FUS X111Pro Cinewhoop review and setup

The FUS X111 Pro is a fully ducted micro 2.5 inch quadcopter capable of carrying a small HD camera for safe and stead HD recording. It differs to other products in the market by being considerably lighter and cheaper. Presently it retails for $99 on Banggood which is substantially less than other cinewhoops and codes can often be found on my Coupons and Discounts Page for further discounts

After being pleasantly surprised by the value and performance of the $85 FUS Spartan V3 (review here) I was keen to try out their lightweight take on a cinewhoop - the X111Pro. Unlike typical 3 inch cinewhoop options like the Eachine CVATAR I reviewed here the X11pro uses an all in one ESC and FC board and smaller 1106 motors paired with smaller 2.5 inch prop in a much lighter frame, The hope is that this will be quieter and more efficient that the 3 inch cinewhoops where these are common complaints

A Closer look at the specs

• JHEMCU GHF411AIO 20A AIO board - This looks to be the same highly-regarded  20A board as used on the FUS spartan V3 but with the USB port configured to point up meaning no USB right angle adaptor required 
• 25/100/200mW IRC tramp controlled VTX - small but suitable size for this quad.
• FUS 1106 3800KV motors - nice low kV motors to get efficient flight out of 3s and 4s sized batteries. Would have preferred to be a little wider and lower like a 1204 or 1304 for more efficiency but should be fine.
• Runcam nano 2 - Good, budget nano sized cam that does the job well without fuss or expense.
• RGB LED - Actually this is a big and bright LED panel and is very bright even during the day. Fully addressable
• Gemfan 2540 props - I know these work well without ducts but let's see how they go with the X111pro ducts here
• Dimensions 155mm*173mm*38mm - Pretty compact for a Cinewhoop

Hardware setup
The FUS X111Pro does not come with a receiver so you'll need to add your own. I chose to use the reliable FRSKY XM+ receiver but of course others are compatible as well. See below for how I installed. Click any image to embiggen

8 screws to remove the lightweight top plate. Nice the see the brass threaded inserts in the ducts.

Pads for 5v, ground and SBUS are pre tinned for me!

Plenty of room to fit my FRSKY Xm+ receiver with clack heatshrink

Top plate back on, ready for action

And more information on the brief but useful instructions included here:

Betaflight setup
Since there was no real customisation of the betaflight version 4.1.1 that this shipped with, I didn't feel bad updating to my standard RPM filter settings. See below for key screen grabs and a copy of the CLI diff all I'm using.

fus_x11pro_qrc_tune_4.1.1.txt
File Size:	1 kb
File Type:	txt

Download File

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Other interesting things about this quadcopter:

That is VERY light for a fully ducted and cushioned cinewhoop. Yes the frame is light but its durable and don't forget - cinewhoops aren't about the flippy floppy flight

Hmm what's this? 20mm x 20mm mounting space on the underside? The caddx vista uses 20mm x 20mm mounting...

Props just fit in ducts. Ducts are really nicely printed, much better that the other printed ducts I've come accross

These LEDs are fully addressable via betaflight and are seriously bright, even during the day

I like that the VTX is mounted discreetly at the rear to minimise electrical noise. Also means that the runcam split 3 nano can easily be fitted

Performance and payload
The core purpose of this type of quad is to record smooth HD footage on a rig that is safe for people (hence the padded ducts). Since this has no native HD recording via DJI HD nor a split cam the lightest camera I had access to was a 56g runcam 5 as pictured below. I had to ghetto rig a piece of foam until I can track down the STL file for the TPU wedge mount shown on the product page (See below)

Runcam 5 mounted up with a piece of foam and a strap from the Eachine CVATAR

This is the mount I am trying to trackdown which looks fit for purpose

As you can clearly see I have just shown the raw footage here with no stabilisation and clearly I'm still learning so far as cinematic flying goes

Above is an early flight on 3s 550mah. Not enough power nor capacity and really affected by the wind.

Much better! 4s 650mah battery was a huge improvement, even with a light breeze. This flight was 4.5 minutes with the Runcam 5 coming down at 3.8v (rested) per cell.

Best batteries?
​For this flight I used CNHL 3s 550mah batteries and these are the lower limits Id recommend for size due to the weight loading make these small motors inefficient (typical for a cinewhoop). 2 minutes for this and similar flights which is too short. I'd probably recommend a 3s 850mah battery or even 4s 650-850mah for best performance such as the options below. Update: I've been spending more time with 4s 650mah batteries and they are *perfect* more power for better control and feeling planted plus good battery life at around 4.5 - 5 minutes as per the DVR below.

CNHL MiniStar 850mAh 11.1V 3S 70C Lipo Battery. Ideal size for a 3s battery on this quad IMO

Gaoneng GNB 14.8V 650mAh 80C/160C 4S About the right size for a 4s battery. Update: This is my main recommended size.

 Gaoneng GNB 4S 14.8V 850mAh 80/160C This is the very biggest battery I'd use for this quad

What is the best HD camera option?
​Personally I think the Runcam 5 is too heavy. Update: Runcam 5 is actually fine with the 4s 650mah battery as mentioned above. Check out my updated video above! The below cams are obviously a lot lighter though so you could expect an improvement to flight time.

Runcam split 3 nano. This is meant to be an option for this quad - the FUS X111HD which will presumably be available if this version takes off. Weight increase is negligible since it replaces the existing cam and adds only a single 25mm board.

Insta360go. This cam is only 18g and is ideal for this application with it's maximum 5 minute high def recording and a very effective image stabilisation algorithm. I've got to get me one!

Caddx vista nebula version V2. Provides 720p HD FPV if you have the setup. Mounting is there but only an option if you are already invested in HD. Frame is too narrow for the original DJI cam

Check out the above from the FUS X111pro product page - looks like an HD version with built-on runcam split nano 3 may be on the way...

Conclusions and Recommendations
The FUS X111pro cinewhoop is a surprisingly good little cinewhoop by you must get the right battery - a change to the right size has made me re-write this review. 3s 550mah was poor whereas 4s 650mah gave me more control, much better flight time and better ability to navigate a light breeze.

Although still loud, the X111pro it is much quieter and lighter than other cinewhoops which is a definite bonus. The frame is extremely lightweight but seemingly well designed and given the type of gentle cinematic flying intended shouldn't be an issue here. Replacement frames are available here and are only about $20. I love the simplicity and fit for purposeness of the electronics - they are simple but reliable and very familiar so should work without a lot of fuss.

What tips a decision strongly in favour of this little quad though is price. At $99 there is no other cinewhoop that comes anywhere close. There is also a great deal of versatility with HD cam options - built in options such as DJI VISTA Nebula and Runcam nano 3 are directly supported as are any of the discrete options other than perhaps a full sized gopro.

​​​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