Beacon board

The Beacon board is a 42x30mm with a dedicated STM32F4 microcontroller and the following features:

  • CAN interface with communication over UAVCAN.
  • CAN bootloader for easy firmware update over the bus.
  • An Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) module from Decawave for communication and beacon to beacon distance measurement
  • Molex Picoblade connection for wiring CAN in daisy chain.
  • Micro USB connector for debugging and flashing via DFU.
  • SWD connector for flashing and debugging, with UART exposed on the same connector.
  • 4x M2 holes for mounting.
  • Costs < 50 USD in components.

Still a work in progress. Currently basic communication is implemented and distance measurement at low update rate.

Beacon board, our WIP global positioning system

  • Hardware including KiCad files, the schematics in PDF, and gerber files.
  • Software using ChibiOS RTOS/HAL, and UAVCAN for communication.
  • Bootloader based on libOpenCM3 and a custom lightweight protocol.