Hardware

The boards PteronautOS runs on, and how to wire them.

Supported boards

Board MCU · Radio
Generic 2400 PWMP7 v1.0 ESP8285 · SX1280 2.4 GHz
Generic 2400 PWMP7 v1.1 ESP8285 · SX1280 2.4 GHz

Compatible receivers

Any ExpressLRS 2.4 GHz receiver based on ESP8285 + SX1280/SX1281 with PWM outputs — or a CRSF receiver paired with a CRSF→PWM converter — can run PteronautOS. Prices are approximate and vary by region.

Board Channels Voltage Weight (stock → mod) Price MCU · Radio Notes
RadioMaster ER4 RadioMaster 4 4.5–8.4 V 1.6 g → ~1.0 g ~$15 ESP8285 · SX1281 4× PWM · SMD antenna
RadioMaster ER4-i RadioMaster 4 4.5–8.4 V 1.8 g → ~1.1 g ~$16 ESP8285 · SX1281 4× PWM · IPEX antenna
RadioMaster ER3C-i RadioMaster 3 4.5–8.4 V 1.7 g → ~1.0 g ~$14 ESP8285 · SX1281 3× PWM · IPEX antenna
HappyModel EPW6 TCXO HappyModel 6 5–8.4 V 1.49 g → ~0.9 g ~$18 ESP8285 · SX1280 6× PWM · TCXO · IPEX1
BetaFPV 2.4G 5CH PWM/CRSF BetaFPV 5 5–9 V 2.5 g → ~1.5 g ~$16 ESP8285 · SX1280 5× PWM + CRSF
BetaFPV Micro RX 5CH BEC BetaFPV 5 5–9 V 3.0 g → ~1.8 g ~$17 ESP8285 · SX1280 5× PWM · 5V/9V BEC
BeyondFPV ELRS 7CH BeyondFPV 7 5–8.4 V 3.5 g → ~2.2 g ~$19 ESP8285 · SX1280 7× PWM + CRSF
ELRS 2.4G 5CH PWM Generic 5 5–8.4 V 2.8 g → ~1.6 g ~$12 ESP8285 · SX1280 5× PWM
CYCLONE ELRS 2.4G CYCLONE 5 5–8.4 V 2.6 g → ~1.5 g ~$13 ESP8285 · SX1280 5× PWM
HappyModel EP2 HappyModel 0 5 V 0.6 g ~$12 ESP8285 · SX1280 CRSF only — needs converter
CRSF→PWM 12CH Adapter Various 12 5 V 2.0 g ~$10 — (passive) 12× PWM via CRSF→PWM converter

Stock weight; removing heatshrink, connectors or housing can cut 30–60%.

ESP32-based receivers (ESP32-C3/S3) use a different architecture and are not yet supported.

No native PWM? Any CRSF receiver (EP2, EP1, EPW6…) can drive servos through a cheap CRSF→PWM converter — see the tutorial.

Key specs

MCU ESP8285 @ 80 MHz, 1 MB flash
Radio ExpressLRS 2.4 GHz (SX1280)
Gyro MPU6050 (GY-521) on I2C
Servos 3 PWM channels — left wing, right wing, crest rudder

Wiring

Three servo channels plus the MPU6050 on the I2C bus. The full pin map, I2C wiring, and v1.0/v1.1 revision differences are in the PWMP7 guide.

PWMP7 receiver compatibility guide →

Servo efficiency table (OrniFlight) →

For detailed servo selection (torque, speed, efficiency vs. flapping frequency), see the dedicated OrniFlight servo table — we link it instead of duplicating it.

Full hardware reference (HARDWARE.md) →