Category Archives: Multirotors
Walkera QR X350 Pro
Year 2014, time to look for a low cost, quick to assemble quadcopter, to be modified with FPV gear, something to travel with, overseas. So we purchased the Walkera QR X350 which can be assembled in 2 minutes, with no tools on hand. Today, our SAR teams were informed of another exciting version of the 350 size, the QR X350 Pro that uses Mission Planner. Lets see how hardy this drone is, as we take it for a stress test in every way… yeah.. in extreme ways..
First Impressions: I must say the X350 Pro flies very well, pre-tuned. It Loiters perfectly out of the box. sure enough, it did every standard thing with the Mission Planner. The only thing, out of the box, without any modification I am not able to add telemetry module or osd, however others have managed to solder them on…
Hubsan H107D FPV X4 Quadcopter
Synopsis: Occasionally we have the opportunity to test out some of the new entry level quads in our lab. So this month we have something special, the smallest First Person View (FPV) ready-to-fly quadcopter made by Hubsan, a contender to the popular Ladybird. It is quite amazing how Hubsan is able to pack everything, including a camera and video transmitter into a quad, smaller than a Ladybird, with 6-axis gyro flight controller. The package even comes with a radio transmitter, video receiver and a blight large LCD screen, ready for beginners to start flying first person view and filming. This may be one of the best seller of all time, this model enters the market at the right time and right place.
Hubsan X4 H107D actually comes with one of the more impressive printed Instruction Manual I have seen for a while, it actually explains everything you need to know in great detail and well written…
FrSky Taranis and APM 2.6 Camera Gimbal Flight Test
Storyline: A clear day on October 2013, out to test a completely new quadcopter we built, along with a fantastic combination of new gears. The first scene starts off with the Taranis and build-in Gimbal test, as that was new and a highlight to this flight (everything is new except the video camera). The gimbal was managed by Ardupilot (a flight controller, basically a computer) that kept the camera level at all times during accelerations and dives. We have never used the gimbal function (A10) before, so that was exciting to see how it handles video. Entering Pirate’s Cove (0:18), that was filmed at 60 frames per second with a Sony DSC-HX30V camera, and frame rate was reduced by 50% (30 fps) giving a smooth slow motion effect. A signature shot of the aircraft added to a moving car scene and then back to the sequence showing a couple taking photos of the big shark. At 0:45, we began the flight in first person view, another classic signature shot with the props spinning and the motors running (got to have that sound of the motors spinning up). The flight scenes were shot with a keychain camera #16 Lens D as that was the lightest and easiest way to video anything.
The control over this new quadcopter was excellent, maybe it was the Taranis or maybe the Opto ESC and DJI motors, or maybe just a combination of everything and the design…
W Hotel Fort Lauderdale with APM Drone 2013
Storyline: At 7 a.m. we were ready to catch the morning sun before conference. This is in 2013, so there were not many gimbal easily available for a quadcopter, but the locatiton was worth some shots. Not many people have ever seen a quadcopter. We had with us a set of brand new SunnySky motors kv 980 for this flight. We kicked off the first scene with showcasing HoryzonHD v3, a FPV camera tested on this flight and then began rolling into a classic moving car sequence, , featuring Fort Lauderdale. We then provided a first glimpsed of the majestic W Hotel Helipad (Ground Station) and back to the car sequence in slow motion to the waiting Ocean Rescue Team. This scene filmed at 60 frames was reduced by 50% (30 fps), to create a smooth slow motion effect. Next, a shot of the beaches and a signature fly-by.
To transition to the flight scene, we took you back to the W Hotel again, a peek of the architecture provided a sense of how tall the hotel is. At frame 0:47, we began the flight in first person view, another classic signature sequence with the motors ringing (got to have that sound of the motors spinning up) along with our favorite epic music piece by Rocco…
