A breakout/carrier module for the xESC2 mini brushless motor controller, designed for stand-alone use outside of a larger mainboard.
The xESC2 mini is a small, low-cost FOC motor controller for BLDC motors (10 A / 40 V continuous). It ships as a bare module with pin headers — it expects 5 V logic from a host board.
This carrier PCB makes the xESC2 mini usable stand-alone by adding:
- Onboard DC/DC converter (LV2862XDDC) — generates 5 V from the main battery voltage, so no external logic supply is needed
- Screw terminals — for battery power input and motor phase wires
- Transient voltage protection (SMCJ33CA TVS diode)
- Decoupling capacitors and supporting passives
The 5 V DC/DC and its protection diode are optional — if you integrate the xESC2 into a larger system that already supplies 5 V, those parts can be omitted to save cost and board space.
The xESC2 mini is an open-source, robotics-focused ESC:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Max continuous current | 10 A |
| Max voltage | 40 V |
| Size | 50 × 30 mm |
| Commutation | FOC (Field-Oriented Control) |
| Motor support | Sensored and sensorless BLDC |
| Control modes | Current, speed, position |
| Interfaces | UART, CAN, USB, PWM, Analog |
| Firmware base | VESC (open source) |
| ROS driver | xesc_ros |
More details: github.com/clemensElflein/xESC
| File | Description |
|---|---|
hw-module-xesc.kicad_sch |
KiCad schematic |
hw-module-xesc.kicad_pcb |
KiCad PCB layout |
release/hw-module-xesc-JLCPCB.zip |
Gerbers ready for JLCPCB |
release/hw-module-xesc_bom_jlc.csv |
BOM for JLCPCB assembly |
release/hw-module-xesc_cpl_jlc.csv |
Component placement file |
release/hw-module-xesc-schematic.pdf |
Schematic PDF |
release/hw-module-xesc-ibom.html |
Interactive BOM |
Use the files in release/ to order from JLCPCB (or any compatible fab):
- Upload
hw-module-xesc-JLCPCB.zipas the Gerber file. - Enable PCB assembly and upload
hw-module-xesc_bom_jlc.csvandhw-module-xesc_cpl_jlc.csv. - Solder the xESC2 mini module onto the pin headers.
Before building, verify that doing so is legal in your region. Patents or local regulations may apply.
The design files are provided without any warranty — no guarantee of fitness for purpose, safety, or correctness. You are responsible for verifying that anything you build is safe to operate.
Hardware: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Note: the xESC2 mini itself is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — do not mass-produce or sell it without the author's permission.