelerometer calibration must be performed with the flight controller uninstalled from the airframe to avoid airframe assembly errors affecting calibration results.
You must click "Finish" after completing each attitude to ensure data is recorded correctly.

2. Equipment Preparation

1) Flight Controller: Any of the SpeedyBee F405 WING APP / SpeedyBee F405 WING MINI / CoreWing F405 WING V2 flight controllers applies to this tutorial.
2) Ground Control Station: Mission Planner

3. Procedure

Important

When performing accelerometer calibration, be sure to take the flight controller out separately and calibrate it on a flat surface. Click "Finish" once after completing each attitude.

1. Connect the flight controller to the ground station using a USB data cable.
2. Enter the Initial Setup page → Enter Accelerometer Calibration → Click Calibrate Accelerometer.
   
3. Perform accelerometer calibration:

Important

⚠ Note: After completing the calibration for each direction, you must click the "Finish" button before proceeding to the next direction.

Please place vehicle LEVEL Accelerometer Calibration -- Level Placement:

Please place vehicle LEFT Accelerometer Calibration -- Left Side Down:

Please place vehicle RIGHT Accelerometer Calibration -- Right Side Down:

Please place vehicle NOSEDOWN Accelerometer Calibration -- Nose Down:

Please place vehicle NOSEUP Accelerometer Calibration -- Tail Down:

Please place vehicle BACK Accelerometer Calibration -- Top Down:

4. Calibration Complete: Displaying SUCCESSFUL indicates successful calibration.

4. Q&A

Q: Why does the HUD show the aircraft tilted after calibration?
A:✅ Possible Causes:

• The flight controller was not placed level enough during calibration, causing a baseline deviation.
• Vibration or shaking occurred during calibration, affecting data accuracy.
  ✅ Solutions:
• Re-perform accelerometer calibration, ensuring the flight controller is completely stationary in each direction.
• Use a spirit level or calibrate on a stable surface.
  Q: How often should accelerometer calibration be performed?
  A:✅ Recommended Frequency:
• Re-calibrate when replacing the flight controller, sensors, or frame.
• Re-calibrate if attitude anomalies or HUD tilting are detected.

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