Eachine Q90C drone review: My first Flying Frog :D

When it comes to design, drone manufacturers always try to surprise us. A good example is the Eachine Q90C, which copies a flying frog. Don’t be afraid; even if the fuselage is transparent, you will see through only electronic parts, not anatomic organs :D

Eachine announced the Q90C FlyingFrog in two variants: with and without FPV goggles. Surely, for the price gap of 25 bucks, many will opt for the combo version. The included VR006 is a nice entry-level FPV goggle with 3″ LCD.

Compared to its predecessor (FlyingFrog Q90 without “C”), there are some improvements, but unfortunately, there are also downgrades. I promise that both cons and pros will be revealed during my Eachine Q90C review.

Which are the best features of the Eachine Q90C drone?

• Transparent protective canopy;
• Removable propeller protectors;
• High speed 8520 motors (2s);
• FreeRider flight simulator compatibility;
• BetaFlight firmware;
• Multiple flight modes (Angle, Horizon, and Manual);
• RC vibration alerts on low battery voltage;
• 8CH VTX with 25mW broadcast power and remote channel switching;
• High-resolution 1000 TVL camera;
• Up to 120 meters control and FPV range;
• About 6 minutes of flight autonomy.

Eachine Q90C FlyingFrog review by FirstQuadcopter

Disclosure: I received this Q90C FlyingFrog in a drone review collaboration with Banggood. Although the product was free, all opinions in this article remain my own. Product specs and quality may vary according to the manufacturer’s reliability, so I cannot guarantee that you will get a quad-copter that performs exactly the same as shown in my review.

In addition to the aircraft and its remote controller, I found inside the box the following: a complete set of spare propellers, blade protectors, flight battery, USB charger, blade removing tool, 3M self-adhesive Vecro tapes, rubber bands, stick pads, and screwdriver. After a double-check, I discovered that, probably due to some mistake, no user manual was included. Anyway, I received it the next day by email :)

At a glance

First, everything is made of plastic, with no carbon fiber elements. That’s why superglue is a must-have for newbies. While on the front, the motor-to-motor distance is 88 mm, on the back is only 70 mm. The maximum height of the drone is about 40 mm. On top of the transparent canopy, there are some vent holes.

Since it is fully green, finding it in tall grass will be hard especially since it doesn’t have a buzzer alarm.

It seems like Eachine wanted to boost the general thrust by replacing the 2-blade props present on the first edition of the FlyingFrog with 3-leaf ones. Luckily, I already have a couple of Hubsan sets at home.

Lifting power is generated by 4 pieces of 2s 2-rated 8020 motors. Higher voltage means more RPM, respectively, a faster machine. Motors are directly soldered to the flight controller. For motor maintenance (replacement) you will need a basic soldering iron.

Both antennas (2.4G RC and 5.8GG FPV) are orientated vertically, exiting from the fuselage, so they look like two mustaches :D.

Four hooks on the belly of the Eachine Q90C allow the battery to be easily attached to the drone. According to the specs, the 350 mAh Li-Po allows about 6 minutes of flight time.

How usable is the remote controller?

Like the Eachine E013, the Q90C also comes with its own dedicated transmitter. Unfortunately, you don’t have the option to use different radios. Four pieces of AA batteries are required to power up the radio.

No shoulder switches nor status screen. On the front panel, besides the two control sticks, you have 4 trimming switches and 6 control buttons. Each time you press one, the RC will vibrate. In addition, the transmitter will also warn you through vibration alerts regarding signal loss and low battery voltage (below 3.7v). Handy feature!

Motors of the Eachine Q90C can be armed by simultaneously moving the left stick to the lowest position and the right stick to the rightest position.

Each flight mode has its own button, hence you can easily switch from one style to another.

Another great feature of the RC is that it allows toggling between eight FPV channels. You don’t need to land in order to change the Vfreq.

What is more important is that it has an excellent control range. You can reach a distance of about 100 meters.

The camera is suitable for FPV flights?

Yes, the image quality that comes out from the 1000 TVL camera is excellent and the latency also. Light sensitivity is quite good. In addition, the field of view (FoV) is relatively large. You have the complete recipe for an enjoyable first-person view flight.

Sadly, the tilt angle of the camera can be adjusted. This can be an issue during high-speed maneuvers.

Good point! No visible things like propellers on the camera’s visual field.

Notwithstanding that the VTX has only 25 mW broadcast power, the FPV range is good. In an open field, you can easily reach 70~100 meters.

Flight performance of the Eachine Q90C Flyingfrog

Frankly, after the Kopis 1, it would be hard to be surprised about flight performance. Anyway, let’s discover how capable is the Q90C Flyingfrog.

From the beginning, you can feel the extra power of the 2s Li-Po. Not as speedy as a brushless racing drone, but faster than other 1s micro brushed models. Wind resistance is also promising.

Flight time in the manufacturer’s specs is a bit optimistic. I got an average of 3 and a half minutes during my test flights.

If you don’t want to replace the propellers after the first crash, I suggest using the included blade protectors. They are not life-saving, but they offer extra protection in some cases.

Finally, the most important thing: don’t ever change anything other than PIDs values through BF configurator; otherwise, the motor will run at full speed and you will need to reinstall the BetaFlight firmware manually.

Pricing and availability

In conclusion, I highly recommend this FlyingFrog drone for those interested in experimenting with FPV flights but don’t want to invest too much in this hobby. Now, the Eachine Q90C in a bundle with the VR006 Goggles can be found here for $87.99.