5

I am fairly new to electronics and am trying to build a drone from scratch as a hobby project. I want a setup where I can control all the motors individually through the software. Through some research I found that ESCs are the way to go for BLDC motors, and I am planning on getting this one. I also came across this post which is almost identical to the thing that I am trying to do, except that I am using a Raspberry Pi. After multiple failed purchases due to not knowing what would work with my setup, I am reluctant to buy this and want to know how to connect it before the purchase.

This is the diagram of the ESC: diagram

My biggest worry is that the Raspberry Pi's diagram only has 2 PWM (pulse width modulation) pins (32, 33):

raspberry pi pin diagram

How would I connect these 2 to have access to the speeds of all the motors individually?

3
  • 4
    Without a specification of the device you may get speculation. A picture is meaningless.
    – Milliways
    Mar 6 at 7:26
  • Please edit your question and add a specification of the required PWM signals and the resolution required for your project. Software PWM might be an option.
    – Bodo
    Mar 6 at 15:09
  • Whoops the link didn't stick. It's there now. Mar 8 at 4:30

1 Answer 1

3

The general consensus appears to be that because it is not a Real Time system, a Raspberry Pi is not a suitable device to use directly as a Flight Controller. While it is technically possible, an Arduino or a Raspberry Pi Pico (or a dedicated FC) would be better choice for use as a Flight Controller and then use the Raspberry Pi to talk to the Flight Controller/

Here are some sites to review:

https://www.reddit.com/r/diydrones/comments/t254dc/pwm_and_raspberry_pi_as_fc_how_to_communicate/

https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=306388

https://www.instructables.com/The-Drone-Pi/

https://all3dp.com/2/raspbery-pi-drone-simply-explained/

or just google "raspberry pi as a flight controller"

1
  • Thanks! Seems like if I want to run anything like machine learning on the drone, I am going to need to connect the pi to an arduino (or some other flight controller) to do so. Thanks for the links! Mar 10 at 17:11

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.