I never want to stop flying this tiny quadcopter // RUBBERQUADS SQUIRREL

[@RubberQuads]

Thanks @JoshuaBardwell for taking the time to review the Squirrel (and for braking it - fixing it - and reviewing it again)! We are glad you enjoyed flying it and would like to take to take the opportunity to clarify a couple of things: torx: the four arm screws need a lot of torque and a 1.5hex will strip after the second rebuild motors: those are indeed tailor-made t-motor pacer 1604 (custom winding, modified shaft and engraving) motor testing with props on: you do it - we do it - everybody after his 3rd build does it -- but please don't show it to the public. lipo pads: those are custom laser-cut from blank sheets of the same material ummagrip uses, so give them a little lick (with a wet sponge off course) once the battery starts to slide ;-) arms: those are 4mm - it still doesn't make it a bando-basher but it can take quite a beating bind & fly builds: we fly and custom tune every single build so those get as much love as the one you flew (plus: a M10 GPS is now included). We strongly believe that every pilot deserves an excellent flying quad and take some pride in providing them. May the thrust be with you Volker

[@ddegn]

I personally wish torx was the standard in FPV. The fasteners last much longer than hex fasteners. 3D printed fasteners makes the difference between torx and hex even more pronounced. The soft plastic get pushed out of the way when using hex fasteners a 3D printed torx fastener is surprisingly durable since the tool's pressure is even distributed.

[@powersv2]

Pacer 1604’s rule.

[@aivan_fpv987]

I want see this in korea

[@RandomZ88]

First time I have ever heard The "F" Bomb From Bardwell. LMAO Keep up the great work!!!

[@willpowerfpv3246]

I love that you're covering some weird frames. This is the stuff that keeps the hobby super interesting to me. I've actually talked to the owner briefly, and I might actually build one myself now. Thanks JB. 🤙🏻🔥

[@IanTillen]

You had me cracking up at the Torx screws, very relatable! lol

[@joshuasl9orpyouarecharon220]

I learned how to fly drones because of your how to fly and FPV drone. I need more videos please, thank you for your dedication.

[@winder6]

This was great it reminded me of 2019 pre covid when it seemed like every week there was a new frame or quad that you were ripping around in your yard, I know you can do a trippy spin you were doing it for a second. Cool locking frame but for durability I'm sticking with the Tilney Trainer HD with the 03 air unit.

[@MCsCreations]

(G)old times indeed.

[@aerialclone_official]

You have also slammed the USB-C xD

[@Todd_G_FPV]

Looks like a good little round the house ripper!

[@QhuququwOaishshsududg]

Thanks for your efforts, I appreciate this was a great video. ❤

[@flysquirrelFPV]

Spotting a daddy long leg like that, that high up will never happen again! Lmao 😂 and it only cost an arm ;)

[@xonsightx]

Thanks for the awesome review. I don't believe this little mini quad is the one for me considering how hard it is to work on when replacing just a arm.

[@scu-dub]

This is an awesome sub250 ripper 👍🏻

[@philippp.1131]

I have a prebuild, pretunes from the first series; it is probably the best tuned quad I have. Have not build a 5 inch since then any more.

[@powersv2]

JB out here docking on trees like MR Steele or 3D DanishStallion.

[@CarbonGlassMan]

I always liked the A frame arms, but I think they need a third spar going from the end of the arm to the main body in a slight down angle. That 3rd demention would really strengthen the arm.

[@K_Nasty]

Where am i standing 😅. When ya put it in a tree , try putting it back in stability mode , then re arm . 😂

[@GarethDix]

Quadmula frames also run countersunk M2 screws in the frame. When I was changing them over to titanium it was way easier to get Torx versions rather than hex so maybe that's why? (assuming they were titanium for weight saving?)

[@RubberQuads]

All screws are steel. We tested titanium in the past and it's just too easy to break.

[@GarethDix]

@@RubberQuads interesting, I haven't had any titanium screws break on my builds. But really impressive to get the weight down so low with an O3... kinda wish I known about these earlier!

[@TheLastTater]

Interesting frame I like someone trying something different

[@squeaks3814]

3 inch is the perfect size you don’t need more power than that or speed . They are durable cheaper and just the best size for drones hands down

[@Gosuminer]

Nice little quad. Arced arms aren't such a great idea, though, because the carbon fibers that provide tensile strength are shorter than with straight arms.

[@Mupshot]

You know, this is the type of video that makes people want to fly. A lady asked me why I would want to fly in the park? Just being a bird, flying free. Seeing something like this might make her understand.

[@nikhayes3396]

Would you prefer having a solid plate that is the arms and bottom plate all as one piece of carbon? I have a few iflight dc2 and dc3 frames. and although it kind of sucks if you break an arm, I have only broken 1 of the dc3s, luckily they were “out of stock” when it happened so I got a little over zealous and figured I may as well put in an order for 4 of them. i have flown and crashed the second one so many times and it hasn’t broke I broke down and bought 3 more sets of motors and flight controller esc combos so that I could just build more, I built one more dc3 and gave it to my cousin to try to get him into FPV, thinking that is a much better step than the way I did it and got a 5” skyliner with Dji v1 in 2019 and had only flown a mavic style drone and yeah, a lot of learning setting up modes and still smashed that thing on day 1 flight 2. And then more JB videos to learn what “acro mode” means hahaha. did you say what battery you are using? I find 3950 kv motors on both 3s and 4s works really well. I fly 3s to just cruise around and 4s if I want some fling. Now that Im getting back into the hobby I find batteries the hardest thing to get myself to buy, they have become so expensive and I’ve gotten some bad ones. Whats a solid, cheap 4s xt30 600-800 mah these days?

[@cgbyrobert]

Why do they solder the cords instead of using connectors?

[@William_NS]

Those motors sure do appear to be re-labeled T-Motor Pacer 1604's. There is nothing wrong with that; they are great little motors. I run them on a 3.5" Quadmula 6s and they fly amazingly well. I do, however, despise the T-Mount because props are a pain to change, and I always seem to strip them out. Other than that they are good. For my second Quadmula 3.5" build I actually went with the 1084's just because I could get them with a prop nut!

[@doccock100]

have you tried using longer machine screws. I had the same problem before increasing the depth of the bite

[@William_NS]

@@doccock100 Yes. That's basically how I do it now. I bought an M2 socket head kit off of Amazon and it has mostly solved the issue. I got tired of buying new motors just to replace the bell. I have a box with 5 or 6 brand new stators with stripped bells, lol! They're still a pain in the butt to swap out props but they are very good motors!

[@meirdeaph]

Totally awesome ❤

[@showxating9885]

It delaminated because of the torque of repeated stress from being arguably overpowered. Frame redesign focused on that stress point and full send again.

[@thomashardy9994]

Wish I could learn to get those crisp stops and turns in the simulator. Seems to drift when I try to line up and go through a gap.

[@CarbonGlassMan]

I put velcro tape on the quad & on all my batteries. In 4 years, I've almost never lost a battery or had one even move.

[@Hiasibua]

18:40 the USB port also looks bent. Is it easy to replace that USB extender board?

[@RubberQuads]

2 screws, 4 solder joints

[@SettekFpv]

Josh its 4 screws at the back and 2 at thze front for changing a arm :)

[@malongmanuel]

i love torx 😂

[@ronin2963]

Great detail. Thanks for the effort

[@DVJiMATT]

We use counter sunk m1, m2, and m2.5 in the rc car industry all the time.

[@NaorFPV]

love the flyfish Volador VX3

[@nicholasbowser3790]

The reason it's split like that is because there's split the thickness of the arm 2 1/2 as thick buy stepping one over the other it should be just buttered up together

[@ian9toes]

Torx screws are the future and that’s a good thing

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic flying and review, Joshua! 😃 The last time I remember you having this amount of fun flying something was with the 90fps HDZero camera! Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@lastivkarv7825]

hello!friend how about putting this frame upside down and installing 4 inch propellers?

[@abertheham]

Juan been real quiet since he saw that shirt 😂😂

[@Fly_High_FPV]

Grinderino for 3.5" bashers 💪

[@JustKeepLivingFPV]

I went from a modified crux 35 to a grinderino and I love fly my 3.5in around I wouldn't go backwards.

[@paulsrc6373]

Hi I have spectrum radio ix 14 I’m trying to set up Nazgûl drone can you help me with that. Paul ty

[@Carticiak]

You should check out Albert Kim's Colibri 3" frame if you like weird frames.

[@fpvgivy]

Great video Bardwell and nice backflip thru gap! I want to ask what is the white thingy majig on your goggles 2?! Is it possibly an adapter for other camera systems???

[@sakfpv8444]

I hope we see more "plus" frames. I still rip around my 3" AirbladeUav Eclair "plus".

[@user-rs8zg8ey2b]

Any time you mill the arms to overlap is the weak point, on my 5" Raptor after many crashes,the arm splits down the middle of the 5mm thick arms. Then another thousand flights it finally breaks in two. I solved this on my design by not interlocking the arms, but having them but up against each other, not one broken arm after 10400 flights that year.

[@andrewfelldown]

ive never flown a 5 inch i got lucky and found the crux 35 and im on my 3rd one now lol. I fried the vtx on one does that make it a good candidate for the air unit? ;)

[@kurtzFPV]

I put one in mine but had to drop it to 3". Used a shaved down tpu nose of a reckon 5, flipped the top frame front to back and converted to top mount. Used double sided tape to secure the air unit. Wish I'd have maintained 3.5" but I still love how it flys.

[@paparambo2557]

I killed my speedybee esc even though i used a smoke stopper.. 2 soldering blobs touched bc of a little wire out of my motor wire and the soldering "exploded".. after that i soldered again and my fc dont get powered from my esc.. what could i do?

[@bobg1443]

If I’m reading it correctly, the pricing on their website is really steep. 😮

[@FPV_CRUZ]

“Is it not 1.5mm, the FU*K !?”😂

[@cutterhead13]

If you double the arms using two kits do you get over 250?

[@volkergoe]

The geometry wouldn't work out but we are currently considering to make a test-batch of 6mm bando-arms with a thinner pressure plate. This would probably require the removal of the GPS to stay under 250g.

[@dextergreenman2162]

I love flying 3 inch!!? Mine didn't break in the 4 years i use it

[@recocer]

Looks nice, but $920 for the o3 version is nuts!

[@FerrisDabozo]

It’s 590

[@SettekFpv]

Where did you see 920$ ?

[@P-Bee]

Nearly $1100NZD. Ouch.

[@Nunyali5lx]

The 03 version here I see is 682$ US. Still absolutely nuts in cost. I'd consider this quad if it were more in line with other similar sized / style 03 quads.

[@SettekFpv]

@@Nunyali5lxist 599€ and when you think of that is not Build in China and every Quad get flown and tuned its a good price. They also come now with an M10 GPS for the Same price

[@pox122229]

Bardwell. Since when has that house been back there behind your property? New build?

[@thatramenguy3395]

6:58 there is a spider on his right shoulder

[@LehtusBphree2flyFPV]

They were the first one that has the tubular frame

[@WinWitWon]

Your kit + the o3 air unit should come tomorrow, im learning to solder, have it set to 650, but cant manage to tin thw wires, the tip just doesnt heat them enough, any tips?

[@DJIFrenia]

Flux them, and also melt some tin on the solder tip first

[@Todd_G_FPV]

Flux on the wire, super hot tip, clean tip, and pre tin the tip

[@WinWitWon]

@@Todd_G_FPV thanks for the reply, super hot like 900? and also I think I need a bigger tip, I got the stock tip on the hakko 888dx and its pretty small for a 12 gague, should have bigger ones arriving soon!

[@Todd_G_FPV]

@@WinWitWon that may do it, can't hurt to try a wire or 2 if u got some spares

[@WinWitWon]

@@Todd_G_FPV alr ty

[@textripppen]

Hey Joshua! How many quads have you registered with the FAA under Part 107?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

All of the ones I fly, per regulation. I don't know the full number.

[@IamRachelGal]

USB c port extender got smashed. Do they offer replacements?

[@RubberQuads]

No one (except for JB) managed to smash one so far but we have a couple of them on stock and will send them to anyone (else) who manages to break one.

[@Shauny_D]

5:52 that crash was in poison ivy 😬

[@tristianmarquez4364]

Just built your kit!

[@blackviper_fpv]

what is that white thing on the dji googles?

[@JoshuaBardwell]

Head tracker.

[@Katz_fpvchannel]

That Tshirt... 😂

[@FPVwilco]

Bardwell swearing! Wow that’s a first for me

[@pavarafpv]

haha it aint the first for most of us though

[@TheMCGuy225]

does this come in an analog version? if so ill definitely be picking one of these up for myself

[@RubberQuads]

We just got some 1.6W analog VTXs from Axis flying to do a handfull of builds with them.

[@GardoRotor]

Your torx discovery, 😂😅 I'm in the automotive industry, car makers can't make up their mind either WTF

[@TavitaRiffaud]

merci frame fabuleuse quel vol

[@hrmny_]

Why doesn't everyone in the FPV space use Torx?

[@coimbrafpv]

wow, an orange spider hehehe

[@apkproductions]

did anyone see that one of the motor weir was lose?

[@akujiwar]

u mean wire nr3 at 9:20 ? where nr1 get soldered back on?

[@apkproductions]

Yeah

[@NishaanAhmed]

How is he getting constant 50 mbps despite moving through bushes?!! My O3 and V2 setup never does that!

[@seacprogrammer8455]

Bro as soon as he claimed durable harder to destroy I was like Umm thats literally just small poorly balanced frame not a toothpick Jinx You Splooded ! On a funnier note --> @10:30 The Bard manically chuckles at throttle full up while testing, props on, in house, hahahah ! CLASSIC ! . Oh Shit air born four pronged juicer coming at ya face ha ha ha ! Love it Real talk though be careful people ..

[@unRealityFPV]

light 1604s are AMAZING on sub250s. looking at you RCinpower GTS v3

[@Kai-P]

Those don't exist, you probably have the 1804 in mind.

[@RubberQuads]

I love the GTSv3 (1506) for its insane amount of torque and top-end but it was just too heavy to get the build under 250g. RCinPower was not willing to work with us to put it on a diet 😞

[@billybonghackett]

Arm broke when you ripped it out of the tree with turtle mode imo lol

[@volkergoe]

The drivetrain generates about 600g per corner, fresh arms break at over 15kg on the weakest axis (vertical bend). It's not a bando-basher but please don't be too hard on us.

[@phiveone]

Baby hawk HD service nightmares revisited.

[@NorgeSquad]

You think it will sbang good?

[@30MinutePapiFitness]

Lol it broke on maiden those arms look like twigs and it weighs almost 250g

[@NorgeSquad]

@@30MinutePapiFitness wrote it before i watched the vid

[@gump1119]

Haha what is that shirt? I need to know more.

[@Kyosanym]

Forget about that Umma grip trash. Should put that gummy Alien Tape instead.

[@dhbfpv]

Nice

[@DigitalCruzer]

Do the proto25

[@philipspiers8915]

I see the usb c took a good hit

[@SamusSays]

681$ for the hdzero... holyyyy

[@dilucide]

@18:37 That FC USB-C connector looks just a teensy bit unhealthy

[@NorgeSquad]

RIP USB Port lol

[@seacprogrammer8455]

its a modernization/adaptation of a classic Kabab toothpick whipped up to accommodate you digital weirdos .. Just my 2 cents. Still Love my overpowered Tooth Pics ! 83 grams w/o battery hahah ! feels like a 6"

[@TopG-FPV]

This is a complete waste of time, the quad is $680!!!!!!! And those are re branded beta motors for sure, or $530 as a kit , that’s around $80-100 for the frame that broke immediately lol. I wish these companies wouldn’t try to rape us all the time and they would probably sell a lot more products if they were realistic. GEP rc is the way to go, These are the old school bardwell videos we love thiugh- out flying- testing quads- please more!!!!!!

[@JoshuaBardwell]

The motors are made by T-motor.

[@ginupe32]

Almost $700 USD 😳

[@K_Nasty]

J.B. doent use a pre-arm ??? Thats sketchy 😂

[@JoshuaBardwell]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5uwhImKZ8RlpK8

[@WernerBeroux]

Only Torex screws should be allowed.

[@CarlBertossi]

just realised USB port gets some bitting

[@naveennishad]

Competing baby hawk 2 o3

[@RubberQuads]

Since we build and tune those in europe we cant compete with the pricing. On the plus side: the Squirrel flys way better 🙂

[@ryankingston7733]

I'm glad that you acknowledge that Torx is a better screw system for small fasteners compared to allan or hex. Perplexity AI : While Allen wrenches have some advantages like the availability of ball-end drivers for angled access, Torx generally offers superior performance in terms of torque capacity, tool longevity, and resistance to stripping. This is why many industries have been increasingly adopting Torx fasteners for critical applications.

[@TheVeganarchism]

I totally agree, I would choose Torx if given the option for those tiny screws.

[@harrywang3649]

not first but early :)

[@yoimsho]

From my estimation, they are charging $218 to assemble it

[@volkergoe]

It's a bit over a 100 bucks (DJI won't give any reseller a proper margin) but we fly and individually tune every build we send out. There also is a build kit or just the frame available.

[@FootlooseFPV]

Yeah insane. I’ll pass on that!

[@yoimsho]

​@@volkergoe I understand that it is a unique frame. The PCB of the USB-C relocation probably adds some included costs and is necessary for an AIO. If a v2 comes out with thicker arm mounts, I would love to check this frame out. Technically, it looks like you could update the frame with thicker arms without changing a lot other than the center of gravity and the weight. Although it might add some included stress elsewhere.

[@Robocopter_fpv]

I mean this is not Iflight who make thousands of mass produced Nazgûl’s lol. If you want a niche product like that ur gonna pay for it. If you don’t want to learn to build or pay a premium for a niche product then just buy a Nazgûl like every other Tom and Jerry 🤷‍♂️😅

[@huberthubert6859]

Nexa 3,5 is better

[@ImperialArmour]

Doesn't look like very good quality carbon.

[@birutafpv8768]

First!

[@DigitalCruzer]

I don't like A-arms, just means the carbon has been compromised too much so its super fragile, Id bust one every day!

[@DigitalCruzer]

And i wrote that while i was watching this... 3 seconds later... snap

[@g3rm422]

There is ZERO reason this drone, even with the o3 should cost more than $500. This an average level drone at an almost scam level price. What a ripoff.

[@volkergoe]

You can always get a frame-kit. We build our quads in Europe and fly every single one to verify the hardware and finalize the tune (base tune is in the Betaflight presets).

[@g3rm422]

@@volkergoe How can all the parts possibly cost more than $500?

[@volkergoe]

@@g3rm422 they don't. You are more than welcome to build, set it up and tune it yourself. We even put the PID- and filter settings in the official betaflight presets to make it easier.

[@rowanballinger3690]

To complicated to work on no thanks.