STATUS: DRAFT - UNVERIFIED - requires human review at Gate G3

Flight Lab · Design explorer · Fly it · Program it · Schematics (G2) · PCB layout (G3) · Decisions · Checklist · Set up on Ubuntu

Warning

Nothing here has been built, powered, tested or flown. MicroScout is drafted by an AI agent and checked by a human at eight gates.

• Gate G1 (architecture and parts) was approved on 2026-10-07.
• Gate G2 (schematics) was approved on 2026-10-08.
• Gate G3 (PCB layout) is drafted and waiting for review. The flight controller and ESC still have open connections (listed in the G3 package).

The 3D images are a concept model, the flights and the Flight Lab are simulations with estimated parameters, and every number is a datasheet value or an estimate.

Fly it in your browser: the Flight Lab

The Flight Lab runs MicroScout's simulator in a web page, with nothing to install:

• Fly it yourself with the keyboard, a gamepad or touch sticks, in beginner, sport or acro mode, with one-button flips.
• Race five autopilots through obstacle courses: PID, LQR (Linear-Quadratic Regulator), MPC (Model Predictive Control) given the map, MPC using only its own sensors, and a learned policy.
• Build your own course in a top-down editor, then share it as a link.
• Train it with reinforcement learning using CEM, evolution strategies, ARS or REINFORCE, and watch every attempt as it learns.
• Make it hard: add wind, gusts, a weak motor, a payload, noisy sensors or a flat battery.

Free pilot: take off, thread a gate, back flip. The red and grey lines are the 12 simulated ToF rays.

MPC in the pillar forest: the faint purple lines are the 64 futures it samples every 40 ms.

_{Learning from scratch: the first ~240 iterations of CEM, two per frame. Each faint line is one attempt by a member of the population; the curve on the right is the score.}

How the autopilots and the learning algorithms compare (simulation, estimated parameters)

The map-based MPC is handed the obstacle map. The fair comparison is the sensor-only MPC, which sees only its 12 ToF (Time-of-Flight) rays, like the learned policy: it also finished every forest layout, but at 1.3 m/s instead of 2.5 m/s. Details and caveats are in docs/guide/lab.md.

Where the project is

At a glance

⚡ Quick and agile	🛡️ Built to take knocks	🧑‍💻 Easy to fly and program
2S brushless (4 × 1103 11000KV), 2-inch props	One-piece ducted nylon (PA11) frame acts as the bumper	Beginner, sport and acro modes, one-button flips
Thrust-to-weight 3.9-5.7 (est.)	Electronics soft-mounted on rubber grommets	drone.takeoff() / drone.flip("back") in Python
~1000 °/s rotation, back flip in ~0.8 s (simulated)	Props are the designed weak point; no-solder spares	Same code for the simulator now and the drone later
~86.2 g with a 550 mAh pack (est.), ~5-6.5 min hover	Hardware low-battery cut-off, current limit in firmware	USB-C charging with balancing; flash over USB without a battery

Inside:

• Compute and camera: ESP32-S3 (Wi-Fi + BLE), OV2640 camera.
• Navigation sensors: ICM-42688-P IMU, BMP388 barometer, QMC5883P compass, Bitcraze Flow deck.
• Ranging: four time-of-flight sensors on small satellite boards.
• Radio: ExpressLRS receiver.
• Motor control: an open 4-in-1 ESC (electronic speed controller) running AM32 firmware.

Try it in 30 seconds (simulator)

No install: open the Flight Lab. To program it from Python instead:

git clone https://github.com/Normansrule/microscout.git
cd microscout/software/microscout_sdk && python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
microscout demo      # take off, fly a square, turn, back flip, side flip, land

import microscout

with microscout.connect("sim") as drone:      # later: microscout.connect("udp://192.168.4.1")
    drone.takeoff(1.0)
    drone.flip("back")
    drone.land()

New machine? docs/setup-ubuntu.md covers every command from a fresh Ubuntu terminal: tools, GitHub login, pulling, publishing, the simulator and KiCad's ERC.

What it looks like (concept)

_{Frame and canopy are parametric CadQuery geometry; motors, props, battery, boards and sensors are simplified envelopes. The flip is replayed from the SDK simulator at 2.5× slower. CAD files: mechanical/concept/ (STEP, STL, 3MF, GLB).}

How it is built

Block	Choice (G1 approved, drawn at G2)
Compute and radio	ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N8R2 (Wi-Fi + BLE), ExpressLRS receiver (CRSF)
Propulsion	4 × EX1103 11000KV, 2-inch 3-blade props in ducts; 4-in-1 ESC with 4 × AT32F421 (AM32), FD6288Q drivers on a 9.6 V supply
Power	2S 550 mAh LiHV on XT30; BQ25887 USB-C charger with balancing; 3.3 V and 5 V bucks; soft power switch; INA226 current monitor; hardware low-battery cut-off
Sensors	ICM-42688-P, BMP388, QMC5883P, 3 × VL53L1X + VL53L5CX (8 × 8) on satellites, Flow deck v2
Frame	One-piece ducted PA11 frame, TPU canopy and strap, boards on grommets

Schematics (approved at G2)

Flight controller - power: charger, soft switch, bucks, cut-off, ESC supply

4-in-1 ESC - motor 1: AT32F421 + FD6288Q + 6 MOSFETs + back-EMF sensing

The schematics are generated from Python by tools/sch as KiCad 7 files: the flight controller (4 sheets), the ESC (5 sheets) and two ToF satellite boards.

• Checks: the agent's checks report 0 errors, and KiCad's exported netlists are identical to the source.
• KiCad 9 ERC (run by the owner): 0 errors. The warnings came from library differences between KiCad versions, so the library parts are now bundled with the project (D-056). Re-running step 6 of the setup guide should show far fewer.
• Review: an independent review pass found 7 serious issues, and all are fixed. They are listed in review/G2/README.md.

PCB layout (Gate G3 draft)

Flight controller - 6 layers, 52 mm, ESP32-S3 module on top, sensors and regulators underneath

4-in-1 ESC - 4 layers, 40 mm, 24 MOSFETs on top, four AM32 MCUs and drivers underneath

ToF satellites - 2 layers, fully routed, DRC 0

The boards are laid out by Python scripts in tools/pcb on KiCad 7, routed by Freerouting and a finishing router. The flight controller and the ESC still have open connections; each one is listed in review/G3/open-connections.md, and how to finish them is open question OQ-19. Layer plots, DRC reports, the stackup and the trace-width calculations are in review/G3.

The numbers (estimates, regenerated from the budget model)

More charts and animations: power, cost, duct layout, pin map, power-on sequence, ToF addressing

Project status

Gate	What the owner reviews	State
G1	Architecture, parts, budgets, pin table - review/G1	✅ Approved 2026-10-07
G2	Schematics, ERC, reference-design checks - review/G2	✅ Approved 2026-10-08
G3	PCB layout, DRC, stackup, trace widths - review/G3	🟡 Awaiting review; routing not finished (OQ-19 to OQ-23)
G4	Fabrication outputs	⚪ Not started
G5	Mechanical design	⚪ Concept CAD only
G6-G7	Firmware, bench bring-up, first flight	⚪ SDK, simulator and Flight Lab built early
G8	Release	⚪ Not started

Progress log: PROGRESS.md. Every design choice and its alternatives: docs/decisions.md.

Known risks:

• Takeoff weight ~86.2 g against the ~85 g limit.
• The flight controller and ESC layouts still have open connections (OQ-19), and the flight controller now needs a 6-layer board (D-062).
• The XT30 connector's peak rating is below the full-throttle current, so firmware limits current to 30 A.
• Priced parts come to ~$205 per drone (higher cost accepted).
• Gate-driver stock is uncertain (OQ-13).
• There is no fuse and no reverse-polarity protection.

What the agent cannot produce or confirm (the human verifies these at the gates)

• Physical testing of any kind: power-up, sensor readings, motor spin, flight, battery charging, thermal behaviour, camera streaming, radio range.
• Real-time part availability and pricing; stock and prices were seen on given dates and change daily.
• Footprint-to-part correctness: land patterns, pin 1 orientation and package variants must be checked against the purchased parts.
• ESP32-S3 pin conflicts (strapping, PSRAM/flash, USB, boot-sensitive pins), which must be checked against the exact module datasheet.
• PCB layout quality: RF and antenna keep-out, USB pairs, ground returns, EMI, IMU noise, motor-current heating.
• Analog and power design correctness against each IC's reference design.
• Fabrication file correctness, including Gerbers, drills and JLCPCB CPL rotations.
• Manufacturer STEP model availability (simplified envelopes are labelled APPROXIMATE).
• Mechanical fit and print quality; weights are estimates until weighed.
• Firmware behaviour on real hardware; all gains are placeholders until tuned.
• Whether the chosen firmware base supports this sensor set plus camera streaming without changes.
• Regulatory compliance, battery safety certification and licence compatibility; the agent drafts guidance only.

Repository layout

Path	Contents	Licence
hardware/	Schematic sources (*/design/*.py), generated KiCad files, project symbol library	CERN-OHL-S-2.0
mechanical/concept/	Parametric concept CAD (CadQuery) + STEP/STL/3MF/GLB exports	CERN-OHL-S-2.0
firmware/	Drone and remote firmware - from M7	GPL-3.0
software/microscout_sdk/	Python SDK, simulator, reference flight controller, examples, tests	MIT
bom/	Bills of materials (drone-bom-g2.csv is generated from the schematics)	CERN-OHL-S-2.0
docs/	Guides, decisions, protocol, figures, renders, the GitHub Pages explorer, setup guide	CC-BY-SA-4.0 (scripts MIT)
docs/lab/	The Flight Lab: browser simulator, controllers, RL trainers, bundled policies, tests	MIT
tools/sch/, tools/viz/	Schematic generator and checks; every figure, render and the explorer	MIT
review/G1…G8	Gate review packages	CC-BY-SA-4.0
VERIFY.md, PROGRESS.md, LICENSES.md	Gate checklists, progress, licence summary	CC-BY-SA-4.0

Safety

Caution

Unplug the battery after every flight. The power button switches only the electronics, and there is no fuse or reverse-polarity protection on the battery path (D-035). Use packs with factory-fitted XT30 plugs.

• Bench work: props off for all bench work.
• First flights: fly with the ducts on, tethered or netted.
• Flips: only above 1 m, with nobody nearby.
• Charging: never charge unattended. Use the onboard charger only after it passes the G6 bench test.

In the US, recreational pilots must pass the free FAA TRUST test (FAA). Drones under 250 g flown recreationally don't need registration (FAA). This is draft guidance only; rules change and vary by country. Respect privacy when flying with the camera.

Licences

Hardware is CERN-OHL-S-2.0, firmware GPL-3.0, software MIT, and documentation CC-BY-SA-4.0. Details and third-party notices are in LICENSES.md.