Hi everyone,
I am working on replicating a drone project from this YouTube video: Video Link. To minimize errors and simplify troubleshooting, I decided to follow the video’s setup exactly, using the same pins, hardware, and code.
I’m using an Arduino Nano and also tested with a Pro Mini as in the video. Both setups show the same issue. I tested several Nanos to rule out the possibility of a faulty unit, and I can confirm the Nanos worked fine in other projects. Additionally, the Pro Mini test behaves the same, so I don’t think the issue is with the Arduino boards themselves.
One more thing: I ordered my components from AliExpress, so they might not be original Arduino boards. Could this be a potential cause of the issue? However, I haven’t encountered this issue with these boards in other projects, and since both the Nano and Pro Mini exhibit the same behavior, I believe this is unlikely.
Issue Description: After assembling the components, I ran a test code that sets all four motors to a HIGH state for 5 seconds. When powered through a USB connection to the laptop, the motors run as expected. However, as soon as I switch to powering the entire system with a battery (via the VIN pin), nothing happens. The "L" LED on the Arduino starts flashing, which I believe indicates that the Arduino is stuck in a reboot loop.
Given that this is a small drone project, I’d like to avoid using power adapters or adding too many capacitors to smooth out the power supply to the motors, as Max (the creator in the video) didn’t include them, and the motors worked fine in his setup without them.
Questions:
- Could this rebooting issue be related to power supply instability when switching to battery power?
- Does the "L" LED flashing definitely indicate a reboot loop, and could this be caused by insufficient voltage or current?
- Is there something specific I should check with my setup or wiring to resolve this issue?
Circuit schematic:
Code:
const int pinD3 = 3;
const int pinD5 = 5;
const int pinD6 = 6;
const int pinD9 = 9;
void setup() {
pinMode(pinD3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(pinD5, OUTPUT);
pinMode(pinD6, OUTPUT);
pinMode(pinD9, OUTPUT);
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop() {
digitalWrite(pinD3, HIGH);
digitalWrite(pinD5, HIGH);
digitalWrite(pinD6, HIGH);
digitalWrite(pinD9, HIGH);
delay(5000);
digitalWrite(pinD3, LOW);
digitalWrite(pinD5, LOW);
digitalWrite(pinD6, LOW);
digitalWrite(pinD9, LOW);
delay(5000);
}
Please let me know what additional information you might need to help me move forward, and thank you for your time
