Copyright © Parallax Inc.
ELEV-8 Flight Controller (#80204)
v1.2 1/4/2017 Page 7 of 10
USB Indicator LEDs
There are 3 LEDs associated with the USB circuitry. PWR will light when a valid USB power source is
connected, TX and RX will blink as data is being transmitted or received.
Switching 5 V Regulator
The switching regulator is a high efficiency buck type, able to deliver up to 1.8 A at 5 V. The regulator
converts the high VIN battery voltage down to 5 V, to provide power to the 3.3 V linear regulator, the
RGB LED module, and all of the external 5 V ports.
The regulator operates at 1.5 MHz, and has short-circuit protection, overcurrent limiting, and automatic
shutdown in case of overheating. The Flight Controller requires up to 300 mA from the switching
regulator, leaving 1.5 A for external devices.
WARNING! Do NOT overload the switching regulator! Ensure that
the total peak current requirement of the Flight Controller AND any
external devices does not exceed 1.8 A!
Linear 3.3 V Regulator
The linear 3.3 V LDO regulator provides power to the Propeller microcontroller, EEPROM, sensors, and
optionally an RF module when installed. It is also used to set the logic level voltage at the I/O ports.
Inertial Measurement Unit
The LSM9DS1 is an inertial measurement unit containing a 3D digital linear acceleration sensor, a 3D
digital angular rate sensor, and a 3D digital magnetometer.
The IMU allows the Propeller microcontroller to interpret the actual movement of the quadcopter, which
enables assisted flight features such as self-leveling and automatic stabilization. The Flight Controller
software reads the values from all these sensors and updates an internal estimate of its orientation. This
estimate is compared against the desired orientation, taken from pilot commands, and used to adjust the
motor output, hundreds of times per second.
RGB LED module
The onboard WS2812B RGB LED module is used to display status information about your Flight
Controller. Different colors indicate specific states and flight modes. Please refer to the firmware guide for
details about the colors and meanings.
I2C Header Pads
The I2C header pads have 0.1” pin spacing, and provide advanced developers access to the Propeller I2C
bus. Please refer to the Flight Controller schematic for information required to make use of this feature; it
is available for download from the #80204 product page at www.parallax.com.
