Drone News

Want to boost your last brushless racer with 8.5mmx20mm ? Maybe the new Racerstar motor can represent a good alternative to the expensive Chaoli model from MWW: http://www.banggood.com/Racerstar-8520-8_5x20mm-53500RPM-Coreless-Motor-Upgrade-for-Eachine-QX90-QX95-DIY-Micro-FPV-p-1113933.html. They come with or without a 1.25mm JST connectors. Description: Motor Diameter: 8.5mm Motor Length: 20mm Shaft Diameter: 0.05-0.3mm Cable Length: 80mm Weight: 5.1g Option: Clockwise Motor(With Red Blue Wire), Anti-clockwise Motor(With Black White Wire) Option: With 1.25mm JST Plug Quantity: 1 pcs Electrical characteristics: Items Specification Standard value No Load speed 53500rpm±12% 53500 rpm No Load current 280mA max 200mA Starting voltage 0.8V max 0.5V DC Stall current 10570mA±5% mA 10570mA Terminal resistance 0.4O ±5% 0.4O Insulation resistance 10M? min AT 250V DC between motor terminal and case Stall torque 64.0±3g.cm 64g.cm Cet article NEWS: Racerstar 8.5mmx20mm 53500RPM est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

The future is here, folks. Not that any of us drone pilots, aficionados, and fans are all that surprised—in fact, many of us thought this day might come even sooner than it has. But we will admit, now that the day has finally arrived there is a feeling of surreality about the whole thing. Just think about it: a flying robot has delivered a package to someone’s house. (Wait, wait—anyone remember Skynet? Just kidding!). Seriously though, this is a monumental moment, and a milestone to be celebrated by the sUAS industry at large. We are of course talking about Amazon’s recent announcement that they have made their first successful drone delivery via Amazon Prime Air. Way back in December of 2013 Amazon announced the launch of Prime Air, and we wrote about how Prime Air was shaping up to be a new disrupter in the delivery industry in general, in large part because drone deliveries are so much cheaper than any alternate method for making deliveries. Well, the day has finally arrived. Check out the video below if you’d like to watch the first Amazon Prime Air test delivery, or scroll down to learn more about the details. The Details The first drone delivery was done not in the United States, but in the United Kingdom last week. This first test delivery took place near Amazon’s drone testing facility in Cambridgeshire. According to USA Today, “The test was done with the approval of Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority, which Amazon says plans to allow it to deliver to rural areas once it has amassed sufficient safety data.” The ultimate goal is to deliver packages of up to five pounds in 30 minutes or less. The test took place on December 7, and was a delivery of an Amazon Fire stick and bag of popcorn—the delivery was there in just 13 minutes. Add to that the fact that Amazon has stated they don’t plan to charge extra for the service. Pretty darn neat, if we don’t say so ourselves. What about the U.S.? Amazon received approval from the FAA to test drone delivery back in April of 2015, but has yet to begin actual test flights like the one just completed in the U.K. It can be expected that the tests and data collected in the U.K. will inform, and probably accelerate, the testing process and eventual implementation of the service here in the United States. Of course, as exciting as this recent announcement is, actual drone delivery is probably still years away. Although the technology may be capable, Amazon will have to test and demonstrate the ability to scale safely before the U.K, the U.S., or other governments will allow them to fully launch their delivery service. But nonetheless, this is one more big step forward for the sUAS industry, and one we can all be excited about. Of course, startups like Zipline have already been breaking into the drone delivery business by building drones to deliver medical supplies to remote areas, but the idea of having a drone that comes straight to your door with a bag of popcorn, well, that is a different kettle of fish. Can’t get enough? Here’s a video from CNN on Amazon’s Prime Air delivery service. The post Amazon Makes Its First Drone Delivery appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

INTRODUCTION The Eachine QX70 comes after the QX90, QX80, QX100 and the QX95. With the QX70, we have a 70mm “tinywhoop” machine with ducted props, SPF3 board, a 25mW 600TVL AIO FPV camera. Three choices of receiver are offered. FrSky, Flysky or DSM2/DSMX. I will review the QX70 with a builtin FrSky D8 receover. A ducted system in theory should improve the general lift capacity while offering also a complete prop protection. In the other hand, as soon as the machine is no more leveled, the non-vertical thrust is rather poor: A good stabilized hover, but a poor mover …. The Eachine QX70 as many other QX’s model comes with three choices of receiver: FrSky (D8), FlySky (AFHDS), and DSM2/DSMX. BOX CONTENT + 1 x Eachine QX70 (with a 1S 600mAh LiPo with microLOSI connector) + 1 x USB charger + 1 x USB to FC cable + 4 x Spare props (2 CW, 2 CCW) + 1 x Prop wrench remover + 1 x Instruction manual (English) No spare LiPo or motors like for some other QX models. OVERVIEW Nothing else than a 70mm version of the tinywhoop for the general design: each motor got its own ducted system with quadiblades prop. -FRONT VIEW On top, installed Inside a specific plastic mount the classic 600TVL AIO delivering 25mW in 6 different 5.8G bands (48CH in total). A cloverleaf is installed. A model very similat to the Eachine TX’s serie. with the battery installed vertically, quiet original position In practice, especially with a ducted system, I don’t think it’s a good idea: The ducted system improves the hovering capacity but decreases the mouvement one. With the battery installed verticaly, the CoG is even lower and the quad will tend to be leveled more easily. It means this battery position will enforce the ducted effect and killed even more the horizontally displacement capacity. To help to keep your orientation for LOS flight, only a tiny green LEDs emitted by the AIO camera … -SIDE VIEW Partially hidden by the camera support, on the front left you can find the Bind button for the FrSky D8 version -REAR VIEW Like the QX95, you have strong lights, four LEDs programmable through CF/BF. By the way, you have the same light behaviour than the QX95 indicating arming, left and right mouvements. -UPPER VIEW With the camera support removed The AIO camera is directly powered by the LiPo while the light from the +5V builtin Vreg. -BOTTOM VIEW Large plastic motor pods jail correctly each motors. Maybe they could be a light bit thinner to save few little weight. Good news, motors are pluggeds via mini JST SH connectors for an easy maintenance. -WEIGHT Less than 55g AWG…. With normal 8520 props, it’s not a drama …. here since the props are much smaller …. the weight will have a deep impact of flight performances. Motors Classic 8520 coreless motors …. not super fast btw. Props are small 40mm versus 60mm or even 70mm for Parrot spider model. Is the lack of direct thrust associated with the 40mm props will be compensated by the ducted system ? LiPo The same 600mAh Lipo as for all QX & EX series. Camera module One more time the classic 600TVL AIO 25mW camera. The light handling is rather good and the FOV maybe a little bit too wide for outdoors but good for indoors training. The FPV range is known to be great with this camera. Over 100m in open conditions. You can cross easily several walls with… Two buttons: the front select the NTSC/PAL mode while the rear one the Vband (long press) and the Vfreq (short press) The full list of the Vfreq and Vbands The main potential problem is the PCB antenna support, potentially breakable after a hard crash. Versus multiple crashes, you may probably replace the CL antenna by a simple linear model. UNBOXING, ANALYSIS, CONFIGURATION AND FIRST DEMO Whooohhh what’s happens ? The machine lost power super soon…. You have one clear minute where everything is ok. Well the props are vibrating a lot and introduce some jello effect. After 1min 30… the machine climb by itself after any mouvements…. It lack horribly of power with the default architecture. with betaflight One more time such disapointement in term of power thrust …. practically it can hover relatively well during 1min30 after it’s painful… boucing between the ground and 1-2m high… A so frustrating situation. CONCLUSIONS To make short and simple: avoid the QX70 if you are looking for a perfect machine working flawless out of the box. The QX70 is unfortunatly completly underpowered by the undersized props. With 55g, paradoxally it’s too much. I would say 5-6g should be saved to make the situation better. But except to save 1g maximum 2g by removing the rear LEDs bar… There are no many options to save extra weight. Maybe installing the LiPo horizontally and clearing the actual battery bay can be a solution. But the more clever move is to install lighter and larger props. Bi-blades or tri-blades… PROS + SPF3 board + AIO FPV cam with vivid colors + Ducted system + Connector for motors CONS COMPLETLY UNDERPOWERED SYSTEM– Vibrations – Poor flight time (~ 1min30 than bouncing with the ground) – No builtin buzzer – No OSD – No spare motors – No spare battery RCgroups thread: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2795916-Eachine-QX70-the-8520-whoop-version-(In-early-construction) 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 63USD at http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-Turbine-QX70-70mm-Micro-FPV-Racing-Quadcopter-BNF-Based-On-F3-EVO-Brushed-Flight-Controller-p-1095990.html Cet article TEST: Eachine QX70, the large tinywhoop est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

A new beginner brushed FPV machine from Cheerson: http://www.banggood.com/Cheerson-CX-93S-CX93S-5_8G-FPV-With-720P-120-Wide-Angle-Camera-1020-Motor-RC-Quadcopter-RTF-p-1113482.html Here we have a machine in 2S configuration with 1020 coreless motors, triblade props, buitin propguard and at least a wide angle !!!! yes miracle, they start to undersand …. Here a 120 deg of FOV… The camera is able also to film in 720p ….. Ok I don’t yell yet victory because if the light sensitivity of the sensor is poor, to have a wide angle is almost useless in practice. Anyway, the control range is announced to be 100m. Good news for FPV, they removed also the completly useless altitude hold feature…. clearly incompatible with FPV practice. Description: Quadcopter: Brand Name: Cheerson Item Name: 5.8G FPV RC Quadcopter Item NO.: CX-93S Frequency: 2.4G Channal: 4 Channal Gyro: 6 axis CX-93S Quadcopter Quadcopter size 165*165*45mm Quadcopter Weight 98g Battey 7.4V 520mAh Flight weight 100g Transmitter battery 4*AA 1.5V Flight mode 3D/2D Charger Time about 70mins Max. speed 10m/s Flight distance about 100m Diameter of Blade 50mm LED light Yes Operating temperature 0-40? Flight Time about 6mins Camera 1MP Color Black 5.8G Camera Lens 120°Wide Angle Lens Photo format JPG Video format avi Photo resolution 1280*720 Video resolution 1280*720 Frame rate 30f/s Monitor Resolution 480*272Pixes Battery ( built-in ) 3.7V 1000mAh Operating current =500mA Charger USB Screen size 4.3inches Service time 85mins Package Included Package Contents: 1 x Quadcopter, 1 x Transmitter ( with FPV Monitor ), 1 x 7.4V 520mAh Lithium-ion Battery, 2 x USB Charger, 1 x Screwdriver, 1 x Wrench, 8 x Spare Propeller, 1 x 8GB Micro SD Card, 1 x Card Reader, 1 x English Manual Functions: 360 degrees spin,3D rollover,3D stunt,Camera,Forward/backward,FPV,Hand Launching,Sideward flight,Turn left/right,Up/down,With light Features: * With 1MP 120 °wide angle camera,can be rotated up and down. Tuned amazingly to capture stunning pictures and videos from the sky. * 5.8G FPV Real-time Video Transmission: Share the videos and photos to the LCD display at anytime anywhere * 4 Channel which can do ascend, descend, forward, backward, left sideward fly, right sideward fly and 360°3D rolling * 6-axis gyro stable system which makes it with easy operation and good stability. * With 1020 powerful motor, action sensitive, explosive, can do the 3D tumbling violence better . * USB high-speed charging, battery charging plus with protection, full power automatic power. * LED colorful lights design that it has more characteristics when flying and becomes the scenery in the night sky. Package included: 1 x RC Quadcopter 1 x 1 x Battery 1 x Transmitter ( with FPV Monitor ) 2 x USB Charger 1 x Screwdriver 1 x Wrench 8 x Spare Propeller 1 x 8GB Micro SD Card 1 x Card Reader 1 x User Manual The FPV monitor is a simple 4″.3 inch model. I hope without blackscreen and with a mate display…. Wait & See Cet article NEWS: Cheerson CX-93S, a beginner brushed FPV quadcopter with 1020 coreless motor and 120 deg FOV lens est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

A new 100mm compact brushless racer is one more time introduced by Eachine: http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-K100-100mm-Betaflight-F3-Dshot-6A-5_8G-25mW-40CH-600TVL-Camera-FS-A8S-Receiver-FPV-Racer-BNF-p-1113467.html Here we have a super lightweight X-design machine for 1-2s or 2-3s inputs (53g/57g). The camera is installed bellow to be free of prop occlusion. In another hand, the camera will be less protected in case of frontal crash. SPF3 FC is here and 6A ESC BLheli_S support Dshot600 last technology. Motors are some 1103 with 10000 KV !!!! A buzzer is also directly integrated !!!!. The FPV rig is a 25mW AIO…. Maybe a 200mW would have been a better choice. The total weight with a 300-400mAh should be around 75g max IMHO. I want to review this machine :). Wait & See Specification 1-2S Version | 2-3S Version Brand name Eachine Item model K100 Item name K100 FPV Racer Propeller 65mm(ø1.5) Motor 1103 10000kv ESC Blheli-S 6A dshot600 Flight controller F3 6 DOF Antenna IPEX antenna Receiver Flysky A8S Channels: PPM 8CH, i-BUS 18CH Model type: Multi-rotor Frequency range: 2.408-2.475GHz Band width: 500KHz Band number: 135 RX Sensitivity: -92 dBm 2.4GHz system: AFHDS 2A Modulation type: GFSK DSC port: PPM/i-BUS/S.BUS Transfer method: FHSS Data output: 1.5mm*3 Pin PPM/i-BUS/S.BUS Antenna length: 26mm (Not including brass contacts) Input power supply: 4.0-8.4V Display method: LED No ground interference ( Transmitting and receiving 1 m from the ground): >300m Working current: 40mA AIO FPV Transmitter Camera 600TVL camera Sensor: cmos Resolution: 640×480 Frame Rate: 60 fields/sec NTSC mode. Sensitivity: 8.0 V/Lux-sec S/N Ratio: 48dB Dynamic range: 55dB FOV: H:95°, V:70° Image flip 180°: Support Power supply: 3.3-4.2V Power consumption: 1W 5.8G 40CH Transmitter Frequency Range: 5645MHz-5945MHz Transmit power: 13dB±1dB Input signal: NTSC, 1Vp-p (75O) Modulation: FM Channel: 40CH Frequency CTL: PLL Frequency stability: ±100KHZ(Typ.) Frequency Precision: ±200KHZ(Typ.) CH carrier err: 1dB Antenna port impedance: 50O Power supply: 3.3-4.2V Power consumption: 1W Flight time 6-8mins | 8-12mins Battery house size W: 25mm H: 18mm W: 25mm H: 26mm Weight 53g 57g Feature: Modular design, easy for modification and replacement parts. Night flight, integrated lighting and body design F3 flight controller with buzzer Bulit-in 5V output Package Included: 1 X K100 Frame kit 1 X Battery 1 X Receiver 1 X AIO FPV camera transmitter 1 X F3 flight controller 1 X Buzzer 4 X ESC 4 X Motor 10 X CW propeller 10 X CCW propeller Cet article NEWS: Eachine K100, a new super lightweight FPV X-quadcopter est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

It’s avalable here: Aosenma_vast_gcs Allow mainly to flash a new firmware, tune PIDs, RTH max altitude and set the voltage alarm threshold. It’s done by Hohem, the same compagy who released some 3-axis gimbal for the Cheerson CX-22, the Wingsland Minivet for example. Please find the full review this machine here: http://www.drone-maniac.com/test-ao-senma-cg035-fpv/ (Source RCGroups) Cet article NEWS: AO SenMa CG035 FPV ground station software available est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

When Skyward launched the first information management solution for drone operators back in the fall of 2015, we were pretty excited. Why? Because we’d been working closely with a lot of you in the commercial sUAS business, and hearing that you really needed a tool that would help you organize, manage, track, and document the incredibly large amounts of data being collected by your drones. Enter Skyward. As you know, the drone industry has been growing like crazy over the last few years, and growth means opportunity. But growth also means that, where drone pilots once faced a scarcity of options, they’re now overwhelmed with choices when it comes to which platform to choose and how best to manage their commercial operations. (One other thing growth means is that some companies just aren’t going to make it—check out our recent post, 3D Robotics’ Cautionary Tale: Losing the Hardware Game to China and Pivoting to Software for Survival). Recently we sat down with Skyward Co-Founder Eric Ringer to learn more about what Skyward does to help sUAS commercial operators run their businesses. It was a great conversation, and really helped us wrap our minds around all of the factors that need to be considered when setting up a commercial drone program, and the ways that Skyward provides support for both “solopreneurs” (i.e., drone operators working for themselves) and for big businesses. Now without further ado, let’s move on to the interview itself. How to Run a Commercial Drone Program with Skyward You can watch the full interview below, or scroll down to see our key takeaways, with links to specific portions of the interview. Key Takeaways and Topics of Interest 0:22 — Operationalizing your sUAS business, and what it means to do so 5:02 — Airspace research, and defining your flight area 17:43 — Organizing an operation 21:27 — Tracking pilot hours and FAA certification (for operations with multiple pilots) 24:12 — Operational summary report, for accounting (for bigger commercial operations) 25:13 — Common mistakes/challenges, and possible solutions 28:18 — Using Pilot Finder to find pilots, and setting up your Pilot Finder profile to find work a pilot The post How to Run a Commercial Drone Program: An Interview with Skyward Co-Founder Eric Ringer appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

A new 90mm brushless racer integrating a full prop guard protection, probably more adapted for indoors flights: http://www.banggood.com/LP90-90mm-brushless-FPV-Racing-Drone-PNP-w-12A-ESC-F3-6DOF-Flight-Control-FX798T-Transmitter-p-1113300.html A SPF3 populates the machine as well the 25mW AIO FX798T. No information about the weight but since the thickness of the carbon strcture is really light, should be not so heavy. No builtin receiver, battery…. and the announced price is too much IMHO. Specification: Item NO.: LP90 Material: Pure carbon fiber Top board thickness: 0.8mm Bottom board thickness: 1.0mm Motor: DYS1104 ESC: LittleBee 12A Flight Control: F3 6DOF Paddle: 3020 Trasmitter: FX798T Package included: 1 x LP90 Racing Drone Cet article NEWS: LP90 a 90mm brushless racer est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

INTRODUCTION “Smaller and smaller, brushless racers will be”. Eachine delivers here with the Racer 130 a compact 130mm FPV racer, a direct competitor of the Tarot TL130H1. A lot of similarities between both models: 1104 motors, 3″ props, Naze32 board, builtin buzzer for example. But the Racer 130 comes directly in RTF version and a 720p camera is added as well. Let’s have a look to the new racer. BOX CONTENT First of all, the Eachine Racer 130 comes with a very nice transportation bag, the same in practice of the Eachine Assassin. Everything is well protected into foam + 1 x Eachine Racer 130 (with a 1S 450mAh 3S LiPo with JST connector) + 1 x Transmitter Flysky i6(using 4xAA batteries not included) + 4 x Ni-Mh AA batteries + 1 x Charger + 4 x Spare props (2 CW, 2 CCW) + 1 x Allen key + 4 x Zip ties + 2 x Velcro bands + 4 x Foam pads + 1 x Instruction manual (English) Thumbs up for the presence of 4xAA rechargeable batteries OVERVIEW The general design is more or less a clone of the Tarot TL130H1, a compact 130mm. A solid H 3K carbon frame with 2mm elements. The flight controller is a classic Naze32 why we could expect more a F3 arm core based one. The 40CH VTX outputs up to 300mW through the linear antenna. The 700TVL camera offers 130 degrees of FOV. Installed on top and strapped with the battery, the 720p camera module. It’s adviced to install a piece of foam to incline the camera with a positive angle. 2mm lower and upper plate of real 3K carbon In comparaison with the Youbi XV-130 and the tarot TL130H1 -FRONT VIEW ESC are individual and zip tied on the top of each arms. They are rated 10A (no information about the peak). In the BLHeli suite they are even seen as 20A. They are only supporting oneshot 125 and damping light. No multishot support. The FPV camera lens orientation can be ajusted thanks to the two latteral vertical carbon element. You can apply a positive angle up to 20-25 degrees approximatively. -SIDE VIEW The left side shows the microUSB port for the Naze32 board. The flysky receiver with the 2.4G copper antenna aligned with the upper carbon plate. For a better range control, you can straight it vertically The right side welcomes UART ports and the receiver port where the FlySky receiver is connected with PPM connexion. -REAR VIEW A unique LED light is installed rear A 3 positions DIP switch select 8 potential colors. -UPPER VIEW For the 300mW VTX, a 6 position microDIP switch select one of the five frequency bands and the associated Vfreq. The race band is supported of course. The 720p camera must be connected via microLOSI connectors. -BOTTOM VIEW A buzzer is integrated, a very important point for compact racers. In practice, the buzzer start to emit beep after 1min30-2min of flight. Probably, under load, the voltage drops too much. A LiPo with an high discharge rate should solve that problem. Decreasing in Cleanflight/Betaflight the value of voltage thresholds, should help. Be default, the buzzer is not assigned to the switch B. It’s strongly advised to apply such change in CF/BF. -WEIGHT In comparaison with the tarot Motors 1105 brushless motors, 4000 KV so slightly more taller than the 1104 for the tarot model. Shaft section of 1.5mm To secure props installation, you need some M1 x 7mm hexscrews 3″ props, 3020 to be more precise. In practice super fragile. Despite the presence of 4 spare props, it’s strongly advised to stock a lot of spare ones. LiPo A 3S 450mAh LiPo with JST connector. The discharge rate is annouced to be equal to 30C… should be enough but since the LiPo power the quad, the FPV cam, the VTX and the 720p camera simultenously, 30C is probably not enough and Under load, the buzzer rings relatively early Camera module A 720 camera with a builtin DVR. The FOV for this module is 110 degrees so narrowrer than the FPV cam’one. A unique button to press & hold more than 2s to trigger recordings. With the 720p, two cables are given. The two wires one is the one to be used with the Racer 130. The four’ one, permits to retrieve the AVout to be send to a VTX. In practice, the module also can be used for DIY project as a 720p+FPV cam combo. The files are recorded in AVI format @30fps. I noticed than the frame rate is in practice slightly slower than 30fps since I can’t synchronize it with a true 30fps video source. Here is a raw sample of the 720p camera As you can see, the video is slightly blur. IMHO, the guilty is the cheap plastic lens installed, not compatible with the higher resolution of the 720p sensor behind. Transmitter A classic rebranded FlySky i6. To enter into the menu, you will have to press inner both horizontal trims while powering the radio. Good news, channel 5 and 6 are correctly assigned to the switch C (3-way) and the switch B (2-way) respectively. However, you will need to assign the buzzer function between the AUX2 and the Switch C in CF/BF. Default Cleanfight settings By default, a relatively old Cleanfight OS installed (12.1) For my personal case, I installed relatively soon betafligh 3.0.1 as depicted in the next video. UNBOXING, ANALYSIS, CONFIGURATION AND FIRST TEST FLIGHT In practice, the Eachine Racer 130 with the camera installed, without being a monster of power is really enjoyable. The FPV camera is far Superior versus the poor Tarot’s model. FPV is much more easy with. With the default BF settings, only small vibrations can be observed for high throttle inputs. Playing with TPA will probably solve. Despite the linear antenna, the FPV signan is strong. The Racer 130 is stable and is a good acro trainer machine. No problem to flip and roll with this machine. As expected, the 3″ props are super fragile and never forget to bring with a set of spare props and the allen key on the field. The buzzer starts to emits first treeble sound after 1min30-2min …. probably too early. The guilty is main certainly the battery with only 30C of discharge rate. A 45C or more should be more suitable. In practice, you have around 6min of flight time with the camera installed before to hear the acceleration of the treeble sound. The measured voltage is about 11V. FIRST USAGE The acro flight mode is relatively easy even for beginner…. Nice trainer btw. The FPV camera handles better light transition versus the 720P one. I am pretty sure than a mini-möbius camera without the builtin camera and directly powered by the main LiPo can be installed instead. CONCLUSIONS To make short, the Eachine Racer 130 is one of good Eachine model andsSuperior to Tarot competitor especially for the FPV part. The structure is super strong, ESC are also stronger (10A vs 6A and I wouldn’t be suprize dif then can even support 4S) and a relatively satisfying 720p camera is offered in the bundle. Except the props, there is no weak point for this machine. One can argue than a SPF3 would have been better but the Naze32 do already a great job especially with Betaflight. One last important remark, think to stock a lot of props, they are breaking super easily. PROS + Strong and solid 130mm racer + Good FPV camera (versus the tarot model) + Orientable FPV camera + Strong ESC with oneshot 125 support + ESC firmware can be easily updated + Naze32 board + Builtin buzzer + AA Ni-Mh batteries + 3S system + 720p camera can be also used as FPV camera + Price segment competitive CONS – Fragile props – Blurred 720p videos – No microSD card provided – Buzzer starts to beep from 1min30 RCgroups thread: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2718933-Eachine-Racer-130-(Under-construction) 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 210USD at http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-Racer-130-Naze32-FPV-Racer-Drone-RTF-with-HD-ActionCam-700TVL-Camera-p-1080548.html Cet article TEST: Eachine Racer 130 est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

In the seven years that they’ve been around, 3D Robotics, once a major player in the drone industry, has been through three major shifts in focus—that is, three distinct iterations of what their company does, and how they do it. Image Source When you think about it, three is a lot. Most companies try to do one thing, and when they can’t succeed at that, don’t survive long enough to pivot to something else. (And according to many sources, 3DR may not survive this second pivot, but we’ll get into that in a moment.) For now, strap in for some story-telling, because the 3DR saga is fascinating, and—like so many great stories—shaping up to have a tragic ending. In the Beginning 3DR got its start in the drone space as a collaboration between Chris Anderson, an NY Times best-selling author and the former Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine, and a nineteen year old DIY drone autodidact named Jordi Muñoz. Muñoz first garnered attention in the DIY community by creating a fully functioning autopilot using circuitry lifted from a Nintendo Wii remote (how cool is that?). The two met through Anderson’s online website for DIY drone folks, DIYDrones.com (a site founded by Anderson in 2007, described on 3DR’s website as “the world’s largest open robotics development community”). As the story goes, when they first met, Anderson was so impressed by Muñoz’s self-made autopilot systems that he gave Muñoz $500 to help him continue his work. In 2009 the two founded 3D Robotics, or 3DR, the name “alluding to the third axis, up, where consumer robots hadn’t yet traveled.” For the next several years they sold homemade drone kits and autopilot circuit boards, doing work limited solely to the DIY drone space. Fast forward to 2012, and interest in drones was growing rapidly. No longer just a fringe hobbyist thing, Anderson saw that there was the potential to make real money and a big impact on the world in the budding drone industry. As he wrote in a Wired article that year called How I Accidentally Kickstarted the Domestic Drone Boom: “We’re entering the Drone Age.” Here is an excerpt from that article, which is prescient in its description of how many different industries would be impacted (not to mention created) by the proliferation of drones in the years to come: …as personal drones become more sophisticated and reliable, practical applications are emerging. The film industry is already full of remotely piloted copters serving as camera platforms, with a longer reach than booms as well as cheaper and safer operations than manned helicopters. Some farmers now use drones for crop management, creating aerial maps to optimize water and fertilizer distribution. And there are countless scientific uses for drones, from watching algal blooms in the ocean to low-altitude measurement of the solar reflectivity of the Amazon rain forest. Others are using the craft for wildlife management, tracking endangered species and quietly mapping out nesting areas that are in need of protection. Anderson knew how important drones were going to be, and he wanted to be in on the ground floor. The First Pivot After deciding to make their first pivot into the consumer space in 2012, Anderson and Muñoz hit the ground running. By November of that year they’d raised $5 million in venture funds to help grow 3D Robotics and expand it’s work from DIY into the consumer space. They would now go head-to-head with other drone companies in building Ready-to-Fly (RTF) drones for consumers to use recreationally and commercially. By 2013, they’d raised another $30 million, and things were looking—well, up, if you’ll pardon the pun. But there is a rivalry in this story—and here is where the story gets juicy. Of course, we’re talking about DJI. If you have any interest in drones, you’d have to be hiding under a rock not to have heard of DJI. Their recent simultaneous launch of the Inspire 2 and the Phantom Pro 4 were met with such fanfare that the reception alone could indicate that they’ve cornered the market. At the same time that 3DR was breaking into the consumer space, DJI was aggressively creating and releasing consumer drones that were setting industry standards. To survive, 3DR would have to create a drone that could compete with DJI, and specifically with DJI’s Phantom series. Enter 3DR’s Solo Quadcopter. When the Solo was first released in April of 2015 at the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas, The Verge said it “may be the smartest drone ever.” Given it’s warm initial reception by industry leaders, 3DR planned to build LOTS of them, so they could start making a return on all of the money investors had sunk into R&D and production. Toward that end, they committed to building 60,000 Solos, and then, with only one month of sales data guiding the decision, added 40,000 more to what was already a tall order. Since it cost $750 to manufacture a singe Solo and ship it to retailers, you don’t have to be a math genius to see that creating 100,000 of them was a big, and expensive, gamble. (3DR was able to raise $64 million more in funding in 2015, but the majority of it was sunk into manufacturing costs.) In 2015, 3DR was betting that they would sell their 100,000 drones and corner the U.S. market, and start to corner the international market. What company leaders may not have realized, or failed to take seriously, was that if they lost this bet they would have trouble surviving. The Second, and Possibly Last, Pivot Fast forward again, to today. After pivoting from a DIY company to a “mass-production company,” 3DR is now pivoting again by abandoning hardware altogether and shifting their messaging and business strategy toward providing easy-to-use solutions and software to the construction industry. So now the company that was first DIY-focused, and then in a race to beat DJI, Parrot, and other big competitors in creating consumer-focused drones, is going into the commercial business, and providing surveying services to construction companies. This newest iteration of 3DR is called Site Scan, and is “an aerial analytics platform… [that enables] anyone to perform physical asset management and analysis at the worksite.” Site Scan is focused primarily on supporting the construction industry, but is also aimed at supporting other sectors: insurance, surveying & mapping, agriculture, utilities & telecom, and public safety. In short, Site Scan offers these industries a way to collect data using drones, and also to store, manage, and analyze that data once it has been collected. Site Scan definitely serves a need these industries have, especially as the use of drones grows and the data collected becomes overwhelming to process and analyze. But the jury’s still out on whether 3DR has gotten there in time. We wrote last April about how 3DR had been granted FAA exemptions for their drones and effectively opened the door for industry collaboration. But the company has changed so much, and lost so much, since we wrote that post that in many ways this new manifestation is almost unrecognizable when compared to the company we wrote about last spring. Though we hate to say it, it feels like the only conclusion you can make is that this new pivot is a Hail Mary. Right? I mean, when Forbes writes an article about you called Behind the Crash of [Your Company’s Name], well, it might be time to call it a day. So What Went Wrong? To put it simply, 3DR failed as a consumer business. One of the biggest challenges 3DR faced with their Solo drone was stiff competition, primarily from Chinese-based DJI. The real war between 3DR and DJI (and Parrot too, to some extent) was around pricing. As 3DR’s President Jeevan Kalanithi put it back in June, and as we’ve already described in greater detail above, “We got knocked down for a really simple reason: We made too many Solos, especially given how fast our competitors dropped prices and flooded the market.” Forbes put it succinctly in their recent article on the topic: In 12 months [from November 2015 to 2016], 3D Robotics has gone from an industry leading U.S. drone startup to an organization struggling to survive—the result of mismanagement, ill-advised projections and a failed strategy that relied on a doomed flagship drone. In the last year 3DR has laid off more than 150 people, burned through almost $100 million in venture capital funding, and completely changed its business strategy. To put it in 3DR’s own words, via the voice of Colin Guinn, 3D Robotics’ former chief revenue officer: “What we realized is that it’s just going to be inherently much more difficult for a Silicon Valley-based, software-focused company to compete against vertically integrated powerhouse manufacturing company in China.” What’s Next, and What Can We Learn from This Story? The 3DR story should be seen as a cautionary tale for those drone companies looking to scale quickly, and sinking money into production without additional supporting revenue streams in place to balance out the funds being depleted by production costs. But it is also a cautionary tale about the incredibly persuasive power of ideas. Chris Anderson is a visionary, and a thought leader in the drone movement. There is no doubt about that. But turning a vision into a viable company—well, that may be a lot trickier than it seems, if the 3DR story is any indication. The post 3D Robotics’ Cautionary Tale: Losing The Hardware Game To China and Pivoting To Software for Survival appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

A super lightweight brushless racer is announced in ARF version from KingKong, the Q90: http://www.banggood.com/Kingkong-Q90-FPV-Brushless-Racer-ARF-wMicro-F3-6DOF-Flight-Controller-16CH-25MW-VTX-800TVL-150-Cam-p-1112678.html In the menu ultra tiny 1103 motors, 6A ESC, 2S system (3S probably not supported), microF3 FC and 800TVL-25mW AIO FPV rig. The weight without battery and receiver is announced to be around 54g. So with the 350mAh battery and 1g receiver… should converge around 75g !!!!. A buzzer is also a must to add. Only 5.8G 16CH are supported by the VTX. Description: Brand: Kingkong Item name: Q90 FPV Brushless Racer Wheelbase: 90mm Motor: 1103 7800KV ESC: 6A Blheli Flight controller: Micro F3 (6DOF) VTX and camera: Q25-mini (16CH 25MW) 800TVL 150° PDB: micro 5V 12V DC Battery: 2S 350mAh 35C Package included: 1 x Kingkong Q90 FPV Kit 1 x Micro F3 flight controller 4 x 1103 7800KV 4 x BLHeli 6A ESC 1 x Q25 (VTX and camera) 1 x Green 3-blade propeller CW 1 x Green 3-blade propeller CCW 1 x Black 3-blade propeller CW 1 x Black 3-blade propeller CCW 1 x 2S 350mAh 35C battery 1 x micro 5V 12V DC 1 x Wrench 1 x 4 pin cable More and more compact machines around the corner. I think it’s a good thing for the general safety…. Cet article NEWS: KingKong Q90, the ultra light brushless racer est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

Eachine produces a lot of quadcopters and some were not very successful. For example, the last Eachine Falcon 210 was clearly underpowered and too heavy. Eachine proposes a new “pro” version still integrating an OSD and a 40CH 5.8G FPV: http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-Falcon-210-Pro-CC3D-Naze32-F3-FPV-Racer-RTF-with-OSD-700TVL-CAM-5_8G-40CH-VTX-i6-Transmitter-p-1112637.html. Now the main structure should be more lighter. 309g is announced versus 380g for the original EF210. 452g here in total versus 485g for the original version. I can still see 2204 motors where last Wizzard integrates 2205 motors a little bit more powerful.Anyway, the main guilty for the original Falcon were the ESC. Here we have some 20A (peak at 30A) supporting oneshot 125 but not multishoot. As many Eachine racers, 3 choices of flight controller is offered: CC3D/Naze 32/SPF3. Description : Remote Control Manual How to Enter the Menu How to safe the setting Connections Brand Name : Eachine Item Name : Falcon 210 Pro ARF Item Specification Features 210Pro Frame Wheelbase : 210mm Thickness : 3mm Dimension: 195 x 170 x 60mm Package : 420 x 270 x 95mm Weigh: 309g (no battery prop) Weight with Battery : 452g Package Weigh: 1.4kg Compatible with 4-5 inch propeller Compatible with 2204 motor Can be used with 4S/3S battery With Seft-protection function With direction indicator LED Inclined motor base design, fast speed Removable protection motor base ESC Model: Fairy-20A Continuous Current: 20A Instantaneous Current(10S): 30A BEC: No Li-Po Battery: 2-4S Weight: 7G Size(without plug): 28 x 15 x 6mm Motor Shaft Lock Protection(donÿt use the other programe, or the funtion will be damaged) Support OneShot 125 Adopt powerful high performance MCU Smaller size and lighter Special for multirotor, more sensitive during flying Strong adaptive ability Support the refresh rate of throttle siginal up to 500Hz,compatible with multi flight controller(notice:>=500Hz is nonstandard throttle siginal) Prevent locked rotor protection No damping light Motor KV:2300 MAX Thrust:440G Length: 32.2MM NO.OF Cell:2-4S Diameter: 27.9MM Framework: 12N14P Shaft:3MM Propeller:5-6 inch Length of cable: about 3.5cm Weight: 25G Flight Controller CC3D / Naze32 6DOF /SP Racing F3 ACRO Battery 3S 11.1V 1500mAh 25C Battery ,XT60 plug 700TVL Cam Power supply: 3.6-5.5V (powered off TX) Power consumption: 60mA @5V Imager: 1/3ÿ CMOS, more than 700TVL Resolution: P:720*576 N:720*480 FOV: 127°diagonal 110°horizontal (ideal for fixed camera) Lens: 2.6mm IR coated FPV tuned light handling NTSC or PAL (selectable; jumper on = PAL). Operation Temperature: -20 to 70°C Square: 24 x 17mm Length includes the Lens and Socket: 32mm Lens extrude (LxDia): 15mm X 14mm Weight: 12g FT200 VTX Modulate: Wideband FM Modulate Video Format: NTSC/PAL Output Impedance: 50 Ohm Output Power: 23-24dBm Channel: 40 CH Operating Voltage: 7V-24V Output Voltage: 3.6-5.5V Supply Current: 190mA Operating Temperature: -10~85 Video Band Width : 0~8.0 MHz Audio Carrier Frequency: 6.5 MHz Video Input Level: 0.8~1.2 Vp-p Video Input Impedance: 75 Ohm Audio Input Level: 0.5~2.0 Vp-p Audio Input Impedance: 10K Ohm Transmitting distance : ~1000m (open area) LED indicators for Fr/Ch Connector: RP-SMA Female Antenna : RP-SMA Male,LHCP Dimension: 38mm x 22.5mm x 6mm Weight: 6g (without antenna) Frequency and channel frequency table: CH CH 1 CH 2 CH 3 CH 4 CH 5 CH 6 CH 7 CH 8 GROUP A 5865 5845 5825 5805 5785 5765 5745 5725 B 5733 5752 5771 5790 5809 5828 5847 5866 E 5705 5685 5665 5645 5885 5905 5925 5945 F 5740 5760 5780 5800 5820 5840 5860 5880 R 5658 5695 5732 5769 5806 5843 5880 5917 i6 Transmitter Channels: 6 Channels Model Type: Glider/Heli/Airplane RF Range: 2.40-2.48GHz Bandwidth: 500KHz Band: 142 RF Power: Less Than 20dBm 2.4ghz System: AFHDS 2A and AFHDS Code Type: GFSK Sensitivity: 1024 Low Voltage Warning: less than 4.2V DSC Port: PS2;Output:PPM Charger Port: No ANT length: 26mm*2(dual antenna) Weight:392g Power: 6V 1.5AA*4 Display mode: Transflective STN positive type, 128*64 dot matrix VA73*39mm,white backlight. Size: 174x89x190mm On-line update:yes Color: Black Certificate: CE0678,FCC Model Memories: 20 Channel Order: Aileron-CH1, Elevator-CH2, Throttle-CH3, Rudder-CH4, Ch 5 & 6 for reserve Works in the frequency range of 2.405 to 2.475GHz. Uses a high gain and high quality multi directional antenna Each transmitter has a unique ID Low power electronic components and sensitive receiver chip. AFHDS2A system has the automatic identification function AFHDS2A has built-in multiple channel coding and error-correction iA6 Receiver Channels: 6 Channels Model Type: Fixed-wing/Glider/Airplane RF Range: 2.40-2.48GHz Bandwidth: 500KHz Band: 142 RF power:less than 20dBm RF.receiver sensitivity:-105dBm 2.4ghz System: AFHDS 2A Code Type: GFSK ANT length: 26mm Weight:6.4g Power:4.0-6.5V Size: 40.4×21.1×7.35mm Color: Black Certificate: CE,FCC i-BUS port: NO Data Acquisition port:NO Package Included: 1 x Falcon 210 PRO Frame Kit 1 x PDB 1 x OSD 4 x Motor Base 4 x 2204 Motor 4 x 20A ESC 1 x Flight Controller 8 x Propeller 1 x Power Connector 4 x LED 1 x 3S Battery 1 x B3 Charger 1 x 700TVL Camera 1 x Camera Mount 1 x 40CH 5.8G VTX 1 x Antenna 1 x Eachine i6 Transmitter In the first glance, improvements are minor…. Anyway, if the pro version solves the underpower problem of the first edition… the pro version can be a nice suprize Cet article NEWS: Eachine Falcon 210 Pro est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

A new booster LiPo for your tinywhoop, a 220mah 1S with 50C as discharge rated around 5g: http://www.banggood.com/Charsoon-3_7V-220mAh-50C-Lipo-Battery-for-for-Blade-Inductrix-Tiny-Whoop-RC-Quadcopter-p-1112623.html Should offer around 4min of flight time in practice (announced 8min but w/o the FPV rig I guess). The big open question is how many cycles, the extra power will be here ? More, the I am doubtfull for the announced 5g where competitor are more around 6g. Description: Brand Name: Charsoon Item Name: Lipo Battery Capacity: 3.7V 220mAh Discharge Rate: 50C Size: 52*11*5mm Weight: 5g Flight time: About 8 minutes Charging time: About 60 minutes Usage: for Blade Inductrix Tiny Whoop RC Quadcopter Note: Do not charger the Lipo battery unattended Do not over charge the Lipo battery Charge the Lipo battery on a heat resistant surface along Do not discharge the Lipo battery Package Included: 1 x Charsoon 3.7V 220mah Battery Cet article NEWS: Charsoon 220mAh, 50C Tinywhoop LiPo around 5g est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

INTRODUCTION The mobius was and probably still is the most popular compact and light camera, the faithfull compagnon for many many fliying machines. Recently was introduced the Mobius 2 integrating the 1080p@60 fps, an answer to the runcam HD2. Now under the bench, it’s the Mobius Mini, nothing else than a shrinked Mobius 2 with a total weight of 27g !!! The camera targets compact machines for examples quadcopter from 100mm … This mobius still allow you to film in 1080p@60…. That’s great. BOX CONTENT The mobius mini comes with a nice white packaging with a magnetic lock. Everything is well protected inside + 1 x Mobius mini (with a builtin 1S 300mAh battery) + 1 x USB charging cable + 1 x USB to AV cable + 1 x Tripod mount + 1 x Velcro band + 1 x Lens cap No instruction manual…. every informations can be found online here: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2697022-Mobius-Mini-Support-Thread-(READ-Posts-1-7-BEFORE-posting-questions) OVERVIEW The möbius mini is obvoiusly more compact and versus the möbius first edition, the gain in dimension is also important and by the way more compatible with tiny systems. I would dream a full orange mini-Mobius camera …. much more easy to find when lost into the grass…. Not only the Mobius mini is able to film in 1080@60fps but also offers a 1440p@30fps… List of all supported video modes are: 1920×1440@30fps, 1920×1080@60/50/48/30/25/24 fps, 1280×720@ 120/100/60/50 fps, 848×480@240 fps For example, we have the 848×480@240 video mode for slow motion capture All videos mode as well as all the different settings can be tuned via the same GUI software common for the Mobuis 1, Mobius 2 and Mobius mini (available here http://www.mytempfiles.info/mobiusmini/index.html) -FRONT VIEW The lens offers a FOV of 110 degrees but ….. no protection for it in case of frontal crash. The lens is in not common size, a M9 format. -SIDE VIEW Still coming in only black edition, the mobius mini now offshores buttons on latteral sides.. IMHO, it’s a better configuration since sometime you can have some elements installed on it triggering by accident the former Mobius model. The right side welcomes the power button (long press on it to turn on/off the camera) and the microSD slot. Be aware, to enjoy full fps video mode resolutions, you will need at least a class 10 microSD card. If lower, the mobius mini will detect it automatically and decrease the frame rate to the maximum supported by the microSD card. A good point IMHO. The left side welcomes the shutter and video mode buttons. The first one triggers the recording/photo shooting while the second cyles between video mode 1/ video mode 2 and photo mode. If you connected the AVout cable, a fourth playback mode will be available. When Video mode 1 is selected, you have a yellow LED color, flashing when recording. The lED turns to blue for the video mode 2 and red for photo. The LED light can be seen from the top and the left side simultaneously. A good point. More is turned on, another red rear light can added too. -REAR VIEW The central connector is a miniUSB port (as for the M1 & M2). As soon as you plug a miniUSB cable, the LED turns to green synonym of charging mode. When the internal 300mAH LiPo is charged the green light turns off. When plugged to a PC, the associated mtorage media is also opened to retrieve for example recorded videos/photos. On the right side of the miniUSB port, you have a small hole where you can insert a thin tip to press a reset button. This button is in practice important since time to time, the camera even with the actuall firmware can crash. You will need to reset by pressing the reset button while turning on the camera. So it’s strongly advised to have with you such tiny instrument. It happens to my mobius mini when I received it. It was impossible to turn on it. When the USB cable was inserted, the green light where there…. but impossible to turn on the camera. I had to charge a bit the LiPo then proceed to a full reset. After this first “bad” episode, the camera crashed only once during some settings modification from the GUI but never (yet) on the field while filming. Don’t be scarry, with the last firmare (0.58 actually) crashes occur rarely. I am sure futur firmwares will improve the situation. -UPPER VIEW -BOTTOM VIEW You can see a metal structure to attach the camera tripod but playing the role of heatsink for the main processor. -WEIGHT A super light 27g versus for example 45.1g for lens for edition of the mobius with the lens C2 To be more precise, all elements are weighting: Stock camera (with battery & card)……… 27g Battery (300 mAH)……………………….6g Circuit board…………………………..6g Lens module and ribbon cable……………..4g Case Top……………………………….3g Case Bottom with heat sink and buttons…… 8g -LATENCY If the first original Mobius suffered of high latency (> 100ms) incompatible in practice with FPV racing, can we expect an improved situation for the Mini ? Here are some couple of photos for the 1080p@60 and 720p@60 with and without recording – 1080p@60 w/o recording – 1080p@60 w/ recording – 720p@60 w/o recording – 720p@60 w/ recording As you can see, no influence of the recording for the latency and is in avergage is around 65ms…. acceptable for most FPV applications but not for ultra racing FPV conditions. The latency is so slightly superior to the runcam HD 2 (~40ms) UNBOXING, ANALYSIS AND TESTING As you can see with recorded videos, the quality is very close to the runcam HD2 and it’s pretty good. With the default settings for both, maybe the mini is a little bit overexposed. Also since the FOV is narrowrer for the mini versus the runcam HD2, maybe the light adaptation/WDR when front the sun is inferiour. You can also observe unfortunatly more lens flares effect… the lens quality is inferior to the runcam HD2 for sure. I was able to record around 15min consecutively without problem. I don’t advice to push more this limit. Of course by default, the möbius mini record videos with 5min of lengh’s clip. At least you won’t loose all your flight session. CONCLUSIONS The third mobius camera inherits from all the goodies of ancestor: a really good GUI with ton of settings, easy manipulation and still with the great video quality. The massive argument is the 27g…. just amazing … and more, you can save some little grams if you plan to power it directly via the USB. THE AVout part is also improved with a lower latency (65ms) almost 100% FPV friendly With last firmware, the Mobius mini is reletively stable but can crash time to time during recording or at boot. Always think to have a fine tip instrument to reset the camera if happens. I would dream of a orange mini möbius with removable battery… PROS + Super light camera (27g) + Great 1080p@60 quality + Many options available from the GUI software + ~60ms of latency CONS – No removable battery – Crash time to time (need a very thin tip to reset) – Lens not protected – Lens flares – No colored version This camera 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 70USD at http://www.banggood.com/Mobius-Mini-1080P-110-Degree-Wide-Angle-Super-Light-FPV-Full-HD-Camera-DashCam-60FPS-H_264-AVC-p-1092165.html Cet article TEST: Mobius Mini, the 27g HD cam est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

Got a drone as a present, and never flown before? Check out this video from the FAA on drone safety, posted to remind folks how to stay safe during the holiday season (and all year round!). This is especially useful for anyone new to flying drones, but not a bad refresher for all of us, even those who are old hands at piloting an sUAS. Here are some key points from the video: Register your drone before flying it at FAA.GOV/UAS. Be safe. Keep in mind that a drone is an aircraft, and it’s your responsibility to fly safely. Don’t fly over groups of people, and be mindful of privacy when piloting your drone. Avoid flying near other aircraft and in restricted airspace. You can download the free B4UFLY app from the FAA to see where you can and can’t pilot your sUAS, which is worth doing since there may be some surprises—for instance, did you know that national parks have special restrictions regarding drones? Just getting started flying a multirotor drone? Check out our free resource, How to Fly a Quadcopter—The Ultimate Guide to help you learn the basics. Also, if you’re new to flying drones and don’t live in the U.S., you may find our Ultimate Guide to Drone Laws helpful. Happy flying! The post FAA Releases Holiday Safety Video for Flying Drones appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

Small is beautiful …. and also < 250g :). Here is another rodeo model from walkera, the 110mm version: http://www.banggood.com/Walkera-Rodeo-F110-110mm-FPV-Racing-Drone-w-600TVL-HD-Camera-5_8GHz-40CH-Transmission-BNF-RTF-p-1111956.html The machine includes a SPF3 FC board, a 40CH 5.8G VTX but be aware either a 25mW or up to 600mW version. No possibility to choose when ordering which version. It’s written it’s upgraded. The FPV rig includes a small OSD. The machine is powered with a 2S system but no mention if 3S can be supported.The total weight should not exceed 200g. The main structure seems in plastic. The machine can be found in BNF and RTF versions. Specification: Specification Walkera Rodeo F110 Size:101x117x55mm Weight:101g(not include the battery) Remote Control DEVO 7 2.4GHz DSSS Frequency Hopping ≤100mW Output Power ≤230mA(100mW) Current Consumption use 5# battery 8×1.5V or NiMH 8×1.2V 1600-2000mAh 1000-2000mS (the neutral point is 1500) Output pulse Receiver Rodeo 110 Flight Control Rodeo 110 F3 Transmission 40 Channels TX5834(FCC)/TX5835(CE)(Including OSD) 25mW(CE)~100mW(FCC)~600mW (Can be Upgradeable) Transmission power (600mW) Transmission Distance 500M Camera PAL/NTSC 600TVL HD Sony Resolution 1.0Vp-p/75 Video Output DC 12V Power Input Brushless Motor WK-WS-13-002A Brushless ESC Rodeo 110 Lipo Battery 7.4V 850mAh 25C 2S Li-Po Flying Time 7 ~ 8 minutes Working temperature -10℃~+40℃ Features: 1.Combined with a strong brushless motor power and high-strength carbon fiber frame kit 2.Front-view lighting, HD camera and 5.8GHz real-time transmission, allowing you to be barrier-free flight in the dark indoor 3.With the size and weight of the hollow-cup aircraft, the violent acceleration of the racing drones allows you to indulge in the fun of flying indoors 4.Redeo110 uses integrated PCB circuit board, inherit PDB, flight control, transmission, receiver and other modules in one, the size is only 33mmx68mm, significant savings in space and weight, in order to obtain a smaller size and greater Thrust – weight ratio. 5.Core components closed modular design, power transfer, map-chip are plug-in installation, easy installation and disassembly, easy to post-maintenance, maintenance Package included: BNF Version: 1 x Walkera Rodeo F110 frame kit 1 x Receiver 1 x 600 TVL Camera 1 x Transmission 4 x Brushless Motor 4 x Brushless ESC 1 x Battery 1 x Charger RTF Version: 1 x DEVO 7 Remote Control 1 x Walkera Rodeo F110 frame kit 1 x Receiver 1 x 600 TVL Camera 1 x Transmission 4 x Brushless Motor 4 x Brushless ESC 1 x Battery 1 x Charger Cet article NEWS: Walkera Rodeo 110 est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

Sorry for slow news update, I am actually in Barcelona for the biggest conference in machine Learning with robotic applications. We had a superb demo of Boston dynamics robots Amazing progress are done … now it’s enven scarry. Not a lot of drones with inboard Machine Learning/computer vision but it will come very soon now Expect me back next Sunday with the Mobius min and the Eacchine Racer 130 review (You can check my YT channels for the first videos) Cet article NEWS: SeByDocKy @NIPS2016 est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

New startup incubator Reimagine Drone located in Barcelona looks to grow the international drone industry. Barcelona, Spain – December 6, 2016 – Last month emerging technology hardware accelerator Brinc announced the launch of Reimagine Drone, the first drone services incubator program based in Barcelona. In partnership with Incubio, a leading big data startup accelerator, the program will serve as a global platform for leveraging the use of commercial drones to unveil a new generation of services and applications disrupting categories, including virtual reality, augmented reality, 360 drone user experiences, data analytics, computer vision, surveying and mapping, deployment systems, and more. The program will be overseen by the Brinc Technical Head of Reimagine Drone, Heriberto Saldivar Massimi, who will work with startups to develop applications in a variety of industries including agriculture, construction, mining, insurance, videography, cinematography, oil & gas, and utilities. Heriberto, both an aerospace and a mechatronics engineer, has developed autonomous vehicles, aerodynamics and engines, and was most recently with Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s High-speed Therm-fluid and MAV/UAV Laboratory, where he developed software to help design the next generation of space vehicles and planes. “At Incubio we offer a global startup ecosystem combined with strong curriculum and continuous training to offer the entrepreneurs in our program access to the resources they need to rapidly create a business,” said Simon Lee, co-founder and managing director of Incubio. “By partnering with Brinc, we can now give entrepreneurs looking to jumpstart their hardware startup but without knowledge of Asia the depth of expertise that comes from an accelerator with locations in Hong Kong and China and a compelling opportunity to develop, validate, and build a drone services business in Barcelona.” The deadline to submit applications was supposed to be November 25, but it looks like the application window has been extended, since the ReImagine website still shows applications as open. Once applications close, the first batch of semi-finalists will be entered into a 2-month pre-accelerator program, which will run at Incubio and consist of a combination of a customized online Lean Startup curriculum and in-house technical support, training, and mentorship. During this time the semi-finalists will also compete to be one of three finalists for the incubator program starting in February 2017. The three finalists announced in February 2017 will go on to participate in the incubator program where, in exchange for 6% equity, they will receive access to the latest drone prototyping tools and technology, 5,000 pounds ($6,368 dollars) in financing to cover costs, mentorship from IT, legal and accounting professionals, free housing in Barcelona, 200 hours of specialist time to refine execution, and opportunities to exhibit at The Drone Show and pitch at the Internet of Life Summit. The program will culminate with a demo day on May 31, 2017. “With Brinc’s accelerator platform located in the center of manufacturing that is the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and collective experience working with entrepreneurs from all over the world, from concept to commercialization, we can’t wait to join forces with Incubio to combine our platforms and offer startups the education and resources traditionally reserved for companies located in Asia to build the next generation of drone based services and applications,” said Manav Gupta, CEO and founder of Brinc. The three finalists ultimately selected in February 2017 for the incubator program will receive: €50,000 ($63,680 dollars) at the end of the program for those who demonstrate the most traction €5,000 ($6,368 dollars) up front, to cover costs Access to the latest drone prototyping tools and technology 200 hours of on-demand, one-to-one support on key aspects of their business Multiple points of exposure in Europe and in Asia, with the opportunity to exhibit at the Drone Show BCN in March 2017 and pitch at Brinc’s Internet of Life Summit in April 2017 in Hong Kong The opportunity to network with hardware investors in Asia and meet with the local hardware ecosystem, including government and manufacturers, during the world’s largest consumer electronics trade shows, such as HKTDC and Global Sources The development of marketing strategy, research, and materials through Reimagine Drone’s in-house research center Highly-customized support to help successfully build a go-to market strategy and test it For more information visit reimaginedrone.com. To apply (while applications are still open) go to https://www.f6s.com/reimaginedrone or email incubator@reimaginedrone.com for more details. Want to learn more about where the drone industry is headed? Check out these drone companies to watch, as well as these 10 startup drone companies we profiled a little while back. The post Brinc and Incubio Launch Reimagine Drone, Barcelona’s First Dedicated Drone Services Incubator appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

After the excellent Eachine E010 clone, here is the C version directly integrating a 800TVL AIO FPV cam: http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-E010C-Micro-FPV-Raicng-Quadcopter-With-800TVL-40CH-25MW-CMO-Camera-45C-Battery-p-1110786.html The machine includes a 150mah 45C LiPo. Flight time is announced to be around 3.5min but in practice will be around 2min. The E10C should adopt the same radio protocol than the E010, already deviated. Decription: Brand name:Eachine E010c Item name: Micro Raicng Quadcopter With 800TVL 40CH 25MW VTX 1/3 “CMOS FPV Camera Quacopter size:9.5*9.5*5cm Box size:14*8.6*11cm Gyro: 6-axis Frequency: 2.4G Channel:4CH Body weight:78g Camera VTX weight:3.8g Body battery:3.7V 45C 150MAH (included) Transmitter battery:2*1.5AA (not included) Charging time:30~50 mins Flight time:about 3.5 mins Remote control distance:30 meters Color:Black red,Black green 800TVL 40CH 25MW VTX 1/3 “CMOS FPV Camera Camera: Sensor: 1/3 “CMOS Clarity: M7 800TVL camera View Angle: 150° FOV horizontal view angle 170° DFOV opposite view angle Signal system: NTSC/PAL (one-button switch) Power consumption: 380mA@3.7V Operating voltage: 3.6-5.5V Lens mirror diameter: 2.1mm IR coated FOV150(Level) Transmitter: Supporting video system: NTSC/PAL Output impedance: 75 Ohm Operating signal intensity: 23~24dBm Output power: 25mW Wireless channel: 40CH Operating voltage: 3.6V~5.5V Current: 100mA Sound carrier: 6.5MHz Transmit Frequency Table: Band A : 5865,5845,5825,5805,5785,5765,5745,5725 Band B : 5733,5752,5771,5790,5809,5828,5847,5866 Band E : 5705,5685,5665,5645,5885,5905,5925,5945 Band F : 5740,5760,5780,5800,5820,5840,5860,5880 Band R : 5658,5695,5732,5769,5806,5843,5880,5917 Weight: 3.8g Size: 26x20x18mm (without antenna) Function: 1.Camerapicture comparable to CCD 2.True wideangle lens 150° FOV Horizontal viewing angle 170° DFOV diagonal viewing angle 3.Ultra-low power, ultra-lightweight, extremely suitable for smaller aircraft 4.Turn to the R channel,ABEF 4 indicator lights bright,can choose1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8 Features: – FPV first-person perspective flight (indoor crossing) – Up / Down / Forward / Backward / Left Turn / Right Turn / Left Fly / Right Fly – Rudder speed( high and slow speed) – 361° turning, Pattern tumbling – One key return, easily recalled – Headless mode ,compass headless ,flight with remote control – Lithium battery and USB cable with protection – Breakthrough conventional wind blades, the flight stability is more powerful Package included: 1x Quadcopter 1x Transmitter 1x 800TVL + 40CH 25MW VTX 1/3 “CMOS FPV Camera 1x USB Charging cable 1x 3.7V 150MAH 45C battery 4x Blades 1x Manual For 37 USD, the price is just great …. almost impossible to beat. Cet article NEWS: Eachine E010C, the direct & cheap FPV tiny whoop clone est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

Back in September we were excited to announce the launch of the Karma, GoPro’s very first foray into the drone market. It was foldable, and featured a detachable stabilizer that could be used to make non-aerial, handheld shots more steady, along with a rugged, outdoor-ready travel case. But as you may have heard, GoPro’s first attempt at breaking into the drone market has essentially failed due to several of the Karmas dropping from the sky due to sudden power loss. Given the number of Karmas that have failed, GoPro has issued a general recall. Image Source The Impact on GoPro’s Business It’s no secret that GoPro isn’t doing so well. To quote The Verge: GoPro announced its first quarter earnings today, and the details were fairly bleak. It saw its revenue drop by 49.5 percent from the same period in 2015, and it swung from a $22 million profit to a $121 million loss. The company also announced that its new drone, the Karma, will be delayed until the winter holiday. It was originally slated to be released in the first half of this year. What GoPro Is Doing to Make Things Right—and Why It Matters But wait! This is not the full story. While the Karma recall could be a story about failure, we prefer to see it as a story about company culture and doing right by people. Even though GoPro has had to issue a recall—which is certainly frustrating for consumers and GoPro manufacturers alike—they are doing right by those effected, and offering those Karma buyers who return their drone a free Hero5 Black camera. This is a big deal not just because they’re offering something for free, but because what they’re offering is GoPro’s top-of-the-line action camera, just released last month in October. How cool is that? We’ve been excited to see other demonstrations of transparency and ethics in the drone industry, such as the open communication DJI kept with consumers when they faced a delay delivering the Mavic Pro, and that’s why we choose to see a silver lining in this story. Usually, when a company is failing is the time they do everything they can to cut losses. This almost always extends into how customers are treated. For GoPro to stick to their integrity at a time like this seems to be a clear indicator of their culture, and if they do swing back up, we like to think that those values will be an integral part of their return. The post GoPro Offers Free Camera to Karma Drone Buyers appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

– Mobius Mini: http://www.banggood.com/Mobius-Mini-1080P-110-Degree-Wide-Angle-Super-Light-FPV-Full-HD-Camera-DashCam-60FPS-H_264-AVC-p-1092165.html – Eachine Racer 130: http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-Racer-130-Naze32-FPV-Racer-Drone-RTF-with-HD-ActionCam-700TVL-Camera-p-1080548.html – Eachine V-tail 210: http://www.banggood.com/Eachine-V-tail-210-FPV-Drone-1080P-HD-DVR-SP-Racing-F3-5_8G-40CH-200mW-VTX-OSD-w-Eachine-I6-RTF-p-1100100.html Cet article NEWS: SeByDocKy’s weekly news #58 est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

This is a pre-release version of the Youbi XV-130 review. More videos and details will be added later INTRODUCTION Here is a more or less a direct clone of the Rotor-X Atom V2 with the Youbi XV-130, a compact 130mm brushless racer with strong 1306 motors and 20A BLheli_S ESC. The direct inspiration of the Atom V2 is obvious with 3″ quadri-blades props. Let’s compare/highlight the difference/improvement of the Youbi XV-130 versus the orignal non-chinese version. The first main avantage of the youbi is clearly the price… close to three times more cheaper. BOX CONTENT + 1 x Youbi XV-130 + 4 x Spare props (2 CW, 2 CCW) + 2 x Receiver plugs (1 for PPM, 1 for SBUS) + 2 x Battery velcro straps + 1 x Instruction manual (English/Chinese) OVERVIEW As said previously, the copy with the Atom V2 is clear, the type of profiled canopy. Here the canopy’s plastic quality is correct, but won’t resist to a massive crash. On top, a 5.8G linear antenna installed vertically. In comparaison with Tarot TL130H1, where 1104 more are prefered. -FRONT VIEW -SIDE VIEW Any visible port to tune settings for the SPF3 board… no choice you will have to remove the top canopy section A basic mod consists in create a direct USB port access…. -REAR VIEW A novolty,for the Youbi XV-130 instead of JST or XT 60 connector, we have here a XT30, smaller and lighter connector. -UPPER VIEW The gap between the canopy and props is very narrow. 3-4mm for front and even less for the rear section It means, that after each crash, you will be to check of arms are not bent since despite 2mm of section, there are still flexible. To hold your receiver’s antenna, you can drill small holes through the canopy -BOTTOM VIEW A unibody lower plate of 3K carbon of 2mm of thickness. Be aware, the arms remains a little bit flexible. If you break an arm, you will have to disassemble everything. -WEIGHT With a 4S 500mAh LiPo, the total weight don’t exceed 190g Motors Strong 1306 motors, 3600 Kv are installed, 10g each Shaft section is 4mm (like the XK X251) In comparaison with 1104 tarot motors Props are 3″ models quadriblades, to more precise some 3030 model LiPo I opted for a light and compact 4S 500mAh LiPo directly equiped of the XT30 connector IMHO, the best choice should be a 600-700mAh model still in 4S. Camera module Announced to be a 600TVL CMOS PAL camera with 100 degrees of FOV. As you can see, the camera is installed on a 3D printed suppert inclided of 15 degrees approximatively. No possibility to tune the uptilt angle unfortunatly for agressive FPV flights, the default angle is not enough…. More the light sensitivity is really poor and in practice, you can be completly blind face to the sun. The same symptom as for the Tarot TL130H1 … Probably no associated WDR. A raw video sample For high throttle inputs, some jellos/vibration are noticable. maybe by inserting some foam elements around the camera, the effect can be reduced. Better PIDs/TPA settings should help too. If you don’t like the default 100 degrees for the FPV, the lens thread is in M7 format, so easy to find a replacement candidate Video transmitter A unique white button nearby the RP-SMA connector permits to select the frequency band (5 bands supported), the frequency and output power mode. To enter into the band selection, press 2s the button. Then band letters should cycle. When you favorite band is selected, short press the button. Then by short pressing, you can select one of the 8 internal frequencies. To save the configuration, long press 2s the button. A small red dot should appear in lower right position. To select the output power, you have to keep pressed 6s the button. Then pressing the button 3 digits are displayed. 1 for 25mW, 2 for 200mW and 3 for 400mW. One more time press 2s to save the setup. Disassembling Remove the two M2 hewscrews on top and open it by rear side first after the installation of your favorite receiver For me a Superior Hobby FrSky D8 SBUS SRP8 model the microUSB port of the SPF3 board on the right side Below, 2 free UART ports where you can plug an OSD board if you want The left side welcomes the receiver port. Two cables are given either for PPM or SBUS connexions The RP-SMA connector is mounted vertically. During a major crash, the connector can be damaged Maybe by adding some hot glue around, it could help to secure the system The bottom face of this upper board is nothing else than the SPF3 section. You can notice the absence of a buitlin buzzer… desipite to be a must to have for such compact size. The inner board is the 4-in-1 ESC/PDB board. ESC are rated 20A and supporting BLHeli_S technology. Be aware by default, oneshoot 125 is selected in betaflight, not multishoot. If you select multishoot (advise), you will need to change the minimum throttle to 1040 and minimum command to 990. Maybe we can regret non-individual ESC but the system would have been more heavier too. UNBOXING, ANALYSIS, CONFIGURATION AND FIRST DEMO FLIGHT CONCLUSIONS The positive points of the Youbi XV-130 is clearly the1306-BLheli_S ESC combo offering in practice a huge amount of power for such compact size. The SPF3 FC brings also super fast PIDs loop for ultra smooth flights. Announced to be sold around 130 USD, the price represents also the massive argument in favor of the Youbi. Anyway, this product is far to be perfect…. especially the FPV camera is a really poor in term of light sensitivity where you can be almost blind for under-exposed areas. If you are interested by this machine, it’s strongly advise to upgrade the FPV cam asap. The flexibility of arms seems to introduce also some vibrations at high throttle inputs. Better TPA ajustements and probably introduction of foam should reduce this artefact. PROS + Design cloning the Rotor-X Atom V2 + 20A BLheli_S ESC + SPF3 board + Flashed with last Betaflight + Strong and powerfull machine + 3 VTX output powers (25mW, 200mW, 400mW) + 3K Carbon based CONS – Poor light sensitivy of the FPV camera – No direct USB access – No builtin buzzer – FPV camera uptilt angle blocked – Frequency list table partially false – Vibrations for high throttle inputs – Flexible 2mm arms – 5.8G Linear antenna – (no OSD) 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 28USD at http://www.banggood.com/Cheerson-CX-10C-CX10C-Mini-2_4G-4CH-6-Axis-RC-Quadcopter-with-Camera-RTF-p-989909.html Cet article TEST: Youbi XV-130, the rotor-X Atom V2 clone est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

INTRODUCTION The nano/pico-quadcopter, hexacopter fashion year is not yet over. We have a new model from JJRC, a shrinked of their popular H20, i.e. JJRC H20 mini. All 2016 classic ingredients are here: headless, one key return but not altitulde hold and I think it’s good thing :). The H20 mini offer the possibility to swap the battery for a new one in a fraction of second… Let’s discover the details BOX CONTENT + 1 x JJRC H20 mini (with 2 x 1S 120mAh LiPo with mini-JST connector) + 1 x Transmitter (using 2xAAA batteries not included) + 1 x USB charging cable + 6 x Spare props (3 CW, 3 CCW) + 6 x Prop guards + 1 x Spare LiPo + 1 x Instruction manual (English/chinese) OVERVIEW In term of size, it’ 45mm machine, ultra tiny more a pico machine than a nano and comparable with the Fayee FY805. For beginners, prop guards can be installed. They add only 0.3g -FRONT VIEW As said previously, the H20 mini is really a shrinkage of the H20 in term of design. No large and super bright LEDs unfortunatly. The blue lights are almost invisible in daylights and don’t help to keep orientation. -SIDE VIEW -REAR VIEW The mini-JST connector is here as well as a tiny switch. It’s always a good thing when a power switch is available. The rear LEDs lights are weak too… and as for the front ones, don’t really help to keep orientation -UPPER VIEW -BOTTOM VIEW A battery bay to welcome the LiPo The LiPo fills all the battery compartement. No real possibility to install a more stronger model, maybe a 150mah maxiumum. -WEIGHT 12.6g … with the battery super light!!! Don’t expect miracle for outdoors flights even with a very small breeze. Motors Motors are 4mmx12mm coreless motors, the smallest size available for such motors. LiPo 1 cell LiPo 120mAh with 20C for discharge rate. The battery uses 1.25mm mini-JST connector with inverted polarities… So don’t mix your H20 mini batteries with some other. You can have big troubles Transmitter A gamepad style radio but nice to grab. Sticks are clearly adapted for thumbers… No pinchers extra sticks in the bundle. The left sticks when clicked on turns on/off the headless mode. The rear light blinks correspondively. For the right stick, it’s the one key return…. in practice as usual a return to somewhere. The top left panel button selects one of the three speed mode. The ultimate ones offers the same rate as for the intermediate except for the yaw rate…., the machines spins crazy in this mode adapted to played with headless mode. The top right activates manual flips. The bottom right permits to calibrate gyros/accelero. In the rear compartement, you can recharge the quadcopter LiPo. It takes 20-30mm for the job. It’s perfect, if you far from any wall socket/USB port. The total weight is pretty light ideal for transportation, office break, etc… I tried without success to bind & control machine with all DeviationTX XN297 protocols based. In fact, I believe the H8-3D protocol binds the machine but you can’t control :(…. So a little modification of this protocol should be done to hack it. UNBOXING, ANALYSIS AND DEMO FLIGHT The machine flies beautifully and stable. Rates are well tuned even the last with the headless mode turned one. The flight time is good, more than 5min. When LVC alarms is here, the LiPo is @3.5V. So don’t abuse of flight machine in LVC conditions. The lights are not so visible and beyond 10m it’s hard to keep your orientation. The machine is not ultra sporty despite the presence of six motors. Punchout are limited. As said previously, it’s a beginner machine but fun & stable to fly with. CONCLUSIONS The JJRC H20 mini is first of all good picohexacopter, without major bad points. Clearly targetting beginners, the machine is durable, easy to fly and offer a spare battery to extend your pleasure. The price is also good and the H20 mini can represent the typical little techgift for Xmas. PROS + Full transportable nanohexacopter + Durable machine + 3 well tuned speed modes + Removable LiPo + Spare LiPo + 5min if flight time + Possibility to recharge batteries via the transmitter + Cheap CONS – Unicolor props – Poor LEDs visibility – YaP (Yet another protocol) – Not outdoors machine RCgroups thread: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2788160-JJRC-H20-mini-another-picohexa-(in-erly-construction) 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 17USD at http://www.banggood.com/JJRC-H20-Mini-2_4G-4CH-6Axis-Headless-Mode-One-Key-Return-Nano-Hexacopter-RTF-p-1082624.html Cet article TEST: JJRC H20 mini, another picohexacopter est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article

Recently we wrote about DroneBase, the startup that crowdsources aerial photography and videography. DroneBase has a new pilot program that allows UAV pilots to find local work and get paid incredibly easily, and it’s taking off like wildfire. Following a traditional crowdsourcing model, DroneBase makes it easy for those people with the skills and UAVs needed to do high quality aerial photography and videography to connect with those clients who need their services. Clients now include construction companies, Hilton hotels, Allstate insurance, Zillow, commercial real estate giants CBRE and JLL and Keller Williams, the largest realtor by number of agents. Dan Burton, DroneBase’s founder and CEO, recently told TechCrunch it was “really rewarding” to pay some pilots as much as $50,000 a year. In addition, DroneBase is projecting 700% revenue growth this year 2015 to 2016. Below is a picture of DroneBase CEO Dan Burton speaking live about their crowdsourcing model and how they are leveraging UAV pilots everywhere to bring in high quality aerial images and videos. Image Source Funding News DroneBase recently raised $3 million in Series A funding, with previous investor Union Square Ventures leading the funding round. This round of funding brings DroneBase’s total funding up to $5 million. Other investors in this round are Upfront Ventures, Accel Partners and DJI. DroneBase and DJI DJI is one of DroneBase’s biggest partners, a big indicator that DroneBase is here to stay. One benefit of the partnership is that using the same hardware allows the footage DroneBase collects to be easily standardized. “All the jobs we’ve done, we’ve done every single one on a DJI drone,” Burton says. “It removes hardware as a variable.” How does this standardization play out in day-to-day operations? DroneBase did monthly check-ups on 40 construction sites across the country for one company, and the reports from Arizona and Florida are directly comparable, as you can see in the image below. Says Burton, “We’re actively flying in all 50 U.S. states and 30 countries. Any address in the United States, we can get you drone imagery and data in 48 hours, for almost always under $500.” Interested in working for DroneBase yourself? Learn more about the FAA certification process, or contact DroneBase directly if you’re already certified. The post DroneBase Projects 700% Revenue Growth This Year appeared first on UAV Coach. View the full article

If you don’t want or not able to mod the indutrix or the Eachine E010 to have a full FPV tinyWhoop, there is the Malerfire MICRO ready to go for you: http://www.gearbest.com/multi-rotor-parts/pp_591322.html With this new chinese machine, you have already a F3 evo board with a buitlin DSM2 receiver, a 520TVL CMOS camera and strong & fast 0615 coreless motors. The announced flight time with the 200mAh is around 5min. The price is correct too …. can be a super popular machine. The FPV antenna have been replaced for a little bit less efficient but more robust linear antenna…. Could be the perfect winter compagnon Main Features: – DSM 8CH receiver, compatible with Spektrum DSM2 DSMX transmitters – 615 high PRM coreless motors offer you the desirable velocity – Fascinating FPV experience with high speed and camera tilting up at 10 degree – 5.8G 40CH 25mW video transmitter, 520TVL camera with 120 degree FOV NTSC / PAL switchable – F3 EVO brushed flight controller supports CleanFlight and BetaFlight – 3.7V 200mAh 35C LiPo battery – 64mm, 22g, as big as your palm, extremely portable – Colorful LED board at the rear helps to know the direction – Ducted fan design effectively reduces the air resistance – Plug-in modular design, namely, soldering is unnecessary Specifications: Flight controller: F3 EVO with STM32 F303 MCU Receiver: DSM 2.4GHz 8CH Video transmission: 5.8G 40CH 25mW Video resolution: 520TVL Receive distance: 300m Motor: 615 coreless motors with 65000 RPM Battery: 3.7V 200mAh 35C Flight time: about 5 minutes Charge time: 30 minutes Charging method: USB Additional gimbal installation: not feasible All ingredients sound good …. Wait & see … I am pretty sure than BG will sell also the same machine with another name …. Cet article NEWS: Markerfire MICRO, the “ready to go” TinyWhoop est apparu en premier sur Drone-Maniac !!!!!!!. View the full article