The purpose of this build is to find a TinyWhoop replacement. Since my move from analog to digital I no longer have an indoor flier. After building an iFlight DC3, I like the build quality of their frames. That is why I decided to try the DC2 frame too. I like how it is using 2.3” props when using the prop guards and 2.5” props without. That means I have lots of flexibility in terms of space for custom modifications. Since iFlight also has a BNF version of this quad, it gives me a good starting point on what hardware to use. But I could not understand why iFlight uses 1404 motors 4500kv motors on a 2.3” build plus a 40a 30x30 AIO board. I thought a 1204 4500kv motor was able to lift the DC2 with a DJI air unit. But I was very wrong, because I think the 1204 is getting close to its limits with a Cadxx Vista. During my first test flight I notice a huge power difference between the TransTEC Beetle and DC2. The DC2 with the 1204 has a lot slower and I need to put more throttle just to hover. Now I can see why they opt for 1404 motors for the DC2. I need to do some indoor testing and see if I can benefit from the power difference, because I find it very difficult to fly more powerful quads indoors.

Just like the TransTEC Beetle I do not like the hard-plastic prop guards because they will break the first time you crash. Once again, I got lucky and the Beta95X props guards fits perfectly on the DC2. Now I am not limited to 2.3” props when I have the prop guards on. I can use 2.5” props all the time regardless of the guards! Please keep in mind I have not tried using Beta95X guards with the DJI Air Unit, so you might be limited to a Caddx Vista.

The one thing I am not too happy about is the lack for protection for the camera.

UPDATE - May 26 2020 - NEW MOTORS XING 1404 4600kv

The Xing 1404 4600kv motors is a much better option than the Xing 1204 4500kv because it needs the extra power. Not only do you feel the power difference, but the larger 1404 motors run cooler too. However, I do not see much of an improvement in flight time because both motors gets about 3 minutes of flight with a 520mah 4s lipo. I am going to try a Tattu 650mah 4s lipo to see what kind of flight times I will get.

UPDATE - Jun 01 2020 - NEW MOTORS TransTEC Next 1106 4500Kv

I really like how the TransTEC flew so I installed a set of TransTEC Next 1106 4500Kv Micro Motor on the DC2. It seems like a good balance between the XING 1204 4500KV and XING 1404 4600KV motors. I think 1204 motors works well with light weight quads, while the heavy quads do better with the taller stator motors.

UPDATE - Jun 24 2020 - Insta360 GO

This is my first Insta360 Go mount and it was not as stiff as I hoped it to be. That is why I need to use 2 zip ties to secure the camera. I wanted to start with an adjustable camera mount because I am not sure what angle I want. Here is my very first flight with the Insta360 GO (Turn your sound DOWN) :

UPDATE - Aug 22 2020 - Bidirectional DSHOT JESC

Since I built this quad, I did not use the standard iFlight 40a 30x30 AIO board, but instead I used a BetaFPV 20a TinyWhoop AIO board instead. That is why I has you use the JESC firmware on my BLHeli_S esc. On the very first flight after setting up the Bidirectional DSHOT and ESC Firmware update (JESC 48khz v2.3 w/ RPM Telemetry) I noticed how smooth if felt and had little to no prop wash and of course I gained an increase in flight time. The increase flight times does vary depending many things, but the increase is very noticeable.

Prior to this update I would say the TransTEC Beetle was my favorite between the two. But now I like the DC2 way more. Check out the image gallery for all the screen shots of my setting in Betaflight.

Here are 2 videos of my first test flights. One video was a slow cruise to see the max flight time and the second I picked up my pace by a lot.

Slow Flying with Tattu 650mah 4s:

Fast Flying with RQD 650mah 4s: