Intro

• Who

  • Engineer: Meghan Dang

  • Manager: Daniel Puratich

• Why

  • we want to space ESCs out, have a higher datarate, and less harness complexiy

  • CAN supported ESCs exist but more expensive and not what we have alr, we like what we have right now

  • DSHOT is already a digital protcol that’s busable

    • single ended

    • prone to ground loops and common mode SI

    • 100mil hdrs into pixhawk and from ESC

• What

  • board solders onto the ESCs both DSHOT data pins that has a JST CAN connector to pixhawk

  • the firmware and hardware will not implement an ESC, we will continue to rely on COTS for this assuming the COTS solution features a standard DSHOT 100mil pitch connection (as the APD ESCs we have right now do)

  • firmware wise this is a CAN to bidirectional DSHOT adapter.

• How:

  • small STM and a CAN transciever, may require a little LDO for power, see below for design procedure

• When

  • Starting Early June 2024

Table of Contents

Subpages

System Background/Research

most information pulled from 2024 System Architecture

Pixhawk

link to pixhawk docu for CAN transcievr

https://holybro.com/collections/autopilot-flight-controllers/products/pixhawk-6x

https://docs.holybro.com/autopilot/pixhawk-6x/technical-specification

https://ardupilot.org/plane/docs/common-holybro-pixhawk6X.html

APD ESC

note that other DSHOT supporting ESCs are similar pinout wise.

dshot has a sig in, a sig out, and a GND pin here

https://powerdrives.net/120f3 sales page

https://docs.powerdrives.net/products/f_series/quick-start-guide manual page

excerpt from their documentation:

Other Devices

• ark CAN node

  • https://github.com/ARK-Electronics/ARK_CANNODE/blob/main/Hardware/Rev%201/ARK%20CANNODE%20Rev%201%20Schematic.PDF

  • https://arkelectron.com/product/ark-cannode/

  • switched CAN termination is actually an insanely good idea for hobbiest CAN networks

Design

System Wiring Diagram

Diagram explains this board connects to ESC and rest of the system. Other CAN nodes should be implemented similarly. Daniel Puratich is handling this diagram to help set the stage and improve on diagrams from Custom CAN Hub and concepts discussed widely.

CAN Header Selection

Will follow Pixhawk Electrical Connector Standards .

copy pixhawk for MPN

input and output CAN hdr

ESC Connection Selection

100mil hdr mount onto it

Micro Selection

some STM

CAN Transceiver Selection

copy pixhawk?

common mode choke plz

Power Decision

LDO to power the transciever?

how much capacitance

Board Outline Sketch

Roughly how will system look?