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Intermediate build

How to build Crazyflie 2.1+

4-DoF quadcopter · Intermediate

Crazyflie 2.1+ is Bitcraze's palm-sized 29 g quadcopter for research and swarms: an STM32F405 and nRF51822, a BMI088 IMU, 7 mm motors and GPL-3.0 firmware.

Start the buildProject files
Difficulty
Intermediate

Some soldering, calibration and Linux comfort needed.

Build time
2–4 weekends

Our estimate, part-time

Parts cost
Not published

Sold as a kit; no cost is listed in the sources

Degrees of freedom
4

GPL-3.0 (firmware; hardware unlicensed)

What is Crazyflie 2.1+?

The Crazyflie 2.1+ from Bitcraze weighs just 29 g and is widely used in research and education, especially swarm robotics.

Its datasheet lists an STM32F405 flight MCU, an nRF51822 for radio and power, a BMI088 IMU, a BMP388 barometer, a 250 mAh LiPo, 7 mm coreless motors and an expansion connector for add-on decks.

The firmware is GPL-3.0 and the simulation assets are MIT. The hardware repo has no license.

Crazyflie 2.1+ specifications

Mass
29 g
MCU
STM32F405 + nRF51822
IMU
BMI088
Barometer
BMP388
Battery
250 mAh LiPo

Figures as published by the project. See Sources below.

Bill of materials

PartQtyNotes
Crazyflie 2.1 control board1
250 mAh LiPo1
7 mm coreless motor5Includes 1 spare
Motor mounts6
CW and CCW propellers5 each
Where's the full bill of materials?

The full BOM, with exact quantities and vendors, lives in the project's own files. Prices change often, so treat Not published as a ballpark. Start at the project repository.

Tools you'll need

  • Crazyradio PA dongle
  • A PC with cfclient

Step-by-step build overview

Electronics & wiring overview

Everything is on the main board. Decks plug into the expansion headers.

LiPo batterypower sourceLaptop / PChigh-level controlIMUsensingSTM32 microcontrollerreal-time controllerESCsdrivers / busBrushless motors4 joints / motors
PowerData / commandsSensor feedbackOverview only. Follow the project's own schematic for pinouts and voltages.

Software

The project ships its own firmware and control code. See the repository for setup.

crazyflie-firmware (GPL-3.0), cfclient and the Python library.

Tips from the bench

  • ☕ Mixing up CW and CCW props is the most common reason it won't lift off.

Crazyflie 2.1+ FAQ

Can Crazyflies fly in swarms?

Yes. That's one of their main research uses.

Sources

Written by Bots n' Beans from the project's own documentation. Check the sources for the latest revision before you buy parts.

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