The Quadcopter saga continues

Gary James wrote on 9/10/2014, 9:23 PM

For those of you contemplating the purchase of a Quadcopter as a platform for aerial photography, this video shows you a few things you should try to avoid.

This past Sunday was a beautiful day so I packed up my Phantom 2 Quadcopter and headed to the open fields and woods at the hilltop of the Hinckley Reservation park system in Medina County Ohio.

Technically this was my 3rd time flying the Phantom. The first flight was just a few hovering maneuvers in my wooded backyard that ended in a crash. The second was another test flight of limited scope. So, in a way, this was my first true flight in a wide open space. I'm still getting the "feel" of the controls. It takes just the slightest amount of "stick" to get rapid yaw (rotation) movement. The same is true for the gimbals tilt control. This will come with more flight time and practice.

At the start of the flight there was hardly a puff of wind anywhere. But by the time I brought the Phantom down we were getting some high wind gusts. I also had to cut the flight short when I started to loose my FPV flight video and data link. This later turned out to be a problem with the FPV transmitter antenna. It had come loose and became electrically intermittent. But it was a great day to fly.

I suggest you set the video to HD resolution and watch it full screen.

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Comments

Steve Mann wrote on 10/9/2014, 12:46 AM

Where's the instructions for the mod?

GeeBax wrote on 10/9/2014, 3:23 AM

Ian Cresswell has a Droidworx Skyjib X4 Octocopter, flying a Blackmagic Production Camera 4k, and this is a link to his showreel. It is worth a look at.

I post this for enjoyment, as the copter is well above the level of the Phantom, but Ian's work is quite impressive.

RalphM wrote on 10/9/2014, 8:22 AM

Keith,

So this is a mod to the transmitter rather than the Phantom?

Rv6tc wrote on 10/9/2014, 8:56 AM

Ralph,

Yes.

Steve,
I probably should have posted it with the video. There is a link to an RC Groups post in this thread as well.

http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=23497

John_Cline wrote on 10/10/2014, 5:42 AM

Anyone heard about this upcoming quadcopter?

http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/10/plexidrone-quadcopter/

GeeBax wrote on 10/10/2014, 11:28 PM

John, the first thing I picked up on was this: "and that you can simply control it with a phone. Most of us have phones, right?"

That would make it WiFi control, and the WiFi range of any phone is woefully short of that required for controlling a serious quadcopter.

John_Cline wrote on 10/11/2014, 4:28 AM

According to the designer of the PlexiDrone, you can use RC to control it as well. The author of the Engadget article should have said, "you can also control it with your phone or tablet". While that certainly does have its range limitations, the mobile app makes it easier to fly for those not familiar with RC controls. Depending in the camera, the app can also stream video from the quadcopter. One feature I find interesting is the retractable landing gear, the other is being able to carry it in its custom designed hard-shell backpack.

GeeBax wrote on 10/11/2014, 5:38 PM

I have a small R/C helicopter controlled by an iPad, and the range is about 70 feet or so, then it just loses control. I would not trust WiFi for any serious work. I did note from the notes that it also uses normal R/C control.

TeetimeNC wrote on 10/12/2014, 6:52 AM

I see wifi extenders for quads on B&H that claim to take the range to 900+ ft line of sight.

/jerry

Gary James wrote on 10/12/2014, 11:41 AM

For a long time I've watched the BBC America specials on TV of the Oceans, the Arctic, and Yellowstone National Park. I've always been impressed with the smooth aerial video shots taken above wild animals running, or above rapid flowing rivers, etc. I also remember seeing a behind the scenes look at how all this was done. The aerial photography employed a small helicopter with a stabilized gimbal mounted HD video camera. But recently after watching an episode of Top Gear, I wonder if the BBC may now be employing Quad, Hex, and Octocopters for their aerial shots. This would certainly be faster and more flexible with quicker turn-around time. Here they're using what looks like a DJI S800 hexcopter.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/63993628/SonyVegas/TopGear_SourceOfTheNile.mp4

RalphM wrote on 10/12/2014, 11:56 AM

Other than lifting capacity, the big advantage of hex/octocopters is the ability to maintain some control if one or more of the motors loses power.

GeeBax wrote on 10/12/2014, 5:13 PM

[I]"I see wifi extenders for quads on B&H that claim to take the range to 900+ ft line of sight."[/I]

I see the iPad or iPhone as being the limiting device, not the copter end, in terms of range.

John_Cline wrote on 11/12/2014, 11:33 PM

DJI just upped the Quadcopter ante, the Inspire 1 is a $2,900 drone with a stabilized three-axis gimbal 4K camera.

http://www.dji.com/product/inspire-1

JJKizak wrote on 11/13/2014, 8:14 AM

This thing must be hot as I just received a blurb from B & H Photo in the "E" mail for
some $2895.00. I was never good at flying model aircraft as I always ended up sticking a tube of glue in the aircraft and setting it on fire. Spectacular event when your 10 years old.
JJK

Gary James wrote on 11/13/2014, 9:55 AM

The one problem I see with this new Quad is that it uses WIFI for FPV like the Phantom 2 Vision Plus Quads with the DJI camera. But if you look at the DJI Users Forum, it's filled with complaints about lousy WIFI connectivity between the Quad and the Pilots Smart Phone / Tablet PC.

GeeBax wrote on 11/13/2014, 6:42 PM

It seems there is a new sport for quadcopter film makers - Drone Boning: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-first-drone-shot-porn-is-beautiful-nsfw

What will they think of next?

VMP wrote on 11/14/2014, 10:28 AM

I am looking for quadcopter under 300 euros with a camera that produces
reasonable footage.

Image coming out of most cheap (under 200E) cam-copters looks terrible/ unwatchable.

After long search I came across this.

Udirc U829A quadcopter

It is 140 euros here in Europe. Compared to others this one produces ok (VHS like) footage IMO.

If budget was no issue then I would go for the DJI phantom.

But I think that Udi u829a quadcopter is good for learning (and has a ok video capture) untill I can afford the phantom.

Do you guys know any other cam-copter that captures beter quality image for that price range? Or under 300 euros?

VMP

Gary James wrote on 11/14/2014, 12:41 PM

The middle link to the German YouTube video shows the problem with this platform. That wavy video is referred to as "Jello". It's indicative of a lack of, or poorly designed, shock and vibration mount for the camera. The other cause for Jello, exceptionally bright sunlight causing the camera to correct by setting a much faster shutter speed, doesn't seem to be a factor in this video.

If what you're looking for is a cheap platform, with an very short 100m range, that produces sub par video quality, this looks like a good fit. This would be perfect as a gift for a teenager just getting into quads.

VMP wrote on 11/14/2014, 1:08 PM

Gary James,

Indeed, looking through many other videos on youtube this one looks the best (for its price range).

Thanks for the info about the jello factor.
I am not sure how much weight this one can carry but maybe it could carry a go pro, or a mobile phone with a better camera. I'll play around with it, to push the envelope.

Also I could try building a simple shock mount to reduce the jello effect.

As a starter, I'll be glad to make some simple aerials of my living area and house :-).

I have also thought about putting two of these copters on top of each other to carry more weight, not sure if that would work. They would have to work with the same transmitter to work as one.

VMP

GeeBax wrote on 11/14/2014, 4:22 PM

That copter seems to have a pretty cheap camera. Any method that could get it to carry a GoPro would give you a better result. If cost is an issue, then I would be spending time looking for a used copter on eBay, particularly a Phantom if you can get one.

Barry W. Hull wrote on 11/18/2014, 6:47 PM

NTSB changes the game, rules drones are aircraft...

http://www.flyingmag.com/news/ntsb-overturns-judges-ruling-pirker-uav-case

Gary James wrote on 11/19/2014, 4:29 AM

This is a very troubling article for many different reasons. But the title of this story is very disturbing; "NTSB Overturns Judge's Ruling in Pirker UAV Case". This is saying that a Federal agency has assumed itself to be above the law with the power to dismiss the findings of judge. In the USA I grew up in, a judges ruling could only be overturned by another judge in a higher court. This action by the NTSB is another example of how the Federal government has dropped all pretense of operating in the traditional role as public servants, And instead now views itself to be masters and overseers of the lowly masses. We are in deep guano.

Barry W. Hull wrote on 11/19/2014, 5:23 AM

The NTSB routinely overturns judges rulings, the same judges who actually hear the case. Just look at what they did to Bob Hoover. Many consider them nothing more than a rubber stamp for the FAA.

Bottom line as of today, be careful with your drone.

John_Cline wrote on 11/26/2014, 2:59 PM

GoPro is developing its own line of consumer drones with high-definition cameras for launch next year.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102220432#.