Jonathan FincherJune 26, 2013Review: Heli-Max 1SQ V-Cam quadcopter

The quadcopter itself fit nicely in the palm of my hand, measuring just 14.5 x 14.3 cm

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As the largest distributor of radio-controlled models in the US, Hobbico has produced its fair share of innovative, small-sized vehicles over the past few decades. So when we learned the company recently released a new quadcopter that features a self-stabilization system and on-board camera, we were only too happy to take it for a spin. After spending some time with the Heli-Max 1SQ V-Cam quadcopter, we've gained both a new-found respect for aerial photographers, as well as a new toy that's eaten up hours of free time.

What's in the box?

The ready-to-fly (RTF) model of the 1SQ V-Cam costs US$129.99, and comes with everything you need to get it into the air, including a radio transmitter already programmed and linked to the quadrotor straight out of the box. The company also offers a transmitter-ready (Tx-R) version for $99.99 though, which leaves out the transmitter for anyone who wants to use their own.

Once I'd opened the box, I found:

The 1SQ V-Cam quadcopter with digital cameraA 6-channel 2.4GHz SLT radio transmitterFour AA batteriesOne 250mAH LiPo batteryA USB LiPo battery chargerA 2 GB Micro SD cardA USB Micro SD card readerFour extra rotor bladesA small screwdriverAn instruction manual

Hobbico also included an extra LiPo battery, which isn't normally part of the package, but I'd recommend getting one (more on that later).

The quadcopter itself fit nicely in the palm of my hand, measuring just 14.5 x 14.3 cm (5.70 x 5.62 in). The frame and blades are all made of lightweight plastic, giving it an overall weight of just 32.9 g (1.2 oz) without the battery, so it feels like almost nothing when picked up. Aside from some general aesthetics, the thin plastic fuselage (if you can call it that) offers some modest protection for the main wires and circuitry at the center, but more importantly it gives you a clear indication of which side is the front of the V-Cam. It's all pretty basic as far as looks go.

Getting started

When I saw a screwdriver included in the box, I expected a more complicated setup, but it turned out to be as easy as charging the batteries and fitting them into the right places. The transmitter uses the four AA batteries, while the LiPo battery just slides into a compartment on the V-Cam's underside, which holds it in place. After connecting the battery cable and turning on the radio controls, a red light on the quadcopter indicated it was ready to go.

Learning to fly

Hobbico claims the 1SQ V-Cam is suited even for novice pilots, which is perfect because that's exactly what I am. Still, I decided to fly it indoors at first until I could get the hang of the controls.

One of the V-Cam's handier features is the TAGS-FX Sensor Fusion stabilization system, which calibrates itself after sitting on a flat surface for a couple seconds. Once it's in the air, the system uses a 3-axis gyro and a 3-axis accelerometer to keep the copter level and centered. For the most part, this worked well to prevent it from rotating and pitching during flight, but it still drifted to the side a bit. The manual even specifically says that correcting the trim shouldn't be necessary, but I found it needed a little adjustment to keep it hovering in place.

Once I'd acclimated to the controls and could get the V-Cam to hover in place right after taking off, maneuvering it turned out to be a breeze. After about a half hour of practice, I had no trouble getting it to land almost exactly where I wanted. With a little more time at the controls, I was able to weave it down hallways and between furniture without much difficulty. I've honestly flown aircraft in video games that were harder to control.

The transmitter can switch between two modes: one for smoother controls and one for more aggressive flying. Personally, I found the aggressive settings worked best so long as you had a light touch with the controls, but that no doubt depends on your preference.

Time to go outside

Now that I knew I could fly the quadrotor without crashing it constantly, it was time to take it outdoors.

I took the copter out on both a calm day and a slightly windy day, and the difference was immediately noticeable. As you might imagine, even a light breeze can randomly throw the low-weight aircraft off course, so I had to battle the wind quite a bit. On a calm day, flying a few feet off the ground is still quite effortless, but reaching taller heights required some careful control.

I felt most comfortable with the V-Cam at about 20 ft (6.1 m) in the air, though I was able to maintain control of it up to approximately 50 - 60 ft (15.2 - 18.3 m). Any higher and the winds were too strong, plus it became much more difficult to spot the pint-sized copter against the clouds and sky.

Tall grass is also a factor outside, since the copter's rotors are only 4.1 cm (1.61 in) off the ground when resting. Several times after an abrupt landing, some long blades of grass would be wrapped around the rotor and needed to be pulled out. The instructions do warn against taking off in especially grassy areas, but sometimes the wind will have other ideas on where it lands.

There's also a designated button to automatically flip the copter in a chosen direction, but I only saw that work successfully twice. The other twenty or so times I tried, it would lose balance after finishing the trick and then wobble back and forth all the way to the ground. I never could determine why it flipped perfectly those two times and not for the others.

As mentioned earlier, I was sent an extra LiPo battery, which proved to be one of the more useful items at my disposal. A fully charged battery allows for roughly 10 to 12 minutes of flight time, and charging each battery takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Even with two batteries though, the V-Cam's time in the air seemed to rush by before I had to find a USB port and wait to recharge.

Takes a licking

For a tiny aircraft made of mostly lightweight plastic, the durability of the 1SQ V-Cam continued to impress me the more I tried (and more importantly failed) to learn how to fly it. I lost count of the number of times it smacked into a wall at full speed or ricocheted off a pole and careened into the ground.

The most serious damage it ever suffered was losing one rotor blade, which was easily retrieved and put back into place, good as new. Even the stabilization remained unaffected and continued to keep the aircraft centered right after takeoff.

Not that you should be careless while flying it. I still made sure to keep it over nothing harder than carpet or grass, but it's nice to know that making a mistake won't take the whole thing out of commission.

Shooting video and photos

One of the 1SQ V-Cam's more enticing features is the miniature camera fitted to the front, which allows you to capture JPEGs and video by pressing individual triggers on the transmitter. It doesn't have the greatest resolution (1280 x 720), but still takes relatively clear and vibration-free images for a mini-cam strapped to a UAV. It also records mono sound, but that really only picks up whirring rotors and wind noise during flight. Everything it captures is stored on a Micro SD card via a slot on the side.

Unfortunately, taking photos and video turned out to be more troublesome than I anticipated. For one thing, it's really difficult to tell for sure when you're actually recording. There's a red LED that will continually flash to indicate when it's shooting video or taking a photo, but it's located to one side of the quadcopter itself and can't be seen if you're standing on the opposite side. In broad daylight, that light is rendered invisible, so you're left hitting the record button and hoping for the best.

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Numerous times, I would complete a run thinking I had taken some great footage only to check the Micro SD card and find it missing. It would have been nice to at least have an icon on the included transmitter's screen to indicate when the camera is running (using an alternate transmitter might solve this issue).

Similarly, taking still photos can sometimes feel iffy, since keeping the quadcopter completely steady while pressing the trigger button tended to be easier said than done. The best tactic I found was to just drift towards a target, hammer on the photo button a few times, and then choose from the multiple shots later.

The camera can also tilt for different angles, which is handy but takes a few trial and error sessions to get it positioned the way you want. I ended up taking quite a few underwhelming photos of the ground before finding a good angle to set the camera on.

Eventually, I was able to get a handful of decent shots, but using the camera definitely requires some extra practice.

In conclusion

Overall, I've been quite impressed with the Heli-Max 1SQ V-Cam. Despite a few quirks, it's a lot of fun to toy with and is definitely a great fit for an inexperienced pilot. The stabilization feature makes it incredibly easy to fly, while its surprising durability ensures it won't break while you're still trying to get the hang of the controls. It's already become a fixture in my home as a way to pass the time, not to mention my dogs' least favorite gadget since the vacuum cleaner.

Capturing images is tricky and relies a lot on luck, but the camera is still a worthwhile addition for the times when it does work. Given the price and the fact that it comes with everything you need to take aerial shots out of the box, it's not a bad deal as far as small quadcopters go.

If you want to take the Heli-Max 1SQ V-Cam for a spin yourself, both the RTF and Tx-R models are currently available through Hobbico's own retailer, Tower Hobbies.

Product Page: Heli-Max 1SQ V-Cam

Heli-Max 1SQ V-Cam飞行器

乔纳森fincherjune 26，2013review：合力最大1sq v-cam quadcopter

直升机本身放在我的手掌上，只有14.5 x 14.3厘米< / P >图像画廊（33张）
作为无线电遥控模型在美国最大的经销商，hobbico产生了其公平份额创新，小型车辆在过去的几十年里。所以当我们得知公司最近发布了一个新的直升机，具有自我稳定系统和车载摄像头，我们很乐意去兜风。与合力最大1sq v-cam quadcopter呆了一段时间后，我们已经获得了一个新的空中摄影师的尊重，以及一个新的玩具，吃了几个小时的自由时间。

盒子里是什么？

飞准备（RTF）的1sq v-cam模型的成本是129.99美元，而来的一切，你需要把它变成空气，包括无线电发射机已编程与旋翼直开箱。该公司还提供了现成的发射机（tx-r）版本为99.99美元但没有谁想要使用他们自己的发射机。

当我打开盒子时，我发现：< / P >的1sq v-cam直升机用数码相机和6通道2.4GHz无线transmitterfour SLT AA batteriesone容量脂batterya USB电池chargera 2 GB Micro SD卡USB微型SD卡readerfour额外的转子bladesa小screwdriveran说明书
hobbico还包括一个额外的电池，通常不是计划的一部分，但我建议一个（后来）。

直升机本身放在我的手心，尺寸仅为14.5×14.3厘米（5.70×5.62）。框架和刀片都是由轻质塑料制成的，它是一个总重量只有32.9克（1.2盎司）没有电池，所以感觉几乎没有什么时候拿起。除了一些基本的美学，薄的塑料机身（如果你能这样称呼它）提供在中心主电线和电路的适度保护，但更重要的是它给你一个明确的指示，哪边是前面的v-cam。当我看到一个螺丝刀时，我看到了一个螺丝刀，在盒子里，我期望一个更复杂的设置，但它竟然像充电电池一样容易，并将它们装进正确的地方。发射机使用四节AA电池，而锂电池就滑入上v-cam下侧的车厢，使它在的地方。连接电池电缆，打开无线电管制后，对直升机红灯表明它已准备就绪。

学习飞翔
hobbico声称1sq v-cam适合新手飞行员甚至是完美的，因为那正是我我。不过，我决定飞到它首先在室内直到我可以控制悬挂。

< P >的一个v-cam的简便的特点是tags-fx传感器融合的稳定系统，其校准自己坐在平坦的表面上几秒后。一旦它在空气中，该系统采用一个3轴陀螺仪和一个3轴加速度计保持直升机水平为中心。对于大多数的，这很好的工作，以防止它在飞行过程中旋转和俯仰，但它仍然漂流到侧位。手动甚至特别说纠正装饰不应该是必要的，但我发现它需要一点调整，让它在原地徘徊。

一旦我适应控制，可以得到v-cam徘徊在起飞后，操纵它原来是微风。经过大约一个半小时的练习，我毫不费力地把它弄到我想要的地方。用一点时间在控制，我能够把它的走廊和家具之间没有太大的困难。我曾经在视频游戏中很难控制的飞机，在发射时可以在两种模式之间切换：一种是平滑的控制，一种是更积极的飞行。就我个人而言，我发现积极的设置，最好的工作，只要你与对照组轻，但毫无疑问，取决于你的偏好。

时间到外面去
现在我知道我可以飞的旋翼不碎不断，是时候把它室外。< / P >

我乘直升机在一个平静的一天，稍有风的日子，且差异明显。正如你想象的，即使是一个微风可以随意扔低重量的飞机航线，所以我不得不战斗的风相当位。在一个平静的一天，飞离地面几英尺还是相当轻松，但达到更高的高度，需要小心控制。

我感觉最舒服的v-cam在约20英尺（6.1米）在空气中，尽管我能够保持对它的控制了约50 - 60英尺（15.2 - 18.3米）。任何高，风太大，再加上它变得更加难以发现的小型直升机在云彩和天空。

高草也是一个因素外，由于直升机的旋翼只有4.1厘米（1.61英寸）了地上休息时。几次突然着陆后，一些长的草地上的叶片将被包裹在转子上，需要被拔出。的指示做警告尤其在草原地区起飞，但有时风会对地方土地有其他想法。

还有一个指定的按钮自动翻转的直升机在一个选择的方向，但我只看到成功的两倍。另外二十个或是我试过的时间，在完成这个特技之后会失去平衡，然后来回摆动一路到地面。我不能确定为什么它翻转完美这两次，不是为了别人。

如前所述，我被送到一个额外的电池，这被证明是一个我可以处理的更有用的物品。全充电电池可以大约10到12分钟的飞行时间，并且每节电池充电大约需要45分钟到一个小时。即使两电池虽然在空中的时间似乎v-cam高峰之前我必须找到一个USB端口和等待补给。

以舔
一小飞机的大多为轻质塑料，1sq v-cam的耐久性继续打动我，我越想（更重要的是失败的）学习如何驾驶它。我失去了的时候撞到墙上的全速或碰杆，把地面计数。

破坏最为严重，它经历了失去一个转子叶片，从而很容易被放回的地方，新的一样。即使是稳定不受影响，继续保持在飞机为中心的权利，起飞后，“/”，而不是你应该在飞行时不小心。我仍然会保持它在没有比地毯或草更难，但它很高兴知道犯了一个错误，不会把整个事情委员会。

拍摄视频和照片
其中的1sq v-cam更诱人的特点微型摄像机安装在前面，它可以让你捕捉JPEG图像和视频通过按压发射器单个触发器。它没有最大的分辨率（1280×720），但仍然需要相对清晰和无振动的图像，为一个小型的凸轮轴无人机。它也记录单声道，但这真的只是拿起呼呼的转子和风噪声在飞行。它捕获的一切都是通过一个微型SD卡存储在一个侧面的缝隙中，而不是，拍摄照片和视频被证明比我预想的要麻烦。对于一件事，它是非常困难的，以确保当你实际记录。有一个红色的LED将不断闪烁，表明当它拍摄视频或者拍照，但它在直升机本身的一侧，不能看到你站在对面。在大白天，光线是不可见的，所以你就被留下了记录按钮，并希望最好的。