Feed attività
21 ottobre 2026 alle ore 18:38
RotorForge v0.43.0 — a FreeCAD workbench for designing FPV frames
Hey everyone,
I’d like to share something I’ve been working on: RotorForge, a FreeCAD workbench for designing custom FPV drone frames.
The idea is to bring the main frame dimensions and mounting options into one editor. You can adjust your design, preview the layout, generate an editable 3D model, and export DXF/SVG cutting profiles.
The current version includes:
True X, Stretched X and Deadcat layouts
Two-plate and three-plate designs
Adjustable arms, arm roots, mounting bolts and motor-pad shapes
Three-hole and four-hole motor mounting patterns, with independent hole rotation
Camera mounting with adjustable tilt, plus stack, standoff and VTX mounting options
Battery strap slots, airflow openings and plate outline cutouts
Settings saved as JSON so designs can be shared and edited later
The latest update adds mirrored motor-pad rotation, with a choice of rotating around the motor centre or the beginning of the pad. The arm connection follows the rotated pad to keep the geometry connected.
It’s still being developed, and I’d appreciate feedback from people who design or build their own frames. Bugs, awkward controls, missing options, or practical issues you spot in the generated designs would all be useful.
Let me know what you think!
Download:
Workbench:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BZ6qCPohdjBjYNBOCIDPZfLT3ebMYeaE/view?usp=drive_link
Example Frame:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LCUMp0K-JFFMwUnNFWXI4VOGlb3RZ39Y/view?usp=drive_link
20 ottobre 2026 alle ore 20:12
19 ottobre 2026 alle ore 18:09
I updated my Freecad workbench "RotorForge" to version 0.20.
Check the Changelog if you like to know what changed.
Workbench:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O0WsdlxP7ISWbGk6QnTbIulqBG--Puqe/view?usp=drive_link
Here is an example of a drone frame:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LCUMp0K-JFFMwUnNFWXI4VOGlb3RZ39Y/view?usp=drive_link
18 ottobre 2026 alle ore 16:28
For all the tinkerers here!
In the last couple of days I played around with an idea to help speed up drone designing in Freecad. So here is a workbench/plugin which lets you design drone frames quite fast. Of course it should only be a starting point but it will create quite complete drone frames (no TPU parts).
Its still a work in progress as I m not happy how the arm locking works right now.
The plugin folder contains a text file explaining how to install it. A manual is also included which can be opened from inside the workbench in Freecad. Minimum requirement is Freecad version 1.0 and above.
You are welcome to test it and please leave some feedback.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G-YcdJzVfUZULr3G9YIBYlqxmpn1w630/view?usp=drive_link
15 settembre 2026 alle ore 09:46
Those links helped me out getting an FC recognised by a PC.
14 settembre 2026 alle ore 14:33
Oh well this didn’t go as planned. I did try multiple things to test why my FC fails to properly use betaflight's passthrough. I accidentally ripped off the JST-SH connector while unplugging the wire harness. Which also lifted/stripped of parts of the PCB. This could be fixed under the microscope but it would be a massive job I m not prepared to do. Luckily I got some spare PCBs. I just need to order all the parts needed to build it again. Which also has a good outcome because I could take some images/videos (with the microscope) in the next build to showcase it even better...
what I have learned so far is that my design isn’t wrong which is already a good sign. I was able to connect to the ESC at the end but I wasn’t able to connect to each ESC individually. This can have multiple reason. One of them is e.g. a tiny solder bridge somewhere along the way to the motors. I also found a replacement for the component which didn’t fit the dedicated solder pads (footprint).
For now I will lay it to rest for this month and get back to it next month buying new parts then..
Sorry for my bad english 🤣
I m going to keep you guys updated as soon as I restart building
Right now I got 2 problems with it (working on them since the early morning). It seems that the component which i messed up the solder points for is probably dead so i removed it. Now i can only connect it to the PC when a lipo is connected (which isnt that bad, at least not for a diy fc)
.. but the main issue right now is that I tried to use betaflights passthrough to check if I can actually flash a 4in1 esc through it which didnt work / still doesnt work. I just cant figure out why I can use bidirectional dshot to drive all 4 motors but it doesnt let me read them in the configurator. So I m back to check every tiny detail in my firmware to see where I messed up.
Overall it would work in a drone right now. but those issues need to be resolved before I can move on 😂
12 settembre 2026 alle ore 22:05
Finished my Kestrel FC (v1.0)!! So far everything works perfectly. I messed up one part (so the solder pads dont line up properly with the ordered part but i managed to connect it). I needed to switch to another component because the one I originally wanted wasnt available... but there are quite a few options. I just chose one without changing my design (sadly).
My ESC project is currently on hold as I ran into a few design issues placing components.....
Anyway I super happy that it works!! I needed to resolder the 3v3 buck and the BMI270 along the way as i didn’t properly seat them (using to much solder paste).