Review: FuriBee VR01 Goggles

FuriBee VR01 goggles were released quite some time ago, but they still can be interesting for the begginers in this RC hobby. Lets take a look at them in more detail.

Goggles package contents: The goggles itself, one circular polarized antenna, one patch antenna, power cable, video cable and instructions leaflet.

Goggles have three bands head strap, so they mount the head easily.

On the face side goggles have foam sponge, coated with fine fabric. They feel comfortable on my face.

Except the nose area – I have quite big nose and my nose rubs on the edge of the nose cutout. I will need to add some foam or better sand it to make more comfortable. Others, with regular sized nose should feel comfortable with the stock goggles.

On the top of the goggles there are fuction futtons as following: “S” – search button, “Vin” is for video input, “DC” – Power source (7 – 23V), “M/SRC” – menu and source selection, “B” – band, “CH” – channel buttons. The round cicle with holes is for ventilation purposes, right over the receiver.

Antenna connector is SMA type (user manual incorrectly states as RP-SMA).

Circular (cloverleaf) antenna has right hand circular polarization.

Inside the patch antenna there is some basic linear polarized patch pannel.

The working side (should be pointed at the aircraft) is the one with radio signal sign.

 

Power cable is with 5.5mm plug and JST connector on the other side. Goggles have a cable holder on the right side. The length of the cable is about 0.75m and it just too short if you want to carry the battery in your pocket. You can buy additional power cable extension for less than $1.  Other option is to strap the battery on the back of the head band.

You can plug the video in cable (4pin 3.5mm diameter) to the “Vin” socket for viewing video from external device (receiver or dvr).

The width of the goggles between foam sides is about 122mm + possible a few mm more. So narrow correction glasses will fit.

Inside the goggles there is acrullic fresnel lense, fixed in the optimal range, the LCD panel and PCB with display driver and receiver.

The LCD display is 4.3” size and 480×272 pixel resolution. Aspect ratio is 16:9 as in almost all box style goggles. Display has high brightness 500cd/m2

Notice the marking “VR008” on the top left side of the PCB. Looks like the same electronics are used as in the Eachine VR008 Goggles!

Description on the product page clearly states that these goggles have no antenna diversity, but dual antenna setup. We can see the confirmation of this statemen on the PCB. The left antenna (Looking fron the face side of the goggles) is connected directly to the receiver via short track, while the right antenna goes through some sort of amplification circuit and is connected to the same receiver antenna input via the band-pass filter.

You can adjust image settings on the screen menu (by long pressing “M/SRC” button.

Automatic search function activated by pressing “S” button. Search is not perfect. Easily binds to the nearest channel by frequency. You will be lucky to lock to the right channel from the first time. You either need to press search several times or set the band/channel manually.

The picture is good, colors are real. There is signal strength and current band and channel indication on the screen.

I can easily focus the screen without any additional lens hacking or restraining the eyes. The FOV is very wide, you have to move your eyes to see the details in the corners. I can clearly see the pixelation of the image due to the lower resolution, but it is barely noticeable while flying as you concentrate on the flight.

GOOD

• No lies – everything is as stated – no fake diversity, but simple dual antenna setup with single receiver
• Comfortable wear
• Clear picture and easy to focus to the screen
• Autosearch function
• AVin for external video source

BAD

• Low resolution
• No built-in battery
• No battery pocket on the head band
• Battery cable is too short to reach the pocket
• Autosearch works as “first found”, not the “best found”

CONCLUSION

Furibee VR01 goggles feels comfortable, are lightweight. Easy to focus on the screen. However they have lower resolution, lacks built-in battery, have no real diversity. I would say if you find them on the sale for about $45, then it is worth to purchase as beginner’s goggles. Otherwise you should look for other alternatives like LS-008D FPV goggles.

Furibee VR01 goggles can be purchased @ Gearbest:  www.gearbest.com/fpv-system/pp_551253.html

Specifications:
Screen size: 4.3 inches
Resolution: 480 x 272px
Aspect ratio: 16:9
TV system: NTSC and PAL (autodetect)
Frequency: 5.8GHz
Channels: 40 channels, including RaceBand
Operating voltage: 7 – 23V DC 
Operating current: 220mA @ 7.4V (2S); 150mA @ 12V (3S)
Compatible battery: 2-3S batteries are recommended
Service time: 2S 520mAh – about 3 hours of working time;  3S 2200mAh – about 18 hours of working time
Sensitivity: -90dBi
Antenna gain: 4dBi mushroom antenna (4dBi is exaggerated); 4dBi planar antenna (probably 14dBi, but that would be also exaggerated)
Connector type: RP-SMA male on FPV goggles; SMA on antennas and goggles
DVR function: no
Weight: 248 grams

User manual leaflet:

Disclaimer: I have received these goggles free of charge from the Gearbest in order to test and review them. However  I was not asked to make any positive review nor I was influenced in any way. Thanks to Gearbest for this attitude.