Close-up of the ESP32-WROOM-32E mounted on the custom PCB. The JVION Engineering silkscreen is clearly visible on the board, marking each unit as designed and produced by JVION.

Due to space constraints within the product, the charging system was split across two boards connected via an FFC. Board A handles USB-C power input using the USB4725 controller with TVS transient protection, status LEDs and a tactile button. Board B is built around the Texas Instruments BQ24618 synchronous buck charging IC — a high-efficiency single-cell LiPo charger capable of up to 5A charge current — paired with CSD17575Q3 MOSFETs, a 4.7µH power inductor, and 10mΩ sense resistors for precision current monitoring. A JST connector on Board B outputs directly to the 3.7V LiPo cell, while a 6-pin male header connects the system to the main light engine PCB.

The payload enclosure was designed as a multi-section SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) nylon assembly, allowing tight integration of electronics, antenna routing and mechanical interfaces within a weight-critical airborne structure. The split-body design enables field access and rapid component swap.

Full avionics electronics integration within the SLS housing, including ESC installation, power distribution and harness routing. Gold-connector power leads and motor phase wiring were routed and secured within the enclosure's internal rib structure, designed to accommodate all cabling without compromising structural integrity.

A precision RF payload module was integrated into the system, shown here in its transit case. The unit interfaces with the UAV's onboard electronics and external antenna array, with RF connections routed through the SLS structure to the externally mounted antennas.

Thermal performance of the integrated system was validated using multi-channel thermocouple logging, with an RS Pro datalogger recording temperatures across the electronics stack. A controlled airflow environment simulated operational conditions, with results captured in real time on a laptop-based data acquisition system.

A dedicated ground-based avionics test rig was built to validate the full system prior to flight. The rig replicates the UAV's electrical architecture and allows engineers to test all subsystems — power, RF, motor control and flight controller interfaces — in a safe, controlled environment before deployment.

A biomimetic flapping-wing UAV programme that originated at Airbus. JVION led the full mechanical redesign of the flapping mechanism, optimising the crank-linkage kinematics and developing a twin-stage compound gear train (60:1 ratio) that achieved a 40% total weight reduction.

Carbon fibre and machined aluminium structural components were designed with DFM principles from day one — geometry validated for CNC waterjet cutting, FEA-driven bracket optimisation, and material choices matched to aerodynamic loading requirements.

IP65 DIGITAL
ROTARY DEVICE

The contactless sensing system uses 30× 3mm × 1mm neodymium magnets press-fit into a precision inner ring magnet holder, with a unipolar hall sensor array on the PCBA reading magnetic flux through rotation. Eliminating contact wear extends product lifespan by an order of magnitude over the previous encoder design.

IP65 sealing is achieved through a dual O-ring stack — a rotary FKM O-ring (2mm section) at the rotating interface and a static O-ring sealing the base — combined with a 30×37×4mm bearing providing the rotational bearing surface. No adhesives, no potting compound, fully field-serviceable.