Schindler Technologies Uses Arduino for the Pilot Remote Control

Schindler Technologies recently launched their Pilot Remote Control powered by Arduino, which will allow you to control drones, RC vehicles, speakers, or anything else under the sun that can be operated wirelessly. At the heart of the controller is an ATmega32U4 — an 8-bit MCU with a 10-bit ADC, 2.5Kb of SRAM, and 1Kb of EEPROM. The remote was designed to work with either Nordic’s standard nRF24L01 2.4GHz RF transceiver/synthesizer module for ranges of up to 100 meters, or the nRF24L01+ extended module, which increases the distance to up to 1,500 meters.

The device is outfitted with a pair of push-button joysticks and an LCD display that can be programmed to show any relevant data (telemetry, battery levels, etc.) of what’s being controlled. Beyond the pin-out headers for the nRF modules and display, the board also features a 14-pin header for anything else you want to connect to the controller, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or an accelerometer for motion control.

Schindler states an external battery can power the remote , which can range from 6V to 20V and can be programmed using the Arduino IDE. They will provide sample codes for all of the remote’s capabilities as well — including how to utilize the nRF chips, and how to display what data you need access to, among a host of others.

Schindler Technologies’ Pilot Remote Control is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter with pledges starting at $30 for the controller, a pair of nRF modules and the display.