OpenLED

OpenLED

OpenLED is a low-profile addressable RGB LED board intended for mounting on OpenDrone frame arms. Each board carries four individually addressable WS2812B-V6 LEDs and connects using solder pads for 5 V, ground and LED data. An output set provides 5 V, ground and DOUT for optional daisy chaining.

The current design is a fixed 37 x 7 mm rigid PCB. It does not carry motor current and does not include an onboard controller; LED data and 5 V power are provided by the flight controller or another compatible source.

Why

Arm-mounted LEDs can provide orientation, status indication and visual effects without requiring a separate bulky lighting module.

OpenLED keeps the board simple: four addressable LEDs, direct solder-pad connections and no additional controller. The design is intended to remain lightweight, low profile, repairable and easy to integrate with OpenDrone hardware.

The first revision is being developed as a reusable arm LED board. Prototype PCBs are currently generated as 1x4 manufacturing panels and hand assembled. Mechanical fit on the intended OpenFrame sizes must be verified physically before frame compatibility is treated as final.

Specifications

Constraints

• The board is powered from a regulated 5 V source.
• Motor current must not be routed through the OpenLED PCB.
• The board has no onboard MCU or LED protocol controller.
• LED data enters at DIN and propagates through D1-D4 to DOUT.
• Each LED has a dedicated 100 nF local decoupling capacitor.
• Connections use solder pads rather than board-mounted connectors to minimise height and weight.
• The PCB is 37 x 7 mm with 1 mm corner radii.
• The design uses a front-layer 5 V plane and a back-layer GND plane.
• The board is intended for arm mounting and should remain compatible with heat-shrink or another lightweight strain-relief method.
• Mechanical compatibility with each intended OpenFrame size must be physically verified before release.
• Components should retain exact Manufacturer, MPN and LCSC fields where applicable.
• The project is authored in KiCad 10.
• Prototype panel generation is documented in hardware/PANELIZATION.md; the standalone hardware/OpenLED.kicad_pcb remains the board design source of truth.

Design questions

• Confirm physical fit and mounting method on each intended OpenFrame size.
• Confirm the preferred wire routing and strain-relief method on an assembled arm.
• Validate LED visibility and spacing when installed under the intended protective covering.
• Confirm the production PCB finish and final assembly process after prototype testing.

In the line

OpenLED is intended as an optional lighting accessory for OpenDrone builds.

It is designed to accept a 5 V supply and an addressable LED data signal from a compatible flight controller, while retaining DOUT for optional chaining.

What pairs with what, and what is available: opendrone.be.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

License

Hardware licensed under CERN-OHL-S-2.0, see LICENSE.