4 layers63.8 × 50.8 mm
V2 reference
ameesme/little-camera
A small black-and-white camera that posts to its own tiny blog, and everything around it.
85 partsMIT
4 layers32 × 46 mm
Falcon core
PHS-SMCS/falcon-coreLightest ESP32-based blimp controller with the works; 9-DoF, ToF altimetry, motor drivers, and Wi-Fi enabled camera streaming, all on a single 300mAh LiPo. >1hr of battery life.
- Size
- 32 × 46 mm
- Copper layers
- 4
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 94
- Nets
- 90
- Pads
- 398
- Tracks, vias
- 928, 218
- Pours
- 28
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 10.0 (file 20260206)
- Created
- 12 May 2026
- Updated
- 10 Aug 2026
Overview
Falcon core is an open-source printed circuit board by PHS-SMCS, from the PHS-SMCS/falcon-core repository on GitHub, published under the AGPL-3.0 licence. It is a 4-layer board of 32 × 46 mm with 94 parts on 90 nets, routed with 928 tracks and 218 vias.
It is built around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8, DRV8212PDSG and TPS63001DRC, with the ME6211C28M5G-N, BMI270 and ME6211C12M5G-N among its other parts. Its parts include 34 capacitors, 20 resistors, 13 ICs, 4 diodes and 3 connectors. It belongs with the radio and wireless and robots and motor control boards and the ESP32 boards of this library.
Main components
10
ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8
SMD,25.5x18mm-40℃~+85℃ -98.2dBm 2.4GHz 20.5dBm 355mA 3V~3.6V 95mA Bluetooth5.0 ESP32-S3 Chip On-board PCB Antenna UART、SPI、I2C、I2S、USB SMD,25.5x18mm WiFi Modules ROHSEspressif SystemsWiFi Modules
DRV8212PDSG
WSON-8(2x2)-40℃~+125℃ 1 1.65V~5.5V 210uA 280mΩ 4A Interleaved conduction protection、Current sensing/regulation function、Active braking function PWM Yes WSON-8(2x2) Brushed DC Motor Drivers ROHSTexas InstrumentsBrushed DC Motor Drivers
TPS63001DRC
VSON-10-EP(3x3)-40℃~+85℃@(TA) 1 1.5MHz 1.8V~5.5V 3.3V 50uA Buck-Boost Buck-Boost Built-in Fixed Yes VSON-10-EP(3x3) DC-DC Converters ROHSTexas InstrumentsDC-DC Converters
ME6211C28M5G-N
SOT-23-5-40℃~+85℃@(Ta) 1 2.8V 220mV@(200mA) 450mA 50uVrms 55uA 6V 70dB@(1kHz) Enable Fixed Positive SOT-23-5 Voltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators ROHSMICRONEVoltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators
BMI270
LGA-14(2.5x3)-40℃~+85℃ 1.71V~3.6V 16bit 2KB 3.5uA Accelerometer Gyroscope SPI、I2C X,Y,Z X,Y,Z ±16g ±2000dps LGA-14(2.5x3) Accelerometers ROHSBosch SensortecAccelerometersME6211C12M5G-N
SOT-23-5-40℃~+150℃ 1 1.2V 280mV@(100mA)、500mV@(200mA) 300mA 30uA 50uVrms 6V 70dB@(1kHz) Fixed Over Current Protection、Enable Positive SOT-23-5 Voltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators ROHSMICRONEVoltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators
TP4057
SOT-23-6-40℃~+85℃ 1 25uA 4.24V 4V~6.5V Charging IC Lithium Battery Not supported SOT-23-6 Battery Management ROHSTECH PUBLICBattery Management
AO3401A
SOT-231 P-Channel 14nC@10V 30V 47mΩ@10V、60mΩ@4.5V、85mΩ@2.5V 4A 55pF 645pF 80pF 900mV SOT-23 MOSFETs ROHSAlpha & Omega SemiconductorMOSFETs
FPC-05F-24PH20
SMD,P=0.5mm,卧贴-25℃~+85℃ 0.3mm 0.5mm 24P 2mm 500mA 50V Bottom Contact Hinged Lid Phosphor bronze Surface Mount, Right Angle Tin SMD,P=0.5mm,卧贴 FFC, FPC (Flat Flexible) Connector Assemblies ROHSXUNPUFFC, FPC (Flat Flexible) Connector Assemblies
H7VN10B
DFN1006-2L-55℃~+125℃ 200nA 22pF 6A@8/20us 7V 80W@8/20us 9.6V 9V、14V Bidirectional ESD IEC 61000-4-2、IEC 61000-4-5 DFN1006-2L ESD and Surge Protection (TVS/ESD) ROHShongjiachengESD And Surge Protection (TVS/ESD)
README
README.mdFalcon Core
A custom standalone ESP32-S3 flight controller for an indoor autonomous blimp. Successor to Falcon Flight, redesigned from a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W HAT into a purpose-built 32×46mm 4-layer PCB.
Sponsored by PCBWay.
Specifications
- MCU: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 (N8R8/N16R8) — dual-core LX7, Wi-Fi, BLE, 8MB PSRAM
- Camera: OV2640 via 24-pin 0.5mm FFC, 8-bit DVP interface
- IMU: BMI270 (6-axis accel/gyro, I2C)
- Magnetometer: MMC5633NJL (3-axis AMR, I2C, 1.62–3.6V)
- ToF Sensor: VL53L5CX (I2C)
- Motor Drivers: 4× DRV8212P bidirectional H-bridge
- Battery Sensing: Internal ADC (GPIO7)
- Status LED: Programmable red LED (GPIO48)
- Board: 32×46mm, 4-layer, matte black solder mask
- Weight: only 11 grams (excluding battery)
Power
- Battery: BetaFPV 3.7V 300mAh 1S LiPo
- Charging: TP4057 via USB-C (5.1kΩ CC pull-downs)
- Motor Power: Direct battery feed to DRV8212P VM pins
- Logic Isolation: BLM18PG221SN1D ferrite bead between battery and logic rail
- Regulators (ME6211 LDOs, SOT-23-5):
- 3.3V — ESP32-S3, sensors, VDDIO
- 2.8V × 2 — OV2640 AVDD and DOVDD
- 1.2V — OV2640 DVDD
GPIO Assignment
| GPIO | Function |
|---|---|
| 1, 2 | SCCB (camera I2C — SIOD, SIOC) |
| 3 | M2_IN1 |
| 4 | M3_IN2 |
| 5 | M3_IN1 |
| 6 | M1_IN2 |
| 7 | BAT_ADC (battery voltage sensing) |
| 8, 18 | Main I2C bus (SDA, SCL) |
| 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 40 | OV2640 DVP data bus (D8, D7, D6, D2, D5, D3, D4, D9) |
| 15 | M4_IN1 |
| 16 | M4_IN2 |
| 17 | M2_IN2 |
| 19, 20 | USB D−/D+ |
| 38 | Camera PCLK |
| 39 | Camera XCLK |
| 41 | HREF |
| 42 | VSYNC |
| 43, 44 | UART0 debug |
| 47 | M1_IN1 |
| 48 | Red LED (1kΩ to GND) |
Camera PWDN tied to GND, RESETB tied to 3.3V.
I2C Bus
All sensors share the main I2C bus (GPIO8/18):
- BMI270 (accel/gyro)
- MMC5633NJL (magnetometer)
- VL53L5CX (time-of-flight)
Camera SCCB runs on a separate bus (GPIO1/2).
Motor Layout
- 2× horizontal forward-facing motors (thrust)
- 1× downward-facing altitude motor (mounted below PCB on standoff)
- 1× TBD
Firmware
Built with ESP-IDF. Custom PID stabilization (no ArduPilot). Communicates with a laptop over WebSocket for optical flow and AprilTag detection via OpenCV.
License
See LICENSE.
Parts
94| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 100nF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0402 | C17, C19, C20, C21, C22, C23, C28, C29, C30, C31, C36 |
| 9 | 10uF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0603 | C9, C10, C11, C12, C13, C14, C18, C33, C34 |
| 8 | 1uF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0402 | C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C30 |
| 6 | 47uF | PCM_JLCPCB:C_0805 | C24, C25, C26, C27, C32, C35 |
| 5 | 100kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R1, R2, R9, R12, R13 |
| 4 | 47kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R14, R15, R16, R17 |
| 4 | 5.1kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R5, R6, R18, R19 |
| 4 | DRV8212P | Package_SON:WSON-8-1EP_2x2mm_P0.5mm_EP0.9x1.6mm_ThermalVias | U2, U3, U4, U5 |
| 4 | MountingHole | MountingHole:MountingHole_3.2mm_M3_DIN965_Pad | H1, H2, H3, H4 |
| 3 | 1kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R7, R8, R20 |
| 2 | 2.2kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R3, R11 |
| 2 | Conn_01x04_Socket | JLCPCB_GLOBAL_Footprints:CONN-SMD_4P-P2.54_HX-PM2.54-1X4PWT | J3, J4 |
| 2 | ME6211C28M5 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23-5 | U8, U10 |
| 2 | Red | PCM_JLCPCB:D_0603 | D1, D4 |
| 2 | Tactile Button, 160gf | PCM_JLCPCB:SW_TS-1088-AR02016 | S1, S2 |
| 1 | 100Ω | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R4 |
| 1 | 1V2 | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_D2.0mm | TP6 |
| 1 | 2.2uH | Inductor_SMD:L_APV_ANR252010 | L1 |
| 1 | 2kΩ | PCM_JLCPCB:R_0402 | R10 |
| 1 | 3V3 | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_D2.0mm | TP4 |
| 1 | 5V | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_D2.0mm | TP10 |
| 1 | AO3401A | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23 | Q1 |
| 1 | BMI270 | BMI270:XDCR_BMI270 | U11 |
| 1 | BOOT | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_D2.0mm | TP2 |
| 1 | Conn_01x02 | JLCPCB_Footprints:CONN-SMD_2P-P2.00_WF-1F200A2P | BAT1 |
| 1 | EN | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_D2.0mm | TP1 |
| 1 | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 | RF_Module:ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 | U1 |
| 1 | FPC-05F-24PH20 | JLCPCB_Footprints:FPC-SMD_24P-P0.50_FPC-05F-24PH20 | FPC1 |
| 1 | FerriteBead | Inductor_SMD:L_0603_1608Metric | FB1 |
| 1 | GND | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_D2.0mm | TP3 |
| 1 | H7VN10B | PCM_JLCPCB:D_DFN1006-2L | D3 |
| 1 | LOGO | JLCPCB_Footprints:SMCS-Logo | G*** |
| 1 | ME6211C12M5 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:SOT-23-5 | U9 |
| 1 | MMC5603NJL | Package_BGA:WLP-4_0.86x0.86mm_P0.4mm | U15 |
| 1 | SW_SPDT | Button_Switch_THT:SW_Slide_SPDT_Angled_CK_OS102011MA1Q | SW1 |
| 1 | TP4057 | Package_TO_SOT_SMD:TSOT-23-6 | U7 |
| 1 | TPS63001 | Package_SON:Texas_DRC0010J_ThermalVias | U6 |
| 1 | USB_C_Receptacle_USB2.0_16P | Connector_USB:USB_C_Receptacle_GCT_USB4105-xx-A_16P_TopMnt_Horizontal | J2 |
| 1 | VBUS | TestPoint:TestPoint_Pad_D2.0mm | TP9 |
| 1 | VL53L5CXV0GC_1 | VL53L5:XDCR_VL53L5CXV0GC_1 | U13 |
| 1 | White | PCM_JLCPCB:D_0603 | D2 |
Questions
How big is the Falcon core PCB?
It measures 32 × 46 mm and has 4 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the Falcon core use?
94 parts, built around the ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8, DRV8212PDSG, TPS63001DRC and ME6211C28M5G-N. 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 Falcon core KiCad files?
From the PHS-SMCS/falcon-core repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is PCB/falcon-core.kicad_pcb and its schematic PCB/falcon-core.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the Falcon core design in my own project?
Its repository publishes it under the AGPL-3.0 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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