Contixo F24 5G 1080p Brushless Foldable Drone w/ Gimbal*, $299.95 (contixo.com...)
Manufactured by Contixo (www.contixo.com)
Last updated 02-13-22
The Contixo F24 5G 1080p Brushless Foldable Drone w/ Gimbal* (hereinafter, probably just called the F24) is a mid-sized (297.2mm L x 233.7mm W x 121.9mm H), surprisingly light (517g {18.24oz.}) drone that features GPS stabilisation and the ability to tilt the camera's lens over a 90° range -- from pointing straight forward to pointing straight down.
This isn't a flashlight, household lamp, Christmas light set, or other thing that glows, but it *DOES* have a number of LEDs on its fuselage (this word is definitely *NOT* pronounced "fyoo SELL' uh jee" as Drake Parker from the TV program "Drake and Josh" would pronounce it; the word is pronounced "" , so what the hey
I love things that fly; that's why I took the bate and also why I added a seperate section titled "PRODUCTS DESIGNED TO FLY" on my website a number of years ago and created a new website just under a year ago specifically for flying machines of this nature!!! I was also attracted to something that this drone has that many others don't...
1: It has GPS and GLONASS-- simply meaning that it can stably hover despite any mild wind and knows where 'Home' is.
2: It has a gyro -- that means it's easy to fly even for a "craptastic" pilot like me.
3: It has all of those wonderful LEDs
4: The camera's aim can be changed right from the radio transmitter
The F24 is in the lower-end of being HOBBY GRADE, rather than just being another run-of-the-mill pisson toy grade drone.
It's not puny for one thing (it isn't huge, but it isn't microscopic either); and it sports BRUSHLESS motors that deliver incredible amounts of power and have a far longer useable lifetime than their brushed counterparts.
In the fourth and fifth photographs above, you should be able to easily spot an RCSaylors Sticker on the fuselage (on the flight battery, actually -- though as of 06-06-20 I moved it to the front of the drone's fuselage to make room for the anti-collision light that I received in late-June 2020) -- and in that fifth pic, you can see their much-vaunted Power Patch sticker along with that light.
It sports a 1080p camera with a 5.8GHz transmitter to furnish a live video feed to the app; both still photos and aerial video can be taken with it!
If you choose to use a memory chip that is rated lower than Class 10, you *MAY* see skipped frames, "jitters", unwanted intermittent video artifacts, and similar horse puckey.
The F24 has a very substantial, sturdy feel to it; it does not at all feel flimsy or loose like many products of, "Hoo Phlung Pu" origin so often do.
When you deploy (unfold) the pylons (arms), you can tell at once that the F24 just exudes quality!
I believe that the F24 can withstand winds of up to 22mph (35.42kph) thanks to that GPS stabilisation!
This toy is a bit more complicated to get it to take off than your average toy-grade drone...here's how to get it off the ground:
As with any rechargeable product, charge both the drone and the radio first, insert a Class 10 or higher 4GB+ MicroSD memory chip into the drone, and then you can pretend to fly a dragonfly (well, that's what the kitty cats would think it was if it were designed to be flown in a small living room).
First off, load the app called, "Contixo F22" onto your 5G WiFi cellular telephone handset.
1: Unfold the pylons (arms) starting with the two front ones (they have short "legs" on them). Once that is done, unfold the two rear pylons. Place the drone on the ground.
Press and hold the POWER button on the drone for several seconds until all of the blue lights come on and the drone starts to emit a short series of tones.
2: Turn the radio on by pressing and then releasing the reddish button located almost immediately adjacent to the right-hand stick.
At this point you may deploy the "antennae" if you wish -- or leave them folded. They appear to be decoys added to the radio for cosmetic purposes.
3: Push the left joystick up until it stops, pull it down until it stops and then allow it to return to the center, neutral position. This binds the radio with the drone.
4: Go into your phone's WiFi settings, and connect the one named Contixo {string of letters and numbers}.
Then launch the app.
Select "F24" from the drop-down menu toward the right of the screen, and then touch the icon tht looks like a remote control and has the word, "controls" above it.
5: At this point, you'll need to perform a geomagnetic calibration of the drone. Push the left joystick up and to the right and push the right joystick up and to the left. Hold them that way for a couple of seconds while observing the drone. When the lights on it start rapidly strobing, you may release both joysticks.
Hold the drone in front of you (holding it by the back of its fuselage) so that it's reasonably level. Then turn your whole body cockwise one full revolution.
Next, hold the drone in front of you (holding it by the back) so that the camera faces the ground. Then turn your whole body cockwise one full revolution.
6: The front white LEDs (near the ends of the front pylons) should now glow steady white.
When all of the drone's LEDs turn steady-on, you're ready to take off.
Pull both joysticks downward and inward to start the motors at idle speed. Now, push up on the left stick or press the Auto Takeoff button on the remote near the upper right corner, and the drone should now blast off and possibly leave an expanding cloud of dust (if you launched in a dry, dusty area anyway).
Congratulations, you're now a pilot!!!
For additional instructions & tips on how to fly, please read the instructional material that comes with the product.
To adjust the speed (rates), find the thumbwheel on the left shoulder of the radio. There are three speeds: low, medium, and high. To increase the speed rates, push the wheel toward the right. The remote will emit a brief beep to confirm that you have made the adjustment. If you keep pushing the wheel, the remote will continue to emit beeps -- when you're at maximum, the remote will emit a longer "beeeeeep" sound. The same thing will occur when you reduce the rates; e.g. when you reach minimum, the remote will emit a longer "beeeeeep" sound.
On the remote control, quickly press & release the "OFF/ON" button and then press & hold the same button for a couple of seconds, and then release it. On the drone, press & hold the "OFF/ON" button for a couple of seconds (until all of the blue lights have extinguished), and then release it. This should neutralise both of them.
Fold everything up, place the items back into their form-fitting compartments inside the bag, and zip the bag up.
The app records video to your mobile device whether you want it to or not; you'll want to go into the device's File Manager and delete them periodically or else you'll start seeing errors and other issues regarding low memory.
If you're recording video and wish to take a still photograph, you must first neutralise video recording. Then take your still photo(s), and then restart video recording.
The battery in the Contixo F24 5G 1080p Brushless Foldable Drone w/ Gimbal* AND its radio are rechargeable.
To charge the battery in the radio, plug the larger end of the furnished USB charger cord into any free USB receptacle on your computer, or into a "wall wart"-style USB charger commonly used for charging cellular telephone handsets. Plug the smaller end of this cable into the receptacle for it located on the left side of the radio's body. A red LED on the upper surface of the radio's body will turn on.
When this light turns off and a green light takes its place, you may safely unplug both ends of the USB charger cable.
To charge the Li:ION battery in the Contixo F24 5G 1080p Brushless Foldable Drone w/ Gimbal*, plug the furnished "wall wart" charger up into any standard (in north America anyway) 100 to 130 volts AC 60Hz household receptacle (or "wall outlet" or even "wall socket" if you prefer to be incorrect -- USE AN AMERICAN TO EUROPEAN PLUG ADAPTER IF NECESSARY!
You may use this charger on 220-240 VAC 50Hz power with a plug adapter but you may also use it with 100-130 VAC 60Hz as-is), and plug the larger end of the USB cord into it.
You may also plug this into any USB receptacle on your Pee-Cee or Mac computerl although charging may take longer.
Plug the smaller end of the USB cord into the female MicroUSB receptacle on the side of the battery itself.
You should see a series of blue LEDs on the upper surface of the battery. Once all four LEDs glow continuously (e.g., none of them are flashing), the charge cycle is complete and the battery may safely be unplugged from the charger.
Charge time from a fully flat battery (when LVC brings the drone in automatically) should be approx. three hours.
Just for {vulgar slang term for multiple feces} and giggles, I timed a charge cycle, and got 3:24.
Fully charging the Contixo F24 5G 1080p Brushless Foldable Drone w/ Gimbal*'s battery should give you approx. 20 to 25 minutes of flying time.
This R/C drone is meant to be used as a toy in a large dry area outdoors, not as a flashlight meant to be carried around all the time, thrashed, trashed, bashed, and abused; so I won't throw it against the wall, stomp on it, viciously chuck it at one of those wall-mounted porcelain uranators to see if it becomes broken (the drone, not the uranator!), try to drown it in the {vulgar slang term for a fudge bunny}bowl or the cistern, run over it, swing it against the concrete floor of a patio, bash it open to check it for candiosity, fire it from the cannoñata (I guess I've been watching the TV program "Viva Piñata" too much again - candiosity is usually checked with a scanner-type device on a platform with a large readout, with a handheld wand that Langston Lickatoad uses, or with a pack-of-cards-sized device that Fergy Fudgehog uses; and the cannoñata is only used to shoot piñatas to piñata parties away from picturesque Piñata Island), send it to the Daystrom Institute for additional analyses, launch it into the upper atmosphere of Gamalon V** so that chairman Sonji gets all pissy about it, or inflict upon it punishments that I might inflict upon a flashlight.
This drone has foldable pylons (arms) and folding props; this makes transport and storage a whole lot easier; the zippered carrying bag with foam cutouts for the drone, the radio, the charger, and all of the included spare props & tools makes this drone really convenient. BigDroneFlyer1964 likeeeeey!!!
The drone uses 2.4GHz RF radiation to communicate with its radio, and its camera uses 5.8GHz (802.11ac or just 5G WiFi) to relay its photographic and videographic data back to your smartphone or tablet.
The F24 can be flown strictly-dictly LOS (Line Of Sight) if you don't have a 5G tablet or smartphone.
Controller distance is stated as 1097.3M (3,600 feet).
The Contixo F24 has an operating temperature range of 32°F (0°C) to 104°F (40°C); operating it outside this range is not recommended.
There are no cameras or sensors on the underside but this is the case with most quadcopters and drones -- both toy-grade and hobby-grade. So I do not consider this to be a huge negative.
The mobile phone holder on the radio can accomodate handsets up to 81.1mm (3.19") wide
This video by TheRCSaylors is of the SJR/C F11 but it is physically and electrically identical to the Contixo F24.
Here are some motor & battery temperature measurements from some recent flights:
05-18-20 -- Motor temperature was measured at 90.1°F (32.8°C) after landing and battery temperature was 94.9°F (34.9°C) under the same conditions.
Ambient temperature was 71°F (21.6°C).
05-19-20 -- Motor temperature was measured at 76.4°F (24.7°C) after landing and battery temperature was 88.9°F (31.6°C) under the same conditions.
Ambient temperature when these measurements were taken was 69°F (20.6°C).
05-20-20 -- Motor temperature was measured at 95.6°F (35.3°C) after landing and battery temperature was 106.5°F (41.4°C) under the same conditions.
Ambient temperature was 78°F (25.6°C).
05-26-20 Motor temperature was measured at 115.1°F (46.2°C) after landing, battery temperature was a slightly toasty 118.4°F (48°C), and maximum camera temperature was 122.4°F (50.2°C) (measured on the front edge of that raised area just behind the lens) under the same conditions.
Ambient temperature was 99°F (37.2°C).
06-02-20 Motor temperature was measured at 95.9°F (35.5°C) after landing, battery temperature was 107.3°F (41.8°C), and maximum camera temperature was 96.6°F (35.9°C) (measured on the front edge of that raised area just behind the lens) under the same conditions.
Ambient temperature was 81°F (27.2°C).
As of late-May 2020, camera temperature is now being monitored because I've become aware of several reports that the camera was, "too hot to touch" after flights.
I know I already stated this earlier, but I think that it bears repeating: I just love the living tweedle out of the carrying case! Everything (and I do mean ***EVERYTHING***) that the F24 comes with fits neatly into cutouts in the foam for them: the drone itself, the transmitter, all spare props and tools, charger and cord, and the US-to-European plug adapter for the charger (if you need it -- I don't).
And with a very minor modification to the foam, my "windometer" (anemometer) and digital noncontact thermometer fit so I can have them handy for every mission that I take.
The image on the phone screen can be zoomed in and out (up to 4x magnification); however this is ***NOT*** recorded either on the MicroSD chip in the drone or on the video saved to your FPV device.
Besides not having a true gimbal, the only thing that really pisses me off about this drone is how easily the "Auto Land" button can be accidentally actuated and how easily the video can accidentally be neutralised.
ALL OF THE FLIGHT VIDEOS ARE ON THEIR OWN WEB PAGE
SO THAT THIS EVAL. WOULD NOT BECOME TOO CUMBERSOME!!!
Photograph of the radio (transmitter) for this drone with a cellular telephone handset clipped into place.
Photograph showing how I modified the inside of the case to store & transport my Benetech GM8908 Digital Anemometer and my Etekcity Lasergrip 774 Noncontact IR Thermometer (it's the thing with the yellow "head" near the bottom of the pic) that I'll be using to monitor motor, battery, and camera temperatures following most flights.
TEST NOTES:
Test unit was purchased on Ebay on 04-29-2020 and was received late on the morning of 05-01-20.
* Gimbal? Horse puckey. Horse puckey! HOOOOOOORRRRSE PUCKEY!!! Not even a PISS ANT one-axis gimbal on this guy. :-(
It behaves very similarly to a JJPRO "EPIK+" X5 drone in this regard; you can adjust the camera's Y-axis (vertical tilt) from the radio, but no, no gimbal.
This is the primary reason that it only rated 4½ remotes (it was three, but I've decided to boost its rating a bit and as of 06-08-20, gave it a home in The Trophy Case on this website as well!)
I really do love the living tweedle out of this drone even though it does not have a true gimbal!!!
The "antennae" on the radio appear to be there strictly-dictly for cosmetic purposes; one of the antennae on mine is missing its back plate so I can see that it is hollow inside.
** From the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Final Mission".
UPDATE: 05-20-20
I've been successfully flying the drone using a Samsung Galaxy S5 cellular telephone handset as my FPV device.
For reasons as-of-yet unknown, the phone will spontaneously switch to the "loaded apps selection" screen from time to time; I found that I have to neutralise recording from the radio, "X-out" and then relaunch the app, and then resume recording from the radio. If I fail to quit recording, I find that most of the time, the video will be lost.
I was not able to measure RPM at maximum thrust because it was simply too dangerous (for me AND for the drone!)
UPDATE: 06-28-20
I safely measured the motor RPM (at maximum thrust) with my Sunche Non-Contact Digital Laser Tachometer, and received a value of 7,072RPM.
This is a, "balls to the wall" absolute maximum reading; I deliberately performed the measurement with a significant degree of haste because I knew that it was pretty hard on those poor motors.
UPDATE: 07-04-20
From the tech support team at Contixo come the following RPM values:
Standby
Min. 9,240RPM
Max. 10,920RPM
Flying
Min. 13,200RPM
Max. 15,600RPM
These values do not jibe with my measurements -- not even close.
UPDATE: 07-28-20
I had a successful flight last night flying it with the SJ GPS PRO app (designed to be used with the SJR/C F11) -- this offers up yet more proof that these are the same drone -- just that one of them is a rebadged version of the other.
UPDATE: 07-30-20
I think that I am going to continue flying this drone with the SJ GPS PRO app -- it seems a bit more stable plus you can start & stop recording at will and don't have to exit and then relaunch the app every time.
UPDATE: 08-13-20
The flight battery appears to be going to pot.
I'm lucky to get 10 to 12-minute flight times now.
UPDATE: 08-14-20
I replaced all eight props to see if I can get a handle on the "jello" that's been occuring lately.
The hex-head screws are tiny, a bit fiddly, and most definitely "vaccumable", but I was able to handle the task with the aid of +4 diopter reading glasses and a penlight.
Changing the prop assemblies is actually quite an intuitive process; I did not have to hunt down the instructional materials or look anyhing up online; it took maybe ten minutes to change all four prop assemblies.
UPDATE: 08-15-20
If the recorded video file on the MicroSD chip is corrupted (this has happened to me twice now), don't get all bent out of shape! A copy is automatically recorded to your FPV device (in my case, a Samsung Galaxy S5 cellular telephone handset). It's only 720p, but it sure beats a hole in the head. :-)
UPDATE: 08-20-20
I have a new flight battery on the way, courtesy of TDR Drones -- the battery is from a trashed SJR/C F11 (please see this video {WARNING! NSFW DUE TO LOTS OF TOLIET TONGUE!} to see why it is "trashed") which is a direct clone of this drone so I don't forsee any issues with it fitting -- either electrically or mechanically.
The one I'm using now (the OEM battery) is definitely petering out; I'm currently getting flight times of just 10 to 13 minutes.
UPDATE: 08-30-20
The new flight battery arrived yesterday morning.
I got a flight time of 21:16 on my first outing with this battery.
UPDATE: 09-01-20
Timed with a stopwatch, the new battery went from essentially flat to fully-charged in 3:24 using the wall charger that was furnished with this drone.
UPDATE: 09-03-20
Again, timed with a stopwatch, the new battery went from essentially flat (the drone had entered into auto-RTH LVC and I allowed it to complete its task) to fully-charged in 3:07 using the wall charger that was furnished with this drone.
UPDATE: 09-29-20
This drone is fully capable of carrying a GoPro Hero 3 Action Cam although you do have to use the "Flip" function in the camera (because the camera will be mounted upside-down so that you can still access the shutter button on it) and use adhesive tape to fasten it to the underside of the drone's fuselage.
Weight of the camera (incl. battery) is 73.0g (2.58 oz.).
UPDATE: 09-30-20
This is how I've been flying with the GoPro.
I tried mounting the camera on the upper portion of the drone's fuselage, but no matter where I put the GoPro (extreme front, extreme rear, or at the center), the drone fails to establish a GPS lock -- and it won't fly or even spin up without GPS lock.
And this is the tape that I've been using to affix the GoPro to my drone.
I chose this tape specically because it does not leave "tape poop" (residue) behind like duct tape would.
I later found two pieces of double-sided adhesive foam in the packaging materials for a POS action cam that I recently obtained, and used one of those to affix the GoPro to the underside of the drone's fuselage.
And what surprised me here is that the drone still fits in its bag and the bag can still be zipped up!
UPDATE: 10-01-20
This is the new mounting configuration of my GoPro to the underside of the drone's fuselage.
The piece of tape is there only for a bit of insurance in the remote event that the adhesive on the foam fails mid-flight; there is another similar piece of tape on the back of the camera.
UPDATE: 10-04-20
You know, the more I fly the Contixo F24, the more I like the silly thing!!!
I've decided to upgrade its rating to 6½ radios!!!
UPDATE: 11-25-21
This drone CAN be flown strictly-dictly LOS without the app or even a cellular telephone handset.
Even the preflight calibrations can be accomplished manually.
Video and still photographs ***ARE*** recorded to the MicroSD chip in the drone's fuselage.
I also successfully installed the SJR/C F11 app in my Apple Ipad Mini 4 and everything's just peachy.
UPDATE: 02-02-22
Just a minor update here to report that I purchased another flight battery early yesterday morning; the last flight battery has petered out and only provides ~seven minute flight times.
MANUFACTURER: Contixo
PRODUCT TYPE: Medium-sized hobby-grade drone w/ GPS and camera gimbal*
LAMP TYPE: LED
No. OF LAMPS: at least 21 (4x green, 4x red, 2x blue in drone, 4x blue in the battery, 7x various colors in radio)
BEAM TYPE: N/A
REFLECTOR TYPE: N/A
SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off on both drone and radio
CASE MATERIAL: Plastic
BEZEL: N/A
BATTERY: 3.7V 300mAh Li:ION rechargeable cell in in radio, 1x 11.10V 2,500mAh Li:Po for drone
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
WATER- AND POLAR BEAR MICTURITION-RESISTANT: Very light sprinkle-resistance at maximum (though if a polar bear really does piddle on it, you've got FAR bigger problems than a stinky dead drone, hahaha!!! )
SUBMERSIBLE: ¡¡¡SATANÁS LLEVA UN PAÑAL SUCIO, NO!!!
ACCESSORIES: Carrying bag, wall wart-style USB charger, US-to-European plug converter, USB charging cable, flight battery, 4x spare blade sets, a bunch of hex-head screws for props, three Allen wrenches, phone holder, sm. Phillips screwdriver
SIZE: 297.2mm L x 233.7mm W x 121.9mm H
WEIGHT: 517g (18.24oz.) (incl. flight battery); 320g (11.29oz.) (empty); 198g (6.98 oz.) (battery itself)
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: China
WARRANTY: 1 year
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" 
, so what the hey
)
