12/11/2025 - Completed Most of the Schematics

So as a starter in KiCAD, I naturally chose the hardest guided project possible, and that is to build a simple flight controller, turns out it wasn't very simple, however after 4.5 hours of figuring things out, figuring out the python script and how to use KiCAD in general, I am at the stage where I designed almost my entire circuit... Everything except the actual microcontroller.

I writing this journal to get earlier feedback on any features I could add and any tips or tricks that are great in KiCAD, I am currently planning to use the current sensors I have in order to add extra feaures as I possibly couldn't add them in KiCAD without a PHD in Electrical Engineering

Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

12/13/2025 10 AM - Schematics Completed, Onto Routing the PCB

After a few more hours of design work and messing around in software I was able to complete the schematics, I now need to design the PCB which I think may take the longest amount of time as I try to optimize the layout to be efficient and use the least amount of conductive (copper layers) possible however I anticipate that I may need at least 3 to 4 layers.

PS: This schematics is copied from the guide however as I continue with this project I do plan to add more features

12/13/2025 9 PM - Almost done Routing the PCB

So over the past 5 or so hours I have been working route the PCB, I wasted quite a lot of time routing the PCB trying to avoid merging traces of the same color, But then I finally figured out what a VIA is and I have been using that to make my job Infinitely easier.

I think I will be able to finish Routing by tomorrow or the after

12/14/2025 - I made a mistake, A big mistake

So remember when I said I had almost routed the PCB completely, I kind of jumped the gun and routed the entire PCB without following a few specific instructions which may force me to restart the entire PCB, This was pretty much a massive waste of 8 hours, and now it may take me a little longer to reach my goal, But since I have holidays right now and pretty much no life, I think it's okay to be focusing on this

As you can see I over complicated the entire circuit which made me make a lot of mistakes to the point where I pretty much thought that it is better to restart

12/15/2025 - Finally finished PCB routing

After a few hours of PCB routing and finalizing I realized that a lot of this is way easier then it seems, I finally finished the PCB routing and I have the final images of the PCB view and rendered PCB view attached below

This took me an additional 3 hours or so to do
While no firmware exists yet I hope to make the firmware after fabricating and receiving the device from JLCPCB provided that I am able to secure a grant

12/16/2025 - Devoloped simple firmware

I designed and made simple firmware today using Arduino IDE and STM32Duino to developed simple firmware capable of reading sensor data, One I receive my device, I plan to further expand on the capabilities of the code.

12/17/2025 - Fixed issues with Arduino ide and completed the firmware

I had a issue in arduino IDE where it kept my flash memory at 32Kb instead of the full flash memory the STM32F103RET6 which is 512kb, Turns out that I forgot to specify the board part number and this caused the IDE to default to 32Kb of Flash Memory, Once I fixed the issue I was able to complete the firmware

FULL DISCLAIMER: I have very little experience when it comes to coding in C or C++ and hence I did use AI for and only the firmware to give a natural framework I can build off and bug fixes down the line, The official rules say that it is okay to use AI for the firmware however I can't use it for anything else.

1/7/2026 - added 2 more Servo pin headers and made a case with no cover

I added 2 more servo pin headers to differentiate my project from the guide and too better adapt for a flight controller designed for aircraft for rockets

I also made a case with no cover so that I can keep my projects for display

1/20/2026 - I tried to optimize

I tried to optimize my pcb for an hour by trying to find cheaper options however due to things like space and size constraints I wasn't able to do much, I need to prioritize reducing space as I plan to equip this in a actual plane later on if I have enough time.

Here in Singapore, The legal limit to fly an RC Plane without a BRID (These have to government certified you cannot make one) or registration sticker in 250 grams, any higher and the average BRID cost at my local RC shop is 100+ dollars, To avoid this I will have to reduce price as much as possible to prevent additional costs which may add up to be more then just ordering one PCBA order but the cost may be a bit much.

In fact, my price actually went up my one cent as one of my parts got shortlisted. I selected the next cheapest option. Here is a screenshot of my bill!

However the shipping price went down! also I did this to reduce price by as much as possible by avoiding brid purchase cost

2/3/2026 - Excplaining part selection (Basic V Extended)

JLCPCB's own part selection has extended parts that are usually of smaller size, However their basic counterparts are generally only available in bigger sizes,

So for example If have a 47uF resistor that needs to be in 0402 as specified by my PCB design, the only part that JLCPCB has on their basic section for that smd 47uF resistor in 0804, Hence I will have to chose the extended part which is available in 0402

Sadly this is the case for many of my parts requiring extended instead of basic and changing the size of all of them would lead to a bigger PCB which would be heavier as it could also lead to bigger airframe.