QUADIFYRC MODS AND REVIEWS
  • RC Cars
  • Car of the Month
  • Quad Reviews
  • Quad Mods
  • COUPONS AND DISCOUNTS
  • Long Range
  • About & Contact

TIPS and TRICKS

Simple, Effective MOds for the Sailfly-x and Red Devil

12/10/2019

4 Comments

 
Picture
The good and bad of the Sailfly-X and Red Devil
Happymodel have launched two of the better value toothpicks recently of which I have reviewed both - the Happymodel Sailfly and the Eachine Red Devil. Unfortunately both have minor niggles on the FPV side of things -
Picture
  • The Happymodel Sailfly-x is low on vtx power (25mw only) and the although good for an AIO camera/vtx it it has comparatively poor dynamic range. Also, you need to change canopy if you want to change camera angle
Picture
  • The Eachine Red Devil (made by Happymodel) has a better VTX which goes up to 200mW, a better camera in the Caddx EOS2 but the canopy is plagued by Jello and the camera is terrible at handling the image in low light conditions with peculiar red hues showing up at odd times.
The objective of the mods:
Since the underlying powertrain of these quads is light and effective I set out to improve the above issues while trying to stay as light as possible. Also, in order to keep things simple I wanted to avoid soldering where possible to provide an easy and cost effective upgrade path for those who wanted to emulate the build. The result? I'm super pleased:
Picture
Picture
Modded version weighs just under 39g
Picture
Sailfly-x minus 3d printed battery holder (plus rubber band) is just over 38g
Picture
Eachine Red Devil is closer to 39g with battery holder
Picture
LArva-x is quite a bit heavier due to slightly bigger motors, heavier frame and dvr on board
Total specs on the above build are:
  • Runcam Nano 2 4:3 with superior light handling
  • Similar weight the Sailfly-X and Eachine Red Devil - very light in the world of toothpicks
  • Ability to use any battery shape, not just those that fit the 3d printed mount
  • Smart Audio vtx with up to 200mw
  • Stronger canopy with quick adjustable angle camera mount
  • 100% plug and play - no soldering required.
My start point was the Eachine Red Devil here. You can start with the Sailfly-x but you'll need the Red Devil Frame here which is about $6. This will allow you to flip the board with USB down so you can use the canopy.
Picture
Full list of parts used:
Picture
Runcam Nano 2  CMOS 2.1mm Lens Camera Special Design Version for Larva X. Make sure you get this one - it has the correct connector.
Picture
Happymodel Larva X Spare Part Frame Canopy Camera Mount. This is my dream canopy - cheap, light, compact, strong and adjustable camera angle 😍
Picture
Happymodel Larva X Spare Part M2x18 M2x20 M2 Screw Nut D4 Damping Ball. Needed for the longer steel screws to securely mount the canopy.
Picture
​Nano 5.8Ghz 25/100/200mW 40CH 3.3~5.5V VTX (you only need this if you are starting with the sailfly-x
Optional extras:
Picture
200 PCS 20mm Diameter Rubber Band Battery Fixed for UR65 UK65 Snapper6/7 Mobula7. Good sized rubber band for anything with a whoop sized boards. Really tough too - haven't broken a single one yet.
Picture
5 Pairs HQ Prop Durable T65MM 65mm 2.5 Inch 2-Blade Propeller for Ultramicro / Toothpick. Best prop for 65mm right now. These apparently have slightly less balance issues than the regular HQ 65mm
Picture
Gaoneng 7.6V 300mAh 80C/160C 2S HV 4.35V XT30 Lipo Battery. My favourite little 2s for these quads. 3-4 minutes flight
Picture
Gaoneng GNB 11.4V 300mAh 80C 3S XT30 Plug Lipo Battery. Same battery but 3s. Recommend you run a 80% throttle cut with 3s. Very fast!!
The Build.
The build is very straightforward, especially if you are coming from an Eachine Red Devil. I have however included the steps unique to the Sailfly-x in italics:
1. Change components to the Eachine Red Devil Frame
2. Remove canopy and unplug camera
3. Replace AIO camera from Sailfly-x with the Red Devil Nano VTX listed above
4. Replace 4x nylon screws for mounting crazybee board and canopy with the steel ones from the larva-x listed above
5. Mount the Runcam Nano 2 camera to the Larva-x canopy.
Picture
Mounting a Caddx EOS2 or Runcam Nano 2 is very easy with this canopy
6. Plug the Runcam Nano 2 camera into the nano-vtx
Picture
I had to change from connector on the Runcam Nano 2 but you can avoid this but purchasing the version I linked above
7. Install the canopy and secure with nylon m2 nuts
8. Loop the rubber bands over the end of the m2 screws on the side of the canopy as below.
The outcome
Super pleased with the outcome. Firstly all jello related to the awful red devil/trashcan canopy is gone. I love the larva-x canopy - it is strong yet lighter than any TPU canopy due to injection moulding. It is also super compact and has and excellent range for camera angle adjustment.

The camera is not a million miles better than the EOS2 in direct sunshine but it really comes into its own in low or less than perfect lighting conditions. The flight below was a late dusk and I has no issue with colour aberations or missing obstacles. The VTX from the Red Devil has proved sound as well - I like to run it on 100mW so as not to stress it.

Rubber bands are a much more practical mounting solution meaning I can quickly switch between mounting types. Anything with a battery less than about 35g should be using rubber bands.

HQ props are excellent. Personally I've had no issues with the regular 65mm but I hear some batches have had problems with balance whereas the t65mm have not. Also the t65mm cost slightly less and have the option for using screws if needed although I prefer no to on these motors.
Conclusion and recommendation
If you have a Eachine I'd definitely recommend upgrading to the canopy at minimum plus using rubber bands to mount your battery. From there the camera is a bit more expensive and perhaps not necessary but worth thinking about especially if you fly in less than perfect light.

For the Sailfly-x the decision is hard due to the extra parts needed - frame and vtx. Personally I'll be keeping my sailfly stock but if I only had that then the power bump from vtx and image bump from the better cam is well worth pondering as is the ability to adjust camera angle.
​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. If you are looking for quads or parts check out my coupons and discounts page which I keep updated with only the parts and quads I like at a proper discount.
4 Comments
Lee
18/6/2020 08:46:10 am

Awesome, looks like a great little quad for park missions

Reply
Quadify RC
18/6/2020 08:57:29 am

Hehe yeah wsa good during the lockdown when I went for walks with the kids and I didn't want to disturb others.

Reply
Alice link
28/7/2022 09:12:27 pm

Hi

Thanks for writing such an informative blog which will surely be a great help for the readers.

I'm interested in reading your article, and your content is on point. Well done to the team.

We recently published an article that discusses Micro Moldmaking on a similar topic.

Either way, keep up the awesome work!

Best Regards

Alice:https://zetarmold.com

Reply
QuadifyRC
29/7/2022 01:13:51 pm

Thanks for your generic spam comment Alice and and entirely off-topic post! Good luck with you business, if this is how you do your marketing, you are sure going to need it! 👍

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    November 2020
    July 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017

    Categories

    All
    1.9 Inch
    2 Inch
    2s Whoop
    3.4.0
    3.5
    3d Printing
    5.8GHz
    6 Inch
    6s
    AKK
    AKK Infinite
    Antenna
    Attitude V5
    Battery Pad
    Beeper
    Betaflight
    Brushless Whoop
    Cheap Mods
    Dji Fpv
    Dshot
    DVR
    Eachine
    Eachine Trashcan
    Emax
    Fatshark
    Fullspeed
    Furibee X140
    Goggles
    Happymodel
    Hawk 5
    Hawk 6
    Headstrap
    Hq Props
    Iflight
    Jello
    King Kong Fly Egg
    Larva X
    Larva-x
    Leader 120
    Lightweight
    Micro Brushless
    Micro CCD
    Micro Quad
    Mobula
    Mobula6
    Mobula7
    Mobula7 Upgrade
    Omnibus
    OSD
    Pids
    Propellers
    Red Devil
    Repair
    Runcam Nano 2
    Sailfly X Upgrade
    Sailfly-x Upgrade
    T65mm
    Throttle
    Throttle Limit
    Thrust
    Tinyhawk
    Tinyleader
    Trashcan
    Upgrade
    USB Charger
    VTX
    Walkthrough
    X2 Elf
    Xlite

    RSS Feed

    follow us in feedly
Thanks for visiting QuadifyRC.com Follow us on facebook below to get all the latest updates
  • RC Cars
  • Car of the Month
  • Quad Reviews
  • Quad Mods
  • COUPONS AND DISCOUNTS
  • Long Range
  • About & Contact