Review: Holybro Atlatl mini video transmitter
• Chris
The Holybro Atlatl mini is a FPV video transmitter with MMCX antenna connector. The board measures in at just 19x16mm and 4.5mm thick - the thickest part is the MMCX connector. It weighs in at 1.6g without the antenna and 3.6g with the included linear antenna.
I picked mine up from Banggood for less than $20.
The PCB itself comes heat-shrinked and has silicone wires already attached. The wires are 10cm long and the pads are big enough to solder your own wires.
The input voltage is 5V - so you can not directly power it from your battery but will need some kind of BEC instead, this could be your flight controller or a dedicated BEC.
The package comes with the transmitter itself and a linear antenna. The manual con be found online.
The output power is switchable to up to 100mW (0.5, 25 and 100). 0.5mW is pit mode, this allows you to power on your quadcopter during a race without knocking any other pilot out of the air.
As mentioned in my article about antenna connectors the MMCX connector is rated for up to 500 mating cycles, making it a very solid choice for any build, not just your micros.
Further the video transmitter also has TBS SmartAudio so you can easily change band, channel and output power from your Betaflight OSD. Since the video transmitter does not have a button, the OSD or Betaflight configurator are the only ways to set it up. For this your flight controller will need a spare UART.
The signal is very clean and does not bleed over to other channels. The VTX supports the standard channel set of bands A, B, E, Fatshark and Raceband - 8 channels on each band for 40 channels total.
Pinout
Antennas
There is a good selection of MMCX antennas. Personally I really like the linear antennas since they are basically indestructible and super cheap. But you can also go fancy with circular polarized antennas like for example the Realacc UXII or the Foxeer Lolipop that are relatively cheaply available on Banggood.
The Foxeer Lollipop is a favorite of mine, nearly indestructible and circular polarized.
Pros
- Small size
- Lightweight
- MMCX connector
- Low price
- Clean signal
Cons
- Can only be powered from 5V
- 100mW maximum output power
- No button for setup
Conclusion
The Holybro Atlatl mini vtx is a great choice for your micro builds. Should you decide to not get an AIO camera, I would definitely give this one a shot. Great value for the price, clean signal and a MMCX connector. Keep in mind that your FC will need a spare UART in order for you to set up the video transmitter from the OSD.
HV version
There is also an HV version of this video transmitter, it has the 30.5x30.5mm mounting holes and comes with a button, LED’s to display band, channel and output power and a microphone. It also has way more output power - up to 800mW. So if you are building a five incher, I would recommend to get the HV version instead. The HV version also comes with it’s own BEC and you can power it directly from your battery - up to 6S.
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: