Multirotor, multicopter and quadcopter discussion - The Drone thread

Bradmax57 · 23 Sep 2020 at 20:07

Also just tried to do the calibration using dji assistant and its failing on second run same place each time, tried two different pc's. The compass and imu calibrated ok on device, but its just not getting the beeping from the sensors when it gets close to anything, I remember all my old mavics etc point blankly refused to move

ScarySquirrel · 6 Oct 2020 at 15:38

I've recently got into FPV flying. I tried a friend's FPV setup when camping a few years ago and it was the most fun I'd had in ages, no idea why I didn't start then.

Anyway, he still does it andhas been a massive help. He even builds his own, so I'm hoping when I can fly better I can build my own 5" racing drone. For the time being I have a TinyHawk 2 Freestyle and a smaller Mobula 6. I managed to get a Taranis QX7 second hand(but unused) and opted for the Eachine 800D goggles, which look ridiculous when on but have a nice big screen, very happy so far.

I managed to damage a motor on the TinyHawk in a big crash, but was able to replace it faily easily, despite having not use a soldering iron in 20+ years!

Absolutely loving flying though. Went straight into Acro/Air mode, and I'm glad I did. I definitely have a lot to learn but pretty pleased with some of the freestyle stuff I've been able to do already

Cyclone · 6 Oct 2020 at 18:32

Bradmax57 said:
Also just tried to do the calibration using dji assistant and its failing on second run same place each time, tried two different pc's. The compass and imu calibrated ok on device, but its just not getting the beeping from the sensors when it gets close to anything, I remember all my old mavics etc point blankly refused to move

The Mavic Mini doesn't have forward sensors - see 11:40

Bradmax57 · 6 Oct 2020 at 18:57

lol typo ive got a mavic air 2, as far as i know there is no mavic mini 2 so 50:50 on that one for errors

Cyclone · 7 Oct 2020 at 21:38

Bradmax57 said:
lol typo ive got a mavic air 2, as far as i know there is no mavic mini 2 so 50:50 on that one for errors

lol, I saw the Mini and thought you had that

Have you sorted out your issue??

Bradmax57 · 7 Oct 2020 at 21:51

Cyclone said:
lol, I saw the Mini and thought you had that

Have you sorted out your issue??

Yeah, seems the obstacle avoidance sensors dont work that well indoors if the lighting isnt good enough, as I took it out the day after that post and it was just fine

muttclugg · 10 Oct 2020 at 18:20

Mavic mini 2 is rumoured to be coming out soon. Possibly 4k video vs the 2.7k that is on the current mavic mini

Haggisman · 4 Nov 2020 at 11:55

My son (8) has suggested he wants a drone for Christmas - unfortunately we're pretty close to Birmingham airport, so outside flight is going to be limited unless we head out of the city (based on the map here, we're ~20m outside the circle), so I guess it's mostly going to be used in the house/garden.

Also not wanting to spend too much... since he's 8, and chances are it'll get broken (although he'll be under careful supervision!) or he'll get bored within a few weeks (much more likely)... options I'm looking at are:

Ryze Tello
or one of these kits:

https://www.quadcopters.co.uk/betafpv-whoops/betafpv-whoop-racing-advanced-kit-2
https://www.quadcopters.co.uk/betafpv-whoops/betafpv-whoop-racing-fpv-starter-kit-2

Also considering the Mavic Mini, but that seems more serious and less of a "toy" (with a price tag to match) - also not sure how suitable it would be for indoor use?

Any thoughts on suitability?

The rules seem to be confusing, but if I understand them correctly, we don't need to register because all of the above are under 250g?

Thanks!

Bradmax57 · 4 Nov 2020 at 23:05

If hes 8 i would suggest a dji tello, but your going to need to buy or give him use of a tablet or phone to control, they are about £70-99 but your still going to have to register soon anything with a camera apparantly????

Haggisman · 4 Nov 2020 at 23:17

He has a galaxy tab which I believe isn't officially supported, but some googling suggests will work, only thing is it doesn't have VR/fpv like the betafpv ones do?

Think he would like that feature

Edit: they do, but that would require a phone and compatible headset, e.g. Gearvr

Haggisman · 5 Nov 2020 at 12:59

Well...

I ended up ordering him the mini Fpv one, since after a subtle chat I managed to determine he was really into the VR feature, and he can use it in the house and I guess get away without registering...

...
....

Also after watching loads of videos etc. whilst trying to figure out which to get him, I "accidentally" ordered myself an "as new" mavic mini for a decent price from Amazon warehouse *oops*

Bradmax57 · 5 Nov 2020 at 13:06

Not sure if you knew but they just released the mavic mini 2? not sure how much better it is other than 4k?

Haggisman · 5 Nov 2020 at 13:21

Bradmax57 said:
Not sure if you knew but they just released the mavic mini 2? not sure how much better it is other than 4k?

I didn't know actually, but from a quick read, it looks like it will be quite a bit more than I paid! A few minor improvements to range, motors etc, but nothing significant by the look of it.

edit: Hah... you've got me doing more googling now, looks like the Mavic Air fly More combo can be had for £465... Not much more than the mini... is it worth ~£150 extra for a casual hobbyist (e.g. am I going to wish I'd spent the extra after a couple of months playing with the mini)?

Rilot · 5 Nov 2020 at 18:34

I wouldn't buy the Mavic Air 1. If you can get the Air 2 for that price then do it.
The main difference between the Mini and the Mini 2 is Occusync. This is a huge difference. The Air 1 and Mini 1 use WiFi and the range is poor. Occusync is what the Air 2, Pro, and Zoom use and is much, much better.

I will be buying a Mini 2 for fun in the next few days. I have an Air 2 but it's still fairly large and heavy and I'd like something I can just throw up in the sky whenever I feel like it.

Haggisman · 5 Nov 2020 at 18:37

Unfortunately it's a difference of ~£250 for the mini + fly more kit vs the mini 2 version, so I'll stick with the original for now

Cheers!

Haggisman · 5 Nov 2020 at 22:03

Gah, so the seller has just cancelled my order on Amazon as the item is no longer available... Need a new option I guess :/

Greebo · 6 Nov 2020 at 08:32

There will be lots up for sale used and maybe some price cuts on new since the new model has come out

Haggisman · 6 Nov 2020 at 08:35

Yeah, it's probably worth waiting a couple of weeks to see if there are any decent black Friday deals actually

Gerard · 6 Nov 2020 at 17:59

Re-registered my id last night, annoying you have to get new flyer id stickers instead of being able to keep the same id.

Rilot · 8 Nov 2020 at 13:57

I'm trying to understand the new EASA drone rules that come in on 31st December and how they will affect me. So far I understand the following.
This applies to my Mavic Air 2.

From Jan 1st I will have to take an A2 competency course (about £200) to continue flying
Because the Mavic Air 2 doesn't comply with C1 specs (it has not been certified and never will be because you can't retrospectively apply the certification):
From Dec 31st 2022 I will no longer be able to fly my drone within 150M of any residential, commercial, or recreational area (so for all intents and purposes, I will not be able to fly anywhere).

This is not good. If I am understanding the new rules correctly I need to pay for the course and even then, after 2022 my Mavic Air 2 becomes a paperweight.