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BUILD A DRONE THAT FLIES ON JUST ONE MOTOR

A drone that hovers and steers on one motor and a 6 inch propeller, using a hinged hub that pitches the blades 300 times per second.

by Joshua Bird

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

RoboticsOpen-hardware

Built with3D printing

difficulty
●●●●●
time
a month-plus
license
license not specified
repo
repo ACTIVE162 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

Joshua Bird's single propeller drone is one of the most technically ambitious open builds in the catalogue, and also one of the least documented. The concept is elegant: a hinged hub lets one motor tilt thrust in any direction by accelerating and decelerating 300 times per second at nearly 20,000 RPM. Getting there meant rewriting moteus servo controller firmware, printing the hub in PPA-CF, building a flash based photo rig to find blade flex, and setting up an infrared lighthouse because a magnetometer next to the motor was useless for heading. The repository gives you the CAD and the firmware forks, but no BOM, no build guide and no tuning notes. You are rebuilding a prototype from a 9 minute video, and the firmware and tuning are the big job. It still depends on the infrared beacon, so it flies indoors only. If you have built drones and tuned control loops, this is a fascinating challenge. If not, start with a normal quadcopter.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —CAD files in Fusion 360 and STEP for body, prop plate, and two propeller versions.
  • —Firmware is two forks (ArduPilot and moteus) — you will be compiling and debugging custom motor controller code.
  • —No BOM, no assembly instructions, no wiring diagram, no parts list beyond what you deduce from the video.
  • —No licence file in the repository.
  • —Last repository activity was 10 October 2026 — shortly before the video went live.
  • —This is a research project that took weeks of crashes to tune, not a weekend kit.

Parts to buy

7 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • Moteus r4 servo controllerFind
  • Magnetic encoderFind
  • 6 inch propeller (blades unspecified)Find
  • Finned body hardwareFind
  • Infrared beacon system (details not given)Find
  • Flight controller board compatible with ArduPilotFind
  • Power system (battery, wiring, connectorsFind

Can I build this?

PrintBody, prop plate and hinged hub; the hub in PPA-CF (carbon fibre nylon).
BuyMoteus r4 servo controller, magnetic encoder, 6 inch propeller (blades unspecified), finned body hardware, infrared beacon system (details not given), flight controller board compatible with ArduPilot, power system (battery, wiring, connectors — all unspecified).
Tools3D printer that handles PPA-CF, soldering iron, firmware build environment for ArduPilot and moteus, a weighted test stand, indoor flight space
SkillsDrone building, embedded firmware (C/C++), PID tuning, high-speed motor control, CAD if you modify anything. This is an expert-level control systems project.
TimeA month-plus if you have the skills. Weeks of firmware tuning and crash debugging even if the mechanical build goes smoothly.
Cost$$$.
SafetyPropeller tips move at over 500 km/h. He crashed it many times; tune it on a weighted test stand first.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

I Built a Drone With Only One Motor

Joshua Bird's build video. The entire build guide is in this video — the repository has no written instructions.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Watch the full video (The repository has no written instructions. The video is the build guide.)
  2. 2.Clone the firmware forks (ArduPilot fork for the flight controller.)
  3. 3.Clone the motor controller firmware (Moteus fork — you will be recompiling this and tuning the acceleration profile.)
  4. 4.Print the hub in PPA-CF(He printed the hub in PPA-CF and says he does not think the propeller would have survived in any other material.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • The repository has no BOM, no assembly guide, no wiring diagram. You are reverse-engineering the build from a video.
  • The firmware is two forks (ArduPilot and moteus) that you have to build and flash yourself.
  • The infrared lighthouse system is mentioned but not documented. You will have to design your own or deduce it from the video frames.
  • Blade flex caused a violent 160 Hz vibration until he swapped to much stiffer blades.
  • The video shows weeks of crashes during tuning. Budget for broken propellers, broken hubs, and possibly a broken motor controller.

Can I use a normal drone ESC instead of moteus?

No. The video explicitly states that a drone ESC cannot accelerate and decelerate fast enough. Moteus r4 with a magnetic encoder is required.

Does it work outdoors?

Not yet. It depends on the infrared beacon for heading, so it flies indoors only.

What propeller does it use?

A 6 inch propeller. The video does not name the model or pitch.

Is there a BOM?

No. You have to deduce the parts list from the video and the firmware code.

Can I build this if I have never built a drone before?

No. This is an expert-level control systems project. Start with a normal quadcopter.

Community builds

No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.

Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

The control loop accelerates and decelerates the motor 300 times per second at nearly 20,000 RPM — and it took weeks of tuning to stop it vibrating itself apart. What would you tackle first: the firmware or the mechanical build?

CompareeTEAM12h ago

Practical notes from our verification: the repository was updated on 10 October 2026, a week before the video went live. There is no licence file, no BOM and no assembly guide; the CAD and firmware forks are all you get. The video is honest about how hard this was: weeks of crashes, a custom photo rig to see the blades, and an infrared lighthouse for heading. The biggest trap is the firmware and tuning work: this is not ArduPilot out of the box.

Joshua Bird

Joshua Bird built this to see whether one motor could replace the four of a normal drone, making drones smaller, cheaper and easier to manufacture. The video shows weeks of crashes and debugging, including a flash based photo rig to find blade flex.

GitHub

Star the project on GitHub

DISCLAIMER

  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
GitHub repo