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Overview
Overview
Our objective with our PCB design was to create a functioning drone controller capable of running autopilot flight control software (ArduPilot specifically), sensing and reading velocity, acceleration, orientation, altitude data, as well as making use of battery power. We intended our design to be modular; further sensors and capabilities such as motor actuation can be easily added to the existing design.
This was our first-ever PCB project, and in so doing we gathered valuable insights into the processes involved, the constraints faced, and the endless possibilities and advantages such a technology offers. We personally found this project incredibly enjoyable, and we are very excited to continue to design PCBs and apply the wealth of knowledge we learned during our time in HOPE!
Bill of Materials (BOM)
Bill of Materials (BOM)
Total board cost: $42.02
Schematic/Features
Schematic/Features
The heart of our design is our STM32 Microprocessor, reading all of our data from sensors, booting and running flight control software, preforming all necessary computations.
On-Board Sensors:
IMU (acceleration, orientation data),
Barometer (Pressure)
Power Regulation/Protection:
Battery Power: 2 pin Connector on-board to 2S 7.4V LiPo battery pack
Fuse, Schottky Diode for overcurrent and reverse polarity protection, respectively
Hall-Effect current sensor for current measurements to be sent to STM processor; further isolation and protection against current irregularities
2 regulators, stepping down from battery voltage to 5V and 3.3V respectively for use by many other ICs on-board
Layout
Layout
2 Layer Copper PCB with GND pour layer
Further Features
Further Features
USB-C connector with TVS protection
USB-C connector with TVS protection
Exposed UART pins for external modules; design modularity
Exposed UART pins for external modules; design modularity
Assembly/Results
Assembly/Results
Although most of the project went flawlessly, we ran into some last minute errors before sending the order out for the parts. This left us with some outlying parts that were missing / incomaptible with our layout. Most notably, the IMU was ordered as a CSP and the USB-C footprint was incompatible with our component. There additionally some parts that were in our BOM that didn't arrive, such as the 5.1K ressitors and the 10uF capacitor.
Despite those setbacks, we are looking for the right parts to continue the project and be able to have a working prototype :-). Thank you so much to the HOPE staff that put in so much time and effort into helping us throughout our projects. Their genuine care for us and our projects was unbelievable.
Next Steps
Next Steps
We had hoped to actually further exploit the modularity of our design, by adding motors and actuating them using PWM signals from our STM to further test the validity of our design as a drone controller. Furthermore, a more long term goal, which had been the initial inspiration behind our project, was to implement "swarm" AI algorithms on a drone controller, envisioning a future where a host of drones behaving in a swarm could preform high-difficulty tasks, previously unthinkable by one single drone or even a group of individually-controlled drones.
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