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Creating a Flight Stack

Flight stacks (Flight Stacks) and microchips are key components of modern unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), robotics and other autonomous systems. They provide control, data processing and interaction with hardware. In this article, we will look at the basics of flight stacks, their connection with microchips, and provide code examples for working with such systems.

What are flight stacks?

  • Hardware: microcontrollers, sensors (gyroscopes, accelerometers, GPS), communication modules.
  • Software: firmware, libraries and algorithms for data processing, navigation and control.
  • Popular flight stacks: Ardupilot, PX4, Betaflight and DJI SDK.

Role of microchips in flight stacks

Microchips (or microcontrollers) are the “brain” of the flight stack. They process data from sensors, perform real-time calculations and control motors. The most common microchips for UAVs:

  • STM32 (STMicroelectronics) — popular choice for PX4 and Betaflight.
  • ESP32 — used for projects with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support.
  • ATmega — foundation for Ardupilot in older models.

Code examples

Below are code examples for platforms such as Arduino and PX4. The code is left as regular Markdown blocks for reading convenience.

1. Reading data from MPU6050 sensor (accelerometer + gyroscope)

This code demonstrates how to read data from MPU6050 via I2C on an Arduino microcontroller.

#include <Wire.h>
#include <MPU6050.h>

MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Wire.begin();
  mpu.initialize();
  if (mpu.testConnection()) {
    Serial.println("MPU6050 connected!");
  }
}

void loop() {
  int16_t ax, ay, az;
  mpu.getAcceleration(&ax, &ay, &az);
  Serial.print("Ax: "); Serial.print(ax);
  Serial.print(" Ay: "); Serial.print(ay);
  Serial.print(" Az: "); Serial.println(az);
  delay(500);
}

Explanation: The code initializes the MPU6050 sensor and reads acceleration data on three axes, outputting it to the serial port.

2. Motor control via PWM (for Betaflight)

This example shows how to control a brushless motor via PWM on an STM32 microcontroller.

#include <Servo.h>

Servo motor;

void setup() {
  motor.attach(9); // PWM pin for motor
  motor.write(1000); // ESC initialization (1000 μs — minimum signal)
  delay(2000); // Wait for ESC initialization
}

void loop() {
  motor.write(1200); // Set motor speed
  delay(1000);
  motor.write(1000); // Stop motor
  delay(1000);
}

Explanation: The code initializes the ESC (electronic speed controller) and periodically changes the motor speed.

3. PX4 setup for autonomous flight

Explanation: The code connects to the PX4 autopilot via UDP and sends a takeoff command to 10 meters altitude.

from pymavlink import mavutil

# Connection to autopilot
master = mavutil.mavlink_connection('udp:127.0.0.1:14550')

# Wait for readiness
master.wait_heartbeat()
print("Connection established!")

# Takeoff command
master.mav.command_long_send(
    master.target_system, master.target_component,
    mavutil.mavlink.MAV_CMD_NAV_TAKEOFF,
    0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 10)

Explanation: The code connects to the PX4 autopilot via UDP and sends a takeoff command to 10 meters altitude.

Conclusion

Flight stacks and microchips are the foundation of modern autonomous systems. They allow developers to create complex algorithms for drone control, sensor data processing and mission execution.