Project Kestrel

Karthik Srivatsan

Introduction:
I first heard of quadcopters some years ago, when the field was new. In COSMOS, a summer
science camp in UC Davis, one of my cluster- mates had a quadcopter, and posted video of our rocket
launch on Facebook. I decided that it would be a good idea to do an engineering project in the summer
of 2015. Since I am planning to major in aerospace engineering, building a quadcopter seemed like a
natural choice.
The goal of this project is to build a functional quadcopter drone. It has to be able to get off the
ground, and have some extra power- in case I put payload on it. At the same time, it cannot be so
powerful that I am unable to control it without some practice.

Summary:
Over the course of three months, I designed and built the Kestrel quadcopter. The Kestrel is small, but
powerful, fast, and agile. I chose the name Kestrel to reflect the quadcopters small size, but also its
high power. Its fiberglass frame is quite durable, and its battery life is good- especially for a powerful
mini quadcopter. I have also upgraded several systems on the Kestrel, mainly the transmitter. These
upgrades enhance the range and controllability of the Kestrel, as well as its battery life. I also added a
camera for first-person view. Videos are at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUsui4iRTbCvnIk1f_vtsA. Despite this, the Kestrel is still a work in progress- I have several future upgrades planned
for it.

Details:
Design:
The design phase of the project started on April 25, 2015. I came up with four different designs,
and put each one through an online calculator numerous times. I ruled three out due to budget and
quality issues. The final design:

Type: 250mm class mini quadcopter

Total Mass: ~750 grams
Original battery: 3-cell lithium-polymer (11.1 V nominal), 2200mAh, maximum
sustained output current: 132A, mass: 200g
Motors: Tiger Motor MN2206- 2000KV (Maximum power: 180W each)
Propellers: APC Speed 400 6x4
Total cost: ~$700

Even though the maximum power output of the quadcopter is only about 720 watts, its power to weight
ratio is just under 1 kW/kg. Additionally, I have seen the motors I am using perform far in excess of the

quoted maximum power- some sustaining over 400W. A kestrel is a type of small falcon: I named my
quadcopter after it due to its small size and high power.

Build:
The build phase of the project began in mid- June 2015, and took about one month. I expected
to be done pretty quickly, but there were a few problems along the way. I had to sand down the frame
to fit the motors, cut the PWM cable on one of my ESCs and fried part of my first control board. Despite
these setbacks, the build was complete by July 16.
Upgrades:
I purchased a higher- capacity battery, which allows the Kestrel to fly for a longer period of time.
The new battery is a 2700 mAh, 3 cell lithium- polymer battery, which should extend my flight time by
about 23%. However, it does have a lower maximum discharge rate than my previous battery- 94.5 A
compared to 132 A. This should still be well in excess of what my quadcopter is drawing. I have flown it
regularly in the quadcopter, and it does seem to be flying a bit longer- however, I rarely keep track of
flight time.
I replaced the stock FlySky module with an FrSky XJT module. This is a 16- channel system with a
claimed range of one mile, which should be plenty for my purposes. In addition to that, the XJT system
also has an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) system so I know when I am about to lose the
signal. The XJT also has a working failsafe system that I can set up, so if I actually do lose signal, the
Kestrel will come down in a controlled manner. This system is telemetry capable, using FrSkys Smart
Port system. Overall, this upgraded RC system offers me an incredible level of control over the
quadcopter.
I replaced the original 2200mAh battery with a new one from Venom RC. Over one semester at
Michigan, both batteries self-discharged by about 0.15 V. The newer 2700mAh battery discharged quite
evenly across the cells- but the older 2200 mAh battery had one cell at a much higher voltage than the
others, which is dangerous. This, combined with substantial damage it had received in earlier flights and
crashes, led me to replace it. Though the new Venom battery has a lower maximum discharge capacityonly 66 A- than either of the older batteries, it should still handle the Kestrels full power with ease. It is
also 25 grams lighter than the older batteries, and cheaper at $27. Venom is also supposed to be a
better-quality battery brand, and I am hoping for some decent performance out of this battery.
Due to some new regulations, I had to register with the FAA for hobby flying. I did that on
December 23, 2015. I am now licensed to fly until December 22, 2018.
On December 30, I attached my FPV camera- a Mobius action camera- to the Kestrel for the first
time. Despite weighing only about 40 grams, the Mobius still has picture quality comparable to a GoPro.
It did not noticeably impact performance.
Flight Performance:
The Kestrel is performing as expected. It hovers at a throttle of approximately 30-35 percent,
indicating that it has a good amount of power headroom. Takeoff occurs around 50% throttle. It is able

to attain speeds of approximately 15-30 miles per hour at 50-65% throttle when flown properly, and is
quite maneuverable. It is also surprisingly durable- despite all my hard landings and two crashes, I have
not caused irreparable damage to it. As a result of these crashes, I have also set up a failsafe system for
the Kestrel: it holds the throttle at 30%, which should lead to a slow, controlled descent.
The battery life is also quite good for such a powerful machine. Assuming it is flown pretty
gently, the batteries last about 10-15 minutes, and are still 20-40% charged. Even with some aggressive
maneuvering, it still has a battery life of over 10 minutes. Most commercial quadcopters have battery
life similar to this one- the only ones that have a significantly greater battery life are the DJI Phantom
and Inspire, with over 20 minutes of battery life each. These models are more expensive, and have much
higher-capacity batteries. Neither of these quadcopters can match the performance of the Kestrel.
After attaching the FPV camera, I was able to record video from the Kestrels point of view. It
was surprisingly good- there was no vibration, unless the quad was throttling up and maneuvering. Even
during some more stressful maneuvers, vibration was minimal. The resolution was very high, and the
video was crisp and clear. My voice was also audible, though the noise of the motors drowned most
other sounds out. Videos are on my YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUsui4iRTb-CvnIk1f_vtsA.
Future Upgrades:
As of January 2016, I have ordered an upgrade kit for the transmitter, the SmartieParts 9Xtreme
kit. This kit adds many new features to my transmitter, such as a voice alert system, built-in telemetry,
increased processing power, and easy flashing of firmware. I attempted to complete this upgrade over
Spring Break, at the end of February. Unfortunately, my first kit was defective, and I have to get a
replacement. This upgrade will therefore be completed over the summer, in May.
I also plan to add a full FPV (First- Person View) system. I have added the camera, and it is
recording quite nicely- but I have to add a transmitter and receiver to stream video back to a ground
station. I need to purchase these parts first, and figure out how to set it up.
I have thought of powering the Kestrel with a 4-cell battery, which would double its power
output. This should give it extraordinary speed and maneuverability, but I am worried about losing
control and crashing it. At such a speed, a crash could cause much more damage. I will wait until I am a
better pilot to add this modification.

The quadcopter on my bed after several modifications.

The quadcopter in flight.