[Daxo]

I have the Atom EVO but the case that comes with it and the old style pins are not efficient enough so I ordered this cc3d atom nano variant. It doesn't use the pins for motor channels but rather small connector, case seams well made and total FC height with case is roughly 8mm per spec.



My only concern is regarding oneshot esc's, cant tell where will I connect the ground wire of each esc to the fc.
This is also a thing that I have been thinking about and meant to ask, are the ground pins on atom/cc3d mutually connected together somewhere on the board via traces?

Appreciated!

http://www.banggood.com/Openpilot-MINI-CC3D-NANO-Atom-Flight-Controller-for-QAV250-Multicopter-250-Frame-Kit-p-992324.html?p=O521051806009201506W

[TheOtherCliff]

Grounds are all connected together internally.
Receiver, esc/servo, Flexi, Main.

Power (5V) pins are also all connected together internally.

[Daxo]

So basically, I don't need to route all esc ground wires all the way up to the fc. I can harness the ground wires to a single wire and connect it to any esc channel ground on the fc?

Thanks for helping me out on this, was thinking about this for a while now.


edit: reason for doing so would be to eliminate 4 servo cable wires out of the picture, so instead using 10 wires for a quad copter, I could use 6 instead.

[liftbag]

So basically, I don't need to route all esc ground wires all the way up to the fc. I can harness the ground wires to a single wire and connect it to any esc channel ground on the fc?

Thanks for helping me out on this, was thinking about this for a while now.

In my Defiance 265 I've done so, all ground esc wires to a single wire connected to fc and she flies great.

[Daxo]

That's awesome to hear, Thank you so much guyz!

I'm working on a new design, and taking end user perspective into play there's no suitable fc board that meets ergonomics efficiently enough. Highest parameters are ofc a good fc with great fw(LP) that works, compact size-light weight with a proper case design and affordable.

The one I've linked meets most of those parameters and at 4 grams for all of it.

Now that I know this, I not only can eliminate 4 wires but I have an idea or two that this might be very useful as solution for an 'interaction' plate design one day.

You guyz are the best! Thank you!

[Daxo]

Only one more thing, is the required 5v power ground connected before all grounds are meet on the board or via some component then together with other grounds?

I'm not an electronic engineer but  guess since current flows in opposite direction, that is from negative to positive I'm concern if it might effect the esc grounding if I use single wire to connect all ground esc wires and power ground wire.

by my layman logic it shouldn't, ground is ground and 'information' flows from the point of reception towards the output(positive) closed circle, it shouldn't be able to reverse current flow towards esc's right?

[TheOtherCliff]

I don't really get your question... 

All the +5V's are wired together with wire or metal traces, and for low current, low frequency signals, it doesn't matter where you connect to it.

Ground the same way.

Electrons do flow from negative (ground) to positive, but you will do better thinking of "holes" flowing from positive to negative.  That is the way air pressure works (flows from high to low).  That is the way electronic symbols work.  The schematic drawing of a diode is is a line with an arrow and the arrow is the direction of current flow, and that is from positive to negative.

[Daxo]

Thanks Cliff,

Yeah I guess being a layman on this matter doesn't really helps expressing what I mean

I find this things very interesting and hope one day i'll find time to start learning all this things. I truly envy(in a good way) folks that have the knowledge and skills to do electronic engineering. Seams there's endless possibilities what one can make to tic haha

I will do an experiment and test does it work with all escs and power ground fused to a single wire, have few escs around and I don't mind if I fry the atom.

[Daxo]

Btw, while we at it. Just some silly things running through my mind, is there a way to use a single signal wire for 4 escs signal.

I assume it needs to code the signal information for each escs while every individual esc needs to decode/recognize only information sent for it(throttle %). Latency? to slow, similar to what ppm is doing ? Just guessing here but I guess this is the best moment to get an answer from someone knowledgeable as you are. Appreciated


single wire with two ends, one having a code taking FC's signal data for 4 esc's into a single data package sent to other end, the other end 'unpacks' the data into 4 separate outputs for each esc. ( best guess modulation width does it more simpler)

I'm aware I'm probably talking nonsense here, hoping to get better understanding on possibilities.

[mazevx]

Seriell esc connection can be realized by can bus...sparky 2 supports can bus but no fw that I know supports esc connection over can except autoquad.

[liftbag]

Just because we are talking about Mini CC3d and because I don't like to fix the flight controller to the frame with double side tape, I made a very simple 30.5mm pattern adapter.
Weighs 1.7 grams.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1103134

[bob4432]

Can I ask what the difference between the Atom and Atom EVO is?

[TheOtherCliff]

yes

[TheOtherCliff]

I have heard that for Atom there may be no difference between Atom and Atom EVO. 

[bob4432]

So somebody's marketing and the the OP Line stands as OPCC (no longer created due to lack of analog gyros, replaced by OP CC3D), OP CC3D, OP Atom, OP Revolution, OP Revolution Nano, OP GPS (V9) Platinum,  OP Link Mini.  Hoping to one day in the near future get my hands on the Revo Nano files to build a couple for my own personal use and not buy the non-tested/changed placement chinese clones that are made with their lowest $$ amount for parts/design version and go directly by the OP BOM, which I have done in the past with great results with a CC3D and yet to be built 'old skool' OP CC w/ the analog gyros that I have in my 'bin of parts' .

Sorry @Daxo for my questions going so off topic.