23-Oct-2017, 08:35 AM (This post was last modified: 08-Dec-2017, 05:42 PM by Tom BD Bad.)
Huge thanks to Sandra and BangGood for providing this item in return for an honest an impartial review.
The Fullspeed Bat-100
Available to purchase from BangGood here for only $99.99 - https://goo.gl/vFLhUv
At a glance
The Bat-100 is a 1s (3.7v) micro quadcopter with 0705 15000kV motors, a 6 amp (7A burst) 4-in-1 ESC running DShot 600 digital protocol. The1.4mm thick carbon fiber chassis is configured in a 'streched X' format and measures 100mm from motor to motor. It comes PNP (Plug and Play) which means that you will have to solder your choice of receiver to the FC, but (unusually for a PNP model) it is supplied with a 500mAh 30C Li-Po battery, but no charger, so you will have to buy one separately if you don't already have one. This model visually resembles a much larger racing pedigree quad with its minimalist look, this minimalism is due to Fullspeed applying a Hollywood supermodel's obsessive attention to loosing weight!
Unboxing
The Bat is shipped in a sturdy cardboard box which contains molded foam to keep the model, props and battery well protected during transport. Supplied with 2 full sets of 55mm cool blue props to get you in the air, but I would suggest purchasing some spares as the model does not come supplied with any prop guards. In fact it is not supplied with much at all! The ready built model, battery, 8 props, 2 rubber bands and some Velcro to hold the battery are all that is included in the box. The lack of any instructions makes this hard to recommend as a 1st quad, and unusually there are no instructions or documentation linked from BangGood's product page either. Some experience with quad building and soldering really are a necessity to fit your own RX within the tiny frame. The carbon fiber chassis and top plate are very nicely finished with no rough edges and all the screws holding the model and components were all well tightened out of the box, though it is always a good idea to check this before flying.
Receiver and Hardware Installation
The F3 flight control board has both 3.3v and 5v pads available on UART 3 to suit your choice of RX, I used the iRangeX clone of the FlySky A8S v2 RX, I de-cased it and used some insulation tape to ensure there were no shorts. The antenna on this RX is really far too long for this model, but I am still waiting for the postman to arrive with the micro RX I ordered to use with the bat... I disconnected the RX plug to solder the wires to the FC more easily, then plugged it back into the RX afterwards with only about 10-15mm of wire connecting the 2.
The solder pads are located on the 'front' of the FC, just behind the camera mount. The term 'mount' must be used lightly here as the AIO camera + VTX is simply stuck on with double sided foam tape, the camera on mine wan't even stuck on straight! The camera mount must be removed before soldering your RX to the FC, as the heat from the iron will be so close it will melt the 3d printed plastic.
Be very careful when moving the components, 2 wires (video and OSD) between the camera and FC became disconnected when I moved the camera and mount, believe me, I didn't put any tension or strain whatsoever on those wires! From this experience I think Fullspeed could do with a bit more time spent on quality control, checking the solder joints.
Pre-flight and BetaFlight Setup
BetaFlight setup is very simple with this model, the F3 board has been pre-flashed with version 3.1 and has been factory configured with custom PID's and rates, you may wish to change these to suit your flying style though. All that is required in BetaFlight is confirming your RX is on UART 3 and configuring the type of signal your RX uses. The FC is compatible with SBUS, iBUS, PPM and DSM protocols. Before you go out flying, I'd suggest checking the orientation of the camera to confirm that it is level and facing straight forward, even slight misalignment can play havoc with your accuracy when proximity flying.
I have not managed to get BLHeli configurator to recognize the connection between the quad and my laptop yet, so I am unable to provide any info other than it using the DShot 600 digital ESC protocol. I will update this section when I have more information...
Tip - If you replace the foam tape that is provided to keep the camera secure, only stick the tape to the back of the camera, not the bottom.
Not the prettiest soldering I have ever accomplished, but it works! Note to self 'watch out for the nylon standoffs!'
Flight Characteristics
The Bat 100 is FAST, surprisingly fast for a 1s model, this really is a great little quad for micro racing, even outdoors. Where many micro models, especially those running 1s batteries can feel slow when flying in large spaces, the Bat 100 really doesn't. It also has a buzzer and LED which makes it easier to find outside in long grass, showing that Fullspeed have designed this little guy to fly with confidence outdoors. It obviously wont keep up with a 5 inch all out racer, but the amount of speed the 0705 15000kv motors provide is very impressive. It is a little bit twitchy when flying FPV but I think much of that may be down to not following my own tip... I put foam tape on the back as well as the bottom of the camera when I put it back on (straight this time!) and after a few mishaps the camera can move and shake during aggressive maneuvers. I have some 650mAh batteries on their way to me now, some 35-70C Nanotech and 65C Turnigy graphenes, so I will test those, re-attach the camera and update this section soon...
Camera, VTX and FPV
I am very surprised at the range I can get out of the 25mW VTX on this AIO combo, I still have not managed to fly so far that I loose signal and I have flown over 70m away. I am pretty happy with the image from the 600TVL camera too, but it is nothing to write home about. It is OK at dealing with changes in lighting conditions, but at best, I would describe the dynamic range as 'acceptable.' Low light conditions are where this camera struggles, and I couldn't comfortable recommend late evening flying.
Resilience
I haven't properly put the Bat through the wringer yet, I have had a few light impacts and dropped it from about 5M high with little ill effect. A bent prop which then broke after some aggressive direction changes gives the opinion that the stock props are not as durable as I would like, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they were 'flimsy.' Ladybird props are a good option, they are a little heavier than stock so they do have a very minor impact on flight time, I can honestly say there is very little difference in the motor temperatures (by feel) from using the Ladybirds over the stock props. They do feel like the have a bit more punch than the stock ones too, and they are also very durable, I would comfortably advise the ladybirds to be the 'go-to' prop for this model, the combination of power and durability really is very good.
The carbon fiber used for the chassis on the Bat is very thin at 1.4mm, but as it is such a lightweight model (only 30g without RX and battery) it carries very little inertia into crashes so I hope that it can retain it's resilience through the heavier impacts that are (as always in this hobby) just around the corner!
Prop guards are available to purchase separately (or 3d print your own) and if you are going to be using this model as an indoor flier I would strongly advise getting some, this model is very fast and I would recommend indoor use for experienced pilots only.
Summary
I have been excited about the Fullspeed Bat-100 since I first saw it listed on BangGood, I was struck by its racing quad looks, light weight, brushless motors and the fact that it uses the same 1s 500mAh battery as the KingKong TiNY7. I have to say that besides there being no instruction manual and a little niggle over the QC of soldering of the camera wires, that I am very VERY pleased with how it performs. Incredibly fast and maneuverable, with plenty of power to recover from flips and tricks, and with a decent flight time. I can happily recommend this quad to anyone who has a little bit of experience with soldering and if you have only been flying whoop style 1s brushed quads this is your ideal progression for an outdoor model and a great introduction to the benefits of brushless motors. I have been struggling to put this thing down since I got it on Friday, now on Monday I have discharged about 30 packs through it already!
Pro's
Fast and maneuverable
Brushless motors
DShot 600 digital ESC protocol
Super lightweight
Common size 1s battery
Great FPV range
A brushless quad that you can crash into yourself without injury!
Cons
No instruction manual
Needs better quality control on the soldering
Camera could do better in low light. Windless fields and smokeless builds