Tag: Multicopter

DYS X160 Micro FPV Racer

DYS X160 Micro FPV Racer

October 6, 2015 14:27 | By | 1 Comment

FPV Racing is getting bigger and bigger, and in addition to 250-size RTF and ARF products, we are beginning to see highly integrated and lightweight 160-size ones as well, like this DYS X160 Micro FPV Racer from Banggood.

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It features an integrated CC3D flight controller, 10A ESCs, a 200mW 5.8GHz video transmitter, CMOS Camera with 127 degree lens and a circular polarized antenna. You supply your own RC receiver as well as a 3S 1300mAh LiPo. Not too bad for $170, though a fully loaded 250-size racer can be had for $150.

DYS X160 purchase link.

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Blade 200QX Review

Blade 200QX Review

December 29, 2014 16:32 | By | 1 Comment

The Blade 200QX is Horizon Hobby’s answer to all the cheap chinese miniquads. Lacking GPS-driven flight modes, can it justify the price tag with its performance? Find out in our review after the break.

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Parrot Bepop is a GPS-enhanced RTF camera quadcopter

Parrot Bepop is a GPS-enhanced RTF camera quadcopter

May 14, 2014 9:18 | By | Add a Comment

French company Parrot recently announced their latest product, the Bepop Drone. It’s a lightweight quadcopter with a digitally stabilized camera, eschewing mechanical gimbals in order to save weight.

The 14 megapixel camera isn’t the only attraction though, for it boasts a dual-core embedded linux flight controller with 8GB of RAM, Wifi range of up to 300 meters or, with a range extender package, going as far as 2km.  Their “SkyController” is basically a tablet dock with sticks, not exactly a brand new idea but definitely executed in an interesting fashion.

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Price is said to be above the Parrot.AR, but below the Phantom 2. Watch the official product video after the break, and check out the official website.

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Align M480 Multicopter

Align M480 Multicopter

April 26, 2014 9:13 | By | 1 Comment

Align, still remember that name? They’re back in force, showing off their new M480 Multicopter system. Featuring retractable legs, a quad or hexcopter setup and running on 6S 5200mAh for up to 20 minutes of flight time, we don’t know the price tag on this one yet, but it sure ain’t going to be cheap. Or maybe Align will surprise us and the competition, and finally drive down the inflated price points of some of the RTF systems out there. Yes DJI, we’re looking at you.

 

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KK 2.1 Flight Controller Review

KK 2.1 Flight Controller Review

February 23, 2014 14:42 | By | 11 Comments

The KK 2.1 is here! This incremental hardware update features new sensors and a beefier microcontroller, but does this improve performance? Read all about it in our review after the break!

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GameOfDrones kickstarts crashproof quadcopter frame

GameOfDrones kickstarts crashproof quadcopter frame

January 13, 2014 12:27 | By | 1 Comment

GameOfDrones has been busy organizing multicopter “tournaments” where, as part of the game, bits and pieces are sure to be broken off now and then. They’ve been thinking about reducing the bill of crashes, and are now kickstarting the World’s Toughest Action-Sports Airframe.

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USD $125.- gets you such a quadrotor frame. They’re made of thermo-formed polymer, and are claimed to be one of the most crash-resilient quad frames ever made. Their goal is not to sell RTF quadcopters however, only a handful of backers will receive a complete copter. Instead you are kickstarting the frame only, you bring the motors, flight controller, and the guts to engage in drone fights.

Check out some sweet shotgun vs. quadcopter action after the break.

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Amazon tinkers with multicopters for airborne delivery

Amazon tinkers with multicopters for airborne delivery

December 2, 2013 9:22 | By | Add a Comment

Dubbed “Amazon Prime Air”, the company’s latest delivery scheme uses multicopters to deliver packages in under 30 minutes. At least, that’s the lofty goal of the company. The play to have a fleet of octocopters that pick up appropriately-sized orders from the fulfillment center and fly it straight to the customer. According to the CEO Jeff Bezos the aim is for such a service to go operational within four years – a pretty optimistic goal considering the FAA will have a word or two to say in this matter, and they’re usually not quite the fast responder when it comes to policy changes.

Check out the fancy demo video after the break.

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$120 Quadcopter doing flips

$120 Quadcopter doing flips

June 16, 2013 21:49 | By | Add a Comment

Have you been following our $120 Quadcopter Series? We recently posted Part 2 of that series. And if you are curious how this quadcopter flies, here’s a little video of the finished copter doing flips:

 

Thermal RC photos

Thermal RC photos

April 28, 2013 12:49 | By | Add a Comment

Have you always wanted to see what a multicopter looks like with a thermal camera? We had the chance to play around with one for a bit, check out the photos below!

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High-Performance Quadcopter for $120 – Part 1: The Shopping List

High-Performance Quadcopter for $120 – Part 1: The Shopping List

March 11, 2013 14:11 | By | 95 Comments

We’re giving you a step-by-step guide on building your own $120 high-performance super-stable quadcopter! This is part 1 of a new series, so dive in!

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RC flying threatened by laws across the globe

RC flying threatened by laws across the globe

February 25, 2013 15:19 | By | 4 Comments

FPV and RC model flying as a hobby are under attack by new legislation which is being introduced around the globe right now. Read up on some examples and draft proposals after the break.

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F550 Hexa Frame with integrated flight controller

F550 Hexa Frame with integrated flight controller

December 19, 2012 13:17 | By | 19 Comments

This is a sturdy nylon hexacopter frame with an integrated flight controller. And when we say integrated, we mean integrated.

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The specs so far:

  • HJ F550 Quadcopter Frame
  • MWC 2012 flight control board with 2.1 firmware
  • 6 x 20A ESC
  • 6 x XXD 2212 Motor
  • 6 pairs x 9047 Propellers CW&CCW
  • GPS Module

So for $230 you get an okay ARTF hexacopter kit – but you better never ever crash it. If you so much as crack the upper PCB during a crash or a rough landing, you have to replace the whole board with the flight controller. Not exactly a smart design.

KK 2.0 (KK2) Multicopter Controller Review

KK 2.0 (KK2) Multicopter Controller Review

July 4, 2012 11:17 | By | 35 Comments

LCD Screen! Accelerometers! It even glows in the dark! The new KK2 flight controller from Rolf Bakke sure has a lot going for it, but is it worth the noise that HK is making around this controller? Read on for an in-depth review!

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Crius All In One Pro is a grown-up Crius SE

Crius All In One Pro is a grown-up Crius SE

June 28, 2012 11:25 | By | Add a Comment

Need a new MultiWii flight controller, but want more serial ports and extendability? The Crius All In One Pro (or AIOP) is there to fill the void. Full technical specs of this interesting FC coming up after the break.

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i86 Lite costs $1 less, removes features

i86 Lite costs $1 less, removes features

June 28, 2012 10:55 | By | Add a Comment

Hobbyking is now selling the i86 Lite – in essence a rebranded Eagle N6 V2. The improvements are a slightly lower price and the fact that the microcontroller is now getting its clock signal from a crystal oscillator, which provides for a more stable clock frequency.

And how does this improve the flight performance? Quite frankly, not at all. It’s a more clean design from an electronic engineering point of view, but out on the airfield it doesn’t matter. The regular i86 has more than adequate flight stability and whether the clock frequency is exact down to the second comma is irrelevant for that.

On the negative side, the i86 Lite loses support for fixed wing aircraft, so you cannot use it as a cheap and powerful 3-axis airplane gyro anymore.

Our verdict: Skip the i86 Lite, it’s not easier to use, doesn’t offer more stability, but actually has less functionality at the marginal benefit of a more stable CPU clock. Get the regular i86, it’s the simplest and cheapest way to get flying with a multirotor craft today. You set the DIP switches for your craft, dial the pots so it doesn’t wiggle, and you’re good to go. Check our i86 Flight Controller Review for all the details on this board.