Introduction
Typically, fold-out selfie drones start at $ 300. JJRC decided to fill the empty niche of cheap selfie drones with the launch of the JJRC H37 Elfie for just $ 40. The design and the folding mechanism were traditionally borrowed from someone, namely from ZeroTech Dobby this is where the similarities end. Further in detail.
Features
- Foldable design
- Smartphone control
- 0.3MP (480p) Wi-Fi FPV camera
- Headless
- Control by tilting the smartphone and virtual sticks
- Altitude hold
- Return to home
- Three gas consumption mode 30% 60% 100%
- Flight time 7-9 minutes
- Control radius in the field 100 meters
- Flips (flips)
Appearance
The size of the drone is 135 × 65 × 26 mm, comparable to the size of a regular smartphone. When folded it fits easily into a pocket. The arms fold in and out quickly and the JJRC H37 Elfie is ready to fly in just 5 seconds.
A large, easy-to-reach power button is located on the top for easy start-up preparation.
When folded, the propellers are well protected, so when carried in a pocket, the drone does not require additional box or protection.
There are LEDs on the front and back, white and red respectively. In the dark, they will help you understand where the camera is directed.
Motors
Naturally for $ 40 we get a drone with brushed motors. The peculiarity of these motors is only in their location. Usually the motors are installed vertically, in the JJRC H37 they are located horizontally.
This allowed the drone to be made much more compact, but there were other disadvantages. Due to the horizontal arrangement of the motors, additional gears are used to transmit rotation to the vertical axis. Which entails an increase in noise.
The motors are fixed inside the beams, in case of breakage you will have to change the entire beam. The replacement process itself is not difficult, there are assembled beams on sale, plus a screw. Accordingly, other motors will not work.
Camera
On the front of the JJRC H37 drone is a tiny 0.3MP (480p) Wi-Fi FPV camera with adjustable angle of inclination. The angle is manually adjustable within / -15 degrees. The resolution of photo and video images is 720 × 576 pixels.
The JJRC H37 does not have a memory card slot, so videos and photos will be saved to your smartphone. 5 minutes of video takes about 23 megabytes.Video files are stored in the “JJRC” folder and end with the extension H264. Conversion is required for viewing on a computer. The quality of the original photo / video is poor.
Controls
JJRC H37 Elfie does not have a remote control, it can only be controlled using a smartphone or tablet. To do this, you need to install the JJRC APP.
Two types of control are available. Using virtual joysticks on the gadget screen, or by tilting the gadget itself (for smartphones with a gyro sensor). The drone is controlled very simply, there are virtual buttons for auto takeoff and landing. If necessary, you can urgently stop the rotation of the motors using the red "Stop" button. For the first experience, the Headless and FPV flight are available.
Where to start?
Before the first flight, you must:
- Install the JJRC APP
- Unfold the beams of the motors
- Switch on the drone with the button from above
- Connect to Wi-Fi network JJRC-XXXXXX (X - the last six characters will be different for each smartphone)
- Start the motors with the up arrow in the JJRC APP
- Landing and stopping the motors arrow Down
- The JJRC H37 has good altitude control with its built-in barometric sensor.
- Beginners are not recommended to set the speed over 30%. Also, in an apartment, you should not set the speed to more than 60%. 100% for outdoor flights only.
Battery
The battery is removable, securely attached inside the case with a cover on the bottom of the drone. Capacity 500 mAh. Provides a maximum flight time of 9 minutes.
What's in the box
JJRC H37 Elfie is packed in a small and sturdy box, usually smartphones are packed in such boxes.
It contains:
- Drone JJRC H37 Elfie
- Battery 3.7V 500 mAh 20C
- Spare propeller set
- USB charging
- Corduroy case
- Instruction
I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of a case in the kit. It will protect the drone from scratches when carried in a pocket with other items.
Conclusion
Pros
- Price
- Small footprint
- Height hold
- Variable camera angle
- Spare screws
Cons
- Camera
- Noisy
- No remote control
- Glitchy tilt control mode
In advertising, everything is beautiful and convenient. In fact, the video quality is worse, it is not easy to control the virtual sticks. And even more so to put it in the palm of your hand, and even in the wind it will be very difficult. Not suitable for FPV flights, the picture lags noticeably. But for this price, you can't expect better, so the JJRC H37 Elfie is perfect as a gift for a teenager.
