05-Jan-2017, 10:35 PM (This post was last modified: 05-Jan-2017, 10:44 PM by varkokonyi.)
I just got this beauty from Gearbest to review:
It came in a simple white box. It includes a battery (an interesting one), two sets of props, a buzzer and of course the whoopie itself.
The first few things I noticed:
The camera + vtx unit
The camera has decent image, I can easily see everything in time. It can be used for other projects, too as it is only held on by sticky foam and a rubber band. Interestingly enough, it also has an image flip switch, you can also install it upside down (I have no idea why one would do that) The 170° FOV takes some time to get used to, maybe one or two batteries. After getting used to it, I found it very useful for tight turns.
The VTX frequency can be changed with DIP switches (meh) but has a cloverleaf antenna (yay). If the receiver is set to the right frequency, it has a clear picture in my whole house (okay, it is not a big one). It takes up around 60 mHZ of the 5.8 GHZ band, which is pretty good for this price.
Some say the cloverleaf antenna can break off in a big crash, but it is fine right now.
The battery
It is rare to find 2S packs in whoopies, and that is not right. I have tried several ones with 1S batteries and while they were fun, but definitely lacked thrust.
The specific one that comes with this kit has 300mAhs of capacity and a 25C discharge rate. The discharge rate is less than I am used to on 180+ quads, but more than enough in this size range. The label states the battery can be charged at even 5C. It can be useful when you are in a hurry, but you shouldn't charge it at this rate regularly.
The battery has a JST plug (20 AWG) and a balance plug (24 AWG).
My usual flight time is around 4 minutes, I think that's pretty cool.
The frame
The frame is a very simple X shape, made from carbon with cutouts to make it lighter It also has a simple upper plate, also made of carbon with cutouts, it is held in place by two standoffs. It should easily survive the crashes as the copter is very light. The motors are friction-fitted using rubber rings. I really like this method as the motors can easily be swapped but they are still held firmly and the rubber rings cancel out the vibration of the motors which can seriously mess uo the image of a CMOS camera. Thumbs up!
The motors
Well, here comes the fun part. Very few of there micro quad motors support 2S, but these do. They have the usual micro quad color-coding (black-white and red-blue) Their diameter is 8.5 mm, their height is 20mm, the biggest you can get right now.
The props
The props appear to be unbreakable just like any other microquad props. The kit includes two sets, that is nice. They are bullnose peops, keep an eye out for that when ordering spares.
The FC
The FC is a regular brushed FC with an F3 chip, the extra feature is that it can also run on 2S. You can select the cell number with solder bridges. You also get a buzzer in the kit, it can be used as a low battery alarm. interestingly, the FC has 3 UARTs accessible, I have no idea what you would use besides the receiver. Anyways, the opportunity is there. It comes with cleanflight with very good PIDs but of course can be flashed with Betaflight as an SPRF3 EVO target.
The FrSky receiver
It is a very simple D8 protocol receiver. It has no telemetry, not even RSSI, but has failsafe so that is okay. You aren't going very far with this, anyway. It successfully bound to my 2015 LBT Taranis on the first try. To put it in bind mode, you have to put a solder bridge on the receiver and remove it afterwards (or short-circuit it with your hand if you have steady hands) which is a hassle but you only have to do it once. Then just select SBUS as a serial RX and you are ready to go. Simple. You can also use it for other projects, it has PPM output for older equipment or micro planes.
The buzzer
The kit also comes with a light-weight buzzer but I didn't add that. It is a pretty good and loud one. For voltage telemetry, I use the TH% value of the taranis.
Pros:
Cons:
Verdict
This is a very good kit to get into micro quads if you have existing equipment and a little experience in the hobby.
What you need:
Flight video
Coming soon (most likely on Saturday)
If you are interested in buying one, you can buy the FrSky version here, or the DSM2 version here.
Thank you for your attention, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Klaus out.
Tiny QX90!
It came in a simple white box. It includes a battery (an interesting one), two sets of props, a buzzer and of course the whoopie itself.
The first few things I noticed:
- The camera is attached to an LC filter. That is a good thing because the picture will be better, but this also means additional weight. The camera runs on 5-3.7 volts by the way.
- The battery has two cells! This means lots of powah, kind of equivalent to 4S packs on 180-250 copters. Because of this battery, you can't charge it with a simple USB charger these thing usually come with, you need a proper LiPo charger. Of course the additional power is well worth it.
The camera + vtx unit
The camera has decent image, I can easily see everything in time. It can be used for other projects, too as it is only held on by sticky foam and a rubber band. Interestingly enough, it also has an image flip switch, you can also install it upside down (I have no idea why one would do that) The 170° FOV takes some time to get used to, maybe one or two batteries. After getting used to it, I found it very useful for tight turns.
The VTX frequency can be changed with DIP switches (meh) but has a cloverleaf antenna (yay). If the receiver is set to the right frequency, it has a clear picture in my whole house (okay, it is not a big one). It takes up around 60 mHZ of the 5.8 GHZ band, which is pretty good for this price.
Some say the cloverleaf antenna can break off in a big crash, but it is fine right now.
The battery
It is rare to find 2S packs in whoopies, and that is not right. I have tried several ones with 1S batteries and while they were fun, but definitely lacked thrust.
The specific one that comes with this kit has 300mAhs of capacity and a 25C discharge rate. The discharge rate is less than I am used to on 180+ quads, but more than enough in this size range. The label states the battery can be charged at even 5C. It can be useful when you are in a hurry, but you shouldn't charge it at this rate regularly.
The battery has a JST plug (20 AWG) and a balance plug (24 AWG).
My usual flight time is around 4 minutes, I think that's pretty cool.
The frame
The frame is a very simple X shape, made from carbon with cutouts to make it lighter It also has a simple upper plate, also made of carbon with cutouts, it is held in place by two standoffs. It should easily survive the crashes as the copter is very light. The motors are friction-fitted using rubber rings. I really like this method as the motors can easily be swapped but they are still held firmly and the rubber rings cancel out the vibration of the motors which can seriously mess uo the image of a CMOS camera. Thumbs up!
The motors
Well, here comes the fun part. Very few of there micro quad motors support 2S, but these do. They have the usual micro quad color-coding (black-white and red-blue) Their diameter is 8.5 mm, their height is 20mm, the biggest you can get right now.
The props
The props appear to be unbreakable just like any other microquad props. The kit includes two sets, that is nice. They are bullnose peops, keep an eye out for that when ordering spares.
The FC
The FC is a regular brushed FC with an F3 chip, the extra feature is that it can also run on 2S. You can select the cell number with solder bridges. You also get a buzzer in the kit, it can be used as a low battery alarm. interestingly, the FC has 3 UARTs accessible, I have no idea what you would use besides the receiver. Anyways, the opportunity is there. It comes with cleanflight with very good PIDs but of course can be flashed with Betaflight as an SPRF3 EVO target.
The FrSky receiver
It is a very simple D8 protocol receiver. It has no telemetry, not even RSSI, but has failsafe so that is okay. You aren't going very far with this, anyway. It successfully bound to my 2015 LBT Taranis on the first try. To put it in bind mode, you have to put a solder bridge on the receiver and remove it afterwards (or short-circuit it with your hand if you have steady hands) which is a hassle but you only have to do it once. Then just select SBUS as a serial RX and you are ready to go. Simple. You can also use it for other projects, it has PPM output for older equipment or micro planes.
The buzzer
The kit also comes with a light-weight buzzer but I didn't add that. It is a pretty good and loud one. For voltage telemetry, I use the TH% value of the taranis.
Pros:
- Cloverleaf antenna
- 2S battery
- FC comes configured
- Carbon frame
- Buzzer
Cons:
- DIP switches
Verdict
This is a very good kit to get into micro quads if you have existing equipment and a little experience in the hobby.
What you need:
- A DSM2 or ACCST(FrSky) transmitter
- A LiPo charger capable of charging 2S packs and that can be set to charge under 300mA
- FPV goggles (if you want to fly FPV)
Flight video
Coming soon (most likely on Saturday)
If you are interested in buying one, you can buy the FrSky version here, or the DSM2 version here.
Thank you for your attention, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Klaus out.