Review: Babyhawk-R Mini FPV Racer

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EMAX BABYHAWK-R

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Inhalt:
Page 1: Review
Page 2: Betaflight Setup
Page 3: Adding LED Strip

Exclusive Banggood Coupon Codes

▪ For our readers we have received exclusive discount coupon codes from Banggood, with which you can save up to 25% when buying Mavic, Spark, Mini FPV Racers and accessories such as Runcam Split, FrSky XLITE, antennas, etc. You can find these coupons on our coupons page. This section is constantly updated, so check back often.

 

Babyhawk-R

Since 2017 some really ingenious Mini FPV racers came onto the market – especially the Leader 120. But since then a lot has changed again, and there are some new FPV racers that also have what it takes to become a cult racer. Here’s the Babyhawk-R.

Most Mini Quads 2018 have one thing in common: they become more and more omnivores and swallow not only 2S Lipos, but meanwhile also 3S or even 4S! The Lizard95 already shows impressively how much power you can get out of a 3S Lipo with a mini FPV racer. The Babyhawk, especially the 3-inch version, is even designed for 4S.

Babyhawk-R: Three Versions

The EMAX Babyhawk-R can be flown with 3S or 4S Lipos and has a lot of features, so you don’t have to do much modding anymore. It comes in two variations (well, actually three):

2 inch version (112mm)

3 inch version (136mm)

as well as a 2.5 inch version (actually the 2 inch version with “upgrade” frame)

The 2.5 inch version is a modified 2 inch version with 2.5 inch arms, which allows you to install larger propellers. The 2 inch version flies quite lively and is generally designed for 3S, while the 3 inch version allows a slightly longer flight time and also easily carries the extra weight of a 4S lipo. The modded 2.5 inch version is somewhere in between.

Which variant you choose is up to your personal taste. The equipment is very much the same for the 2 inch and the 3 inch version and differs only in the frame size, the propeller size and the motors. In general one can say that the 2 inch version is rather designed for 3S and the 3 inch version flies quite well with 4S. For the 2 inch version a 4S Lipo would be a bit too big and heavy – but you can do so, if you want to.

The 3 inch version comes with EMAX RS1106 4500KV motors and 3 inch EMAX AVAN Mini Props, the 2 inch version with Emax RS1106 6000KV motors and Emax Avan Micro 2 inch 4-Blade Props:

EMAX Babyhawk-R Versions:
2 Inch	3 Inch
Emax Avan Micro 2 Inch 4-Blade Props	MAX AVAN Mini 3 Inch 3-Blade Props
Emax RS1106 6000KV Motors	EMAX RS1106 4500KV Motors
3S Lipo suggested	4S Lipo suggested
Size: 112mm	Size: 136mm
Flies more agile	Longer flight times

Design

The design of the EMAX Babyhawk-R is very unusual – almost unique. The screwed-on hood makes it look beautifully streamlined. In any case a real eye-catcher!

Advantage: under the cover the electronic insides of the Babyhawk are very well protected. So it’s definitely a plus. The hood is fixed with two screws and can be removed relatively quickly. The hood is available in three colors – black, red and transparent white – and is also available separately for a few bucks.

 

Equipment

The video transmitter can be switched between 25mW and 200mW ouput power, providing sufficient power for interference-free transmission. In addition, the Babyhawk-R has a Foxeer Arrow Micro CCD camera built-in, which is almost equal to a Runcam Micro Swift. Just like the Runcam Micro, the Foxeer Cam also offers a quite extensive OSD menu with which you can adjust colors, exposure, contrast, sharpness etc. down to the last detail. The Foxeer Cam also offers WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) to compensate for large differences in brightness. The Foxeer Arrow Micro has two major advantages over a Runcam Micro: firstly, the dongle used to navigate through the OSD menu is already included with the Babyhawk-R (in contrast, it must be purchased separately for the Runcam Micro). The biggest advantage over the Runcam Micro is that the Foxeer can handle an input voltage of 5V to 40V, the Runcam Micro only 5V. Nice to see that Emax gave the Babyhawk-R a very decent cam!

What stands out about the EMAX Babyhawk-R is the Low ESR Capacitor soldered on the side. This is supposed to reduce video noise. We are not sure if this is really necessary, but unlike the Diatone Mini Racers, there is hardly any noise in the video image of the Babyhawk-R. Whether this thing really makes sense or not, you only find out if you cut it off. But it doesn’t really bother.

Compared with the Diatone GT-R90, and the Diatone GT-M3 the EMAX Babyhawk-R performs a little worse in terms of performance, but still flies brilliantly and is also available for a cheaper price. But the equipment is a bit more economical compared to the Diatones, the Babyhawk-R comes with a F3 flight controller instead of a F4.

The ESC of the Babyhawk can handle a good 12A, come with DSHOT600 and can be flashed with the very latest BLHeli_S firmware, so that DSHOT commands are also available if desired.

The Babyhawk-R’s on-board BEC delivers sufficient power with 3A – even the installation of an LED strip should pose no problem. A buzzer is also installed – this inconspicuous but vital component is often forgotten by manufacturers.

EMAX Babyhawk-R Features:
Flight Controller	Omnibus F3 Betaflight, 20x20mm (M2)
MCU	STM32F303
OSD	Betaflight OSD
Buzzer	✔️
BEC	Integrated 5V@ 3A BEC
Receiver Types	PPM/SBUS/Spektrum DSM
ESC:	BLHeli_S 12A 4-in-1 DSHOT600
Camera	Micro CCD
VTX	40 Channel 5.8g 25/200mw

Our Impression

Foxeer Arrow Micro
Contrary to our expectations, the Foxeer Arrow is absolutely on a par with the Runcam Micro Swift – if not superior. Once you’ve looked through the cam’s OSD and found the right settings, the video image is simply perfect in terms of contrast, sharpness, dynamic range and details. The Foxeer copes well with changes in brightness. The Foxeer always delivers a perfect picture, especially with the Wide Dynamic Range feature enabled. This makes the Babyhawk the first Mini Racer we’ve ever seen that the manufacturer has already provided us with an absolutely usable cam. Very commendable.

A clear weakness is the built-in FPV antenna, which in flight often causes a drop-out. We had drop-outs of 1-2 seconds, which is not acceptable. We have therefore immediately replaced the stock cam with a Realacc Stubby, which delivers significantly better performance and less fluttering in the wind. Thanks to the IPEX connector, an antenna change is done quickly, the antenna is not soldered but clipped on and can be easily replaced.

Design & Quality
The striking design of the Babyhawk-R with its hood proves to be very practical in everyday use: the electronics are well protected in there. The hood is fixed at the front as well as at the rear with two screws. Just loosen the two rear screws and it folds forward like the bonnet of a car. The frame is very stable and can withstand a lot. The Avan Mini Props can also withstand a lot and do not break right away. The soldering points of the motor pads are not as fragile with the Babyhawk as with many other Minis, but if you like to swing the soldering iron, you can go over it again. Experience has shown that it is precisely at these points that motor cables are often disconnected by constant vibration. Here it really depends on solid soldering work.

Flight Characteristics
The agility of the Babyhawk is more comfortable – at least when compared to the Lizard95 Anniversary Edition, which shows significantly more speed and acceleration. Nevertheless, the Babyhawk 3 Inch also has enough power with 3S for a decent punch. A “Need for Speed”-feeling like with the Lizard doesn’t come up here, but the Babyhawk flies very “smooth”, pleasant and exact.

With 3S 650 mAh it flies quite well. Using a 4S 650 mAh, however, showed only 10%-15% more agility and power, but a slightly shorter flight time. This is a little disappointing, because one of the Babyhawk’s advantages should be to take 4S Lipos as well. Okay, it does – but the difference between 3S and 4S is not really worth it here. The Babyhawk-R flies best with 3S Lipo that does not bring too much weight. 4S doesn’t really seem to bring any advantages to the Babyhawk 3 Inch, unless you settle for Lipos below 500 mAh and therefore a very short flight time.

Flighttimes
The flight time of our test flights with 3S 650 mAh Lipos with aggressive flight style was just over three minutes. With a 4S 650 mAh even a little bit below. But if you like it a bit more relaxed and prefer to fly at half throttle, you can tickle with a 3S 650 Lipo about eight(!) minutes flight time out of the Babyhawk R (see video proof)!

Summary
With the Babyhawk-R you get a Mini FPV Racer with appealing optics, which comes out-of-the-box with useful equipment. You don’t have to do much modding here. The Foxeer camera is more than equal to a Runcam Micro, frame, props and hood are very stable and can withstand quite a lot. Only the FPV antenna should be replaced by a better one. Unfortunately the Babyhawk-R is not equipped with an LED strip, but corresponding pins are available on the FC board, so you can add one, if you like to. The Babyhawk-R flies very smoothly and exactly. You always have the feeling of control over it. Since it flies a little less aggressive than e.g. the Lizard95, it is very suitable as a park flyer and for pilots who do not always have to push their limits.

 

Babyhawk Spare Parts:
Babyhawk-R 2 Inch Version
Babyhawk-R 3 Inch Version
Foxeer Arrow Micro FPV Cam
EMAX RS1106 Motor
Babyhawk-R Spare 25mw/200mW VTX
Emax AVAN Mini 3 Inch Props
FrSky XM+ 16CH Receiver
Realacc Stubby Mini FPV Antenna
SQ12 Mini 1080p Cam
XF Power 3S 850mAh Lipo
XF Power 4S 550mAh Lipo
Babyhawk-R Hood, different colors

On the next page: Betaflight setup of the Babyhawk-R.

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EMAX BABYHAWK-R

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Inhalt:
Page 1: Review
Page 2: Betaflight Setup
Page 3: Adding LED Strip

 

Betaflight Setup of the Babyhawk-R

Our Babyhawk-R (3 inch version) came with pre-installed Betaflight 3.2.3. On the “Ports” page, “UART3” should be activated:

On the “Settings” page you can set the “Motor Idle Throttle” value a little higher (e.g. to 6.5), if the motors of the Babyhawk stutter from time to time in the air or if it just falls from the sky during flips or rolls. Usually “Idle Throttle” is then set too low and especially with small, high KV motors a slightly higher value is recommended.

“Gyro” and “PID loop frequency” are set to 4 kHz by default. We can leave it that way. We can safely deactivate barometers, which saves valuable processor power. You can activate or deactivate “MOTOR_STOP” depending on your personal preference:

In our case a FrSky XM+ receiver is installed, which is why we set “Receiver” to “Serial-based” and select “SBUS”. We can activate RSSI (indication of the reception strength in the OSD), because the XM+ supports this. Under “Features” we activate “LED Strip” (if one is installed), “OSD”, “Anti_Gravity” and (important!) “Dynamic_Filter”. Depending on your personal preference, you can also activate “Airmode” here:

The beeper configuration:

Here are the Voltage Settings. “Voltage Meter Source” is set to “Onboard ADC”, the “Current Meter Source”, which displays the consumed mAh in the OSD, is set to “Virtual”, otherwise it will not work correctly. Under “Amperage Meter” below we have to enter a correct scale value, so that the display of the consumed mAh in flight corresponds to the actually consumed mAh. With 3S Lipos this is about “207”. If the display of the mAh consumed in flight is too high, you have to decrease this value, if it is too low, you have to increase the scale accordingly. You can find out this value simply by flying with a full battery and then writing down how much mAh you have used according to the OSD. At home, fully charge the battery again and look at your Lipo charger how much mAh were loaded into the battery:

The pre-tuned PIDs of the Babyhawk-R work well, there is no need to change them yet. The rates (stick sensitivity) are up to your personal desires:

Dynamic filters are already activated for the Babyhawk. Only the D Term Notch filter is still activated, and that’s a good thing – because with the D Term Notch filter deactivated, the engines can run hot and eventually burn out, even if only one propeller is bent and causes stronger vibrations. That’s why we always leave this filter active on our quads. Emax has also chosen this safer option and that’s okay:

On the Receiver page we make sure that the order of the channels (channel map) is correct. This can vary depending on the profile setting on your remote control. In our case we set them to “AETR”. Since we use an XM+ receiver with RSSI, we have to enter on which channel the RSSI signal is received. This is usually always the last channel of the receiver. Since our XM+ is a 16-channel receiver, we enter “AUX12” here. This is the 16th (last) channel (4 control channels + 12 aux channels = 16):

The modes are set as follows in our case. It is important to have the flight mode (Angle, Horizon, Acro) on one switch. In addition, the beeper should be switchable on and off and the LED strip (if there is one installed) can also be conveniently switched on and off by a switch:

Babyhawk Spare Parts:
Babyhawk-R 2 Inch Version
Babyhawk-R 3 Inch Version
Foxeer Arrow Micro FPV Cam
EMAX RS1106 Motor
Babyhawk-R Spare 25mw/200mW VTX
Emax AVAN Mini 3 Inch Props
FrSky XM+ 16CH Receiver
Realacc Stubby Mini FPV Antenna
SQ12 Mini 1080p Cam
XF Power 3S 850mAh Lipo
XF Power 4S 550mAh Lipo
Babyhawk-R Hood, different colors

On the next page: Adding a LED strip to the Babyhawk-R.

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EMAX BABYHAWK-R

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Inhalt:
Page 1: Review
Page 2: Betaflight Setup
Page 3: Adding LED Strip

 

Adding a LED strip to the Babyhawk-R

The Babyhawk-R comes without LED strip. But it’s not that hard to add one. Ideally the Aurora 90 LED Strip with four programmable RGB LEDs.

As usual there are three pins (5V, GND and signal) for mounting LEDs on the flight controller board of the Babyhawk. To get to these pins, we first take off the video transmitter that is plugged onto the flight controller. Right next to the yellow cable we see the three LED pins:

However, the plastic connector into which the video transmitter is plugged gets in our way when we are soldering:

So we also take off the flight controller board to get to its underside – where the LED pins are easier to reach. There we attach three cables (GND, 5V and signal):

Now we can put the flight controller and the video transmitter back on. The LED cables, which we attached, can be put between flight controller and ESC board, right to the back of the quad. So everything is neatly stowed away and the cables are safe there:

Now we only need to solder the three cables of the LED Strip to our three laid cables and are almost done:

Now we have to attach the LED Strip somehow to the two rear arms. I designed a LED holder for the Babyhawk-R, which you can print with the 3D printer. You can download it for free here on Thingiverse. The LED holder is simply attached to the two rear screws that also secure the Babyhawk-R cover. We glue the LED Strip itself to the LED holder with two blobs of hot glue, that’s it:

Babyhawk Spare Parts:
Babyhawk-R 2 Inch Version
Babyhawk-R 3 Inch Version
Foxeer Arrow Micro FPV Cam
EMAX RS1106 Motor
Babyhawk-R Spare 25mw/200mW VTX
Emax AVAN Mini 3 Inch Props
FrSky XM+ 16CH Receiver
Realacc Stubby Mini FPV Antenna
SQ12 Mini 1080p Cam
XF Power 3S 850mAh Lipo
XF Power 4S 550mAh Lipo
Babyhawk-R Hood, different colors

You think this article raised lots of questions? Or you're interested into this topic and would like to know more about? Want to express your personal oppinion? Then feel free to drop a comment here.

Author: Mike vom Mars
A couple of years ago, Mike emigrated from his home planet to Earth to study and examine the human species. His findings offer a deep insight into the nature of human beings and their strange society.

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