There is a bug in 2.2.0 which doesn't turn off the PA between packets increasing the power useage. See Disable TX PA between packets #1212. The next release is going to be interesting as it will include this, some form of LBT implementation and 1000hz mode.
Interesting yes, but a problem? No. Neither are the smaller batteries of the Zorro. Neither should we care. With easily swappable and rechargeable batteries, as long as they last more than my maximum flight time, I'm not worried. Actually any remote using any system on the market today will last quite a few flights before a battery swap or recharge is needed. Ok, maybe not if you do five or six 20mins long range flights at 500mW output, but for most people, this is a non-issue. I use my Tango 2 and the BetaFPV Nano ELRS TX and using both systems throughout an afternoon, I never had to even think about my remote's battery. The 18350 batteries of the Zorro won't stop me from buying one. ELRS is just too good to pass!
Hell yes, that is a Problem! Who wants to charge additional batteries for the remote and change them frequently in the remote, when it is completely unnecessary with properly designed remotes? As you said, with your current combo you don't have to care about your remotes batteries, and that's how it should be.
@@kaptn_kapton It's not that critical. Not like it's a federal case kinda thing, but I understand what you prefer … a nice glass of whine. I have four 18350 1200mAh for my Zorro. It’s never more than one swap a day - maximum. If I’m doing four-five long range 900MHz that module is fed by a separate battery anyway. If charging is such an issue go for a Boxer and a 6200mAh battery. Then it last for a month for most people.
I have a problem, my range is so bad with my r9 2019 900mhz. 400 meters and failsafe. A new reciever and antenna are helping nothing ( other reciever placement too). I flasht both new? My lq is most of the time high but the rssidb is so low i have after 300meters -90 at 50 mw ???? Can someone help me
Bery, bery eeenteresting Dr. Spychalski. EDIT: I just realized that you might take that spelling offensive. But I literally said it out loud like that when I finished watching the video.....soooo.......hope its all good.
Interesting observation, but an insignificant cost in power over the duration of a flying session. Not sure what your point is. How long do you expect to fly for.
Some people fly allll day. I, for one, really noticed my tango 2 dying in about half the normal time. It was super annoying, because tango 2 takes like 2 hours to charge and the sun was going to down, so my normal, Fill up my bag with paks 'session', was cut short. I like to have sessions like that all the time. Pack a bag and go out for the day. So.. its kind of a big deal since you don't just pop 18650s in and out.
It's information of importance if you are doing long flights... ie. 30-60 minute missions... and if doing completion days or taking one radio with you for a weekend, may make you change your mind on what to take with you... I. E. If you take the zorro, you may also take a external battery, USB powerbank or a charger with you.
Pretty interesting results indeed, Pawel! Thanks! 😃 I wander if the R9 module with ELRS flashed to it would be much different... Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
interesting video. but I don't like the use of ELRS name referring to a hardware product. I think is Happymodel ES24TX, ES900TX o somthing similar. This gives bad reputation to a good open source project that is not responsible for the bad hardware a company makes.
Great video! Could you do an extended version of this? Maybe with other modules/other power levels. Also I often wonder what's how much of a difference the backlight on the TX16S makes. Could you test how much current it pulls when the backlight is completely off vs mid vs high?
I also would love to see more in depth on this. Add crossfire. And get points for multiple power levels. Does the excessive current increase as well, or does it stay constant?
@@Cre8ionz. do you mean the zorro, rather than TX16S? As the 2s/XH JST connector inside the battery bay *is* on the TX16S the main power connector. The zorro can be power solely from the external connector but I wouldn't recommend it unless securely anchored.
Very useful to long rangers, even when we employ large external TX batteries. Dead transmitters are a suboptimal way to end flights. Thank you for shedding light on the darkest wrinkles of our circuit boards, as always!
You are measuring Curent Drawn in Amps and comparing two different radios. I presume you were measuring the battery drain current (please confirm). If so, what voltages were you reading. Amps doesn’t tell you the power used, only Watts will tell you that - so what were the voltages?
Good subject. Interesting to know if the consumption is down to the hardware or the protocol running on it. Unfortunately, I do not possess all the equipment to measure power in / power out not counting the inefficiency of the antenna. Protocol be dammed if it means running down the batteries fast.
I think it's mostly due to hardware choices. I think, not sure thought
Рік тому
Hi Paweł, im returning to fpv after 2 years.. I was using frsky on racers and polish eleres on fpv platforms. Now im bit confused what to pick as new link, is it good idea to stick with polish eleres, or is it better to pick something like expressLRS for all my rigs and planes? Mosty acro frames and few planes from small to big ones. Whats Your opinion or advise?
Go with ExpressLRS. If you do not have the hardware that you really need to still use, just go with Express LRS. And watch this ua-cam.com/video/ENik0OwMMGw/v-deo.html
So your saying, we should buy the Zorro with 4in1 internal and run an external ELRS module? Would that pull less current? And give possible 1W ability?
@@publicname515 any radio running openTx or EdgeTx has the option to select internal module or external module, and it will only power up the module that is selected. So you can have both off when using simulator, only internal, only external, or both if you wanted but you usually wouldn't. I would probably prefer this radio with internal 4in1 and external Elrs module.
I don't think this is necessarily *a problem*, but is important information people need when making decision on what to purchase, or what to take with them. i. E. I would alway make sure my Zorro was nearly fully charged before taking it out for a couple of flights, as I know its runtime is limited. I also have the external power cord in the case (just in case... have yet to need it). I believe the inefficiency was due to use of linear power regulator on the zorro for the ELRS rather than switching regulator, which was quite lossy as your results indicated.
R9M.? Known!.......... But on which duty cyles were you running the modules? Keep in mind, the ERLS module has a second chip for the backpack. Are these on R9 or Ghost present as well?
very interesting, zorro elrs is my plan future radio. maybe radiomaster can use this info and get their gear efficiency improved, and hopefully it can still be optimize by firmware. lets hope so.
Hmm... something is rotten in Denmark (with ELRS) or the modules being made for it. Battery life is why I didn't buy the Zorro. now I'm wondering if the Jumper t pro with ELRS will have a too short batt life..
What would be interesting to measure is how many milliamps the Radiomaster TX16s internal ELRS module pulls. To see if it's a Zorro issue or if it's just Radiomaster's implementation of ELRS. Radiomaster Zorro uses the Semtech SX1280 transceiver which claims to be low energy consumption on the chips website, so I am surprised to see this. Thank you for doing this testing
@@FPVUniversity After all of my research... 4in1 + Happymodel ES24Tx Slim Pro + Vapcell F14 1400mah batteries is the best I would guess ~4hrs battery on ELRS with this setup. Up to 1w if needed, and most battery life. If you want more battery life, then go 18500 batteries 2000mah and modify the zorro. Or 18650 but then you might have to modify the gimbles slighty. Or external battery pack if you want even more. 4in1 gives you capability to fly all kinds of models in the future if you ever buy them.
I'm an older experienced 3D helicopter/plane guy highly vested in specktrum radios and receivers(Old school im finding out!!)... Anyway I'm looking to sell my DX8 and get this radio it seems popular and my old transmitter doesn't play nice with all these new flight controllers with built in receivers and BNF etc on quadcopters without a ton of extra tinkering... what is the difference between the 4:1 and the ERLS version why would I pick one over the other... any help would be greatly appreciated thank you
@@EnglishTurbines I don't have numbers but its much better than the 2 hrs from elrs, just make sure you use dynamic and use the option to switch it to 25 mw when it is disarmed or it will blast full power when not connected I will check with multimeter tonight
Does changing the packet rate effect the current draw? If so, would it be possible to retest keeping the packet rates the same (or close as possible) for each module type?
Not as much as you might expect. Higher data rate does not mean radio is working longer. As each packet is shorter. There will be another video on this topic.
Just paying better attention second time around. R9m was at 10mw lmao omg like 40% the power output and using more power damn. Can running hot make it run less efficient and use more current? Not sure if that's a thing
So how many minutes of actual flying will you get with the Zorro internal elrs on the full 250mw power output? Will I be able to fly my 4 1300mah 4s packs? which get me around 8min of flight each.. so 32min actual flight time..
@@FPVUniversity yep watched it already. Just thought this video may have changed that.. so 2hrs on full power with 900mah batteries. I bought 1000mah batteries for mine, so I'm happy knowing I'll get at least 2hrs flying time before needing to charge the Zorro. Thanks!
Looking forward to seeing similar energy efficiency tests being preformed on receivers of various protocols. Ideally at both 25mW and 100mW. Which is more important, having an energy efficient transmitter, or a more energy efficient receiver? IMO: think energy efficiency of receiver (Rx) is more concerning that the transmitter (Tx), maybe I'm wrong.
I wound up getting the Namimno 2.4ghz transmitter and find that the exposed parts of the heatsink become hot to the touch rather quickly, no matter the output power. I've elected to have the fan always running because of this.
At 25 mw, I wonder if the processing takes most of the power, but then when you get to higher amplification like even 200 mw, then maybe the difference between the modules becomes more negligible, because they all might be using the same amount of power that is mostly going to amplification. I'm really curious.
can you do the test again, but check how the current scales with higher outputs? like on 100, 500 and 1W output. I wonder if the electronics just use more current, like the fan in the elrs module, but that at higher outputs it equalizes this base power draw
@@FPVUniversity Yeah, obvious I suppose. Was thinking there may be some odd power supply arrangement but I guess the modules are just powered straight off battery vcc. Does mean that if you only want to use ELRS then the cheapest Zorro CC2500 option with an efficient ERLS nano module is a better choice if you want significantly better battery life and the ability to use something other than the stock antenna.
@@DronoTron First of all , the duty cycle (50 hz up to 500hz) makes the mpu work harder , second the additional ESP for backpack work ( for vtx vrx...or what ever you use) has to keep up and cannot stay in powersave mode). The consumption depends on your settings and need. Btw , on a converted tx module ( e.g. Siyi FM30) , this only a quarter, because of its slower STM32 and the on/off switchable additioanal BTmodule .(0.616W to max 1.056W) The HM ESP takes on the same settings (1.936W to 3.776W) Maximum at 1000mW output is .......5.856W.
Paweł Spychalski would be good to include in your assessment how this power is being used to the benefit of the radio link. I don’t think it’s an accident.
I have never run out of TX power running the Crossfire TX Lite at 1 W.....simply attach a 3s 1500 mAh life battery onto it from your pocket.Always good for an hour or so in my experience.
Question: does it pull more at higher wattage? Say for example ...does it pull more watts at 50mw or 200mw and is it the same as 25mw. If that is the case then there is no point in using lower power settings being that it sucks up the same amount of amps. Could be interesting to find out.
@@FPVUniversity ahh so there is use in running your ELRS at lower power settings, it’s still gonna drain the same amount of energy from battery. One naturally assumes that running it at lower watt settings would drain less battery, however it does not. Good to know.
This is horrible, how you are a software engineer and have no understanding of the hardware is beyond me. 25mw setting does not mean 25mw until you have tested the output. For all you know it might have been doing something in the background or polling for a short period of time
Read what you wrote and think about it again. 25mW is 25mW (more less) because RF chipset is a very precise in measuring how much it radiates and the same goes for power amplifier if installed. So yes, 25mW means that TX should output 25mW to the antenna, not any other number
@@FPVUniversity Hey Genius the Happy model TX you used in your video doesn't even have a hall effect sensor, It can't even measure the AC current to work out the wattage, its purely estimated based on tolerance and resolution of the processor. You're wrong because that's not how engineering works and if you had measured the output you would realise that they all have different outputs. Remember 25mw is 25mw/h RMS.
@@FPVUniversity hello Pawel, I have made some measurements and here is the results crossfire 100 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 190- 197 mA crossfire 25 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 110 - 125 mA namimno flash 2.4 oled - 100 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 424 mA -with fan namimno flash 2.4 oled - 100 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 340-350 mA -no fan namimno flash 2.4 oled - 25 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 342 mA -with fan namimno flash 2.4 oled - 25 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 265 mA -no fan seems like namimno module takes almost 2x as much power
Goes in heat. But doesn't matter because no one should have and use that radio as is illegal, but you again forgot say it. Say with me, this radio, this elrs module is illegal.
There is a bug in 2.2.0 which doesn't turn off the PA between packets increasing the power useage. See Disable TX PA between packets #1212. The next release is going to be interesting as it will include this, some form of LBT implementation and 1000hz mode.
OK, then I will retest after 2.3 is released.
@@FPVUniversity So???
Interesting yes, but a problem? No. Neither are the smaller batteries of the Zorro. Neither should we care. With easily swappable and rechargeable batteries, as long as they last more than my maximum flight time, I'm not worried. Actually any remote using any system on the market today will last quite a few flights before a battery swap or recharge is needed. Ok, maybe not if you do five or six 20mins long range flights at 500mW output, but for most people, this is a non-issue. I use my Tango 2 and the BetaFPV Nano ELRS TX and using both systems throughout an afternoon, I never had to even think about my remote's battery. The 18350 batteries of the Zorro won't stop me from buying one. ELRS is just too good to pass!
Hell yes, that is a Problem! Who wants to charge additional batteries for the remote and change them frequently in the remote, when it is completely unnecessary with properly designed remotes? As you said, with your current combo you don't have to care about your remotes batteries, and that's how it should be.
@@kaptn_kapton It's not that critical. Not like it's a federal case kinda thing, but I understand what you prefer … a nice glass of whine. I have four 18350 1200mAh for my Zorro. It’s never more than one swap a day - maximum. If I’m doing four-five long range 900MHz that module is fed by a separate battery anyway. If charging is such an issue go for a Boxer and a 6200mAh battery. Then it last for a month for most people.
I have a problem, my range is so bad with my r9 2019 900mhz. 400 meters and failsafe. A new reciever and antenna are helping nothing ( other reciever placement too). I flasht both new? My lq is most of the time high but the rssidb is so low i have after 300meters -90 at 50 mw ???? Can someone help me
Bery, bery eeenteresting Dr. Spychalski. EDIT: I just realized that you might take that spelling offensive. But I literally said it out loud like that when I finished watching the video.....soooo.......hope its all good.
Interesting observation, but an insignificant cost in power over the duration of a flying session. Not sure what your point is. How long do you expect to fly for.
Some people fly allll day. I, for one, really noticed my tango 2 dying in about half the normal time. It was super annoying, because tango 2 takes like 2 hours to charge and the sun was going to down, so my normal, Fill up my bag with paks 'session', was cut short. I like to have sessions like that all the time. Pack a bag and go out for the day. So.. its kind of a big deal since you don't just pop 18650s in and out.
It's information of importance if you are doing long flights... ie. 30-60 minute missions... and if doing completion days or taking one radio with you for a weekend, may make you change your mind on what to take with you... I. E. If you take the zorro, you may also take a external battery, USB powerbank or a charger with you.
Pretty interesting results indeed, Pawel! Thanks! 😃
I wander if the R9 module with ELRS flashed to it would be much different...
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
That´s of course a clever and interesting Question.
interesting video. but I don't like the use of ELRS name referring to a hardware product. I think is Happymodel ES24TX, ES900TX o somthing similar. This gives bad reputation to a good open source project that is not responsible for the bad hardware a company makes.
Great video!
Could you do an extended version of this? Maybe with other modules/other power levels.
Also I often wonder what's how much of a difference the backlight on the TX16S makes. Could you test how much current it pulls when the backlight is completely off vs mid vs high?
I will think about it
I also would love to see more in depth on this. Add crossfire. And get points for multiple power levels. Does the excessive current increase as well, or does it stay constant?
@@FPVUniversity how do you have powered the Tx16S ?
it has a 2S balance plug.. does it turn on, when only applying "+ & -" ?
@@Cre8ionz. do you mean the zorro, rather than TX16S? As the 2s/XH JST connector inside the battery bay *is* on the TX16S the main power connector. The zorro can be power solely from the external connector but I wouldn't recommend it unless securely anchored.
Very useful to long rangers, even when we employ large external TX batteries. Dead transmitters are a suboptimal way to end flights. Thank you for shedding light on the darkest wrinkles of our circuit boards, as always!
My pleasure!
Think of the poor little electrons!
poor bastarda
You are measuring Curent Drawn in Amps and comparing two different radios. I presume you were measuring the battery drain current (please confirm). If so, what voltages were you reading. Amps doesn’t tell you the power used, only Watts will tell you that - so what were the voltages?
No, I'm not comparing two radios. I'm comparing TX modules. There are just 2 comparisons on 2 radios. So no, I'm not mixing anything
interesting not often mentioned topic :)
Good subject. Interesting to know if the consumption is down to the hardware or the protocol running on it. Unfortunately, I do not possess all the equipment to measure power in / power out not counting the inefficiency of the antenna. Protocol be dammed if it means running down the batteries fast.
I think it's mostly due to hardware choices. I think, not sure thought
Hi Paweł, im returning to fpv after 2 years..
I was using frsky on racers and polish eleres on fpv platforms. Now im bit confused what to pick as new link, is it good idea to stick with polish eleres, or is it better to pick something like expressLRS for all my rigs and planes?
Mosty acro frames and few planes from small to big ones.
Whats Your opinion or advise?
Go with ExpressLRS. If you do not have the hardware that you really need to still use, just go with Express LRS. And watch this ua-cam.com/video/ENik0OwMMGw/v-deo.html
You can get the idea by seeing the tx16s battery usage data for elrs and mpm .
So your saying, we should buy the Zorro with 4in1 internal and run an external ELRS module? Would that pull less current? And give possible 1W ability?
The thing is, I'm not saying anything like that. It's just a raw data, no customer advice
Right I would like to know this answer as well! And does the Zorro radio turn off the internal 4in1 when it is using the external ELRS module?
@@publicname515 any radio running openTx or EdgeTx has the option to select internal module or external module, and it will only power up the module that is selected. So you can have both off when using simulator, only internal, only external, or both if you wanted but you usually wouldn't. I would probably prefer this radio with internal 4in1 and external Elrs module.
Will the Happymodel Lite elrs module fit in the Zorro without modifications?
I don't think this is necessarily *a problem*, but is important information people need when making decision on what to purchase, or what to take with them. i. E. I would alway make sure my Zorro was nearly fully charged before taking it out for a couple of flights, as I know its runtime is limited. I also have the external power cord in the case (just in case... have yet to need it). I believe the inefficiency was due to use of linear power regulator on the zorro for the ELRS rather than switching regulator, which was quite lossy as your results indicated.
It’s a good job you can buy a lot of spare batteries with the money you save from buying ELRS instead of Crossfire 🤔. 🤣🤣
R9M.? Known!.......... But on which duty cyles were you running the modules? Keep in mind, the ERLS module has a second chip for the backpack. Are these on R9 or Ghost present as well?
No, R9M and Ghost does not have those
Nice catch. Is it a software issue or is culprit in Zorro internal elrs module? The latter may be painful to fix.
I have no idea yet. Could be both
what's the voltage base on of those current consume?
I think if they doubled the thickness of the traces the onboard voltage drops might settle down
very interesting, zorro elrs is my plan future radio. maybe radiomaster can use this info and get their gear efficiency improved, and hopefully it can still be optimize by firmware. lets hope so.
Hmm... something is rotten in Denmark (with ELRS) or the modules being made for it. Battery life is why I didn't buy the Zorro. now I'm wondering if the Jumper t pro with ELRS will have a too short batt life..
Did you check actual RF power output ?
What would be interesting to measure is how many milliamps the Radiomaster TX16s internal ELRS module pulls. To see if it's a Zorro issue or if it's just Radiomaster's implementation of ELRS.
Radiomaster Zorro uses the Semtech SX1280 transceiver which claims to be low energy consumption on the chips website, so I am surprised to see this.
Thank you for doing this testing
Yup, I have an intention to make such a video
@@FPVUniversity After all of my research... 4in1 + Happymodel ES24Tx Slim Pro + Vapcell F14 1400mah batteries is the best I would guess ~4hrs battery on ELRS with this setup. Up to 1w if needed, and most battery life. If you want more battery life, then go 18500 batteries 2000mah and modify the zorro. Or 18650 but then you might have to modify the gimbles slighty. Or external battery pack if you want even more. 4in1 gives you capability to fly all kinds of models in the future if you ever buy them.
I'm an older experienced 3D helicopter/plane guy highly vested in specktrum radios and receivers(Old school im finding out!!)... Anyway I'm looking to sell my DX8 and get this radio it seems popular and my old transmitter doesn't play nice with all these new flight controllers with built in receivers and BNF etc on quadcopters without a ton of extra tinkering... what is the difference between the 4:1 and the ERLS version why would I pick one over the other... any help would be greatly appreciated thank you
That depends if you want to go with 4in1 or Express LRS :) To 4in1 you can add external Express LRS module. And 4in1 to Express LRS version
Ordered the 4 in 1 Zorro...I intend using Crossfire not ELRS.
Like to know how much the Nano CRSF Module pulls...??...🤔🤔🇬🇧
I think less
@@FPVUniversity Me too...🤔🇬🇧
@@EnglishTurbines I don't have numbers but its much better than the 2 hrs from elrs, just make sure you use dynamic and use the option to switch it to 25 mw when it is disarmed or it will blast full power when not connected I will check with multimeter tonight
@@kylekuzmick5450 Hey man, much appreciated...🤔😀👍👍🇬🇧
Why not just buy a Tango 2?🤪
Does changing the packet rate effect the current draw? If so, would it be possible to retest keeping the packet rates the same (or close as possible) for each module type?
Not as much as you might expect. Higher data rate does not mean radio is working longer. As each packet is shorter. There will be another video on this topic.
Just paying better attention second time around. R9m was at 10mw lmao omg like 40% the power output and using more power damn. Can running hot make it run less efficient and use more current? Not sure if that's a thing
So that is why some of the TX modules have XT30 battery connectors. So you don't drain your TX battery and still have the best link, right?
yes, exactly
So how many minutes of actual flying will you get with the Zorro internal elrs on the full 250mw power output? Will I be able to fly my 4 1300mah 4s packs? which get me around 8min of flight each.. so 32min actual flight time..
Funny that you ask, because I have an answer to this question! ua-cam.com/video/aLjzgGJLbD8/v-deo.html
@@FPVUniversity yep watched it already. Just thought this video may have changed that.. so 2hrs on full power with 900mah batteries. I bought 1000mah batteries for mine, so I'm happy knowing I'll get at least 2hrs flying time before needing to charge the Zorro. Thanks!
Looking forward to seeing similar energy efficiency tests being preformed on receivers of various protocols.
Ideally at both 25mW and 100mW.
Which is more important, having an energy efficient transmitter, or a more energy efficient receiver?
IMO: think energy efficiency of receiver (Rx) is more concerning that the transmitter (Tx), maybe I'm wrong.
I would prefer more efficient TX as TX battery is usually smaller than long-range rig you might use it when such a comparison makes sense
@@FPVUniversity Good point. Definitely depends on type of flying.
My elrs900 r9 lite pro uses less than crossfire. It works on t-lite where my crossfire doesnt
Crossfire can be power hungry and it has the biggest power amplifier
I wound up getting the Namimno 2.4ghz transmitter and find that the exposed parts of the heatsink become hot to the touch rather quickly, no matter the output power. I've elected to have the fan always running because of this.
Fan is a good idea. Heat kills electronics. And, if a hardware manufacturer does not know what to do, he usually forgets about heat management
At 25 mw, I wonder if the processing takes most of the power, but then when you get to higher amplification like even 200 mw, then maybe the difference between the modules becomes more negligible, because they all might be using the same amount of power that is mostly going to amplification. I'm really curious.
when I tested only different power levels on Zorro, difference between 25mW and 250mW was only around 20%
can you do the test again, but check how the current scales with higher outputs? like on 100, 500 and 1W output. I wonder if the electronics just use more current, like the fan in the elrs module, but that at higher outputs it equalizes this base power draw
take a look here ua-cam.com/video/aLjzgGJLbD8/v-deo.html where I tested different power usages of Zorro Express LRS
Interesting to know how much power an external ERLS module uses with the Zorro ?
Same as with other radio
@@FPVUniversity Yeah, obvious I suppose. Was thinking there may be some odd power supply arrangement but I guess the modules are just powered straight off battery vcc. Does mean that if you only want to use ELRS then the cheapest Zorro CC2500 option with an efficient ERLS nano module is a better choice if you want significantly better battery life and the ability to use something other than the stock antenna.
@@termite2691 Right I would like to know this as well! Seems like a no-brainer then you get 1000mw transmit power, and a better antenna
The transmitters definitely use more than crossfire. Sags my battery right down.
Very interesting. R9m and Ghost running elrs?
No, their native firmwares
@@FPVUniversity what about a test all running elrs? Maybe is the firmware whats making the difference 🤔
@@DronoTron First of all , the duty cycle (50 hz up to 500hz) makes the mpu work harder , second the additional ESP for backpack work ( for vtx vrx...or what ever you use) has to keep up and cannot stay in powersave mode). The consumption depends on your settings and need. Btw , on a converted
tx module ( e.g. Siyi FM30) , this only a quarter, because of its slower STM32 and the on/off switchable additioanal BTmodule .(0.616W to max 1.056W) The HM ESP takes on the same settings (1.936W to 3.776W) Maximum at 1000mW output is .......5.856W.
Now the question to ask is why? Why are the modules so much less efficient and how can they be improved?
I bet it's a hardware choice. Two ESP32/ESP8266 will pull quite a lot of current. Or, maybe, it can be optimized on the software. Too early to say
Paweł Spychalski
would be good to include in your assessment how this power is being used to the benefit of the radio link. I don’t think it’s an accident.
Maybe vs. crossfire?
Would like to, but I don't own the hardware
@@FPVUniversity a pity…
I have never run out of TX power running the Crossfire TX Lite at 1 W.....simply attach a 3s 1500 mAh life battery onto it from your pocket.Always good for an hour or so in my experience.
also a good choice
@@FPVUniversity 😉👍🍻
for me the most important part would be the RX efficiency .
Спасибо!
Bloody hell!
Do. you look at the power usage at max power, ELRS on the Zorro must be a good hand warmer.
I will have to open the Zorro and look closely at the internals
would be interesting to see a comparison between esp and stm based elrs "modules"... esp32 ...
My expectation would be that STM32 is much more efficient
@@FPVUniversity I would think so too.
Question: does it pull more at higher wattage? Say for example ...does it pull more watts at 50mw or 200mw and is it the same as 25mw. If that is the case then there is no point in using lower power settings being that it sucks up the same amount of amps. Could be interesting to find out.
The difference is much smaller than you might think. 20mW vs 250mW is like 20% difference only.
@@FPVUniversity ahh so there is use in running your ELRS at lower power settings, it’s still gonna drain the same amount of energy from battery. One naturally assumes that running it at lower watt settings would drain less battery, however it does not. Good to know.
@@JuanRodriguezArchitect you understand that the output power is in miliwatts right
....and then there is only "the small" lioncells in it.
Should’ve added TBS modules 🤔
Send me some, I'll do measurements :)
who cares?
This is horrible, how you are a software engineer and have no understanding of the hardware is beyond me. 25mw setting does not mean 25mw until you have tested the output. For all you know it might have been doing something in the background or polling for a short period of time
Read what you wrote and think about it again. 25mW is 25mW (more less) because RF chipset is a very precise in measuring how much it radiates and the same goes for power amplifier if installed. So yes, 25mW means that TX should output 25mW to the antenna, not any other number
@@FPVUniversity Hey Genius the Happy model TX you used in your video doesn't even have a hall effect sensor, It can't even measure the AC current to work out the wattage, its purely estimated based on tolerance and resolution of the processor.
You're wrong because that's not how engineering works and if you had measured the output you would realise that they all have different outputs. Remember 25mw is 25mw/h RMS.
I feel like my namimno module pulls much more energy than the crossfire micro v2
It would be very useful if you could check that
@@FPVUniversity if you could show me how did you measured it I could do that
@@FPVUniversity hello Pawel, I have made some measurements and here is the results
crossfire 100 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 190- 197 mA
crossfire 25 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 110 - 125 mA
namimno flash 2.4 oled - 100 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 424 mA -with fan
namimno flash 2.4 oled - 100 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 340-350 mA -no fan
namimno flash 2.4 oled - 25 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 342 mA -with fan
namimno flash 2.4 oled - 25 mw dynamic on, no rx connected - 265 mA -no fan
seems like namimno module takes almost 2x as much power
Who cares? ELRS benefits outweigh having to charge the batteries more often
The receivers for elrs use alot also
Yes, yes they are. I will make a test with receivers as well
heat
I'm an happy user of the Ghost and i think it's a lot understimate, maybe for the lack of compability with betaflight 4.2
For that I blame Betaflight ;) 4.2 was release like 20 months ago and 4.3 is still coming
zoro is going down by all reviewer before it released, and i lose interest to hunt for it 🤐
No, why? I like mine very much
Goes in heat. But doesn't matter because no one should have and use that radio as is illegal, but you again forgot say it.
Say with me, this radio, this elrs module is illegal.
This video is getting so much hate on the Elrs FB page lol
oh well, what can I do...
@@FPVUniversity State the facts like you have already done. Be interesting to see what is causing the power discrepancy to other hardware.