Post by rcdude07 on Sept 2, 2014 15:04:20 GMT -4
ESTES Proto X Nano Quadcopter Review
Pros
Small size makes for easy transportation and throwing in a bag to keep on hand
USB charger
LEDs for orientation
Full set of spare blades
Box easily serves for storage and transportation
Cons
Non removable battery
Motors are soldered to the frame
No prop guards
Small size causes orientation loss fairly quickly
Motors seem to be burning out during 90 day warranty period
NOTE: In my research, there appears to be one manufacturer of “the world’s smallest flying quadcopter” who then sales to several companies for rebranding. Each company selling this quadcopter has different gimmicks to draw the customer in; such as colors for the quadcopter’s case and TX size. This review is for the US company Hobbico sub-brand Estes version. I am willing to assume the flying characteristics of the quadcopter are applicable to all brands.
I received this as a Father’s Day gift. I got my first taste of quadcopter flying on my Dad’s Blade nano QX, but found myself wanting something smaller and less touchy for indoor flying. The Estes Proto X Nano Quadcopter fit this bill nicely.
Unboxing:
This has to be the most economically packaged item I’ve ever seen. The quadcopter is restrained in one section of cardboard. Beside this section is what has to be the world’s smallest TX, whose sticks are in round holes of another cardboard box to help retain the TX during shipping. Inside the box with the TX stick holes is a complete set of replacement props and the USB charging cable. On the bottom of the box is the basic instruction set. I was really impressed by how economical the packaging was, very well thought through and very little wasted space. If the quadcopter is held in by twist ties, then the box serves as a great way to transport everything.
Charging
Charging the quadcopter is straight forward:
1. Plug USB cable into any USB port. (I’ve used a Nintendo Wii, multiple laptops, and a desktop)
2. Connect quadcopter to cable
3. Wait until the red LED on the charge cable goes off. (Usually around 25 minutes)
The charge cable is well designed as the connector to the quadcopter is T-shaped; meaning no chance in plugging the cable the in wrong. As mentioned in bullet three, I find it takes about 25 minutes to charge the internal battery after a full flight. This particular version of the quadcopter does not have a removable battery. The newer model called the Synchro does have a removable battery.
Being this uses a 1S 100mAh lipo, I always allow a minimum of five minutes after a flight before putting the quadcopter back on charge. After charging is complete I also allow five minutes before flying. These are safety precautions I follow to ensure the lipo does not overheat and puff.
Binding/Linking
This is another easy process:
1. Turn on TX (assuming you’ve put batteries in the TX)
2. Turn on quadcopter
3. Wait until the LED on the TX turns green
The single LED on the TX will be red until a link is established with the quadcopter.
Flying
With the quadcopter charged and linked, it’s time to fly. Right away you can see the LEDs will help with orientation, four blue on the front and two red on the back. This is great as my canopy is white and the LEDs light up the canopy to a certain extent.
The first thing I did was bring the quadcopter into a tail-in hover to get acquainted with the controls. I found the quadcopter to be super stable and not nearly as responsive as I was anticipating. The manual clearly states the quadcopter will drift in a hover and to only use the two trim tabs on the TX if the drift is significant. Next up I tried the yaw rate. To my surprise, this was extremely low/slow. The slowness of the yaw rate makes the quadcopter look like it is rotating around one of the rear motors, not rotating on the center point of the hub. Next up I tried slides to the left and right with increasing the amount of stick input each time. The more stick input, the faster the slide was, expected behavior. One thing to note with this quadcopter; letting go of the sticks does not stabilize the unit into a hover, it will continue on the path it was on. This behavior is very apparent with forward and backward flight. Forward and backward flight is just like that of a helicopter; best turns are made with aileron and rudder inputs. As mentioned, this quadcopter requires you to correct the unit to level out or to stop into a hover. Warning! This little quadcopter can get moving with speed super quickly and when up to speed is a really quick guy. I found myself running out of room very quickly in my living room and dining room. So quickly in fact that many times my only option was to chop throttle and let it crash into the wall or ground. Now that I’ve learned the quirks of the copter, I’m going full blast flying around indoors and liking the bugger. This is the limit of flight envelope as it’s not designed to flip like more expensive hobby grade quadcopters.
After about three weeks my unit started to develop some oddness. I would notice after a bump/crash my trims or gyros would be completely messed up. The settings would persist across a power cycle of the unit. The manual provides steps on how to reset the unit, this worked just a few times. Finally the quadcopter got to a state that only another bump/crash would fix the problem. After working through this I noticed one motor sagged some, or would stick. I checked the prop shafts, props, etc… and saw no issues of bent shaft, dirt, hair, etc… A flick of the prop and it was spinning. Well, a day or two later the motor stopped spinning all together. A quick search online and surprise surprise, common failure within the 90 day warranty are motors going south. Being this was 4th of July Hobbico was closed, so I sent off an email to Product support. Two weeks later I get a response saying they’ll send me a warranty replacement. Hobbico sent me a replacement under warranty. Sadly, I have yet to fly the new one as I haven’t had the time due to work and family life event.
The TX
Much fuss is made on the internet about the small plastic form factor; I can understand true r/c enthusiasts making the fuss. But keep in mind the target market is not us; it’s the newbie who wants a cheap entry to the hobby. I had to find what worked for me when holding the TX in order to not feel like my hands were cramping. I will say after three or four flights in a day, my hands do feel a little crampy. So I limit my flights to no more than three in one day. I can only imagine the larger your hands, the
sooner you cramp and the harder the TX feels to hold and use.
My real complaint with the TX is the sounds used by the trim tabs. There is a very slight difference in the tone used to indicate center vs away from center. If you’re not careful you’ll quickly and easily miss the center tone and go too far on the trims. The two trim tabs only control left and right slide (aileron for traditional plane pilots) and forward/backward (elevator for traditional plane pilots). I can tell you first hand the TX is the perfect size for a kid, compared to a Spektrum DX8 or Real Flight Interlink Elite controller. My toddler grabbed the TX (while it was off), held it naturally, like me, and said he was flying. I do let him help me fly the quadcopter, his thumbs either rest on mine, or mine on his and we gently push the quadcopter around the house.
Conclusion
This little quadcopter is a blast to fly indoors. Keep in mind this is designed as a cheap entry for everyone, specifically those with no r/c experience. I don’t regret getting one. When my laptop bag for work has the room, I throw the box in bag to grab flights in a conference room throughout the day for my breaks away from the computer screen. I have two of the discontinued FORCE R/C coaxial helicopters. In comparison, I find I prefer this little quadcopter over them mainly because the quadcopter flies considerably faster than the coaxials. In my opinion, picking one up and treating it not as hobby grade, but as high end toy grade is must for rainy and cold days when flying outdoors is not possible.