NaviCore

Astromech Animation Controller

🚀 Launch the config tool →

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WCB-based RC controller firmware for ESP32-S3 (WCB HW 3.2). Reads SBUS from an RC receiver, dispatches matrix buttons / switches / knobs to local and remote Maestros and WCB boards over ESP-NOW, and ships with a browser-based config tool that talks to the board over Web Serial.

Features

• SBUS input (16 or 24 channel, auto-detected) on Serial1 (UART1)
• SBUS output passthrough on a dedicated hardware UART (UART0, GPIO9) — byte-tee of the RX stream, sub-millisecond latency (~1 byte-time)
• Local Pololu Maestro on Serial2 (UART2)
• Up to 8 remote Maestros via WCBStream broadcast over ESP-NOW
• WCB unicast and broadcast command dispatch
• Multi-mode (3-position switch) button / switch / knob mapping, NVS-backed
• Multi-tap detection (single / double / triple) with exclusive or cumulative dispatch
• USB Serial JSON protocol for config tool and CLI debugging

Layout

NaviCore.ino         Main sketch
rc_config.h          Config struct, JSON serialisation, NVS persistence
wcb_config.h         WCB board ID / port definitions
sbus_reader.h        SBUS decoder + passthrough tee
config_tool/         Browser-based config GUI (Web Serial)
assets-navicore/     NaviCore brand assets (logo, favicon, app icons)
model/               FrSky X18 transmitter model file (download below)

Required libraries

Install via the Arduino Library Manager:

• ArduinoJson (Benoit Blanchon) v6.x
• Adafruit NeoPixel

Local libraries (drop into your sketchbook libraries/ folder):

• WCBClient + WCBStream
• PololuMaestro
• hcr

Downloads

FrSky X18 transmitter model

NaviCore assumes a specific channel map (SBUS channels 1–15 for sticks/switches, CH7 for the button matrix, etc.). To save you setting all that up by hand on your X18, the matching transmitter model file is bundled in the model/ folder.

• Download: r2 web gui.bin — ~2.4 KB

Copy it to the MODELS/ folder on the X18's SD card, then load it from the transmitter's model select screen.

Configuration tool

Open config_tool/index.html directly in a Chromium-based browser (Chrome, Edge). Click Connect, pick the board's serial port, and you get live PWM monitoring, button mapping, switch / knob config, calibration, and CSV import/export.

The tool uses the Web Serial API — no install, no server, no Electron app.

USB serial JSON protocol

Newline-delimited JSON on the USB Serial port:

Command	Reply
PING	{"type":"PONG"}
GET_CONFIG	{"type":"CONFIG","data":{...}}
{"type":"SET_CONFIG","data":{...}}	{"type":"ACK","ok":true}
{"type":"START_MONITOR"}	streams PWM_UPDATE every 50 ms
{"type":"STOP_MONITOR"}	{"type":"ACK","ok":true}
{"type":"RESET_DEFAULTS"}	reloads factory defaults, replies ACK
{"type":"TRIGGER","mode":1,"btn":3,"tap":1}	fires virtual button press
{"type":"WCB_SEND","target":2,"cmd":":PP100"}	manually fires WCB command

Brand

NaviCore's mark is a machined hexagon housing a glowing photoreceptor, with the RC signal arriving as a waveform (steel in, blue out). Logo, favicon, mono, and app-icon assets live in assets-navicore/.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.