# Flight Controller Orientation and Board Alignment: Gyro Calibration and Custom Mounting
You just finished a clean build, plugged in your battery, armed the quad — and it instantly flipped over on the ground. This is almost always a flight controller orientation issue. The gyroscope thinks “forward” is a different direction than the frame’s actual forward. Here is how to diagnose and fix it.
## Why Orientation Matters
The flight controller gyro has a fixed internal coordinate system. If you mount the FC rotated 90 degrees or upside down, the gyro readings will not match the physical orientation of the drone. The flight controller then applies corrections in the wrong directions, causing instant flips on arming.
## Checking Orientation in Betaflight
Open Betaflight Configurator and go to the **Setup** tab. With the quad on a level surface:
1. Observe the 3D model on screen
2. Tilt the drone forward — the model should pitch forward
3. Roll the drone left — the model should roll left
4. Yaw the drone right — the model should rotate right
If any axis moves in the wrong direction, your orientation settings are incorrect.
## Common Mounting Orientations
| Physical Mounting | Betaflight Setting | Yaw Degrees |
|—|—|—|
| Arrow pointing forward | Default (CW 0°) | 0 |
| Arrow pointing left | CW 90° | 90 |
| Arrow pointing backward | CW 180° | 180 |
| Arrow pointing right | CW 270° | 270 |
| Upside down, arrow forward | CW 180° Flip | 180 (with flip checkbox) |
## Step-by-Step Fix
### 1. Board and Sensor Alignment
Go to the **Configuration** tab and find “Board and Sensor Alignment”:
– **Yaw Degrees**: Set to match how much the FC is rotated (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°)
– **Flip checkbox**: Check if FC is mounted upside down
– Click **Save and Reboot**
### 2. Verify Gyro Alignment
After saving, return to the Setup tab and repeat the physical movement test. All axes must now move correctly.
### 3. Custom Angles (AIO Whoop Boards)
Many AIO whoop boards are mounted at 45 degrees. In CLI:
“`
set align_board_yaw = 450
save
“`
This accommodates the diamond-shaped mounting pattern common on tiny whoops and toothpicks.
## Motor Direction Verification
After fixing orientation, verify that each motor spins the correct direction in the Motors tab. Wrong motor direction combined with correct orientation still causes flip-outs.
## When the 3D Model Still Gets It Wrong
If the model moves correctly but the quad still flips, check:
1. **Props are on correctly** — reversed props are the #1 cause of flips
2. **Motor ordering** — is Motor 1 in the correct physical position?
3. **Board is physically loose** — vibrations confuse the gyro
## Hardware Recommendations
Flight controllers with a clearly printed orientation arrow and solid mounting holes eliminate guesswork. The F7 and H7 AIO boards available at [uavmodel.com](https://uavmodel.com) feature bold orientation markers and vibration-isolated gyro mounts for reliable alignment.