| Spaßfaktor | |
| Flugverhalten | |
| Materialqualität | |
| Aufnahmequalität | |
| Preis-Leistung | |
| Average 0/5 |
Some time ago we watched a few videos about racing drones, and our interest was aroused to test such a quadrocopter.
The FPV racing drone X-190 Edition RTF belongs to this category and can be purchased as RTF (Ready To Fly) package. That means you don’t have to assemble it from a modular system as usual, but can fly directly.
Normally, controlling a racing drone is much more difficult because it is smaller and often has no gyro system. Although the X-190 does not have such a system either, it can be controlled very precisely and is quite robustly built. So a crash happens less often than with other quadrocopters of this class and if it does, the housing is stable enough to withstand it.
Technical details
It has a 0,9 Megapixel camera, which is equipped with a 5,8 Ghz transmitter. The system works very reliable and you can work with FPV glasses from for example Fatshark. Videos are recorded with a resolution of only 1280 x 720 pixels. You shouldn’t be deterred by the apparently “bad camera resolution”, with racing drones the photo sensors are not comparable to the large photo and video drones.
The camera angle can be adjusted between -8 degrees and +45 degrees and the videos can be saved on an SD card. Only SD cards up to 32 Gbyte are supported and a corresponding memory card is unfortunately not included, you have to buy it separately.
Filming and the live image are produced with 30 frames per second, which is standard for such a camera. More fps is not necessarily required for the purpose the racing drone is supposed to serve.
The weight is only 85 g, so we recommend that you only fly in less strong gusts of wind if you are still a beginner. The dimensions are: 115 mm (l) x 115 mm (w) x 95 mm (h).
With the 2S LiPo / 710 mAh you can only fly for 6 minutes at a time, afterwards you need about 130 minutes to recharge it. This ratio of flying time to recharging time is quite annoying. But there is a solution for this problem, you can buy several suitable flight batteries and increase the flight time with some intermediate landings and changing the batteries.
In terms of range, the transmission system is sufficient to fly some racing distances. However, it could be a bit larger. Both the control unit and the 5.8 Ghz transmitter of the camera have a maximum transmission range of 100 meters.
The remote control has an integrated LC display where you can read the most important flight data. In expert mode, the FPV racing drone X-190 Edition RTF can be flown much more agile and even faster. This mode is not recommended for pure beginners. Furthermore the drone has a flip function and you can perform acrobatic stunts at the push of a button.
Scope of delivery
There is not much included in the scope of delivery, but it is sufficient to take off immediately with the X-190 racing drone:
- 1 x Reely X-190 Race Copter RtF
- 1 x remote control unit with a transmission range of about 100 meters
- 1 x 2S LiPo flight battery with 710 mAh
- 4 x spare propeller
- 1 x USB charger
- 1 x instruction
Optional accessories
Of course there are still optional accessories, which you partly need to be able to participate successfully in races. Here is a small overview:
FPV-Glasses
FPV goggles are the perfect technical accessory, which enhances the flying experience qualitatively enormously.
The glasses create the feeling of sitting in the cockpit of the drone.
When choosing the right FPV goggles it is important to make sure that the field of view is especially high and that the resolution of the screens is sufficient to display all details captured by the drone camera.
The Fatshark Dominator V2, for example, is a further development of the Fatshark Dominator V1 with a field of view of about 32 degrees and a resolution of 600 x 480 pixels. Furthermore, these FPV glasses have a shield against blinding sunlight, which is very important.
There are of course a lot of other FPV glasses models on the market, but the manufacturer Fatshark is well known in the racing drone scene and the models have proven themselves in practice.
Monitor
A FPV monitor is the alternative to FPV glasses. It is especially used when several people want to watch the drone flight from the ego perspective.
Monitors are technically much less complex and therefore much cheaper. Especially beginners with a small budget should consider if a monitor is not enough, because the price is only a fraction of a pair of glasses.
Another advantage is that during the flight you can directly observe both the monitor and the drone itself and change the visual contact much faster than with FPV glasses.
Sometimes small screens between 5 and 7 inches can be screwed onto the remote control. Unfortunately the transmitter of the FPV racing drone X-190 does not have such a mounting.
If you decide to use an FPV monitor, a built-in diversity system is recommended.
This system works with several signals, so the live image is better received (of course only if the antennas are good) and the image is much freer from interruptions and errors. Which is very important in drone racing. When buying it you should make sure that the monitor has a luminance of at least 400 cd/m^2, better are 500 cd/m^2.
FPV monitors are available from Fatshark, Boscam, Lumenier, CamOneTec and from the common drone manufacturers like DJI, Hubsan etc.
A good FPV screen is available from about 100€.
SD card
To be able to save video recordings, you need a corresponding SD card for the FPV racing drone X-190 Edition. You can use a card with up to 32 Gbyte.
Video transmitter with higher range
A video transmitter with a higher transmission range is also very popular with drone pilots in the racing sector. Transmitters are often replaced because the range does not meet the requirements.
The model X-190 Edition RTF is a transmitter with a range of 100 meters, if this is not enough for you, you can buy a module to increase this range.
Advantages and disadvantages
In terms of price, this FPV racing drone is rather in the low range. When weighing up the pros and cons, you should consider this factor. We have summarized the most important positive and negative characteristics for you:
Advantages:
- Fast, agile and agile – the drone can be flown very precisely
- Reaches very high speeds due to 4 enormously powerful motors, but is still well suited for beginners
- Perfect for flights on narrow and twisty tracks
- Flips, somersaults and rolls can be performed easily
- The camera angle can be adjusted between – 8 and + 45 degrees and is not fixed
- SD cards up to 32 Gbyte (not included) can be used
- Video recording with 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second
- The complete drone package is RTF, i.e. Ready To Fly – Simply unpack, charge the battery and take off
Disadvantages:
- The FPV Racing X-190 Edition RTF drone has a maximum range of 100 meters
- Unfortunately the maximum flight time is only about 6 minutes with a charging time of 130 minutes per battery charge
Conclusion about the FPV racing drone X-190 Edition RTF
Comparing the FPV drone, which was developed for racing purposes, with other quadrocopter models, one can say that the X-190 Edition has an extremely good price-performance ratio. Although there are a few little things here and there that bother us personally, but at a price of about 80 € are not so much in the weight.
It becomes problematic if you attach great importance to high quality video recordings. One must not forget that this is not a pure photo or video drone, but a racing quadrocopter.
If you don’t have that much budget and are still a beginner, this drone is perfect for you. But don’t forget that you will need FPV glasses or a suitable monitor to be able to participate in races effectively. Here you should calculate 100-200 or 300€ more on it.
The FPV racing drone X-190 Edition RTF is available here at Amazon (click!)*
