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ESP-FC Flight Controller

The mini, DIY, Low cost, ESP32 based, high performance flight controller for hobbyists.

Features

  • Espressif targets (ESP32, ESP8266, ESP32-S3, ESP32-S2, ESP32-C3)
  • ESC protocols (PWM, Oneshot125/42, Multishot, Brushed, Dshot150/300/600 bidirectional)
  • PPM, SBUS and CRSF Receivers
  • Builtin ESP-NOW receiver and WiFi configuration read more...
  • SPI and I2C gyro modules support (MPU6050, MPU9250, ICM20602, BMI160)
  • Flight modes (ACRO, ANGLE, AIRMODE)
  • Frames (Quad X)
  • Betaflight configuration tool compatible (v10.8-v10.10)
  • Configurable Gyro Filters (LPF, Notch, dTerm, RPM)
  • Blackbox recording (OpenLog/OpenLager/Flash)
  • Up to 4kHz gyro/loop on ESP32 with SPI gyro
  • MSP protocol interface
  • CLI Interface
  • Resorce/Pin mapping
  • In flight PID Tuning
  • Buzzer
  • Lipo voltage monitor
  • Failsafe mode

Requirements

Hardware:

  • ESP32 mini board or ESP8266 Wemos D1 mini or similar
  • MPU9250 SPI or MPU6050 I2C gyro (GY-88, GY-91, GY-521 or similar)
  • PDB with 5V BEC
  • Buzzer and some electronic components (optional).

Software:

Flashing

  1. Download and unzip selected firmware from Releases Page
  2. Visit ESP Tool Website
  3. Click "Connect" and choose device port in dialog
  4. Add firmware file and set Flash Address to 0x00
  5. Click "Program"
  6. After success power cycle board

Note: only ESP32 and ESP8266 can be flashed in this way.

ESP-FC Flashing

Setup

After flashing you need to configure few things first:

  1. Configure pinout according to your wiring, especially pin functions, you can find more information in CLI Reference
  2. Connect to Betaflight Configurator and setup to your preferences,
  3. Test motors without propellers
  4. Have fun ;)

Note

Not all functions displayed in configurator are avalable in firmware. The rule of thumb is if you cannot change specific option in Betaflight Configurator, that means it is not supported. It usually rolls back to previous value after save.

Here are more details about how to setup.

Wiring diagrams

ESP-FC example wiring diagrams

Supported chips

  • ESP32 - recommended
  • ESP32-S2 - experimantal
  • ESP32-S3 - experimantal
  • ESP32-C3 - experimantal, lack of performance, no FPU
  • RP2040 - experimantal, lack of performance, no FPU
  • ESP8266 - deprecated, may stop being developed

Supported Interfaces

Interface ESP8266 ESP32 RP2040
UART Yes Yes Yes
I2C Yes Yes Yes
SPI - Yes Yes

Supported Receiver Protocols

Protocol ESP8266 ESP32 RP2040
PPM Yes Yes Yes
SBUS Yes Yes Yes
CRSF (ELRS) Yes Yes Yes

Supported Motor Protocols

Protocol ESP8266 ESP32 RP2040
PWM Yes Yes Yes
BRUSHED Yes Yes Yes
ONESHOT125 Yes Yes Yes
ONESHOT42 - Yes Yes
MULTISHOT - Yes Yes
DSHOT150 Yes Yes Yes
DSHOT300 Yes Yes Yes
DSHOT600 - Yes Yes

Other Protocols

Protocol ESP8266 ESP32 RP2040
MSP Yes Yes Yes
CLI Yes Yes Yes
BLACKBOX Yes Yes Yes
ESPNOW Yes Yes -

Supported Gyro devices

Device ESP8266 ESP32 RP2040
MPU6050 Yes Yes Yes
MPU6000 - Yes Yes
MPU6500 Yes Yes Yes
MPU9250 Yes Yes Yes
ICM20602 Yes Yes Yes
BMI160 Yes Yes Yes

Supported Baro devices

Device ESP8266 ESP32 RP2040
BMP180 Yes Yes Yes
BMP280 Yes Yes Yes
SPL06 Yes Yes Yes

Supported Compass devices

Device ESP8266 ESP32 RP2040
HMC5883 Yes Yes Yes
QMC5883 Yes Yes Yes
AK8963 Yes Yes Yes

Issues

You can report issues using Github tracker You can also join to our Discord Channel

Development

Todo

  • Balancing robot
  • Serial Rx (IBUS)
  • ELRS telemetry
  • ESP32-S2/S3/C3 targets
  • Baro (MS5611)
  • GPS navigation

Licence

This project is distributed under MIT Licence. Bear in mind that:

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Donations

If you like this project and you want it to be still developed, you can support me a little.

  • BTC: 1Lopez7yPtbyjfLGe892JfheDFJMMt43tW
  • LTC: LV3G3sJxz9AYpDMYUp8e1LCmerFYxVY3ak