Using M4 with BLDCs - Short How to

[aBUGSworstnightmare]

[Kisssys]

I built a nanohexa with a AQ6 board about a year and a half ago but of course it was too heavy and hence the beginning of the M4. Here is a video of a M4 hexa done aobut 8 month's ago. The extra channels were done with a special adapter board that I made.

If you understand the electrons then it's just a couple of resistors, a diode and a fet hooked to a expansion pin to create the the extra drivers. If not then the best bet would see if Jussi at Viacopter has any of his driver board's assembled.

FetDriver.JPG (25.7 KiB) Viewed 16391 times

[youtube]watch?v=RXvdYUWqUbQ&list=UUvyI6dkgSbra4VDVHOdIzgw[/youtube]

[DUKE40]

Hi Kisssys,

the only problem is I need it for brushless motors and not for brushed motors like in your video.
So I might remain with a Quad, as my electronic and soldering skills are not enough for that.

[Kisssys]

It's actually much easier for brushless. Jussi has expansion boards that give you the M4..M8. To gain access to the PWM that goes to the fets you can access it through these points on the board. They are the PWM outputs that drive the fets but can drive a esc as well if defined as such. You can do an Octo with M1..M8 available.

[DUKE40]

Hi Kisssys,

sounds great, but I will need a little bit help.
So the marked pads are for M1 to M4 PWN, which I could use directly a signal input for my ESCs, right?
But that is only 4, for an Hexa I will need 6 of them, where do I find the other ones?
I will have the BLDC board of aBugsWorstNightmare, where I will have 4 outputs for my ESCs, would the four marked by you allow me to have in this case 8 outputs?
What would I need to change where in the FW to get it to work the way I need?

I know a lot of questions, but as I said, electronics is not really my speciality.

[Kisssys]

Yes to everything, I'm not positive but I assume the board you have has M5..M8. You would get M1..M4 from those points on the board. You would just consider them normal esc outputs and would have to load the proper M4 firmware file for external esc's from the website.

Just assign the proper motors in QGC to those motor outputs.

If soldering is not your thing, you might want to get someone to solder to those points for you. This board is very small and easy to screw it up.

[aBUGSworstnightmare]

[daniel_k]

Hi,
I bought an M4-Board yesterday (my christmas present for me ), and I want to use it for a small hexa (with simonK BLDC ESCs). Soldering M1-M4 to the board isn't a problem, M5 and M6 will be connected to the expansion board Jussi is
selling.
Which Firmware do I need for this setup and will I able to run Quatos with this setup?

Daniel

[codeforge]

if i want to use only bluetooth and sd card, i need to rebuild the firmware? or i can use the same that i use to fly with ladybird settings?

[Max]