Hi all, looking for some advice. I purchased an Eachine Wizard x220 (original version) a few years back. Took it out, crashed it, put it away safely . Finally now getting back into it and getting out with it when I can.
The FC though is now pretty outdated (Cleanflight SP Racing V 3) and doesnāt even connect to Betaflight anymore. So itās pretty much going to stay as it is and Iāll use it as a āmessing aroundā drone going forward.
Rest of my gear which came with the wizard RTF kit. Eachine EV800 goggles, Flysky I6 transmitter.
I now want to look at buying one or two more drones and better kit when I can to build up the collection a bit more. Iām interested in freestyle mainly tbh. So I guess my questions are:
Stick with a 5ā drone like the wizard, or other size frames just as good/better?
Is it a good idea to buy a whoop to try and fly indoors when the weather doesnāt allow outdoor flying (which will soon be frequent now summer is over!)
Assume I need to update my transmitter pretty soon so that itās compatible with more than just this basic receiver, and also will mean I can worry less about compatibility when buying other drones etc. What would be your recommendations?
Recommendation on what would be a good next drone to buy? I donāt mind if I need to build it myself as itāll be a good learning curve.
I donāt have a huge budget, so will most likely buy things as I go rather than laying out all at once, but want to get a good idea of what direction to head in first!
Analog Video is still used a fair bit, though many have moved onto Digital now. (I donāt own a single analog quad now) See other threads for discussions on digital FPV. If you donāt mind analog, you can stick with it. Digital is expensive still.
Yes, the Flysky i6 is now rather old. Iād be looking at a 2.4GHz ELRS Transmitter. All the choices from Jumper and Radiomaster are good and there are plenty of videos. Of course you also need RX modules, all 2.4GHz ELRS RX work with all 2.4GHz ELRS TX, so you have loads of choices. Personally I use a Jumper T-Lite as my TX and HappyModel EP1 and EP2 as my RXes, but there are better choices for both now. The Radiomaster Pocket is an absolute steal but may not be to your taste, personally I have eyes on the Jumper T20.
As for size itās really up to you. Itās certainly true that the smaller quads are probably a lot better than what you remember. 3.5" is a popular size and a 75mm whoop can do quite a bit, and is not just for around the house. But 5" is still a good choice.
I would look into a decent radio that does ELRS and possible other 4 in 1 protocols. As yith said plenty of good ones from radiomaster (boxer, pocket) and jumper (the new T20 getting good reviews). I got a TX16S right at the start of my interest in the hobby and lasted well and probably the best decision and only piece of kit still using and happy with! (though the TX16S probably over kill unless you want to fly planes, etc later, and want a million switches, etc! I think the boxer a decent one these days, and what Iād buy if starting out I thinkā¦).
Keep your goggles, go analogue again! If youāre wanting to go digital then wellā¦ itās expensive for the goggles alone (Ā£250 upwards for walksnail and still money when you talk DJI or HDZero, though a decent set of analogue will set you back more than Ā£250)
5inch is not that hard to fly, in some ways easier, though 3.5 becoming more and more popular, and I love my 3.5 inch!
Thing with flying indoorsā¦ ceilings! If youāve flown a while then yeah get a whoop, though I think starting inside (as I did) was madness. itās not the walls, itās the ceilings to learn throttle control!
As youāre interested in self build then do it. Easier to fix, learn and upgrade. Emax Eco range of motors are great value, TBS source one frame, speedybee flight stack, etc, etc. Probably get in under Ā£250 on analogue, maybeā¦ Watch a bardwell series on making your own. You can then upgrade it to digital, etc in the future
Oh and go 6S if 5inch. I should have done, actually easier to get out of trouble!
Thanks both Yith/Gunja for the information, appreciate you taking the time to do so!
Sounds like the next worthwhile investment would be the transmitter then, Iāll check out the ones youāve mentioned. The T20 looks good and the price isnāt terrible from what I can see either compared to some of the others.
Hear what youāre saying on the whoop, house isnāt huge but I know there will be long gaps between getting flying time when the weather changes. Maybe Iāll get a whoop to mess around with whilst also looking at building my own 5".
Iāve never even considered 6S, started on 3S and moved to 4S straight away, will consider the 6 when Iām more comfortable with the 4S maybe.
I have not found the big gaps. The big meet gave me the confidence to fly in some wind. If all else fails - I jump in the computer simulator (fpv-freerider-recharged)
Jumper T-Lite is great, but so is the Radiomaster boxer - depends if you like gamepad style and or lots of switches. I tend to on use 3 switches.
But dont forget the cost of batteries - if you go whoop you may need a new set of batteries. At the moment both my drone work on 2S batteries. It a hidden cost if you move away from 5inch.
Yeah, but you can throttle it down, and TBH the only real different I notice between my 4 and 6S 5 inchers is that I can get out of trouble easier with the 6S as you got power there. Yes the punch outs and max throttle is faster, but you donāt āhaveā to use it alL!
Yeah winds alright (esp for 5 inch!), gets cold on the fingers if out too long though as the winter draws in! Confidence is key hey, glad youāre getting out there loads!
Yeah loads of good radios. Reliability of the radiomasters has been great. 3 switches? Ummm, probably use 5 on mineā¦ Arm, mode, rates, beeper, return to homeā¦ ummm oh and have optional OSD switchā¦ I also have recording, volume up and screen brightness now! This just for quads. For planes, even more used!
If you got em you can use em. I think investing in a good set of goggles and a controller the most important thing as theyāll last years. Try some, get to a meet and see what you like. Definately personal choice there. Think about the future (Iām really glad got the one with more switches now Iām flying more planes and wings than quads these days!) That T20 does look good though and good reviews! Itās the longevity Bardwall said wasnāt proven yet
. Finally now getting back into it and getting out with it when I can.
