README.md
BCFlight 🚁

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BCFlight is an open-source Linux-based Raspberry Pi drone and ground controller system, offering a complete solution for flight control, stabilization, and telemetry.

🌟 Key Features

🎯 Performance


Low resource usage : ~25% CPU and ~100MB RAM on Raspberry Pi 4
High frequency : Sensors and stabilizer update rate up to 8kHz (on RPi4)
Ultra-low latency : ~5ms controls latency, ~50ms video latency over composite
Stabilization : Up to 8 motors with customizable configuration matrix


🔧 Motor Protocols


DShot (150 & 300) - Recommended
OneShot125 and OneShot42
Standard PWM


📡 Communication


WiFi/Ethernet : Standard TCP/UDP/IP
Raw WiFi : Based on wifibroadcast
Radio : nRF24L01, SX1276/77/78/79 (FSK/LoRa)
S-BUS : Limited functionality support


📹 Video & Recording


Composite output : Direct connection to 5GHz VTX modules, with SmartAudio support
Multi-camera recording : MKV format, up to ~120 MPix/s total throughput
Gyroflow output : Compatible with Gyroflow for video stabilization
Live HUD : Real-time telemetry, battery status, speed, acceleration


⚙️ Configuration


LuaJIT : Flexible configuration and customizable event handling
User code : Execution of custom Lua functions
Full API : Access to all systems


🏗️ Architecture

The project consists of three main components:

🚁 flight/ - Flight Controller

Core system managing:
- Main thread : Sensor data collection, attitude calculation, stabilization
- Controller thread : User input reception, telemetry transmission
- Power thread : Battery monitoring and current consumption

🖥️ controller_pc/ - PC Interface

Configurable GUI client for:
- Remote control via PC
- Sensor and telemetry visualization
- Advanced configuration

🎮 controller_rc/ - Remote Control

Portable control interface with:
- Touchscreen support
- Adapted user interface
- Lua configuration

🔌 Supported Sensors

IMUs


InvenSense ICM-42605, ICM-20608, MPU-9250, MPU-9150, MPU-6050
STMicroelectronics L3GD20H, LSM303


Altimeters/Barometers


Bosch BMP180, BMP280


Others


HC-SR04 (distance sensors)
ADS1015/ADS1115 (ADC)


🛠️ Installation

Pre-built Images

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Automatically generated images based on Raspbian:
- SSH : root:bcflight by default
- System : Read-only by default (security)
- Flight Service : Disabled by default for configuration




  
Image
  
Based on
  
DShot
  
Analog video




  
<![CDATA[]]>2023-07-18-raspbian-bcflight.img<![CDATA[]]>
  
2023-05-03-raspios-bullseye-armhf-lite
  
✅¹
  
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¹ DShot and composite output can be enabled via /boot/config.txt and /var/flight/config.lua

Building from Source

PC Controller (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Dependencies
sudo apt-get install nasm qtmultimedia5-dev qtbase5-dev qtchooser qt5-qmake qtbase5-dev-tools libnl-3-dev libnl-genl-3-dev libnl-route-3-dev libiw-dev libfftw3-dev libqscintilla2-qt5-dev


Build

git clone https://github.com/dridri/bcflight.git
cd bcflight/controllerpc
cmake -DCMAKEBUILDTYPE=Release -S . -B build
cd build && make -j$(nproc)
./controllerpc


Flight Controller (Raspberry Pi)

# Dependencies
sudo apt update
sudo apt install git pkg-config cmake make g++ libc6-dev libraspberrypi-dev libiw-dev libdrm-dev libgbm-dev libcamera-dev libgles2-mesa-dev libgps-dev libasound2-dev libcrypt-dev zlib1g-dev libpng-dev libshine-dev libavformat-dev libavutil-dev libavcodec-dev libpigpio-dev lua5.3 libfftw3-dev


Build

git clone https://github.com/dridri/bcflight
cd bcflight/flight
cmake -Dboard=rpi -Ddebug=1 -S . -B build
cd build && make -j$(nproc)


🔧 Configuration

Basic Configuration Example

-- Frame configuration (quadcopter)
frame = Multicopter {
    maxspeed = 1.0,
    air_mode = {
        trigger = 0.25,
        speed = 0.15
    },
    motors = {
        DShot( 4 ), DShot( 5 ), DShot( 6 ), DShot( 7 )
    },
    matrix = {
        Vector( -1.0,  1.0, -1.0, 1.0 ),
        Vector(  1.0,  1.0,  1.0, 1.0 ),
        Vector( -1.0, -1.0,  1.0, 1.0 ),
        Vector(  1.0, -1.0, -1.0, 1.0 )
    }
}


-- IMU configuration
imu = IMU {
    gyroscopes = { imusensor.gyroscope },
    accelerometers = { imusensor.accelerometer },
    filters = {
        rates = { input = Vector( 80, 80, 80 ), output = Vector( 0.25, 0.25, 0.25 ) },
        accelerometer = { input = Vector( 350, 350, 350 ), output = Vector( 0.1, 0.1, 0.1 ) }
    }
}

-- PID stabilizer
stabilizer = Stabilizer {
    looptime = 500, -- 2000Hz
    ratespeed = 1000, -- deg/sec
    pidroll = PID( 45, 70, 40 ),
    pidpitch = PID( 46, 70, 40 ),
    pid_yaw = PID( 45, 90, 2 )
}


🎥 Demo

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More videos on <![CDATA[]]>YouTube @drichfpv<![CDATA[]]>

🖥️ User Interface

PC Controller



Sensors and Telemetry



🔌 Hardware

Custom CM4 Carrier Board



Features:
- 5V 3A LM22676 regulator (max 42V input)
- ADS1115 ADC for battery voltage measurement
- Dual RFM95W radio sockets with external antennas
- High-precision ICM-42605 IMU
- BMP581 barometer
- Dual CSI camera connectors
- Direct composite video output to VTX

Hardware Photos





📚 Documentation


<![CDATA[]]>Configuration<![CDATA[]]>
<![CDATA[]]>Sensors<![CDATA[]]>
<![CDATA[]]>Motors<![CDATA[]]>
<![CDATA[]]>Radio<![CDATA[]]>


🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! The project is licensed under GPL v3.

📄 License

This project is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. See the LICENSE file for more details.

🔗 Useful Links


CI/CD : <![CDATA[]]>ci.drich.fr<![CDATA[]]>
Images : <![CDATA[]]>bcflight.drich.fr<![CDATA[]]>
CAD : View on CADLAB.io


⚠️ Warning : This software is provided for educational and research purposes. Drone usage can be dangerous. Please respect local regulations and use at your own risk.