I built 10+ drones. Lost count.
Should fly like all the TP3 clones.. right?
I wasnt ready for the disappointment.


4inch 18650 2S got stalled. And I had recently fixed the Hifionrc F7 AIO FC. So plan was to build something small to run on 1x 18650

Specs
100mm frame
Eachine 68mm prop guards
Hifionrc F7 45A (enough??)
HappyModel EX1203 11000KV
Gemfan 65mm
Foxeer Razer Micro

Problem1.
Flight time is abysmal. Maybe 2 -2.5min from 520mah 2S. Punch out, motors drain battery hard.. like down to 3V.
Already running 48khz and BF 4.2.9 with rpm.

Problem2.
Slow is ok, but pitch up/down suddenly overshoots. Thinking propguards are catching wind. Wasnt prepared for lack of agility.

No.

I dont expect "great" out of HappyModel.
But. they have curved notchy magnets.

I think there is problem with FC.
Unless its the heat from vtx, its the FC.
And heat = wasted power.

I've always generally been disappointed with the flight time of micro quads. It's one reason that I prefer to fly larger quads which I always know I can get some decent flight time out of.

Voltage sag is more noticeable on lower capacity lipos and is also influenced by their C ratings.

2.5” with “prop guards? I have yet to see ANY quad with either prop guards or “ducts” perform decent.. it’s added weight and drag.
I can only see these as a “requirement” if ur flying around people..low and slow.. what benefit do they offer??I’ve only seen them as a “safely” thing
Get rid of them, try some different props and some new FRESH batteries…
I was recently gifted a mob 6 on a open prop frame. And it’s amazing on how it performs… very surprising.

what uaw do you have? it sounds to me there should be more flighttime on 2,5"

On my Phantom HD 3" I only get 2-3 minutes of fast flight landing @ 3.6v on a 3s 550mah LiPo. It started as a 2.5" and converted to 3" on 1105 5000kv motors, and has an AUW of about 140g. (it's digital, that's why so heavy)

I don't have much experience with LiOn batteries for quads, so it is hard for me to make a comparison between flying with them and LiPo.

I would first try removing the prop guards unless you need them for indoor flight. That should cut a good bit of weight and air resistance off. As far as the voltage drop, I'm not sure there is much you can do about that running on a single 18650. Those batteries were designed to put out a small voltage over time, not to meet the sudden power requirements of flying a quad.

Wow, those low Fly Times surprise me.

My Tiny-Black-85 is a 2" whoop and gets over 5 minutes on a 2S 650 mAh battery.
So far, that is the only pack that I fly it with, but I just fly it around the yard and I 
like the way it flies with that a 2S 650 mAh battery. 

Somewhere in the parts bin, I have a set of 2.3 inch props with guards that will
fit a 2.5 inch frame. Now, I am curious. I will need to dig them out and put them
on my Phantom-i which is my Phantom "clone" build and gets between 8 and 9 
minutes of Fly Time on a 2S 650 mAh battery; a good baseline.

Once fitted with guards and smaller props, I will use 2S 650 mAh battery to 
determine the amount of Fly Time lost due to the guards and smaller props. 

Very interesting.

The Bug, my 2.5" gets about 3-4 minutes when flying a 3S-650mah pack...never tried a 2S with it as my motors are 1105-4000kv motors which I feel is just too low for 2S. Do you ahve a smallish 3S you could try?

Mine is open prop and it never has had any issues, but I did not have to experiment to find rates that worked well. I think the smaller frames are "too quick" for higher rates.

3S is BIG NO.
Its HappyModel EX1203 11000KV. Its max for 2S 65mm. Wish they had 8000KV.
Im using a Hifionrc F7 45A AIO FC.

I think main problem is battery sag. I flew 3min
.landed with low voltage warning, but after 5min. 3.79V or 3.82V . Still got 40%. I will get 700mah 2S.

2nd problem is the shorting capacitor I removed.. Maybe its causing the board to get hot... need investigate

I got 11000KV. to allow 18650 flying

Hi Roman,

I don't understand the high KV. I ran 2S 18650 pack on my Phantom-X when it had 1303 5000 KV motors
{AUW = 226 grams} and got a fly time more than 21 minutes.

I also ran a 3S 18650 pack in my Katana-LR4 which has 1504.5 3950 KV motors {AUW = 337 grams} 
and got over 21 minutes with this one as well.

NOTE:   These 18650 cells were in plastic holders which does add considerable weight, but I didn't 
              want to make or buy a pack where I couldn't separate the cells. Besides, I figure that I could 
              always trim that weight and pick up a few more minutes of flight time.

Consider that the 18650 cells are NOT performance batteries. They are only really good for slow, steady,
endurance flights; take off easy, cruise with a light throttle, and no throttle punches. These batteries 
simply do not have the recovery resilience to withstand stunt moves, even when fully charged. 

Also, I have use several of the HIFRIONRC F7 boards with no issues; they all work fine.

With 5000KV, you would barely takeoff with 1S... maybe exagerating, but certainly problems by time you are 3.7V.

I chose 11000KV to allow running 1S 18650.

i believe the motorsize match 2s liion better, they are still efficiency on that weight, but the rotor diameter give the need for high rpms what doesnt match efficiency than.
no option to go for 2,5"? its not much bigger in size but a new world about efficiency and performance

BTW.

My Apex 1303.6, 3016*3 toothpick. 77g
My RcinPower1204 toothpick. 71g
My Geprc1204.. I dunno.. waiting for replacement Ratel2.

This 2.5" whoop with HM1203... 75g.
The weight of ducts offsets the lighter propeller and motor.