Hi,
I've just started a project to build my first quad and I'm going to try and build/program the flight controller myself using an Arduino Yun. This may or may not be such a great idea but I'll hopefully learn a lot along the way.
Here's an outline parts I'll be using.
ARF Kit: DJI F330 / DJI 18A OPTO ESC / DJI Motors 2212 / 8" Props
Flight Controller: Adruino Yun and 9DOF Stick
Receiver: Spectrum AR6210
Transmitter: DX6i
Currently I'm trying to figure out how to:
a) Power the Arduino
b) Hook up the ESC's
Do I need a UBEC (like this one) to power the Arduino? I'd like to avoid having a separate power pack from the Arduino. Are there any other options?
If I'm getting the power for the Arduino via the UBEC, do I need to do anything with the +5v and ground wires that come out of each ESC? Do they need to be connected to anything? As far as I can tell they're usually used to power the receiver. In my case I'm planning on powering the receiver from the Arduino.
I'm a bit confused as to why OPTO ESC's (that don't include a BEC) have the these wires at all.
Cheers
Col
Replies
Awesome project!
I started something like this nearly two years ago and I have learned a ton from it. Here's my blog if you want to see some of what I did: http://philstech.blogspot.com/2012/03/quadcopter-project-overview.html
I'm not super detailed, so it might not directly answer your questions, but hopefully it will be useful. Some of the information is while I was still learning, so not all of it is the best way to approach this project.
I powered my Arduino from the BEC that were built into the ECSs, and did not use a dedicated BEC.
The ground wires (usually black) from the ESCs must be connected to the ground of the Arduino.
If you're powering your Arduino independent of the ECSs, then you can ignore the +5v wires.
I hope this helps.
Phillip