Monthly Archives: February 2016
XK X500 Aircam
XK Aircam X500. XK has done it again with the 0.5m deviation Return Home (RTH), now with a budget 500 size quadcopter GPS drone, an impressive entry since the days of DJI Phantom 2, and Walkera Tali H500 class. A large community of RC pilots have been raving about the sibling x380 size, can now move up the next size, 500mm wheel base
Head Lock Mode:
I have never used to be a fan of Intelligent Orientation Control aka Head Lock mode, but have begun to appreciate it as alternate way to return home without GPS. Using compass, forward is forward, backward is pulling back, left is left, right is right, regardless of which direction the aircraft is facing. However, Head Lock mode is relative to where you are standing during take off, so if you decide to walk across the street and face the opposite way, you may just get confused with the direction you need to face…
Eachine Assassin 180 VR-007 HD Goggles I6
The scorpion looking Eachine Assassin 180 racing quadcopter has arrived with built-in OSD GPS NAZE32 Ready To Fly.
The 180 racing quadcopter flew really well, it handled a RunCam HD camera 43 grams with ease. I have not found any issues, no bad flight characteristics. On a Naze 32 flight controller, it was easy to maneuver and I give it a thumbs up.
If you have flown quadcopters manually, this is easy. For beginners, please note, it is not a drone, it is not going to auto land or auto return home.
Unboxing, I noticed the GPS is glued under the tail plate and actually fell off. Taking a look at the schematics, it seem to be intended to be on the front. However since I may be placing a secondary camera just above that spot, I decided to move it face up, keeping the same location it came with. I think it fits well there. You can see it on my FPV video. The GPS does not serves much, it is not intended for Auto Return Home, but just only to assist with directions…
XK Detect X380
XK Detect X380 is a budget quadcopter GPS drone, an impressive entry since the days of DJI Phantom 1-2, Walkera x350 Pro or Scoutx4 class. A large community of RC pilots have been raving about the x380, so I was asked to take it for a spin and to share my personal experience. I work for the largest RC manufacturer and have flown a variety of quadcopters the last three years. I am actually impressed how easy it is to fly this x380. Just the basic GPS functions, just enough to include RTH, Head Lock mode (Headless), Auto Take Off, Circle a Point and a dial to pitch a gimbal. All for $210!
First flight test, the Auto Take Off (just one button, perfect 3 feet high), RTH (returned a foot away from launch point), Altitude Hold (solid) and Head Lock (works).
What most people raved about, is that this quadcopter is accurate on the Return to Home and how simple it is to take-off with just one button. More importantly there are color indicators that assist you in calibrating your compass and best of all, confirms that you have calibrated correctly. This is to ensure that the Return to Home will just be as accurate on the next flight…
