Interested or already an owner of a Kayoumini 2.5" ? The starter pack was made for you!
The purpose of this page is to bring together all the useful information you'll need to build your quad around this frame.
Quick Access
Where to buy ?
Kayoumini 2.5" (Frame Kit)
Useful links :
Official Printables (3D prints STL files and documentation)
Kayoumini ?
the Kayoumini 2.5” aims to reproduce as faithfully as possible the flight feeling of a perfectly downscaled 5” Freestyle Quad.
The Squished X geometry and Long deck (top mounted LiPo) gives it very different flight characteristics than a toothpick, and makes it very enjoyable to zip around narrow spots.
With builds weighing in at under 100g AUW (incl battery) this little boy is the ultimate urban ripper. Low noise level and agility will allow you to unlock new spots and to send it without bothering your neighbors !
A few key points :
3mm thick unibottom, extremely rigid,
2mm thick top plate,
25.5*25.5 (whoop) and 20*20 mounting holes,
Optimized for analog (with 8mm standoffs included)
HD whoop VTX compatible (Walksnail, Hdzero) (with 12mm standoffs included)
Downscaling
This is one of the most important aspects of this frame : Downscaling, flight feeling and power to weight ratio.
The Kayoumini 2.5" was fully conceived around getting that downscaled 5" Freestyler feeling, hitting full gas won't take you to the moon like a 6s Toothpick or a full scale 5” Freestyle quad, and that's the point ! It'll send you just far enough to extend your lines and rip your local park like a mini bando.
With the recommended 2s setup, you'll find the throttle curve, visual cues and sensations of a 5“ quad properly scaled down to 2.5”, i.e. 2 times smaller, and that's just beautiful.
This point is easy to shown by comparing the thrust-to-weight ratio of a few different type of quads,
The Kayoumini's thrust-to-weight ratio has been thought to be very similar to a classic 5” freestyle setup to get as close as possible to its flight feeling !
Is it compatible with DJI ?
No. And we did it on purpose : the Vista and DJI O3 Air units, even naked are way too heavy and bulky for the frame form factor.
Different design choices
For an optimal experience, the weight of a build based on DJI hardware would have required very different design choices, such as larger motors, bigger batteries, a longer deck to mount them, thicker arms, etc.
And that's a lot of sacrifices for the non-DJI guys out there, it differs completely from the downscaled 5" freestyler baseline.
Getting this type of VTX in the air requires designing a frame on its own, for those who want to explore DJI Micro builds, the JeNo 3", which is much more spacious and features larger propellers, is 100% designed around this concept, but not the Kayoumini.
The Kayou experience
We want anyone following our recommendations to enjoy a good flying quad. The included 12mm standoffs already offer good flexibility for HD systems who released whoop style boards like Walksnail and Hdzero, which are light enough to take full advantage of the 2.5" 2s format.
To give you a scale reference, deck is no wider than an XT60 connector.
Build tips
For this category of quad, we'll be going for 25.5*25.5 AIO whoop boards to keep the weight down and the build as compact as it gets.
We're talking 55-65g excluding lipo, and the recommended voltage range is from 2s to 4s, depending on your preferences.
Standoffs length
The frame is sold with 2 standoffs options to keep the build as light and compact as possible for all uses :
8mm : Analog
The bare minimum :
Enough room to fit an Analog AIO. (Integrated RX and VTX, check recommendations below).
You can squeeze an external Analog VTX in there (TBS Unify Nano style) if needed.
12mm : HD, or taller builds
Dual PCB option : AIO + HD VTX (Whoop style : Walksnail or Hdzero)
Standoffs are standard Aluminum M2, if you want to play around with different lengths feel free to grab some on Aliexpress !
Build examples
Struggling with assembling and positioning ? Nothing better than a few photos to answer all your questions.
Analog setup based on a Happymodel X12 and a Runcam Nano 3.
Electronics recommendations (2S Setup )
This is by far my favorite setup, and the one we recommend (2S Setup): you end up with a light, responsive, playful build that will let you have fun freestyling tight spots without going to the moon on the first powerloop.
Useful informations :
We recommend a minimum of 12A FETS on the ESCs to ensure good reliability.
You'll need to remove the motor connectors for the AIOs sold with them. (pretty quick to do).
Analog Base
AIO 4in1 (1S-2S ESC+FC+VTX+RX)
1 single board for all the electronics ! Analog is clearly the preferred choice for the Kayoumini, it's easy to build, compact, lightweight and it will deliver the best flight performances.
JHEMCU F411 ELVTX
Entry-level
VTX : 400mW, UFL
RX : Serial, UFL
Unbeatable price.
Happymodel X12
Mid-range
VTX : 350mW, UFL
RX : SPI, Ceramic Antenna
You can grab the "PNP" version without an integrated Receiver and throw an external one if needed (Crsf, Ghost etc)
Flywoo GOKU F405 ERVT
High-end
VTX : 400mW, UFL
RX : Serial, UFL
Renowned brand, the top of the AIO range.
FPV Camera (Analog)
Kayoumini fits 14mm cameras, TPUs are available on Printables for the most popular cameras on the market.
HD Base
Camera + VTX Combo (HD)
2 manufacturers are producing whoop sized Digital hardware : HDZERO and Walksnail.
Theses 2 combos will fit between the 12mm standoffs supplied with the Kayoumini 2.5".
AIO 3in1 (2S ESC+FC+RX)
As you'll be using an external VTX you don't need an integrated Analog one in your AIO.
Mid-range
Other parts
Motors
The 2s 2.5” baseline is 1103 8000kv. Feel free to go bigger for more power, smaller to save weight, or play around with different Kv.
Here's what we recommend :
18e
Renowned for its sturdiness, vast choice of KVs. Out of promotion, the price seems rather high tho.
11.20e
Well-known brand in the Micro Drone world, good motor.
Please note: motor cables will need to be extended as they're meant for whoops.
LiPo
The deck is only 50mm long, so be careful which lipo you choose. We recommend 2s 300-450mAh giving you a flight time of 3 to 6 minutes, depending on how hard you push it.
Legend has it that they were born for the Kayoumini. They fit perfectly on the deck and offer the best compromise between weight, performance and flight time for freestyle.
GNB 2S 350mAh 70/140C
Another alternative that fits perfectly on the deck.
Hélices
We're talking 2.5” or 65mm, so it's up to you to try a few and see which ones suit you best !
Our favorite.
Careful - two-bladed props might require more tuning experience.
Enjoy !