Flight Controller Design
Worked for 15 mins 19 sec
I made substantial progress, but I’m blocked from finishing because there are no available ACUs, so I can’t continue executing fixes right now.
What I accomplished:
- Resized the PCB to a compact 50 × 50 mm, 4-layer board.
- Re-placed all 34 components for a compact manufacturable layout:
- ESP32 at board edge with antenna facing outward.
- USB-C, ESD, charger, battery connector, LDO, IMU, flash, buttons, and LEDs grouped logically.
- Cleared stale routing and fixed the USB/VBUS routing precheck blockers.
- Ran full-board auto-routing successfully.
Remaining blockers before the PCB is manufacturing-ready:
- 35 invalid-layer Smart Via errors from the autorouter.
- 1 dangling trace warning.
- 22 generic passives missing manufacturer part numbers.
- Final DRC/manufacturing validation still needs to be re-run after those fixes.
Suggested next steps once ACUs are available:
- Fix/delete or regenerate the invalid Smart Vias.
- Delete the dangling trace.
- Assign real MPNs to the generic resistors/capacitors.
- Re-run DRC/ERC and manufacturing checks.
- Export Gerbers, BOM, and pick-and-place only after checks are clean.
Fix routing errors
Complete BOM MPNs
Run final checks
Export manufacturing files
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Technical Construction File Notes — ESP32 Pickleball Tracker
Status
Draft, schematic stage.
Applicable Areas
- FCC Part 15 / ISED / CE RED / UKCA likely apply because the design includes Wi-Fi/BLE via ESP32-C3-WROOM-02-N4.
- Battery safety review applies because the design includes LiPo charging via MCP73831.
Wireless Technology Summary
Table
| Module | MPN | Technology | Integration Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | ESP32-C3-WROOM-02-N4 | 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi + Bluetooth LE | Use module antenna keepout exactly per Espressif datasheet; do not place copper under antenna region. Verify module certification IDs and grant conditions before sale. |
Required Documentation Checklist
- Draft schematic in Flux.
- BOM/source components in schematic.
- Block diagram in Project Specification.
- Bring-up/test plan created.
- Final PCB layout/Gerbers after layout completion.
- Antenna keepout/layout screenshots after PCB placement.
- Module certification evidence and integration instructions from Espressif.
- Final user manual with RF/battery warnings.
- Accredited EMC/RF test reports, if required for target market.
RF Design Notes
- Place the ESP32-C3 module at a board edge with the PCB antenna facing outward.
- Maintain the datasheet antenna keepout on all copper layers.
- Keep battery, USB shield, ground pours, and metal enclosure features out of the antenna keepout.
- Avoid routing high-current or high-speed traces near the antenna.
Battery / Charger Safety Notes
- Use a protected LiPo cell unless additional protection circuitry is added.
- MCP73831 charge current is set around 100 mA by R7 = 10 kΩ.
- Confirm selected battery capacity supports the programmed charge current.
- Current schematic does not include a dedicated power-path/load-sharing IC; review before production if operation while charging is required.
Open Items
- Verify ESP32-C3-WROOM-02 certification IDs for target sales regions.
- Complete PCB layout with antenna keepout and USB routing review.
- Add enclosure/mechanical notes once mounting is defined.
Status
Applicable Areas
Wireless Technology Summary
Required Documentation Checklist
RF Design Notes
Battery / Charger Safety Notes
Open Items
