Start Here & FAQs
Background Information
The Stamp Eco System was born out of a desire to have more flexibility when designing airframes and move lots of the messy wiring onto a carrier PCB. The main Flight Controller is based on the FMUv6 open standards and adopts the standard power redundancy that larger alternatives offer at a fraction of the size and weight, with the added benefit of having all the needed components on board rather than split between the FC and the carrier. The H743-Stamp is just 22x24mm and weighs only 1.9g. It is a great way to streamline low volume production of airframes and reduce labour spent on assembly. Using the Stamp Eco System also allows system commonality between different airframe designs, further reducing labour and costs.
Expanding the main FC is the CAN Node. This runs ArduPilot's AP_Periph firmware and allows the use of the CAN bus to expand the IO capabilities of the FC. Using Drone CAN also makes wiring easy with standardised connectors and good signal integrity.
To give your projects power the AM32 ESC Stamp is a complete ESC, just without the main power MOSFETs and drive resistors! The ESC Stamp runs the open source firmware AM32 and includes all the complicated circuitry needed for BLDC motor control, leaving the choice up to the user for the MOSFET selection (different voltages/current). The Stamp comes in a 1 channel and 4 channel version depending on use case.
How to use
The Stamps are designed to be used on a custom PCB carrier of your design. It is fairly easy to design a carrier and there are footprints and symbols available for use with your design software of choice. JLCPCB are recommended as a low cost (typically <$10) option for quick and reliable PCBs and offer low cost component assembly services for more complex carriers. JLCPCB pairs nicely with EasyEDA as a design tool and allows access to JLCPCBs part catalogue. There are example Schematics and PCB layouts provided as a base to work off which can be directly opened in EasyEDA for modification.
The flexibility offered allows a carrier with connectors that match your sensors, mounting holes and overall shape to match your fuselage and makes airframe assembly quick and reliable.
Hardware Integration and Inspiration
These are some custom carrier examples for different airframe types and serve as inspiration for your own designs.
H743 VTOL Carrier
Designed for low power (2-5s) VTOL capable airframes, the VTOL carrier includes x3 Single Channel ESC Drivers and MOSFETs capable of up to 40 Amps and has connectors for servos allowing control of both the tilting motors and the control surfaces. Built in Current and Voltage sensing are accompanied by a 5v BEC providing power to the FC. A header is compatible with most RC Links (TBS/ELRS) to allow bidirectional telemetry, with an ESP on the bottom for short range Wi-Fi telemetry. USB is broken out into a connector to allow the USB port to be mounted flush to the airframe and a GPS connector makes installation easy.
Direct CBU-H743-Stamp Connection
x3 2-5s 40 Amp AM32 ESCs
MR30 Motor Connectors
Voltage & Current Sense
5v BEC
6 Servo Channels
Direct TBS/ELRS Rx Connection
GPS Connector
USB Connector
ESP Telemetry
x2 Spare UART
x Spare I2C
H743 1s Micro Quad With USB Charging
Designed as part of a larger project for a drone "kit" that can be used at trade shows/company meetings. Based around an 18350 sized Li-Ion battery cell this carrier has on board charging via USB with Over Current/Voltage/Discharge/Charge protection. The H743-Stamp is mounted using headers to allow a more "plug and play" option to the end user without the need for soldering. It also features an ESP for Wi-Fi telemetry and a connector for Optical Flow and LiDAR for GPS denied position hold.
CBU-H743-Stamp Connection via Header
4 Brushed Motor ESCs
Voltage and Current Sense
ESP Telemetry
USB Charging
Battery Protection Features
On/Off Switch
Connector for external Optical Flow/LiDAR sensor.
FAQ
What is the minimum amount of hardware I need?
Technically just power, you could solder directly to the Stamps if you wanted! The Stamps are designed from the onset to be as encompassing as possible and should be thought about like traditional UAV hardware in that they are mostly standalone*.
So why design an Eco System targeted at users that also needs a custom carrier board?
The elegance of having the Stamps encompass all the supporting components* is that it simplifies the carrier board greatly, allowing extremely low manufacturing costs at extremely low quantities (5+).
How do I create a custom carrier?
Sign up for EasyEDA and load in a base project to work off. The software runs in your browser and there are plenty of tutorials online
What if I still don't know what to do?
We offer consulting services encompassing carrier board design and manufacture, please contact us on the main website CBUnmanned.com .
*The ESC Stamps encompass as much of the supporting components as is practical, while still allowing changes to MOSFETs
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