Cinewhoop and 4- to 5-inch FPV motor

Xnova Lightning 2204

Xnova's Lightning 2204 for cinewhoops and light racing quads on 3–4S, about 24 g with a hollow titanium shaft; the 2350KV pulls 1,176 g on a DAL 5046 three-blade on 4S in Xnova's test.

Cinewhoops carrying HD cameras, and light 4- to 5-inch racing quads
3S–4S
5-inch props on an M5 shaft; Xnova tested the 2900KV on 4-inch props too

Drawing the 3D model…

Throttle60%

The spin is an illustration: the model turns at 1/600 of the no-load speed, and it is a generic 2204 motor drawn from Xnova’s published sizes, not its exact design. Thrust, current and power are Xnova’s bench figures for the DAL5046*3 prop at 16.8 V, read straight across between its throttle steps. Its data starts at 50% throttle.

Version

2350KV3S–4S2500KV2900KV3S–4S

Xnova tested it on 4S (max 16.8 V) with 5-inch three-blades.

Max thrust: 1,176 g; DAL5046*3 prop, 16.8 V
Weight: 24 g; with 11.5 cm wires; 23.8 g (2900KV); no weight given for the 2500KV
Peak current: 35.2 A; full throttle
Max power: 591 W; full throttle

What it pulls

Xnova’s own bench test, one line per prop. Drag across the chart to move the throttle; the model above follows.

At 60% with the DAL5046*3: 600 g of thrust, 13.4 A, 225 W, 2.67 g per watt.

On your quad

All-up weight650 g

7.2 : 1

Thrust to weight at full throttle: four motors pull 4,704 g with the DAL5046*3 at 16.8 V.

At 60% throttle they pull 2,400 g, 3.7 times the quad’s weight.

All-up weight is the quad ready to fly, with its battery and camera. The thrust is the maker’s static bench figure; in the air it is lower.

What you get

Light, hollow titanium shaft
Xnova calls it extremely light: 24 g for the 2350KV and 23.8 g for the 2900KV with 11.5 cm of wire, on a hollow titanium shaft.
Source: Xnova product page, Xnova data list
Cinewhoop and racing
Xnova designed it for cinewhoops filming in HD and for ultralight racing.
Source: Xnova product page
Smooth and balanced
Xnova lists low cogging torque and smooth running, and says the motors are precisely balanced and fully tested.
Source: Xnova product page
Bench numbers
On 4S the 2350KV pulls 1,171–1,176 g on DAL 5045 and 5046 three-blades at about 35 A; the 2500KV pulls 1,204 g on an HQ 5043 three-blade at 35.7 A.
Source: Xnova 2350KV prop data, Xnova 2500KV prop data

What to pair it with

Our reading of Xnova’s numbers, so your build matches what the motor was tested with.

ESC: Full-throttle currents on Xnova's bench run from 23.2 A (2500KV, Gemfan 5030, 4S) to 36.6 A (2900KV, DAL 5046 three-blade, 3S); the 2350KV peaks at 35.2 A on 4S. (Xnova 2350KV prop data, Xnova 2500KV prop data, Xnova 2900KV prop data)
Props: Xnova tested 5-inch three-blades (DAL 5045 and 5046, HQ 5043, Gemfan 5042) and a Gemfan 5030, and the 2900KV also on DYS 4 × 4 three-blade and DYS 4045 two-blade props on 4S. Props fit the M5 shaft. (Xnova 2350KV prop data, Xnova 2500KV prop data, Xnova 2900KV prop data, Xnova drawing)
Battery: 3S–4S for the 2350KV and the 2900KV; Xnova tested the 2500KV on 4S. (Xnova data list, Xnova 2500KV prop data)
Frame: Four M3 screws, opposite holes 16 mm apart (the 16 × 16 pattern). (Xnova drawing)

Full specs

Spec	Value	Source
KV	2,350 rpm/V (also 2500KV and 2900KV)	Xnova data list
Stator	22 × 4 mm (2204) (from the size in Xnova's name)	Xnova product page
Battery	3S–4S LiPo (for the 2350KV and the 2900KV; Xnova gives no battery for the 2500KV and tested it on 4S)	Xnova data list
Weight	24 g (with 11.5 cm wires; 23.8 g (2900KV); no weight given for the 2500KV)	Xnova data list
Dimensions	φ27 × 31.3 mm (with shaft); body 17.3 mm tall	Xnova drawing
Shaft	Hollow titanium, M5 threaded, 14 mm above the bell (31.3 mm overall less the 17.3 mm body)	Xnova product page, Xnova drawing
Mounting	4 × M3, opposite holes 16 mm apart (16 × 16)	Xnova drawing
Resistance	0.075 Ω (0.055 Ω (2900KV))	Xnova data list
No-load current	1.1 A (at 10 V; 1.5 A (2900KV))	Xnova data list
Peak current	35.2 A (100% throttle, DAL 5046 three-blade, max 16.8 V)	Xnova 2350KV prop data
Max power	591.36 W (same test)	Xnova 2350KV prop data
Leads	11.5 cm	Xnova data list

Bench data

Redrawn from Xnova’s test reports. Thrust is static pull on a bench, more than you get in flight. Power is volts × amps; efficiency is thrust divided by power.

2350KV on 3S–4S, 16.8 V3 props

Prop	Throttle	Current (A)	Thrust (g)	Power (W)	Efficiency (g/W)
DAL5046*3 (DALProp 5046, 3-blade)	50%	10.6	492	178.08	2.76
	60%	13.4	600	225.12	2.67
	100%	35.2	1,176	591.36	1.99
DAL5045*3 (DALProp 5045, 3-blade)	50%	10.6	492	178.08	2.76
	60%	13.1	592	220.08	2.69
	100%	34.8	1,171	584.64	2
HQ5043*3 (HQProp 5043, 3-blade)	50%	9.9	480	166.32	2.89
	60%	12.4	575	208.32	2.76
	100%	30.8	1,132	517.44	2.19

Source: Xnova 2350KV prop data

2500KV, 16.8 V3 props

Prop	Throttle	Current (A)	Thrust (g)	Power (W)	Efficiency (g/W)
HQ5043*3 (HQProp 5043, 3-blade)	50%	12	521	201.6	2.58
	60%	15.3	633	257.04	2.46
	70%	19.2	762	322.56	2.36
	80%	24.6	915	413.28	2.21
	90%	32.3	1,085	542.64	2
	100%	35.7	1,204	599.76	2.01
Gemfan5042*3 (Gemfan 5042, 3-blade)	50%	12.3	513	206.64	2.48
	60%	15.2	621	255.36	2.43
	70%	20	762	336	2.27
	80%	25.2	905	423.36	2.14
	90%	32.6	1,072	547.68	1.96
	100%	36.3	1,192	609.84	1.95
Gemfan5030 (Gemfan 5030)	50%	9.3	517	156.24	3.31
	60%	11.5	600	193.2	3.11
	70%	14.5	695	243.6	2.85
	80%	16.4	790	275.52	2.87
	90%	21.8	971	366.24	2.65
	100%	23.2	1,023	389.76	2.62

Source: Xnova 2500KV prop data

2900KV on 3S–4S5 props

Prop	Throttle	Current (A)	Thrust (g)	Power (W)	Efficiency (g/W)
DAL5046*3 (DALProp 5046, 3-blade)at 12.6 V	50%	11.6	435	146.16	2.98
	60%	14.5	517	182.7	2.83
	100%	36.6	1,010	461.16	2.19
DAL5045*3 (DALProp 5045, 3-blade)at 12.6 V	50%	11.7	430	147.42	2.92
	60%	14.6	510	183.96	2.77
	100%	36	992	453.6	2.19
HQ5043*3 (HQProp 5043, 3-blade)at 12.6 V	50%	11	420	138.6	3.03
	60%	13.7	502	172.62	2.91
	100%	32.5	965	409.5	2.36
Dys443 (DYS 4 × 4, 3-blade)at 16.8 V	50%	14.9	460	250.32	1.84
	60%	19	510	319.2	1.6
	100%	35.1	932	589.68	1.58
Dys4045*2 (DYS 4045, 2-blade)at 16.8 V	50%	13.1	439	220.08	1.99
	60%	16.9	512	283.92	1.8
	90%	29.8	822	500.64	1.64
	100%	34.1	837	572.88	1.46

Source: Xnova 2900KV prop data

Inside the motor

A brushless outrunner: the coils stand still in the middle and the magnets spin around them. From the top down:

Bell. A red upper bell and six-spoke top over a black lower band. (Xnova drawing, Xnova product photo, Xnova top photo)
Shaft. Hollow titanium with an M5 thread, 14 mm above the bell. (Xnova product page, Xnova drawing)
Base. Black, with four M3 holes, opposite holes 16 mm apart. (Xnova drawing, Xnova product photo)
Leads. 11.5 cm. (Xnova data list)

How fast it spins

KV is the motor’s no-load speed per volt. With nothing on the shaft, the 2350KV version reaches about these speeds; a prop loads the motor and brings it down, typically to around 70–75% of these figures at full throttle.

Battery	Volts	No-load rpm (KV × V)	Electrical frequency	ESC steps per second
4S nominal	14.8	34,780	4,058 Hz	24,346
4S full	16.8	39,480	4,606 Hz	27,636
6S nominal	22.2	52,170	6,087 Hz	36,519
6S full	25.2	59,220	6,909 Hz	41,454

A 14-pole rotor has 7 pole pairs, so every turn of the shaft is 7 electrical cycles, and a six-step ESC switches the phases 42 times per turn.

About the 3D model

A generic outrunner drawn from Xnova’s published sizes: the 22 × 4 mm stator, 27 mm bell, 17.3 mm height, 5 mm shaft and 16 mm mounting circle. Anything Xnova doesn’t publish is typical for a motor this size, and the bell’s spoked top, the base and the inside are a generic design, not this motor’s. The colours are read off the maker’s product photos. There are no logos or markings: it is our drawing, not the maker’s.