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A 4-layer ESP32 flight-controller PCB, designed in KiCad 8 and manufactured as Rev 2.
The board is built around an ESP32-WROOM-32E. It takes a LiPo on an XT30, makes 5 V with an MP1584 and 3.3 V with an AMS1117, and brings out USB-C programming, an MPU-6050, GPS, and receiver headers. This repository is the hardware: schematics, PCB, Gerbers, BOM, and photos. There is no flight firmware here.
| MCU | ESP32-WROOM-32E (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) |
| IMU | MPU-6050, I²C |
| USB | Type-C, CH340C USB-UART |
| Battery | LiPo on XT30 (J1) |
| 5 V | MP1584 buck (U6) |
| 3.3 V | AMS1117-3.3 (U2) |
| Status | WS2812B and an active buzzer |
| Buttons | BOOT (SW2) and RESET (SW1) |
| Board | 4-layer, 1.6 mm |
| CAD | KiCad 8 |
Power path:
LiPo (XT30) → MP1584 → 5 V → AMS1117-3.3 → 3.3 V → ESP32
Copper is 1 oz (0.035 mm) on all four layers. The Rev 2 Gerbers name the inner layers GND and POWER.
| Ref | What it is |
|---|---|
| J1 | Battery, XT30 |
| J3 | iBUS / SBUS receiver, 1×3 |
| J4 | PWM receiver, 1×8 |
| J5 | Motor outputs, 1×5 |
| J6 | GPS UART, 1×4 |
| J9 | USB-C |
| — | ADC battery-voltage divider |
Rev 1 is the first design, in the repository root (flight_controller.kicad_sch, flight_controller.kicad_pcb, flight_controller_BOM.csv, and ESP32-FLight-Controller-Gerber.zip).
Rev 2 is the board that was manufactured. Files are under Rev2/. Compared with the Rev 1 BOM, Rev 2 adds:
KiCad renders and copper views:
ESP32-Flight-Controller
├── flight_controller.kicad_pro Rev 1 KiCad project
├── flight_controller.kicad_sch
├── flight_controller.kicad_pcb
├── flight_controller_BOM.csv
├── ESP32-FLight-Controller-Gerber.zip
├── pcb.png
├── schematic.png
├── 3D_front.png
├── 3D_back.png
├── LICENSE
├── README.md
└── Rev2/
├── KiCad/ schematic, PCB, NextPCB logo footprint
├── Gerbers/ copper, mask, paste, silk, edge, drill
├── BOM/flight_controller_bom.csv
├── Documentation/ drill map
└── Images/ photos, renders, copper plots, logo
Open Rev2/KiCad/flight_controller_rev2.kicad_pro in KiCad 8. The Gerber set in Rev2/Gerbers/ is what was sent for manufacturing.
Thank you to NextPCB for manufacturing the Rev 2 PCB. That support took the design from KiCad to a finished board and made the hands-on testing of this student project possible.
Manufacturing partner: NextPCB
Sponsored revision: Rev 2
These are next hardware steps, not features of the current PCB:
Shazmeen Siddiqui
B.Tech, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia
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