I wanted to check out the Hummingbird 305 FC/ESC Stack from NewBeeDrone because it is one of the very few stacks manufactured outside China currently. China has long been the main hub for RC manufacturing due to its low labor costs and unmatched supply chain advantage, so almost all RC components are made there. But with rising geopolitical tensions, it makes sense for some components to diversify their sources of supply rather than relying too heavily on one country to produce most of the hardware in the FPV hobby. In this review, we will look at the features of the Hummingbird 305 and what kinds of FPV applications can potentially benefit from this stack.
New to FPV? Learn the basics of flight controllers here: https://oscarliang.com/flight-controller/
Where to Buy
You can get the Hummingbird 305 FC/ESC Stack from:
Accessories Include
FC:
- 2× 2.4GHz RX antennas
- 5× rubber grommets
- 1× 6-pin cable, 100mm (for DJI O3/O4)
- 1× SH1.0 3-pin 100mm cable for analog FPV camera
- 3× SH1.0 4-pin 100mm cables for UART ports
- 1× SH1.0 6-pin 100mm cable for HD VTX
- 3× 120mm silicone wire 4-color cables
- 1× SH1.0 8-pin 96mm cable for FC to ESC
ESC:
- 5× rubber grommets
- 1× XT60 pigtail (12AWG, 10cm silicone wires)
- 1× 35V 1000uF capacitor
- 2× small heat-shrink tubes for capacitor
Specifications
Hummingbird 305 Flight Controller
- MCU: STM32F722
- Gyro: ICM-42688
- Built-in receiver: ExpressLRS 2.4GHz Diversity Receiver
- Receiver firmware target: NewBeeDrone Diversity 2.4GHz RX V2
- Barometer: SPL06-001
- Blackbox: SD card slot
- BEC: 10V 2A + 5V 2A ×2
- UARTs: 6 UARTs (but only 3 full UARTs)
- 4.5V pads available: can power GPS/RX through USB without LiPo
- I2C port available: SCL & SDA
- Buzzer pads available (BZ+ & BZ-)
- LED strip support
- Supports analog and digital VTX: DJI / HDZero / Walksnail / Artlynk, etc.
- Mounting: Standard 30.5×30.5mm
- Nano coating
- Firmware support: Betaflight and iNav
- Betaflight target name: HUMMINGBIRD_FC305
- Default Betaflight firmware version: 4.5.2
- Weight: 11.4g (including 2 RX antennas)
Hummingbird 305 4-in-1 ESC
- Input voltage: 3–8S LiPo
- Continuous current: 80A per channel, 10 seconds
- Burst current: 100A per channel, 3 seconds
- ESC firmware: AM32
- TVS protection: 3× high-capacity TVS diodes (total peak power > 1.5kW)
- PCB: 3oz copper, 6-layer blind-via gold-plated
- Extra capacitor pad at each corner for 7-inch / 10-inch builds
- Mounting: 30.5×30.5
- Nano coating
- Weight: 18.1g
Features
Not Made in China
According to NewBeeDrone, this FC/ESC stack is made in Thailand / Malaysia.
8S Support
8S has been all the rage recently. When I built my first 8S quad last year (build log: https://oscarliang.com/8s-fpv-drone-build/), there were literally only 1 or 2 stacks that supported 8S. It is good to know the Hummingbird 305 supports 3S to 8S.
Onboard True-Diversity Receiver
Having an onboard ExpressLRS receiver seems like a fantastic idea to simplify the drone build. There is no wiring to worry about, and you do not need to think about mounting a separate receiver in the frame.
For people who fly long range, having a true-diversity receiver is especially appealing. But for freestyle and racing pilots, this is probably an overkill. Also, because the antennas have to be attached close to the center of the quad where the FC is located, on a large rig like a 7-inch you would likely need longer antennas if you want to mount them further forward or toward the rear of the frame. The stock antennas are only about 9.5cm long.
I still think using a separate receiver is more flexible, and so onboard receiver is perhaps not necessary. This allows you to choose the type of receiver you want based on your need. Most people will be perfectly happy with single-antenna receivers because they are cheap, easy to use, and more than adequate when it comes to range. With a true-diversity receiver, you really need a Gemini transmitter module (with two antennas) to get the most out of it. You can still bind and fly true-diversity receivers with a typical single-antenna transmitter, but you just will not get the full benefit.
You can also disable the onboard ELRS receiver and use your own receiver instead.
You also need to deactivate it by disabling the corresponding UART in the ports tab (which is UART6 for this FC).
Blackbox Logging
The FC comes with an SD card slot for Blackbox logging.
The main advantage is that even with a small SD card, such as 4GB, you will practically almost never run out of space for Blackbox logs.
However, you do need to buy a separate SD card, and it needs to have decent write speed, otherwise your logs may skip data and corrupt your logs.
SD card requirements:
I hope NewBeeDrone considers using onboard flash memory in the future instead. Yes, flash memory is usually limited to only 16MB or 32MB, but that is often more than enough for PID tuning and troubleshooting, and you do not need to worry about sourcing a separate SD card.
Extra Pads for Extra Capacitors
If you have ever built a big drone like an 8-inch or 10-inch, you will know how tricky it can be to solder multiple capacitors onto a single power pad.
This article explains why additional capacitors can be useful on a quad: https://oscarliang.com/capacitors-mini-quad/
To address this, NewBeeDrone added extra + and – pads at each corner of the ESC. This allows you to solder up to four separate capacitors to the 4-in-1 ESC much more easily.
I suppose you could also use those pads to power other peripherals directly from battery voltage, such as LEDs or a VTX.
Firmware Support
According to NewBeeDrone, besides Betaflight, the Hummingbird 305 FC also supports iNav firmware (v9). The firmware file can be found on their product page.
Not 6 Full UARTs
If you open the Ports tab in Betaflight, you will see 6 UARTs listed. However, not all of them are fully broken out to solder pads. And some of them are reserved.
- UART1 – only RX1 pad broken out (for SBUS)
- UART2 – free full UART
- UART3 – only RX3 pad broken out, dedicated for ESC telemetry
- UART4 – free full UART (for VTX / Air Unit)
- UART5 – free full UART
- UART6 – reserved for onboard ELRS receiver, TX/RX pads are not broken out
So technically, you only have access to 3 spare full UARTs on this FC.
That is still enough for most people. For instance, if you use 1 UART for DJI Air Unit and another for GPS, you still have one left over. But it is worth mentioning in case you plan to connect more peripherals.
Build Quality
Build quality seems top-notch.
They put Kapton tape over the USB-C connector and the SD card slot, presumably to prevent electrical shorts. Very thoughtful.
The solder pads on the FC are relatively small and all grouped in the same general area. They are not spread out across the board as strategically as on some other FCs, such as the T-Hobby Velox, which might make cable management slightly harder. That said, the solder pads are still large enough and workable.
The ESC connector is also reinforced with glue, which is another nice touch.
Final Thoughts — Pros and Cons
This stack is slightly more expensive than budget stacks like the T-Hobby Velox, which I reviewed recently, and the SpeedyBee F405 V5. But that is to be expected, because it is not made in China and manufacturing costs are likely higher. Even so, NewBeeDrone has still managed to keep it relatively competitively priced considering it has an onboard diversity RX.
However, as mentioned, I have mixed feelings about the onboard true-diversity receiver. I think it pushes this flight controller towards a more niche market, and the higher cost also makes it slightly less competitive. But for the right kind of pilot, it is a fantastic feature. Apart from that, I think this is a very solid FC/ESC stack.
It is not really competing directly with budget stacks such as T-Hobby Velox — they each have their own pros and cons. If you want a good-value budget stack, the Velox is still the my favourite. But if you want a flight controller with an onboard receiver to simplify setup and reduce wiring, the Hummingbird is a fantastic option. And the fact that it is not made in China could be another point in its favor if that matters to you.
You can get the Hummingbird 305 FC/ESC Stack from:
This stack is going into my next build, so stay tuned.
