Utilizing an Arduino Nicla Imaginative and prescient as a drone flight controller
— June sixth, 2025
Drone flight controllers achieve this rather more than merely obtain alerts and inform the drone which approach to transfer. They’re chargeable for consistently tweaking the motor speeds with a view to keep secure flight, even with shifting winds and different unpredictable components. For that purpose, most flight controllers are purpose-built for the job. However element14’s Milos Rasic was constructing his personal drone from scratch and discovered that the Arduino Nicla Imaginative and prescient board makes a terrific flight controller.
To carry out that essential job of preserving the drone secure, the flight controller wants precises details about the orientation of the drone and any motion in three-dimensional house. Fortunately, the Nicla Imaginative and prescient has an built-in six-axis movement sensor that’s excellent for the job. It has additionally a strong STM32H7 microcontroller, a built-in digicam for machine imaginative and prescient and studying duties, onboard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and extra. And since it is rather small (22.86×22.86mm) and really mild, it’s a good selection for a drone.
Rasic designed and made the whole drone from zero, utilizing 8520 brushed DC motors and a 3D-printed body. That’s cool, nevertheless it isn’t unusual. The Nicla Imaginative and prescient-based flight controller is what stands out essentially the most.
Rasic developed a customized PCB for the Nicla Imaginative and prescient that acts like a breakout board and incorporates a number of different helpful parts, resembling for regulating and boosting energy. But it surely didn’t want a lot, because the Nicla Imaginative and prescient already has many of the essential {hardware}.
Whereas he may have turned to present flight controller firmware, Rasic selected to develop his personal and that’s the most spectacular a part of this mission. That necessitated the creation of three PID (proportional-integral-derivative) controller algorithms for balancing pitch, roll, and yaw. These work with management inputs to let the drone hover and transfer stably. The management alerts come from a PC over Wi-Fi, with the pilot offering enter by a USB flight stick.
The drone isn’t but flying properly, as PID tuning is a problem for even essentially the most skilled drone builders. However the basis is there for Rasic to construct on.
