This is a great design. I doubt anyone will make a better design than this one for a folding 4 inch drone. The fact that it is sub250g and can fly for 20 minutes are nice bonuses.
@@GeorgeN49 I don't think 25 minute flight times are lame, and that's why I bought one. Love that I can use 18650's I already have and don't have to buy an expensive Lipo charger. Fractal makes awesome stuff! BTW...Just because it can take an 18650 doesn't mean it has to. You can go with Lipo to increase the power and decrease the flight time if you want. Trying to turn a purpose built drone into something different generally won't work out too well though.
The haters of folding drones are gonna lose their minds over this one. Glad Darwin made this anyway despite those haters. If we want innovation, we need to shup up those guys.
Awesome review of the foldApe4. The flight footage is good 👍, a great compact travel 4" quad. The folding design is a little ??, the screw and over lapping design, but the compactness and price is very nice. Does the screws go back in those holes when folded? If yes thats nice so you don't loose them. Great review Albert. 👍
I want to get one of these and put my own analog vtx and camera in it, would I be able to do this if i order the "no 03 " version that doesn't come with any video gear or is this version a dji specific thing?
I think it should be fine but I would contact their support email for verification as I don't have that specific info and I never got the analog version.
Wrap the GPS cables with copper tape and solder the copper wrap to ground ( - ) negative terminal of the battery. It will shield the GPS cables and you'll hold GPS lock very well.
The reason is because ELRS has a few different ways to bind, but this one comes with an SPI receiver, so all you really need to do is put in the bind phrase in Betaflight. You can read more about ELRS binding here... www.expresslrs.org/quick-start/binding/?h=binding#unique-phrase
Hi there, used your code to purchase and bnf without o3. I've installed the o3 and I getting video transmission but no input from the sticks? I'm using the DJI goggles V2 and rc2
You don't have the SBUS input setup properly. I recommend searching for videos on how to do the setup for that. Also, you'll need the wiring diagram for the FC. I think it's on the DarwinFPV website in the support section.
Before I order, I always check if there are spare parts or even frames only are available. I do like this folding frame, but there seem to be no spare parts or frames only available, so this is a no go for me.
That looks amazing especially for the $129. An o3 on this thing is such a dream and doesnt need an additional action cam. If the folding mechanism has some sort of lock instead of a screw it would be amazing as I would imagine people losing the screws when travelling etc. Great review
Fantastic flying and review, Albert! 😃 Those guys make pretty good quads for pretty cheap! Really impressive! Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Which version? The 4S or 6S? FYI, they have recommended batteries on the product page. See the video description of my review at this link... ruclips.net/video/M-mLFUvsQ8w/видео.html
If there is a weak spot, it's the arms on a folding drone. The back arms round locking part is the weak spot. Only time will tell if it will break or not.
Unless you crash this a lot, it will be hard to find out. If I ever crash it, I'll let you guys know. I won't be crashing this on purpose however. It might be a while though. I haven't had a bad crash in many years.
Seems like another great 4 inch long range platform. Although I feel like these folding frames tend to have worse resonance performance than standard frames. I could be wrong though
The way these arms lock into each other and then is secured by the screw, it should not have any issues compared to a normal frame because there is ZERO play in the arms. It feels as stiff as a normal frame. The only thing that is different is that the arms are staggered.
before DarwinFPV launch this product, in here Indonesia have own foldable FPV Frame, the name is Rajawali Fold, already in 5",6" and 7"..can custome till 10" too.. i use that frame and it's perfect for me😊
I don't get why they would waste weight on a folding system on a drone that is so small to begin with. And why not make it 4 or even 6S capable? I feel like we are being fed these drones that "almost" awesome, all the time. You can spend days down the rabbit hole of motors, frame, ESC etc combinations only to come up with, what!? They all are lacking something... While this platform ticks a lot of boxes, there are still some shortfalls. Sigh... I guess that is the nature of the FPV drone busines these days...
Definitely not gonna be for everyone. Personally, for me and what I want it's pretty close to perfect. There's no way they can make a drone that everyone will love. That's basically impossible.
Pretty neat design! I feel like a 5 or 6in folding drone would be better, especially one that could run 6S and carry a fully size action camera. Really surprised how well it flew though! Also, it would've been better imo if it could run 4S, 3S batteries I feel like are just not that common. Great review!
🛒 DarwinFPV FoldApe4
DW - rb.gy/r0vy1w
AX - rb.gy/dmeu7v
🔋 Lipo I used - amzn.to/3HVquy5
🎬 Narrated Flight - ruclips.net/video/jv7ktojM-bs/видео.html
🎬 Stabilized Flight - ruclips.net/video/k0Dugq2RBTk/видео.html
This is a great design. I doubt anyone will make a better design than this one for a folding 4 inch drone. The fact that it is sub250g and can fly for 20 minutes are nice bonuses.
Sure there will be claims of a better design with no information about what it is. You know that's what they will say.
@@925fpv Nothing like this exists anywhere. Don't let the trolls fool you!
A great design at a great price. We need to support this kind of innovation in FPV.
I love the price. Why is everything else so damn expensive and boring?
Sometimes you have to wonder where those extra dollars are going... hmmm... 🤔
@@AlbertKimTV Someone is pocketing huge profits on those over priced frames for sure!
Some slick innovation here. I hope they make a 3 inch folding design as well. I want to see more like this.
3 inch folding drone would be interesting too.
I saw a folding three inch frame called the wingman but it uses a li-ion cell which is kida lame.
@@GeorgeN49 I don't think 25 minute flight times are lame, and that's why I bought one. Love that I can use 18650's I already have and don't have to buy an expensive Lipo charger. Fractal makes awesome stuff! BTW...Just because it can take an 18650 doesn't mean it has to. You can go with Lipo to increase the power and decrease the flight time if you want. Trying to turn a purpose built drone into something different generally won't work out too well though.
Wow, a sub250 quad that fits in your pocket and can fly forever. Take my money!
I like that it can be folded if you want to but with the screws in place, it acts like regular drone. So the folding is optional.
Yeah, you can use the feature if you want to.
Great little travel drone.
Yeah, I'll have to take it on my next vacation... 😎
The haters of folding drones are gonna lose their minds over this one. Glad Darwin made this anyway despite those haters. If we want innovation, we need to shup up those guys.
Totally agree. Not a fan of them, but seeing this makes me want to give such a frame a try. Looks real easy for transport.
They are just small minded thinkers who only view FPV from their own narrow perspective. Just ignore them.
@@925fpv "small minded" = lack of intelligence
Why do some people think something shouldn't exist because they don't like it? I don't understand that.
Haters gonna hate... I just ignore them because you can't reason with illogical thinking.
Awesome review of the foldApe4. The flight footage is good 👍, a great compact travel 4" quad. The folding design is a little ??, the screw and over lapping design, but the compactness and price is very nice. Does the screws go back in those holes when folded? If yes thats nice so you don't loose them. Great review Albert. 👍
Yeah the screw can go back in. There is a press fit nut on the opposite plate that the screw secures to.
So cool and for only $129! Just put it in your pocket and head out to the next spot!
The price for this is really good. The other brands need to lower their prices!
This looks great. Just ordered the O3 model to add to the fleet
Thank you for the content. Some of us want to start lower end.
That’s very cool. Really cuts down in the space and size. Packs up nicely. Mavic size, performance oriented.
Love the design and price tag. I think I have found my next drone.
Nice little guy for that price. Nicer of Albert to offer to show us how to fix the GPS.
Why don't you buy a new battery for every new drone you test? Doesn't RUclips pay you enough for that?
Unfortunately, this channel makes no money at all. There's is no way to justify spending money on batteries with this channel getting almost no views.
@@AlbertKimTVoh! I didn’t realize this was your hobby not job. Are you an engineer by day job? Your technical knowledge and writing is top tier.
Going to get one for sure
Definitely grabbing this one soon, seems like a great drone for my hawkeye thumb 4k, analog only 150 or 190 with batteries
Hope you enjoy it!
I want to get one of these and put my own analog vtx and camera in it, would I be able to do this if i order the "no 03 " version that doesn't come with any video gear or is this version a dji specific thing?
I think it should be fine but I would contact their support email for verification as I don't have that specific info and I never got the analog version.
What’s your opinion about using the O3 as controller link with the DJI controller 2? Is there really needed to have CF or ELRS?
For most situations it will be OK. If you plan to fly very far or in areas with sketchy RF, ELRS will have a better failsafe setup.
How did you get the express LRS to bind? Is there not a wifi option, like all other elrs receivers?
I'm a big fan and will be buying soon!!!
Cool budget drone...
The way the back motors fold to the front is really cool, it makes them more compact too
Wow nice dron 😍
can it carry fullsize gopro?
Yes, but flight time and performance is reduced
Wrap the GPS cables with copper tape and solder the copper wrap to ground ( - ) negative terminal of the battery. It will shield the GPS cables and you'll hold GPS lock very well.
Yeah, that's my idea from my video... ruclips.net/video/tkGPA4wk6eY/видео.html
that joint in the arms is like a half lap joint in woodworking.
Ah, I figured there would be a name for that joint but I had no idea what it could be. Thanks for the info!
Great videos. Was hoping to see how to bind the drone. There is no videos out there showing that.
The reason is because ELRS has a few different ways to bind, but this one comes with an SPI receiver, so all you really need to do is put in the bind phrase in Betaflight. You can read more about ELRS binding here... www.expresslrs.org/quick-start/binding/?h=binding#unique-phrase
The analogue version is only 10$ more, will to be easy to change to walksnail once I decide to make the change?
its not a difficult job at all
I didnt catch it if you mentioned it but are the carbon prop plates anything special or worth paying extra for darwin props?
They are specifically for this model. If you break those, you'll need them since the motor mounting is proprietary for this model.
@@AlbertKimTV wtf, could I 3D print a plate replacement? Sucks if no other props than theirs fit, theirs cost so much more with the shipping too
Hi there, used your code to purchase and bnf without o3. I've installed the o3 and I getting video transmission but no input from the sticks? I'm using the DJI goggles V2 and rc2
You don't have the SBUS input setup properly. I recommend searching for videos on how to do the setup for that. Also, you'll need the wiring diagram for the FC. I think it's on the DarwinFPV website in the support section.
Hi. So what is the use of the Gps on the Foldape4? I am confused🤔
Return to home in case of loss of signal
@@AlbertKimTV thanx for the help🤠👍🇿🇦
DarwinFPV are unbeatable when it comes to price point. This good to see such foldable frames becoming more mainstream.
Not many foldable quads on the market right now. Hope this changes and we see more innovation and more designs this year.
im new to FPV and am wondering if its possible to put regular 4 inch props on it or do i need to use the folding ones?
You have to use the folding ones. The hole pattern on the motor is specifically for this prop.
Before I order, I always check if there are spare parts or even frames only are available.
I do like this folding frame, but there seem to be no spare parts or frames only available, so this is a no go for me.
They will add a page with all the spare parts soon. When they launch a new frame, the spare parts listing isn't posted until a few weeks later.
Gotta admit, not really a fan of foldable drones, but this looks like it could be promising!
I wonder what would be more practical for 5 inch kwads: foldable arms or easily removable props like popo motors.
Nice option for travelling
I love folding quads. I know its not a new concept but its just a cool factor that makes it so appealing to me.
Same here. This is just the beginning. I'm sure even better designs will come out in the future.
not a hater of folding frames but Id just be paranoid HAHAHAHAHA
With the screws in place there's nothing to worry about, it's just like a regular frame.
That does fold down pretty small. Great for traveling, especially if paired with the goggles 2 and radio like the pocket. 👍😎
Darwin keeps dropping different stuff for cheap, and I’ve had good luck so far with their products. Easy to upgrade and fix stuff when it breaks.
That looks amazing especially for the $129. An o3 on this thing is such a dream and doesnt need an additional action cam. If the folding mechanism has some sort of lock instead of a screw it would be amazing as I would imagine people losing the screws when travelling etc. Great review
That is cool this is the first ive seen or heard of this thanks for sharing Albert this one i may have to get
Fantastic flying and review, Albert! 😃
Those guys make pretty good quads for pretty cheap! Really impressive!
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Does anybody have the baby ape II. I'm thinking about getting it, but don't know what battery to go for. Any thoughts?
Which version? The 4S or 6S? FYI, they have recommended batteries on the product page. See the video description of my review at this link... ruclips.net/video/M-mLFUvsQ8w/видео.html
@@AlbertKimTV I didn't know that, thank you so much
If there is a weak spot, it's the arms on a folding drone. The back arms round locking part is the weak spot. Only time will tell if it will break or not.
Unless you crash this a lot, it will be hard to find out. If I ever crash it, I'll let you guys know. I won't be crashing this on purpose however. It might be a while though. I haven't had a bad crash in many years.
@@AlbertKimTV I like they made the arms 4mm. It will help the durability. I like the locking motion of the folding arms. Looks solid in flight.
Interesting idea and low price. Thanks for the review.
Love the low price. Everything in FPV needs to be cheap.
This could fit in a pocket 😂
Sure, it's about the size of an iPhone.
Seems like another great 4 inch long range platform. Although I feel like these folding frames tend to have worse resonance performance than standard frames. I could be wrong though
The way these arms lock into each other and then is secured by the screw, it should not have any issues compared to a normal frame because there is ZERO play in the arms. It feels as stiff as a normal frame. The only thing that is different is that the arms are staggered.
Whaaaat!? This reminds me so much of the micro long range drones like the baby croc etc. Nice!
This is way better than the baby croc. My baby croc caught fire on the third flight!
@@925fpv GEPRC stuff always explodes
before DarwinFPV launch this product, in here Indonesia have own foldable FPV Frame, the name is Rajawali Fold, already in 5",6" and 7"..can custome till 10" too.. i use that frame and it's perfect for me😊
Yes but it's not available elsewhere
@@lalilaloe if you want you can order it brother
I don't get why they would waste weight on a folding system on a drone that is so small to begin with. And why not make it 4 or even 6S capable? I feel like we are being fed these drones that "almost" awesome, all the time. You can spend days down the rabbit hole of motors, frame, ESC etc combinations only to come up with, what!? They all are lacking something... While this platform ticks a lot of boxes, there are still some shortfalls. Sigh... I guess that is the nature of the FPV drone busines these days...
Definitely not gonna be for everyone. Personally, for me and what I want it's pretty close to perfect. There's no way they can make a drone that everyone will love. That's basically impossible.
This quad fly times makes me think about the crux 35
that one doesn't fold
@@frankcastillo8869 i know but i talked abaut fly times not frame
I wish someone would make a 3.5 inch folding prop for that.
@@AlbertKimTV yeah me to man i feel u
Pretty neat design! I feel like a 5 or 6in folding drone would be better, especially one that could run 6S and carry a fully size action camera. Really surprised how well it flew though! Also, it would've been better imo if it could run 4S, 3S batteries I feel like are just not that common. Great review!
Not a big fan of the design but you can’t beat the price.
Why can't everything in FPV have reasonable prices like this one? We need to support the low price companies more.
@@GeorgeN49 lol. no one said anything about the price, if anything i said "you cant beat the price"... sit down and read the comment again.
I wonder what happens if some dirt or sand gets trapped in there or the carbon wears out
@@lalilaloe that’s exactly what I was thinking too.