Eachine E013: "Angry Bird" for home FPV-flights

Winter is ahead, which means that soon the weather will not allow us to frequently launch quadcopters on the street. If you, like the author of these lines, can not live without FPV flights, then small home drones ("secretions") are your salvation. Today we will look at one of the most affordable (and, running ahead, one of the best for today) similar drones - Eachine E013.

While most of the toy drones in this price category use Wi-Fi FPV, among the professional race quadcopters, FPV systems that transmit the image on the 5.8 Ghz channel are the most common. Among the advantages of this method is a virtually zero delay in image transmission, as well as a long range of signal reception. Eachine E013 is equipped with a 25 mW professional level video transmitter.

Like most modern micro FPV-drones, Eachine E013 has closed propellers that copy the famous Tiny Whoop. This design not only increases the efficiency of tiny screws, but also makes the drone absolutely safe for people around, pets and furniture.

Propellers with ring fairing

Protective housing

1000TVL camera with built-in 5.8G video transmitter

Replaceable Li-Po battery 200mAh 360-degree flip

Auto return to the point of take-off at the touch of a button

Headless Mode

Three modes of consumables

The Eachine E013 Quadcopter is available in two versions: with and without FPV helmet. We got a version with a helmet; if you do not have your own helmet, we strongly recommend that you choose this version. It makes sense to buy it even when you already have your FPV-glasses: the Eachine VR006 helmet is very compact and convenient to use as a spare or for flights with "passengers". The only difference between the complete with a droning helmet and its separate serial version is the presence of one antenna instead of two. On the quality of receiving signal inside the room, this practically does not affect.

So, in addition to the drones and the FPV helmet, inside the colorful package you will find a control panel, a set of spare 4-blade propellers, a USB charging cable, a screwdriver, stickers (allowing you to make your drone look like a bird from Angry Birds) as well as all necessary accessories for the helmet (if you choose a version with a helmet): an antenna, a charging cable, a belt and napkins for cleaning the lens.

To increase the communication range, eachine engineers directed the antenna of the video transmitter up from the central part of the fuselage. Although this made it more prone to damage in the event of severe collisions, in practice we were not able to deplete its strength reserve even after several dozen falls.

At the back of the drone are blue LEDs, which allow you to better navigate with LOS in dark rooms (or even outdoors at night - more on this below).

Like quadcopter, the control panel is made in black with red inserts. Metal sticks are used here, which can not but rejoice. To a small size of the console it is necessary to get used, however it does not cause special inconveniences.

In front of the console, in addition to the above-mentioned metal sticks and the power button, there are 8 more buttons. The two buttons to the right of the gas stick include the Headless mode and activate the auto return mode to the takeoff point.

The left upper button allows you to switch between three modes of consumables (which significantly changes the character of the drone: if in the first mode it is inclined to smooth pensive flights, then in the third mode the E013 turns into a small racing drone), and the upper right button is responsible for automatic flips and rolls.

The distance between the console and the drones is about 70 meters, which is half the radius of the video signal transmission, but this range is more than enough for flying at home and in small parks.

In the front of the quadcopter is a miniature camera with a resolution of 1000 TVL. It has a m7 lens with a viewing angle of 120 degrees and a CMOS sensor measuring 1/3 ". It is possible to switch between NTSC and PAL video formats (by pressing and holding the corresponding button for 5 seconds).

In conjunction with the camera is a 40-channel video transmitter with a capacity of 25 mW. Using the buttons on it you can easily switch channels, choosing between 5 grids and 8 frequencies in each grid.

The image quality is surprisingly good for such a small bird. The video signal is also very strong - no problem even with flying behind two thick brick walls.

After take-off, Eachine E013 hangs at a certain point, even though there is no barometric sensor. For the house there is enough first and second mode of consumables, and with the third mode you can even fly in the street with a small wind. Automatic flips work well, when they are executed, the quadcopter practically does not lose altitude.

One charge of the battery lasts for 3 minutes of flight, however it also charges very quickly - literally 15-20 minutes, and you can fly again! Nevertheless, we recommend that you stock up the spare 1S "Liposhek" to extend your pleasure.

If the quadcopter begins to react poorly to control, calibrate the sensors by placing the drone on a flat surface and bringing both sticks down to the right. After the light and sound signals you can fly on!

The main and, in fact, the only drawback of Eachine E013 is the lack of acro-flight mode. You can fly only in Angle. While for beginners this may even be a plus, experienced pilots will lack the feeling of complete control over the drone.

In this case, do not forget about the very attractive price of this drone. For $ 35 you get a full FPV quadcopter!