AM32 8S 4-in-1 ESC Design
Budget: $750 – $1,500 USD
I need a compact 4-in-1 ESC that can reliably push 60 A per phase on up to 8 S Li-Po packs while running the open-source AM32 firmware. The brain must be an STM32 MCU, and the design has to accept Betaflight’s passthrough updater so field-flashing stays simple for end users.
Hardware requirements
• Power stage: 60 A continuous, 8 S (33.6 V) max, low-Rds(on) MOSFETs and gate drivers that are readily available in “Blue-compliant” (lead-free, RoHS-equivalent) versions.
• MCU: any suitable STM32 line is fine as long as it meets AM32 timing, PWM and ADC constraints; I am open to your recommendation.
• Sensing: at least one ADC channel per ESC for voltage and current plus spare pins for temperature or rpm hall sensors.
• Telemetry: UART wired out so the flight controller reads real-time stats.
• Firmware: AM32 port with Betaflight passthrough enabled, tested to make sure a user can flash from BLHeli Configurator or the Betaflight GUI.
Deliverables
1. Complete schematic and routed PCB files (KiCad or Altium).
2. Manufacturable BOM with Blue-compliant parts and second-source options.
3. Pin-mapped, compilable AM32 project (CubeIDE or PlatformIO) plus compiled .hex.
4. Brief bring-up guide: how to power on safely, verify comms, and trigger the Betaflight updater.
Acceptance criteria
• Board passes a bench test at 60 A for 60 s on all four channels without thermal derating.
• Telemetry arrives inside Betaflight at the expected refresh rate.
• Firmware can be reflashed in-place through passthrough without SWD.
If you have previous multi-motor ESC layouts or AM32 contributions, please mention them—seeing proven DRC-clean power routing and noise-free ADC reads will make selection quick.
Hardware requirements
• Power stage: 60 A continuous, 8 S (33.6 V) max, low-Rds(on) MOSFETs and gate drivers that are readily available in “Blue-compliant” (lead-free, RoHS-equivalent) versions.
• MCU: any suitable STM32 line is fine as long as it meets AM32 timing, PWM and ADC constraints; I am open to your recommendation.
• Sensing: at least one ADC channel per ESC for voltage and current plus spare pins for temperature or rpm hall sensors.
• Telemetry: UART wired out so the flight controller reads real-time stats.
• Firmware: AM32 port with Betaflight passthrough enabled, tested to make sure a user can flash from BLHeli Configurator or the Betaflight GUI.
Deliverables
1. Complete schematic and routed PCB files (KiCad or Altium).
2. Manufacturable BOM with Blue-compliant parts and second-source options.
3. Pin-mapped, compilable AM32 project (CubeIDE or PlatformIO) plus compiled .hex.
4. Brief bring-up guide: how to power on safely, verify comms, and trigger the Betaflight updater.
Acceptance criteria
• Board passes a bench test at 60 A for 60 s on all four channels without thermal derating.
• Telemetry arrives inside Betaflight at the expected refresh rate.
• Firmware can be reflashed in-place through passthrough without SWD.
If you have previous multi-motor ESC layouts or AM32 contributions, please mention them—seeing proven DRC-clean power routing and noise-free ADC reads will make selection quick.