Project: Racing Drones for Competition

This for-fun project was started by me and a couple of friends who were bored at work one day and wanted something new to break the monotony of work and school. We ended up fixating on racing drones after recently watching several drone racing tournaments and wanted to test our own skills.

We ended up even making a club out of it for a while during my sophomore year of college. Each drone took about 10 hours to build and program as well as being a good starting experience on getting proficient at soldering, as there were a lot of parts that needed to be hand soldered... and learning how to deal with burns as there were a lot of those as well.

At top speeds the drones could get over 100 MPH and had a battery life of roughly 6 minutes (dependent on how long your drone would be flying at max speeds).

Frame & Structure

• Carbon fiber racing frame (5-inch class)
• Lightweight aluminum standoffs
• 3D printed camera mounts and accessories

Electronics

• Flight controller (F4/F7 processor)
• Electronic Speed Controllers (ESCs) - 4x 30A
• Brushless motors - 4x 2300KV
• 5.8GHz video transmitter
• FPV camera with wide-angle lens
• 2.4GHz radio receiver

Power System

• 4S LiPo batteries (1500mAh)
• Power distribution board
• Voltage regulators for different components

Build Process

1. Frame Assembly: Mounted motors to carbon fiber arms and assembled the main frame structure
2. Electronics Integration: Installed flight controller, ESCs, and power distribution systems
3. Soldering: Hand-soldered all connections between motors, ESCs, and flight controller
4. FPV Setup: Mounted and configured camera and video transmission system
5. Receiver Installation: Integrated radio receiver for remote control

Software Configuration

Used Betaflight configurator to program the flight controller, including:

• Motor mapping and direction configuration
• PID tuning for stable flight characteristics
• Radio channel mapping and failsafe settings
• Flight modes and switch assignments
• OSD (On-Screen Display) configuration for telemetry

Challenges Overcome

• Learning precision soldering techniques for small components
• Managing heat dissipation in compact electronics layout
• Tuning flight characteristics for different flying styles
• Dealing with vibration isolation for camera stability

Flight Testing Process

Conducted extensive flight testing in controlled environments to validate performance and safety:

• Initial hover tests to verify motor function and flight controller response
• Progressive speed testing to determine maximum safe velocities
• Maneuverability testing through obstacle courses
• Battery life optimization under different flight profiles
• Video transmission range and quality testing

Performance Optimization

• Fine-tuned PID controllers for responsive but stable flight
• Optimized propeller selection for speed vs. efficiency trade-offs
• Adjusted camera angles for optimal FPV racing experience
• Weight distribution optimization for balanced flight characteristics

Safety Protocols

• Established safe flying zones away from people and property
• Implemented multiple failsafe mechanisms
• Regular pre-flight inspections and maintenance schedules
• Emergency landing procedures and battery monitoring

Video Demonstration

Lessons Learned

This project provided invaluable hands-on experience with electronics integration, precision assembly, and system optimization. The iterative process of building, testing, and refining taught important engineering principles that have been applicable to subsequent projects. The combination of mechanical, electrical, and software challenges made this an excellent introduction to systems engineering.