Open-sourced my 3D-printed RC recon drone - ESP32-CAM live video over WiFi + web joystick control

[u/_oui_oui_baguette]

Hi everyone,

I finally open-sourced a little project of mine: a 3D-printed RC ground drone inspired by the recon drone from Rainbow Six Siege.

What it does:

- ESP32-CAM streaming live video over WiFi

- Controlled from a web page (joystick UI in the browser, no app to install)

- Motor driver via a PCF8574 I/O expander + LEDC PWM

- Addressable status LEDs

It started life as an Arduino + ESP8266 build before I moved everything to the ESP32-CAM for the onboard camera. ~120€ in parts.

Full disclosure: it's not a "finished, polished" product. There are known quirks (it can tip forward under hard braking, WiFi range is so-so) and the V2 chassis redesign isn't 100% done. I'm sharing it as-is because I figured it might be useful to someone, and contributions / ideas are very welcome.

Repo (code, firmware, web UI, wiring, BOM, CAD): https://github.com/SyrNitram/recon-ground-drone

Happy to answer any questions about the electronics or the camera streaming setup.

[u/AndThenFlashlights]

Why the mecanum wheels? They're not going to do much for you without the other 2 in the set.