BetaFPV M02 VTX Review
• Chris
The BetaFPV M02 VTX is BetaFPV’s newest addition in the Nano VTX segment. I always liked the BetaFPV VTX’, because you can connect your FPV cam directly to it and from there wire everything to your flight controller - it is just a way cleaner setup in my opinion.
The M02 has a couple of very interesting tricks up its sleeve, some features that I have not yet seen on any other video transmitter of its size.
BetaFPV was kind enough to send me one to have a look at.
Modularity
You can use the M02 stand-alone or you can solder it to a “diamond sized” PCB that will fit into any whoop sized stack(26.5x26.5mm hole pattern), making this VTX a great choice for your toothpick build. Once you solder the VTX to the PCB, all connections are broken out on the PCB itself. It is basically just a bit bigger than half of a whoop sized FC.
One of the sides does not align perfectly. I suggest soldering the side that has more contacts first, since the align perfectly and then solder the other side. Double check that the VTX is properly oriented when soldering it to the PCB. to solder the parts together I just put them on BluTack to hold them together while soldering.
If you do not want to use the PCB you can solder to the transmitter itself, or - if you prefer - use the connector on the VTX. To be honest, I would have preferred that the video transmitter came without this plug, since it makes the transmitter rather thick and it is not too easy to get rid of it. But I can see, that people who are looking for a plug and play solution will in fact like this plug.
Your FC will need to provide a wire with plugs on both sides though, since the included wire only comes with a plug on one side and wires on the other.
Size
the VTX itself is 18x14mm and a whopping 6mm high. It weighs in at 1.75g without antenna. Should you want to use the PCB, it adds 1.05g including the rubber grommets. The antenna weighs in at 2g. The wire adds another 0.3g.
So if you are planning on using all the features you will end up with a video transmitter that weighs in at 5.1g which is obviously not the lightest option.
Power
The output power is switchable between 25, 100, 200 and 350mW. You have to power the video transmitter from 5V, so you need to hook it up to one of your 5V outputs on your flight-controller - you cannot power it directly from a battery.
The signal is very clean and does not bleed over to other channels.
Like all Nano transmitters of its size, the M02 also gets pretty hot during operation, the can does help with cooling a bit though.
Antenna
The included antenna is a right hand, circular polarized antenna with IPX connector. I have not yet seen a nano sized VTX that does not come with a linear antenna, so this is a great feature - but it comes with a bit of a price: weight.
If you want to use the included antenna, you are adding 2g to your build. For some builds the additional weight is absolutely worth it, but if you are going for super light weight, this might not be the best choice.
Settings
Power and channel settings can be adjusted via SmartAudio. Unfortunately BetaFPV does not provide a configuration JSON to be used with Betaflight.
If you like to torture yourself, you can also use the button to cycle through its settings.
Pinout
Although easy to read, here a picture of the pinout - this might be especially important for the connector on the bottom if you are going for a full plug and play solution.
Accessories
In the Box you get:
- Video transmitter
- Expansion PCB
- Rubber grommets for mounting the expansion PCB
- A couple of screws - I would have preferred them to be longer, so that you can screw them through the whole stack
- Circular polarized antenna
Conclusion
With a price tag of around $22.00 it is definitely not your cheapest option if you are looking for a nano sized VTX. But it is an absolutely fair price for what you get.
If your build is not super weight critical - in a sense where tenths of a gram count - this is a super convenient video transmitter with clean signal that is not bleeding over to other channels.
Chris is a Vienna based software developer. In his spare time he enjoys reviewing tech gear, ripping quads of all sizes and making stuff.
Learn more about Chris, the gear he uses and follow him on social media: