Syma X8 HC

       Syma X8HC Quadcopter.


www.banggood.com/Syma-X8HC-With-2MP-HD-Camera-2_4G-4CH-6Axis-Altitude-Hold-Headless-Mode-RC-Quadcopter-RTF-p-1039063.html


Item has been kindly provided by Banggood,com for review.

Specs
Brand Name: Syma
Item NO.: X8HC
Color: White, Blue
Frequency : 2.4G
Channel : 4CH
Gyro:6 Axis
HD Camera:Photos(2MEGA), Video(1MEGA)
Battery for Quadcopter: 7.4V 2000mAh Li-poly(Included)
Transmitter Battery: 4 x AA battery(Not included)
Flying time : About 5~7 minutes
Charging time:About 200 minutes
Controlling distance:About 70 meters
Product size:50*50*19cm
Box Size:74*35*13cm

Current price : £68.00/ $95.99

Came with a 4GB microsd card installed in the camera.

Easy stuff first 

There are 2 sets of screws in the kit and 4 tiny metal rods................
Im using the round headed screws to attach the Blade guards
Im using the screws with washer type head to attach the legs
The small metal rods secure the blades to the shaft.

The charger and power unit that are supplied with the Syma X8 are very simple and easy to use, they charge the battery slowly via the balance port and stop charging once the correct voltage is reached. Comparing charge times and cell balance with my B6 they are very similar which is a good thing.

The quad itself is formed from a thick plastic and feels quite sturdy in your hands, each arm contains an upper and lower LED for help with orientation and also to let you know if you are recording or not. The Quad is 350mm from motor to motor diagonally with each blade measuring 232mm tip to tip. The way that the power system is constructed means that if something obstructs the blades path then the blade will stop ( it does hurt a bit though  )
The Quads flight controller and power board are hidden away inside the Quads strong shell with a rear hatch allowing access to insert the 2000mah lipo battery. underneath is the "on" switch, something i like, and the headphone type jack that powers and controls the camera.
The legs and blade guards are made of a more pliable black plastic that has some give compared to the shell, this again is a good thing as the flexibility allows some energy to be absorbed, i have dropped this quad multiple times from a good height and it has received no injuries...zero.....not even a broken blade .......i am trying though 


Blade installation, 

1) Twist the white plastic shoulder on the spindle it should "click" 90 degrees around to move away from the pin
2) Remove the pin and place it somewhere safe. Raise the white plastic piece until it comes free of the spindle
3)Put blade onto spindle following the direction printed on the quadcopters arm.
4) Place plastic piece back onto spindle and rotate it to line up with the hole in the spindle
5) Reinsert the locking pin and rotate the plastic piece (retainer ) 90 degrees to lock the blade in place.
6) place silver cone/cap onto the spindle to finish.

Job Done


Transmitter and arming : ok this ones a little weird ( for me anyway) , the Transmitters untouched position is with the Throttle at 50%..........ie with no input both sticks are in the centre position, the standard arming procedure of throttle up-down is in place BUT Throttle works between 50% (centre stick) and 100% (full up) you then leave the throttle at its lowest point to disarm ,i can see that this has been done so that users who are used to different modes can use the Transmitter without opening it up etc but in reality losing half of the throttle resolution isnt a good thing, it still works and it hovers well enough but i'd rather have full control of the throttles resolution.

Modes are on the top left button and are cycled low rates/high/acro rate.Headless mode.
Top right button initiates the flip.
~Using the throttles trim ::::: pressing up beeps and takes a photo with the included camera, pressing down give two beeps and starts the video recording.

Pros
All in one package as an introduction to larger quads and a little video recording.
Large blades give plenty of lift allowing you to carry a little extra weight ( in my case an Sj4000 wifi , so if you wanted an FPV camera setup could be installed easily)
Headless mode works very well 
Altitude hold : whilst not perfect , again it works quite well
Low voltage causes the Quad to slowly land.
Leds, which although arent glaring bright will help you keep orientation.
Reasonable transmitter range : i took it a hundred or so feet out away from me with no issues and climbed to about the same.
Blade guards : saved my props twice  

Cons:
Camera , the camera is a generic type, it works well enough to get you started but thats all you need really.
Camera is a camera within a camera, ie it is a full enclosed camera within a ball like shell to make it appear like the more common drone "type" camera. The outer shell isnt really needed and just adds weight.


Conclusion.
I actually quite like it, If you take the X8 for what it is, a relatively cheap introduction to bigger quads with the added camera for taking footage then you'll be quite happy, Its no speed demon but realistically you dont want it to be, its slow to medium speed is just right for getting used to flying higher and further than the tiny micro quads do and the headless and altitude hold or "hover function" help if you run into problems. Removing the stock camera and replacing it with an fpv setup might be fun...............................we shall see 



Video from onboard 2MP camera , the area is a shaded copse with hardly any direct light so the video is in fact not too bad, i mean seriously, if your expecting to film The Lord of the Rings on a 69 quid quadcopter and camera , well.......................dunno really.

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