Drone
About the Drone PCB
Drone is an open source STM32 PCB design by ifahmy, published on GitHub. It is a 4-layer board measuring 25.6 × 29.5 mm, with 86 components from 52 distinct parts.
Its main chip is the STM32F722RET6, from the STM32 family. Other key parts include the ICM-42688-P, MS561101BA03-50, NRF24L01P-T, MCP1700T-2802E/TT and MCP73831T-2ACI/OT. By type, the board carries 31 capacitors, 24 resistors, 11 diodes, 6 ICs, 4 inductors and 2 crystals.
It belongs with the robotics & motion, power & battery and rf & radio designs in this gallery.
From the project
KiCAD files for Drone PCB
This repository documents the design of a custom STM32-based nano drone flight controller, incorporating power management, 2.4 GHz radio, motion sensors, and brushed motor drivers. Designed for compatibility with ArduPilot and Betaflight.
- STM32F722RET6, selected for performance and documentation. - 8 MHz HSE oscillator with tuning capacitors for STM32 and sensors. - Power monitoring via voltage divider and ADC. - On-board SWDIO/SWCLK for debugging and bootloader flashing (DFU mode via BOOT and RESET). - Decoupling capacitors used throughout for stability under current spikes.
Main components on the Drone
Drone bill of materials (BOM)
86 components, 52 distinct parts — part numbers from the project's BOM.
| Qty | Part | Footprint | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ICM-42688-P | PQFN50P300X250X97-14N | U1 |
| 1 | MS561101BA03-50 MS5611-01BA | LGA-8_3x5mm_P1.25mm | U2 |
| 1 | NRF24L01P-T nRF24L01P | QFN-20-1EP_4x4mm_P0.5mm_EP2.5x2.5mm | U3 |
| 1 | MCP1700T-2802E/TT MCP1700x-280xxTT | SOT-23 | U4 |
| 1 | MCP73831T-2ACI/OT MCP73831-2-OT | SOT-23-5 | U5 |
| 1 | STM32F722RET6 | LQFP-64_10x10mm_P0.5mm | U8 |
| 1 | DMG3415U-7 DMG3415 | SOT-23 | Q1 |
| 1 | SXT32422AA48-16.000M 16Mhz | Crystal_SMD_3225-4Pin_3.2x2.5mm | Y1 |
| 1 | ECS-80-10-33-CGN-TR3 8Mhz | Crystal_SMD_3225-4Pin_3.2x2.5mm | Y2 |
| 1 | 10104110-0001LF USB_B_Micro | USB_Micro-B_Amphenol_10104110_Horizontal | J11 |
| 1 | NRST | SolderJumper-2_P1.3mm_Open_TrianglePad1.0x1.5mm | JP1 |
| 4 | SI2302-TP | SOT-23_MCC | MOS1, MOS2, MOS3, MOS4 |
| 1 | CAS-120A SW_SPDT | Nidec_Copal_CAS-120A | SW1 |
| 4 | SS14 | D_SMA | D1, D6, D7, D8 |
| 1 | PRTR5V0U2X | SOT-143 | D2 |
| 4 | 150040BS73240 LED | LED_0402_1005Metric | D3, D4, D5, D10 |
| 1 | RB088LAM-40TFTR RB088LAM-40TFR | D_SOD-123 | D9 |
| 1 | SMF5V0A-M3-18 SMF5V0A | D_SMF | D11 |
| 1 | MMZ1608S121ATA00 120R @ 100MHz | R_0603_1608Metric | FB1 |
| 1 | LQG15HS3N9B02D 3.9n | L_0402_1005Metric | L1 |
Show 32 more
| Qty | Part | Footprint | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LRC0402CJ8N2GV001T 8.2n | L_0402_1005Metric | L2 |
| 1 | LRC0402CS2N7GV001T 2.7n | L_0402_1005Metric | L3 |
| 3 | JMK105BBJ475MV-F 4.7u | C_0402_1005Metric | C1, C2, C37 |
| 1 | GJM1555C1H1R0BB01D 1p | C_0402_1005Metric | C3 |
| 2 | CL05B104KP5NNNC 0.1u | C_0402_1005Metric | C4, C43 |
| 1 | 0402N1R5B500CT 1.5p | C_0402_1005Metric | C5 |
| 1 | C0402C222J5RACTU 2.2n | C_0402_1005Metric | C6 |
| 2 | CGA3E1X7R0J225K080AC 2.2u | C_0603_1608Metric | C7, C17 |
| 1 | GRM1555C1H4R7CA01D 4.7p | C_0402_1005Metric | C8 |
| 1 | GRM033R71E102KA01D 1n | C_0201_0603Metric | C9 |
| 2 | GRM033R61E103KA12D 10n | C_0201_0603Metric | C10, C12 |
| 1 | GRM155R71C333KA01D 33n | C_0402_1005Metric | C11 |
| 7 | CL03A104KQ3NNNC 100n | C_0201_0603Metric | C13, C39, C40, C41, C42, C45, C46 |
| 2 | CL05C220JB51PNC 22p | C_0402_1005Metric | C14, C16 |
| 1 | C0805C106K8PACTU 10u | C_0805_2012Metric | C18 |
| 1 | GRM21BR60J226ME39L 22u | C_0805_2012Metric | C22 |
| 2 | CC0402JRNPO9BN100 10p | C_0402_1005Metric | C34, C35 |
| 1 | CL10A475KP8NNNC 4.7u | C_0603_1608Metric | C36 |
| 2 | GRM155R70J105KA12D 1u | C_0402_1005Metric | C38, C44 |
| 5 | RC0201FR-0710KL 10k | R_0201_0603Metric | R1, R2, R3, R4, R24 |
| 1 | RC0201FR-0724K9L 24.9k | R_0201_0603Metric | R5 |
| 2 | RMCF0201FT4K70 4.7k | R_0201_0603Metric | R6, R7 |
| 1 | RC0402FR-07470RL 470 | R_0402_1005Metric | R8 |
| 1 | PFR03S-223-FNH 22k | R_0201_0603Metric | R9 |
| 1 | 1M | R_0201_0603Metric | R10 |
| 2 | RC0201JR-0727RL 27 | R_0201_0603Metric | R11, R12 |
| 3 | RK73H1ETTP3300F 330 | R_0402_1005Metric | R13, R14, R29 |
| 4 | RMCF0201FT10R0 10 | R_0201_0603Metric | R15, R16, R17, R18 |
| 1 | RC1005J000CS 0R | R_0402_1005Metric | R23 |
| 1 | RC0201FR-071KL 1k | R_0201_0603Metric | R25 |
| 1 | RC0402JR-0710KL 10k | R_0402_1005Metric | R26 |
| 1 | ERJ-1RHD1003C 100K | R_0201_0603Metric | R28 |
Drone design files
The KiCad project lives in the ifahmy/dronePCB repository on GitHub; these links point at the commit this page was built from.
Drone: common questions
What microcontroller does the Drone use?
The Drone is built around the STM32F722RET6, from the STM32 family.
How big is the Drone PCB?
The Drone measures 25.6 × 29.5 mm, has 4 copper layers and is 1.6 mm thick.
How many components are on the Drone?
86 components, from 52 distinct parts, with part numbers taken from the project's own BOM. The full bill of materials is listed on this page.
Where can I download the Drone design files?
From the ifahmy/dronePCB repository on GitHub, which has the KiCad layout, the schematic and the BOM; the links under Design files point to each one.
Can I use the Drone design in my own project?
The repository has no license, so all rights stay with ifahmy. Use it as a reference, and ask the author before reusing the design.
Can I test firmware for the Drone without the hardware?
Yes. HardLabs builds a simulation of the board from its netlist and BOM, so you can run and debug STM32 firmware against it before you order a PCB.
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