Help! Receivers/flight controllers for drones/planes.

[Beech/run24]

Does the basic system of drones consist of a receiver and flight controller, or just one of them? And how about for fixed wing aircraft?

 

[Snarls]

Drones use both a receiver and a flight controller. The flight controller receives the receiver input and outputs signals to the motors to move the drone in a direction reflective of the user input.

Fixed wing aircraft typically only use a receiver. The receiver takes user input from the transmitter and outputs signals to the servos or speed controller/motor on the aircraft. Some fixed wing aircraft also use flight controllers similar to drones. They receive the receiver input and either pass it through to the servos/motor, or alter it in some way to provide auto-levelling capabilities, GPS guided flight, and more.

 

[ElectriSean]

Multirotors require a flight controller and a receiver, which are occasionally combined into one unit on nano sized builds. Planes only require a receiver, as each RC channel directly controls a surface. Planes can also use a flight controller for stabilization or autonomous operation.

 

[Beech/run24]

Should the receiver and flight controller be from the same brand?

 

[Hai-Lee]

Should the receiver and flight controller be from the same brand?

Not necessarily but the interoperation or setup is normally easier if they are often bundled and tested together.

Have fun!

 

[ElectriSean]

Not necessarily but the interoperation or setup is normally easier if they are often bundled and tested together.

Communication between the FC and receiver is handled in the firmware, and modern firmware supports all protocols. The conflicts can come into play where modern FC hardware doesn't support some older protocols like PWM and more recently CPPM. A crucial step in planning/speccing a multirotor build is ensuring compatibility of the components, but if you choose a serial receiver and a reasonably modern FC (F3, F4, F7, KISS) you won't have a problem.