micro-fpv-quadcopters

Micro FPV Drones – Best Brushed and Brushless Micro Quadcopters | 2023 Guide

Drones are ridiculously fun to fly and build, and most hobbyists(myself included) consider drones to be a bit more of an, er, obsession rather than a hobby. Some people don’t even build the larger drones and directly jump into micro drones! But don’t take them easily; building micro fpv quadcopter is delicate process.

So if you’re just beginning we featured recommended whoops to start with, best micro fpv quads aka whoops, currently available on the market.

Over the past few years since drones have become really mainstream, the whole industry has seen a huge shift – there was a time when everyone was building huge 450mm+ copters, and gradually the trend has shifted to the crafts getting smaller and smaller.

Nearly nobody builds 450s anymore(nobody needs to, either, because quadcopters like the DJI Phantom are just so damn good), and everyone is building 210 quadcopters or less.

The Stalwart ZMR 250 is now a relic!

In our overview on Racing Drones we’re more talking about mini quad’s if you’re interested in above 150mm configurations. There you can explore more insights on different parts, equipment and tools. 

FPV Racing Drones

WHAT IS A MICRO DRONE?

The short answer: A micro drone is a drone that can support 3” propellers or less, ranging in 110 – 150 mm frame and weighs less than 250 grams. Below 110 mm we enter the micro whoop segment that was popularized by Tiny Whoop few years ago.

Class Frame Size Prop Size
Micro-Whoop   60 – 100 mm 1″ – 2″
Micro 90 – 150 mm 2″ – 4″
Mini 150 – 280 mm 5″ – 6″

The ZMR 250, back when it came out, was a class called “miniquad” – with the larger 450 size crafts being just “quadcopters”

Frame Size numbers, by the way, mean how much diagonal distance there is from one motor to the other. So a 450 quad has 450mm between motors, and a 250 quad has 250 mm, and so on.

Obviously, the smaller the craft, the more agile it is going to be.

So miniquads were large enough to support 5 inch propellers.

Then there was a short craze where people started developing designs around 4 inch propellers, but those did not really catch on – perhaps it’s because 4 inch copters were not quite as agile as smaller copters and not quite as fast as larger copters.

Once you get to 3 inch props, you’re in the micro zone. Any copters that support 3 inch or smaller propellers are micro drones, less then 2 inch steps into whoop-micro segment, although there’s no clear clasification

The micro revolution owes itself to the FAA ruling some time ago that all UAVs that weighed more than 250 grams had to be registered with the FAA, and a license number must be displayed clearly on the craft.

Obviously, not everyone was happy about this new regulation, so designers and manufacturers jumped to the challenge of making a quadcopter that was both fast and agile, as well as under the 250 gram limit.

Note that 250 grams meant including the battery.

So people began developing micro frames, and also technology that was ideal for these small builds – so you had tiny ESCs, tiny motors, and tiny flight controllers.

In fact, frames are getting smaller and smaller, as are flight controllers and ESCs – and manufacturers are supplying the market with small enough batteries to prolong flight times.

Micro HD FPV Cameras are slowley entering the whoop category, bellow 90mm configurations now able to record at 1080P Resolution

Cinewhoops are drones specifically designed for capturing chrisp, stable, high-definition video that DJI drones can’t capture. They are small, stable and much safer than your 5” FPV drone. They usually run 3” propellers that are protected in ducts that give them more lift*

Brushed vs. Brushless

micro brushless quadcopter
Image Source: thinkrc

Micro quadcopters come in two flavors: brushed and brushless. This refers to the type of motor that is being used.

A brushed micro motor is as the name sounds – there are two brushes inside the can of the motor which supply current and make the motor spin. In a brushed motor, only the shaft of the motor will spin.

A brushless micro motor has no brushes, as the name suggests – instead, current is supplied through copper coils, which get magnetized, and cause the bell of the motor(the outer covering, which has magnets on the inside) to spin. In a brushless motor, the entire bell and shaft both spin.

Brushless motors are larger and a little heavier, and require more power to spin – but they’re also faster. Brushed motors are really tiny, but can’t handle more than 4.2 volts(usually), and their performance degrades over time, so you’ll have to replace them after 7 hours of flying or so.

Check our brushless motors guide to get into specific details. 

Tinywhoop Roots

Tiny Whoop Roots

Inductrix FPV

The Tiny Whoop is arguably the king of all micro whoop drones. We’ve covered it plenty when whoop madness started. For an indoor flyer that’s safe to fly around kids and in the tiniest of spaces.

1S vs 2S Whoops

The 1S (3.7V) and 2S (7.4V) indicate the maximum voltage the whoop can handle. 1S quads can either be brushed motors of sizes 6X15mm or brushless motors of sizes 0603 or even a 08025 on a slightly larger quad like the Emax Tinyhawk for example.

1S is perfect if you plan to fly indoors and strictly indoors only. 1S usually lacks the punch to fly outdoors, meanwhile a 2S is powerful enough to fly outdoors where you have considerable control over the quad even in mild windy conditions. 2S quads can be also flown indoors too, but they are too powerful to handle. You will just keep bumping into things unless you have a bigger house.

mobula-7-vs-betafpv
Beta FPV & Mobula 7 both support 1S-2S batts

If compared from a price point of view both the brushed and brushless quads cost the same. For a long time brushed motors were the choice for a tiny whoop builds and people would get tired of changing brushed motors which have a life span of approximately 100 flights. Hence brushless motors were introduced, not only do brushless motors last long they are much more efficient too.

It all boils down to what kind of flying you want to with your quad. If it’s strictly indoors a 1S quad will suffice, but if you plan on flying in your backyard the extra power from the 2S will definitely help in flying quads and are the better choice.

We are going to take a look at the 10 most popular quads available on the market today that are suitable for both indoors and outdoors. We hope to cover beginner level quads and as well as pro level quads likewise. Let’s get started

BEST 1S Micro FPV Quadcopters 2022.

Emax TinyHawk III

High End

tinyhawk-rtf-quadcopter

RTF Whoop Bundle

RadioMaster TX16S Max Pro

This RTF Bundle gives you all you need to start flying in just minutes.It’s the perfect solution for anyone to learn the basics of FPV flying – for beginners and pros alike!

Highly recommend to anyone who wants a 1S indoor racer. The stock tune is pretty good, out of the box rippin. You may want to adjust your rates. I would highly encourage you to get a couple of spare batteries, it is also not a bad idea to get some spare props. All in all, this is a great little drone that will give you fun times. And if you’re new to the hobby, it’s a great way to jumpstart your experience.  The TinyHawk III features the RunCam Nano 4 Camera, known for its higher resolution, realistic colors, low-light night vision, and ISP. Modifying the video transmitter with more filters and power has allowed the Tinyhawk III to have a cleaner video than ever. 

BETAFPV Cetus Pro

Beginner FPV Kit

betafpv-cetus-pro-kit

Beginner FPV Kit

BetaFPV Cetus Pro

It’s primarily designed for beginners who have never flown an FPV drone before. Everything works out of the box, and the drone is bound to the radio.

The Cetus Pro FPV Kit includes everything you need to get started flying: the drone, FPV goggles, radio, battery and charger. It’s an awesome beginner’s quadcopter kit for learning how to fly FPV (first person view). Everything works out of the box, and the drone is bound to the radio. From the bottom you see it has an optical motion camera sensor (P3901 RSN) for determining its ground velocity, and a laser rangefinder (LiDAR) for detecting its altitude. These sensors are only activated when the plane is in “normal” flight mode, which aims to make flying easier by making it easier to control the quad. Here’s the full review of BetaFPV Cetus Pro FPV Kit.

BEST 2S Micro FPV Quadcopters 2022.

iFlight Alpha A85

Powerwhoop

iflight-alpha-a85-whoop-analog

BNF Cinematic Micro FPV Drone

iFlight Alpha A85

The iFlight Alpha A85 PowerWhoop is ready to go right out of the box. All you need to do is plug it in and start flying. With its tiny frame, this mini whoop is ideal for those looking for a compact system.

If you’re looking for a quadcopter for cinematic footage that will also fit tight spaces and won’t require any assembly, the iFlight Alpha 85 might be the right whoop for your needs. It has everything you need to get started. Butter smooth XING1303 5000KV motors, more torque and efficiency with longer flight times compared to 1105 motors. iFlight Albatross 900mhz light micro antenna upgrade (included with every Crossfire Nano RX).  Tune on this 85mm power whoop is excellent and has a built-in DVR for recording HD footage. Not bad at all.

iFlight ProTek25 Pusher 2.5″

Cinewhoop

iflight-protek25-pusher-2.5-4s-hd-bnf-cinewhoop

BNF Cinematic Micro FPV Drone

iFlight ProTek25 Pusher 2.5″

Pilots looking for less weight but greater durability, maximum performance but longer range and flight time. A lot of thought went into designing the best light pusher 2.5 inch quad on the market

It feels comfortable in both cinematic and light freestyle. Just cruising through the small gaps, chasing cars, or just for fun in your backyard. The iFlight Naked HERO8 TPU case kit is the perfect addition to getting good shots from anywhere. Lightweight PP material frame construction. Propellers can move without disturbing the frame or wires. More flight time, less noise and less prop wash! It is light weight, efficient, and has a lot of power. It is more than enough thrust for cruising or acro flying without restrictions. This drone is in the sub 250g category, which means it can be used without a license or registration in most countries.

DIY X2 Elf

Build Guide

micro-fpv-build-X2-ELF-88mm

DoItYourself

X2 ELF 88mm 

Build of an 88mm micro FPV drone is same challenge as building any other FPV racing drone. Same parts – same protocols, the only difference is size. It’s a bit harder to build a micro FPV drone because it requires some advanced soldering skills in tight spaces. Everything else is pretty much same as in building a bigger quad.

Parts necessary for the build:

  1. Elf X2 Frame
  2. Eachine Anniversary SE Flytower AIO Minicube
  3. HGLRC Flame 1104 7500kV motors
  4. Caddx Turbo EOS1 1200tvl camera
  5. AkkTek Nano 25-200mw VTX

Additional equipment:

  1. Transmitter (in my case Taranis Q X7)
  2. Lipo (in my case Gaoneng 350mAh 2S 70C)
  3. FPV Goggles (in my case Aomway Commander V1)
  4. Soldering iron
hdmr-noise-free-micro fpv-camera

To smoothen voltage spikes I have built-in 470uF 25V low ESR capacitor. Additionally, I 3D printed case for HMDVR-s, small low weight DVR that I have soldered directly to FPV camera so it can record clear, noise-free 720p video with this brushless 88mm micro quadcopter.

  • Elf X2 is carbon fiber frame, 88mm motor-to-motor sized. The bottom plate is 2,6mm thick, and the top plate is 1,5mm. It fits 1104 motors and 2″ props.
  • Eachine Flytower Minicube is All-In-One and it’s easiest way on earth to build a micro quad. It includes the receiver (FrSky/FlySky/DSM) with the built-in buzzer, 4in1 10A Blheli_S ESC, and F3 flight controller. Everything is assembled and ready to use, you need to solder motors, camera, VTX and you’re ready to fly. OSD is built-in and you can configure it in Betaflight GUI. FC has LED support, and 2 spare UARTs to connect SmartPort and S-Audio from your VTX an RX. Stack supports 2-3S lipo, same as the motors.
X2-ELF-88mm-micro-fpv-build

  • HGLRC 1104 motors will provide more than enough power even on 2S lipo. But the real magic comes when you connect 3S lipo. 😂 On 3S lipo motors tend to overheat so be careful and check PIDs and PID profiles. It’s recommended to setup 2 PID profiles if you fly both 2S and 3S lipos. For 7,59$ a piece these motors are BEST BUY.
  • AkkTek Nano 25-200mW VTX is doing its job as it should. It supports S-Audio protocol so you are able to change output power, channel and band trough telemetry (OSD or lua scripts on your transmitter)
  • Caddx Turbo Eos1 is CMOS 1200tvl 16:9 camera with WDR support. Power input range is 3,3 – 9V and FC can power it trough 5V pin.
  • Dalprop Cyclone Q2035c and Emax Avan 2″ props are working great on this build, but Gemfan Hulky props don’t fit. Dalprops are easy on amps and flight time with 450mAh 2S is about 4:30min, Avans on the other side are crazy on amps and flight time with same lipo is about 3:30min.

Brushless Micro Quadcopter Parts

Frames

There are a ton of different frames available, but the coolest micro frames by far (in my opinion) are made by TomoQuads and Flex RC.

When shopping for a micro frame, you’ll have to see which size propeller it supports, and how big the flight controller mount is. There are either 30.5 x 30.5 mounts (standard flight controller size, found on larger copters as well) or 20 x 20 – which is the new micro standard and is found on new frames.

3 inches

For 3 inch quads, I personally use the Shen Drones Shrieker, but I got the frame a long time ago and it’s still going strong for me, so I have not changed anything.

If you’re going to get a frame now, check out the Rotor X Atom V3 – it’s tiny and can still be equipped with super powerful motors.

2 inches

Flex RC Piko X The Piko X frame by Flex RC is tiny, with a motor to motor distance of only 88 mm. This cute little thing fits in the palm of your hand, and the whole frame weighs just 10 grams. The reason I selected this frame as my frame of choice for 2 inch props is that it’s compatible with both brushed motors and brushless motors. Plus they have a detachable prop guard which you can take off for outdoor flying or leave on for indoor flying.

Brushed Micro Quad

For a brushed setup, I would just suggest the Tiny Whoop and nothing else! The frame weighs just 5 grams, and a built up setup is 19 grams without battery.

The Eachine E013 Micro is a cheaper alternative. It’s not going to be quite as punchy as a proper Tiny Whoop, but if you have the right batteries you should not have an issue having lots of fun with it.

I’ve tried a lot of brushed setups and the main issue with them is finding a decent battery that does not weigh too much but still delivers enough power. The Tiny Whoop is the only brushed copter I’ve successfully flown and enjoyed flying(and the Eachine E013 micro).

Motors & Prop size

The motor you choose to use for your micro build will largely depend on the frame you choose. Most if not all micro frames have suggested parts lists with them.

The basic theory of motors is that for larger/heavier(higher pitch) propellers, you need larger motors and lower kV.

For smaller propellers, you need smaller motors and higher kV. That’s why 2” and 1.5” props need motors that are at least 8000kV or higher – otherwise the props just will not provide enough lift.

For a 3 inch propeller setup, 1407 or 1306 motors are ideal. Both 1407 and 1306 motors will spin 3 inch propellers like a charm, and you can even use them with 4S batteries.

If you use 4S batteries, though, it’s safe to use ESCs that are at least 20A, because the motors get quite current-hungry on heavy propellers. If you’re using 3S, then even 10A ESCs will not be an issue.

For 1306 and 1407 setups, use any small ESCs like the RacerStar ESCs from Banggood or LittleBee ESCs by FVT. They have BLHeli_S firmware and support DSHOT, which is a digital protocol for flight controller and ESC communication.

Great 1306/1407 motors are:

There are other smaller motors you can use for 3 inch propellers like 1105 size motors, but in my experience they don’t really fly that well outdoors and they’re too powerful to fly indoors safely.

You may as well have a very powerful outdoor setup, and a tamer indoor setup which uses smaller propellers.

For 11xx setups, you will be using 2” or smaller propellers. Remember, the smaller the propeller, the more kV your motor will require. Most frames will have suggested motors – use those and those only. It’s much more critical to go with manufacturer recommendations on micro builds than it is on larger builds.

11xx motors range from 1105 down to 1102, and kV ranges from 5000 kV all the way to 10,000 kV. There are even smaller motors such as 0703 motors which are 15,000 kV(used for super tiny brushless builds that run just 1S batteries, such as the Kosho by TomoQuads).

ESCs

ESCs will depend on the kind of build you’re doing. For super small builds 2” or less, you can get away with 6A ESCs. Other builds will call for 10A ESCs.

RacerStar makes some really nice 10A ESC and 6A micro ESCs – for these ultra small builds, definitely use the 4-in-1 ESCs rather than four separate ones. It makes the build a lot easier and cleaner.

Propeller sizes

Micro quadcopters used to be very simple – these were just brushless quadcopters that could fit 3 inch propellers. Not anymore, though.

There are a whole bunch of different options now available, starting with the might Tiny Whoop.

The Tiny Whoop is a brushed quadcopter that only weighs 25 grams with a battery. It has tiny propellers – about 40mm in size(1.5” roughly).

Next up, you have the sub-2 inch propellers. There doesn’t seem to be any systematic organization, as different frames call for different props.

The Mikro70 by TomoQuads for example uses 1935 propellers(1.9”), whereas the Swirlie by 65drones uses 1.5” props, except they’re cut down from 2035 propellers.

Frame sizes will dictate propeller sizes:

Usually, 200-220mm frames are suited for 5” propellers

180mm frames are suited for 4” propellers

110-130mm frames are for 3” propellers

Finally, when you enter the domain of 3 inch propellers, there’s a bit more regularity. 3 inch propellers are made by many different companies and there’s a wide variety available.

These are also the largest ones(even though they’re quite small!).

Flight controller

Your flight controller will again depend on the kind of frame you are flying. You’ll have to check what kind of mounting holes your frame has, and make sure your flight controller can fit on those holes!

Other than that, really, any flight controller is fine. The newest flight controllers(F3 and F4 ones) are all Betaflight-ready and support the Betaflight OSD.

That’s one thing you really must look out for – I happen to love the Betaflight OSD and now can’t remember how I ever flew without it. It makes life a lot easier, since you can change so many settings on the fly and you have all the vital data that you need right on the screen(battery voltage, really) without the need for a separate OSD unit which takes up space and adds weight!

Receiver

Your receiver will depend on the radio you are using, but here are the top three receivers for the top three radio companies:

  • FrSky: FrSky XM or XM+ – these are tiny receivers that will fit in your micro build like a charm. They don’t support telemetry, but that’s why you have a flight controller with an OSD!
  • Spektrum: LemonRX Satellite rx – this is a really tiny receiver that weights just 2 or 3 grams when you remove it from the casing, and it’s small enough to comfortably fit in a tight spot.
  • FlySky: FS-A8S mini receiver – this receiver is barely bigger than a coin, and weighs 2 grams or so – perfect for a micro quadcopter!

Micro FPV Drone Gear – Getting good footage

Now that most of the build is complete, the last step is to add FPV gear. FPV gear is a little tough to add, because space is so tight.

There are two options:

  • Use a regular FPV camera and a separate transmitter
  • Use an FPV camera/transmitter combo (like a Tiny Whoop)

The biggest advantage of the separate transmitter is that you can use the Betaflight OSD – if your transmitter is built into your camera, then you can’t use the OSD.

If you’re using option 1, get a Runcam Swift Micro camera (easily the best micro camera there is) and an Eachine VTx03 transmitter – it’s tiny and powerful.

If you’re using option 2, then there are plenty of all in one cameras such as the Eachine TX01 which is cheap but still has great video quality.

To record your flight footage, the only option you have for super small builds is using a DVR – either built in through your goggles or a separate DVR unit and receiver.

However, if you are doing a 3 inch build that has a little bit of room, then you can fit a Runcam Split – which doubles as your FPV camera and records full HD footage. I’ve used the Runcam Split and it shoots awesome footage – if you have the space to fit it, definitely go for it.

Battery options for Micro Quad

The final piece of the puzzle is the battery.

This is the most critical part, too, because if you can’t supply enough power, or your battery weighs too much, there is no way your copter will fly well. Let’s start from the top.

On a 1407/1306 motor build with 3 inch propellers, you can get away with using a 1000 mAh 4S battery and it’ll handle it like a champ.

All other setups need 3 cells or less, so that’s where things get complicated.

It’s always best to get the suggested battery for whichever frame you are getting – the designers usually arrive at the ideal battery capacity and cell count after a lot of testing and trials.

However you may find that certain batteries are not available where you live, so when you decide to pull the trigger on a micro build, make sure the batteries are available first, then go for the build!

2 inch setups fly fine with 2 cell batteries – and you can upgrade to 3 cells for outdoor flying.

The max capacity of a 2/3 cell battery is 500 to 600 mah for a micro – anything more and your copter will feel sluggish.

DN

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