4 layers37 × 37 mm
Flight controller
AQUA-Warrior/fpv-drone
Frame needs to be printed using nylon/nylon with carbon fiber only exclusions being ArmAbsorber1-4 and AntenaMount/GPSConnector.
125 parts3CC-BY-SA-4.0
2 layers98.5 × 53.5 mm
STM32FlightControllerV1
agg-85/flight-controller1Custom STM32-based flight controller using KiCad.
- Size
- 98.5 × 53.5 mm
- Copper layers
- 2
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 26
- Nets
- 112
- Pads
- 183
- Tracks, vias
- 39, 4
- Pours
- 1
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 9.0 (file 20241229)
- Created
- 16 Jul 2026
- Updated
- 13 Sep 2026
Overview
STM32FlightControllerV1 is an open-source printed circuit board by agg-85, from the agg-85/flight-controller repository on GitHub, published under the MIT licence. It is a 2-layer board of 98.5 × 53.5 mm with 26 parts on 112 nets, routed with 39 tracks and 4 vias.
It is built around the MS5611-01BA03, ICM-42688-P and USBLC6-2SC6. Its parts include 14 capacitors, 6 resistors, 4 ICs and 1 connector. It belongs with the STM32 boards of this library.
Main components
3
MS5611-01BA03
QFN-8(3x5)QFN-8(3x5) Pressure Sensors ROHSMEASPressure Sensors
ICM-42688-P
LGA-14(2.5x3)-40℃~+85℃ 1.71V~3.6V 16bit 2KB 7.5uA IMU (accelerometer + gyroscope) SPI、I2C X,Y,Z X,Y,Z ±16g ±2000dps Motion Event Detection, Synchronization, Timestamp Support LGA-14(2.5x3) Accelerometers ROHSTDK InvenSenseAccelerometers
USBLC6-2SC6
SOT-23-60.35pF、0.8pF 100nA 150W@8/20us 15V 2 5V 6A@8/20us 6V ESD SOT-23-6 ESD and Surge Protection (TVS/ESD) ROHSUMWESD And Surge Protection (TVS/ESD)
README
README.mdSTM32 Flight Controller Project
A custom STM32-based flight controller designed from the ground up for quadcopters. This project includes PCB design using KiCad and embedded firmware using Ardupilot.
Features
- STM32 Microcontroller
- 6-axis IMU
- Barometer
- USB-C
- PWM
- I2C and SPI
Hardware
| Component | Part |
|---|---|
| MCU | STM32F405, 168MHz, 1MB Flash |
| IMU | ICM-42688-P |
| Barometer | MS5611 |
Status
-
Hardware
- MCU Decoupling
- IMU Wiring
- Barometer Wiring
- USB-C Connection
- ESD Protection
- SWD Headers
- Power management
- ESC Pads
- Complete schematic
- PCB layout
- Design review
- Order PCB
- Assemble board
-
Firmware
- Configure Ardupilot
- Build Ardupilot
- Flash firmware
-
Testing
- Mission Planner
- Flight test
Design Decisions
STM32F405
The STM32F405 was selected because:
- Sufficient processing power for flight control
- Compatibility with ArduPilot
- Used in most commercial FCs, providing abundant documentation and examples
Takeaways/Useful Facts
- SPI facilitates DMA, which offloads data transfers from the main MCU. This prevents processor lag. SPI needs pull up resistors for CS since it sets CS low to select devices. Use GPIO for CS instead of built-in NSS so that ArduPilot can handle CS lines through software.
- IMU enhances GPS reliability in tunnels or areas with EM interference.
- Each principal axis (pitch, roll, yaw) translates to accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer.
- Place smallest decoupling capacitors closest to pin to minimize trace inductance. Smaller capacitors filter high frequency noise, and inductive impedance is proportial to frequency.
- Vref serves as a precise baseline voltage for ADCs and DACs, isolating noise and maintaining consistent voltage.
- ESD protection for USB connector as TVS array, where TVS diodes acts as an open circuit when operating voltage is normal. When a voltage spike occurs, it acts as a short circuit to sink high current and clamps D+/D-.
- NRST puts chip in known state (setting registers to default), used to activate bootloader when flashing new program (ex: through SWD interface)
- SWD bypasses bootloader and can reset and flash MCU directly
- BOOT0 needs pull-down resistor to avoid floating. DFU mode is entered when BOOT0 is high, and BOOT1 can be permanently tied to ground.
Goals
The objective of this project is to design a flight controller from scratch while learning PCB design, embedded systems, and hardware debugging.
Parts
26| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 100n | Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolder | C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, C9, C10, C13 |
| 3 | 10k | Resistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolder | R1, R6, R7 |
| 2 | 5.1k | Resistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolder | R3, R4 |
| 1 | 0.1u | Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric | C1 |
| 1 | 0.1u | Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolder | C14 |
| 1 | 10n | Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric | C3 |
| 1 | 10u | Capacitor_SMD:C_0603_1608Metric_Pad1.08x0.95mm_HandSolder | C11 |
| 1 | 1u | Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.74x0.62mm_HandSolder | C12 |
| 1 | 2.2u | Capacitor_SMD:C_0402_1005Metric | C2 |
| 1 | 47 | Resistor_SMD:R_0402_1005Metric_Pad0.72x0.64mm_HandSolder | R5 |
| 1 | Conn_ARM_SWD_TagConnect_TC2030 | Connector:Tag-Connect_TC2030-IDC-FP_2x03_P1.27mm_Vertical | J3 |
| 1 | FerriteBead | Ferrite_THT:LairdTech_28C0236-0JW-10 | FB1 |
| 1 | ICM-42688-P | DroneFootprints:LGA14_2P5X3X0P91_TDK | U1 |
| 1 | MS5611-01BA | Package_LGA:LGA-8_3x5mm_P1.25mm | U2 |
| 1 | STM32F405VGTx | Package_QFP:LQFP-100_14x14mm_P0.5mm | U3 |
| 1 | USBLC6-2SC6 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23-6 | U5 |
Questions
How big is the STM32FlightControllerV1 PCB?
It measures 98.5 × 53.5 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the STM32FlightControllerV1 use?
26 parts, built around the MS5611-01BA03, ICM-42688-P and USBLC6-2SC6. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.
Where can I download the STM32FlightControllerV1 KiCad files?
From the agg-85/flight-controller repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is STM32FlightControllerV1/STM32FlightControllerV1.kicad_pcb and its schematic STM32FlightControllerV1/STM32FlightControllerV1.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the STM32FlightControllerV1 design in my own project?
Its repository publishes it under the MIT licence: you may reuse it on that licence's terms (keep the author's notice, and for a copyleft licence share your changes alike).
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