As per ArchillesElbow I lightened up the X1 a bit - chopped here and there, although I still have not taken the keycam out of the case. I am down to 82 grams total with battery and cam.

It's very windy today, so results were not so great - but it does seem as if it will work in very light (5mph) winds and for the first 6 minutes or so at this weight.

I also think the X1 is not quite of the same quality as the 9 series, so that may have a little bit to do with it also.

Also, the quad in the beginner mode banks so slightly that the wind quickly works against it.

I am fairly certain that getting it down to less than 80 grams - and using it in lighter winds - will make for a nice experiment in some video....but, realistically, we are all fooling ourselves with sub-$50 flying video drones for anything but some initial fun.

I do like the look of that MJX with the 8 gram built in cam module for about $70.

Sooner or later I will fork over for some bigger quads, but it's hard to find one which is simply the next step up - not many in the 20-40 gram payload department. I noticed the LotusRC T80 and that looks nice, but there doesn't seem to be much US support, parts, etc.

It seems like there are some holes in the market in the $70-$170 (US) range. The Hoten looks like a nice bird, but it's a little more than that.

Thank you for your comments. I do understand that there are limitations to toy radios, and signals are affected by many things. But I'm losing signal in less than 50' (feet). I have many other toy radios with fake antenna (that is just a trace on the PCB), and have not experienced the same kind of drops.

But yes, so far, it has only happened twice, on very cold nights, in the same location. I would try and gather more data. But having such a short range is not acceptable, even for a toy. Fortunately, this has not been a wide spread issue that I'm reading. I chalk it up to perhaps a defect in my sample. I may even get in touch with my seller and see what they want to do.

Good news: I got it on Amazon, and I'm an Amazon Prime member.

Agree, 50' not good.

HeliPad, I assume the rechargeable batteries you are using only charge to about 1.2 or 1.3 volts. You might try brand new alkaline batteries under the same conditions and see if it makes a difference?

Thank you, Sirius. The batteries I use are the Eneloop. They are >1.4v when recharged. After using it for Friday and Saturday. I just tested them to be 5.57v total, so pretty close to 1.4v per cell.

But you're right. Perhaps the x1 4 cells system is a bit picky. So, I will bring some Alkalines with me next time. First, I will see if I get signal drops. If so, I'll drop some new ALK in it and try again.

You could also try hooking up a small mah 2s lipo battery. I did that with my Syma s033g and ran the tx with 7.4v in an effort to increase range. Can't really remember if it increased range much, but I liked it so much I rigged up my 9958s transmitter to use a 2s lipo before I got my T9x. I rigged them so I could still take out the lipos and use AAA cells if I wanted

Originally Posted by craigiri

As per ArchillesElbow I lightened up the X1 a bit - chopped here and there, although I still have not taken the keycam out of the case. I am down to 82 grams total with battery and cam.

It's very windy today, so results were not so great - but it does seem as if it will work in very light (5mph) winds and for the first 6 minutes or so at this weight.

I also think the X1 is not quite of the same quality as the 9 series, so that may have a little bit to do with it also.

Also, the quad in the beginner mode banks so slightly that the wind quickly works against it.

I am fairly certain that getting it down to less than 80 grams - and using it in lighter winds -.

Heavier UAV will be better in winds. Add some weight to fly it in more wind.

Good news, I got the 949 charger I ordered, and it worked perfectly with those big Turnigy batteries I listed earlier in this thread. Turns off when fully charged. Even works on the stock X1 battery.

So I charged up the battery and did some indoor hovering to see how long the battery lasted. I got a solid 15 minutes before being forced to land. Pretty impressive! So for the 3 extra batteries and the stock one, I can fly for almost a full hour! Nice.

Yay, that sounds great. And almost a full hour of flying would be too much for my pea size brain to handle. Regardless, I think you are in great shape.

Originally Posted by craigiri

As per ArchillesElbow I lightened up the X1 a bit - chopped here and there, although I still have not taken the keycam out of the case. I am down to 82 grams total with battery and cam.

It's very windy today, so results were not so great - but it does seem as if it will work in very light (5mph) winds and for the first 6 minutes or so at this weight.

I also think the X1 is not quite of the same quality as the 9 series, so that may have a little bit to do with it also.

Also, the quad in the beginner mode banks so slightly that the wind quickly works against it.

I am fairly certain that getting it down to less than 80 grams - and using it in lighter winds - will make for a nice experiment in some video....but, realistically, we are all fooling ourselves with sub-$50 flying video drones for anything but some initial fun.

I do like the look of that MJX with the 8 gram built in cam module for about $70.

Sooner or later I will fork over for some bigger quads, but it's hard to find one which is simply the next step up - not many in the 20-40 gram payload department. I noticed the LotusRC T80 and that looks nice, but there doesn't seem to be much US support, parts, etc.

It seems like there are some holes in the market in the $70-$170 (US) range. The Hoten looks like a nice bird, but it's a little more than that.

Craigiri good to hear the mods worked..
To be honest the x1 on low rates in the wind is not the best... And a lighter quad in general gets buffeted in the wind a bit... But the lightness will help with the camera...
The one thing missing in the x1 frame format is the gws props.. Which make a huge difference cutting through the wind as well as lifting...
With respect to the sub $50 dollars vflying video drones... I don't know I got the v929 pretty stable with better video and range than the brushed hoten x... So i think it can be done...

Hi Guys,
I just read through every page of this thread!!!
I am considering purchasing one of these little dream machines I convinced one of my friends to get one instead of a Syma S026G so hopefully that should be here this week sometime.

So I was wondering if anyone has tried this on the CT6B transmitter? I do have the software on my computer and have configured it to a couple planes in the past.
Really the only reason for any delay in getting an X1 is that I just put together a 900mm Pop Wing and was thinking about getting some more batteries for it and for my Stryker f27Q.
I was considering an Ares Ethos QX 75 from my local Hobby Town. Any ideas if it is a re branded quad from one of these other brands? More the micro size. It flies really nice though although I can't compare since it is the first quad I have flown (The guy at the hobby shop let me try his).

Thanks,
Nathan

The range is officially stated at 30 yards (somewhere - my bro saw it and told me)...or maybe 30 meters. Taking weather and obstacles into account, that's as little as 75 feet or so, which is not very far...maybe as tall as the trees.

I'm not saying that it cannot go further, but that is the spec.

I'm going to try out some reflectors on the TX when I have a chance....

Heck, the AR Drone (300-400 dollar US) has a range of about 50-100 feet. I often lost it before that.

Hi,
Where do you get the GWS props?

Got my X1 bound to my Turnigy 9X... holy macaroni ... the throttle is snappy fast now BUT elevator and aileron are dirt slow with the full 100 rate and -100 expo setting ... not sure if discussed yet but all this wicked speed is nothing unless I can turn this bad boy . Rudder is fast so all I can do is piro it back

You can get the GWS props at banggood or goodluckbuy. But those are for the wl v929. The x1 has a hex shaped shaft mount.