Necklace FPV Drone - Devlog

A from-scratch FPV drone, small enough to wear on a necklace with a magnetic quick-release mount. FPV camera now, AI vision later. Building it in phases so I actually get it flying before piling on features.

Goals

• Custom frame, designed myself in Fusion 360 (no off-the-shelf kit)
• Wearable - clips onto a necklace with a strong magnet
• Analog FPV camera, mounted so it’s easy to swap later
• Eventually: onboard AI vision, then full remote steering

Roadmap

• Phase 1 - Fly: motor, FC, props, frame. Just get it in the air.
• Phase 2 - Sense: add the AI vision module (Grove Vision AI V2 + XIAO ESP32S3)
• Phase 3 - Steer: radio, camera/VTX/goggles, battery
• Phase 4 - Wear: magnetic necklace mount, final frame with camera + magnet built in

Phase 1 BOM (flight test only)

Motor: BETAFPV 1103, 15000KV (x4) - 1.5mm shaft, M1.6 mount on 8.5mm pattern
Link: https://betafpv.com/products/1103-brushless-motors

FC: GEPRC TAKER F411-12A-E (1-2S AIO), 25.5x25.5mm M2 mount
Link: https://geprc.com/product/gep-taker-f411-12a-e-12s-aio/

Props: Gemfan 1635-3 40mm Tri-Blade, Clear Blue - 1.5mm shaft
Link: https://wrekd.com/products/gemfan-1635-3-31mm-triblade-1mm-shaft

Frame: Custom, Fusion 360

Full CSV: drone_bom_phase1.csv

Watch out for:

• FC comes with an XT30 power pigtail; the battery I’ll use later is PH2.0 - need to re-terminate
• Prop listing defaults to 1mm shaft - has to be ordered as 1.5mm to fit the motor
• Frame holes need to match both patterns above

Parts scoped for later

Phase 3 - FPV + control:
Caddx Ant camera (16:9 black), BETAFPV M03 VTX (connector compatibility with the camera still unconfirmed), iFlight 1S 300mAh battery, BETAFPV BT2.0 charger, RadioMaster Zorro, goggles TBD

Phase 2 - AI:
Grove Vision AI V2 + XIAO ESP32S3 Sense (both from icbanq), CSI camera for the Vision module not yet picked

Phase 4 - Wearable:
N52 magnets, necklace hardware, PETG-CF for the final frame revision

Notes

• Going with PETG over PLA for the frame - PLA’s too brittle and heat-sensitive for something that crashes and gets worn on the body
• First real test: spin the motors through Betaflight Configurator over USB, props off, before touching a battery or radio
• Keep the necklace magnet away from the FC’s compass for whenever GPS stuff happens

Open questions

• Does the Caddx Ant’s connector actually match the M03 VTX?
• Still sourcing motor, prop, FC, and goggles locally in Korea - everything’s international for now
• CSI camera for the Vision AI module: not picked yet