JATAYU S3

JATAYU Flight Controller

JATAYU Flight Controller is a prototype brushed quadcopter flight controller built around the ESP32-S3. This repository currently contains the hardware design package for the board, including the KiCad project, fabrication outputs, and 3D exports.

The board is intended as a compact educational and research platform for indoor micro quadcopters, control algorithm development, and open hardware experimentation. Firmware and hardware validation are still in progress.

PCB Preview

Top View

Bottom View

Front View

Project Status

• Category: Brushed Quadcopter Flight Controller
• Revision: v1.2
• Status: Prototype design and hardware validation
• Design tool: KiCad 9
• PCB stack-up: 2-layer FR-4
• Approximate board size: 33 mm x 31.3 mm

What This Flight Controller Does

A flight controller is the onboard computer that stabilizes a quadcopter. It reads sensor data, estimates the vehicle state, and updates motor outputs fast enough to keep the aircraft balanced in real time.

On JATAYU, that flow is:

1. The MPU6050 measures angular rate and acceleration.
2. The ESP32-S3 processes that data and runs the control loop.
3. The VL53L0X can provide short-range altitude or ground-distance data.
4. Four SI2300 MOSFET stages switch the brushed DC motors using PWM.
5. The battery powers the motors directly, while the onboard regulator supplies 3.3 V logic power.

This architecture makes JATAYU suitable for early-stage attitude control, sensor fusion, and low-altitude indoor flight experiments.

Hardware Overview

Key Features

• Compact lightweight PCB intended for micro brushed quadcopters
• ESP32-S3-based processing with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• Onboard IMU for attitude estimation and stabilization work
• ToF sensor support for altitude or ground-distance experiments
• Integrated four-channel brushed motor driver stage
• USB-C programming interface for development convenience
• Modular prototype platform for future firmware and sensor expansion
• Student-designed open hardware platform

Repository Contents

Hardware Architecture

1. Processing Core

The ESP32-S3 acts as the main flight computer. It is responsible for sensor reads, estimator updates, motor PWM generation, and any future telemetry, tuning, or configuration interfaces.

2. Sensing

The board includes:

• MPU6050 for inertial sensing
• VL53L0X for distance measurement

Together, these parts support the early stages of flight stabilization, takeoff assist, and altitude-related experiments.

3. Motor Drive

Each brushed motor channel is switched through an SI2300 MOSFET. This is a practical approach for small brushed quadcopters where the motors are driven directly from battery voltage and controlled through PWM.

4. Power Path

The board is designed for a single-cell Li-Po battery. Motor current is drawn from the battery rail, while the logic domain is regulated down to 3.3 V for the ESP32-S3 and sensors.

5. USB and Bring-Up

USB Type-C, BOOT, and RESET support firmware flashing and bench development. This is especially useful during early bring-up, sensor verification, and firmware iteration.

Development Scope

• PCB schematic design
• PCB layout and routing
• Component selection
• Power distribution design
• Hardware prototyping
• Embedded firmware development in progress
• Hardware validation in progress

Intended Applications

• Educational UAV platform
• Indoor brushed quadcopters
• Flight control algorithm development
• Robotics research
• Embedded systems learning
• Open hardware development

Current Limitations

• This repository is hardware-first; production firmware is not included yet.
• The design should be treated as a prototype until power, thermal, noise, and flight behavior are fully validated.
• Sensor calibration, closed-loop stabilization, and altitude hold remain active development items.

Opening the Design

1. Install KiCad 9.
2. Open JATAYU-S3.kicad_pro.
3. Use the schematic and PCB editors to inspect the design.
4. Use the files in GERBER FILES/ only if you are ready to manufacture the current prototype revision.

Bring-Up Notes

• Verify Li-Po polarity before connecting the battery.
• Bring the board up first over USB with no motors attached.
• Confirm 3.3 V regulation and sensor detection before testing motor outputs.
• Test motor stages with current-limited power where possible.
• Do not treat this board as flight-ready until full validation is complete.

Future Roadmap

• Prototype hardware testing
• Sensor calibration
• Flight stabilization firmware
• PID controller implementation
• Altitude hold
• Optical flow integration
• Mobile configuration interface
• Community open-source release

Assets Included

• Fabrication outputs: Gerbers and drill files
• 3D exports: JATAYU-S3.stl and JATAYU-S3.glb
• Native KiCad design sources for schematic and PCB

Suggested Image Set

If you want this repo to look complete, these are the most useful images to add:

• Top copper or assembled top-side board render
• Bottom-side PCB render
• 3D angled board render
• Schematic overview screenshot
• Manufactured prototype photo
• Bench bring-up or validation photo

Summary

JATAYU Flight Controller v1.2 is an ESP32-S3-based brushed quadcopter controller focused on compact hardware, onboard inertial sensing, and accessible prototype development. Its main value today is as an open flight-control hardware platform for learning, testing, and iterating toward a complete micro quadcopter stack.