Orbit

An ESP32-powered mini drone with autonomous following capability

Features:

• ESP32 S3 Wroom 1u SoM
• 4x 0716 coreless motors
• MPU6050 for gyro
• QMC5883 compass
• MS5611 pressure sensor for altitude hold
• 3x SK6812 for signal LEDs
• Battery charging via USB-C
• 2x frame mounted DWM1000 for position tracking
• 1x small form factor DWM1000 board "beacon"
• Firmware based on flix by okalachev, modified to work with this project

Why I designed this project:

I wanted to design a drone for HackClub's Blueprint program, but not just any regular drone. I wanted to add a feature that would make it stand out, something that would make it unique. So, I decided to give it the ability to autonomously follow you to an accurate degree. After doing some research, I found the DWM1000 modules and decided to design this project. I designed and redesigned the PCBs and CAD for this project many times, with each iteration improving upon the last. This project also gave me the ability to test and improve my PCB and CAD design skills. I understood a lot more about schematic connections while working on this project and learned to route much cleaner traces, even on a compact board.

Image gallery:

Schematics And PCBS

Drone Control Board

Beacon Board

UWB Module Board

How It Works

The drone is powered by a custom designed PCB based on the ESP-32 S3 Wroom 1u SoM. It includes three SK6812 mini-e LEDs to serve as a status signal, located at the rear of the drone. There are three sensors located on board to help with flight. The MPU-6050 is a triple-axis accelerometer and gyroscope that is essential to help the drone fly. The MS5611 is a pressure sensor that is used to record and maintain height during flight. The final sensor, an HMC5883, is a triple-axis magnetometer that is used to report the drone's heading. The latter two sensors are reported in QGroundControl or any other flight operating station to provide information to the controller. The 0716 coreless motors are powered by a simple MOSFET circuit, designed by MaxImagination. This circuit has a small footprint and fits great for small projects, such as this drone. Autonomous flight is achieved using two DWM1000 modules mounted on the sides of the drone. These were implemented on the main PCB using 10-pin JSTs to allow modular connectivity, allowing the controller to select whether to fly with or without the ranging sensors. The DWM1000s mounted on the drone communicate with an external DWM1000 "beacon" that is with the controller or person of interest. This beacon is encased in a watch case to make it easy to wear. By sending messages between the modules, the distance between them can be calculated, allowing the beacon's location to be triangulated. This location is then set in the PID controllers, allowing the drone to autonomously navigate.

Bill Of Materials

Item	Description	Quantity	URL	Unit Price ($)	Total Price ($)
DWM1000	Ranging Modules	3	https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808347510093.html	$15.13	$50.90
XIAO ESP-32	For Beacon	1	Already Have
LCSC	PCB Components	1 Order of All Parts	See LCSC BOM		$36.92
JST Connector	For DWM Connection	1 Pack of 10	https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805775471278.html	$3.09	$3.09
Battery	For Beacon	1	https://www.amazon.com/AKZYTUE-Battery-Rechargeable-Lithium-Connector/dp/B07TXJ4C46	$7.79	$7.79
Battery	For Drone	1	https://www.amazon.com/EEMB-Battery-Rechargeable-Lithium-Connector/dp/B0B7R8CS2C	$6.99	$7.99
Motors	For Drone	1 Pack of 4	https://www.amazon.com/Coliao-Coreless-19000KV-Propeller-Quadcopter/dp/B0CHYDJMF2/	$10	$11
Antenna	For Drone	1	https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806233080373.html	$1.64	$1.64
Screws	To Hold Case	1 Pack	https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806233080373.html	$5.90	$5.90
JLCPCB Order	PCBs	1	JLCPCB Quote	$17.16	$17.16
					$139.08

LCSC Bill Of Materials

Description	Quantity Needed	Mrf#	Minimum Order Qty.	Unit Price(USD)	Ext.Price(USD)	LCSC#	Product Link
N-Channel 20V 4A 1.2W Surface Mount SOT-23	4	SI2300	20	0.0164	0.33	C5224175	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C5224175.html
QFN-24-EP(4x4) Accelerometers RoHS	1	MPU-6050	1	6.8489	6.85	C24112	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C24112.html
1Kpa~1.2bar QFN-8(3x5) Pressure Sensors, Transducers RoHS	1	MS561101BA03-50	1	5.5485	5.55	C15639	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C15639.html
I2C LGA-16(3x3) Linear, Compass (ICs) RoHS	1	QMC5883P	1	1.4485	1.45	C2847467	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C2847467.html
Red LED Indication - Discrete 2.7V~3.2V 0602	5	YLED0603R	200	0.0055	0.55	C19171390	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C19171390.html
Emerald Green LED Indication - Discrete 2.7V~3.2V 0603	13	YLED0603G	200	0.0054	1.08	C19273151	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C19273151.html
2.4GHz ESP32-S3R8 -98.2dBm SMD,19.2x18mm RF Transceiver Modules and Modems RoHS	1	ESP32-S3-WROOM-1U-N16R8	1	5.3260	5.33	C3013946	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C3013946.html
100nF ±10% 50V Ceramic Capacitor X7R 0603	17	CC0603KRX7R9BB104	100	0.0025	0.25	C14663	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C14663.html
220nF ±10% 50V Ceramic Capacitor X7R 0603	1	CL10B224KB8NNNC	100	0.0081	0.81	C64705	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C64705.html
4.7uF ±10% 10V Ceramic Capacitor X5R 0603	3	CL10A475KP8NNNC	50	0.0051	0.26	C1705	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C1705.html
10uF ±10% 10V Ceramic Capacitor X5R 0603	17	CL10A106KP8NNNC	50	0.0058	0.29	C19702	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C19702.html
1uF ±10% 50V Ceramic Capacitor X5R 0603	1	CL10A105KB8NNNC	50	0.0049	0.25	C15849	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C15849.html
10nF ±10% 50V Ceramic Capacitor X7R 0603	2	CC0603KRX7R9BB103	100	0.0022	0.22	C100042	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C100042.html
Diode Independent 100V 300mA Surface Mount SOD-123	4	1N4148W	100	0.0056	0.56	C917030	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C917030.html
Diode Array 1 Pair Common Cathode 30V 200mA Surface Mount SOT-23	1	BAT54C	50	0.0063	0.32	C916424	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C916424.html
Diode 40V 1A Surface Mount SOD-123	1	1N5819HW	20	0.0237	0.47	C5439970	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C5439970.html
USB-C (USB TYPE-C) Receptacle Connector 16 Position Surface Mount	1	TYPE-C-31-M-12	5	0.1762	0.88	C165948	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C165948.html
100mW 10kΩ 75V ±100ppm/℃ Thick Film Resistor ±1% 0603 Chip Resistor - Surface Mount RoHS	14	RC0603FR-0710KL	100	0.0011	0.11	C98220	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C98220.html
5.1kΩ ±1% 100mW 0603 Thick Film Resistor	2	FRC0603F5101TS	100	0.0009	0.09	C2907044	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C2907044.html
400mΩ ±1% 100mW 0603 Thick Film Resistor	1	FRL0603FR400TS	100	0.0033	0.33	C5126047	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C5126047.html
1kΩ ±1% 100mW 0603 Thick Film Resistor	10	FRC0603F1001TS	100	0.0009	0.09	C2907002	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C2907002.html
5kΩ 100mW 75V ±50ppm/℃ Thin Film Resistor ±0.1% 0603 Chip Resistor - Surface Mount RoHS	1	RT0603BRE075KL	50	0.0172	0.86	C862232	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C862232.html
100mW 1MΩ 75V ±100ppm/℃ Thick Film Resistor ±1% 0603 Chip Resistor - Surface Mount RoHS	5	RC0603FR-071ML	100	0.0012	0.12	C105578	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C105578.html
Tactile Switch SPST 160gf 2mm SMD (SMT) Tab 4mm x 3mm Surface Mount	2	TS-1088-AR02016	10	0.0423	0.42	C720477	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C720477.html
Lithium Battery 1A ESOP-8 Battery Management RoHS	1	TP4056-42-ESOP8	5	0.1784	0.89	C16581	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C16581.html
Positive Fixed 3.3V SOT-223 Voltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators RoHS	5	AP7361C-33E-13	5	0.2462	1.23	C500795	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C500795.html
220kΩ ±1% 100mW 0603 Thick Film Resistor	2	FRC0603F2203TS	100	0.0010	0.10	C2907013	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C2907013.html
470Ω ±1% 100mW 0603 Thick Film Resistor	12	0603WAF4700T5E	100	0.0012	0.12	C23179	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C23179.html
Slide Switch SPDT 300mA @ 5V Surface Mount, Right Angle Rectangular Columnar	1	SSSS811101	5	0.1408	0.70	C109335	https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C109335.html
Connector Header 2 position 2mm Pitch 2A Right Angle -25℃~+85℃	1	S2B-PH-K-S(LF)(SN)	20	0.0351	0.70	C17375	https://lcsc.com/product-detail/C17375