Overview: BetaFPV Pavo20 Professional with DJI O4 Professional – Any Totally different from O3 and NightFire Editions?

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After testing completely different variations of the BetaFPV Pavo20 Professional—together with the DJI O3, NightFire version, and now the DJI O4 Professional—I can confidently say: they’re just about the identical. However in the event you’re questioning which model to decide on or how the O4 improve adjustments issues, right here’s all the things I’ve discovered.

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The place to Purchase

You will get the Pavo20 Professional O4 version from the next distributors:

Included Equipment:

• 1 × LED Strip Accent Package (Ice Blue)
• 4 × Spare Propellers
• 1 × USB-C Adapter Cable
• 1 × Spare DJI O4 Professional Air Unit 6-pin Cable

Notice that battery will not be included, get some Lava 3S 550mAh LiPo right here: https://oscarliang.com/product-vrfd

Get some spare 2.2inch propellers right here: https://oscarliang.com/product-8nfq

Specs

Should you’re conversant in the earlier Pavo20 Professional with O3, the brand new O4 Professional model is basically similar by way of core {hardware}:

Design and Construct: O4 vs O3 vs NightFire

Let’s get this out of the best way: the pusher-style body, motors, flight controller, and props are all the identical throughout all these variations of the Pavo20 Professional.

The principle distinction is the brand new digital camera cage, designed particularly for the DJI O4 Professional Air Unit. It’s a smooth, injection-molded mount that provides higher antenna routing, and total aesthetics. In comparison with the O3’s mount, the O4 cage seems cleaner and feels extra refined.

Surprisingly, the O4 model is barely lighter than the O3, regardless of utilizing the inventory DJI O4 antennas. It is because the O4 Air Unit is lighter than the O3, although the load distinction is minimal and doesn’t noticeably have an effect on flight efficiency.

Utilizing Authentic O4 Professional Antennas

One small gripe: I want BetaFPV included shorter dipole antennas, like they did with the O3 model. They’re not solely lighter, but additionally extra sturdy in crashes. The inventory O4 antennas are solely press-fitted into the mount, which means they will simply come out throughout a crash and probably harm the delicate U.FL connectors and wire.

Should you’re involved about sturdiness:

• Contemplate gluing the antennas into place.
• Or higher but, swap them for dipoles to avoid wasting ~4g and scale back danger.

Sure, you could possibly argue that the inventory antennas provide higher vary—however the true limiting issue right here is the ELRS receiver antenna that’s buried beneath the FC, not the video system. And because the Pavo20 Professional lacks GPS, you don’t actually wish to fly it far anyway. Because of this, dipoles ought to be wonderful.

Area of View and Prop Guard

You may discover the prop guard showing within the backside corners of your goggles. That is as a result of extremely vast subject of view (FOV) of the O4 Professional digital camera, particularly if you find yourself in 4:3 mode. Nonetheless, when you run the footage via Gyroflow for stabilization, these prop guards normally get cropped out, so it’s not a serious concern.

Battery Mounting and Payload

The drone makes use of an ordinary battery strap, supplying you with flexibility to make use of numerous 3S LiPo sizes, together with 3S 450mAh, 550mAh and 650mAh. With a 3S 550mAh, the whole AUW (All-Up Weight) is available in round 150g.

Notice: the Pavo20 Professional will not be designed to hold a GoPro or full-size HD digital camera. Should you actually wish to add an exterior HD cam (e.g., Insta360 GO or Bare GoPro), you’ll must 3D print your individual mount—and maintain it gentle. Further weight will rapidly have an effect on each flight efficiency and battery life.

Accessibility and Maintanence

Accessing the DJI O4 Professional’s SD card and USB port is easy, because of the good design of the body and digital camera cage.

To avoid wasting weight, BetaFPV changed the usual USB-C port on the flight controller with a smaller 4-pin JST connector. Meaning you’ll want to make use of the included USB adapter when connecting to Betaflight—a small trade-off for a lighter construct.

The drone’s building is actually easy. The digital camera cage is mounted to the drone’s physique utilizing solely 4 bolts. It’s straightforward to assemble or take aside, which is useful for fast repairs. The mushy mounting for the digital camera appears to do a superb job of eliminating jello.

Upgrading from DJI O3 to O4 Professional

Already flying the Pavo20 Professional with DJI O3 and desirous about upgrading?

Excellent news: You solely must buy the brand new digital camera cage designed for the O4 Professional. No want to purchase an entire new drone! The O4 mounts with the identical four-screw configuration, and the adjustable digital camera tilt enables you to fly with near-zero angle for cinematic-style photographs.

This makes the Pavo20 Professional platform extra modular, and an important long-term funding.

Flight Efficiency

When it comes to flight traits, the Pavo20 Professional with DJI O4 Professional flies virtually identically to the O3 and NightFire editions. Similar energy, responsiveness, dealing with, and management authority.

I examined it in average wind as nicely (10–12 mph) and was impressed by how nicely it dealt with. No noticeable jello even when flying aggressively, and it gives clean management for each informal cruising and precision cinematic actions.

Let’s be practical, although—this isn’t a freestyle drone. It doesn’t have the ability or punch of an open-prop quad. However for low-speed, close-proximity cinematic flying, it’s preferrred. The built-in prop safety additionally makes it safer to make use of round folks or in tight areas.

I get about 5 to six minutes of flight time on a 3S 550mAh LiHV battery, about 4 to five minutes on 450mAh and simply over 6 minutes on 650mah. Nonetheless, greater battery doesn’t appear to supply vital longer flight time however makes it fly worse – 720mAh could be the most important pack I might use with the Pavo20 Professional.

The Pavo20 Professional isn’t notably loud by cinewhoop requirements as a result of its comparatively small dimension, but it surely’s nonetheless noisy sufficient that I wouldn’t suggest flying it indoors—except, after all, you’re in search of a divorce 😀 In order for you one thing appropriate for indoor flying, it’s best to stick to 1S tiny whoops. Try my prime suggestions right here: https://oscarliang.com/best-tiny-whoop/#Greatest-75mm-Tiny-Whoops

Pavo20 Professional vs GEPRC Cinelog30 V3

In comparison with the GEPRC Cinelog30 V3 I lately reviewed, the Pavo20 Professional is:

• Smaller, making it extra appropriate for flying in tight areas.
• Lighter, however with much less energy and payload capability.
• Extra restricted in freestyle capability as a result of its compact dimension.

The Cinelog30 V3, then again:

• Extra environment friendly and gives longer flight time.
• Extra highly effective and might carry heavier payload (even full dimension GoPro).
• It’s due to this fact extra versatile in several flying types.

Nonetheless, each drones use light-weight plastic prop guards to be able to maintain the load down, which means neither is constructed to resist laborious crashes. But when I used to be going to crash I might relatively choose the Pavo20 as a result of it’s lighter the impression might be much less, and in contrast to the Cinelog, the digital camera received’t come out in crashes as a result of it’s laborious mounted which makes life simpler.

The best way to Setup

Earlier than the primary flight, I did the next:

• Put in the 2 O4 antennas within the antenna mount.
• Eliminated the protecting movie from the digital camera lens.
• Plug in a smoke stopper, and join a battery and check the drone and see if it powers up accurately. You need to hear the ESC/motor initiation beeps.
• Personally I’d keep away from putting in the LED strip to avoid wasting weight.

Firmware

• The flight controller (FC) board goal is BETAFPVF405, and it comes preloaded with Betaflight firmware model 4.5.0. For inventory CLI Diff, see right here.
• ESC Firmware: Bluejay, 0.19 (C-X-70)
• ELRS Receiver Firmware Goal: Generic ESP8285 2.4GHz RX, firmware 3.3.0

Betaflight Setup

Remaining Ideas: Is It Price It?

Should you’re in search of the smallest cinewhoop with DJI O4 Professional help, the Pavo20 Professional is my prime advice.

You will get the Pavo20 Professional O4 version from the next distributors:

The design is strong because it has confirmed beforehand with the DJI O3. It carries the full-size O4 Air Unit with out feeling underpowered, and its small footprint makes it preferrred for each indoor and tight out of doors environments. It’s not constructed for aggressive freestyle or crashing—however for clean, cinematic flights, it performs admirably.

If you have already got the O3 model, there’s not an enormous purpose to improve except you need the higher digital camera efficiency of the O4 Professional. However in the event you’re deciding between the 2, go along with the O4 Professional model. It’s simply higher throughout.