Flysky i10 Review

I recently bought the Flysky i10 radio for my latest quadcopter project.  I love this RC unit.

The system, as delivered, includes the transmitter with rechargeable battery, receiver, external voltage sensor, rpm sensor, and temperature sensor along with a useful manual on CD.  The manual is actually well written and useful, unlike many Chinese radios.  Build quality seems good, no obvious cheap parts or poor assembly.

Transmitter

The transmitter has a touch screen interface, somewhat Android-like, and it is easier to use than the older text menu driven systems.  You can set up almost anything through the interface: limits, mixes, switch assignments, delays, failsafes, etc.  The transmitter itself is slim, with rubberized grips, making it easy to hold.  There are many different switches and knobs which can be attached to any channel.  This was great for the quadcopter as you could get 2, 3, or more flight modes on one switch or knob without using cumbersome control mixing.   Camera gimbal control is also easy with the two variable control knobs on the top corners of the transmitter, easily manipulated by your index fingers while your thumbs work the joysticks. Joystick feel is good.  The transmitter can also be programmed via USB, which I have not tried yet, and it also has an SD card for storage.  Telemetry data from the receiver and sensors is shown on the transmitter LCD display.

Home screen

Icons for customizing transmitter

Receiver

The ia10 receiver has 10 channel ports which work well with my Pixhawk and standard servos.  It also has an "Ibus" which can be used to output PPM (I have not figured this out yet), or take inputs from the telemetry sensors.  Ibus documentation is not great, so check back in a while and see if I can figure out how to use it for PPM and other purposes.  Range seems very good in my experience.

Receiver as installed on my Quadcopter

Testing

I installed the system on an S500 quadcopter and used a generic PPM converter to generate PPM for my Pixhawk controller.  It was relatively simple to set up the control functions, map the flight modes to a three position switch, and range check the system.  Performance during test flights and a long hot outdoor flying session was excellent.

Summary

I highly recommend this radio for quadcopters and believe it will also be an excellent choice for airplanes, traditional helicopters, and other vehicles.  The price, about $200 US, is unbeatable for the value received.

Sensors included with the System