Drone News

To say 3D Robotics has bounced back would be an understatement. The company recently announced that they raised $53 million in a series D funding round. That is a LOT of money, and especially for a company that not too long ago looked like it might be on its last legs. According to a statement released by 3DR, the funding round included “both new equity and conversion of debt equity,” was led by Atlantic Bridge, and included investments from the Autodesk Forge Fund, True Ventures, Foundry Group, Mayfield, and a number of other investors. “We are excited to lead this round in 3DR and see tremendous opportunity for the deployment of Site Scan across a wide range of industry use cases. The end-to-end reality capture provided by Site Scan, combined with Autodesk software, provides the most comprehensive platform for the measurement and monitoring of progress on construction sites, resulting in potentially huge efficiency gains for the industry.” – Brian Long, Managing Partner at Atlantic Bridge This news comes at a time of high turmoil in the drone industry. Recently we’ve seen Lily Robotics fold, and a whole slew of companies like Parrot, Autel, GoPro, and Yuneec go through significant layoffs. Site Scan, 3DR’s New Focus 3DR has pivoted a few times. First they were a DIY drone company, then they were a commercial drone company, with the 3DR Solo drone as their flagship product. Their final pivot was to to Site Scan, “a drone data platform for the construction and engineering industries.” Site Scan helps construction teams monitor and report on progress in real time, identify issues in big projects, and collect actionable data that integrates with Autodesk and GIS tools, so that the flow of information between those doing the building and those doing the planning is quicker, more efficient, and much more accurate. And honestly, when we first heard about this last pivot, we thought that it wasn’t going to work. We’re thrilled to say that we were wrong. Because who doesn’t want to see these guys succeed? 3DR has been around forever, they have one of the coolest creation stories out there, and at this point they’re a kind of underdog in the industry. We’re happy to admit we did more than a few fist pumps when we first read the news about their latest round of funding. What This Augurs for the Industry As 3DR notes in their recent press release about the series D funding round, construction is an $8 trillion global industry. Some other noteworthy facts are that a typical commercial construction project runs 80% over budget and 20 months behind schedule. Most of these delays and budgetary misalignments have to do with disconnects between the design and the actual building—disconnects where UAV data collection could have a huge impact. 3DR proposes to help close the gap between planning and execution using drones, as described in the section above on Site Scan. They’re certainly not the only ones proposing such a solution (Kespry, for instance, already has a huge foothold in the same sector). But a key point here is that the construction industry is probably plenty big enough for several drone companies to succeed in it. The layoffs we’ve seen of late could just be a part of the industry’s growing pains, as companies start focusing not on where we all thought drones would be the most used and the most purchased when they first started gaining popularity—aerial cinematography and related applications—but on where the money actually is. Of course, the fact that commercial construction represents a massive business opportunity is no surprise to companies like Yuneec, who recently unveiled their Typhoon H, or DJI, whose whole Matrice series, including the Matrice 200, is aimed at tough commercial applications. We do find it a sign of things to come that 3DR has made such a success out of this final pivot. It seems the winds of change are blowing—the next big rollouts in the industry may be less in the B2C (business-to-consumer) realm of camera drones sold directly to end users, and more in highly targeted applications for construction. The post 3DR Back on Top: $53 Million Raised in Series D Funding Round appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

A super compact 20mmx20mm Flight controller with a F4 processor and a builtin OSD is introduced here: https://www.banggood.com/Teeny1S_F4-16x16mm-Betaflight-STM32F4-Brushless-Flight-Control-Board-Built-in-OSD-BEC-p-1147936.html This board can be the perfect compagnon for super tiny brushless racer like the Eachine dustX58. Thanks to the F3 processor, PIDs loop >= 16Khz can be set. Now we can dream to sone one variant with a builtin 2.4G receiver. T Specification: Item name: Teeny1S_F4 flight control board Size: 20*20mm Mounting hole: 16*16mm Diameter: 2mm Weight: 2.1g Processor: STM32F405RGT6 Without blackbox Sensor: MPU-6000 ( connected by SPI) Firmware version: betaflight_3.1.5_OMNIBUSF4SD Built-in ESC: 5V 500MA Power supply: 1S lipo battery ( 3.3V-4.2V) Receiver: PPM, SBUS, IBUS, DSM2, DSMX etc. Suitable for FPV mini brushless frame Features: -Support the newest DSHOT ESC –Built-in OSD -Built-in 5V 500MA ESC -Buzzer solder pin -LED_STRIP connector -BB ring Package included: 1* F4 flight control board Cet article NEWS: Teeny1S F4 20mmx20mm FC board with builtin OSD est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

INTRODUCTION Main drawbacks associated with tinywhoop FPV machiens are probably the poor flight time and the lack of power thrust to be 100% acro compatible. KingKong with the KingKong Tiny7 introduces a larger 75mm variant but with 7mmx20mm coreless motors. Of course the machine will be more heavy but in another hand more powerfull too. With this new 75mm model, we have also a powerfull SPF3 flight controller including a buitin 25mW 16CH 5.8G VTX with linear antenna. The standalone FPV camera is a 800TVL CMOS PAL model. Four type of receivers are proposed: Futaba SFHSS, FrSky D8, Spektrum DSM2/X and FlySky AFHDS-2A. Mine is the FrSky D8 version. Let’s try to answer to this question …. BOX CONTENT For the Deluxe edition, the machine is shipped with this nice and durable plastic box, the same box as for the Tiny7 or the GT90. + 1 x KingKong Tiny7 + 1 x Parallel charger (via XT60 batteries or microUSB port) + 5 x 500mAh/30C LiPos + 12 x Spare props (6 CW, 6 CCW) + 3 x Spare canopy (orange, white, pink) + 4 x transparent rubber bands + 4 x O-rings + 1 x Prop remover wrench + 1 x Instruction manual (English/Chinse) OVERVIEW The Tiny7 is a 75mm larger variant of the Tiny6 basically, largely inspired from the TinuWhoop ducted machine with a upper canopy element jailing and protecting the FPV rig. If the design between the Tiny6 and Tiny7 shares 95% of elements, the difference can be found in the propguard shape, more precisely in the front part where now a plastic element reinforcing the structure is present. If the durability and the general quality build seems great, the central element will block partially the field of view for FPV. -FRONT VIEW As you can see, all capital elements are very well protected either by the ducted system or the top canopy -SIDE VIEW The 5.8G linear antenna is this thin copper wire. You need defitively to install it vertically but the furthest of the rear 2.4G antenna. -REAR VIEW The FrSKy D8 AC800 can be guess through to canopy. More the two LEDs associated with the VTX channel selection are very bright and can be seen in daylight conditions. Via a thin tip you perfectly select your favorite Vfreq without removing the top canopy part. -UPPER VIEW -BOTTOM VIEW Like the Tiny6, the microUSB port for Betaflight connexion is located bottom … and even of it’s possible to run accelerometer/gryos calibration via stick commands (desarmed)… it’s pretty annoying to level the machine when a microUSB cable is plugged. Main F3 ARM MCU and 6-axis stablization chip are installed on the bottom side of the PCB. -WEIGHT Motors and props Some 7mmx20mm coreless motors. Any indication about corresponding RPM but in general the trade off between weight/thrust is in favor of the Tiny7 versus the Tiny6. Slightlty larger triblades props (~40mm) LiPo Strong 500mAh/30C LiPo with 2mm microJST connector Camera module A 800TVL CMOS FPV camera emitting in PAL system. The Field Of view is around 150 deg, a good choice for indoors flights The AIO module is directly taped on the top canopy section Notice the VTX offers only “16” channels divided into 4 differents bands. Two buttons can be found on the FC. One is related to the boot rescue option and the second is related to the Vfreq selection according the following color’s table You will have to cycle between the 16ch one by one…. In general, I find this selection system easy. A raw video sample Disassembling Like the Tiny6, the FC+VTX combo is installed on little rubber O-ring to decrease vibration’s impact transmitter by motors. The back wire is the 2.4G antenna while the naked copper one is the 5.8G antenna associated with the builtin VTX. The lenght if the 5.8G’s wire is about 31mm corresponding approximatively to 5/8 of wavelength. Notice the FPV camera’s wires are directly soldered on the FC… We could expect a tiny 3positions connector instead. Despite being rotated of 45 degrees, the FC don’t any specific alignement in Betaflight. The MCU is an SPF3 model strong enough to stabilize perfectly the machine and enjoy >= 4Khz PID loop time.. Installed on top, the AC800 FrSky D8 compatible receiver. No binding button, the receiver enters into an autobind mode after 6s (red led flashes fast). The AC800 is unfortunatly known to present some sporatic glitches in controls… At least the RSSI is broadcasted via telemetry. UNBOXING, ANALYSIS, BINDING, CONFIGURATION AND DEMO FLIGHT The SPF3 board comes with BF3.0.1 pre-installed and from now it’s advized to upgrade for a more recent build to enjoy better optimization, performances. As for the Tiny6, I had to update a bit PIDs settings. I used the same as for the Tiny6 and it’s flying great with The Tiny7 is little but more powerfull than the 65mm variant, starts to hover from 40-45%. As expected, the FOV is more limited by the new central propguard part Anyway, the FPV camera offers pretty good results …. the 25mW VTX is correct but not among the best in term of FPV range versus for example some Eachine AIO models. The machine flies smoothly for indoors application… and you can really fly in super tiny spaces too….The Tiny7 is super crash resistant…. indestructable almost. The main positive point at least versus the Tiny6, the tiny7 is more Wind resistant and can fly correctly outdoors. It’s relatively fast … We can maybe regret the absence of a builtin buzzer. The flight time is great, more than 5min. With the AC800, I have some sporadic little glitches in controls… With deadbands, bad side efect is fortunatly limited. CONCLUSIONS A great indoors but also outdoors compatible FPV brushed racer. The quaility and durability are probably the main positivie pros points. In fact, there is not really weak element… The F3 is powerfull enough to run betaflight smoothly, flight time are great… maybe the FPV link don’t allow flight above 60m … The Deluxe bundle is great with ton of batteries, a great parallel charger…. Maybe you can regret the absence of spare motors. Both Tiny6 and Tiny7 are definitively recommended products…. but for me maybe the Tiny7 is little bit more interesting since it’s more outdoors friendly. PROS + Quality build + Great FPV indoors/outdoors machine + Good FPV camera + >5min of flight time + SPF3 board w/ Betaflight 3.0.1 + FPV camera protected from crashes + Nice packaging for the deluxe edition + Durable/robust to crash + FrSky D8 receiver with RSSI CONS – FOV more limited by the propguard than for the Tiny6 – No builtin buzzer – MicroUSB port location – AC800 receiver with potential sporadic control glitches Dump_BF_3_0_1 This quadcopter have been courtesy provided by Banggood in order to make a fair and not biased review. I would like to thank them for this attitude. You can find it actually for 85USD at https://www.banggood.com/KINGKONG-TINY7-75mm-Micro-FPV-Quacopter-With-720-Brushed-Motors-Baced-on-F3-Brush-Flight-Controller-p-1134636.html Cet article TEST: KingKong Tiny7 (44.4g, SPF4 w/BF, 0720 motors, 800TVL/150deg 16CH/25mW AIO) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

Probably the best compact 5.8G VTX: https://www.banggood.com/Eachine-TX801-5_8G-72CH-0_01MW5MW25MW50MW100MW200MW400MW600MW-Switched-AV-VTX-FPV-Transmitter-p-1147691.html; A 72CH variant with 8 choices of transmitted power: 0.01MW/5MW/25MW/50MW/100MW/200MW/400MW/600MW. 7.3g standalone. The module also provides a filtered from noise +5V for your camera module. Description : Brand Name : Eachine Item Name : TX801 Transmitter Antenna Gain: 3Dbi Antenna Conenctor : RP-SMA Frequency: 5325-5945MHZ Channel : 72CH Transmitting Power: 0.01MW/5MW/25MW/50MW/100MW/200MW/400MW/600MW Switchable Video Format: NTSC/PAL Working Current: (MAX)7V-550mA; 12V-300mA; 24V-160mA” Audio Bandwidth : 6.5MHZ Video Bandwidth: 18MHZ Audio Carrier : 1Vp-p(1KHZ) AF Input Impedance : 10KO Working Voltage : 7-24V Output Voltage : 5V Weight :7.3g Size :28*20*8MM Cable : Blue : GND Yellow : Video Red : Output Voltage Features : 8 power levels switchable: 0.01MW/5MW/25MW/50MW/100MW/200MW/400MW/600MW 72 channels, cover all 5.8G frequency. With Microphone, support audio transmission 5V output, max working current 550mA Multi-channel synchronization does not interfere with each other Package Included : 1 x TX801 Transmitter 1 x Antenna 1 x Power AV Cable Cet article NEWS: Eachine TX801 a 72CH 5.8G VTX with switchable output power est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

What is the originality of this new TiniWhoop FPV clone, i.e. the X-racer X1 ?: http://www.gearbest.com/micro-brushed-racer/pp_626284.html. The integration of 0720 motors instead of 0615… so potentially a much more powerfull machine. More a LiHv battery is provided (4.35v)… with an discharge of 60C. The announced flight time is about 6min. The FC is F3 based and the FPV rig done by a classic 600TVL 25mW 48CH…. The total weight is 34.2g with the battery installed …so approximatively 30% more heavier than a classic tinywhoop. Can be a serious competitor to the last Eachine DustX58 with brushless motors. Main Features: – 65mm wheelbase micro racing drone with a weight of only 34.2g allows you to fly freely indoors – F3 flight controller with integrated FrSky 6CH receiver for an exciting flight within 400m range – Powerful HV LiPo features 60C high discharge rate and offers you up to 6 minutes’ flying – 600TVL camera works with 5.8G 48CH 25mW VTX to present real-time FPV to you within 100m Specifications: Wheelbase: 65mm Flight controller: F3 Firmware: BetaFlight Integrated receiver: FrSky 6CH Receive distance: 400m Coreless motor: 0716 14000RPM Camera: 600TVL CMOS TV system: NTSC / PAL switchable Video transmitter: 5.8G 48CH 25mW Image transmission distance: 100m Battery: 3.8V 250mAh 60C HV LiPo Flight time: 6 minutes Charge time: 30 minutes Propeller: 31mm four-blade Charger: USB cable Can be found with four different colors Cet article NEWS: 65mm TinyWhopp FPV with 0720 motors (F3, 250mAh LiHv, 600TVL/25mW/48CH) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

Drone juggernaut DJI recently announced on their website that they’ll be offering a bounty of up to 1 million yuan, or $145,000, for information related to several drone incidents at an airport in southwestern China’s Sichuan province. On April 14, 17, 18, and 21, drones flying near Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport interrupted more than 100 flights, causing them to make unscheduled landings or returns, and affecting over 10,000 passengers. That’s a lot of angry people. These incidents indicate a growing trend in China. Since the start of the year there have been more than 15 cases of drones flying near airports or aircraft, and last year there were 23 such incidents recorded throughout China. There were only four in 2015. The huge amount of the reward represents a show of good faith on the part of DJI, in an effort to demonstrate that it doesn’t condone, and in fact is strongly against, the kind of reckless flying that led to these delays. A DJI spokesperson (quoted below) has acknowledged that the drones used at the airport were DJI products. “We hope to help the police solve these cases as soon as possible, to clear up the unnecessary misunderstanding about the [drone] industry.” – Wang Fan, Director of Public Relations, DJI What happened at the Chengdu Shuangliu airpot highlights the real need for airports everywhere to develop Unmanned Traffic Systems (UTMs), or some other method of controlling rogue drones. The FAA’s Pathfinder Program has a UAS Detection Initiative underway to develop comprehensive systems for preventing rogue drones from flying near airports, using UTMs and other approaches—it seems like the time is now to start implementing things like this. For our part, we’re grateful no planes were actually taken down by the rogue drones, and that the worst outcome of this was grounded planes, not crashed planes. No-Drone Zones DJI drones are supposed to come equipped with settings that prevent them from being flown in no-drone zones—forbidden areas near airports and other restricted airspace. DJI drones are also supposed to have restrictions built in that prevent them from flying too high near airports. But clearly these settings didn’t prevent DJI drones from flying near the airport in Sichuan province. Because of this fact, DJI initially stated that the drones involved couldn’t have been theirs. However, after checking the drones’ altitude and location, and consulting with a partner company’s live monitoring data from the days in question, DJI acknowledged that it did seem to be their drones that had made the hazardous flights, but claimed that a third party app must have been used to override the no-fly zone settings. It probably helped that photos taken at the airport, which were later released by the police, were used by industry experts to identify the drones as DJI products. What’s Next? Police have detained two men for five days each in connection with the hazardous flights, but no further news has been released about whether they were in fact the men being sought. The reward will be offered from now until December 31st. With the promise of $145,000, a whole lot of information is sure to flow in. We’ll be curious to see if anyone actually gets busted. The post $145,000 Bounty Offered by DJI to Identify Flight-Disrupting Drone Pilots appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

A new compact (88mm) microbrushless racer is introduced by Ideafly, the IF88: http://www.gearbest.com/brushless-fpv-racer/pp_626283.html. It’s probably one of the first integrating a Flight Controller board with an F4 processor… so even faster PID loop time (16Khz…) will be allowed. More a builtin OSD is also included, betaflight driven. Actually only a FrSky receiver solution is offered but with a XM microreceiver need to be bound in D16 mode. More channels are offered as well as better control range. No real information about the ESC are given except they are officially only supporting 2S LiPo with 3A (max at 7A).. no real hope to see them working at 3S … Hope they are at least BLheli_S compatible. For motors, classic 1104/7500Kv. The FPV rig is a 25mW 40CH CMOS NTSC 600TVL AIO camera. The flight controller seems to be super exposed … to crash and to water. Whithout dedicaced canopy, the design is ultra simplist and a bit ugly IMHO. The total weight incuding the battery is relatively light (77.5g). Main Features: – High-performance F4 FC with STM32F405 MCU, BMP280, MPU6000 and micro SD card slot for flight data logging – FrSky XM 2.4GHz 16-channel receiver intended for more fun in FPV racing and more than 600m long control range – Small and durable – 88mm wheelbase, true “X” configuration, 2mm thick 3K carbon fiber chassis – Powerful 1104 7500KV high RPM brushless motors and 2030 three-blade propellers for thrilling flight – 5.8G 40CH 25mW image transmission + 600TVL NTSC camera featuring good image quality in strong / low light and 120-degree FOV Specifications: General Weight: 77.5g ( including battery ) Size: 7.3 x 7.3 x 3.5cm Wheelbase: 88mm Carbon fiber chassis: 2mm thick Brushless motor: 1104 7500KV Propeller: 2030 three-blade Battery: 7.4V 400mAh 30C LiPo Flight Controller Processor: STM32F405 MCU IMU: MPU6000 connected via SPI Barometer: BMP280 Micro SD card slot: max. 32GB support Integrated OSD: yes Integrated BEC: yes Dimension: 32 x 32mm Mounting hole spacing: 25 x 25mm 4-in-1 ESC Power supply: 1 – 2S BEC output: no Continuous current: 4 x 3A Burst current: 4 x 7A Weight: 2.7g FPV Camera Resolution: 600TVL TV system: NTSC Min. illumination: 1 lux Field of view: 120 degree Input voltage: 2.5 – 5V Frequency range: 5645 – 5945MHz Channels: 40 ( including RaceBand, Band R ) Power: 25mW FrSky XM Receiver Frequency: 2.4GHz Channels: 16 Fail-safe: yes Firmware upgradable: yes Receive distance: more than 600m Compatibility: FrSky D16 Mode transmitters Cet article NEWS: IDEAFLY IF88, a compact 88mm F4 based micro brushless FPV racer est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

INTRODUCTION The Eachine DustX58 (EDX58) is probably the first ultralight weight brushless FPV racer integrating 0703 motors. The EDX58 includes also a super tiny F3 board with a builtin FrSky D8 receiver. Actually no other choice of receiver is proposed. A super lower compact 4-in-1 4A BLheli_S/Dshot600 ESC board is also here. Finally, the FPV rig is based on the classic 25mW 48CH/600 TVL CMOS AIO FPV camera. The total announced weight is about 35g !!! so definitively it can be a TinyWhoop killer on the paper. Let’s check this product. BOX CONTENT No specific packaging, a simple regular box with a simple sticker. + 1 x Eachine DustX58 (with a 1S 450mAh LiPo with microLOSI connector) + 1 x USB charging cable + 4 x Spare props (2 CW, 2 CCW) No instruction manual … Eachine was really urged to ship this product. OVERVIEW The EDX58 is a 58mm brushless machine !!!! even smaller than the Eachine X73S and comparable to a 60mm tinywhoop…. It’s impressive. The secret is the integration of all the electronics into 1.3cm square boards: the lower one for the 4-in-1 4A ESC, and ii) the upper one for the FC+FrSky D8 receiver. From left to right, the X73S, the EDX58 and the KingKong T6. The new 0703 motors look so so small versus 11’s model… It’s impressive. Both carbon frames element are 1mm large. 1mm is thin and the structure is relatively flexible but should be relatively crashproof … -FRONT VIEW The tiny central tower is rotated by -45deg. With the battery installed playing the role of the landing skid BE AWARE, TO CONNECT THE MACHINE TO BETAFLIGHT, YOU WILL NEED FIRST TO POWER THE SYSTEM WITH THE BATTERY. All the camera support is 3D printed. I am not afraid for the robusness of this mount but maybe a lighter solution with a real molded plastic would save maybe one extra gram. -SIDE VIEW No specific protection for the linear antenna but the sting is flexible enough. More they hot glued the hub section. The FrSky bind button can be found in rear-lef side upside down. -REAR VIEW -UPPER VIEW -BOTTOM VIEW Two rubber bands are attaching the battery. The installation is ok but the battery can slide a bit on the white plastic screws No spare rubber bands are given in the bundle by he way. -WEIGHT 36.2g in total !!!! it’s just amazing In detail the prop guard system scales 2.4g Motors and props To save some weight, ultra light 0703 brushless motors are installed. They weight under 2g each. They are advertized to spin at 20 000Kv !!!! for 1s system it’s ultra fast. In another hand, don’t hope to use them with a 2S LiPo … they will probably burn immediatly (I didn’t test in practice). Maybe some lower KV variant but 2S compatible would have been a better choice ?… Triblades 40mm props with 1mm of hole section The central hub section seems heavy but in practice they are well balanced. I won’t be surprized if hubsan triblades can be easily installed. They are a little bit more lighter LiPo A 1cell LiPo 450mAh announced to have a discharge rate of 20C…. We could expect a model with a better discharge to boost even more performances. 5.8G AIO FPV Camera module The classic 600TVL CMOS camera/48CH 25mW AIO combo is seattled into a 3D printed camera mount via two latteral tapes.This AIO camera is the same that came in all recent compact FPV racers from Eachine. The Field Of View is not too large, 120 degrees … It’s good news for outdoors applications. The lens sensitivity is around 1 Lux … far to be fantastic in practice. Two buttons can be found. The front is shortly pressed Mirror the image and if pressed more than 3s selects the NTSC or PAL format. The rear one is shortly pressed selects the current Vfreq Inside the current selected Vband and if pressed more than 3S, selects one of the six Vbands (raceband supported) The blue light indicates the current selected band while the green the current Vfreq. The lens is uptilted wih an angle about 10-15 degrees but this value can’t be ajustable. A raw sample of the peformances As you can see, for shadow zones, light management could be a little bit better… but no miracle with a 1lux sensor. Anyway the FPV link is good… You can cross several walls without problem. UNBOXING, ANALYSIS, BINDING, CONFIGURATION AND DEMO FLIGHT As written earlier, to connect the machine to Betaflight, you will need first to plug the battery… Strange, I don’t why the USB port can’t provide enough juice. Maybe no Voltage regulator is installed on the FC ? …. but I don’t think so… To bind the machine, i.e. keep pressed the upside down bind button why connecting the microLOSI connector can be a little bit tricky. Anyway, good news, the RSSI is exported via telemetry and also on the free AUX5 channel… We can dream one day to have the OSD variant of the dustX58 !!!. The machine comes with Betaflight 3.1.5 installed for the Tinyfish F3 board. Dshot600 is not turned on by default… and PIDS settings are the default ones… so clearly not yet optimized for the machine First take off…. yes this machine is more powerfull than any tinywhoop competitor …:) but .. is it a monster of power ? no …. I am accusing more the battery to limit a bit what the 0703 motors could give. It’s urgent to test this machine with a 45C LiPo model. Don’t be afraid, the machine is compatible with acro style figures. The default PIDs settings are clearly not adapted….. a lot of boucings back can be notice with. The FPV link is pretty good…. and 3min of flighjt time is obtained in average… be aware, no speficic LVC… you can go easily below 3.3V !!! so fly with a timer to not damage your battery. I crashed the machine many time and no break/damage have been reported … that’s great. First attempt to optimize PIDs… it’s a little better but it can be improved. With this small update of PIDs settings, the machine become even more stable …. but it’s not yet perfect… the machine is so light … hard job for gyros….. I am not yet 100% satisfied…. As mentioned previously the machine is more powerfull than a tinywhoop but maybe need at least a better battery or even maybe to be turned into 2S configuration. The noise emmitted with of course more loud than than tinywhoop system but it’s not a nightmare.. Maybe some other props can also bring some boost. I will publish here my last settings I will find for the EDX58. CONCLUSIONS The Eachine DustX58 rerpesents an amazing concentation of modern technologies with 4A ESC BLheli_S/Dshot 600, 0703/20000 KV motors, F3 board and a builtin FrSKy D8 receiver and becomes probably the lightest chinese brushless FPV racer. Yes this machine is more powerfull than any tinywhoop brushed competitor but also twice more expensive… No real weak point can be noticed, the thin carbon structure is in practice relatively durable and the 3D printed camera mount strong enough for indoors applications. For future mods direction, probably an upgrade for a better battey with higher discharge rate and maybe for better/lighter props if possible. PROS + The lightest chinese brushless FPV racer available!!!! + 36.2g brushless FPV racer + F3 Tinyfish w/ BF3.1.5 + 4A BLheli_S/Dshot 600 4-in-1 board + Good 25mW/48CH AIO FPV cam + FrSky D8 receiver w/ RSSI + More powerfull than brushed Tinywhoop machines + Not fragile CONS – 3 min of flying duration – Need better PIDs settings – FrSky D8 receiver only – Need to connect the battery to access to betaflight – No spare battery rubber bands dump_BF_3_1_5 This quadcopter have been courtesy provided by Banggood in order to make a fair and not biased review. I would like to thank them for this attitude. You can find it actually for 120USD at https://www.banggood.com/Eachine-dustX58-58mm-FPV-Racing-Drone-BNF-Compatible-FRSKY-Receiver-with-F3-4A-Blheli_S-D-Shot-600-5_8G-48CH-VTX-p-1143432.html Cet article TEST: Eachine DustX58, the lightest brushless FPV racer (36.2g, 0703/2000Kv, 4A BLheli_S/Dshot600, 450mAh/20C, 25mW/48CH/600TVL AIO) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

Casey Neistat—a vlogger and drone aficionado whose celebrity was further enhanced by the HUMAN FLYING DRONE video that swept the internet back in December—recently announced that his next big video project will feature, and be created by, famous YouTube vloggers. And if that’s not enough, it’s going to be made entirely on Samsung smartphones. As Neistat makes clear in the video above, he wants to showcase “the rest of us”—those involved in filmmaking who are part of Neistat’s generation and who have taken unconventional paths to success. Namely, by vlogging on YouTube. Over the last week Neistat has been traveling throughout California, in Coachella during the music festival there and in Los Angeles, where he’s been shooting with some of the most famous YouTubers out there: Ethan Klein, Willy Haynes, David Dobrik, Jason Nash, Zane Hijazi, Scotty Sire, and Toddy Smithy. The end goal of all this collaborating will be a commercial for Samsung that splices together the work of several of these vloggers into a single video. What about Drones? Even though the shooting for this project is all being done on smartphones, Neistat, true to form, is still innovating and trying out different ways to use the limited technology he has to work with. In the video below, Neistat and his team rig a Samsung Galaxy S8 onto a drone, and attach a gimbal to make sure the shots they get are steady (skip ahead to 13:00 or so to see the shots of the smartphone attached to the drone). We’re not sure what kind of drone they’re using in the video, but it could well be a custom rig from Droneworks Studios, since we noticed Droneworks co-owners Justin Oakes and Elaine Lozano helping out at various points in the video. (Check out the gizmo Justin’s driving at 11:15, which is rigged to hold a smartphone on a contraption made up of a three axis gimbal attached to a shockmount, with wire isolators and motors used to make the footage shot by the phone “butter smooth.”) We loved the panel Neistat, Oakes, and Lozano participated in at the NYC Drone Film Festival a few months back, and we’re excited to see that they’re working together again. To say there’s buzz around Neistat’s new project is an understatement. In one week, the video above already has almost 1.8 million views…and counting. This video features a skit for the project shot with vloggers Ethan and Hila of h3h3Productions. We’re sure to see lots more videos like this come out as the project unfolds. With this project Neistat is consciously focusing on, and elevating, the work of vloggers, which is often discounted by mainstream filmmaking. The central idea here is that it doesn’t take a huge budget and the best cameras on the market to make amazing videos. The technology today is so good, and so inexpensive relative to the quality offered, that anyone who works hard can create an impressive video. The thing that separates great from good is creativity, and that’s sure to be in evidence in what these vloggers produce. The outcome of Neistat’s last partnership with Samsung was incredible. We’re looking forward to seeing the end result, and all the work along the way, from this new project. The post Next-Level Filmmaking: Inside Casey Neistat’s Mobile Video Project appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

INTRODUCTION The RealAcc Orange85 is the 3S and propguarded version of the Eachine Chaser88, a compact brushess X-quadcopter. The general massive orange color design is given by the 3D printed propguard. With the RO85 we have F3 picoblx board without OSD but with a builtin buzzer, a 4-in-1 10A BLHeli_S ESC board Dshot600 ready and a 200mW 40CH 600TVL CMOS AIO camera. Three choice of receiver are offered: DSM2/X for spektrum radio, FlySky AFHDS-2A and FrSky in D8 mode. Let’s discover this bundle. BOX CONTENT The packaging is basic regular box…. no specific marketing probably to reduce cost. + 1 x RealAcc Orange85 (with a 3S 450mAh LiPo with XT30) + 1 x Charger + 4 x Spare props (2 CW, 2 CCW) No instruction manual …. OVERVIEW The RO85 is the deluxe/revised mode of the Eachine chaser88, just few mm smaller for the diagonal distance between motors. Realtively bad news, 3K carbons arms are only 1mm. If the propguard improves the general robustness of the system, if you decide to remove the propguard, the arms will probably break super fast. -FRONT VIEW With racerstart 2035 props installed -SIDE VIEW To insert easily a microUSB cable it’s more easy to remove the front left props For better 2.4G transmission, the FrSky’s antenna should be installed more vertically rear as follows -REAR VIEW two programmable LED lights are jailing the builtin buzzer Actually they indicate left and right direction respectively -UPPER VIEW -BOTTOM VIEW The prop guard is massive, 3D printed Standalone weights around 23g …. For sure this material is less efficient than 3K carbon… and can break/explose in a lot of small parts during a crash -WEIGHT More than 135g standalone …. it’s a lot for a 85mm machine … the guilty is this 3Dprinted propguard, more than 23g standalone. Motors LiPo Camera module Disassembling UNBOXING, ANALYSIS, BINDING, CONFIGURATION AND DEMO FLIGHT CONCLUSIONS PROS + Orange color + Good PIDs out of the box + Powerfull in 3S despite 135g + F3 FC w/betaflight + Good AIO FPV camera with good FPV range + Antenna guard CONS – 3 min of flying duration – 1935 pentablades props introducing a bit of jello – No OSD – Breakable and heavy propguard – 1mm carbon arms – Heavy 85mm machine – Real 200mW VTX ? – No telemetry for the FrSky D8 receiver This quadcopter have been courtesy provided by Banggood in order to make a fair and not biased review. I would like to thank them for this attitude. You can find it actually for 136USD at http://www.banggood.com/Realacc-Orange85-F3-FPV-Racer-BNF-Dshot-10A-ESC-5_8G-40CH-200mW-VTX-600TVL-14-Cmos-Camera-2-3S-p-1139956.html Cet article TEST: RealAcc Orange85 (135g, 3S, 1106, F3, 200mW 40CH) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

As you know, drone land is the place for whacky and insanely clever inventions—in the last few months we’ve seen light shows at the Super Bowl, taxi drones, and drone cake baking, to name just a few of the more off the wall uses. Last week’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference has brought us the next wave in drone tech, and this time the releases are more techy and nuanced than they are zany (unlike last year, where a highlight was Ehang’s drone you could fly by moving your head around). The releases this year from NAB don’t focus on the novel or the wacky, but instead on high-end tools that provide extremely high quality for every aspect of aerial cinematography, from the remote control to livestreaming at broadcast quality in VR. We should note that there were rumors of a possible Phantom 5 and DJI Spark release at NAB, but those ended up just being rumors. Here are the biggest releases from NAB this year: 1. The Flying Eye 6K VR Drone by 360 Designs The Flying Eye is being touted by 360 Designs, its creator, as the world’s first broadcast-quality VR (or 360 video) drone. The quality of this 6K drone is undeniable, but it does come with a steep price tag of $75,000. The drone’s wireless video system offers near uncompressed, low latency, 6K video. It’s designed to carry the 360 Designs’ Mini EYE 3 camera (though it’s compatible with other 3-camera, HDMI or SDI-based VR rigs). The Flying Eye’s livestreaming capability depends on a custom wireless transmission system known as the Breeze, developed by 360 Designs (not to be confused with the Yuneec Breeze, which also recently released livestreaming capabilities). Using the Breeze system, live VR streams can be shared just about anywhere in the world via YouTube, Facebook, or VR headsets, and all in high quality. “We wanted to create a broadcast-quality live 360 drone platform for professionals, so they can create stunning live VR productions, with or without the drone in shot.” – Alx Klive, CEO of 360 Designs Why this is a big deal: Livestreaming at 6K quality in VR. Need we say more? 2. DJI’s Cendence Remote Control with SDI Out The Cendence remote control can only be used with the Inspire 2 and the Matrice series drones and is not compatible with other “lower end” drones in the DJI catalogue. This fact alone indicates the market DJI is targeting with the release—high end drone cinematography, and especially, it seems, the news market. The Cendence features 16 user customizable buttons and dials, a built-in 1000-nit screen that should be useable outdoors, and can show telemetry information. For a main display you can connect either a DJI CrystalSky monitor or attach an iOS device. One of the most interesting features on the new remote is the addition of HDMI and SDI outputs right on the controller, which means it could hypothetically be used for a live broadcast on TV. Why this is a big deal: Tools like this could potentially revolutionize the news by making livestream broadcasting via drone not just possible, but easy. We’ll be curious to see how soon adoption spreads in news organizations. Image source Image source An interview with a DJI rep about the Cendence at NAB 3. DJI’s CrystalSky This monitor is BRIGHT. A prototype was shown at CES a few months back, and now these monitors are available for purchase. Why this is a big deal: The new CrystalSky monitor displays up to 2000 cd/m2, which is four times brighter than a typical smartphone or tablet, allowing clear screen visibility even in full daylight. Specs: Available in 5.5-inch and 7.85-inch sizes Can operate for up to 6 hours using a secondary external battery Three configurations: a 5.5-inch, 1000 cd/m2 version for $469, a 7.85-inch, 1000 cd/m2 version for $699, and a 7.85-inch, 2000 cd/m2 version 4. DJI’s Ronin 2 The Ronin 2 is a three-axis camera stabilizer, with an enlarged camera cage and 50mm extendable arms, which can support DSRLs as well as full cinematic cameras and lenses up to 30 pounds. Why this is a big deal: The Ronin 2 gimbal has a touchscreen controller and is able to handle a payload of up to 30lbs (13kgs), which is almost double the weight the previous version could handle. This thing will be great for heavy rigs designed to hold huge cameras in big budget films. Specs: Completely redesigned, more intelligent, more powerful. Splash-proof design, multiple power outlets built-in. Also, a stand is built right into the frame, no extra stand needed. Up to 5x higher torque. Built-in GPS. Dual hot-swappable batteries which can be recharged in 90 min. Up to 8 hours of uptime, 2.5 hours of operation. Self-heating batteries, perfect for harsh environments. Detachable Gimbal with a quick-lock mechanism, can be mounted to various setups. Dual operator mode. Completely redesigned remote control. A bright LCD touchscreen is included which provides you with all kinds of crucial information. 5. DJI’s Tracktenna The Tracktenna enables a pilot to fly a drone as far as 6.2 miles away and maintain a connection with his or her drone. Image source The Tracktenna is a high-gain antenna that, according to DJI, “ushers in a new era of remote wireless communication” by improving signal reliability over long distances and resisting interference. Its built-in sensors and two-axis gimbal automatically point the antenna to the aircraft at all times, bolstering the connection even while the operator is in motion or on a vehicle. Why this is a big deal: The new Tracktenna yet again increases the range at which a drone can be flown—and it can be mounted on a vehicle (just make sure you’re FAA compliant!). Specs: 6.2 mile range Will point towards your drone automatically 6. The X-Dynamics D-02 Drone The D-02 is a next-gen professional, industrial grade octocopter designed for both cinematography and industrial applications, compatible with a wide range of accessories, sensors and cameras. Image source Why this is a big deal: The D-02 is designed with modularity in mind, and represents a new wave of drones that can be used for multiple purposes. The D-02 also comes equipped with “zero latency” wireless broadcasting technology, which is in and of itself significant. The X-Dyanmics website tells us that it’s really more like 10 milliseconds latency…but we think that’s plenty close to zero for them to make the claim. The post 6 Huge Releases from NAB: New VR and Modular Drones, and A Bevy of High End Cine Tools from DJI appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

Currently, I am here: http://www.iclr.cc/doku.php?id=ICLR2017:main&redirect=1 Will be back with ton of new tests just after don’t worry Cet article NEWS: DRONE-MANIAC in pause mode for 3 days est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

A recent study from Bard College’s Center for the Study of the Drone reveals numerous instances of conflicting drone legislation between local and federal authorities. Big picture: flying that’s approved by the FAA could still get you in trouble with local authorities, and in some cases even locked up for breaking local laws. The study looked at regulations across the U.S., and found 133 localities in 31 states—an area containing 30 million people—that have enacted local regulations related to flying drones. Another thing the study found is that, of these 133 localities, only three have created local ordinances that actively promote the use of drones. So, lots of anti-drone laws, and just a handful of pro-drone ones. Who’s Right? Legally, the FAA has jurisdiction over all airspace in the U.S. Period. “The FAA is responsible for the safety of U.S. airspace from the ground up . . . There are no shades of gray in FAA regulations. Anyone who wants to fly an aircraft—manned or unmanned—in U.S. airspace needs some level of FAA approval.” – FAA.gov In a legal dispute between local and federal law, the FAA’s regulations should hypothetically always trump local regulations. But this can get sticky pretty fast. For instance, in Orlando’s new drone ordinance, the lawmakers were careful not to refer to flight specifically (which would technically fall under the jurisdiction of the FAA). Instead, the law states that drone pilots can’t take off or land within city limits—referring to action on the ground, which they do have authority over—without a permit. So a drone pilot could hypothetically take off outside the city limits, fly over the city, and then land outside the city limits, and be in compliance with the law. (But we’d imagine that Orlando law enforcement wouldn’t be very happy about the flight.) However, not all local laws are this careful about their wording. Many simply outlaw certain types of flying altogether, jurisdiction or no jurisdiction. Why There’s a Disconnect Many local authorities feel like the FAA’s regulations—which prohibit flying over people, flying at night, and flying beyond the pilot’s visual line of sight (BVLOS), and a few other things, but are otherwise fairly open about what is allowed—are too lax and don’t do enough to address issues like privacy, trespassing, and flying drones over someone else’s property. In response to what is perceived by some as a legislation gap, local authorities have created laws that fine or even jail people for flying at a public gathering (even if you’re not flying over people), flying over someone’s home or property, and related scenarios having to do with privacy and trespassing by drone. And even though these scenarios are technically legal under the FAA’s guidelines, they could still land you in serious hot water with local officials. Despite the dubious legality of local laws having to do with where you can and can’t fly, we’d recommend observing local laws for now. It could take a long time, and lots of legal fees, to be exonerated for a flight that is legal according to the FAA, but illegal according to the county or city where you’re flying. [Check out page 7 of the report from Bard College for a full list of all local drone laws in the U.S.] Why This Really Matters A big concern with all of this conflicting legislation is that it makes things hard on drone pilots, and also hard on those who’s job it is to enforce drone regulations, both at the federal and at the local levels. When you have changing ordinances from one city to the next, it makes commercial drone operations incredibly difficult. And there are lots of legitimate scenarios where a drone pilot might simply be working, and find him or herself in violation of the kinds of local laws described above. Take rooftop inspections, for instance. We recently partnered with Loveland Innovations to help find and train UAV pilots to become FAA certified, so that they can do property inspections for insurance purposes. A commercial drone pilot could be conducting a property inspection, and be in violation of local privacy laws without even realizing it, simply because a neighboring house is in sight of the pilot’s camera. “The proliferation of these [local] rules could have a destabilizing affect on the integration process. It will be very hard to maintain a coordinated national airspace system with what the FAA describes as a patchwork quilt of local regulations.” – Arthur Holland Michel, Co-Director of the Center for the Study of the Drone The drone industry is booming, but it’s also still in its nascency when it comes to growing a group of pilots with the skills—and certification—needed to execute commercial work. An increase in local regulations, especially when they’re conflicting, could mean a corresponding decrease in the number of certified pilots, and might well lead to an increase in pilots who would otherwise follow proper procedure but end up not doing so out of frustration, confusion, or some combination of the two. The post Say What? Local Laws Could Jail You for Federally Approved Drone Flights appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

INTRODUCTION The valse of 5.8G TinyWhoop FPV clones had opened some months ago with for example the MakerFire micro, the Eachine E010S. A new competitor enters into the dance, i.e. KingKong Tiny6. With this new 65mm model, we have also a powerfull SPF3 flight controller including a buitin 25mW 16CH 5.8G VTX with linear antenna. The standalone FPV camera is a 800TVL CMOS PAL model. Four type of receivers are proposed: Futaba SFHSS, FrSky D8, Spektrum DSM2/X and FlySky AFHDS-2A. Mine is the FlySky version. Let’s discover this bundle … and can we expect longer flight time while being acro compatible ? That’s the question …. BOX CONTENT + 1 x KingKong Tiny6 + 1 x Parallel charger (via XT60 batteries or microUSB port) + 12 x Spare props (6 CW, 6 CCW) + 3 x Spare canopy (orange, white, pink) + 4 x transparent rubber bands + 4 x O-rings + 1 x Prop remover wrench + 1 x Instruction manual (English/Chinse) For the Deluxe edition, we chan choose between four different colors : yellow, pink, white and orange… OVERVIEW A classic 65mm tinywhoop size with the same type of translucid duct system but more robust to impact IMHO. Struts seems much more solid. I am not afraid to break them. No visible/external AIO FPV camera. Everything is well protected insude the top canopy module. This latter offers a lot of large holes to reduce its weight, and to install more easily vertically antenneas. -FRONT VIEW As said previously, the FPV camera is well protected by the top bulb canopy structure. From trop, the two 2.4G & 5.8G antenneas can be installed vertically, ideal for obtaining a max range. -SIDE VIEW For tiny6, most elemets are installed on O_rig dampening rubber elements to absorbe as much as possible transmitted vibrations. By consequence, you will have to remove the two latteral screws to access to internal electronic at least one time to bind your transmitter with the receiver and to set your favorite 5.8G Vfreq. -REAR VIEW The mean lead connector is a microJST ph (1.25mm) as for the inductric/makerfire models. The gauge of wires seems thin… I hope large enough to handle the 30C/60 LiPo juice. -UPPER VIEW A lot of light are visible from the canopy and the more important, we can guess easily the color’s sequence broadcasted by the builltin VTX indicating the current Vfreq. -BOTTOM VIEW A unique thin translucid plastic bar plays the role of battery tray. IMHO, the battery is not super well secured with and can slide a bit during flight. A small piece of foam should be added to lock everything safety. All motors are connected to the FC via microJST connector. A good point for maintenance -WEIGHT Standalone without battery, the Tiny6 reaches 20.5g so more than the advertized weight because here we have the flysky receiver installed adding 1 extra gram. In comparaison the Eachine E010S is only 20g because the receiver is directly integraded in the FC. For the Makerfire, we have 21.8g … so generally the weight of the Tiny6 is good but not the best. With the battery installed, the total weight is 27g It’s not super light but we have a strong battery. Motors and props Coreless motors are jailed into translucid plastic pods and wires jailed with a micro rubber band Motors are 6mmx15mm coreless brushest time. No indication for the exact performances… if they are faster than standard 54000 RPM 30mm props but bye bye the classic quadriblade TW model and hello to some triblades variant boosting flight duration versus motor’s lift. LiPo A 6.4g 1S 250mAh/30C LiPo ending with 1.25mm microJST connector The same type of connector you can find for the Makerfire, and he guenuine Tinywhoop for example. Camera module A 800TVL CMOS FPV camera emitting in PAL system. The Field Of view is around 150 deg, a good choice for indoors flights The AIO module is directly taped on the top canopy section Notice the VTX offers only “16” channels divided into 4 differents bands. Two buttons can be found on the FC. One is related to the boot rescue option and the second is related to the Vfreq selection according the following color’s table You will have to cycle between the 16ch one by one…. In general, I find this selection system easy. Disassembling The FC+VTX combo is installed on little rubber O-ring to decrease vibration’s impact transmitter by motors. The back wire is the 2.4G antenna while the naked copper one is the 5.8G antenna associated with the builtin VTX. Notice the FPV camera’s wires are directly soldered on the FC… We could expect a tiny 3positions connector instead. Despite being rotated of 45 degrees, the FC don’t any specific alignement in Betaflight. The MCU is an SPF3 model strong enough to stabilize perfectly the machine and enjoy >= 4Khz PID loop time.. Installed on top, the FlySky AFHDS-2A compatible receiver with the bind button. The receiver is compatible with most recent FlySky radio such as the i6, i6S.(as soon as the AFHDS-2A option is turned on). Two buttons can be found on the main FC. The “boot” one can rescue a bricked FC during a firmware update and the right one selects the Vfreq. UNBOXING, ANALYSIS, BINDING, CONFIGURATION AND DEMO FLIGHT The binding with the flysky receiver is direct like for the FrSky module. Keep pressed the receiver while powering the system. I advise to use more a USB port to power the system, it’s more easy than plugging the microJST connector. Firt remark, I regret the current position of the microUSB port located bottom … so when the cable is inserted, it’s hard to perform gyros/Accelero calibration since with the connector inserted you can level the T6 easily. The machine comes with BF 3.0.1 with the default PIDs settings… If you want to increase a bit the PIDs loop time, you can flash last BF version. More you can enjoy the new ‘anti-gravity” feature. So out of the box, the machine flies relatively well but it’s a bit nervous… It’s stable and precize for sure but I observed some little rolls oscillations.. Clearly PIDs can be more optimized. The FPV camera rendition is pretty good…. Color vivid and the light sensitivity a little bit above the average. No real problem even in low light conditions. Despite with linear antenna, the FPV signal crosses 2-3 walls without problem and can fly all around the house. Good surprize… the flight duration is about 4mins !!!! Ok with the 250mAh, the machine is not mega beasty but is ok to flip and roll in acro. In the second part of the demo flight, I tuned a little bit PIDs according to Stability in fast mouvements were better but still needed some tuning… little oscillatiosn are still remaining especially in roll axis.. More, I don’t know if it’s linked with the AFHDS-2A DeviationTX implementation but time to time got some glitches in the yaw command…. CONCLUSIONS Pretty good TW competitor robust to crash, with good flight duration and acro compatible …No real weak point in the design… except maybe 1g could be save of the FC was able also to include directly the receiver section. In anycase, performances are really good …definitively one of the best TinyWhoop competitors with the Eachine E010S. PROS + Quality build + Good FPV camera + FPV camera protected from crashes + Nice packaging for the deluxe edition + 4min of flight time + SPracing F3 board w/ BF 3.0.1 + Acro compatible + 5 x 250mah/30C batteries + 3 x set of props/canopy CONS – Minor PIDs ajustement required – Battery sliding a bit in the battery tray – Bottom location of the microUSB port hard to make an easy gyros calibration – Minor glitches in yaw commands for the flysky receiver ? This quadcopter have been courtesy provided by Banggood in order to make a fair and not biased review. I would like to thank them for this attitude. You can find it actually for 80USD at http://www.banggood.com/KINGKONG-TINY6-65mm-Micro-FPV-Quacopter-With-615-Brushed-Motors-Baced-on-F3-Brush-Flight-Controller-p-1134635.html Cet article TEST: KingKong Tiny6 (27g, 240mAh, 4min, SPF3,25mW 5.8G 16CH, 800TVL CMOS PAL, 0615 motors) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

Looking for Work? DroneBase Is Hiring. DroneBase recently started working with one of the largest insurance providers in the U.S. to perform rooftop inspections. But they have a problem: they have too much work. That’s right—DroneBase is being flooded with requests for aerial inspections, and they have a huge need for certified drone pilots right now. Are you a certified drone pilot available to work in one of the areas listed below? Sign up now and get immediately to work, or read on to learn more. Can You Help? This is where you come in. If you’re a certified drone pilot who has passed the Part 107 exam, DroneBase needs your help. DroneBase’s primary need is currently in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but they’re also looking for certified pilots in: Austin, TX San Antonio, TX Houston, TX El Paso, TX Denver, CO Fort Collins, CO Colorado Springs, CO Albuquerque, NM Oklahoma City,OK Tulsa, OK Wichita, KS Even if you don’t live in one of these cities, the good news is that DroneBase’s need is growing rapidly, and it looks like they’ll be looking for pilots in other cities soon. The Details These rooftop inspection jobs will: Take an average of 20-30 minutes on-site Have a guaranteed payout of $70 per home (no travel or other reimbursements included) The upside here is that the volume of work is high, and the work is quick and repeatable. No editing or post-production work is required, and those pilots already doing this work are getting as many inspections a day as they can handle, based entirely on their availability. The work is there for the taking. Go to DroneBase now if you’d like to sign up. Requirements The requirements are pretty simple. You must be a certified Part 107 pilot (and be able to prove it). Make sure you fill out the Pilot profile, including your license number and drone system when signing up. Ideal candidates will have some experience doing aerial inspections, but as long as you are licensed, DroneBase will almost certainly be interested in taking you on for this work. About DroneBase Back in December DroneBase announced a revenue projection of 700% for this year. That is in-frickin-credible, and a testament both to the booming nature of the drone industry, and also to all the hard work DroneBase has done to find jobs for drone pilots. In general, DroneBase has two different ways pilots can earn money (the rooftop inspection work discussed above would be included under #2): 1) Pano Missions This is kind of like a stock footage model. DroneBase is amassing a library of panoramic shots they can offer to their thousands of clients. You fly Pano Missions, and if clients purchase the footage, you ultimately get paid a percentage of what your footage is sold for. No post-processing necessary…just follow the flight instructions, upload your raw footage, and DroneBase’s auto-stitcher does the rest. 2) Client Missions Client Missions Depending on your location and skill level, DroneBase will send you client-specific missions. Not only will you get support from DroneBase during the course of your mission, but they handle all the post-processing. Simply upload your raw pictures and videos into their platform, and get paid with 1-2 days. We’re fans of DroneBase because they’ve made it so easy for drone pilots of all types, from aficionados to beginners, to start earning a wage from their flying based on their skillsets and abilities. And it’s pretty incredible how easy they’ve made things for pilots—check out these examples below to see how you could be using their app to earn right now: Questions about DroneBase? Here’s a good place to start. If you’re living in one of the areas listed above we encourage you to sign up and start doing rooftop inspections right away. It’s free to get started, and going through the sign-up process takes only about 5 minutes. Even if you’re not in one of those areas, you can still start making money with DroneBase today doing other kinds of work. This article was sponsored by DroneBase. Click here to learn about the different ways you can reach our community. The post Drone Jobs Galore with DroneBase appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

INTRODUCTION The NIHUI NH-010 5.8G FPV is probably one of the cheapest RTF tinywhoop FPV clone, around 40 USD for everything. Here we have a machine based on a proprietary FC and radio protocol. No possibility to tune anything via a confugurator for example., We have just a 6-axis stabilized flight mode available. In another hand, the NH-010 FPV integrates a 25mW 48CH AIO FPV camera completly protected by the canopy reforcing the general durability of the machine. This model is more a direct competitor of the Eachine E010C. Let’s discover the bundle. BOX CONTENT + 1 x NIHUI NH-010 5.8G FPV (with a 1S 200mAh LiPo) + 1 x Transmitter (using 2xAA batteries not included) + 1 x USB charging cable + 4 x Spare props (2 CW, 2 CCW) + 1 x Instruction manual (English) OVERVIEW The NIHUI is a 65mm machine … clearly the same TW size equiped of the same 6mmx15mm motors surrounded of the duct/prop guard system. -FRONT VIEW The AIO camera is really well protected by the top canopy. The shape remind me a bit the dark-vador helmet or a black minion. No problem to fear to break the 5.8G antenna, it’s a linear one … and robust -SIDE VIEW The top canopy is fixed by the two latteral clips and two screws. I think the screws can be removed without problem. -REAR VIEW -BOTTOM VIEW We have microJST 1.25mm connector for each motors, a good news for maintenance. We have also two LEDs light. Red for front and blue for rear. They are slow flashing when LVC alarm rings ( after 3min30 of flight time) In the other hand, the 2.4G antenna is installed bottom and horizontally parallel to FC board… definitively it will limit the control range. The antenna mode is a must to do with this machine -WEIGHT 19.7g standalone and less than 26g with the 200mAh LiPo … Expect relatively good flight time with Motors and Props 6mmx15mm brushed coreless motors like most or 65mm tinywhoop clone. No RPM mentioned but they seems really standard, no real extra boosting offered with them. Traditional duct system with the same quadriblades props that we can find all TW models To gain a bit in flight time, you can cut two blades over four on the same axis …. but you will loose a bit of powerlight (no free lunch) LiPo A 200mAh 1S LiPo model is provided with exactly the same connector than the Eachine E010. No discharge rate mentioned. This battery can used for the Eachine E010 by the way. AIO FPV Camera module A classic 25mW AIO camera with 600TVL is installed. The Field of View is large but not ultrawide… around 150deg IMHO, a good choice for indoors applications. Good news, all the module is simply attached via a connector. Super easy for maintenance 3.9g !!!! it’s super light 48CH channels divided in 6 bands. The raceband is supported. Two lights are visible even with the canopy installed. The blue one indicates one of the six bands while the green is the current Vfreq. You can access to the click button via the left hole and a thin tip. If short press on it, you will cycle inside the 8 Vfreq while a longer press will select one of the 6 Vband. The AIO camera is in PAL system. Disassembling We have a 2-in-1 MCU+2.4G RFchip “LO3589” and a 6-axis stabilization chip “M540”. The FC is referenced by JR-NH010RM. Transmitter Two AA batteries are required to feed the radio. Good news, NIMH model can used. The left shoulder button selects one of the two speed modes. The right engages a 360 degrees flips. The left rudder trims offers a “return to home” while the right rudder trim turns on/off the headless mode. To calibrate gyros, the throttle stick must be down while the right stick push in lower left position. A XN297L RFchip is here. It should offer a range around 60-70m especially after the antenna mod. and good news the radio protocol is the same than the Eachine E010 so directly compatible with the DevationTX (MJXq->E010) UNBOXING, ANALYSIS AND DEMO FLIGHT First remark, the antenna mod is a must to do immediatly. If not relatively poor control ranges are observed around 20-25m max. After the modding, you can extend by a factor 2x-3x… not so bad. No problem to cruize Inside a full house crossing several walls. Controlled by a DeviationTX radio, it’s super precize flyer !!!!! really you can pass through tiny spaces. That’s great. The AIO FPV camera performances is good, with nice vivid color … Maybe the light sensitivity could be a little bit better, but what can we expect for a 40 USD FPV machine ?. Another good news concerns the flight duration !!!! 4min !!! with the 200mAH and without any moddings. So you can imagine that with différents moddings to save 1g or more, the 5min limits can be reached. In another hand, I didn’t find the machine super beasty during throttle input ….motors are standard… CONCLUSIONS For a first and cheap TinyWoop clone, very stable and precize for FPV beginners, the NIHUI can be a nice option in the condition to perform antenna mod to extend poor out of the box range. I like the robusness of the structure, how well jailed is the AIO camera, the nice performances of the FPV rig and the general good flight time duration. Cherry on the cake, it’s already deviationed for a better control and range. PROS + Cheap RTF 48CH TinyWhoop clone + 4min of flight time + Good FPV cam + AIO FPV camera protected by the top canopy + DeviationTX compatible CONS – Proprietary FC (no PIDs tuning) – No Acro – No large motor’s thrust This quadcopter have been courtesy provided by TomTop in order to make a fair and not biased review. I would like to thank them for this attitude. You can find it actually for 44USD at http://www.tomtop.com/rc-quadcopter-1192/p-rm6523.html Cet article TEST: NIHUI NH-010 “PokeFPV” another tinywhoop clone (26g,200mAh,25mW/48CH/600TVL/150deg,Deviated) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

The Eachine Aurora 100 is probably one of the best compact brushless racer actually but except potential FoD (Flip of Death), the lower carbon with 1.5mm was definitively too weak and fragile. Now Banggood sells the 2mm and 2.5mm lower plate here: http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-Aurora-100-Mini-Brushless-FPV-Racer-Spare-Part-2mm-2_5mm-Bottom-Plate-3K-Carbon-Fiber-p-1144532.html The 2.0mm adds around 2.5g while the 2.5mm add 5 extra grams from the original lower plate. According to my lastest news, the next batch of the EA100 will be sold directly with the 2.0mm variant Description: Brand: Eachine Item name: Bottom Plate Material: Carbon Fiber Thickness: optional 2mm and 2.5mm Usage: for Aurora 100 Mini Brushless FPV Racer Package included: 1 x Bottom Plate Cet article NEWS: Eachine Aurora 100 upgraded lower carbon frame (2mm & 2.5mm upgrade) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

– NIHUI NH-010 5.8G FPV: http://www.tomtop.com/rc-quadcopter-1192/p-rm6523.html – KingKong Tiny 6: http://www.banggood.com/KINGKONG-TINY6-65mm-Micro-FPV-Quacopter-With-615-Brushed-Motors-Baced-on-F3-Brush-Flight-Controller-p-1134635.html – KingKong Tiny 7: http://www.banggood.com/KINGKONG-TINY7-75mm-Micro-FPV-Quacopter-With-720-Brushed-Motors-Baced-on-F3-Brush-Flight-Controller-p-1134636.html – Lantian 90L: http://www.banggood.com/LANTIAN-90L-90mm-Brushless-FPV-Racing-Drone-w-F3-5_8G-25mW-Beheli_S-10A-DSHOT-ESC-OSD-Buzzer-2-3S-p-1134570.html Cet article NEWS: SeByDocKy’s weekly news #61 est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

INTRODUCTION Close to one year ago was announced the Xiaomi Mi drone. At this time it was a direct competitor of the DJI Phantom 3. If the 1080p version was effectively quickly available in the market, at least for the chinese market, finally only close to 1 year later, the 4k version is introduced. From this date, the DJI phantom 4/Mavic with astonished performances and advanced features (such as obstacle avoidance) have been introduced. With the Xiaomi Mi 4K version, it’s not only the camera module who have been upgraded but also the FPV rig. No more 2.4G WiFi in the menu but now more a specialized MIMO link working on the 5 GHz band. The main brain is also upgraded with a double IMU for a better stablization. Anyway despite these new improvements, let’s check if it’s not already too late for Xiaomi vs DJI. BOX CONTENT + 1 x Xiaomi Mi 4K (with a 4S 51000mAh LiHv battery) + 1 x Transmitter (using a 2600mAh builtin battery) + 1 x Charger + 4 x Spare props (2 CW, 2 CCW) + 1 x 2.4G USB dongle + 1 x Instruction manual (Chinese) Surprizingly, no more prop guard included like for the 1080p version… just an extra 2.4G USB dongle to connect your smartphone/tablet without USB tethering. Good news, now the Gimbal is directly boxed into the main one. No extra second box like for the 1K version. OVERVIEW Let’s start immediatly to speak truly, the Xiaomi Mi 4K drone is not a direct competitor of the DJI P4 but more for a P3. Let’s compare side by side technical parameters. From a first glance comparaison, we can understand why DJI delivered lately the P3 SE…. for sure the real target of the Xiaomi. The Xiaomi offers a double IMU and compass electronic but most other caracteristics are really close with for example up to 4Km of control and FPV range. So now let’s compare with the first 1080p (1K) version…… no big visual difference except that the golden color replaced the red one. We have the same 450mm quadcopter flat chassis with 1.2mm strong nylon material and same 3-axis gimbal/camera PTZ design. The same manually retractable landing gear to make transportation more easy. Now a 2.4G USB dongle is included avoiding USB connexion between the radio and your smartphone/tablet. -FRONT VIEW Versus the former model, a new prop lock system is introduced. The gold color indicates CW motors while silver CCW ones. Retractable landing gear offers a ground clearance of 12cm. As for the former model, the gimbal clipsing take a couple of seconds. A very cool solution but be sure to hear a clip if you don’t want to loose your gimbal mid-flight. -SIDE VIEW Naturally, the 4K gimbal combo tends to turn to the right so less balanced versus the 1K version. The latteral button to retract/block the landing skid system -REAR VIEW Same battery inserted with this time a golden power button. As usual, to power the machine, short press then immediatly long press more than 2s. The current level of battery is indicated via the five white led light. 5 lights means 100% of charge. -UPPER VIEW Despite being flat, the upper canopy hides a GPS/GLONASS chip. For a cold fix, wait around 3min to retrieve first satellites. You will need at least 10 satellites to take off. The main interface on right bottom indicates a progressive bar proportional the satellite’s reception quality level. Some vant can found on top of each arms to cool ESC. -BOTTOM VIEW The bottom side welcomes two utrasonic sensors and a tiny camera actually to mainly stabilize the machine indoors where GPS is not available. We can regret for example that for outdoors applications, the ground detection is not yet integrated AFAIK. Probably it will be a future app/firmware update since the electronic is already here. The main gimbal port with the easy clip solution. The microUSB is used mainly to rescue the machine in case of crash during a firmware’s update procedure. Connect the microUSB port to a USB +5V/1A power unit. Automatically after a couple of second, a rescue firmware is installed. Notice also, by connecting the remote via USB to this microUSB port while pressing both power button and the right next one, another rescue/binding procedure is lunched. -WEIGHT compared to the 1080p version, 38.5g are added. Motors and props Like the 1080p, 2212 motors are installed but no more mentioned of the KV, probably around 800Kv. A novelty is the prop lock system: push the props when aligned with this metal bar then lock it with 1/4th of tour on right and voilà :). This system is much more efficient than the former one. I like it. Still some 1046 fiber based. With this new system, you won’t be able to use the former props of the 1K model. LiPo The same 5100mAh LiHv model, just slightly more heavy. Maybe there is an extra security system… or the discharge rate have been improved. Important remark: If you have already some batteries from your 1K model, actually if the associated firmware is the 1010, they won’t work on the 4K. An error message will be displayed on the GUI No problem is the firmware is updated to the 1340 version. Gimbal camera module In a first glance, no real visible difference but there are some minors. At least, all brushless motors seems identical. Now the silver/grey color is replaced for the golden for each axis. The associated sensor is an 12mpx Sony’s CMOS one with 94 of FOV. One nice option is to be able to shoot at 1080@100fps!!!! really not bad at all. No possibility to record 720p videos at 200fps for example :(. Iso sensitivity reach 3200, the same as for DJI competitors. I regret the lack of parameters to tune/tweak the camera output. Basically only EV and the resolution. You will see that the blue color is little bit dominating the other ones. Notice the absence of the small hole bottom associated with the microphone for the 1K version. Close to 5g more heavier than the 1K combo. The emitted power in the 5G band is announced to be 23-24dBm so close to 200mW. Compared to the 1K model, we have now this black rubbon cable instead of individual white wires. I am afraid in case of hard crash that the ribbon will be damaged even more. The “4K” letters are here From left to right: the microSD port where you will need a good class 10 (>=20Mbits as writing speed is recommanded for 4K recording), the fan and a microUSB port. Transmitter Exactly the same radio design with a buitin 2600mAh LiPo strong enough for 2-3h of gameplay. It’s relatively long the first time to recharge it, more than 2h. To turn on the radio, like the quadcopter, you have to short press the left button then immediatly press it again more than 2s. This powerbutton should stay red at least 6-7s until the pairing is done. The pairing is a little bit more longer than for the 1K model. The left wheel control the gimbal’s tilt axis. The right wheel by default control the front white light with the possibility to turn off them completly to shoot videos without interferences in low light conditions. The left rear button trigger video recording while the right one the photo’s shooting. A slider button can engage the RTH. The RTH can be also activated via the Appz too. The bottom hides a microUSB port used to recharge the builtin 2600mAH battery, an unknown port (probably a power port) and USB port connecting the radio to your favorite smartphone/tablet. The 5Ghz is indicated on the back sticker Another novelty, the possibility to connect the radio via WiFi with the 2.4G USB dungle. UNBOXING, ANALYSIS, CONFIGURATION AND DEMO FLIGHT First good news, at least versus the first 1080p model, the appz can be found officially in google play for android. The appz works from 5.x but presents in another hand some artefacts for the 7.x in the live streaming. It should be solved rather quick. For iOS, no problem reported. Actually only two firmwares can be updated, one for the no-fly-zone, the second for the FC. In the field, first immediate result is the extreme stability of the machine in hovering mode. Max reported deviations are about few cm…. impressive. The gimbal work is also really efficient even at full speed, no jello/vibrations….that’s great but it’s not 100% perfect. For example, after some turns to right or left, the camera can’t be perfectly leveled horizontally. The camera rendition in 4K@30 is generally good, maybe the blue color a bit too much dominant. Sound is actually not recorded and generally the camera lacks of ajustable settings from the GUI. At least no lens glares front the sun. A class 10 with a writing speed >= 20mbits is required if you don’t want your recordings to stop randomly mid-flight. The machine is relatively fast even in GPS mode but as soon as you release sticks, stabilization is far to be optimal with oscillations luckely without impacts in video recordings. Some minor PID ajustements should be done in a future FC firmware. by the way, no possibility to tune them via the appz. Surprisingly even in descent, no vibrations/instabilities can be noticed in recordings, that’s pretty good. The FPV range is super solid and the frame rate not dropping below 15fps. The advertized 2km of range is true and even some users managed to go around 4km!!! But be aware to have enough battery to way back. One minor bad point, the FPV link can freeze time to time. Just need to go in map menu then return in video mode to retrieve the live signal. Maybe it’s linked with my screen recorder. I really appreciate the 720p video feedback associated with the 4K version. It brings a lot of details. In term of regrets, any ground detection is actually included to outdoors flight modes. It could be very usefull for mission planning or high speed cruizing. Such addings can be done techincally by the Xiaomi Mi so we can be expect to be included in a future app release relatively soon. The flight duration is more in practice around 21-22min… at 30% a first red warning msg is displayed in the app. At 25%, a speed limitation is turned on. It could be a real problem is your machine is far from the take-off location. No possbility to return home in time. More at 15%, the machine engages an emergency landing. By consequence, I regret the absence of a dynamic timeline showing for example when the machine will enter into low voltage conditions. This timeline must be updated according the distance between the take off location and the current position of the machine. For advanced flight modes, a lot of associated parameters must be ajusted via slider buttons. I found them hard to move/manipulate … sometime no action at all can be done despite billions of finger’s taping… It’s a little bit annoying… The same situation with waypoins defition. in theory a double tap is asked to add a new point…. You need in practice to repeat often this operation to see a new point finally on the screen. What’s a pity to not have yet the possibility the handraw a trajectory for example like in the recent Hubsan Appz. The dronie mode allows the machine to move backward while climbing a bit, ideal to take perspective/to shot globally a scene. Working fine. Finally the “tap-fly” will send the machine to a given designed point in the map. Surpringly, no follow-me flight mode yet implemented. When you engaged one of the advanced flight modes (RTH, orbit, mission planning, tap-fly), the rudder and gimbal commands can be used to ajust the scene. CONCLUSIONS The fundamentals of the Xiaomi Mi 4K are impressive. Good flight duration, long control and FPV range in 720p resolution, stable jello free 4K shootings, 1080p@100fps and ultra precize GPS stabilization. The gimbal works is not yet 100% perfect especially during left or right turns, a slight non-perfect horizontal situation can be encounder but it will probably be improved during future firmware updates. While being no more crashing, I found the app not super easy to use. For example to define a trajectory/orbit parameters. More some important flight modes are missing such as the follow-me flight mode. No ground detection for outdoors application is actually used. Well to make short, in term of functionalities, the Xiaomi Mi drone is not yet a DJI killer, it’s more a downgrade especially versus a P4. But there is a hope than little by little, all missions features will be added since and it’s the more important the electronic is already here. PROS + Ultra precize stationnary hovering (deviation of a couple of cm only) + Long 720p FPV range (up to 4km) + Long control range (up to 4km) + 4K@30fps resolution + 1080p@100fps + No vibrations/jello in video recordings + Improved prop lock system + 22min of flight time + Appz much more stable versus first edition + Dronie mode + Orbit mode efficient + Rudder command can be ajusted during RTH, mission planning and orbit mode CONS – Gimbal not perfectly horizontal after a left or right moves – Camera’s color not faithfull (blue is dominant) – Appz far to be perfect yet – Waypoints definition/edition can be problematic for some tablets/smartphone – No target tracking flight mode – No ground detection during landing/descent – Not perfectly stable machine during fast flying, PIDs can be improved – 1080p’s battery with firmware 1010 not compatible (yet) – No more propguards included – No obstacle detection – Actually no sound recording – Lack of camera settings This quadcopter have been courtesy provided by Banggood in order to make a fair and not biased review. I would like to thank them for this attitude. You can find it actually for 540USD at http://www.banggood.com/Cheerson-CX-10C-CX10C-Mini-2_4G-4CH-6-Axis-RC-Quadcopter-with-Camera-RTF-p-989909.html Bonus A first raw video, where I met some problem of connexion to update maps for my tablet. Cet article TEST: Xiaomi Mi 4K drone est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

This is the new brushless racer of the week for Eachine: http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-Lizard95-95mm-F3-FPV-Racer-BNF-4-in-1-10A-ESC-OSD-5_8G-48CH-25MW100MW-VTX-600TVL-Camera-3S-p-1141589.html. More or less based on the same electronic of the Aurora’s serie (F3 omni + betaflight OSD, 4-in-10A BLheli_S/Dshot 600 board, we have some little modification to be fully 3S conpatible. First motors are 1104/6000Kv instead of classic 1104/7500Kv and now 100% 3S guaranted. The model comes now with a 550 3S Mah. Annouced to reach 110g AWG. As usual, three choices of receiver are offered (FrSKy D8 w/ telemetry), FlySky (AFHDS-2A) and specktrum DSM2/DSMX. Good news, the VTX power can pushed up to 100mW from 25mW. 48CH are supported. Specification: Brand name: Eachine Item Name: Lizard95 95mm Micro FPV RACING DRONES BNF Size:115mm*115mm*60mm Weight: 66( battery not include) Flight controller: Betaflight F3 Flight controller built-in OSD Motor: Eachine 1104 KV6000 brushless motor Propeller: 50mm 5-blades propeller Camera: 600TVL HD CMOS 1/4inch VTX: 5.8g 25MW/100MW Switchable 48CH NTSC/PAL Video transmitter Battery: 11.1V 550mah 40C lipo battery OSD: Betaflight OSD Firmware of Flight controller :Betaflight 3.1 Flight time : 4minutes Rear LED Ready( LED_Strip function) Buzzer Ready Receiver Option: -Compatible Frsky D8 modee SBUS receiver (RSSI ready) -Compatible Flysky 8ch AFHDS2A receiver Ibus output with Failsafe -Compatible Specktrum DSM2/DSMX receiver Flight controller Specification: -Size:27mm*27mm*5mm -Mount hole: 20mm*20mm -Processor: STM32 F303 MCU -Sensor: SPI Sensor MPU6000 -Built-in Betaflight OSD ( Batt voltage, RSSI , Artificial Horizon , Fly mode , -Flytime, Craft name etz.) -Firmware version: Betaflight 3.1 Dshot600 ready -Target: OmnibusF3 -Work voltage: 2S-3S lipo battery ESC specification: -Size:27mm*27mm*5mm -Mount hole: 20mm*20mm -Firmware version: BLHELI_S 16.5 – BB2, 48MHZ Chip -Lipo Battery: 2S-3S -Con. Current: 10A -Peak Current: 15A (10S) -BEC: 5V @0.1A -Programming: YES -Betaflight pass-trough ready -Dshot600 ready(Default) -Support oneshot42 oneshot125 Multishot Dshot -Damped light on Features: -Extremely light and more powerful 3S power makes the Whisper 95 like a beast -STM32 F303MCU + BLHELI_S ESC make your Operating feel more stability and silky -Adjustable Angle of Camera -Adjustable VTX Power 25mw/100mw – Jaw-dropping flight performance -Betaflight support -Acro mode / Air mode /Angle mode support -Built-in OSD(Using F3 MCU controls OSD over SPI bus in DMA mode) -OSD Configuration has been include in BETAFLIGHT GUI -Radio Stick to control PID Tunes -BLEHELI_S pass-through ready -Telemetry RSSI Output ready(Frsky Version) Package include: 1 x Eachine Lizard95 Frame kit 1 x Betaflight F3 6DOF flight controller build-in OSD 1 x Compatible Frsky/DSMX/Flysky AFHDS2A Receiver(optional) 4 x Eachine 1104 6000KV brushless motor 1 x Minicube 10A BLHELI_S 16.5 2s-3S 4 in 1 ESC Dshot600 4 x 50mm 5-blades propeller CW 4 x 50mm 5-blades propeller CCW 1 x 600TVL HD CMOS 1/4 inch camera 1 x 5.8g 25MW/100MW Adjustable 48CH NTSC/PAL VTX 1 x 11.1V 550mah 40C lipo battery XT30 plug 1 x WS2812 LED Board 1 x Buzzer(Integrated in Receiver) Cet article NEWS: Eachine Lizard 95 (110g, F3 omni+Betafight, 10A BLheli_S ESC, 1104/6000, 3S setup) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

We’ve been interviewing winners from this year’s New York City Drone Film Festival over the last several weeks, and it’s been a pleasure to get so many different perspectives on aerial cinematography, and to get such an array of insights into how these directors work. This week’s interview is with Giles Campbell Longley, a Parkour filmmaker who directed “Cala d’en Serra – Drone Parkour,” which won the “Extreme Sports” category at the NYCDFF this year. The video was shot by Kie Willis—who is also a professional Parkour athlete—and the Parkour was done by Eric Moor. Giles has been filming and doing Parkour for fourteen years, and his perspective and experience are invaluable when it comes to talking drones and Parkour filmmaking—let’s dive right in. — Begin Interview: UAV Coach: This video is so fun to watch. What were some of the challenges you faced in making it? Did anything unexpected arise? Giles: I think the biggest challenge we faced when filming this video was coming up with enough movements for Eric in an environment that was so unsafe. We found the location via drone racing videos online and booked flights with no idea whether or not the structure would be safe enough to jump on. The whole thing was incredibly sketchy and we ended spending a ton of time testing and strengthening areas of the building so they could be useable. [Check out the behind the scenes video at the end of the interview to see just how sketchy this spot was.] UAV Coach: Eric Moor’s Parkour is really impressive in the video. What was it like working with an athlete doing stunts like that? Giles: I’m a full time Parkour filmmaker & Kie Willis (the drone pilot on this project) is actually a professional Parkour athlete himself, so we’re very used to shooting this style of movement. Eric is one of our closest friends and he’s incredible to work with, both in his determination to repeat something until it’s perfect, but also because of his sense of humor. UAV Coach: Editing is an important part of why your video is so amazing. How long did you take with post-production, and how did you work in the editing room to make sure the end result matched up to the vision you first imagined when you started the project? Giles: The edit didn’t actually take too long, about two to three days. Every night after shooting we would get back to our hotel and play with the selects so by the end of the trip we already had a solid idea of how the final piece would look. Then it was just a case of polishing things up. UAV Coach: Tell us about your company, Visive Productions. Is this the kind of work you typically do? Giles: Yes, I’ve practiced Parkour since 2003 so the sport is well and truly engrained in my life. I got into filmmaking because I just wanted to film myself and my friends, and everything has just evolved from there. Giles shot this video back in 2010—the costumes are silly, but the Parkour is seriously impressive UAV Coach: Did you have to secure a permit or deal with any other kinds of regulations to fly your drone in Ibiza in order to shoot the video? Giles: No, we didn’t obtain any permission to shoot there. We wouldn’t have considered the location if it was built up and had a lot of people frequenting the area, as we try to avoid flying anywhere that could cause any safety issues. The area itself was technically fenced off but there were many spots that didn’t have fences. Luckily the location was incredibly remote, and due to the fact that we filmed it in the off season (December), we only encountered a couple of people during the whole week of filming. Visitors ranged from family’s coming in to explore, birdwatchers, and even some trials bikers who worked their way down the nearby cliff face and into the courtyard. UAV Coach: How did you first get involved with aerial cinematography? Giles: Years ago we had a couple of friends who built their own drone and mounted a small Sony camera on the bottom of it. We played around for a day in an abandoned estate and instantly saw the potential it offered to capture Parkour from the air. Unfortunately the drone setup was rather temperamental and we didn’t get to utilize it as much as we would have liked. However, within a couple of years the consumer market for drones expanded, with companies like DJI coming into the mix, and we’ve been playing ever since. UAV Coach: What drone(s) do you fly, and what cameras do you use? Giles: Currently we work with the DJI Inpsire 1 with the X5 camera. Another amazing video from Giles and Kie UAV Coach: What are your predictions for aerial cinematography, and the drone industry in general? Please feel free to answer at length (what you see way down the road, what you see for next year, where you see regulations headed in Spain or elsewhere, new applications, etc.). Giles: I think in the near future things are going to get a lot more exciting when it comes to aerial cinematography. I guess my thoughts always apply to the action sports-filmmaker perspective, but when drones such as the early DJI Phantoms came into play, videos suddenly became oversaturated with rather boring over-the-top or high-up angles. These looked spectacular but were too tame for my liking. Drones have the ability to travel at rapid speeds while making movements that were literally impossible a few years ago, unless you had a helicopter, yet for some reason the majority of people in the action sports world still seem to opt for what are relatively simple shots and flight paths. The moment we got our hands on the Inspire and had the potential for rapid movement coupled with independent camera movement, we knew we had to push the limits of what we thought was possible. Now with the rise of racing drones, and incredible small cameras such as the GoPro Session, I’m hoping to see more people utilizing these tools to push things even further. The benefit of racing drones is that their movements are less stabilized than something like a DJI Inspire, so when it comes to action sports you can create something far more visually stimulating. Regarding regulations, I think that unfortunately we will see these getting more and more strict in the near future. With drones being so accessible, it just increases the chances of reckless pilots putting other people in danger, effectively spoiling the fun for people who are trying to push their creative boundaries while being sensible and safe. I don’t really know what the end point of this will be, but I seriously hope nothing major comes into play, like an outright ban on drones. — In the first question of the interview Giles talks about how sketchy the location was where they shot the video that won the “Extreme Sports” category at the NYCDFF this year. Here’s the behind the scenes video that shows just how unreliable some of these structures were: Want to see more of Giles’ work? Check out his showreel below: The post Parkour in Spain—An Interview with Giles Campbell Longley, “Extreme Sports” Winner at NYCDFF 2017 appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

Want a lightweight AIO FPV camera with a good light sensitivity and switchable power ?. Here is this new JJA TCHYH42: http://www.banggood.com/JJA-TCYH42-5_8GHz-48CH-25mW-200mW-Switchable-Raceband-Transmitter-1200TVL-CMOS-PAL-NTSC-Switchable-Camera-p-1143405.html Announced to be 1000TVL (1200TVL for black & white), 1/4″ CMOS sensor, the light sensitivity is advertized to be 0.01 Lux!!! so much better versus the 0.5 or 1Lux for last introduced AIO FPV cameras combo. Night flights with such camera should be much more efficient but with 1000 TVL & 1/4″ CMOS sensor, I am afraid the level of noise in low light can be very importat. 4.8g in total, not the lightest but this module can be turned also into 200mW configuration. Ideal AIO camera for compact brushless racers IMHO. Be aware works only for 1S system without Voltage regulation. Description: Item name:JJA-TCYH42 Frequency: 5.8GHz 6 bands 48 channels Transmission power:25mW/200mW Switchable Working voltage:3.3-5.5V Working current:t350mA-550mA/5V resolution: 1200TVL Imaging device:1/4 CMOS Field of view: 150°-170° Signal system:PAL/NTSC switchable Effective pixels:1280H*1024V Minimum illumination:0.001LUX/F1.2 Contrast:adjustable Working temperature:-10°C-50°C Weight:4.8G Volume:15*23*9.5mm JJA TCYH42 5.8GHz 48CH 25mW/200mW Switchable Raceband 1200TVL 1/4 CMOS PAL/NTSC Switchable Camera Features: 1. Limit size and weight 2. Easy installation for racing drone 3. Six bands 48 channels with Raceband Package Included: 1 x Camera We have also the same but with more a linear Antenna: http://www.banggood.com/1200TVL-120-Degree-14-CMOS-5_8G-48CH-25mW200mW-Switchable-AIO-Mini-FPV-Camera-For-Micro-Racer-Quad-p-1143406.html Description : Item Name : 5.8G Mini Camera Size : 15mm*23mm*9.5mm Weight : 4.8g Parameter : Sensor : 1/4″ CMOS 1MP HD Sensor Resolution: 1280TVL HD FPV : 120° DFOV : 150° Format : PAL/NTSC switchable Effective Pixcel : 1280H*1024V LUX : 0.001LUX/F1.2 Horizontal Resolution : 1000TVL(B/W 1200TVL) Contrast : Adjustable Specification : Frequency : 5.8G Channel : 48CH(6 bands *8 channels), Bands:A-F,Channel:1-8 Power : 25mW/200mW adjustable Working Voltage : 5.5V-2.5V Working Current : 350mA-550mA/5V Working Temp. : -10?+50? RH85% Package Included : 1 x 5.8G 48CH 1200TVL Camera Cet article NEWS: JJA TCYH42 48CH 25mW/200mW 0.01Lux 1000TVL AIO FPV cam est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

You dreamt of an ultralight but solid brushless indoors racers ? Probably the miracle will be come true soon with the new Eachine DustX58: http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-dustX58-58mm-FPV-Racing-Drone-BNF-with-F3-4A-Blheli_S-D-Shot-600-5_8G-48CH-VTX-p-1143432.html A 60mm machine announced to turn around 35g with the battery !!! thanks to the ultralight 0703/20000Kv motors. For such weight and KV we have a 1S setup coming with a 450mAh. ESC are 4A (peak 5A) model… maybe they can handle 2S input probably not motors. At least they are BLhel_S/Dshot600 ready :). We have a kind of minicube with lower 4-in-1 ESC board and a upper F3+builtin FrSky D8 receiver. No other recever choice is announced. The main X structure and the prop guard are carbon based !!! Great for durability. I can’t see any builtin OSD chip and buzzer …. probably the weakest point I see with the original design (at least the buzzer). The FPV rig is based on a 25mW 48ch AIO CMOS camera. No information about the expected flight time too. Well I of cource asked to review this tiny beauty…. I want it already :). A thin but carbon based prop guards !!! that’s great 25g without battery and the total weight is announced to be 35g with battery !!!! impressive … Specification: Brand name: Eachine Item name: dustX58 FPV racing drone BNF Wheelbase: 58mm Package size: 183*163*77mm Weight: 150g (included the package) Take off weight: 35g Weight of the drone: 25g (without battery) Bottom board thickness: 1.5mm Carbon ring thickness: 2mm Motor: 0703 20000KV motor ESC: 4A 1S Blheli_S 4 in 1 ESC D-Shot 600 Propeller: 40mm 3-blade propeller Camera: 5.8G Wireless Camera with 5.8G 48CH NTSC/PAL video transmitter Flight controller: F3 Flight Control Board Built-in 8CH SUBS Receiver for X9D Plus Battery: 1s 450mAh lipo battery F3 Flight controller: Size (PCB): 21×21 mm Weight: 1.4g 1.7g ( including antenna) Built-in SBUS Receiver for Frsky X9D Plus CPU: STM32F3 SPI: ICM-20608-G Accelerometers and Gyroscope Mounting Hole: 16x16mm, M2 Can support current, voltage monitoring 2.4G Receiver Channel: 8CH SBUS Output Control Range: 200m 4A 1S Blheli_S 4 in 1 ESC D-Shot 600: Size(PCB): 21x21mm Mounting Hole: 16x16mm , M2 Weight: 1.35g ( not including cable) Firmware version: Blheli_S Input Voltage: 1S Con.Current: 4A Peak Current(10s):5A BEC:NO Programming: YES D-shot 600 ready in default Support D-shot150, D-shot300, Oneshot125 and Multishot 5.8G wireless camera: Frequency band: 5362-5945MHz Channel customer: 48 Modulation type: FM Channel SEL: Touch Switch Channel Indicate: CH1~CH8 Channel indication with 8LEDS and A~F frequency group Indicate with 6LEDS Transmit power: 13±1dBm Frequency control: PLL All harmonic: Max -50dBm Frequency Stability: ±100KHz (Typ.) Frequency precision: ±200KHz (Typ.) Channel Carrier error: 1dB Antenna Port: 50 Ohms Input format: NTSC/PAL SENSOR: PAL:720X540/NTSC:640X480 1/4ÿ LENS ANGEL: H:120°/V:100° Base-band interface: (P1.27*2) Power consumption: 200~215MA@5V DCIN Supply Voltage: 2.9-5.5v Operating Temperature: -10?~+60? Profile dimension: 14.5mmX12.2mm+14.5mmX12mm Package included: 1* Eachine dustX58 58mm frame kit 2* 0703 20000KV motor CW 2* 0703 20000KV motor CCW 1* 4A 1S Blheli_S 4 in 1 ESC D-Shot 600 1* F3 Flight Control Board Built-in 8CH SUBS Receiver for X9D Plus 1* 5.8G wireless camera with 5.8G 48CH VTX NTSC/PAL video transmitter 1* 1s 450mAh lipo battery 1* camera mount 2* 40mm 3-blade propeller CW 2* 40mm 3-blade propeller CCW 1* charger 1* antenna Cet article NEWS: Eachine DustX58 (35g 1S brushless FPV racer, F3+Builtin FrSky D8, 4A BLHeli_S/Dshot600) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

A new compact and lightweight selfie drone is announced, a real direct competitor of the excellent Zerotech Dobby, i.e. the Alpha Cam WiFi FPV mini: http://www.banggood.com/Alpha-CAM-WiFi-FPV-Mini-Flexible-Selfie-Drone-With-4K-HD-Camera-GPS-RC-Quadcopter-p-1143358.html A 220g machine able to film in 4K@30fps or 1080p@30 with 3-axis EIS. Announced flight time is about 20min so far superior to the Dobby and a spare battery is also included in the bundle. The camera is a 13mpx sony sensor based with “only” 90 degrees of FOV. From the photo, the lens orientation can’t be ajusted … In term of flight mode, after classic RTH, we have follow-me, orbit and target tracking. A face detection module is also integrated to trigger photo shooting for example. The FPV link is done in VGA format up to 100m. For indoors, positionning is done by vision and infrared processing. As you can see, this model shares most of the Dobby’s features. Let’s hope the app is as efficient as the zerotech’s one. Hope the EIS will perform a little bit better than for the Dobby but we can’t expect miracle with EIS & a 220g machine. Features: -With 13MP HD camera,4K video,1080P software stabilized,3-Axis electronic image stabilization,are tuned amazingly to capture stunning pictures and videos from the sky. -GPS+CLONEASS dual satellite positiong, along with AGPS auxiliary position,Alpha CAM goes wherever you go. -With One key to return function makes it easily to find the way home. -4 Channel which can do ascend, descend, forward, backward, left sideward fly, right sideward fly and rolling 360°. -It have 3 control modes: Motion control. touch control and voice control that can make more fun with the flying. -Palm-sized and a perfecr combination of streamlied design, the drone will be more flexible./ -With Double batteries, make your flight time more longer. -With portable box,make your travel more convience and fun. Package Included: 1 x RC Quadcopter 2 x Battery 1 x USB cable 1 x Charger 1 x Charger cable 1 x Portable box 4 x Spare propeller 1 x Spanner 4 x Protection cover 3 x Document Cet article NEWS: Alpha Cam WiFi FPV Mini (220g 2s selfie drone, 4K@30, 1080p@30 EIS, 20min) est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

After close to 8 days held in customs, I got the Xiaomi mi 4K !!!!! (the custom tax was just amazing … ~40% of the price of machine !!!!)….. To be honest, last week, I was also away from home for my work…. But new tests will be appear soon with the Xiaomi Mi 4K, the RealAcc Orange 85, the Lantian 90L, the KingKong T6 and T7 and the NH-010 FPV Cet article NEWS: Xiaomi Mi 4K in my hands … est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article