# okalachev/flix

Making an ESP32-based quadcopter from scratch

Repository: https://github.com/okalachev/flix
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/okalachev-flix
Homepage: https://t.me/opensourcequadcopter
Language: C++
License Family: other
Topics: arduino, control-theory, esp32, quadcopter, autopilot, flight-control, mavlink, drone, uav, quadcopter-firmware, flight-controller
Last push: 2026-08-25T19:43:30+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 86/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 60, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2187, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 108, "gap_med": 128, "n_releases_24m": 4}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1228, forks 214 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:03.562960+00:00)

## What it is
Flix is an open-source ESP32-based quadcopter flight controller and firmware built from scratch in Arduino C++, designed for education and research. It includes MAVLink communication over Wi-Fi/ESP-NOW, a Gazebo simulator, a Python scripting library, and an accompanying flight-control textbook.

## Use cases
- build a quadcopter from scratch for a robotics course
- teach flight control theory with a hands-on drone
- script automatic drone flights in Python
- simulate quadcopter firmware in Gazebo before flying
- control a drone with a USB gamepad or smartphone
- learn how flight controller firmware works internally

## When to choose
- you want an educational, easy-to-read quadcopter firmware under 2k lines
- you need a cheap drone built from general-purpose components for research or teaching
- you want MAVLink-based control over Wi-Fi with Python scripting
- you want to test flight code in simulation with the same Arduino source

## When to avoid
- you need production-grade position control or GPS navigation (still in development)
- you need a certified, safety-critical autopilot for commercial UAVs
- you require long-range radio control rather than Wi-Fi/ESP-NOW
- you need a mature ecosystem like PX4 or ArduPilot with extensive hardware support

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: embedded, robotics, simulation, developer-tools
- domain: robotics, education, embedded-systems, hardware
- platform: embedded, iot, cpp, python
- tags: quadcopter, flight-controller, esp32, mavlink, drone, uav, autopilot, arduino, gazebo, control-theory, linux

## Member repositories
- okalachev/flix (main) score 86

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:03.562960+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:15:12.077111+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/okalachev/flix (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:03.562960+00:00, sha 20bffe9cffa2)
  - homepage: https://t.me/opensourcequadcopter (fetched 2026-08-29T12:22:44.990361+00:00, sha 166609dfa8e8)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.