MJX Bugs 16 Pro. Affordable 4K Solution for First Time Hobby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b7P7AeHt1o

About the product

MJX Bugs 16 Pro is a top-end, high-quality budget solution from one of the best developers of radio-controlled toys Meijiaxin Toys – MJX R / C Technic, with the advent of which a worthy competitor has appeared in the niche of inexpensive GPS drones, allowing beginners to easily master the basic skills of owning a drone before switching to more expensive and technological models. Bugs 16 Pro received all the features necessary for a novice audience, including GPS positioning, auto positioning through sensors, auto return to the takeoff site, as well as automatic flight and shooting modes such as Orbit Flight, Follow-Me and Waypoint Flight. A 4K camera installed in a 3-axis mechanical gimbal serves as the drone’s calling card, which together provide exemplary image quality in the UAV’s niche. By tradition, let’s start with the key features of the quadrocopter.

Peculiarities

The key features of the drone declared by the developer:

• Flight weight: 612 g
• Foldable portable design
• Positioning: GNSS + bottom optical sensor working in conjunction with super-bright LED backlight
• Slave. frequency range 2.4GHz/5GHz (Control/FPV)
• Brushless motors 2204 1000KV
• 12MP 4K camera built on 1/3-inch CMOS sensor
• 3-axis mechanical gimbal working in tandem with electronic image stabilization (EIS)
• Max. video resolution: 3840 × 2160 at 30 fps
• 3 × auto flight and shooting modes (Orbit Flight/Follow-Me/Waypoint Flight)
• Headless Mode
• 50x digital zoom
• Return to Takeoff Mode (RTH)
• FPV quality: 1280×720P@30fps
• Max. FPV removal distance: 200m
• Max. flight height: 120 m
• Max. flight time: 28 min
• Mob. XDRONE App

Equipment

The developer offers the drone in a single configuration, however, third-party sellers may offer the drone in a configuration with two or three batteries. The standard kit includes:

1. Drone
2. Accumulator battery
3. Remote control (powered by AA cells; not included)
4. 4 × spare propellers (2CW/2CCW)
5. USB charging cable ⟷ USB-C
6. Charging PD cable
7. Spare blade holder
8. Screwdriver
9. User’s manual
10. Quick Start Guide
11. Transport case

Specification

Drone

Brand:

MJX

Model:

Bugs 16 Pro

The weight:

612 g

Dimensions:

Positioning:

GPS GLONASS + optical sensor

Motors:

2204 1000KV

Max. flight altitude:

120 m

Max. takeoff speed:

10.8 km/h

Max. sink rate:

7.2 km/h

Max. flight angle:

35°

Max. angular speed of rotation:

45°/s

Max. horizontal flight speed:

40 km/h

Max. flight time:

28 min

Hover Accuracy Range:

Slave. frequency range:

2.4GHz/5GHz (Control/FPV)

2.4G transmitter power (EIRP):

100 mW

Slave. temperature range:

0° to 40°C

Camera

Model:

4K EIS 5G WiFi Camera

Matrix:

1/3 inch CMOS

Lens:

Viewing Angle: about 120°
Diaphragm: f/2.0
Focal length: 2.96 mm

ISO range:

Email speed Shutter:

1/30s – 1/10000s

Max. photo size:

3840×2160

Picture Format:

JPEG

Photo mode:

Time-lapse

Max. video resolution:

3840×2160

Video Format:

MP4; H.264

Color mode:

RGB

Max. bitrate:

Supported file system:

FAT32

Local video frame rate:

4K: 3840 × 2160 at 30 fps
FHD: 1920 × 1080 at 60 fps

Maximum video link frame rate:

720P@30fps

SD cards:

MicroSD; Max. volume: 120GB; Class 10 and above

Slave. temperature range:

0° to 40°C

suspension

Type of:

3-axis mechanical

Gimbal Adjustment Range:

0°C to -90°C (manual adjustment from remote control)

Remote Control

Slave. frequency range:

2.4GHz

Transmitter power (EIRP):

100 mW

Max. signal transmission distance:

＞600 m

Food:

2×AA

Working Current/Voltage:

200 mA at 3V

Slave. temperature range:

0° to 40°C

APP

Mob. Appendix:

M RC PRO

Transmission system:

5GHz WiFi (802.11.ac)

Video stream quality:

720P@30fps

Delay time:

200-300ms

Supported OS:

iOS 9.0 or higher
Android 4.4 or higher

battery

Capacity:

3200 mAh

Voltage:

11.4v

Type of:

lipo

Power:

36.48 Wh

The weight:

about 208 g

Charging temperature range:

5°C – 40°C

Memory input:

5V/2-2.1A 15V 3A (PD)

Max. memory power:

45 W

Charging time:

330 min (from USB adapter 5V 2A)
70 min (from 45W PD adapter)

Charging cable:

USB ⟷ USB-C
PD cable (Power Delivery; abbr. PD)

Below you will find key information about the MJX Bugs 16 Pro, which will allow you to learn more about the budget drone model with a good camera, so that you can ultimately make your best choice.

Transport case

The kit comes to the consumer in a transport case, in which it is convenient not only to carry the quadrocopter, but also to store everything in one compact place.

Foldable and portable design

The Bugs 16 Pro features a well-executed foldable frame design and a portable design. The developer inherited the beam folding principle from the legendary Parrot Anafi, which made it different from other models in its niche.

satellite positioning

The GPS module built into the drone is responsible for positioning, working in tandem with an optical sensor located at the bottom of the copter (turns on in the altitude range from 0.5 to 3 meters, and also when GPS positioning is not available).

The built-in GPS module predetermined the appearance in the arsenal of the Bugs 16 Pro of such automatic flight and shooting functions as: Orbit Flight, Follow-Me, Waypoint Flight, RTH mode (return to the take-off point) and precise landing, which you can learn more about in the section ” Automatic flight and shooting modes.

Motors

The MJX Bugs 16 Pro quadcopter is equipped with literally powerful 2204 1000KV brushless motors, working in tandem with folding propellers. To understand how excessive power is, we note that according to the developer’s specification, the maximum horizontal flight speed is 40 km/h (11.1 m/s), but in practice the model showed 70 km/h (19.5 m/s) that is simply incredible for budget UAVs. , which also determines the good wind resistance of the drone.

Installing propellers

When installing/replacing propellers, pay attention to the letters “A” or “B” printed on each propeller, which in turn must match the same letters on the motors. Use the included tool to mount the propellers. For clarity, we attach an image where “Fig. 1 and 2″ shows the mounting of the propellers, “Fig. 3 and 4” dismantling:

Camera and gimbal

According to the specifications, the Bugs 16 Pro is equipped with a 12MP 4K camera built on a 1/3-inch CMOS sensor (Field of view: about 120°; Aperture: f/2.0; Focal length: 2.96mm). Image stabilization is handled by a 3-axis mechanical gimbal that works in tandem with electronic image stabilization. Allows you to take photos in max. size: 3840 × 2160. Movies can be recorded in two modes: 4K: 3840 × 2160 at 30 fps and FHD: 1920 × 1080 at 60 fps.

In practice, the drone’s video system showed good shooting quality both in terms of image quality and stabilization quality, however, it should be noted that the fact that the declared 4K mode still does not reach the maximum FHD, which in general is quite indicative for a product from a budget niche result.

Shooting quality

The quality of shooting onboard 4K camera without post-processing:

Memory

Original images and videos are stored on an optional MicroSD card (Class10/U1 or higher; Max. capacity: 128 GB). Installed in the SD port located under the right front beam of the drone. The captured photo / video can also be viewed in the mobile. application in the “Gallery” section, however, in this case, their quality will be reduced to 720P.

Note! The system is extremely demanding on the performance of SD cards, so it is strongly recommended to use original cards not lower than the recommended class, but better. The developer also notifies the user that if the SD card used is not working, then photo / video shooting will not be possible. Accordingly, if your drone refuses to take pictures for no reason, then the first thing you should pay attention to is the SD card.

FPV

The video stream is transmitted via Wi-Fi in the 5GHz frequency range. From which it follows that smartphones whose Wi-Fi modules support operation in the 5GHz band will be able to connect to the drone’s Wi-Fi point. Video stream quality: 1280 × 720 at 30 fps. According to the manufacturer’s specification, max. FPV removal distance is 200 meters.

However, in practice it turned out that this characteristic for this model is significantly underestimated. So, in the conditions of the city, the drone, on average, was able to move away at a distance of about 300 meters, and outside the city (in areas with the least interference), this range averaged 500-650 meters. This fact is typical for all budget models, the Wi-Fi module of which operates in the 5GHz frequency range, which in turn is often extremely demanding on the manufacturability of the associated smartphone, which is also confirmed by the developer’s specification. It is worth considering this when choosing B16 Pro!

Connection

The procedure for connecting a smartphone to the drone’s Wi-Fi hotspot is similar to connecting to a regular Wi-Fi router/modem. To do this, in the Wi-Fi settings of the mobile device, select from the list of found network connections and connect to the “Drone4G – XXXXXXX” network (where X is a random set of numbers for each connection). Now launch the “M RC PRO” mobile application and tap on the “START” icon, then “NEXT”, and “CLICK”. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, use the QR code printed in the user manual to download it. A successful connection to the drone’s Wi-Fi hotspot will be indicated by live video from the camera on the display of the paired smartphone.

Mob interface. applications

For full interaction with the drone, as well as to expand its functionality, the quadcopter and remote control work in tandem with the M RC PRO mobile application (for iOS / Android). After connecting the mobile device to the drone and launching the mobile application, the pilot will have the following virtual flight menu:

Extended Functions Menu

Camera settings

Drone settings

Recommendations

• For our part, we hasten to remind you that when flying over long distances, it is important to provide an unobstructed corridor between the drone and the remote control with a smartphone. In other words, an array of forest or a building over which a drone flies will degrade / interfere with the transmission of signals, which will permanently affect the quality of piloting.
• If you lose FPV communication, it is better to immediately use the return to home mode (RTH mode; available when connecting the drone with seven or more satellites).
• Since there is no obstacle recognition and avoidance function, before flying, do not forget to check the height of potential objects (trees, poles, etc.) and adjust this parameter in the drone settings for the auto return mode (RTH altitude: variable range from 15-50 m). By default, this parameter is set to 15 meters (for clarity, see the “Mobile application interface” section above).

Speed ​​modes

There are two modes available that determine the power potential of the drone. The change of modes is carried out by pressing the button on the control panel (see the section “Assignment of controls”):

1. Tripod mode (Low speed) – in this mode, the drone’s response to the movement of the sticks will be as smooth as possible, the flight speed will be minimal. Ideal for aerial photography.
2. Sport mode (High speed / Fast / Maximum speed) – in this mode, the flight angles reach their maximum values, the drone develops 100% of the power plant’s built-in power.

Headless Mode

In the arsenal of Bugs 16 Pro, as standard for the occupied niche of UAVs, Headless mode / Headless mode has entered. Enabling the mode allows you to turn off the system’s emphasis on where the drone has a front / nose, which is essentially intended to make it easier for beginners to adapt to controlling the copter. It is considered a useless mode, since in the future when switching to more advanced solutions, you will not meet it. Headless mode is activated through the M RC PRO application in the “Multifunction” section of the main flight screen (icon on the left side of the screen).

Automatic flight and shooting modes

Follow Me

At the disposal of the pilot, the flight and shooting modes are available, allowing the drone to follow the object. This mode is implemented on the basis of the simplest technologies, and to be precise, on the technology of a GPS beacon. In other words, when the mode is activated, the drone will not track a specific object, but an associated mobile device, which, as you know, has its own built-in GPS module.

In practice, this mode generally works flawlessly, which will undoubtedly please the novice user. However, it should be understood that due to the use of simple technologies in the Bugs 16 Pro, this mode is intended solely for familiarization and, accordingly, on more expensive and technologically advanced models it will have a wide range of settings and work perfectly. The mode is activated through the application “M RC PRO” in the section of the main flight screen “Multifunction” (icon on the left side of the screen).

Orbit flight

The Orbite Flight mode allows the drone to fly in a circle in automatic mode. The flyby radius is set in the drone settings, in the section: “Orbite Semidiameter”.

In practice, he showed unsatisfactory work, which is generally normal for the UAV niche occupied. In fact, it should fly in a circle around the mobile device paired with the drone, but in reality it just flies in a circle bypassing the position of the smartphone. We also note that in more expensive and technologically advanced models, this function is implemented through object recognition technology and works clearly, which allows the user to get spectacular shots with any selected object for shooting. The “Orbite Flight” mode is activated through the “M RC PRO” application in the “Multifunction” section of the main flight screen (icon on the left side of the screen).

tapfly

TapFly includes two sub-modes “Track” and “Point”:

track – offers the user the automatic flight of the drone along the drawn curve. In other words, after selecting the mode, the drone system will prompt the user to draw any curve in the map field that opens, after which the copter will obediently fly within this curve.

point – offers the user automatic flight of the drone over the points. In other words, the drone system will prompt the user to mark points in the map field that opens, which will subsequently be used for automatic flight.

In practice, the TapFly function works relatively well, but again, due to the use of simple technologies, its operation is far from the level that more expensive and technologically advanced models offer. It is activated through the icon in the lower right corner, which appears when switching from FPV mode to map view mode.

RTH mode

Thanks to the built-in GPS module, among other things, the drone received an automatic return to the take-off point mode (RTH mode or Return to Home). Accordingly, the function is available only with the optimal number of satellites caught (7 or more). There are three scenarios in which the drone returns to its takeoff point:

1. Smart RTH (forced by the pilot by short pressing the button on the remote control or by tapping on the “RTH mode” icon in the mobile application)
2. Low-battery RTH (automatically when the battery is low)
3. Fail connection RTH (automatically when the connection between the remote control and the drone is lost)

Recommendations

• In all cases, after activating the mode, the remote control will start emitting a repeating beep. To cancel the auto return mode, it is enough to press/tap the corresponding button/icon again, or make a short movement of both sticks in order to later, for example, manually correct the landing process.
• The aircraft ascends to the set altitude before performing auto return. The default value of this parameter — 15 meters. It is set in the drone settings via mob. application (see section “Mobile application interface”).
• Before taking off, do not forget to take into account the height of potential obstacles and adjust it in the drone settings through the mob. Appendix.
• When performing an auto return due to loss of communication, as it approaches the controller, the drone can automatically reconnect, allowing the pilot to cancel the auto return and continue flying again.

battery

The drone is powered by a 3-cell (3S / 11.4V) lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 3200 mAh, 36.48 Wh. According to the specification, it provides a maximum flight time on a single charge – 28 minutes. In practice, this time with a mixed style of piloting will be about 24-26 minutes. The drone power is turned on by long pressing the battery button (≈ 3 seconds), after which the drone will emit a pre-launch melody. The process of turning off the drone is similar to turning it on.

Charger

It is charged from any standard charger (up to 45 W), which is usually used to charge a smartphone, or simply from the USB port of any device (PC, Laptop, Power Bank; Recommended voltage: 5V / 2A-2.1A). To charge the drone battery, the kit comes with two cables that provide different charging speeds:

USB ⟷ USB-C cable: with this cable, the time to charge the battery to 100% will take about 5.5 hours. The charging process will be indicated by a flashing LED. The battery is charged when the LED glows steadily.

PD cable (Power Delivery; abbr. PD): The developer recommends using this cable in tandem with a charging power supply (PD-adapter; not included) with a power of up to 45 W. In this case, the battery charging time to 100% will be reduced to 70 minutes. The charging process will be indicated by a flashing LED. The battery is charged when the LED glows steadily.

Note! Charging PD cable (Power Delivery; abbr. PD) – designed to work with higher power. Supports power delivery up to 100W).

Control

The drone comes with portable control equipment. According to the declared specification, it operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency range. Provides signal transmission over a distance of up to 600 meters. The remote control is powered by AA batteries/accumulators. In the center of the remote control there is a display, which is implemented by means of LED indication reflecting the current state of a number of drone systems/functions.

Appointment of governing bodies

Assignment of controls and indications of the built-in screen.

Stick modes

The remote control can operate in Mode 1 or Mode 2 (set by default; the left stick is responsible for taking off / descending / rotating the drone around its axis left and right, the right one for flying forward / backward / left / right). This option is standard for all drones and involves swapping sticks. It is made specifically for right-handers and left-handers.

For example, when switching the remote control to stick mode Mode 1, the stick responsible for takeoff and descent will be on the right, and the stick responsible for flying forward/back/left/right will be on the left. If the user is right-handed, then nothing needs to be changed, since Mode 2 is set by default, if the user is left-handed, then the following steps must be done. For clarity, we attach images below.

Mode changeover process Mode 2/Mode 1

1. Before turning on the remote control, press the emergency shutdown button of the motors, and without releasing it, turn on the remote control. Turning it on will put the remote into pairing mode (see image below).
2. Then press and hold the “Activate RTH mode” button for 3 seconds, after which the remote control will change the current mode to the next one. The mode will switch after each long press. The current mode will be shown on the remote display (see image below).

The first flight

According to the user manual, after charging the battery of the drone, smartphone and installing 100% charged batteries in the remote control, do the following:

Step 1

Place the aircraft on a flat and open surface with its back to the remote controller.

Step 2

Turn on the remote and then the drone. The successful pairing of devices will be indicated by the indication of the current battery level of the drone (on the display built into the remote control) and the steady glow of the LED backlight on the drone’s beams (front beams are red; rear beams are green). If this does not happen, which is rare, but it happens, then it will be necessary to force pair the remote control and the drone. To do this, turn off the drone and remote control.

Then take the remote control in your hands, first press the emergency shutdown button of the motors, and without releasing it, press the power button on the remote control. Turning on the remote in pairing mode will be indicated by moving up/down signal levels on the status screen built into the remote. Then turn on the drone. Successful pairing will be indicated by a steady glow of the LED backlight on the drone’s beams (front beams are red; back beams are green), and the current battery level of the drone will appear on the built-in display of the remote control.

Step 3

After each turning on the drone, it is necessary to carry out geomagnetic calibration, which consists of two stages: horizontal and vertical. You can read more about the process in the section “Calibration of sensor systems” below. The process is simple and takes less than a minute.

Step 4

Now follow the standard procedure for connecting your smartphone to the drone’s Wi-Fi point (the process is similar to connecting the gadget to a Wi-Fi router/modem). To do this, in the Wi-Fi settings of the mobile device, select from the list of found network connections and connect to the “Drone4G – XXXXXXX” network (where X is a random set of numbers for each connection).

Step 5

Launch mobile on your smartphone. application “SJ F PRO”. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, use the QR code in the user manual to download it. The correct connection to the Wi-Fi point will be indicated by the real-time video broadcast from the drone’s camera on the display of the paired smartphone.

Step 6

Search for satellites. It is carried out automatically by the drone system, outdoors, in an open area free of interference and iron structures. The process may take several minutes. For normal operation of the GPS system, at least 7 satellites are required (clearly at the top of the application). The app (upper left corner) will display the drone’s “Waiting for GPS signal” status. The process of searching for satellites is completed when the status bar in the application on the main flight screen changes color to green (in the upper left corner) and it reflects the current flight mode “Tripod mode/Sport mode”.

Note: open areas with a lot of metal structures can affect the accuracy of the on-board compass and GPS system. In this connection, it is recommended to search for satellites far from them. If during the flight the LED indication on the front beams is red, and on the rear beams is yellow, the GPS signal is weak / absent. Note! If necessary, the satellite positioning mode can be turned off using the switch on the control panel. In this case, GPS positioning will be disabled (auto-hold position is not possible, GPS functions are not available, Auto-return is not possible), the pilot should be extremely careful when flying!

Step 7

The LEDs on the rear beams of the drone steadily shine in green, on the front – in red. In the application, the status bar is green and the current speed mode “TRIPOD (Low speed) / SPORT (High speed)” is displayed. Unlock the motors by pressing the emergency motor lock button. The motors will start at idle. Press the “Auto takeoff/landing” button on the remote control – the drone will take off and fix its position at a height of about 1.5 meters. Now press the “Auto takeoff and landing” button again – the drone will autoland, but the motors will continue to idle.

To stop the motors, move the throttle stick (left by default) to the lowest position and hold it there for 3 seconds. After stopping the motors, turn off the drone and remote controller one by one. Note! If you touch the control sticks during autolanding, the process will stop. Also, if no commands are received from the control equipment / mobile application within 15 seconds in the idle mode of the motors, the drone system will automatically stop them.

Emergency stop of motors

In order to ensure maximum safety during operation, the developer has incorporated into the overall functionality of the drone – the “Emergency Motor Stop” function, which allows the pilot to independently decide to turn off the power plant in cases where this reduces the risk of damage or injury. The function is active in the height range up to 5 meters. To activate, press and hold the button for 3 seconds.

Calibration of sensor systems

To ensure the declared performance, the developer included in the standard drone maintenance list the mandatory calibration of sensor systems. Further in detail:

Gyro calibration

Calibration of the gyroscope was carried out in advance by the developer at the stage of testing the product’s performance and, accordingly, does not require additional testing. However, if during operation, piloting the drone becomes uncomfortable, for example, it is constantly pulled to one side or there is a lack of former stability, as a rule this happens after a crash / accident / hard landing, then it is quite possible to correct this behavior by gyroscope calibration procedure. To do this, follow these steps:

• Turn on the remote and drone.
• After successfully pairing the devices, place the aircraft on the most horizontal surface.
• The gyroscope calibration process is automatic. Move the control sticks on the remote at the same time to the position as shown in the image below. The drone’s LED light will respond with a series of flashes, indicating that the calibration process has started. Calibration is complete when the aircraft light turns steady.

Geomagnetic calibration

Geomagnetic calibration consists of two stages: horizontal and vertical. It is carried out every time after turning on the drone. The process is interconnected, respectively, both stages are carried out next to each other. To start the geomagnetic calibration, after turning on the remote control and the drone, as well as successfully pairing them, move the control sticks in a single movement to the position as shown in the image below:

Horizontal

The LED lights on the front and rear beams flash yellow alternately to indicate that the horizontal calibration mode has been entered. Take the drone in your hands and position it as shown in the image below and start rotating it in a horizontal position around its axis until the LED lights on the beams start flashing green alternately (usually 3 rotations are enough). Horizontal geomagnetic calibration completed.

vertical

After a successful horizontal calibration, position the drone as shown in the image below and continue to rotate it around its axis until the LED light goes from flashing to steady (usually 3 rotations are enough). Vertical geomagnetic calibration completed.

LED backlight status table

Drone LED statuses and their meaning:

General recommendations for use

• Place the drone on a horizontal surface before turning it on, and don’t forget to remove the gimbal’s transport lock. Do not touch the gimbal with your hands after turning on the power, because immediately after turning on the drone, the drone system will perform a series of automatic pre-flight tests, including gimbal and camera test!
• Make sure the battery is secure before taking off. If the battery is not installed correctly or the battery locks are not fully engaged with the locks on the aircraft, power failure may occur in flight and the aircraft may fall.
• Do not fly in bad weather such as strong wind, snow, rain, fog, etc.
• To fly, choose an open place without tall buildings around. Buildings that use a lot of steel components will interfere with the compass and block the GPS signal, resulting in the aircraft not positioning correctly or even being unable to locate.
• For best communications, do not fly in close proximity to high voltage lines, communication base stations, or transmission towers.
• During the entire flight, do not allow obstacles such as forest, buildings, hills, mountains, etc. between the drone and the remote control, ensure only line of sight! Otherwise, it will lead to loss of connection and crash.
• Flight in FPV mode will only be available when paired with a smartphone whose Wi-Fi module supports operation in the 5GHz (802.11.ac) frequency band.
• Before taking off, make sure that the total number of acquired satellites is at least seven.
• If GPS mode is not active, automatic flight and shooting modes will not be active, including RTH/Auto return home mode.
• If the satellite connection is lost at the time of auto return (RTH mode), the aircraft will not be able to automatically return to the takeoff point. In this case, after 6 seconds of trying to get a connection, the drone will begin to smoothly descend to the ground, and then land and lock.
• Since the drone cannot recognize and fly around obstacles, before taking off, check the height of potential objects that the drone may encounter when performing auto return to home mode (RTH mode), and if necessary, adjust it in the aircraft settings in the “RTH altitude” section.
• In GPS mode, the drone achieves maximum accuracy while holding position. The GPS mode is activated automatically when 7 or more satellites are caught. If the GPS signal is weak (less than 7 satellites), the aircraft will automatically enter Optical Flow Position mode or Optical Positioning Mode (implemented by the optical sensor located at the bottom of the aircraft). The current mode is displayed on the main flight screen in the status bar in the uppermost corner.
• Please note that in the “Optical Flow Position” mode, the maximum accuracy while holding the position is provided in the height range up to 3 meters. If the maximum height value is exceeded, the positioning accuracy will gradually deteriorate.
• The measurement accuracy of an optical sensor is significantly affected by such criteria as light intensity (illuminance) and surface texture (non-uniform discernible texture). If the optical sensor fails to recognize the surface, the drone system will automatically switch to barometer mode or “Altitude mode”. In this mode, the positioning accuracy is low, and the aircraft will drift erratically. This mode will require advanced piloting skills from the pilot. Be extremely careful!
• The following conditions may also affect the disabling of optical positioning: Flying at low altitude (below 0.5 m); Flying above 3 m. Monochrome surface (eg pure black, pure white, pure red, pure green); highly reflective surface; Water surface or transparent surface; Surfaces of moving objects (for example, dense crowds, swaying bushes or grass); Scenes with sharp and fast light changes; Very dark (lx<10) или очень светлая поверхность (лк>10,000); Sparsely textured surface; Surfaces with frequently repeated textures (for example, fine-mesh bricks of the same color); Surfaces with an inclination of more than 30 degrees; Too fast flight speed (for example, with a drone height of 1 meter, the flight speed should not exceed 5 m/s, and with a height of 2 meters, the flight speed should not exceed 14 m/s); Dirty sensor. If there is not enough light, activate the bottom LED light.
• When flying at an altitude of more than 6000 m above sea level, due to environmental factors, the performance of the drone’s power system will decrease, which will subsequently significantly affect flight performance.
• The drone cannot use GPS to fly to the north and south poles.
• If the aircraft in GPS mode does not provide a fixed position in flight, re-calibrate the geomagnetic field, and if this does not help, re-calibrate the gyroscope.
• Do not perform calibration in places with a strong magnetic field, such as parking lots, including underground, construction sites, places with a lot of iron structures, etc.
• Avoid the presence of such things as keys, phones, etc. in the immediate vicinity during calibration.
• Do not install different types of batteries, such as rechargeable batteries with conventional non-rechargeable batteries, into the remote control. Also, do not mix old batteries with new ones, as this may affect the operating time (the remote control may suddenly turn off).
• When the drone’s battery reaches 50% (two bars of the drone’s battery indicator), the drone’s system will begin to alert the pilot with a sound signal, the status bar field will change from green to yellow and display the notification “Low Battery” in it, as well as display the message on the main flight screen about limiting the flight range in altitude up to 30 meters and in range up to 100 meters.
• Do not let children charge the battery alone. Charge the battery under close visual supervision. Do not charge the battery in close proximity to flammable materials.
• After flying, to ensure proper operation and safe storage, charge the battery halfway. If the battery will not be used for a long time, it is recommended to recharge it once a month.
• If a memory card is not installed in the drone, then videos and photos will be saved in the phone’s app album, but only in 720P quality.

Price

The MJX Bugs 16 Pro quadrocopter is available for purchase both through the company’s online store and through various Internet trading platforms at a price of $ 240-290 (the price depends on the number of batteries in the kit 1/2/3 pcs).

Conclusion

MJX Bugs 16 Pro from $240

Functionality

8/10

Flight time

7/10

Flight qualities

6/10

compactness

7/10

Equipment

7/10

Reliability

9/10

Price quality

10/10

pros

• Execution quality
• Portable foldable design
• Satellite + sensor positioning
• R/C motors + foldable props
• 4K camera in tandem with a 3-axis mechanical gimbal working with electronic image stabilization (EIS)
• Max. flight time in practice 26 minutes
• Operation of automatic functions (except Orbit Flight mode)
• Price

Minuses

• Camera falls short of 4K (Max. FHD)
• Short range (max. 650 m)
• The flight range directly depends on the manufacturability of the smartphone used.
• Fragile camera suspension

The Bugs 16 Pro quadcopter has established itself in the hobby as one of the best entry-level budget solutions in the UAV niche. The declared specification was by and large confirmed in practice, and in such parameters as max. flight speed and flight range in general turned out to be significantly underestimated (Declared / Actual speed: 40/70 km / h; Claimed / Actual range: 200/650 m).

The list of the main disadvantages of the model includes: The quality of shooting of the on-board video system that does not reach 4K (the general quality of shooting for a model from the budget niche is indicative in all aspects, but whatever one may say, the maximum is FHD); Fragile camera suspension (often the most consumable component of this model, the first to fail in an accident); The exactingness of the Wi-Fi FPV system of the drone to the manufacturability of the smartphone used, on which the maximum flight range depends in direct proportion (in practice, this range ranged from 200 – 650 meters).

Otherwise, the quadcopter is totally worth the money, and if you are looking for your first hobby simulator, after which you can safely move on to more technologically advanced and expensive GPS models, then the MJX Bugs 16 Pro is worth it when choosing turn your attention to it. The main competitors of B16 PRO are such models as: DJI Mini SE; JJRC X12 AURORA; SJRC F11(S) 4K Pro. That’s all for us, we hope that our review allowed the reader to minimize the time when searching for the necessary information. All the best and fly safely!

Video

Top reviews from users

Unpacking and flight with explanations for the maximum range outside the city.

Flight test for maximum range in urban conditions.

Flight test with explanations of the maximum flight time in altitude hold mode.

Unpacking and flight test.

Unpacking and flight test.