Eachine Aurora 90 Review 2020: All You Need To Know To Decide
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UPDATE: The Eachine Aurora 90 is no longer available. Check out this newer, awesome brushless drone instead.
The Eachine Aurora 90 is the newest innovation in the Eachine product line. It’s a relatively small multirotor that raises an important question: “Will it even fly?”
But the Aurora comes equipped with relatively light, but powerful 1104 brushless motors, which provide it with all the necessary thrust.
Also:
The product is equipped with an F3 compact board, a 4-in-1 ESC BLheli_S/Dshot600 board, and a 48CH 5.8GHz 25mW AIO 600TVL camera.
It’s all packed on an impressive and sturdy carbon-based frame with the addition of carbon prop guards. This makes it super resistant to impacts. The entire drone is not only durable, but it’s also lightweight, weighing only 2.5oz (73g), without the battery.
This product offers an incredible set of features, along with a good, durable battery. You can experience flying this compact yet outstanding drone for a very affordable price. So, if you’re looking for a drone that represents an excellent setup, you’ll be more than satisfied with what Aurora 90 has to offer.
Design and build quality
Inside the box, beside the Aurora 90, you’ll find a handsome set of tools needed for maintenance and assembly, as well as an instruction manual.
The instruction manual is fully detailed and colored, containing all the information you might need. Besides the items mentioned above, you also receive a battery, a battery charger, and a set of new propellers.
Let’s start from the beginning. The frame of this micro FPV racer is 100% 3K carbon-based, measuring 1.5 mm thickness.
The main structure, being carbon-based, is exceptionally resistant to impact, but it’s not indestructible. It does offer a good base and protection for all the hardware mounted.
On top of this “mini-tower” frame, you’ll find an AIO 600TVL camera with the cloverleaf antenna. These are also protected by a carbon-based protector, mounted on the main structure of the frame.
Below the camera, you’ll find the FrSky 8D receiver and its bind button. An F3 omnibus board is placed bellow this receiver, along with the ECS, which is located at the bottom position.
The 2S 450 mAh LiPo battery is secured on the bottom of the frame by a Velcro band and connected with the JST connector.
The mainframe, though durable, has a drawback. It offers no landing gear system, so it may cause some annoyances with horizontal calibration since the drone sits on the Velcro band used to secure the battery.
This can be averted by balancing the drone on for spacers centered beneath each motor. Another drawback of this frame design is that the propeller guards obstruct the access to the micro USB port. Accessing the port can be done by removing the prop guard.
Motors and construction
As for motors, the manufacturer opted to equip the Aurora 90 with 1104 7500KV brushless motors. They provide the drone with enough power for it to fly superbly.
However, they seem to have a high RPM to be 3S compatible, even though the ESC is. The propellers are secured with two M2x8mm hex screws per propeller.
The entire propeller construction does have a flaw since the propellers only have less than 1mm clearance between them and the red aluminum spacer.
Fast forward movement, combined with the flexibility of the propellers, can result in mid-flight damage. Some users modified their product by using different spacers for mounting the prop-guards, increasing the clearance between the props, and said spacers. This way, the risk of mid-flight damage is significantly reduced.
The power to the long-lasting brushless motors is controlled by an efficient 10A 4-in-1 BLheli Selectronic flight controller.
It’s Dshot600-ready and programmable through Betaflight, offering smooth flight operation, and jaw-dropping flight performance. Being part of the Minicube F3 flight stack, the ESC is found on the bottom of the stack.
Receiver and FPV camera
The FrSky receiver comes as a part of the MiniCube F3 flight stack, with an integrated buzzer, which can be used as a low-battery alarm.
The great thing about this receiver is that it also supports RSSI via telemetry. The flight stack offers a built-in OSD, which should work just fine by default. Its configuration is effortless within the Betaflight GUI.
The camera module sits on top of the F3 flight stack with carbon-based guards mounted on the mainframe protecting it. The module used for this drone is a 600TVL HD camera module with a ¼” CMOS sensor. It offers good image quality, and a FOV of 170°, which may be a bit much for FPV racing.
Flight performance
Eachine Aurora 90 is a capable little drone, even with the default PIDs. It’s designed to offer exceptional power, through the use of 1104 brushless motors, combined with an excellent ESC.
Here’s the truth:
It’s pretty good for a first drone, IF you’ve been practicing a lot on a drone simulator first. It’s fast, but not IMPOSSIBLE to control.
The ESC doesn’t strain the 2-cell battery, even during acro flights, and the FPV link is quite satisfying. Also, the presence of a built-in OSD is a positive element, thanks to the information it provides.
However, many users reported a drift to the left, despite any calibration attempts. This may be a result of a faulty gyroscope. Still, the drone flies pretty smooth and exceptionally well.
Beginner pilots will have the most fun flying this drone since it offers enough power, but also exceptional durability.
Pros and Cons of the Eachine Aurora 90
Aurora 90 is a strong and powerful drone, aiming to satisfy beginners and more experienced pilots. It offers exceptionally durable construction, capable of withstanding a high amount of forceful impacts.
- The Minicube F3 flight stack, composed of several components, is an excellent piece of hardware. It provides the drone with the strength and stability needed for acro flying.
- However, there are certain downsides. The issue with propellers making contact with the aluminum spacer can be user-corrected, by replacing the spacers with a different type.
- Still, it’s an inconvenience. But the drift to the left, observed during the angular mode, is probably a faulty gyroscope problem, something the manufacturer needs to deal with.
- Despite its shortcomings, which are few, the Aurora 90 is a durable and stable FPV drone with excellent characteristics. This pocket flier is affordable a lot of fun to fly.
Want to learn more?
- Read more reviews of this and learn more about it here.
- Learn about another Eachine drone, the X73S
- Or learn how to fly better and improve your FPV skills.
UPDATE: The Eachine Aurora 90 is no longer available. Check out this newer, awesome brushless drone instead.
