inav New target: FrSky/Rotorflight Vantac RF007

User description

Adds support for FrSky/Rotorflight Vantac RF007.

This is a similar flight controller to the Nexus X, but it comes with a FrSky receiver instead. While originally designed for helicopters, its form factor is also appealing for fixed wing aircraft running INAV.

Testing

I have tested:

all 9 servo pins
"A" port UART
"C" port UART
UART1 on AUX/SBUS pins
internal receiver binds and works using FBUS
calibrated external voltage input using a multimeter
verified both gyro and accelerometer work and are oriented correctly
verified barometer works
verified Blackbox works
verified USB-C port 5.1k resistors exist

Choice of pin functions

Many pins can have multiple roles. I have created three targets VANTAC_RF007, VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS and VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C.
VANTAC_RF007 has 7 servo outputs, 2 UARTs and 1 non-shared I2C. VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS has 9 servo outputs, 1 UART and non-shared I2C. VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS has 9 servo outputs, 2 UARTs and no I2C.

I hope this covers most use cases without creating too many targets. I am happy to modify the targets if a different set of tradeoffs is preferred. The targets are inspired by https://github.com/iNavFlight/inav/pull/11047.

PR Type

New Target

Description

Adds support for FrSky/Rotorflight Vantac RF007 flight controller
Provides three target variants with different pin configurations
- VANTAC_RF007: 7 servo outputs, 2 UARTs, shared I2C
- VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS: 9 servo outputs, 1 UART, I2C
- VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C: 9 servo outputs, 2 UARTs, no I2C
Includes built-in FrSky FBUS receiver on UART5
Supports ICM42688P gyro/accelerometer, SPL06 barometer, W25N01G flash storage

Diagram Walkthrough

flowchart LR
  A["Vantac RF007<br/>Flight Controller"] --> B["STM32F722XE"]
  B --> C["ICM42688P<br/>IMU"]
  B --> D["SPL06<br/>Barometer"]
  B --> E["W25N01G<br/>Flash Storage"]
  B --> F["FrSky FBUS<br/>Receiver"]
  B --> G["3 Target<br/>Variants"]

File Walkthrough

Relevant files

Configuration changes

target.h `Target hardware configuration and pin definitions` src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/target.h Defines board identifier F7B5 and USB product string Configures SPI1 for ICM42688P IMU with CW90_DEG alignment Sets up I2C devices with conditional compilation for three variants Defines UART configurations (UART1, UART3, UART4, UART5) with variant-specific pins Configures ADC for battery voltage monitoring on PC2 Enables DShot, SerialShot, ESC sensor, and SmartPort master features Sets MAX_PWM_OUTPUT_PORTS to 7 or 9 depending on variant	+160/-0
target.c `Timer hardware and servo output mappings` src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/target.c Defines timer hardware mappings for 7-9 servo outputs Maps S1-S3 to TIM3 channels, TAIL to TIM2, ESC to TIM1 Configures RPM and TLM outputs on TIM5 (clash with UART2) Conditionally adds AUX and SBUS outputs on TIM4 for 9-servo variants Uses TIM_USE_OUTPUT_AUTO for flexible servo assignment	+45/-0
CMakeLists.txt `CMake build configuration for variants` src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/CMakeLists.txt Defines build targets for all three Vantac RF007 variants All variants use STM32F722XE microcontroller	+3/-0

Miscellaneous

config.c

Target configuration function stub

src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/config.c

Provides empty targetConfiguration function for future customization

+28/-0

Documentation

README.md

Comprehensive documentation and pin reference

src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/README.md

Documents three flight controller variants and their differences
Provides pin configuration tables for all three target variants
Includes hardware layout with STM32 pin mappings and timer assignments
Notes Port C data pin swap discrepancy with manufacturer documentation
References Rotorflight documentation and FrSky manual
Explains built-in FrSky FBUS receiver on UART5 and bind procedure

+69/-0

Oct 25 '25 16:10 functionpointer

PR Compliance Guide 🔍

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🟢	No security concerns identified No security vulnerabilities detected by AI analysis. Human verification advised for critical code.
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Oct 25 '25 16:10 qodo-code-review[bot]

PR Code Suggestions ✨

Explore these optional code suggestions:

Category	Suggestion	Impact
Possible issue	Assign barometer to the correct I2C bus Change the barometer's I2C bus from `BUS_I2C1` to `DEFAULT_I2C` to match the externally available I2C port. src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/target.h [59-62] `#define USE_BARO -#define BARO_I2C_BUS BUS_I2C1 +#define BARO_I2C_BUS DEFAULT_I2C #define USE_BARO_SPL06 #define SPL06_I2C_ADDR 119` [ ] Apply / Chat Suggestion importance[1-10]: 9 __ Why: The suggestion correctly identifies that the barometer is configured on an internal-only I2C bus (`BUS_I2C1`), making it unusable. Changing it to `DEFAULT_I2C` correctly assigns it to the externally accessible bus, which is a critical fix for barometer functionality.	High
High-level	✅ ~~Consider a unified target approach~~ Suggestion Impact: The commit removed the extra build targets from CMakeLists, leaving a single target, and refactored target.h to eliminate conditional compilation based on variant defines. It enabled all relevant peripherals and set unified defaults, aligning with a unified-target approach. code diff: @@ -1,3 +1 @@ target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007) -target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS) -target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C) # File: src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/target.h @@ -42,31 +42,33 @@ #define USE_I2C_DEVICE_1 #define I2C1_SCL PB8 #define I2C1_SDA PB9 - -//#define USE_I2C_DEVICE_1 // clashes with UART1 +// alternate pin assignment +// clashes with UART1 +// also won't allow the built-in barometer to be used //#define I2C1_SCL PB6 //#define I2C1_SDA PB7 -#if defined(VANTAC_RF007) \|\| defined(VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS) #define USE_I2C_DEVICE_2 // clashes with UART3 #define I2C2_SCL PB10 #define I2C2_SDA PB11 -#define DEFAULT_I2C BUS_I2C2 -#else -#define DEFAULT_I2C BUS_I2C1 -#endif +#define EXTERNAL_I2C BUS_I2C2 +#define I2C_DEVICE_2_SHARES_UART3 #define USE_BARO #define BARO_I2C_BUS BUS_I2C1 #define USE_BARO_SPL06 #define SPL06_I2C_ADDR 119 -#define TEMPERATURE_I2C_BUS DEFAULT_I2C +#define USE_MAG +#define MAG_I2C_BUS EXTERNAL_I2C +#define USE_MAG_ALL -#define PITOT_I2C_BUS DEFAULT_I2C +#define TEMPERATURE_I2C_BUS EXTERNAL_I2C + +#define PITOT_I2C_BUS EXTERNAL_I2C #define USE_RANGEFINDER -#define RANGEFINDER_I2C_BUS DEFAULT_I2C +#define RANGEFINDER_I2C_BUS EXTERNAL_I2C // ************* SPI2 Blackbox *************** #define USE_SPI_DEVICE_2 @@ -83,22 +85,18 @@ // *********** UART *************************** #define USE_VCP -#ifdef VANTAC_RF007 #define USE_UART1 // clashes with I2C1 #define UART1_TX_PIN PB6 #define UART1_RX_PIN PB7 // pin labelled "SBUS" -#endif -//#define USE_UART2 // clashes with 2 servo outputs -//#define UART2_TX_PIN PA2 // pin labelled as "RPM" -//#define UART2_RX_PIN PA3 // pin labelled as "TLM" +#define USE_UART2 +#define UART2_TX_PIN PA2 // pin labelled as "RPM" +#define UART2_RX_PIN PA3 // pin labelled as "TLM" -#ifdef VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C -#define USE_UART3 +#define USE_UART3 // clashes with I2C2 // port labelled "C" #define UART3_TX_PIN PB10 #define UART3_RX_PIN PB11 -#endif #define USE_UART4 // port labelled "A" @@ -110,13 +108,7 @@ #define UART5_TX_PIN PC12 #define UART5_RX_PIN PD2 -#if defined(VANTAC_RF007) -#define SERIAL_PORT_COUNT 4 -#elif defined(VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS) -#define SERIAL_PORT_COUNT 3 -#elif defined(VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C) -#define SERIAL_PORT_COUNT 4 -#endif +#define SERIAL_PORT_COUNT 6 #define DEFAULT_RX_TYPE RX_TYPE_SERIAL #define SERIALRX_PROVIDER SERIALRX_FBUS @@ -148,13 +140,11 @@ #define TARGET_IO_PORTC 0xffff #define TARGET_IO_PORTD 0xffff -#if defined(VANTAC_RF007) -#define MAX_PWM_OUTPUT_PORTS 7 -#elif defined(VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS) \|\| defined(VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C) #define MAX_PWM_OUTPUT_PORTS 9 -#endif #define USE_DSHOT #define USE_SERIALSHOT #define USE_ESC_SENSOR #define USE_SMARTPORT_MASTER // no internal current sensor, enable SMARTPORT_MASTER so external ones can be used + +#define USE_DSHOT_DMAR Instead of creating three separate build targets for the board's different pin configurations, consolidate them into a single target. The pinout variations should be managed through runtime configuration, such as CLI presets. Examples: src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/CMakeLists.txt [1-3] `target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007) target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS) target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C)` src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/target.h [50-119] `#if defined(VANTAC_RF007) \|\| defined(VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS) #define USE_I2C_DEVICE_2 // clashes with UART3 #define I2C2_SCL PB10 #define I2C2_SDA PB11 #define DEFAULT_I2C BUS_I2C2 #else #define DEFAULT_I2C BUS_I2C1 #endif #define USE_BARO ... (clipped 60 lines)` Solution Walkthrough: Before: `// src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/CMakeLists.txt target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007) target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS) target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C) // src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/target.h #if defined(VANTAC_RF007) #define MAX_PWM_OUTPUT_PORTS 7 #define USE_UART1 ... #elif defined(VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS) #define MAX_PWM_OUTPUT_PORTS 9 ... #elif defined(VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C) #define MAX_PWM_OUTPUT_PORTS 9 #define USE_UART3 ... #endif` After: // src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/CMakeLists.txt target_stm32f722xe(VANTAC_RF007) // src/main/target/VANTAC_RF007/target.h // Define all possible resources for a single target #define MAX_PWM_OUTPUT_PORTS 9 #define USE_UART1 #define USE_UART3 #define USE_I2C_DEVICE_1 #define USE_I2C_DEVICE_2 ... // In a configuration file or via CLI presets, users can select the desired pinout. // Example preset for "VANTAC_RF007" default: // resource MOTOR 8 NONE // resource MOTOR 9 NONE // resource SERIAL_TX 3 NONE // resource SERIAL_RX 3 NONE Suggestion importance[1-10]: 8 __ Why: The suggestion addresses a significant architectural choice, proposing a unified target which improves maintainability and user experience over the PR's multi-target approach using compile-time flags.	Medium
[ ] Update

Oct 25 '25 16:10 qodo-code-review[bot]

Great work!

I will get a unit up and running with this tonight.

Oct 25 '25 17:10 robthomson

The second suggestion from the bot can be ignored.

Oct 25 '25 22:10 sensei-hacker

The first suggestion "assign barometer to correct I2C bus" is factually incorrect. The flight controller comes with a built-in barometer, which is connected to BUS_I2C1. I have confirmed that it works. Implementing the suggestion would cause the barometer to stop working.

Oct 25 '25 22:10 functionpointer

Been testing here and I dont seem to get all the ports?

configuratoir only shows port 3/4/5 despite using the noi2c version or base version.

I think this is by design.. but It would be good to have a target with 4 ports.

VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C but with 7 servos.

Oct 28 '25 11:10 robthomson

Indeed, there is no target with 3 exposed UARTs (i.e. 5 in total, including the internal UART5 for the receiver and the USB port). Adding such a target is easy, the problem is if the number of targets gets too high. Ultimately, there are 36 possible targets:

NAME	Port A	Port C	RPM/TLM	AUX/SBUS	Servo amount	external UART amount
	Servo	Servo	Servo	Servo	13	0
	Servo	Servo	Servo	UART1	11	1
	Servo	Servo	Servo	I2C1	11	0
	Servo	Servo	UART2	Servo	11	1
	Servo	Servo	UART2	UART1	9	1
	Servo	Servo	UART2	I2C1	9	1
	Servo	UART3	Servo	Servo	11	1
	Servo	UART3	Servo	UART1	9	2
	Servo	UART3	Servo	I2C1	9	1
	Servo	UART3	UART2	Servo	9	2
	Servo	UART3	UART2	UART1	7	3
	Servo	UART3	UART2	I2C1	7	2
	Servo	I2C2	Servo	Servo	11	0
	Servo	I2C2	Servo	UART1	9	1
	Servo	I2C2	Servo	I2C1	9	0
	Servo	I2C2	UART2	Servo	9	1
	Servo	I2C2	UART2	UART1	7	2
	Servo	I2C2	UART2	I2C1	7	1
	UART4	Servo	Servo	Servo	13	1
	UART4	Servo	Servo	UART1	11	2
	UART4	Servo	Servo	I2C1	11	1
	UART4	Servo	UART2	Servo	9	2
	UART4	Servo	UART2	UART1	7	3
	UART4	Servo	UART2	I2C1	7	2
VANTAC_RF007_NOI2C	UART4	UART3	Servo	Servo	9	2
	UART4	UART3	Servo	UART1	7	3
	UART4	UART3	Servo	I2C1	7	2
	UART4	UART3	UART2	Servo	7	3
	UART4	UART3	UART2	UART1	5	4
	UART4	UART3	UART2	I2C1	5	3
VANTAC_RF007_9SERVOS	UART4	I2C2	Servo	Servo	9	1
VANTAC_RF007	UART4	I2C2	Servo	UART1	7	2
	UART4	I2C2	Servo	I2C1	7	1
	UART4	I2C2	UART2	Servo	7	2
	UART4	I2C2	UART2	UART1	5	3
	UART4	I2C2	UART2	I2C1	5	2

How many and which ones we choose to actually implement is an open question. I have chosen 3 I thought would be good. But maybe a different choice is better.

Oct 28 '25 13:10 functionpointer

With 3.. we have a base issue

esc telemetry
receiver
gps

Zero ability for an osd.

Oct 28 '25 13:10 robthomson

Looking at this and pin-out.

We coud achieve:

THR AIL ELV RUDD PAN TILT ROLL

*7 channels all up

4 uarts.

This would essentially be a good combo for many

Oct 28 '25 16:10 robthomson

It may be worth noting targets can actually be combined, just one target can cover multiple options if a pair of pins just switches between functions. For example if a pair can be used for either a uart or I2C.

Where a new target WOULD be needed is if the same function gets shifted around to different pins.

So you could have two pins that can either be the last two servos, or be a uart, or be I2C. Defining the pins as available as a uart doesn't do anything if the user doesn't actually use it as a UART.

Oct 29 '25 02:10 sensei-hacker

Very interesting, in my test this didn't work. But maybe i did something wrong. I will revisit the targets and retest this week

Oct 29 '25 10:10 functionpointer

Very interesting, in my test this didn't work. But maybe i did something wrong. I will revisit the targets and retest this week

The resource command can be useful to see what actually got allocated at runtime, based on the current configuration.

Oct 29 '25 11:10 sensei-hacker

Firmware flashed fine after using ImpulseRC Driver Fixer

VANTAC_RF007 target

[x] Flash firmware
[x] Calibrate accelerometer
[x] Correct board orientation
[x] Gyro working
[x] Accelerometer working
[x] Barometer working
[ ] I2C working
[ ] UART 1 working
[ ] UART 2 working
[ ] UART 3 working
[ ] UART 4 working
[x] UART 5 working (internal RX)
[ ] Servos and motors correctly assigned and working
[x] Blackbox (Flash)

[!NOTE] Hardware

There is no arrow on the FC. I understand that this was made for helis. But if it is intended to also be used with LOS fixed wing. A small forward arrow on the FC case would be nice. I assume that the servo plug ports are the front for my testing.

I think it would have been nicer if port A (UART 4) had a 6 pin connector to incorporate the UART and an I2C breakout. This would have been the perfect place for a GNSS module with compass. Rather than having to use the servo ports at the end to access the I2C and have some wanky cabling.

Firmware

As a suggestion for the default motor/servo assignment. It may be better to assign servos on Timers 3 and 5 and have motors on Timers 1 and 2. This will give 5 servos and 2 motors by default.

Oct 29 '25 20:10 MrD-RC

For traditional heli use, the servo ports will always be at the rear of the heli.

Oct 29 '25 20:10 robthomson

It would be nice to have a definitive arrow. The default orientation can be setup however the arrow directs it. I just figured the easier it is to set up, for someone who has never used an FC before. The better.

Oct 29 '25 21:10 MrD-RC

I will raise it with frsky tomorrow

Oct 29 '25 21:10 robthomson

It seems sharing pins works, but has strange priorities:

UART RX
I2C
UART sensor and peripheral
Servo/Motor

This means any pins defined as I2C cannot be used for a UART sensor or peripheral like GPS, OSD, FrSky Master or external Blackbox. That is because the pins will be used as I2C instead. There doesn't seem to be a way to disable I2C from the configurator. I found this by testing with an external serial rx, FrSky Master mode + oscilloscope, and using the resource command suggested by @sensei-hacker.

On this particular hardware, the priority issue only affects port "C". Therefore, I have chosen to create a unified target anyway. It enables 4 of the rows in my table to be reached with a single target. Specifically, RPM/TLM pins can be Servo or UART2, and AUX/SBUS can be Servo or UART1. Port "C" is I2C2 by default. It can become UART3, but will currently only do so for a serial rx.

I have updated the README to explain how the pin assignment works.

Thanks to @sensei-hacker for pointing out that combining targets like this is possible

Nov 01 '25 15:11 functionpointer

Turns out the conflict between UART3 and I2C2 happens on quite a few targets and there is a solution for it. #define I2C_DEVICE_2_SHARES_UART3

This enables a check in fc_init.c to only initialize I2C2 if UART3 is unused. I have verified this works with GPS sensor, SBUS output and Smartport Master.

Nov 22 '25 23:11 functionpointer

[x] Samples received
[x] Flash firmware
[x] Calibrate
[x] Orientation matches
[x] Gyro working
[x] Accel working
[x] Baro working
[x] Blackbox
[ ] UART1
[ ] UART2
[ ] UART3
[ ] UART4
[ ] UART5
[ ] UART6
[ ] Buzzer working
[ ] Motor outputs
[ ] DShot support on m1-4
[ ] Servo outputs
[ ] Voltage ADC
[ ] Current ADC
[ ] Analog RSSI
[ ] Mag I2C Bus
[ ] Analog Camera working
[ ] Video Out working
[ ] OSD working
[ ] PINIO1
[ ] PINIO2

Dec 15 '25 03:12 sensei-hacker

New target: FrSky/Rotorflight Vantac RF007

User description

Testing

Choice of pin functions

PR Type

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