Hubsan X4 FPV 107D - the new king of Micro FPV ?

Hubsan have been releasing a whole string of little X4 multirotors the last year.  

First they released a straight microrotor, next they added a camera to that, make that a couple of revisions of the camera equipped X4.   in October they released the latest revision of the X4 FPV,  the h107D (the 4th micro X?)  

Click through for 360 spin of the X4FPX - Video UN-BOX and review

My Video UN-BOX and Initial review... please read the rest of this article to see the things I have learned about the X4 FPV since the initial unbox.

Make sure you check out my YouTube channel for so many other cool mini copters and reviews.

UPDATE:  X4 FPV DISCOUNT CODE, from SpyHawkFPV.com when you check out enter "FPVguyX4" to get $25 off your X4 from a American supplier.  
Click here to use the code  SpyHawkFPV.com

 

The new hubsan X4 FPV is a elegant single piece little quadrocopter. 

The obvious comparison for this product is the Walkera Ladybug FPV package.   Wakera did that by making a standard, rather large traditional control TX, with a build in screen.  and a  attachable FPV camera module the TX5805 which is very small and compact, and also easy to modify for better performance.   But I gotta say the new X4FPV is far sexier looking than the ladybird. 

  

 Hubsan on the other hand have included the camera, video transmitter into the shell of the Hubsan X4,  the result is one develish beautiful little quadcopter. a package that truly look well designed and made as one unit.  

The obvious disadvantage of the single unit approch is, that for those of us who like modifying stock items.. well its just not that easy with the Hubsan X4 FPV.   

VIDEO SYSTEM  
Hubsan have chosen a interesting path in their video system,  and deliver something along the lines of pretend HD,   the nominal resolution of the video is claimed to be 720x480 pixels, the build-in DVR however record 720x240 pixels video.  So before we draw conclusions lets chcek out facts.  
The X4 FPV use standard 5.8gig video downlink.   traditionally 5.8 delivere SD video which is roughly 0.3 megapixel,  since the X4 is using traditional 5.8, there is no reason to believe Hubsan have found a way to double the bandwith on the radio,  and more to the point, high-quality FPV systems using video transmitters more expensive than the Hubsan X4, so lets rule out Hubsan having a better video transmitter than guys like immersionRC,  and the high-end transmitters ONLY deliver actual 640x480 video under ideal conditions, often dropping resolution when the signal is less than idea.

But I digress, it is reasonable to assume that the actual video signal is 720x240px which is only 0.17megapix,  Im guessing that Hubsan have realized that doubling the height of the pixels on the screen makes for a very attractive video image that seems quite high quality and very sharp compared to a diluted SD video image. as a result the video from the Hubsan X4 FPV apears quite good compared to most similar systems, and I would say better than the video in the Walkera Micro quad system.  VERY good move Hubsan. 

BUT before we crown the hubsan king of the micro-FPV, there is a serious kink in the system,  the camera in the hubsan X4, the camera have a narrow angle of view, WAY less than 90 degrees, probably closer to 45 degrees, why do that matter.?   because flying low level quad copters, rely on wide-angle lenses for good control of the aircraft,    I mostly fly with lenses giving me about 120deg field of view.
    Hubsan have chosen a a very small sensor, and a small diameter for the lens, this means that it is unlikely to be able to find a wideangle lens for the camera.  Unlike the walkera TX5805 vtx which can easily be upgraded with a D lens from a keycam 808.
I did add this smart-phone fisheye lens from Amazon which made it much easier to fly

THE CONTROLLER and Video screen.
The new FPV reciever is a quite elegant design, unlike Walkera, Hubsan have chosen to put the screen on the upper part of the reciever,  I like it that way, it is easy to see the screen, and the screen is huge.
The ergonomics of the new transmitter is quite good, and quite comfortable to hold for a extented period of time.
There is one glaring problem with the combination controller and video reciever,  the big screen is power-hungry,  and the system only use 4AA batteries,  I sugget if possible making room for 8 batteries in future versions of this reciever.
   All in all,  Hubsan really have done a good job on this system and I suspect competitors will be looking closely to the Hubsan design for their future designs.

GOGGLES?
The reciever have a mini-jack plug on the left side which permit you to plug in a pair of video goggles for FPV flying.  
I was positively surprised to see my FatShark Attitude goggles display the Hubsan X4 FPV video correctly, that right there is a huge sales points.
I must say, as someone who spends quite a lot of time flying FPV,  once you put goggles on, flying a micro is incredible good FPV flying practice,  the micro quad is like a great flight-simulator, and if you have FPV ambitions, I highly recommend flying with goggles on a micro quad. either by plugging into the controller, or using a walkera ladybird you can fly with wireless FatShark goggles. 

FPV FLYING
In practical use, the video system works well,  there is a sort of "patch" antenna build into the controller,  this means that the video reception is directional and best when pointing the top end of the reciever towards the X4,   it is no problem to fly directly behind yourself, but at any distance behind your self you will quickly loose the signal, solution is simple, keep turning and face the radio towards the X4. 

How do the X4 fly.?
The simple answer is "QUITE WELL". it is easy to fly,    the body of the aircraft produce enough "drag" that the thing move a bit slowly and do not accelerate too quickly and it is easy to maintain control of the aircraft,   the flight behavior is easy and predictable making the aircraft wonderful to learn and gain basic flying experience.

I really only have one niggle with the X4's flying. Strangely the throttle is quite touchy, and you will find it can be a bit challenging to maintain a consistent altitude during flight, particularly when flying FPV.   

 

Advantages:
Inspired design,
Well build,
Inexpensive,
Flies quite well,
Beautiful Design,
Integreated Monitor and TX control
HUGE screen.
Controller with build in DVR.
High quality video system. 
FatShark compattible (on the higher channel range at least)

Drawbacks:
Hard to modify,
Narrow Video Field of vision, pathetic actually.
Control TX battery drains very quickly. 
Recording saves as AVI motion JPG files. 

Read more about the Hubsan at RCgroups.com

 

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Comments

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Ken, not much delay in the video.

[Ken Keenan]

Great demo .. I am a little late watching it, but was wondering was there any delay in the video while flying?
Thanks
1 July 2015 Happy Canada Day lol

Ken Keenan

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Bryce, the Hubsan X4 is a indoor flyer, you should not expect it to fly much more than maybe 100feet.

[Bryce]

Hi Hayden is far does the quad copter fly from the controller

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Hayden, you need to make sure the little quad is on perfectly level surface when you power it up and while it binds.

If that don't solve it, call your distributor, for a replacement.

[Hayden]

But when I push the left stick to the right it decides to move and the back left won't

[Hayden]

My back right motor is not working if you can help I would like it or give me the hubs an phone line

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Ryan, sorry for the slow reply.
If only half the motors are working, I would send it back to the store for a refund and get a new one. ;-)

Bo

[ryan]

Only left side. Has power how do I get that all four motors work so I can fly hubsun x4

[Bo Lorentzen]

The camera and display is constantly on.

[i]

can one switch on and off the display and camera?

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey Kane, don't see why not, there is a plug with video out, you should be able to plug straight into that for video feed.

[Kane]

Is this compatible with the Quanum DIY Goggles?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Exvwx6r1Y

[Brian]

So has anyone figured out the cause of video blackouts? I've flown mine 3x and the video has failed. Tried new batteries and changing freqs.

Unfortunately i got it from CL, so no retailer. I'm good at
fixing stuff if I can get some direction in which to go.

B

[Bo Lorentzen]

@ Sam not sure what that is, you probably want to contact your dealer.
** wild guess though would be the brushed motors starting to burn out might be pulling too much juice for the VTX - but I don't know for sure.

[Sam]

Hello guys. ell the almost the same problem with the video. IT was working just fine but suddenly the problem started.
I get video up to the point when I start applying power, then I get a lot of lines and as I apply more power to lift. The screen goes black. When I reduce the power the screen comes back.
Can anyone help me or give some advice?
Thanks

[Bo Lorentzen]

@B Mac http://www.fpvguy.com/2013/11/x4fpv-lens-v1.html

Sorry for the slow reply, am on the way back from NAB now.

[B Mac]

can we see a image or 2 with the Silver Fish Eye Lens?

[Bo Lorentzen]

@JJ - well that is a first, seems like you somebody managed to switch from mode-2 to mode-1 DEFINITELY email your dealer. ;-)

[JJ CALLAGHAN]

Hi,
My fpv controller has developed the following problem.
The left stick (throttle) has no effect and seems to have lost its tension.
The right stick (rudder?) (back forward?)seems to have taken over the lift function of the left stick / throttle.
I haven't seen anyone else complain about this so I'm unassuming I've done something stupid/wrong.
Could anyone help me...?

[Bo Lorentzen]

@Derek, yeah that goes without saying, thats the main reason for having FatShark goggles, but some of the cheaper ones require a video out cable. ;-)

[Derek Warner]

you do not need a cable to connect Attitude goggles, just turn on goggles with dipole antenna attached and change channels till you get an image. It works nicely.

[Richard]

Launched X4 today, and after several flights; video developed green streaks across the display and went black. R/R 4XAA's, but still no luck. Perhaps will try the factory defaults maneuver and see what happens.

[Bo Lorentzen]

@Brian, unfortunately Im not aware of a way to reset the video system, personally i think stuff should work out of the box, so I would definitely call the supplier. ;-)

[Brian]

Thanks Bo, my thoughts too.
Just wondering, is there a way to completely reset everything to factory defaults?