Eachine NOVICE-II 1-2S Brushless Micro Drone

Overview & Specifications

The Eachine NOVICE-II is a 1-2S Brushless Micro Drone designed for FPV flight. It features a 120mm toothpick frame, a NanoX F4FS V1.0 flight controller, and powerful Eachine NC1103 KV8500 motors. The drone is lightweight at 50g (without battery) and measures 100mm x 100mm x 40mm. It is compatible with 1S-2S LiPo/LiHV batteries and offers features like LED strip readiness, a built-in buzzer, adjustable camera angle, and switchable VTX power (25mw~200mw) with Smartaudio support.

Parts List

Specifications

• Brand Name: Eachine
• Item Name: NOVICE-II 1-2S Toothpick RTF & Fly more
• Wheelbase: 120mm
• Size: 100mm*100mm*40mm
• Weight: 50g (without battery)

Features

• Nano X F4 pro flight controller
• Powerful and smoothly
• Led Strip ready
• Built-in Buzzer
• New design 1103 KV8500 motors
• Camera Angle adjustable
• VTX power switchable 25mw~200mw
• Smartaudio ready, change VTX bands, powers, channels via OSD
• Ready to fly
• Compatible both for 1s-2s Lipo/LIHV

3. Start FPV Flight

Start by powering on your Radio and Goggles. The NOVICE-II comes already bound to your radio and on the right video channel matched with your goggles. Power on NOVICE-II by sliding the battery into the battery tray and plugging it in. Once the battery is plugged in, set NOVICE-II on a stable surface so it can calibrate. Calibration takes a few seconds then NOVICE-II is ready to fly.

1. Radio Setup: Install 4x AA 1.5v batteries into the radio transmitter and push the power switch to turn it on. If the throttle stick is not at the bottom position, the radio will alarm.

   Image Description: A Flysky FS-I6 radio transmitter with AA batteries installed and the power switch turned on.

2. Drone Power: Connect the battery to the NOVICE-II. The image shows options for powering with a 2S battery (left) or a 1S battery (right).

   Image Description: The NOVICE-II drone with a 2S battery connected on the left and a 1S battery connected on the right.

3. Goggles: Turn on the VR009 goggles and check the video feed.

   Image Description: The Eachine VR009 FPV goggles.

4. Arming and Flight Mode: Toggle SWA (AUX1) switch to arm the NOVICE-II. You will find an "ARMED" notice on the screen of the goggles. It is recommended to toggle SWC (AUX2) to choose Stable mode for beginners. Happy flight and keep it safe.

   Image Description: The Flysky FS-I6 radio transmitter and VR009 goggles, with text indicating to toggle SWA(AUX1) to arm and SWC(AUX2) for stable mode.

Flight Modes

The drone supports multiple flight modes selectable via Switch C (AUX2):

• Position 1: Acro mode
• Position 2: Stable mode
• Position 3: Air mode

Diagram Description: A diagram shows three positions for Switch C, labeled 'Acro mode', 'Stable mode', and 'Air mode'.

4. Charge the Lipo Battery

Use the provided charger for the 3.8v 460mah batteries. The charger features a charging currents switch, 4.2V/4.35V charging switch, DC 12V input, and 2-6S Lipo input. A USB 5V output is also available. The solid LED indicates charging, and the LED OFF indicates charging is complete.

Important Note: Ports are numbered 1-6. Do not put more than one battery on a single port. For example, do not insert one battery on the Picoblade 1.25 plug and another on the same port with the PH 2.0 plug.

Diagram Description: A diagram of the battery charger showing DC 12V input, 2-6S Lipo input, USB 5V output, charging current switch, and LED indicators for charging status.

5. Flight and Radio Stick Controls

Always use caution when flying and operate in an open and controllable area. Please learn the flight controls first before powering on the aircraft to fly.

• Left Stick: Controls throttle (up/down) and yaw direction (left/right).
• Right Stick: Controls pitch (forward/backward) and roll (left/right).

Diagram Description: Left Stick Diagram shows throttle up/down and yaw left/right controls. Right Stick Diagram shows pitch down/up and roll left/right controls.

Important Notices

1. The following content may include advanced tutorials. The drone comes out of the box with all settings finished and bound with the radio.
2. Do not modify to an XT30 Plug, as it will burn the flight controller if modified and used with a high discharge rating battery.

6. Flight Controller Connection Diagram

The flight controller has various ports for connecting components:

• BOOT: Bootloader button.
• RX1 / TX1: Receiver connections (UART1).
• IR1: (Likely for Infrared receiver, not typically used).
• GND: Ground.
• LIPO_IN 1-2S: Battery input for 1S or 2S LiPo.
• LED: LED output.
• M1, M2, M3, M4: Motor outputs.
• TX2 / RX2: Serial connections (UART2) for VTX/Smartaudio.
• BUZ- / BUZZ+: Buzzer connections.
• BIND: Receiver bind signal.
• +5V output: 5V power output.
• Video_in / Video_out: Video signal connections.
• USB: USB connection for configuration.

Diagram Description: A diagram illustrating the flight controller board with labeled ports for motors, receiver, VTX, power, and USB.

7. Binding Procedure

To bind your Flysky radio transmitter to the NOVICE-II:

1. Connect the drone to your computer via USB and open the Betaflight configurator. Navigate to the CLI command tab and type bind_rx_spi, then press Enter. This will put the receiver into bind mode.
2. Make your Flysky radio enter bind mode: Turn on the transmitter while holding the bind button.
3. Ensure your transmitter is set to AFHDS 2A Mode.
4. The White and Red LEDs on the flight controller should blink fast, then slowly, indicating successful binding.
5. Exit binding mode on the transmitter and re-connect the NOVICE-II to the computer via USB. The Red and White LEDs should become solid, indicating the connection is established.

LED Status Indicators:

• Solid: Normal work
• Blinking fast: Bind mode
• Blinking slowly: Bind successful or no RC Signal

Diagram Description: A Flysky FS-I6 radio transmitter with LED status indicators explained.

8. Receiver Configuration

In the Betaflight Configurator, go to the Configuration tab and set the Receiver mode to SPI RX Support. Select the provider as A7105_Flysky_2A for AFHDS-2A Protocol or A7105_Flysky for AFHDS Protocol. Do not enable Serial RX as the flight controller has an integrated SPI BUS Receiver.

9. VTX Bands and Channels Setup

The VTX (Video Transmitter) allows selection of different bands and channels. The VTX power can be switched between 25mw and 200mw. Note that the VTX power LED may always show 25mw when the quad is disarmed due to the setting set vtx_low_power_disarm=on.

VTX Indicators:

• Blue LED 5 and Red LED 8 light on: Indicates frequency 5917MHZ (BAND 5 and CH 8).
• Blue LED 1 and Red LED 2 light on: Indicates frequency 5845MHZ (BAND 1 and CH 2).

Frequency and Channel Table:

Switching VTX Channels:

1. Short press the VTX channel button to choose the channel. Press and hold the button to choose the VTX Band (this setting may not save and will be lost when power is off).
2. Use Betaflight CLI commands: set vtx_band=3, set vtx_channel=1, set vtx_freq=5705, then type save. Ensure vtx_freq matches the selected vtx_band and vtx_channel. For example, if vtx_freq=5732, set vtx_band=5 and vtx_channel=3.
3. Enable Smartaudio for UART2. Then, move the transmitter sticks (THR MID + YAW LEFT + PITCH UP) to enter the OSD Menu. Navigate to Features, then VTX SA to set VTX Band and channel.

Diagram Description: A diagram of the VTX board shows buttons for power (25MW/100MW/200MW), a switch button, and connections for Cam_IN, +5V out, GND, and Video_IN/OUT. LED indicators for Band and Channel are also shown.

10. Goggles and VTX Receiver Channel Setting

The goggles and VTX receiver unit have several controls:

• Key 1: Short press for MENU mode; Long press (more than 3 sec) for Power ON/OFF.
• Key 2: Short press for Auto-Searching (automatic selection of the strongest channel).
• Key 3: Short press for Band+ (change bands A-B-E-F-R circularly).
• Key 4: Short press for Channel+ (change channels 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 circularly).
• Micro-USB Charging port: Supports DC5V only.
• Antenna port B: RP-SMA male.
• Charging indicator: Red light when charging; light goes off when fully charged.
• Antenna port A: RP-SMA male.
• AV Jack: In RF receiving mode, can output AV signal; in AV mode, can enter the video signal.

Menu Operation Instructions: In normal mode, press Key 1 to enter the MENU mode. In MENU mode:

• Key 1: Select the option bar.
• Key 2: Return to normal mode.
• Key 3: Value -.
• Key 4: Value +.

Frequency (5.8GHz) Table:

Diagram Description: A numbered diagram of the goggles/VTX receiver unit with descriptions for each numbered button and port.

11. Mixer Type and ESC/Motor Protocol

The drone uses a Quad X mixer type. The ESC/motor protocol is DSHOT600.

Propeller Installation: Fix the CW (Clockwise) propellers onto the M1 and M4 motors. Fix the CCW (Counter-Clockwise) propellers onto the M2 and M3 motors.

Diagram Description: A Quad X configuration diagram showing arrows indicating CW propellers on motors M1 and M4, and CCW propellers on motors M2 and M3.

12. Default PID and Current Settings

PID Settings

Voltage and Amperage Meter Settings

13. Radio Channels/Switch and Betaflight Mode Setting

The radio transmitter (e.g., FS-I6) has the following controls:

• 1. Handle
• 2. Antenna
• 3. Switch A (Arm and disarm)
• 4. Switch B
• 5. Switch C (Mode switch)
• 6. Switch D
• 7. Left stick
• 8. Left trim
• 9. Right trim
• 10. Right stick
• 11. Left trim (duplicate, likely refers to left stick trim)
• 12. Right trim (duplicate, likely refers to right stick trim)
• 13. Up (on stick or navigation)
• 14. Press the Enter key
• 15. Down (on stick or navigation)
• 16. Short press the Cancel key
• 17. Code keys
• 18. Switch (general term)
• 19. LCD Display

Diagram Description: A diagram of the Flysky FS-I6 radio transmitter with numbered labels corresponding to the controls listed above.

14. AUX Channel Setup

In Betaflight Configurator, you can set up AUX channels to control functions like arming and flight modes using switches on your radio transmitter. For example, Channel 5 can be assigned to Switch A (SWA) for arming, and Channel 6 to Switch C (SWC) for mode selection.

Screenshot Description: A Betaflight Configurator interface showing AUX channel mapping, with Channel 5 linked to SWA and Channel 6 linked to SWC.

15. LED Strip Setting

This section details the configuration and wiring for LED strips, allowing customization of LED functions, colors, and patterns.

Diagram Description: A diagram illustrating LED strip wiring and color options.

16. ESC Check and Flash Firmware

To check or flash the ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) firmware:

1. Download the latest BLHeliSuite from: Mediafire BLHeliSuite Folder.
2. Connect the NOVICE-II flight controller to your computer via USB.
3. Open Windows Device Manager. Ensure the COM port serial number is under 255; otherwise, it may not connect to BLHeliSuite. You can change the COM port number in the advanced settings.
4. Open BLHeliSuite. Select the 'SILABS BLHeli Bootloader (Cleanflight)' tab. Choose the correct Serial COM port and click 'Connect'. You can also flash new BLHeli_s firmware using BLHeliSuite. The firmware target is S-H-50.

Image Description: A screenshot of the BLHeliSuite software interface, showing ESC setup options and firmware flashing capabilities. Another image shows the flight controller connected to a computer.

17. Flight Controller Firmware Update

To update the flight controller firmware:

1. Install the latest STM32 Virtual COM Port Driver from ST.com.
2. Install the STM BOOTLOAD Driver (for STM Device in DFU MODE).
3. Open the Betaflight Configurator. Choose the firmware target CrazybeeF4FS and select the desired firmware version.
4. Enter DFU Mode: You can do this by either pressing and holding the boot button, then plugging in the USB cable, OR by loading the Betaflight firmware and clicking 'flash', which will automatically enter DFU Mode.
5. Open Zadig tools to replace the drivers from STM32 Bootloader to WINUSB Driver.
6. Reconnect the flight controller to the computer. Open Betaflight Configurator, load the firmware, and flash it.

Screenshot Description: A screenshot of Zadig software showing driver selection for STM32 BOOTLOADER, with an option to replace the driver with WinUSB.