Eachine Q90C drone review: My first Flying Frog :D

When it comes to design, drone manufacturers always try to surprise us. A good example is this Eachine Q90C which copies a flying frog. Don’t be afraid, even if the fuselage is transparent you will see through only electronic parts, not anatomic organs :D

Eachine announced the Q90C FlyingFrog in two variants: with and without FPV goggles. Surely, for the price gap of 25 bucks, many will opt for the combo version. The included VR006 is a nice entry-level FPV goggle with 3″ LCD display.

Compared to its predecessor (FlyingFrog Q90 without “C”) there are some improvements, but unfortunately also downgrades. I promise that both, cons and pros will be revealed during my Eachine Q90C review.

Which are the best features of the Eachine Q90C drone?

• Transparent protective canopy;
• Removable propeller protectors;
• High speed 8520 motors (2s);
• FreeRider flight simulator compatibility;
• BetaFlight firmware;
• Multiple flight modes (Angle, Horizon, and Manual);
• RC vibration alerts on low battery voltage;
• 8CH VTX with 25mW broadcast power and remote channel switching;
• High resolution 1000 TVL camera;
• Up to 120 meters control and FPV range;
• About 6 minutes of flight autonomy.

Eachine Q90C FlyingFrog review by FirstQuadcopter

Disclosure: I received this Q90C FlyingFrog as part of a drone review collaboration with Banggood. Although the product was offered for free, all opinions in this article remain my own. Product specs and quality may vary according to the manufacturer’s reliability, so I cannot guarantee that you will get a quad-copter that performs exactly the same as shown in my review.

In addition to the aircraft and its remote controller, I found inside the box the following: a complete set of spare propellers, blade protectors, flight battery, USB charger, blade removing tool, 3M self-adhesive Vecro tapes, rubber bands, stick pads, and screwdriver. After a double-check, I found out that, probably due to some mistake, no user manual was included. Anyway, I received it the next day by email :)

At a glance

First of all, everything is made of plastic, with no carbon fiber elements. That’s why superglue is a must-have for newbies. While on the front, the motor to motor distance is 88 mm, on the back is only 70 mm. Max height of the drone is about 40 mm. On top of the transparent canopy, there are some vent-hols.

Since it is fully green, it will be hard to find it in tall grass. Especially that it doesn’t have a buzzer alarm.

Seems like Eachine wanted to boost the general thrust by replacing the 2-blade props present on the first edition of the FlyingFrog with 3-leaf ones. Luckily, I already have a couple of Hubsan sets at home.

Lifting power is generated by 4 pieces of 2s rated 8020 motors. Higher voltage means more RPM, respectively faster machine. Motors are directly soldered to the flight controller. For motor maintenance (replacement) you will need a basic soldering iron.

Both, antennas (2.4G RC and 5.8GG FPV) are orientated vertically, exiting from the fuselage, so they look like two mustaches :D.

Four hooks on the belly of the Eachine Q90C allow to easily attach the battery to the drone. According to the specs, the 350 mAh Li-Po allows about 6 minutes of flight time.

How usable is the remote controller?

Like the Eachine E013, the Q90C also comes with its own dedicated transmitter. Unfortunately, you don’t have the option to use different radios. Four pieces of AA batteries are required to power up the radio.

No shoulder switches nor status screen. On the front panel, besides the two control sticks, you have 4 trimming switches and 6 control buttons. Each time you press one, the RC will vibrate. In addition, the transmitter will also warn you through vibration alerts regarding signal loss and low battery voltage (bellow 3.7v). Handy feature!

Motors of the Eachine Q90C can be armed by simultaneously moving the left stick to the lowest position and the right stick to the rightest position.

Each flight mode has its own button, hence you can easily switch from one style to another.

Another great feature of the RC is that it allows toggling between eight FPV channels. You don’t need to land in order to change the Vfreq.

What is more important is that it has an excellent control range. You can reach a distance of about 100 meters.

Camera is suitable for FPV flights?

Yes, the image quality that comes out from the 1000 TVL camera is excellent and the latency also. Light sensitivity is quite good. In addition, the field of view (FoV) is relatively large. You have the complete recipe for an enjoyable first-person view flight.

Sadly, the tilt angle of the camera can be adjusted. This can be an issue during high-speed maneuvers.

Good point! No visible things like propellers on the camera’s visual field.

Notwithstanding that the VTX has only 25 mW broadcast power, the FPV range is good. In an open field, you can easily reach 70~100 meters.

Flight performance of the Eachine Q90C Flyingfrog

Frankly, after the Kopis 1, it would be hard to be surprised in terms of flight performance. Anyway, let’s discover how capable is the Q90C Flyingfrog.

From the beginning, you can feel the extra power of the 2s Li-Po. Not as speedy as a brushless racing drone, but faster than other 1s micro brushed models. Wind resistance is also promising.

Flight time in the manufacturer’s specs is a bit optimistic. During my test flights, I got an average of 3 and a half minutes.

If you don’t want to replace the propellers after the first crash, I suggest using the included blade protectors. They are not life-saving, but in some cases offer extra protection.

Does it worth it?

In conclusion, I highly recommend this FlyingFrog drone for those who are interested in experimenting FPV flights but don’t want to invest too much in this hobby. Now, the Eachine Q90C in a bundle with the VR006 Goggle can be found here for $87.99.

Finally, the most important thing: don’t ever change anything else than PIDs values through BF configurator, otherwise, the motor will run at full speed and you will need to manually reinstall the BetaFlight firmware.

Pros

• Sporty flight performance;
• Multiple flight modes;
• Excellent FPV and control ranges;
• RC with vibration alerts (low battery voltage and signal loss);
• Flight simulator compatibility;
• Removable propeller protectors;
• Available in combo with FPV goggles.

Cons

• Some issues using BetaFlight configuration (motors are locked at full speed);
• No built-in buzzer;
• Soldered motors vs connectors;
• Props need to removed in order to mount the blade protectors.