Long-Range Gamepad Controller for RC Vehicles and Drones

Overview

This project transforms a Bluetooth/BLE gamepad into a long-range controller for RC cars and drones using two ESP32 microcontrollers. By leveraging ESP-NOW technology with long-range antennas, it enables control over distances of up to 1100 m. This system supports various protocols, including SBUS, UART, making it versatile for different applications.

Features

• Long Range: Control RC vehicles and drones up to 1100 m away.
• Protocol Support: Compatible with SBUS, UART, and PPM protocols.
• End-to-End Encryption: Ensures secure communication between devices.
• Low Latency: Response time of up to 10 ms for real-time control.
• Fail-Safe Mechanisms: Built-in features to ensure reliable operation.
• Target Server Selection: Choose the target server or transmitter for data transmission.
• Clock Frequency: Set the clock frequency to 240 MHz for improved performance and to achieve the 10 ms response time.
• BLE Gamepad Configuration: Change the Bluetooth/BLE MAC address of the gamepad to allow filtering from other devices and enable auto-connect.

Hardware Requirements

• 2 x ESP32 microcontrollers
• Bluetooth/BLE gamepad
• Long-range antennas
• target compatible with SBUS (Flight controller RC vehicle)

Software Requirements

• ESP-IDF framework version 5.3 or Later

Setup Instructions

1. Clone the Repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/LongRangeGamepadController.git 
cd LongRangeGamepadController

2. Install ESP-IDF:

   • Follow the instructions on the ESP-IDF Getting Started Guide to set up the ESP-IDF framework version 5.3.

3. Configure the Project:

   • Navigate to the project directory and run:

idf.py menuconfig

• Set up your ESP-NOW Encryption key and channel and other configurations as needed.

5. Pair the Gamepad:

• Change the Bluetooth/BLE MAC address of the gamepad under ESP_NOW_TX_BL/main.c line 112 to allow filtering from other devices and enable auto-connect.

   if (r->bda[0] == 0x98 && r->bda[1] == 0xB6 && r->bda[2] == 0xE9 && r->bda[3] == 0xB7 && r->bda[4] == 0x11 && r->bda[5] == 0x11)
   {
      cr = r;
      break;
   }

• Change the Reciever MAC address under ESP_NOW_TX_BL\lib\esp_now_fcts\esp_now_fcts.c line 6.

   static uint8_t target_mac[ESP_NOW_ETH_ALEN] = {0x30, 0xc6, 0xf7, 0x23, 0x28, 0x11};

• Change the Sender MAC address under ESP_NOW_TRX\lib\esp_now_fcts\esp_now_fcts.c line 6.

   static uint8_t sender_mac[ESP_NOW_ETH_ALEN] = {0x0c, 0xdc, 0x7e, 0x62, 0xb9, 0xa9};

6. Build and Flash the Code:
   • Build the project and flash it to both ESP32 devices using:

   idf.py build 
   idf.py flash

• Use ESP_NOW_TX_BL for the transmitter and ESP_NOW_TRX for receiver.

7. Connect to RC Vehicle/Drone Flight controller:
   • Connect the output of the receiver ESP32 GPIO17 to your RC vehicle or drone using the appropriate protocol (SBUS).

Usage

• Once set up, use the gamepad to control your RC vehicle or drone. Ensure that all connections are secure and that the devices are powered on.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you have suggestions for improvements or find bugs, please open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more details.

Acknowledgments

• ESP32 for the microcontroller.
• ESP-NOW for long-range communication.
• ESP-IDF for the development framework.

Contact

For questions or inquiries, please contact [elkamali.abdeljalil@gmail.com].