Oct 26, 2021
The Darwin 69 - also called “Baby Ape” - is DarwinFPV’s next super cheap release - as the name suggests, it only costs $69. That is very little money for a basically complete 3” micro quadcopter. But at this price point, is it even worth getting it? Usually such super low price quads only have one up-side: the price.
I have had a couple of DarwinFPV products and I generally am really surprised at what they can put together for such a low price. When buying at this price point, one thing has to be clear: You will not get the newest, brand named components. DarwinFPV probably buys older parts in bulk and then throws something together that will match a certain price point.
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Oct 12, 2021
It was only a matter of time until the first ELRS only radio hit the market - and actually it came as I was expecting it: BetaFPV adapted their Lite Radio 2 - to be more precise - the Lite Radio 2 SE for ELRS.
This radio looks and feels exactly like the BetaFPV Lite Radio 2 which I have reviewed before. The main difference from the Lite Radio 2 to the SE (second edition) is the integrated battery: it comes with a 1000mAh 1S battery which can be charged via USB C. Further, the wiring has been updated and the connections to the gimbals look much more rigid.
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Aug 22, 2021
When I first saw the Baby Nazgul, I knew I had to try it. I am a big fan of the iFlight Alpha A65 and I have heard people raving so much about the 5” Nazgul, that the Baby Nazgul just has to be awesome - right,… right?
Let’s first address the elephant in the room - quite literally: This micro copter weighs in at 29.1g with CRSF receiver, if you add a 300mAh GNB battery the weight adds up to 37g. Without the CRSF receiver it weighs in at 26.9g - still 3.1g more than its whoop counter-part the iFlight Alpha A65 which weighs in at 23.8g without a battery.
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Aug 16, 2021
Happymodel was the first manufacturer to seize the opportunity for a quick buck and produce ELRS hardware. ELRS is an open source control link and I am pretty sure you have heard about it by now. I am a big fan of ELRS - been watching them basically since the beginning.
I am super stoked seeing more and more manufacturers implementing this Open Source hardware and I am confident that sooner or later it will replace FrSky D8 compatible SPI receivers on AIO boards.
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Aug 8, 2021
After Happymodel, BetaFPV is the second company jumping on the hype train and releasing ELRS hardware. I am pretty stoked seeing more companies releasing hardware based on an open source project, so I am excited to showcase some of the new hardware.
I am a huge fan of ELRS - an open source control link for radio controlled models. I have followed the project since pretty early on and even built a DIY transmitter module and receivers. I never had it in production use since it was simply to cumbersome for me to DIY the receivers and I was hoping that some day, some manufacturer will pick this system up commercially - which is happening now.
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Jun 29, 2021
The Eachine US65 Pro has some sentimental value for me, since the first article I wrote on this blog over three years ago was about the Eachine US65. A lot has happened since then and I was super excited when Banggood offered to send me one for review - unfortunately at this point I am already a bit late to the party since this copter has been released in late 2020. If it is still a good choice in 2021 you will find out here.
The Eachine US65, is a 65mm, 2S whoop set - it comes with the copter, batteries, charger, props and a nice carrying case.
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Jun 15, 2021
When I first saw the Rekon 3 Nano Long Range, I thought - awesome, a 1S 18650 RTF (Ready To Fly) micro quadcopter - I need to check that out! Banggood was kind enough to send me one over for review.
Designed by Dave_C and manufactured by RekonFPV the Rekon 3 Nano Long Range will have a very specific target audience, and in this post I want to take a closer look and help you decide if this might be something for you.
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Apr 28, 2021
Thinking about building a 1S brushless whoop and you are not sure which AIO flight controller to use? I want to show you a couple FC’s which I think are viable choices and explain what I am looking for in my 1S flight controllers.
Obviously there is no ONE perfect flight controller, otherwise this article would be pretty short. It depends on what you are looking for, and this might be different for everyone. I will show you what I look for and how my decision process looks like.
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Mar 10, 2021
The HappyModel Cine 8 is - as the name suggests - a 85mm cine whoop with which you can carry a Insta360 Go. This copter - similar to the UZ85 - comes as a kit which you have to assemble yourself - and there is no soldering required.
I really like the concept of having to put it together yourself. Everything is plug and play, meaning that all the wires come with plugs and you just plug them in and you are set. The assembly can easily be done in under an hour.
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Jan 27, 2021
In this article we will take a closer look at the T-Lite - Radiomasters first contribution to the niche of gamepad shaped radios.
As the name suggests it is a direct competitor to FrSky’s X-Lite but obviously also competes with other gamepad shaped controllers. I will compare it to the X-Lite and the BetaFPV Lite radio which I have been using for quite some time.
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