TEST: Aurora RC Mini 110

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INTRODUCTION

The Aurora RC mini 110 is the successor of the excellent Aurora 100 one of the first BNF 2.5′ FPV racer including a FC equiped of a betaOSD compatible chip. WIth the new edition, they upgraded most of the elements. First the frame is much more durable with 3mm carbon arms. The FPV camera is now a (clone of ) Runcam micro swift 600TVL model with high light sensitivity and efficient WDR. Motors are boosted to 1106 (vs 1104). ESC are now some 28A model supporting BLheli_S/Dshot 600. The FPV rig can deliver over 48CH up to 200mW with three choices of output power. Let’s review this new potential jewel.

BOX CONTENT

+ 1 x Aurora RC mini 110
+ 1 x Battery strap
+ 1 x Rubber anti-slicing pad
+ 4 x Spare 2035 props (2 CW, 2 CCW)
+ 1 x Screwdriver
+ 1 x Instruction manual (English)

You will have to use the M2x7mm hexscrews to install props on motors.

A unique recto but color printed instruction manual where all important informations are here

Probably linked with recent airshipping restriction and also to save money but no more battery is shipped even for a BNF version

OVERVIEW

Paradoxally it’s absoluptly not a 110mm but more a 124mm …. So much larger than the former Aurora 100. The design is H based shape.

At least all the lower frame and arms are 3mm so much more durable than the poor 1mm for the original Aurora 100.

The machine looks really super solid… I am super confident about its durability to crash.

-FRONT VIEW

The CCD camera, a clone of the Runcam model is black. As you can see, the lens is not fully protected by the strucure… so exposed to a frontal central crash.

Motor’s wires are protected by a dedicaced protection. The 5.8G antenna is installed in the rear section while the 2.4G more centrally. Another novolty is the new Gemfam 2035 props reducing air turbulence and reducing by consequence jello.

-SIDE VIEW

The three layers electronic tower is classic in design: the 4-in-1 (28A) ESC+BEC board on bottom, the main FC in the central position and on top the VTX part.

On the left side, the microUSB port where you can connect the machine to Betaflight

From the side, we can guess the two rows of lights associated with the VTX board.

The blue lights are for the Vband selection and the green for the Vfreq. Configuration are coded in binary over three bits.

-REAR VIEW

Around the buzzer, two lights are permanently turned on… No specific light programmation done via betaflight.

-UPPER VIEW

Originally, the FrSky receiver module was located more close to the rear side… and in this position, the bind button was not durectly available. It’s advise to move the receiver few cm front.

The receiver status and the more important the bind button are available through the top canopy section

-BOTTOM VIEW

To install the battery strap, you will need first to release a bit the four screws holding the main electronic power in order to manage to slide the strap between the lower carbon plate and the bottom of the ESC board.

It’s also advise to install the rubber band. Cut with a scissor the band to fit perfectly the room available below.

-WEIGHT

Almost 128g with a 300mAh 3S LiPo

Add 10g with a 550-600mAh model.

Motors and props

One of the major novolty here… 1106 motors more powerfull than 1104 models of course.

Announced to spin @5500Kv… the main question: Are they 4S compatible ? I didn’t test myself, but I think yes.

Camera module

A direct clone of the Runcam CCD 600TVL model. Everything is the same, same WDR, firmware with same options. The Field of View is about 120 degrees.

The rendition of this camera is just great….

No real possibility to ajust the lens orientation…. fixed by default to something around 20-25 degrees.

Disassembling

For the clone of the Runcam micro swift, the OSD plug is still here

UNBOXING, ANALYSIS, CONFIGURATION AND DEMO FLIGHT

The machine comes with Betaflight 3.2.2 pre-installed… but except the receiver section, no specific settings have been optimized for the machine. We have default PIDs, rates, OSD layout and Lights. After the binding, first bad news, at least for the FrSky D8 model, no RSSI sent by telemetry or on the last channel for the OSD …. It’s a real pity, they didn’t installed more a FrSky XM+ flashed with the RSSI firmware.

From the first take off… the machine is super powerfull … What a beast !!!…. but with default setting…. from middle throttle inputs, a lot of oscillations are present in the machine.. Definitively, new PIDs must be tweaked. Generally both P & D values must be decreased as follow:

With these new settings, the machine now flies beautifully: no vibration during punch outs, no bounce backs… A real glider in the air.. Super fun….. BUT I met twice problem probably linked with the same proble:
1) I noticed some errors sent to FC (by the receiver) forcing the machine to be desarmed while still being in the air
2) Some receiver failsafe tops or even worse, completly out of range while being only 50m of distance.

I decided to change to transmitter to the Jumper T8SG and use better LiPos, some Eachine 550mAh 40C. From the ground range testing, I got a solid 150m… I don’t think the iRangeX radio is guilty because I had with, some great range with some FrSky D8 & D16 receivers. I think, the RC Mini Flight 110 requires battery wuth discharge rate > 40C. As you can see in the video, with my first SPC Maker 30C batteries, under big load, the voltage dropped about 1V and more… and was often below 9.5V. I guess the diodes of the builtin BEC stopped to work in such condition leading to a receiver reboot.
The good news after swapping for more robust LiPo, the machine flies like a beast… no more fallouts linked with a bad receiver status.. I was able to fly beyond 250m without problem. The machine climbs like a rocket… It’s real impressive. The CCD camera works like a charm… This machine well tuned is super mega fun… Clearly one of the best 2.5″ machine I ever tested.

CONCLUSIONS

What a beast !!!!!!! Fantastic flyer machine, one of the best in the market actually BUT !!!!! this machine requires a super strong LiPo/LiHV battery with discharge > 40C. If not… expect sporadic drops linked with a receiver reboot. I regret deeply that now even in BNF bundle no more battery are provided. I regret also the absence of a FrSky XM+ receiver….. Whatever, I recommend this machine. What we could dream now ? The same machine with an XM+ receiver and a Runcam Micro Split combo 4S compatible of course.

PROS

+ Strong 3mm frame very durable
+ Powerfull 1106 motors
+ F3 w/OSD
+ Great CCD FPV camera
+ Excellent acro flyer

CONS

– Basic FrSky receiver in D8 mode without RSSI
– Need high discharge rate LiPo/LiHv batteries to not meet receiver brownout/disconnection.
– Not well configured out of the box (PIDs, rates, OSD, LED lights)

This quadcopter have been courtesy provided by Banggood in order to make a fair and not biased review. I would like to thank them for this attitude.
You can find it actually for 185USD at https://www.banggood.com/Aurora-RC-Mini-Fight-110mm-Micro-RC-FPV-Racing-Drone-PNP-BNF-F3-NANO-4in1-BLHeli_S-28A-48CH-1500TVL-HD-p-1226059.html?p=YL2512105842201212FR&utm_content=huangguocan&utm_campaign=sebydocky

Cet article TEST: Aurora RC Mini 110 est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!.

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