EACHINE E61HW – mini drone with FPV camera
The Eachine E61HW is an affordable mini quadcopter with a camera and is ideal for both children and adults. The compact drone is easy to control, offers 7 to 8 minutes of flight time and is even capable of live FPV transmission to your smartphone.
Design and weight
With dimensions of just 11 x 11 x 3 cm and a weight of only 31 grams, the Eachine E61HW is not only extremely small, but also very light. Nevertheless, there is more to this small drone than you would expect at first glance.
The sturdy quadcopter is made of robust ABS plastic and therefore almost always survives minor crashes and collisions unscathed. In addition, the drone also features propeller guards that protect all four rotors when they come into contact with walls or furniture.
The safety of bystanders also benefits from the rotor guards, as this minimizes the risk of injury from the spinning propellers.
The front of the drone features two bright LEDs that help you keep an eye on the small quadcopter even in low-light conditions.
It can be controlled either with the included remote control or just with your own smartphone (G-Sensor Mode), by tilting the phone in the different directions.
Once in the air, you have three different speeds to choose from, which can be selected via a button on the remote control.
Due to the light weight of the Eachine E61HW, it’s best to fly the drone indoors only. However, if you would like to fly around outside, it is recommended that you only do so in conditions that are as windless as possible.
By the way, you still need three AAA batteries or rechargeable batteries to operate the controller, which are not included.
Features and flight characteristics
The Eachine E61HW has several features that should make it easier for you to fly the mini drone. For example, it can be launched and also landed at the touch of a button.
When the drone is in the air, it independently maintains its current altitude (Altitude Hold) without you having to use the thrust control (joystick). This is definitely a plus point, as not all mini quadcopters hold altitude independently. The function is made possible by an internally installed barometer, which can determine the current altitude based on the prevailing air pressure.
If the drone drifts a bit to the side, you can change this using the trim button and gradually calibrate the drone more and more precisely until it is balanced.
Similar to many expensive drones, you will also find a Return-to-Home (RTH) mode on the Eachine E61HW, but it is not too accurate due to the lack of GPS reception. We therefore recommend that you land the drone manually if possible.
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Headless mode, 3D flips and VR compatibility
Especially beginners will be happy about the so-called Headless mode of the Eachine E61HW. If you activate this mode, a simplified control of the drone is available. When you command the drone to fly to the right, left, front or back, the mini drone in Headless mode will always fly in the direction you want, no matter how the drone is currently oriented in the sky. So there is no need to rethink based on the orientation of the drone in the air.
However, we recommend that you do not fly in Headless mode for too long and that you also deal with the normal controls, since by far not all drones have a Headless mode.
Those who are into acrobatic flight maneuvers will certainly be happy about the 3D flip function. To perform a flip in any direction, simply press the flip button and move the control joystick in the desired direction.
Another nice extra is the so-called Tap Fly function. In this mode, you can draw a route in the app before the flight, which the drone will then fly independently.
If you are the proud owner of FPV goggles, it is possible to use them on the Eachine E61HW. However, keep in mind that the quality of the video stream is only of low quality, so controlling the drone exclusively in VR mode will probably only be possible to a very limited extent.
Flight time and range
The flight time of the Eachine E61W is about 7 to 8 minutes before the included 3.7 V, 250 mAh LiPo battery needs to be recharged. The battery is charged via USB charging cable and takes approximately 45 minutes.
The control range is about 110 yards (100 meters). Since the drone was mainly designed for indoor use, this value should be more than sufficient in the vast majority of cases.
The camera of Eachine E61W
The camera of the Eachine E61W takes photos in 0.3 megapixels and videos in 640 x 480 pixels at 28 fps. This is quite sufficient for first experiences with a drone with a camera. However, one should not get any false ideas about the image and video quality, after all, this is a mini quadcopter, not a professional camera drone.
The built-in camera is fixed and cannot be adjusted. Photos and videos are stored directly on the smartphone. The Eachine E61W does not have an SD card slot.
If you want to use the FPV live image mode, you first have to download and install the free “Eachine FPV App“. The app is available for download in the respective app store for both iOS and Android devices.
The range of the FPV transmission is about 55 yards (50 meters), even though the first image jerks can occur at shorter distances. You should never forget that we are talking about a drone for under 50 dollars.
Scope of delivery
- 1 x Eachine E61HW
- 1 x Remote control
- 1 x 3.7 V 220 mAh LiPo battery
- 1 x USB charging cable
- 4 x propellers
- 4 x propeller guards
- 1 x screwdriver
- 1 x user manual
Conclusion
The Eachine E61HW is an inexpensive mini drone with camera that is best suited as a drone for children, although adults can have just as much fun with the mini quadcopter.
The flight time is about 7 to 8 minutes, and the maximum range is about 110 yards (100 meters). Takeoff and landing work conveniently at the touch of a button.
The drone automatically maintains altitude, handles 3D flips and has a Headless mode for simplified control. The 0.3 megapixel camera can take photos and videos and even stream the drone’s live image to your smartphone. Even if the quality of the recordings is far from outstanding, the Eachine E61HW still offers the possibility to gain first experiences with a camera drone.
All in all, the Eachine E61HW is a very good mini drone that is ideal as a gift for young and old!