A new gadget from the technical area is the radio quadrocopter Hubsan X4. (thanks Ralf and Nadja: D)

Here is a short test testflight…

It is a miniature quadrocopter, the size of the palm of your hand, which turns out to be a real powerhouse. It is controlled via a 2.4GHz handheld transmitter in six axes. The transmitter can be configured in Mode1 and Mode2 (throttle on the left lever). An LC display on the transmitter provides information about the current settings and a multi-color LED shows the switch-on status and also whether there is a radio connection to the drone.

The drone is built on a very light (crash-proof) chassis that also has “recursive predetermined breaking points”. This means that in the event of a crash, part of the affected engine boom unhooks instead of breaking off. You can then simply click it back in. There is also the option of installing the training frame supplied to protect the propellers.

The power supply in the transmitter is provided by four AAA batteries. The drone itself is powered by a LiPo battery that is charged using the USB adapter supplied. You only need a USB power adapter (mobile phone charging plug) or a PC / laptop as a voltage source.

When fully charged and with moderate flight, you can achieve a flight time of just under seven minutes. Before the end of the flight you will be warned by blinking LEDs, so that you can still land safely without any problems. Recharging the battery takes just under 30-45 minutes.

As a further special feature, the drone has a small camera on board. It offers a resolution of 480p. But there is also a version with a 720p camera. The camera data can be saved directly on a microSD card. The recording is started before the start of the flight by pressing a button on the drone and should be stopped again before switching off. The result is an “.avi” container file that can be played on any PC. The image section is not very wide-angled and is just acceptable for indoor use. You also need plenty of light to get reasonably sharp images. However, this works very well outdoors.

The controls can be learned quickly with a little practice and it is a lot of fun to use.