Eachine Novice-i RTF KIT Review Part 1: Specs, build and custom pids / filters

The Eachine Novice I is a brushless 2s capable ducted micro FPV quadcopter that includes a basic transmitter, FPV goggles and batteries making it a genuine Ready To Fly (RTF) kit option for $145-$165 retail. It is available exclusively from Banggood here. The lightweight ducted frame makes it safe to fly inside and around people but it still has enough power to fly outdoors. Since it can run on 1 battery (1s) or 2 batteries (2s) you can fly it slow or fast. It will compete directly with the Emax Tinyhawk RTF which is 1s capable only and is $156 with only 1 battery. I've reviewed the Emax Tinyhawk here if you wish to compare.

A closer look at the components:
Below are all the components, click through for more details or if you need to purchase spares

Lightweight 1102 13500KV Brushless Motor

lightweight durable frame

lightweight canopy

Nano-X F4 Pro AIO Flight Controller with integrated ESCs and frsky receiver

Eachine Novice-I  Case Bag

Runcam Nano 2 2.1mm Lens FPV Camera

Nano 5.8Ghz 25/100/200mW  VTX

​WT8 2.4Ghz 8CH Radio Transmitter

10Pcs 3.8V 300mAh 40/80C 1S HV Lipo Battery (these are similar to the ones included)

6 In 1 3.7V 1S Lipo LiHv Battery Charger Board

Eachine VR005 2.7 Inch 5.8G 48CH FPV Goggles

Build quality and component choice
Make no mistake, this is a Happymodel quadcopter being sold under the Eachine brand, much like the trashcan (review here) and red devil (review here).

The quad: Last year the Mobula 7 (review here) took the FPV world by storm: It was the first mass-market 2s brushless whoop at less than $100 that really delivered on performance. Such was it's popularity that the 10 or so upgrade articles I've written (summarised here) have had A LOT of hits. A year on this market is fairly saturated and we are seeing incremental improvements and I believe the Eachine Novice I is a well-prepared composite of those improvements: Larger EX1102 13500kv motors that offer better reliability, performance and efficiency, a stronger frame now in its 4th iteration, the best of the current crop of nano cameras and an adjustable vtx with up to 200mw power. The main board has also been through half a dozen iterations now and is much more reliable than previous and should be reliable with 1-2s since the ESC supposedly has overhead up to 4s. To be perfectly clear this is a very desirable ducted quadcopter and many requests have been made to release as a quad alone, yet it should also suit the beginner well - it is fast, light, cheap and easy to repair and it can flown indoor or out. The camera even works well at night (video here) and the props are the best I've tested.

1102 13500 is the perfect motor size for power and efficiency

v4 of the frame has the strongest design and has enough room for the excellent Gemfan 3 blade props which was an issue with the v3 frame

Runcam Nano2 is a great choice for FPV cam - superior to the Caddx EOS2 without being too expensive

VTX is the same as the Eachine Red Devil which performs well at up to 200mw. Please glue down the UFL connector!

Nano-X flight controller is well protected in the frame

Frame is design for proper 2s batteries - more details in the recommendations

​The controller: The WT8 is a new controller and is available separately here. This runs the popular FRSKY d8 protocol meaning it should also pair with other d8 receviers as well. There are 8 channels on the transmitter in total: 4 from gimbal directions, 2 shoulder buttons and 2 from gimbal push buttons (like on playstation analogue sticks). You get feedback from aux switch positions by 6 coloured LEDs. Led backlit buttons beside the gimbals are for power on and binding new receivers. 4 x AAA batteries are required to power this transmitter. Nice that this comes pre-bound to the quadcopter. Gimbals are of toy grade which is to be expected at this price point and similar to other budget RTF models. They are fine to get you flying however.

Gimbals are very much toy grade and have a fairly short through but are fine until you are ready to upgrade. Not suitable for a pich grip but users of this controller are not likely to be pickers - other than reviewers.

Controller uses 4AAA batteries which last seemingly forever. I wonder what this USB port is for though...

The goggles: Eachine VR005 goggles are included with this package, they are available separately here. Like the controller they are basic but do the job. They are 48 channel which is typical, have an auto-search function and include a 1s 1000mah battery which charges via a USB port. Don't let dual antennas fool you, they do not have diveresity. The have a smallish 2.7 inch screen but padding and headstrap are light and comfortable. Like other budget options they do not include DVR for recording but this can be added with a module like this. Lastly, some of the marketing images are hillarious - did this lady really get that dressed up to wear them? You decide!

USB port is for charging the onboard 1000mah battery

Buttons for power, autoscan, band and channel - nice and simple. Antennas are RP-SMA which is common only on cheap goggles.

Batteries and charger: Included are 2 or 10 x 1s high voltage 300mah batteries depending on which package you choose (RTF or fly more). You have the option to run 1s but since the battery capacity is low the flight time is poor. You are better off running 2s with a throttle cut which I walk through in this blog post. Please note you need to use 2 batteries at time to run 2s meaning the kits actually offer 1 or 5 flights as 2s. Battery quality from past is experience is just ok. I'd probably recommend the fly more option with 10 batteries so you can keep practicing but would rather recommend you purchase different batteries as you can see in my recommendations. 

10 batteries in the fly more pack

Included batteries are basic 1s high voltage 3000mah stick packs. Use 2 at a time for 2s

Basic charger is well featured and can run off multiple power sources and can charge up to 6 cells at a time.

Setup and custom PIDs / Filters
The Eachine Novice-I comes pre-loaded with betaflight version 4.04 and custom settings from the factory which match the controller and are quite good. I did however take the opportunity to improve on the settings as below, most notably the PIDs and filters which are more suited to these small quadcopters with motors running at high frequencies. Tune is based off Mark Spatz's tune for a brushless whoop quadcopter as per the community presets here. Below is the stock diff all if you ever need to reset, my custom diff and the changes I made in screen shot form. UPDATE: Use these for 1s only and stock PIDs on profile 2 for 2s otherwise you will get a flyaway.

Factory diff all file to reset to custom factory defaults:

novice-i_betaflight_4.04_stock.txt
File Size:	2 kb
File Type:	txt

Download File

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QuadifyRC custom tune as per screen shot below:

novice-i_betaflight_4.04_quadifyrc_tune.txt
File Size:	3 kb
File Type:	txt

Download File

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Enable Airmode, and enable d-shot beeper

These PIDs have worked well for me in the past on brushless ducted quads like this. Update: Use these for 1s only and stock PIDs on profile 2 for 2s otherwise you will get a flyaway

Rates were customised from factory, I prefer default. TPA strength increased to reduce d gain at higher throttles.

Custom filters are actually more important with PIDs - these better target high frequency noise from small motors and ESCs

These setting allow me to have less deadband at top and bottom of throttle

Initial thoughts pre-flight
So that about covers it till I get flying (which I'm now doing in real time). To summarise:

• The quadcopter itself is a great choice for beginners as it is very durable, and suitable for flying indoor or out. Furthermore the specs will suit the experienced pilot as well.
• The transmitter is basic with toy-style gimbals but is proportional and will get you going. It also uses the popular FRSKY protocol meaning it will be easy to upgrade the controller in future if you want.
• The FPV goggles will get you going but screen size is relatively small and don't have DVR. Again, these use a standard protocol so are easily up gradable in future
• Batteries again are fine to get started however they are probably the most limiting factor. I'd recommend first upgrading the cheap folded connector pins to solid pins but more so go for true 2s batteries. As above the frame is designed to fit a 2s 300mah battery which is ideal - the GNB 2s 300mah is the best of the lot and will give you more power and better flight times although you will need to upgrade the battery connector as below or for as per this upgrade article. You can always convert the 1s batteries to 2s batteries in order to keep using them after a conversion... instructions here

Rolled pins have high resistance = voltage sag and short useful battery life

XT30 Plug Pigtail Power Wire with 100μF Capacitor

4Pcs Gaoneng 300mAh 80C 2S HV Lipo Battery - This will be the ideal battery for this quad.

2s 300mah battery fits perfectly in this type of frame

Full flight and FPV review is coming shortly, I'm presently putting this little guy through it's paces. Keep an eye out on my Facebook page or check back here for a link.

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.