Drone Flight Controller PCBA
F405 V1/V2 · F722 8S | STM32F405 / STM32F722 | ICM42688 / MPU6000 Gyro | DJI Ready | Betaflight / INAV | 3-8S Lipo Flight controllers are the central processing unit of any FPV drone — integrating the MCU, gyroscope, barometer, OSD chip, BEC regulators, and interface connectors on a single compact PCB. Superb Automation provides complete turnkey PCBA for the F405 and F722 flight controller families, covering component procurement, SMT assembly, gyro calibration, firmware flashing, and functional testing.
Product Specifications
Drone Flight Controller PCBA
F405 V1/V2 · F722 8S | STM32F405 / STM32F722 | ICM42688 / MPU6000 Gyro | DJI Ready | Betaflight / INAV | 3-8S Lipo
Product Overview
Flight controllers are the central processing unit of any FPV drone — integrating the MCU, gyroscope, barometer, OSD chip, BEC regulators, and interface connectors on a single compact PCB. Superb Automation provides complete turnkey PCBA for the F405 and F722 flight controller families, covering component procurement, SMT assembly, gyro calibration, firmware flashing, and functional testing.
Product Specifications
| Parameter | F405 V1/V2 | F722 8S |
| MCU | STM32F405 | STM32F722 |
| Gyro | ICM42688 or MPU6000 | MPU6000 |
| DJI Support | Yes | Yes |
| Input Voltage | 3-6S Lipo | 3-8S Lipo |
| BEC | 9V/2A, 5V/3A | 10V/2A, 5V/3A |
| Receiver Protocols | PPM, IBus, SBus, DSMX | PPM, IBus, SBus, DSMX |
| Black Box | 16M Flash | 16M Flash |
| Barometer | Bosch BMP280 | Bosch BMP280 |
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Motor Output | 8CH | 8CH |
| Serial Port | 4CH | 4CH |
| Firmware | Betaflight / INAV | Betaflight / INAV |
| LED | Yes | Yes |
| Buzzer | Yes | Yes |
| OSD | AT7456E (Betaflight OSD) | AT7456E (Betaflight OSD) |
| PCB Size | 37×37 mm | 37×37 mm |
| Mounting | M3, 30.5×30.5 mm | M3, 30.5×30.5 mm |
| Weight | 9 g | 9.5 g |
PCBA Manufacturing Challenges
1. High-Density SMT on 37×37 mm Board
The flight controller packs an STM32 MCU (LQFP or BGA package), gyro (QFN/LGA), OSD chip, flash memory, multiple LDO/BEC regulators, and connectors within a 37×37 mm footprint — leaving minimal clearance between components. Precision stencil design and solder paste inspection are critical to avoid bridging on fine-pitch MCU pins.
2. Gyroscope Soldering & Sensitivity
ICM42688 and MPU6000 are MEMS gyroscopes in QFN or LGA packages. Solder voiding under the center thermal pad, flux residue contamination, and mechanical stress from PCB warpage directly affect gyro bias and noise floor. Superb Automation uses vacuum reflow with nitrogen atmosphere and X-ray inspection to verify void rate below 15% on the gyro thermal pad.
3. Barometer Pressure Port Contamination
The Bosch BMP280 barometer requires an open vent hole to ambient pressure. Solder flux, conformal coating, or wash residue blocking the vent will cause altitude drift in flight. Our process isolates the barometer area from flux spray and uses localized cleaning before conformal coating application.
4. Multi-Voltage BEC Testing
Dual BEC outputs (5V and 9V/10V) must be tested under load for voltage accuracy and ripple. Each assembled board goes through powered functional test — verifying both BEC rails under rated load, MCU boot, gyro initialization, and OSD overlay output.
Superb Automation Assembly Capabilities — Flight Controller
| MCU Soldering | STM32F4/F7 LQFP / BGA — fine-pitch placement with optical alignment, nitrogen reflow |
| Gyro Assembly | QFN/LGA MEMS gyro — vacuum reflow, X-ray void inspection < 15%, post-reflow IMU calibration check |
| Barometer | BMP280 LGA — flux-isolated soldering, vent hole verified clear after assembly |
| OSD Chip | AT7456E — QFN package, video output verified on test station |
| BEC Testing | Powered load test — 5V/3A and 9V/10V/2A rails verified for voltage accuracy and ripple |
| Flash Memory | 16M SPI Flash — write/read verification, Blackbox logging tested |
| Connector Soldering | Through-hole and SMT connectors — UART, GPS, buzzer, LED, receiver ports |
| Firmware Flashing | Betaflight / INAV target flashed and verified — customer-specified target or default |
| Functional Test | Full-power test: MCU boot, gyro output, barometer reading, OSD overlay, motor signal PWM output, receiver input detection |
| Conformal Coating | Optional — acrylic or silicone coating for moisture and dust protection (FPV racing environments) |
Ordering Options
| Mode | Service |
| PCB Only | Bare PCB fabrication — 4-6 layer, ENIG finish, impedance control as specified |
| PCBA Turnkey | Full turnkey assembly — component procurement, SMT, testing. Customer provides BOM and firmware target |
| Partial Consignment | Customer supplies MCU/gyro/barometer; Superb assembles remaining components and performs test |
| Custom Design PCBA | Customer provides schematic and PCB design files — Superb handles fabrication, assembly, and testing under NDA |
Send your flight controller BOM and Gerber files to pcba@superb-tech.com for a free DFM review and quotation. NDA protection available for custom designs.
