Wednesday, June 17, 2015

3DR Solo - Unboxing

I have my SOLO!  The original Best Buy pre-order still hasn't even shipped yet, but I was able to walk into a local store and pick one up, and then promptly canceled the pre-order. Was also able to grab a spare battery, and some props. No Gimball or Backpack available yet.

Also sold my previous DYI quad on Craigslist.  There were a lot of people calling about it, generated more interest than I thought it would. 

And now back to the SOLO. Here are some juicy Unboxing pics...

 Solo, extra battery and props.

 Temporary "travel" case that comes in the box.  Not too bad, but I have a hard foam case coming as well.

 The inside is put togeher pretty well, good presentation.

 Here is the "Smart Battery" showing its current charge level.

 Solo from the front.  The gimball hasn't been released yet, so using the standard frame to hold the GoPro for now, shakey video and all.

 Top shot with all the Quick Release props.  Seriously easy to take on and off, no tools required.

 Shot from the front with the GoPro Here 4 Black in tow.

 Solo, props installed, ready to FLY!

 Controller /  Transmitter.  Can hold smartphones or 8in tablets.

Using my Nvidia Shield tablet for FPV and flight control.  Update process for both controller and drone was really using the SOLO app.

 Decided to go with the PadHad Hybrid Mini as a sunshade / hood when flying in direct sunlight.  Fits the Shield perfectly, and does a great job keeping the glare off of the screen.

Everything is charged, updated, and ready to fly... but I had to go out of town to work. Super excited to fly back home and put the SOLO through its Maiden Voyage!

Will be posting  that video soon. Thanks for stopping by.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Quadcopter Drone - 3DR Solo update, Tarot 2D Gimbal flight Test

I have pre-ordered the 3DR SOLO, and there is currently good news, and bad news...

The good news is that is has finally shipped!  Although a week late, mine should arrive this weekend.
The bad news is that the gimbal has been delayed until late June / early July. That just plain stinks, as I was hoping to use it a bit over 4th of July weekend for some aerial videos while down in Southern Colorado near Durango.


 So even though I should have the drone this weekend, I can't really capture any great videos until the gimbal arrives.  Until then I will just mess around with it, and order all the accessories I can get a hold of, like this awesome hard case. 


More info, and maybe even an unboxing video once I actually get my hands on the Solo.

Since the the quad will arrive soon, I have decided to sell my DYI quad and GoPro Hero 3 black. Have it listed on Craigslist, and have actually received a few inquiries.  But one thing I realized is that I don't have any footage from the platform that is stabilized via the gimbal. 

So I did a quick 2min sample of the stabilization properties of the Tarot 2D Brushless Gimbal.  The quadcopter is flown in full manual mode without GPS assistance. Note that I couldn't fly very high and basically kept the quad in my front yard, as I am in a residential neighborhood, and near power-lines, but it should still be enough to get an idea of the gimbal's abilities. I really tried to jig it around a lot to show how well the gimbal copes with rapid movement.


If you want to watch it in full size 2K HD, here is the link:
Tarot 2D Gimbal Test 2kHD


Hopefully there will be a fun new update later this week! Thanks for stopping by.