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Field build log

My Raspberry Pi Surveillance Drone

I built this as a privacy-first aerial inspection platform: Raspberry Pi vision on top, a proven flight controller underneath, and a design bias toward visible, consent-based monitoring.

Build time

2 weekends

Core brain

Raspberry Pi

Flight mode

Line of sight

Close-up electronics workbench with circuit boards

01 / Plan

Bench layout

I started with everything on the bench before touching the frame. Pi, camera, power, flight controller, telemetry — I wanted a clean signal path mapped out flat.

The Raspberry Pi is my companion computer, not the motor controller. I learned early that mixing those jobs causes brownouts.
The flight controller owns stabilization, failsafe, and ESC outputs. I do not mess with that loop.
The camera feed stays visible to me as the pilot. This is not designed for covert anything.

Click to explore

Anatomy of my drone

Selected part

Raspberry Pi

Companion computer

Runs my camera preview, lightweight vision, telemetry UI, and storage decisions. It talks to the flight controller but never controls motors directly.

Safety note: Never drive ESCs from the Pi. Keep flight control on a dedicated controller.

What I put on the bench

2 of 8 checked

How I wired it

Battery1Power module

Fused main feed with voltage/current sense.

Power module2Flight controller

Stable power plus battery telemetry.

5V regulator3Raspberry Pi

Separate clean rail — learned the hard way about brownouts.

Flight controller4ESCs

Motor control stays on the flight stack. Always.

Raspberry Pi5Camera

CSI cable with strain relief so vibration does not disconnect it.

Raspberry Pi6Dashboard

Local preview, health checks, and a visible recording state.

Flight envelope lab

Tune the build before flying

This is my planning model, not a flight guarantee. It shows how battery, payload, wind, and camera angle push the build from calm inspection into risky territory.

Simulation readout

Estimated flight16 min
Stability margin58%
Thermal comfort70%
Readiness64%
If wind rises, payload grows, or the mount vibrates — I land and fix. The best footage is the footage I did not risk getting.

The Pi as my edge layer

Camera service

Starts preview, exposes recording status, and writes short clips only when I explicitly arm it.

Telemetry bridge

Reads battery, GPS lock, attitude, and link state from the flight controller in real time.

Vision loop

Runs lightweight frame analysis for inspection markers — not identity tracking.

Flight dashboard

Shows health, camera tilt, checklist status, and a big obvious stop-recording button.

Rules I will not bend

1

I fly only where local aviation rules and property permissions allow it.

2

I keep the aircraft in visual line of sight and avoid people, roads, and homes.

3

Recording status is always obvious. Local storage by default, never cloud.

4

This is for inspection, mapping, practice, and learning — not covert monitoring.