Autonomous Trolling Motor Fall 2025-Present
Overview This project is the design and fabrication of a trolling motor for the Sea Eagle SE9 inflatable boat. It uses a Flipsky powertrain and Pixhawk/ArduPilot control systems to allow autonomous navigation, with steering controlled with a Hitec waterproof servo. The design is intended to initially rely on GPS/inertial navigation, with the possibility of incorporating vision-based systems in the future.
Goals
  • Design and fabricate a custom trolling motor, based on Flipsky BLDC hardware and a Pixhawk/ArduPilot control stack.
  • Perform hydrodynamic analysis to validate design choices and basic structural integrity.
  • Integrate GPS, inertial, and/or vision-based navigation systems with control hardware to allow autonomous waypoint following.
FIG. 01 / TROLLING MOTOR ASSEMBLY Drawing of the autonomous trolling motor
Status
  • Mast, motor mount, and boat mount designed and fabricated
  • Electronics enclosure design in progress
  • Electronics testing nearly complete, only missing basic servo checkouts
  • Drag simulation in ANSYS Fluent complete
  • Full integration testing awaiting temperatures below 100 °F
Forged Carbon Fiber Summer 2026-Present
Overview This project documents the process of learning compression-molded carbon fiber, from fundamental techniques into practical application. It began with simple, low-stress parts and will expand to more complex geometries and dynamically loaded components.
Goals
  • Learn the fundamentals of forged carbon fiber design and fabrication
  • Design and build a custom FPV drone frame as a replacement for the Kayoumini 2.5
  • Utilize Autodesk Fusion simulation to optimize geometry for minimum weight
  • Perform aerodynamic analysis, ensuring good airflow and minimizing unnecessary drag
  • Perform real-world flight and impact testing to validate improved performance versus the baseline
FIG. 02 / FORGED CARBON FRAME Drawing of the forged carbon fiber frame
Status
  • Forged carbon fiber support equipment procured and tested
  • Several practice forged parts designed and fabricated
  • Initial frame design studies performed
FPV Quads Fall 2024-Present
Overview This project covers the design, construction, and operation of FPV quadcopters across several size classes, from 75 mm micro quads to 5" freestyle builds. It has involved selecting and integrating flight electronics, propulsion systems, video hardware, and radio control equipment, along with tuning and flight testing. Ongoing work includes applying this experience to the design and fabrication of a custom FPV frame.
Goals
  • Learn the fundamentals of quadcopter design and controls
  • Apply these fundamentals to the construction and flight of several FPV drones
  • Practice and build experience in flight and with ground operations/safety
FIG. 03 / FPV QUADCOPTER Low-mass FPV quadcopter
Status
  • Quads of various sizes (5", 2.5", 75mm) built and tested
  • Hundreds of hours of simulator flight experience
  • Dozens of hours of flight experience
  • Custom frame design in progress