Mobula 7 Upgrades: The Complete and Final List

The Mobula7 can often be had for less than $80 ($74 at time of writing)

The Happymodel Mobula7 was probably my favourite quad of 2018 because it opened up a category that didn't meaningfully exist before - the power whoop... A quad that could be run indoors safely and was still very capable outdoors at a very sharp price point. If you haven't read it yet my original review is here. It has been a hit for newcomers to the hobby which is great too. It is of course not without it's faults like any other quad but it's benefits well and truly outweigh the disadvantages.

Over the time that I have owned this quad I have improved and customised this quad to overcome some of the initial shortcomings and improve on what already makes this great. I have written several articles on this and have summarised these here with links to the full article plus any other improvements I've since made. Practically all of these upgrades are relevant for the Eachine Trashcan as well (which I reviewed here)

Frame Upgrades

$2 e6000 glue

​My biggest disappointment with the very original mobula was the frame which was just not strong enough for 2s crashes especially in the cold weather that this is typically flown. In terms of a quick and easy fix I found that $2 e6000 glue from banggood made for cheap and effective repairs in this article here:

MOBULA 7 AND WHOOP FRAME REPAIR GLUE - E6000 FROM BANGGOOD

V3 frame (yes it was backward for a reason!)

Next I found that the v3 frame from the Eachine Trashcan which is definitely the strongest option and proved this through a lot of crashes and no damage to the frame. My article including instructions on the change to the V3 frame is here:
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THE BEST FRAME FOR YOUR MOBULA 7

Since then I have found I prefer the V2 mobula frame which is the same design as the V1 but stronger (although not as strong as the V3). This is because I found it was easier to fit my favourite gemfan props and the overall flight characteristics were better, most notably decreased yaw washout compared to the V3. Note: the mobula7 v1 has been discontinued and all new mobulas ship with the V2.

Batteries​ and related upgrades

<$2 for genuine Amass JST and 20awg wire? Yep...

The first change I made for batteries was to switch to proper 2s batteries and use a JST connector. This greatly improved flight time and reduced battery sag compared to the awful stock solution. I chose JST over Xt30 because it was lighter and still allowed more than enough current for the Mobula7. I do prefer Xt30 connectors for durability it's just that I wanted to keep weight increases to a minimum. Article on switching to 2s JST connectors is here:

MORE POWER WITH BETTER BATTERY CONNECTOR

Given the improvement the 2s batteries made I no longer had a use for the 1s batteries the Mobula7 shipped with. I then wrote this article on how to convert your 1s batteries to a tru 2s battery:

CONVERT YOUR 1S BATTERIES TO A TRUE 2S

​In terms of which batteries to buy I've personally used the GNB and URUAV batteries which I find to be cost effective with good performance. 2s 300mah is my recommended battery size or if you are using 1s then 1s 450-550mah.

GNB 2s 300mah - my favourite for Mob7

URUAV 2s 300mah - another 2s option

GNB 1s 450mah - favourite 1s

URUAV 1s 450mah value pack

URUAV 1s 550mah value pack

Propeller Upgrades

The first change to props was to convert to props out rather than props in. Rather than messing around with removing and installing props and changing BLHeli settings I found a much easier solution here:

​EASIEST WAY TO GO PROPS OUT TO IMPROVE FLIGHT

I chose my favourite prop over a long period of time and settled on the Gemfan 1635 (3 bladed) as my all around favourite. It felt faster and better balanced than the stock props with no noticeable reduction in grip and a noticeable improvement in battery life. The Gemfan 1636 (4 bladed) offered a lot more grip but a small reduction in speed and battery life so for indoor racing this would be my first choice. Anyway the full article on my recommendations for props can be found here:

​LONG TERM PROPELLER RESULTS

Improving range

Another of the Mobula7 shortcomings was the lack of receiver range - regular failsafes before I lost video receptions. In the article below I discussed how to improve the range for free with minimal modifications to the stock board:
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BETTER RANGE WITH THE ONBOARD RECEIVER

Betaflight and Tuning

The Mobula 7 is not a difficult quad to tune to get in the air but does take more knowledge to tune correctly - mostly because stock betaflight settings are designed around a 5 inch quad rather than a 1.6 inch one. I used the fantastic work of Mark Spatz (UAV tech) on the BEST version of befaflight customised for the F3 Mobula board and the ideal filters and PIDs to run that suit the higher frequency and lighter weight of this brushless whoop. Full details and all the screenshots, diffs etc here:

​​BETAFLIGHT 4, PIDS AND FILTERS

What next?

Well if you modified your Mobula this far you may be tempted to convert to a frame without ducts (toothpick). Although this works pretty well I'd strongly recommend keeping the mobula as is and looking at the Sailfly-x (also from happymodel) This is basically an outdoor only mobula7 and has amazing performance, especially for around $80, My full review is here.

Recommended parts

Here are the many of the parts options for the Mobula 7 including my recommendations.

Happymodel Mobula7 V2 75mm 2S Whoop FPV Racing Drone

This comes with the newer stronger v2 frame and 4 x 1s batteries. On flash sale at time of writing for $80 

V3 Brushless Tiny Whoop Frame Kit

This is the strongest frame but doesn't fit the gemfan props as well. 

Happymodel Mobula7  V2 7 Frame Kit

Same design as the v1 but stronger material. My choice of frame for best flight characteristics and propeller choice.

Happymodel SE0802 1-2S 16000KV 19000KV 22000KV 25000KV Brushless Motor

Stock motor available in a wide range of kV. Recommend 16000kV for 2s

Happymodel EX1102 8500KV 9000KV 10000KV 13500KV 2-3S Brushless Motor

Larger 1102 sized motors that will fit your mobula7. I'd recommend 10000kv for 2s or 13500kv for 1s; 1mm shaft for the mobula 7 These will give you much better efficiency i.e. longer battery life

Happymodel SE0803 12000KV 16000KV 19000KV 1-3S Brushless Motor for Mobula7

Another good motor option - lighter than the 1102 but with twin bearings. My choice would be 12000kv for 2s and 16000kv for 1s

Happymodel XT30 Plug Pigtail Power Wire with 100μF Capacitor

Best 2s xt30 power cable for the Mobula 7

​Happymodel Mobula7 Spare Part Adjustable Camera Canopy

Racerstar Crazybee F3 Pro Flight Controller Mobula7 5A 1-2S

Stock all in one flight control/receiver/esc

200 PCS 20mm Diameter Rubber Band Battery

Lightest and most simple battery holder

3D Printed TPU Lipo Battery Support Fixing Mount

Lightweight TPU battery holder if you want to stick with 2 x 1s

Happymodel 3.8V 300mAh 30C 1-2S Lipo Battery

Stock replacement battery.

4 Pairs Gemfan 1635 1.6x3.5x3 40mm 1m Hole 3-blade Propeller

​Simply my favourite props - fast and efficient

4 Pairs Gemfan 1636 1.6x3.6x4 40mm 4-blade 1mm Hole Propeller

My favourite indoor prop - a little more grip, a little less speed and flight time

​Thanks for reading, if you found this article useful please feel free to like or share, the facebook links below directly link/like this article. Links are affiliated and help me buy the bits I need to produce this type of content.