STM32 Evaluation Board - Flight Controller STEVAL-FCU001V2

Description

STEVAL-FCU001V2 is a compact Flight Controller Unit (FCU) evaluation board designed by STMicroelectronics as a reference platform for designers of small and medium-sized quad-copters. The kit enables immediate bring-up of a flight control system and testing of stabilization and navigation algorithms under real operating conditions, including evaluation of MEMS inertial sensor performance during flight.

The board supports four motors and allows the construction of a quad-copter using either brushed DC motors, which can be driven directly from the board, or brushless DC (BLDC) motors when used with external ESCs. Integrated power transistors enable direct control of brushed DC motors, allowing fast prototyping and evaluation of drive characteristics.

At the core of the system is a 32-bit STM32F401 microcontroller based on the Arm Cortex-M4 core, intended for real-time processing tasks such as sensor data filtering, attitude estimation, and motor control. The board is equipped with a complete set of navigation sensors, including a MEMS inertial module with a 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope, as well as a high-performance barometric pressure sensor, enabling 3D navigation and altitude measurement.

STEVAL-FCU001V2 supports control via a standard external RC controller through PWM inputs or wirelessly via a smartphone or tablet using the integrated Bluetooth Low Energy module. The board also includes an on-board Li-Po battery charger, along with programming and communication interfaces that support firmware development, debugging, and system expansion with additional sensors or RF modules. The kit serves as a complete reference platform for the design, testing, and validation of flight controllers for drones and other autonomous platforms.

Features

• Motor Control
  • Number of supported motors: 4
  • Supported motor types:
    • Brushed DC motors – direct drive from the board
    • Brushless DC (BLDC) motors – via external ESCs
  • Integrated power stage:
    • 4 × STL10N3LLH5 MOSFETs
    • N-channel, 30 V / 9 A, STripFET™ V technology
• Microcontroller
  • Model: STM32F401
  • Architecture: 32-bit Arm® Cortex®-M4
  • Intended use:
    • real-time flight control
    • stabilization and filtering algorithms
    • attitude and position estimation
• Integrated Sensors
  • IMU – inertial sensor
    • Model: LSM6DSR
    • 3-axis accelerometer
    • 3-axis gyroscope
  • Pressure sensor
    • Model: LPS22HH
    • Measurement range: 260–1260 hPa
    • Digital MEMS barometer for 3D navigation and altitude measurement
• Connectivity and Control
  • Bluetooth® Low Energy v4.2
    • Module: BlueNRG-M0
    • Certifications: CE, FCC, ARIB, BQE
  • Control options:
    • external RC controller (PWM inputs)
    • smartphone or tablet (BLE)
• Power Supply
  • On-board battery charger
    • Single-cell Li-Po
    • IC: STC4054
    • Charging current: up to 800 mA
• Interfaces and Debugging
  • SWD – programming and debugging
  • I²C – support for additional sensors
  • USART – serial communication
  • Expansion connectors for external modules
• Software
  • Reference firmware for immediate operation
  • Support for the ST_BLE_DRONE mobile application
  • Compatibility with the STEVAL-DRONE02 companion kit