ESC control

[Hank Schrader]

I am building my first quadcopter, for which I want to write my own control software.
I understand that the ESC controls the speed of the BLDC motor. I do not want to use an of-the-shelve control board but command the ESCs using an Raspi or Arduino.

What is the input signal to the ESC that specifies the desired speed? Is it a PWM reference?
Could someone suggest an ESC that allows for such a configuration?

I'd really appreciate your input!
-Hank

 

[Ken l]

PWM controls motor speeds on brushed motors. ESC's are used for brushless motors. They're two very different technologies. PWM stands for pulse widt modulation. The power to the motor is modulated by turning the power on full and turning it off at averyhigh frequency. The length of time the power is turned on within these pushes is how control is affected. ESC's control motor power and speed by rotating a magnetic field usually on the inside causing the magnets on the the rotor on the outside to spin.