Introduction
Typically, folding selfie drones start at $300. JJRC has stepped into the void of cheap selfie drones by releasing the JJRC H37 Elfie for just $40. The design and folding mechanism was traditionally borrowed from someone, namely from ZeroTech Dobby, this is where the similarities end. Further in detail.
Peculiarities
- Folding design
- Smartphone control
- 0.3MP (480p) WiFi FPV camera
- headless mode
- Smartphone tilt control and virtual sticks
- Altitude Hold
- Return home
- Three gas flow rates 30% 60% 100%
- Flight time 7-9 minutes
- Control radius in the field 100 meters
- Coups (flips)
Appearance
The size of the drone is 135 × 65 × 26 mm, comparable to the size of a regular smartphone. When folded, it fits easily into a pocket. The beams quickly fold and unfold, in just 5 seconds the JJRC H37 Elfie is ready to fly.
On the top is a large and easily accessible power button, which also simplifies preparation for launch.
When folded, the propellers are well protected, so when carried in a pocket, the drone does not require an extra box or protection.
Front and rear are LEDs, white and red respectively. In the dark, they will help you understand where the camera is pointing.
Motors
Naturally, for $40 we get a drone with collector motors. The peculiarity of these motors is only in their location. Usually the motors are mounted vertically, in JJRC H37 they are located horizontally.
This allowed us to make the drone much more compact, but there were other disadvantages. Due to the horizontal arrangement of the motors, additional gears are used to transmit rotation to the vertical axis. Which leads to an increase in noise.
The motors are fixed inside the beams, in the event of a breakdown, the entire beam will have to be changed. The replacement process itself is not complicated, there are assembled beams on sale, plus a screw. Accordingly, other motors will not work.
Camera
On the front of the JJRC H37 drone is a tiny 0.3-megapixel (480p) Wi-Fi FPV camera, with an adjustable angle. The angle is manually adjustable within +/-15 degrees. The resolution of photo and video images is 720 × 576 pixels.
JJRC H37 does not have a memory card slot, so videos and photos will be saved on your smartphone. 5 minutes of video takes about 23 megabytes. Video files are stored in the “JJRC” folder and end with the extension H264. To view on a computer, conversion is required. The quality of the original photo/video is poor.
Control
JJRC H37 Elfie does not have a remote control, it can only be controlled using a smartphone or tablet. To do this, you need to install the JJRC APP.
Two types of controls are available. Using virtual joysticks on the gadget screen, or by tilting the gadget itself (for smartphones with a gyro sensor). The drone is controlled very simply, there are virtual buttons for auto takeoff and landing. If necessary, you can urgently stop the rotation of the motors using the red “Stop” button. Headless mode and FPV flight are available for the first experience.
Where to begin?
Before the first flight you need:
- Install JJRC APP
- Decompose the beams of the motors
- Turn on the drone with the button on top
- Connect to Wi-Fi network JJRC-XXXXXX (X – the last six characters for each smartphone will be different)
- Start the motors with the up arrow in the JJRC APP
- Landing and stopping motors down arrow
- Thanks to the built-in barometric sensor, the JJRC H37 maintains altitude well.
- Beginners are not recommended to set the speed to more than 30%. Also in the apartment you should not set the speed more than 60%. 100% only for outdoor flights.
Battery
The battery is removable, securely fastened inside the body with a cover on the bottom of the drone. Capacity 500 mAh. Provides a maximum flight time of 9 minutes.
Equipment
JJRC H37 Elfie is packaged in a small and durable box, usually smartphones are packed in such boxes.
It contains:
- Drone JJRC H37 Elfie
- Battery 3.7V 500mAh 20C
- Spare screw set
- USB charging
- Velvet case
- Instruction
Pleasantly surprised by the presence of a case in the kit. It will protect the drone from scratches when carried in your pocket with other items.
Conclusion
JJRC H37 Elfie $44
pros
- Price
- compactness
- Altitude Hold
- Changing camera angle
- Spare screws
Minuses
- Camera
- Noisy
- Lack of control panel
- Glitchy control mode by tilting the smartphone
In advertising, everything is beautiful and convenient. In fact, the video quality is worse, it is not easy to manage virtual sticks. And even more so to put it on the palm, and even with the wind it will be very difficult. Not suitable for FPV flights, the picture is noticeably behind. But for such a price, you can’t expect better, so the JJRC H37 Elfie is suitable as a gift for a teenager.