Project Start


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Cylinder LED Carrier
Passive three-channel LED carrier prototype for the Cylinder LED Controller: 35 ×120 mm target, six separate conductors to external 675–680 nm LED stars, downward optics and separate metal heat spreader in a 50 mm bore model-aircraft housing. Mechanical and daylight-visibility validation pending.
Build three-LED carrier PCB
Starting...
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I’ve created the separate LED-carrier project and settled on a compact medium-beam lens candidate. I also found that the controller’s generic inductor footprints weren’t suitable for the power stages, so I’m replacing them with real power-inductor packages before placement.
Thought for 1 min 52 sec
Thought for 8 sec
Awaiting 1 task
"Cylinder LED Controller" completed.
I updated the prototype floorplan for your 50 mm-diameter × 127 mm-long cylinder and created the separate LED-carrier project.
  • Controller: the existing 47-component schematic remains the starting point. I identified unsuitable generic power-inductor footprints and started correcting them, but couldn’t verify the saved result.
  • LED carrier: I started its schematic and placement build; no completed result was available before execution stopped.
  • Optics: the provisional candidate is Carclo 10195, approximately 20 mm diameter × 9.9 mm high. Compatibility with your exact LEDs and daylight visibility at 150 ft remain unverified.
Neither PCB is confirmed placed, routed, or manufacturing-ready. Next work is to finish the inductor corrections, complete both placements, and check battery clearance and the separate metal LED heat-spreader arrangement before routing.
Execution stopped because your ACUs ran out.
"PCB Carrier Build" completed.
The LED-carrier build has now reported completion, but I couldn’t inspect its saved result, so I’m not yet confirming it as verified or manufacturing-ready. No additional project changes were made this turn.
Remaining work is to review the LED carrier, confirm the controller’s inductor corrections, and check battery, lens, and heatsink clearance before finishing layout and routing.
Execution stopped because your ACUs ran out.

Firmware Getting Started
Toolchain
ESP-IDF for ESP32-C3. Create a standard C3 project and use LEDC PWM plus a 150-second software timer.
Pin Mapping

Table


Module pinFunction
GPIO0LED1 PWM / AL8860 CTRL
GPIO1LED2 PWM / AL8860 CTRL
GPIO3LED3 PWM / AL8860 CTRL
GPIO20 / RXDUART0 RX
GPIO21 / TXDUART0 TX
GPIO9Boot strap/button
ENReset/button
Safe Startup
Each AL8860 CTRL net has a 4.7 kΩ hardware pull-down. This holds CTRL low while the ESP32 GPIO is high impedance; at 3.3 V the GPIO sources about 0.70 mA through the resistor, well within normal GPIO drive capability. Configure GPIO0, GPIO1, and GPIO3 as outputs driven low before configuring LEDC. Use PWM frequency below 500 Hz. Do not enable a channel until timer and session state are initialized.
Programming
J3: 1 3V3, 2 GND, 3 TX from module, 4 RX to module, 5 EN, 6 BOOT. Enter download mode by holding BOOT low while pulsing EN low.
Mode Skeleton
States: OFF, STEADY, BLINK, SESSION_150S. On timeout or reset, write all PWM duties to zero.
  • Toolchain

  • Pin Mapping

  • Safe Startup

  • Programming

  • Mode Skeleton