Review: UDI 818A Quadcopter

UDI 818A as it comes out of the box

This mid size low cost intermediate grade quadcopter is easy to fly and includes a camera.  It is a good trainer before moving on to more complicated and expensive machines.  The unit is fully assembled and you just have to charge the flight batteries, insert transmitter batteries, and then you are ready to go.

The UDI 818A is available from Amazon and others for about $65 to $85 US.  This includes the copter with camera, transmitter (mode 2), extra battery, USB charger, and extra props.  It comes in white (my unit) or black, they are identical except for the color.  All you need to add are AA batteries for the transmitter.

Design

The unit incorporates a horizontal plastic prop guard assembly to help preserve the copter when you bump into something.  You can hit an obstruction without damaging the quadcopter.  You can turn the camera on and off with the transmitter and it takes decent video (see the youtube link below). Other than that, it is a pretty standard 4 channel quadcopter with 6 axis gyro stabilization.

Documentation is terrible - a google translation from Chinese with some made-up words thrown in.  Read it to get some basic ideas and a good laugh.

Flying

Relatively easy to fly, the throttle is not too sensitive and the controls work well.  Flight time is about 7 mins on one battery and it takes about 1 to 2 hours to recharge.  The inevitable crashes do not seem to mar walls or ceilings, in case your wife or mother is wondering.

This can be flown outdoors if it is fairly calm, but be careful as it will be harder to control than in controlled indoor environment.

Accessories

There are no accessories and you cannot add any due to the small size of the unit.  You may want to buy extra batteries or props that can be found on Amazon or Ebay.