FlightController

QuadFlyController - Flight Controller Hardware

A high-performance, compact, 4-layer flight controller PCB engineered for quadcopters and small UAVs. Built around the STMicroelectronics STM32F411CEU6 MCU, featuring high-rate low-noise motion sensing, barometric altitude tracking, robust power management with dual-source automatic switching, and standard 30.5 mm × 30.5 mm mounting.

🚀 Key Specifications

📐 PCB & Mechanical Specifications

• Dimensions: 45.0 mm × 45.0 mm with 3.5 mm corner radius
• Mounting Hole Pattern: Standard 30.5 mm × 30.5 mm, 4.3 mm holes (M4, compatible with anti-vibration silicone grommets down to M3 hardware)
• Layer Stack: 4-Layer PCB
  • F.Cu (Top Layer): High-speed signals, component breakout, top ground pour
  • In1.Cu (Inner Layer 1): Solid ground reference plane (GND)
  • In2.Cu (Inner Layer 2): Power distribution (+5V, +3.3V, +BATT) and cross-layer routing
  • B.Cu (Bottom Layer): Bottom ground plane and secondary signal routing
• 3D Mechanical Model: Full 3D STEP model available in FlightController/CAD/FlightController.step for frame integration and enclosure design.

🔌 Pinout & Connector Definitions

J3: 8-Pin JST-SH 4-in-1 ESC Connector (SM08B-SRSS-TB)

External Pads & Test Points

• UART (TX / RX): External receiver connection (ELRS, Crossfire, SBUS) or GPS telemetry module.
• SWD (SWDIO / SWCLK): Hardware debug and in-circuit flashing with ST-Link or J-Link.
• BOOT0: Jumper/pad for STM32 internal ROM system bootloader (DFU mode over USB).
• Status LEDs:
  • D1: Power indicator
  • D2: User / Status LED (connected to STM32 GPIO)

📂 Repository Structure

Electronics/
├── .gitignore                                 # Git ignore configuration
├── LICENSE                                    # License file
├── README.md                                  # Hardware documentation
├── FlightController_Schematic.pdf             # Exported full schematic PDF
│
└── FlightController/                          # KiCad 10 Project Directory
    ├── FlightController.kicad_pro             # KiCad project file
    ├── FlightController.kicad_pcb             # KiCad 4-layer PCB layout
    ├── FlightController.kicad_sch             # Root schematic sheet
    ├── MCU.kicad_sch                          # STM32F411CEU6 microcontroller sheet
    ├── IMU.kicad_sch                          # ICM-42688-P & BMP390 sensor sheet
    ├── PowerManagement.kicad_sch              # Power rails, buck, LDO, & USB sheet
    ├── fp-lib-table                           # Footprint library table
    ├── sym-lib-table                          # Symbol library table
    ├── fabrication-toolkit-options.json       # Production generation settings
    │
    ├── CAD/                                   # 3D Mechanical Models
    │   └── FlightController.step              # Complete 3D STEP assembly of the PCB
    │
    └── production/                            # Manufacturing & Assembly Files
        ├── FlightController.zip               # Gerbers & Drill archive (RS-274X / Excellon)
        ├── bom.csv                            # Bill of Materials (with LCSC part numbers)
        ├── positions.csv                      # Pick-and-Place (CPL) centroid coordinates
        ├── designators.csv                    # Component designator mapping
        └── netlist.ipc                        # IPC-D-356 netlist for bare-board testing

🏭 Manufacturing & Assembly (PCBA)

The files in FlightController/production/ are pre-configured and formatted for rapid quoting and ordering with PCB manufacturers (such as JLCPCB, PCBWay, etc.):

1. PCB Fabrication (Gerber & Drill):
   • Upload FlightController/production/FlightController.zip.
   • Layers: 4 Layers
   • Dimensions: 45 mm × 45 mm
2. SMT Assembly (PCBA):
   • BOM File: Upload FlightController/production/bom.csv (includes pre-matched LCSC part numbers for automated component sourcing).
   • CPL / Centroid File: Upload FlightController/production/positions.csv.
3. Bare-Board Electrical Test:
   • FlightController/production/netlist.ipc is provided for automated flying-probe netlist verification.

🛠️ Design & Development Environment

• EDA Software: KiCad EDA v10.x
• To Open the Project: Launch KiCad and open FlightController/FlightController.kicad_pro.
• Viewing the Schematic without KiCad: Open FlightController_Schematic.pdf.