EACHINE LIZARD95 ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Index:
Page 1: Review
Page 2: Betaflight Setup
Page 3: Installing a Runcam Micro
Page 4: Lizard95 Speed Mod
Eachine Lizard95
The legendary KingKong 90GT was the first Micro Racer that made a worldwide impact. Eachine’s Lizard95 now takes on this legacy – and makes it even better, as it comes with an on-screen display and can even fly with 3S. Very impressive for its size!
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In early 2017 the KingKong 90GT was considered a star in the Micro FPV Racer sky – and many still fly it. However, the technology has developed a bit further in the last year and whoever reaches for the KingKong today immediately notices the missing On-Screen-Display (OSD), which conjures up valuable information in the video glasses during the flight. Also that the KingKong can only fly with 2S Lipos is a pity. Especially with this small weight class you could really enjoy the power of a 3S battery.
And this is exactly where the Lizard95 comes into play – more precisely, it’s Anniversary Edition. All the disadvantages of the KingKong seem to be solved with the Lizard95. An OSD is finally on board and the little now also swallows 3S Lipos. On 3S and with a weight of just under 70 grams, the Lizard flies like a guided missile!
? Some Lizard95 pilots equipped with a radar gun measured this little quad with 70 mph – the Youtuber Alber Kim even managed to get it on nearly 100 mph, with slight modifications only (see this article)! This shows the potential of this small, ultra-light 3S racing bullet!
Equipment
The Eachine Lizard95 is a flyweight of just under 70 grams and can be flown with both 2S and 3S Lipos. The equipment of the Lizard is quite passable for a Micro:
The 48-channel video transmitter can be switched between 25mW and 100mW. 200mW would be better (at least on paper), but with a 2S Lipo this would draw relatively much current and provide a hot video transmitter. With a Micro FPV Racer, 100mW is usually enough, because you don’t fly around half the globe with a micro FPV racer.
The built-in 600TVL FPV camera is better than the KingKong’s, but does not come close to a Runcam Micro Swift. However, the Lizard95 can be easily upgraded with a Runcam Micro and a VTX03 video transmitter. The video transmitter and the FPV camera are plugged together piggyback.
The Eachine 1104 KV6000 motors can be flown with 2S and 3S lipos, the BLHELI_S DSHOT600 4-in-1 ESC can handle a peak of up to 15 amps. According to the data sheet, the F3 flight controller is preflashed with Betaflight 3.1, but some copies also have been delivered with Betaflight 3.2 yet. Betaflight 3.3 seems to be a bit buggy atm, so we would not recommend to install a higher version anyways.
An XT30 connector is available to connecting a 3S Lipo. An advantage for everyone who wants to fly the Lizard with 3S. If you prefer fly it with 2S Lipos (which usually come with a JST plug), you can make an adapter with little effort.
Gratifying: a handy buzzer, as well as a programmable LED strip is already installed.
| Lizard95 Features: | |
|---|---|
| Flight Controller | Omnibus F3 Betaflight, 20x20mm (M2) |
| Motors | Eachine 1104 6000KV |
| MCU | STM32 F303 MCU |
| OSD | Betaflight OSD |
| Buzzer | ✔️ |
| LED Strip | ✔️ |
| Receiver | FrSky D8 / FlySky 8CH / DSMX |
| ESC | BLHeli_S 16.5 15A 4-in-1 DSHOT600 |
| Camera | 600TVL |
| VTX | 48 Channel 25/200mw |
| Plug | XT30 |
Our Impressions
In fact, we got a Lizard95 with Betaflight 3.2.0 pre-installed, so the newer ones are probably already updated. That’s good. I have had mixed experiences with Eachine so far, so I was quite sceptical about the test. But after a few flights it became clear: the Lizard95 is a speed monster and really a lot of fun!
Speed
Clearly, the Lizard95 Anniversary Edition is the fastest mini racer we’ve ever flewn yet! With a 3S lipo this little thunderbolt accelerates like a Tesla car! You almost have the feeling of being pressed into the seat while accelerating. I have never experienced such a massive acceleration in the lower third on any other micro and mini quad. The Lizard95 is indeed a small rocket – and buzzes even better than the Leader 120, my previous long-term favourite.
In the test we whipped the quad with 3S 650 lipos and had a lot of fun – the acceleration, the hang times, the top speed – the Lizard95 flies remarkably well. So it is simply fun to whip the little one through the sky. We have never experienced such an agility, punch and speed with a micro quad and here the Lizard95 even beats the Leader 120. Awesome.
Of course the fun with a 3S 650 Lipo is over after only four minutes, depending on how wild you fly. But that’s okay. Maybe the Lizard could also use a 3S 800, but it wouldn’t be as agile as with the 650s or the 550 lipo. For those who prefer longer flight times and also like it a little more comfortable (for indoor flying or in close areas), a 2S 600 – 850 Lipo would also be recommended.
Flight Duration
The measured flight times were the same with both the enclosed 5-blade propellers and the Gemfan 2035 4-blade props, there is no big difference here. With a 3S 650 Tattu Lipo (54 grams) the Lizard95 has a flight duration of 3:30 to 4:30, depending on how hard you take it, which is quite good considering how lively and agile it is. Other racers, who bring less top speed and acceleration, usually only get less than three minutes. The 3S 650s seem to be the ideal fuel for the Lizard.
With the included 3S 550 Lipo from Eachine it flies even more agile (a real pleasure!), but the fun is 30 to 60 seconds shorter then. So if you want to get the last bit of speed out of the Lizzy, you should reach for a 3S 550. If you are heading for a good mix between flight duration and agility, get a 3S 650.
We have also tested 2S 850 Lipos with the Lizard. Contrary to our expectations, they do not offer a longer flight time compared to the 3S 650, but significantly less agility and top speed. Nevertheless: who flies indoors, in the park forest, as a beginner or prefers it slower for some reason, can definitely reach for a 2S Lipo. But the Lizard is clearly designed for 3S. The little one wants to run, not go for a walk!
| Battery | Weight | Flight Duration | Agility |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2S 850mAh | 48g | ~4 min. | Lazy |
| 3S 550mAh | 45g | ~3 min. | Very high |
| 3S 650mAh | 54g | ~4 min. | High |
Receiver
We have chosen a FrSky receiver. Unfortunately this is directly soldered onto the flight controller. The replacement therefore requires more effort than usual. That’s why we left the installed FrSky 8-channel receiver on it instead of replacing it with a FrSky XM+ as usual – and we were pleasantly surprised. Like the XM+, the receiver supports RSSI and is better than we expected. The reception strength in our test was still about 50% at a distance of 500m. This is absolutely sufficient for a micro racer. Instead of two diversity antennas, it comes with only one antenna, which is a good 20-30cm long. Before the start you should glue it well, so that it can not get into the propellers.
Vibrations?
Some reviews criticized, that the Lizard95 shows some vibrations at full throttle and the engines would run quite hot. However, we cannot confirm this! With Betaflight 3.2.0, the preset PIDs, a 3S 650 Lipo and the 5-blade stock props, it flies just great – not a trace of vibrations, even at full throttle. The engines just get hand-warm, even when you whip the Lizard, like the devil. So it’s all good. For our test we have only activated the dynamic filter in Betaflight. All other settings are set to default.
Gemfan 2035
Video Transmitter
The VTX was already set to 100mW by default. Channel selection and switching between 25mW and 100mW is done by a small dipswitch on the VTX and is quite simple. A paper note included with the Lizard95 explains how to use the video transmitter.
The reception of the video image is – contrary to our expectations – absolutely solid and showed hardly any dropouts during our test flights. In some reviews the reception was still criticized and speculated whether the carbon side parts, which are supposed to protect the FPV antenna, probably influence the transmission quality. We could not find this out at all – but that the channels of the VTX specified in the manual do not correspond to the actual channels. It may be that some users think they have set the VTX to the right channel because they receive an image in their goggles, but instead they are on an adjacent channel. And this leads to significantly worse video transmission in flight. So make sure you are on the right channel!
The reception is perfect and even much better than many micro and minis that come with a small whip antenna. There is absolutely nothing wrong. The carbon side panels should therefore remain screwed on to protect the antenna. Since these are screwed on, however, they can also be removed without any effort.
Speaking of antennas: the short middle bridge that connects the upper and lower “cloverleaf” of the antenna is very fragile and likes to break. So if you have image dropouts, it may well be that this small bridge has already said goodbye. It happened to us after a short time. This is, assuming a little skill with the soldering iron, relatively easy to repair. This video explains how. Or just replace the Cloverleaf antenna with a whip antenna that can hold out much more.
Any Cons?
So far we are absolutely enthusiastic about this small Porsche – but there are two shortcomings to complain about. Firstly, the poorly placed solder points of the motor cables on the ESC pins. These are so fragile and poorly soldered that three of them went off as we replaced the lipo strap! Before the first flight it is therefore strongly recommended to check the motor cables. Re-solder them by yourself. If you do not like soldering, it is better to secure the contacts or cables at the contacts with a trace of hot glue before flying. Because these cables will certainly be the first to come loose in operation.
The second flaw in the Lizard95 that struck us is once again – who would have guessed it – the FPV camera. Okay, we’ve seen a lot worse here. But for Runcam Micro Swift spoiled eyes, the Lizard95’s stock cam is poles apart. In sunny weather the picture is quite okay, but not very detailed or crisp. Smaller branches and twigs are difficult to see. In addition, the area in the middle of the video image is constantly overexposed, so that there is a bright and somewhat overexposed area around the center. We have also seen a lens mirroring in flight – something we have never seen before with any other FPV cams. The colors itself, however, are well-balanced.
You can fly with the Stock Cam, yes – but more demanding pilots should sooner or later consider to replace it with a Runcam Micro Swift.
Conclusion
As I said – Eachine is usually not one of my favorite brands, so we were quite sceptical about the test. But sometimes you can be mistaken. The Lizard95 flies brilliantly, with 3S it literally goes off like a rocket, binding the receiver was no problem at all and the pre-installed PIDs are great. Apart from the soldering of the motor cables on the ESCs, the workmanship of the Quad looks very solid and well thought-out.
In fact, the Lizard95 Anniversary Edition is one of the few micro racers that doesn’t require much modding and is ready to go just out of the box. A buzzer and an LED strip are already installed. The vibrations with the stock props criticized in some reviews we could not be reproduced in out tests.
Apart from the mediocre camera and the soldering points of the motor cables we can’t say anything bad about the Lizard95. This little quad flies incredibly with 3S and is such a lot of fun. It has also a very unique sound. With the stock props the Lizard “whistles” like the turbocharger of a sports car. It’s fun!
The Lizard95 Anniversary Edition breaks the speed record of all our tested quads so far! With the Lizard95 Anniversary Edition, Eachine has created a true new cult racer that is more fun than both, the Leader 120 and Babyhawk-R – because the Lizard is incredibly fast, incredibly agile, incredibly controllable – and it flies one minute longer than the Leader or the Babyhawk. For the price an absolute recommendation, especially when you consider that you don’t have to do much modding anymore and get a mini rocket out of the box.
On the next page: Betaflight Setup
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