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Mini-Review Makerfire 64mm Micro FPV Quadcopter - Review (Courtesy of Gearbest)



Today I will be reviewing the Makerfire 64mm Micro FPV Quadcopter from Gearbest. With the popularity of the original Tiny Whoop, MakerFire have released their spin on the Tiny Whoop with an 'all in one' integrated setup with no building required at all. With rx compatibility with Spektrum's DSM2/X protocols Makerfire seem to have a real winner here, however will execution be it's achilles heel?



Thank you for Gearbest for sending me this quadcopter for an unbiased review, it is available for purchase here:



Specifications: (From Gearbest's site)



Flight controller: F3 EVO with STM32 F303 MCU

Receiver: DSM 2.4GHz 8CH

Video transmission: 5.8G 40CH 25mW

Video resolution: 520TVL

Receive distance: 300m

Motor: 615 coreless motors with 65000 RPM

Battery: 3.7V 200mAh 35C

Flight time: about 5 minutes

Charge time: 30 minutes

Charging method: USB

Additional gimbal installation: not feasible



Features:



- DSM 8CH receiver, compatible with Spektrum DSM2 DSMX transmitters

- 615 high RPM coreless motors offer you the desirable velocity

- Fascinating FPV experience with high speed and camera tilting up at 10 degree

- 5.8G 40CH 25mW video transmitter, 520TVL camera with 120 degree FOV NTSC / PAL switchable

- F3 EVO brushed flight controller supports CleanFlight and BetaFlight

- 3.7V 200mAh 35C LiPo battery

- 64mm, 22g, as big as your palm, extremely portable

- Colorful LED board at the rear helps to know the direction

- Ducted fan design effectively reduces the air resistance

- Plug-in modular design, namely, soldering is unnecessary



Package Includes:



Package Contents: 1 x Drone, 1 x 3.7V 200mAh 35C LiPo Battery



Unboxing:







The contents arrive in this box.







You don't get much, just the quadcopter and the charging cable



The Quadcoper Itself:







The quadcopter has a green shell, mullet style canopy. The camera is housed inside, tilted on it's 10 degree angle.







The canopy is held down by just 2 screws, these can be removed with just about any 'toy' quadcopter screwdriver from RTF packages.







The camera was actually slightly off centre, it is protected by a lens cap.







The microUSB port is actually blocked by the lipo, to access it you'll need to partially remove the lipo. The fc is pre programmed and flashed with 3.0.1 Betaflight already loaded.







The lipo feels very secure and protected, with padding on either side of it.







The motors simply plug into the fc, this should make replacing them easy and convenient.







To bind you'll need to access this binding button, it's very hard to reach.



Spares:



Aside from the quadcopter all you get is a charging cable...



Flight:



Update: I have now fixed binding issues and will begin flight testing.



Out of the box I think the tune is ok, however I immediately went to tuning it. The hardest thing to get right is the actual flying characteristics.

It flys a but like the older RTF toy quads because the impression is it isn't precise. Of course this can be fixed (and tuned) but isnt really like my other Tiny Whoops.



My PIDs make flying quite a bit easier for myself, if you're interested in trying them I'm pretty sure I have them attached somewhere in this thread, otherwisejust PM and I'll send them to you.



After tuning and getting the PIDs right, flying really is a pleasure. The quadcopter is quite durable, however the dipole antenna isn't. I've crashed many times and the antenna is the only thing to be damaged so far.



The camera is ok, however you do seem to get a little interference that isn't present on other AIO cams like the TX01, in addition to the weak antenna this will be the first item I upgrade.



My biggest issue is with the range, I only get <30 metres. Other users haev reported similar and Makerfire has said that this is normal. I hope this is fixed and improved in V2 because the motors are quite powerful and Makerfire have made a great basic platform even for outdoor flying.



Review video:



Makerfire 64mm Micro FPV Quadcopter - Review (Courtesy of Gearbest) (2 min 52 sec)



Pros and Cons:



Pros:



Nice packaging

Plug and play motors

Camera tilt

Green canopy

Dipole antenna



Cons:



Lack of spares

Binding

Lack of documentation

Exposed antenna



Suggested Improvements: Improvement with documentation and binding is a must and should be a priority, because aside from these 2 things this quad is great.



Verdict: A good Tiny Whoop alternative if you're happy to trial and error with binding procedure and tuning. Hi everyone,Today I will be reviewing the Makerfire 64mm Micro FPV Quadcopter from Gearbest. With the popularity of the original Tiny Whoop, MakerFire have released their spin on the Tiny Whoop with an 'all in one' integrated setup with no building required at all. With rx compatibility with Spektrum's DSM2/X protocols Makerfire seem to have a real winner here, however will execution be it's achilles heel?Thank you for Gearbest for sending me this quadcopter for an unbiased review, it is available for purchase here: http://www.gearbest.com/multi-rotor-...pp_591322.html (From Gearbest's site)Flight controller: F3 EVO with STM32 F303 MCUReceiver: DSM 2.4GHz 8CHVideo transmission: 5.8G 40CH 25mWVideo resolution: 520TVLReceive distance: 300mMotor: 615 coreless motors with 65000 RPMBattery: 3.7V 200mAh 35CFlight time: about 5 minutesCharge time: 30 minutesCharging method: USBAdditional gimbal installation: not feasible- DSM 8CH receiver, compatible with Spektrum DSM2 DSMX transmitters- 615 high RPM coreless motors offer you the desirable velocity- Fascinating FPV experience with high speed and camera tilting up at 10 degree- 5.8G 40CH 25mW video transmitter, 520TVL camera with 120 degree FOV NTSC / PAL switchable- F3 EVO brushed flight controller supports CleanFlight and BetaFlight- 3.7V 200mAh 35C LiPo battery- 64mm, 22g, as big as your palm, extremely portable- Colorful LED board at the rear helps to know the direction- Ducted fan design effectively reduces the air resistance- Plug-in modular design, namely, soldering is unnecessaryPackage Contents: 1 x Drone, 1 x 3.7V 200mAh 35C LiPo BatteryThe contents arrive in this box.You don't get much, just the quadcopter and the charging cableThe quadcopter has a green shell, mullet style canopy. The camera is housed inside, tilted on it's 10 degree angle.The canopy is held down by just 2 screws, these can be removed with just about any 'toy' quadcopter screwdriver from RTF packages.The camera was actually slightly off centre, it is protected by a lens cap.The microUSB port is actually blocked by the lipo, to access it you'll need to partially remove the lipo. The fc is pre programmed and flashed with 3.0.1 Betaflight already loaded.The lipo feels very secure and protected, with padding on either side of it.The motors simply plug into the fc, this should make replacing them easy and convenient.To bind you'll need to access this binding button, it's very hard to reach.Aside from the quadcopter all you get is a charging cable...Update: I have now fixed binding issues and will begin flight testing.Out of the box I think the tune is ok, however I immediately went to tuning it. The hardest thing to get right is the actual flying characteristics.It flys a but like the older RTF toy quads because the impression is it isn't precise. Of course this can be fixed (and tuned) but isnt really like my other Tiny Whoops.My PIDs make flying quite a bit easier for myself, if you're interested in trying them I'm pretty sure I have them attached somewhere in this thread, otherwisejust PM and I'll send them to you.After tuning and getting the PIDs right, flying really is a pleasure. The quadcopter is quite durable, however the dipole antenna isn't. I've crashed many times and the antenna is the only thing to be damaged so far.The camera is ok, however you do seem to get a little interference that isn't present on other AIO cams like the TX01, in addition to the weak antenna this will be the first item I upgrade.My biggest issue is with the range, I only get <30 metres. Other users haev reported similar and Makerfire has said that this is normal. I hope this is fixed and improved in V2 because the motors are quite powerful and Makerfire have made a great basic platform even for outdoor flying.Nice packagingPlug and play motorsCamera tiltGreen canopyDipole antennaLack of sparesBindingLack of documentationExposed antennaImprovement with documentation and binding is a must and should be a priority, because aside from these 2 things this quad is great.A good Tiny Whoop alternative if you're happy to trial and error with binding procedure and tuning.