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How to build MiniHawk-VTOL

7-DoF tilt-rotor VTOL drone · Advanced

MiniHawk-VTOL is an 800 mm printed tilt-rotor tricopter/fixed-wing running ArduPlane QuadPlane, with STL/3MF parts and an avionics BOM. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Start the buildProject files
Difficulty
Advanced

Many actuators, custom wiring and real tuning work.

Build time
1–3 months

Our estimate, part-time

Parts cost
Not published

No total is published

Degrees of freedom
7

CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0 · non-commercial

What is MiniHawk-VTOL?

Stephen Carlson's MiniHawk takes off and lands vertically like a tricopter, then tilts its two front motors forward to fly efficiently as a plane. It's a fully 3D-printed 800 mm wing.

It runs ArduPlane in QuadPlane tilt-rotor mode on a PixRacer Pro or Matek F405/F765-WING, with three ESCs and four servo outputs.

Version 2.1 is still a prerelease and the repo was last updated in 2022. Native CAD is withheld (STL/3MF only), and the license is non-commercial.

MiniHawk-VTOL specifications

Wingspan
800 mm
Config
Tilt-rotor tricopter + fixed wing
Firmware
ArduPlane QuadPlane
FC
PixRacer Pro / Matek F405 or F765-WING

Figures as published by the project. See Sources below.

Bill of materials

PartQtyNotes
Flight controller1
2207/2306 front motors2
4S 40 A+ ESC3
10 A adjustable BEC1
8+ ch SBUS/PPM receiver1
GPS, pitot, telemetry—Avionics bundle
Where's the full bill of materials?

The full BOM, with exact quantities and vendors, lives in the project's own files. Prices change often, so treat Not published as a ballpark. Start at the project repository.

Tools you'll need

  • FDM printer
  • Soldering iron
  • Mission Planner

Step-by-step build overview

Electronics & wiring overview

The FC has three motor outputs and four servo outputs (two tilt, two elevons), and the BEC powers the servos.

LiPo batterypower sourceLaptop / PChigh-level controlcamerasensingflight controllerreal-time controllerServo bus adapterdrivers / busbrushless motors7 joints / motors
PowerData / commandsSensor feedbackOverview only. Follow the project's own schematic for pinouts and voltages.

Software

The project ships its own firmware and control code. See the repository for setup.

ArduPlane with the repo's config files (likely GPL-3.0).

Tips from the bench

  • ☕ Check the transition on a calm day at height.

MiniHawk-VTOL FAQ

Is MiniHawk finished?

v2.1 is still a prerelease.

Sources

Written by Bots n' Beans from the project's own documentation. Check the sources for the latest revision before you buy parts.

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