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Quadcopter Remote Control Circuit without MCU

Last Updated on July 6, 2019 by Swagatam 106 Comments

Although a quadcopter remote control circuits can be very easily procured from the market or from any online store, an avid electronic hobbyist is never allowed to learn how actually these function and whether or not these can be built at home?

Table of Contents
  • Basic Modules Required
  • Quadcopter PWM Receiver Circuit
  • How it Works
  • The RF Receiver Module (PWM Decoder)
  • How the RF Transmitter needs to be Wired (PWM Encoder)
  • IC 555 PWM Circuit
  • Quadcopter Motor Specification

In this article I have explained how to build a simple quadcopter remote control circuit using discrete components and using RF remote control modules, and without involving the complex MCU based circuits.

The step by step guide will actually make the interested hobbyists understand how simply a quadcopter can be controlled using a PWM concept.

We have already learned the quadcopter basics, now let's investigate a the remote control section which will ultimately help to fly the unit remotely.

Basic Modules Required

The main ingredients that may be required for the project are given as under:

We will fundamentally require the following 3 circuit stages:

1) 4 way RF remote control Tx, Rx modules - 1set

2) IC 555 based PWM generator circuits - 4nos

3) BLDC motor controller circuits - 4nos

Since it's a homemade version, we can expect some inefficiencies with the proposed design, such as the absence of joysticks for the controls, which are replaced with pots or potentiometers, nevertheless the working capability of the system can be expected to be on par with the professional units.

The handheld PWM transmitter unit will basically consist the Tx remote module integrated with 4 discrete PWM control circuits, while the quadcopter will need to be enclosed with 1 Rx circuit integrated with 4 discrete BLDC driver circuits.

Let's begin with the quadcopter motor circuits, and see how the BLDC motor controller needs to be configured and attached with the Rx circuit.

Quadcopter PWM Receiver Circuit

In one of the previous posts I have explained how a versatile BLDC motor controller could be built using single chip, however this design is not designed to operate relatively heavier motors of a quadcopter, therefore it may not be suitable for the present application.

A "big brother" option for the above circuit is fortunately available and becomes perfectly suitable for driving quadcopter motors. Thanks to TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, for providing us with such wonderful single chip application specified circuit modules.

To learn more about this high current BLDC driver IC, you may refer to the following pdf datasheet of the same

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/slwu083a.pdf

The set up below shows the complete circuit schematic of the quadcopter motor driver controller using the DRV11873 IC which is a self contained low current BLDC motor circuit consisting of all the required protection features such overload protection, thermal protection etc. This module basically forms the ESC for our present quadcopter unit.

For more info on this design and PCB details, you can refer to the original document below:

http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/drv11873.pdf

Quadcopter PWM based remote control circuit

How it Works

The FS and FG pinouts of the IC are for enhancing the IC with added controls through external circuits, since we are not using these features in our design, these pins may be kept unused and terminated to the positive line through a 100K resistor.

The RD pinout of the IC decides the rotational direction of the motor. Connecting this pin to Vcc via a 100K resistor allows an anticlockwise rotation on the motor while leaving it unconnected does the opposite and allows the motor to spin in the clockwise direction.

Pin#16 is the PWM input is used for injecting a PWM input from an external source, varying the duty cycle of the PWM alters the speed of the motor correspondingly.

The FR, CS pinouts are also irrelevant to out need and can be therefore left unused as shown in the diagram, and terminated to the positive line through a 100K resistor.

The U, V, W pinouts are the motor outputs which needs to be connected with the respective quadcopter BLDC 3 phase motor.

The COM pinout is for connecting the common wire of the 3 phase motor, if your motor does not have a common wire, you can simply simulate it by connecting 3 nos of 2k2 resistors to the U, W, W pins and then join their common ends with the COM pin of the IC.

The schematic also shows an IC 555 configured in the PWM astable circuit mode. This becomes a part of the circuit module and the PWM output from its pin#7 can be seen connected with the PWM input of the DRV IC circuit in order to initiate the 4 motors with a constant base speed and to enable the motor a constant hovering speed at a given spot.

This concludes the main ELC circuit or the BLDC driver circuit for out quadcopter design.

We will need four such modules for the four motor in our quadcopter design.

Meaning, 4 such DRV IC along with the IC 555 PWM stage will need to be associated with each of the 4 motors of the quadcopter.

These modules will ensure that normally all the 4 motors are set at a predetermined speed by applying a fixed and identical PWM signal to each of the relevant DRV controller ICs.

Now let’s learn how the PWM may be altered through a remote control in order to alter the speeds of the individual motor using an ordinary 4 channel remote control handset.

The RF Receiver Module (PWM Decoder)

The above circuit shows the receiver remote RF circuit which is supposed to be accommodated inside the quadcopter for receiving an external wireless PWM data from the user’s remote transmitter handset and then process the signals appropriately in order to feed the accompanying DRV controller modules as explained in the previous section.

The 4 outputs named as PWM#1….PWM#4 needs to be connected with the PWM pin#15 of the DRV IC as indicated in the previous diagram.

These PWM pinouts from the RF receiver unit becomes activated whenever the corresponding button is pressed by the user in its transmitter handset.

How the RF Transmitter needs to be Wired (PWM Encoder)

In the above section I have explained the Rx or the remote receiver circuit and how its 4 outputs needs to be connected with the quadcopter motor ESC driver modules.

Here we see how the simple RF transmitter needs to be created and wired with PWM circuits for transmitting the PWM data wirelessly to the quadcopter receiver unit so that the speeds of the individual motor is controlled simply with a press of a button, which ultimately cause the quadcopter to change direction or its speed, as per the users preferences.

The circuit shown above exhibits the wiring details of the transmitter module. The idea looks pretty simple, the main transmitter circuit is formed by the TSW434 chip which transmits the encoded PWM signals into the atmosphere, and the HT12E which becomes responsible for feeding the encoded signals to the TSW chip.

The PWM signals are generated by 4 separate IC 555 circuit stages which may be identical to the one which was earlier discussed in the DRV controller module.

The PWM contents of the 4 ICs can be seen terminated to the respective pinouts of the encoder IC HT12E through 4 discrete push buttons indicated as SW1----SW4.

Each of these buttons correspond and toggle the identical pinout of the receiver module which I have explained earlier and indicated as PWM#1, PWM#2…..PWM#4.

Meaning pressing SW1 may cause the PWM#1 output of the receiver unit active and this will pinout will start feeding the received decoded PWM signals from the transmitter to the associated DRV module and in turn cause the relevant motor to change its speed accordingly.

Similarly, pressing SW2,3,4 can be used for influencing the speeds of the other 3 quadcopter motors as per the users wish.

IC 555 PWM Circuit

The 4 PWM circuits shown in the above RF transmitter handset can be built by referring to th following diagram, which is exactly similar to the one which was seen our DRV controller ESC circuit.

pwm 4

Please remember that the 5K pot could be in the form of a usual pot and this pot could be used additionally with the buttons for selecting different speeds on the corresponding motors.

Meaning by keeping a selected button pressed and simultaneously moving the corresponding 5KPWMpot one can cause the quadcopter to increase or decrease its speed in the intended direction.

Alternatively the PWM could be initially set at some higher or lower level and then the corresponding button pressed to enable the corresponding quadcopter motor to attain the preferred speed, as per the PWM setting.

Quadcopter Motor Specification

The above explained Qiadcopter remote control circuit is intended to be used for display purpose only, and cannot be used for lifting loads or a camera. This implies that the motors used in the design should be preferably a low current type.

The DRV11873 IC is designed to opeate motors rated at 15V, 1.5 amps or around 20 watt motor...so any 3 phase BLDC motor rated at 15 to 30 watts can be used for the purpose.

The battery for this quadcopter design can be any 12v Lipo pr Li-ion battery capable of supplying 15V peak at 1.5 amps continuous current.

Specification Details

1306N Brushless Outrunner Miniature DC Motor

Type: Micro Motor

Construction: Permanent Magnet

Commutation: Brushless

Speed(RPM): 2200rpm/v

Continuous Current(A): 1.5~2.6A

Voltage(V): 7.4~11.1V

miniature dc motor: AX-1306N

weight: 8g

diameter of shaft: 1.5mm

Battery LI-PO: 2-3s

operating current: 1.5~2.6A

max efficiency: 67%

bldc 2

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About Swagatam

I am an electronics engineer with over 15 years of hands-on experience. I am passionate about inventing, designing electronic circuits and PCBs, and helping hobbyists bring their projects to life. That is why I founded homemade-circuits.com, a website where I share innovative circuit ideas and tutorials. Have a circuit related question? Leave a comment.... I guarantee a reply!

Previous Post: « Very Simple BLDC Motor Driver Circuits using Back EMF
Next Post: Heater Controller Circuit Using Push-Buttons »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. arshad says

    March 23, 2023 at 11:06 am

    hi i am building an rc excavator using cheap components
    i have quite a fair knowlwdge about ld293 motor driver
    however i need to control 6 dc motor for that as per theory i need 3 ld293 driver as each can control 2 dc motor. the question is how should it be connected to IC decoder . do i need 3 of them and how should the transmitter be design. please illustrate the transmitter and receiver circuit diagram to help me

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      March 23, 2023 at 12:37 pm

      That appears to be a tough question. I am not sure about it, or it might take a lot of time for me to figure it out. Due to lack of time this might not be possible for me to solve.

      Reply
  2. Wcc says

    September 12, 2021 at 2:07 am

    I love your work

    Reply
  3. Hardev singh says

    March 24, 2018 at 6:48 am

    Hello sir can i use esc the place of dvr circuit

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      March 24, 2018 at 8:28 am

      which circuit are you referring to?

      Reply
  4. Naseef says

    December 22, 2017 at 9:51 am

    I tested by transferring pwm signal for fading led using arduino to encoder input pin. Led at receiver is not fading. Only just blinking.
    R U sure the above circuit will work?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 22, 2017 at 9:57 am

      It will 100% work, if it is done with expert understanding. This design is not for new learners or new hobbyists please be cautioned about this…

      As for the PWMs, they are nothing but ON OFF switching with different delays…so if the Tx can work with manual push button switches then it should also work with PWMs…

      preferably you will need an oscilloscope to confirm the waveform.

      or alternatively you can try lowering the PWNM frequency to a very slow rate, may be at 2 second ON/OFF with different duty cycles and check if the LED blinks with the same rates, this will confirm the results..

      Reply
      • Naseef says

        December 22, 2017 at 11:39 am

        At low frequency (2 s ) it is working well. But in high frequency it is not working.
        I am used pull down resisters in encoder input.

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          December 22, 2017 at 12:49 pm

          If it’s working at low frequency, it has to work with high frequency also, measure average DC voltage across the Rx pinout

          Reply
          • Naseef says

            December 22, 2017 at 6:51 pm

            Can I test using a led.?

            Reply
            • Swagatam says

              December 22, 2017 at 7:26 pm

              LED can be used but you have already used a LED, you said it did not work…therefore checking DC voltage will help to get a clearer idea

              Reply
  5. Naseef says

    December 22, 2017 at 8:32 am

    Iam used pwm generator as arduino. Then I can’t sent pwm wirelessly. I am used 434 MHz tx and Rx.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 22, 2017 at 9:44 am

      you can send it, by feeding the PWMs to one of the Tx input pins where normally push switches are placed

      Reply
  6. Naseef says

    December 16, 2017 at 5:52 pm

    I tested the above pwm generator circuit using a led. Then it is not working. Can you please clear the circuit.. Or Where the pwm signal is formed?. 4th pin is used for?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 16, 2017 at 9:15 pm

      please try the following concept and replace it with this one:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/making-pwm-based-led-strobe-light/

      PWM will be at pin#3 of the IC

      Reply
      • Hardev singh says

        January 7, 2018 at 9:16 am

        Hello sir i am making rc plane i have 2212 bl motor and simonk 30 amp esc i need a pwm circuit diagramwhere from i can provide signal to esc singnal sir esc has three wire black red and white sir tell me which wire goes signal to esc i have no reciver i want drive with 434mhz moduel thanks sir

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          January 7, 2018 at 5:46 pm

          Hello Hardev, the 3 wires which you are referring to will go to the BLDC I assume, you should identify an input to the ELC for the PWM feed, only then you would be able to control the ESC with an external PWM

          Reply
  7. Abimbola says

    December 11, 2017 at 12:35 pm

    But during my test sir, I tried attaching a very small propeller on one of the cd rom motor and it lifted off the ground up to like 6cm?? Or do u think they are not just powerful enough??

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 11, 2017 at 5:42 pm

      did you test it with the battery which is intended to be fitted inside the quadcopter?

      Reply
  8. Abimbola says

    December 11, 2017 at 4:27 am

    Hello Swagatam, pls i need your advice. can i use cd rom brushless motors for my quadcopter and do u think i can just use it to.drive the propellers directly or i should use a gear setup to drive the propellers so as to generate more lift???
    Or do u think i should rewind them so as to get more power?
    Which size of lipo batteries do u think i can use to power the 4 cd rom motor??

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 11, 2017 at 7:49 am

      Hello Abimbola, cd rom motors will not work for quadcopters, and no modifications with it will either help.

      you must buy the motors which are designed for quadcopters to get any kind of success.

      Reply
  9. Abimbola says

    December 9, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    hello Swagatam, i wanna send u a pic of my idea about my quadcopter so u can give me some advice on it…But i cant do that here

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 10, 2017 at 11:45 am

      you can send it t my email

      homemadecircuits
      @gmail.com

      Reply
  10. Abimbola says

    December 9, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    Hello Swagatam, am still not satisfied with the range or should i try using a coiled antenna for the tx and rx???

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 9, 2017 at 4:39 pm

      In that case you cannot do much, a coiled antenna will not help….I have tested these modules with a 2 meter long antenna and it worked fine for me and I could get the range upto 100 meters.

      Reply
      • Abimbola says

        December 9, 2017 at 5:41 pm

        so u mean u should use a 2m long antenna for both tx and rx??

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          December 9, 2017 at 8:27 pm

          yes for both, 1m will be enough according to me.

          Reply
  11. Abimbola says

    December 7, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    kk..i would

    Reply
  12. Abimbola says

    December 7, 2017 at 7:58 pm

    Hello swagatam…am currently having a problem with my 4 channel rf remote control and it’s about the range of transmission. according to my research about, it max range is 100 meters but mine can only transmit up to like 30 meters.
    I used a normal radio antenna for both tx and rx circuit and both antenna are long enough and more than the required 17cm…pls help me Sir

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 7, 2017 at 9:11 pm

      Hi Abimbola, did you try it in an open area? and yes for the antennas try a 2 meter long flexible…

      Reply
      • Abimbola says

        December 7, 2017 at 9:37 pm

        but hope 2meters of flexible wire is not too long?

        Reply
  13. Abimbola says

    December 7, 2017 at 12:23 am

    No Swagatam that’s not what am saying, though i know my idea looks crude. i would no longer be using the idea of sending wireless pwm signals. what am saying is that since the tx and rx circuit can turn on a brushed motor, then i can just use the brushed motor to turn my servo tester knob which will then power up the esc and the bldc motor connected to it..

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 7, 2017 at 9:19 am

      yes I understood, It may be possible, but the extra motor can make the machine heavier, and the mechanism will require a lot of precision.

      Reply
      • Abimbola says

        December 7, 2017 at 7:20 pm

        Swagatam pls i need ur advice
        Now in my my quadcopter will comprise

        1) 4 brushless motor(cd-rom) to power up the machine
        2)4 Esc’s
        3)4 servo testers connected to each Esc’s
        4)4 brushed motors to turn each the servo testers knobs
        5) one rx circuit which will turn on the brushed motor with the use of L293D driver.
        6)Lipo batteries

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          December 7, 2017 at 9:06 pm

          Abimbola, If so many things are there, your quadcopter will become too heavy to fly, I am not sure whether it will be able to take off or not

          Reply
  14. Abimbola says

    December 5, 2017 at 8:53 pm

    Swagatam…what am trying to say is that since i made the simple tx and rx circuit that can turn on a brushed motor, then i think i can use the brushed motor to turn the servo tester. kk take for instance if i connect a servo tester, esc and power supply to power a brushless motor, for me to start up the bldc motor i have to turn the potentiometer of the servo tester right?? Now my idea is to use a brushed motor to turn the potentiometer of the servo tester instead of turning it with my hand…

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 5, 2017 at 9:29 pm

      I guess I am not quite getting it, are you saying that you would fit the whole assembly inside the drone along with the BLDC to operate the servo tester knob through wireless messages, well, that looks quite crude and complex to me.

      Reply
  15. Abimbola says

    December 5, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    Hey Swagatam. Since i cant just make a wireless pwm for my quadcopter. i then thought of a new idea which i know is just too childish, but still i need your advice. Since i already made like your Tx and Rx kit which can control brushed dc motor with the use of L293D driver. Now am thinking of. setting up a mechanism in which a small brushed motor would be used to mechanically tune/turn the potentiometer of the servo tester which will power up the esc connected to a brushless motor. But the problem now for me is that how would i be able to control the degree of rotation of the servo tester since just a short press of the transmitter switch will make the brushed motor rotate the potentiometer beyond normal……Any idea or modification please??

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 5, 2017 at 7:52 pm

      Hi Abimbola, Sorry I am not very sure how servo tester can be used for transmitting PWM through air, In my concept I have effectively and elaborately explained how simply the PWMs can be transferred using IC 555 PWM modules, which can be also used for changing the speed of the drone.

      In your case Until the output waveform of the PWMs is confirmed it can be difficult to understand how the modules can be customized for the operations.

      Reply
  16. Abimbola says

    December 3, 2017 at 1:18 pm

    Thanks for your reply sir. But Sir, is there no any other driver ic which i can use in place of DRV 11873 because have tried searching my shopping App(Aliexpress) which i do use to order for some electronic components and still i cant the Drv 11873 chip there. I tried using Texas instrument but i dont just know how to order for things there.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 3, 2017 at 5:27 pm

      Abimbola, you can try the following concept and appropriately modify it for your quadcopter circuit

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/universal-esc-circuit-for-bldc-motors/

      Reply
  17. Abimbola says

    December 3, 2017 at 3:12 am

    How i wished i was your student..If i have the opportunity to meet you i will just use it in being your electronics student…

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 3, 2017 at 10:57 am

      you can become my student or a teacher through this comment forum, and also help to enlighten the other members of this blog…this is the only website that answers to all comments and responses…

      Reply
  18. Abimbola says

    December 3, 2017 at 2:27 am

    i tried to see if i could order for the drv 11873 chip on Texas instrument but its not working ??

    Reply
  19. Abimbola says

    December 3, 2017 at 2:21 am

    Hello sir, i saw one of ur post on wireless control of quadcopter using a simple 434mhz rf module, a 555timer chip and a Drv11873 chip and as for me it’s really so intriguing. I couldnt order for the drv 11873 chip on my shopping site because they dont have it. I tried using a servo tester and an ESC to see if it would also work. I connected one of the switch pins of my ht12e to the signal pin on my servo tester and also connected the other two (+ve and -ve ) to the power supply of the transmitter. To the reciever i connected the signal pin of the esc to the corresponding output pin on the ht12d. To the esc i connected a cd rom motor. I tried putting on the transmitter and receiver circuit and tried turning the servo tester knob to see if the cd rom motor will start up but unfortunately nothing happened.
    Since u said on the post that the pwm signals will ride over the carrier wave i believe the trick should also work for me since am also sending a pwm signal along with the carrier wave beyween the tx and rx..pls help me sir.???

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 3, 2017 at 10:55 am

      Hello Abimbola, the use of PWM through 433MHz modules will definitely work, and there’s no trick in this concept.

      These ICs are digital ICs and PWM is perfectly compatible with these ICs.

      Normally when we use these ICs for triggering a load, what we do? We actually send PWM signals right, by switching the transmitter button ON then OFF and then ON is nothing but activating slow constant PWMs…so in the same manner an actual PWM signal which is a form of faster ON/OFF pulses will cause the Rx load to respond in the corresponding manner…

      Reply
      • Abimbola says

        December 3, 2017 at 1:43 pm

        Then why is my idea of using the servo tester which generates a pwm signal and esc not working with the tx and rx circuit?? or do u think my idea is too crude?

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          December 3, 2017 at 5:29 pm

          Make sure that the input PWMs are valid PWMs, for valid PWMs the Rx side will surely respond and enable them at the output

          Reply
  20. Abimbola says

    November 6, 2017 at 5:01 am

    i love all ur works swagatam but i have a question to ask. How do u think i can make an 8channel remote control without any micro controller. i tried building two remote so as.to get a total of 8channel control circuits by using the 433mhz rf modules and changing the address patterns of the two circuits but whenever i on both circuit, they won’t just work of which i later discovered that both circuits are jamming just because they are of same frequencies.
    Now my new idea is to build two remote control circuits using 433mhz rf module for one, and 315mhz for the other remote circuit so as to get a total of 8 channel from both circuit..i know this idea of mine is too crude for you but pls will this work??

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      November 6, 2017 at 10:46 am

      Thanks Abimbola, yes if you keep them nearby and operate simultaneously then these will jam each other…using modules with different operating frequencies might do the trick. wish you all the best!

      Reply
  21. Abimbola says

    November 6, 2017 at 4:47 am

    love this

    Reply
  22. vinit says

    June 17, 2017 at 6:15 pm

    sir please can you tell me in this circuit what is the work of pwm in receiver if they are speed controllers then can i place esc at the place of pwm or in another way remove it all and place brushed dc motors directly ……..

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 18, 2017 at 6:09 am

      Vinit, the above design is configured to work with the shown ESC module, and BLDC motor, it cannot be modified for brushed motors…

      for brushed motor you can try the following circuit

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2016/06/simplest-quadcopter-drone-circuit.html

      Reply
  23. vsf says

    May 24, 2017 at 8:22 am

    Sir ,in the pwm receiver circuit what os header 1,2,3,4etc

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 24, 2017 at 8:38 am

      those are output connectors.

      Reply
  24. Mbaine Emmanuel says

    May 8, 2017 at 6:19 pm

    Sir am Emma from Uganda!, what is RSW434, thanx alot…..

    Reply
  25. Bharat Bisht says

    April 29, 2017 at 4:02 am

    Sir i have a question that how can i increase or decrease speed of motor for up or down condition of quadcopter

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 29, 2017 at 6:35 am

      Bharat, you can do it by adjusting the PWM pots

      Reply
  26. Goutham C.S says

    February 2, 2017 at 3:57 pm

    Thank you for your replies. But with the help of this circuit, could you get the drone to fly? That would be really cool to build one from scratch

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      February 3, 2017 at 5:44 am

      yes it is possible using the above explained concept..

      Reply
  27. Goutham C.S says

    February 2, 2017 at 6:15 am

    Here, the ratings of the motor and the power supplies are small when compared to commercial drones. So are you saying that if I can replace the motors with higher ratings and higher values of power supply, I can lift heavy loads including a camera module?
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      February 2, 2017 at 2:57 pm

      yes that's correct but the problem is that the indicated DRV controller cannot handle more than 1.5 amps…and I could not find a more powerful controller than this that's the main reason why I found it difficult to upgrade this drone for lifting loads.

      however you can try replacing the DRV IC with other similar controller based on Hall sensors and use matching motors equipped with hall sensor feedback…this combination may be available with much higher ratings.

      Reply
  28. goutham gumm says

    February 1, 2017 at 3:55 pm

    Respected Sir,
    I want to build a drone on my own rather than buying transmitter receiver module and this page is very informative for that purpose. But what do you mean when you say it cannot lift loads? Is the driver not powerful enough to make the drone fly? Which other driver can I use to make the drone fly with the circuits mentioned in this page? Thank you

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      February 2, 2017 at 3:55 am

      Goutham, the driver is responsible only for the speed control, the actual lift power is generated by the motor and the battery.

      If you can optimize the arrangement of the motor and the battery correctly, then you can easily use the above driver for lifting the desired amount of load with this drone circuit.

      Reply
  29. Amit Ika says

    January 29, 2017 at 2:57 pm

    Hello Mr Majumdar,

    This was very helpful. I am looking for a solution to power a more power full motor. Is there anyway that this chip or another one can be hooked up to am external 3 phase most bridge to power a more powerful motor? For me that would be the ultimate solution.

    Regards,
    Amit

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 30, 2017 at 4:05 am

      Thanks Amit,

      You can refer to the following two articles:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2016/12/48v-3kv-electric-vehicle-circuit.html

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2016/12/3-phase-solar-submersible-pump-inverter.html

      Reply
  30. adblogs says

    January 29, 2017 at 9:53 am

    helo sir .
    could you give me a idea that how to fit the circuit in the mechanical structure of the copter
    if you hace any pictures about this send oh thia email
    [email protected]

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 30, 2017 at 3:35 am

      hello, you can refer to the following articles

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2015/10/building-quadcopter-basics-explained.html

      Reply
    • adblogs says

      January 31, 2017 at 3:39 pm

      sir, total how many articles related to this quad coper .
      could you please give me the links of all articles related to this ..
      thanxx sir , for this wonderful concept …

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 31, 2017 at 3:48 pm

      thanks adblog, please type "quadcopter" in the search box given at top right and you will be able to see them all.

      Reply
    • adblogs says

      January 31, 2017 at 3:50 pm

      okay thanks sir

      Reply
  31. Asaint Baba says

    January 5, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    Hello,
    Can I use CPU cooling fans bldc motors for the quadcopter motors? Or can I use X5's motors?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 6, 2017 at 3:57 am

      that's not possible…

      Reply
  32. kolleyjay Mec says

    December 18, 2016 at 1:51 pm

    thanks for this great project may God bless you, please need you to explain how to move the quadcoter upward and downward, because from your explanation we have 4 SW and pot to move left, right, front and back. the pot to vary the speed. so how are going to lift the quadcopter up and bring it to rest
    thanks

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 19, 2016 at 4:56 am

      thaks very much, I forgot to include this feature, it can be probably done by some arrangement that will enable reducing all the outputs of PWM circuits in the transmitter module simultaneously to some lower level, and also enable depressing all the 4 button together.

      This will cause reduction for the all the quadcopter motor speeds and that will eventually drop the quadcopter slowly toward the ground

      Reply
  33. Ankit Neupane says

    April 19, 2016 at 2:36 pm

    plz,sir can i watch video based on it ,cause i am crazy on science

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 20, 2016 at 11:38 am

      sorry ankit, I do not have a video of this project at the moment.

      Reply
  34. Tunde Adewuyi says

    February 17, 2016 at 11:37 am

    Sir i don't understand wat u mean by
    Connect VM with the supply power (24V)

    Connect all the "PWM" pinouts on the right side of the IC to ground without any resistors, and other points also to ground which are marked as ground.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      February 18, 2016 at 2:24 am

      Tunde, The VM, and the PWM are the specifications of the pins of the IC which is shown in the first diagram, please click the diagram to enlarge it and check the pinout details.

      Reply
  35. TPazani says

    December 28, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    HI,

    Is it possible to use Ht 12D/E with 2.4 GHz transceiver. If possible please share the circuit diagram. Is it possible to power RX circuit using Lipo batteries (3.7V).

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 28, 2015 at 2:31 pm

      yes, you can use any RF module for achieving the explained quad-copter control….3.7V can be used for powering Tx/Rx circuits

      Reply
    • Joseph says

      January 17, 2016 at 7:06 am

      Enter your comment…tnx so much for this helpful, but what will be the result if I use a 12v motor?

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 18, 2016 at 3:22 am

      sorry, the Rx is supposed to work with 24V, so perhaps you may have to use 6nos of 3.7V cells in series for achieving this.

      and with a 24V supply you will need a 24V motor, 12V will not do.

      Reply
  36. TPazani says

    December 28, 2015 at 12:20 pm

    I want to use this circuit in this way, One channel for motor speed control, another channel for servo control. If i control servo how can we achieve forward, neutral and reverse direction of servo using your circuit, please suggest.

    Thanks – Pazani T

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 28, 2015 at 2:24 pm

      I am not sure how a PWM control can be used with a servo motor, so I won't be able to comment on this.

      Reply
    • TPazani says

      December 29, 2015 at 5:55 am

      Hi Swagatam,

      Your knowledge on electronics is great, i want to learn MCU programming. In my college days i programmed 8085. I want to use MCU for remote control toys, please advise which MCU is easier to learn.

      In my earlier comment i did not mean Servo motors, i wanted to activate a relay kind of thing, turn left, right and back to neutral position.

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 29, 2015 at 10:03 am

      Hi TPazani, I am also not very good at coding MCUs, so I am sorry I won't be able to help you in this regard.

      Relays cannot be controlled with PWM so the above concept may be irrelevant,if you are looking for a clockwise anticlockwise kind of action in a motor, then you can simply apply it using a set of relays and by executing specific commands to it, as stated in this article:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2012/09/make-remote-controlled-toy-car-circuit.html

      Reply
  37. abu lais says

    December 3, 2015 at 6:53 am

    i believe that this circuit will work .But using this circuit we it is not possible to control quad copter .

    Reply
  38. abu lais says

    December 3, 2015 at 6:45 am

    hello sir i wanna built a quad copter .there is a problem with your circuit .this is quit easy to built after building this circuit the controlling of quad copter will become very difficult because we have to control 4 BLDC motors at a time & this is very difficult . it will be not user friendly.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 3, 2015 at 2:29 pm

      Hello Iais,
      changing the speed of all the motors is not required….there will be a default position of the pots which will enable all the motors to run at the same speed…once this is set, changing the speed of any one of the relevant motors will allow the quadcopter to move in the desired direction and/or backwards

      Reply
  39. Swagatam says

    December 2, 2015 at 11:40 am

    thanks, but I am not quite sure about the costs…

    Reply
  40. karan purohit says

    December 1, 2015 at 6:36 am

    so we dont need flight controller for such quadcopter???????

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 2, 2015 at 11:44 am

      the pots serve as the control inputs

      Reply
  41. karan purohit says

    December 1, 2015 at 6:24 am

    thans for the information. I really needed this!!!!
    how much is overall cost of receiver & transmitter circuit……..?

    Reply
  42. pro says

    October 12, 2015 at 8:56 am

    sir i will like an image of at list the integration of one of the DRV8313 and sir what is the name of the IC were the anterna is attarchto.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      October 12, 2015 at 1:30 pm

      Pro, just connect all the EN pins with a 5V supply and join all the IN pins together and connect with the selected output pin of the receiver Rx decoder IC…that's all. The VM pin should be connected with 24V battery supply

      you an refer to the following article for knowing more about the Tx, Rx modules:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2011/12/rf-remote-control-encoder-and-decoder.html

      Reply
    • pro says

      October 13, 2015 at 8:03 am

      thanks for replying me.
      but sir ,you only talk about one side of the IC ,what about the other side ,i mean [PGND1,2,3]and [FAULT,COMPO] were are they connected to and what resistor are attach to them.
      and sir ,the page you show TWS434 IC had 6pins for the transmitter but this had 4pins, so sir ,what is the name of the 4pins IC in the transmitter

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      October 13, 2015 at 8:57 am

      The PGND can all be connected to ground without attaching any resistors.

      Fault, Compo can be left open.

      Use exactly as TSW434 connections are shown, in the linked article

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2011/12/rf-remote-control-encoder-and-decoder.html

      Reply
    • pro says

      October 13, 2015 at 1:59 pm

      thank you sir,
      sir, do you have any image or link on how i can use 7805IC to stepdown the 24V to 5V
      and sir, there is a video i sent to your [email protected] ,help me look into it

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      October 14, 2015 at 10:40 am

      pro, please see the following link to understand how a 7805 needs to be configured with an input DC for obtaining 5V

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2012/03/how-to-make-simple-dc-to-dc-cell-phone.html

      I have not yet checked the video but I'll surely do it soon and give my feedback.

      Reply
  43. VIJAY AJ says

    October 11, 2015 at 7:36 am

    OK sir. Thanks for the information

    Reply
  44. VIJAY AJ says

    October 10, 2015 at 3:45 pm

    Sir u said that in transmitter side by varying the pwm with the help of pot we can adjust the speed of a motor. I have a doubt sir. In receiver side it receive a signal. When a signal arrives it run the motor. How can u send the pwm signal on receiver side motor because when a receiver accept the transmitted signal it has been decoded by the decoder ic and following pin will tends to high. My question is how the decoder ic output varies when the pwm is changed because output from the decoder is constant right?? I did a remote car by using ht pair ice with ask transmitter and receiver this is my doubt sir??

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      October 11, 2015 at 5:36 am

      Vijay, It functions exactly as voice signal is transmitted on radio.

      The PWM ride over the RF carrier waves and reach the receiver where these are decoded back and fed to the BLDC driver IC, the BLDC IC amplifies the PWMs and drive the motor with the same amount of switching and apply the intended speed on the motor.

      Reply
    • Monikka Rajan says

      June 9, 2016 at 1:21 am

      Sir I read what you have said and I had the same doubt as him…also how does the pwm output when received by the receiver move it's directions respectively ?

      Reply
    • Monikka Rajan says

      June 9, 2016 at 1:22 am

      Sir I read what you have posted. ….I still have the doubt like how does varying the resistor values affect the directions in the receiver end?

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 9, 2016 at 4:36 am

      Monikka, the quadcopter will stay stationery as long as all its motors are at exactly the same speed, by varying the PWM we are able to alter the speed of the one of the motors which makes the quadcopter lose its uniformity and its slower motor side tilts downwards which in turn causes it to move on that direction.

      Reply

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