Tag: Eagle

i86 Lite costs $1 less, removes features

i86 Lite costs $1 less, removes features

June 28, 2012 10:55 | By | Add a Comment

Hobbyking is now selling the i86 Lite – in essence a rebranded Eagle N6 V2. The improvements are a slightly lower price and the fact that the microcontroller is now getting its clock signal from a crystal oscillator, which provides for a more stable clock frequency.

And how does this improve the flight performance? Quite frankly, not at all. It’s a more clean design from an electronic engineering point of view, but out on the airfield it doesn’t matter. The regular i86 has more than adequate flight stability and whether the clock frequency is exact down to the second comma is irrelevant for that.

On the negative side, the i86 Lite loses support for fixed wing aircraft, so you cannot use it as a cheap and powerful 3-axis airplane gyro anymore.

Our verdict: Skip the i86 Lite, it’s not easier to use, doesn’t offer more stability, but actually has less functionality at the marginal benefit of a more stable CPU clock. Get the regular i86, it’s the simplest and cheapest way to get flying with a multirotor craft today. You set the DIP switches for your craft, dial the pots so it doesn’t wiggle, and you’re good to go. Check our i86 Flight Controller Review for all the details on this board.

Hobbyking i86 / Eagle N6 Multi-Rotor Control Board Review

Hobbyking i86 / Eagle N6 Multi-Rotor Control Board Review

June 7, 2012 22:34 | By | 10 Comments

At a mere $20, the Hobbyking i86 is a cheap clone of the Eagle N6 V1 board. Unlike KK, MultiWii and most other boards it does not require the user to flash a firmware in order to fly, instead the airframe type can be set via DIP switches. It’s simple, it’s cheap and it’s small, but is it worth saving money on the controller board?

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$19 Hobbyking i86 Multirotor Controller, an Eagle N6V1 clone?

$19 Hobbyking i86 Multirotor Controller, an Eagle N6V1 clone?

May 29, 2012 6:31 | By | Add a Comment

Hobbyking released the i86 multirotor controller yesterday, and their stock of over 100 pieces sold out in less than 12 hours. The i86 appears to be a clone of the Eagle N6 V1 controller, though with a price of $19.99 – For comparison, Goodluckbuy sells this for $49

UPDATE 2 JUNE 2012: The i86 is in stock at Hobbyking again!

This controller uses a 3-axix MEMS gyro, and is thus in the same league as the KK controller due to the lack of a separate high-resolution accelerometer. How does it compare to the KK controller, and especially the current-generation controller boards with accelerometers? Read the review here on FPVCentral to find out more!

 

The big benefit of this product, aside from the price, is simplicity. There is only three gain potentiometers and a dip switch to select your type of aircraft (airplane, 2/3/4/5/6-Rotors)