Hi everyone,
I'm a high school student and I'm not allowed to use microcontrollers yet. I want to build a basic RC drone (or helicopter) without Arduino or any microcontroller.
Can I control 4 DC motors using just an RC transmitter + receiver + ESCs?
Any suggestions for the best type of motors, propellers, or RC gear for this?
Thanks!
Can I control 4 DC motors using just an RC transmitter + receiver + ESCs?
You won't know until you try, and it would undoubtedly take some practice. Keep us posted.
Yes, you can control 4 DC motors as you describe. However, I predict that you will be able to fly it in a controlled manner as it will be inherently unstable and your reflexes will not be good enough to compensate
There's a reason why the drone was invented after the microprocessor.
Take a look on YouTube for early attempts at building vertical take-off jet aircraft or the NASA "flying bedstead" to get an appreciation of how difficult it is for a human to pilot such a thing.
Your question leads me to believe that you are already familiar with the standard RC airplanes. Have you successfully built one of these? That would be my first step.
you can build a very basic RC drone or helicopter without a microcontroller, using only:
An RC transmitter & receiver (standard 4–6 channel set)
4 Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs)
4 brushed or brushless DC motors
A power distribution board or wiring harness
A battery (LiPo)
Frame and propellers
How do you propose controlling four motors independently for stability and movement?
No thank you, chatGPT.
Fixed that for ya.
a7
Well , sorta. How about English, though?
...you will not be able...
CYTT, much? 
Really? What will happen to you if you do? If you want to learn about micro controllers don't let anyone stop you, get yourself a kit with a Uno and other bits and do the exercises.
Around year 2005 I had a helicopter which was built without a MCU. As long as you control only 1 motor it is simple. Four motors probably doable but not by student :).
Start with a helicopter, with 2 rotor : cw and ccw, no tail rotor.
Topic starter said drone OR heli. Heli is doable and it is quite simple.
Probably it is his project: "make something without using a MCU". Pretty common for universities, at least here in Russia.
FPGA! 
Yeah, Xilinx Spartan. It is not an MCU but I am pretty sure it can be used to control 4 motors 
What about the FPGA is not a programmable, micro-sized, controlling device? Why not just get a real helicopter to fly the RC around... that doesn't "have a microcontroller," either. (no smiley face)
I've often wondered whether just having direct control over four motors would be sufficient for quadcopter control.
If one was lying stomach down with hands controlling motors 2 and 4 and feet controlling motors 1 and 3, you'd at least have a chance of getting the muscle memory for which motor went with each.
I suspect that slowed to 1/100 or 1/1000 real time, or switching to a submersible vehicle and operating underwater it could be accomplished.
There have been real quadcopter vehicles built along side early helicopter development. Although some did literally make it off the ground none did so figuratively; no design was as simple as a modern quadcopter - pure four motor or four heli-type propellers; all were notoriously unstable and very difficult to fly.
a7
Flying a traditional model aircraft required that you contol the speed, the ailerons, the rudder and the elevators, which was done before there were microcontrollers. A drone requires that you control the speeds of four motors. It seems you should be able to do that.
"You" are the microcontroller, which is not allowed. A spring-loaded, propeller-driven, paper airplane works, but there is no control. The list of ingredients indicates a balance of four motors to stay aloft.
