Misc Building a Octocopter Help

B

Better Toys

New Member
Hello,

I am not sure why I have not asked for help already. I have been investigating and close to pulling the trigger so many times the past few months with this purchase but never feeling completely confident.

I am a Realtor and use my current quad for taking photos and video of the waterfront properties I represent for sale. My current Quad which just crashed is a TurboAce and I just watched it fall from the sky through the video monitoring while hovering and taking video. It will be fixed of course, but I would love more control and redundancy. Especially flying over water.

I need to feel confident before pulling the trigger and welcome any experienced advice. I apologise for not offering more advice myself on other information requests.

Here is what I am looking at and welcome alternatives.

Flight Platform:

DJI S1000 or RT Timer S1100 pro
Now I know the RC Timer is really a copy of the DJI but slightly larger. It just looks like a better fit and finish and I like the looks of the folding arm retaining system better. But I could be totally wrong in practical as I have never seen either in real life.

Flight Controller:
DJI A2 Set with the IOSD MarkII + Datalink 2.4G BT(50 way points)
I have not seen any video of this being used simultaneously with the DJI Lightbridge so I am not sure if they conflict with each other. I am totally by myself in no mans land cottage country and plan to let the UAV fly itself in line of sight while I control the gimbal yet ready to take over the aircraft.

Video:
DJI Lightbridge
I just have not seen anything better through my research but again am open to suggestions.
Some if the youtube reviews have me totally confused though. Talking about the HD vs AV gimbal. I am assuming there is a video pass through in some gimbals for gimbal control while maintaining HD signal.

I would like Gimbal control, most likely requiring a second remote. My goal of course it to keep my property subject in frame while the UAV flies as well as doing a few 360's with the gimbal to show the area water views.

Gimbal

I keep getting pushed towards the DJI Z15 Zenmuse and only agree potentially as it is DJI and should communicate with the other DJI products in theory. They seem like a lot of money and each one is for a specific camera. Do date I have been flying Go-Pro only. My Pro Camera D800e and lenses are to big and heavy and honestly I totally fear sending them up into the air, so I will need to buy a smaller appropriate DSLR for the platform anyway. Just hate being tied in.

I am also looking at the Align G3-5D 3-Axis Gimbal as it looks way more universal for cameras of the size I am referring to and has a great looking fit and finish. I am just not sure if it will work well with the DJI Lightbridge for gimbal control and HD video transmission.

Transmitter.
My current transmitter is a DX9

My thoughts are to get a second basic transmitter for gimbal control. I am assuming this one will work. ?Yet I am not sure if it will have enough channels to run the flight controller data link functions as well as the Lightbridge functions and control the UAV.

Now that I have written a novel, I hope some experienced pilots read through it and have some advice to offer as right now I am grounded. smirk.

Thanks,
Mike
 
Lee

Lee

Well-Known Member
Thats a hell of a set up you're thinking of getting. For realty shots, I think its a bit of over kill.
Me personally, I would get a DJI Inspire one. I know it doesn't have redundancy, but it has everything you would need.
 
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Better Toys

New Member
The Inspire 1 is a nice quad and I would recommend it for sure. The DJI Lightbridge and FPV function make this quad a pretty great option. It is very similar to my current quad though. I have a TurboAce 830D with decent brushless gimbal and running a Black Edition GoPro.

Real Estate is my lively hood. I want to be able to get a much better camera than both of these up in the air for photos. The real front lens (not protective glass) of both of these cameras is about 1/2 centimeter in diameter with a light gathering photo sensor or roughly 1cm square behind the lens. The light gathering capability of far from Pro DSLR but semi quality is over an inch lens diameter and over a square inch light gathering photo sensor. Both the GoPro and Inspire 1 cameras work very well in bright day light. They do not work as well in bright light to shade or low-mid light conditions which I find myself in with any North exposure property, West exposure in the mornings or East in the afternoons.

We sell higher end waterfront cottage real estate which lends itself to much over water flight. My current quad has fallen out of the sky 3 times in the past two years, luckily never over water, but the most recent over ice, all due to prop failures. This is even after prop inspection on pre-flight.

I have already decided that the purchase of a pro drone is imminent and it needs to fulfil two requirement upgrades. I want to carry a much better camera up for photos as well as have flight stability and prop redundancy that a heavy lifter can offer.

I also think it would be awesome to have A2 autopilot functions and the Lightbridge option.

What I really need to know is if anyone here has tried both simultaneously together and if they have any frequency or control conflicts. And if anyone has advice on gimbals and the HD video pass through while control from DJI Lightbridge.

And I would definitely recommend the Inspire 1 though as a quad to buy and enjoy for excellent free flight and general video and photography.
 
Lee

Lee

Well-Known Member
I don't know anyone on the forum that has got a 1000 size machine, but maybe they just haven't said :)

If I had the money, i'd go all out on the DJI 1000. Your set up seems to be the best of the best.
I have tried to get into real estate photography here in Spain.
Made a few shots for companies, that were received very well.
I have had great feed back when I show companies my work, but when it comes to paying for them, they go quiet.
I think its just the market here at the moment. No one has any money :(
Good luck with it. I'd love to see some of your work.
 
B

Better Toys

New Member
I hate to admit that you are right and that I am one of those people. I am the actual realtor.

I will not do tours of other peoples properties as I do not want them having the same edge as my own listings. There are companies that over aerial services here and honestly they are reasonable for the work that is offered between driving time to and from the site, setup and the actual tour and photos it is actually a steal, yet very few people here pay for the services. (except for the odd high end and that is likely to compete with my service offered) I myself justified my first purchase by calculating the cost of doing all 20 of my current listings vrs the 4-500 per tour. Since then the quad has paid for itself 3 fold. Every single tour was enjoyed, appreciated and likely a contributing factor in the sale of the property yet if I did not own one I would not have paid for a tour and you would think there is a thriving business potential.

Last night I decided to hang the Z15 -5D off the quad to carry a full professional DSLR so I will not be limited in the future on my camera size.

I bet spain would be an incredible place to get some aerial views of.
 
W

Walt

Member
Thanks Better Toys for giving me the excuse I needed to spend money on FPV.
My wife does Real Estate and REALLY needs this. I NEED to build her a quad copter with FPV thanks again !!!
 
B

Better Toys

New Member
haha, sorry for the expense...

Its is and is not all FPV. Depending on how you set up your Drone. I cannot effectively fly FPV with my current quad only see what the camera sees. It does not have telemetry and the camera view I see from ground is aligned with the primary camera. Mine is setup such that what I see what my screen is what I can capture the in the shot, I do this with a second small camera mounted on the gimbal aligned with the primary camera. I use a GoPro 3 black. You can take the video directly from the Go Pro camera for transmission but I found doing this causes video and lag issues in the GoPro. But is our business its about the shot.

The Inspire 1 has two way control communications for the gimbal and DJI flight controller through the added Lightbridge feature. It also has HD transmission from the onboard camera itself so you really see the shot. The DJI Lightbridge also overlays flight telemetry over the video and the gimbal has features to lock it in position so that it is fixed and works for real FPV flight. Lightbridge is a huge option and is included in the inspire one. I don't think I would build or buy another without that option in the business if possible. The Lightbridge feature also has a second slave remote feature for hooking up a second remote for just gimbal control.

If purchasing the inspire 1 you have to do this through the purchase of a second Inspire 1 remote at a larger cost. If buying Lightbridge separately for a separate new build quad, you can buy a cheap second controller for the joysticks, rip it apart and make a small side control plate to mount to your primary controller for side by side gimbal control without moving your hands far if at all from the UAV flight control sticks.

Anyways, I know I am rambling. Like me you should be able to expense the quad which helps with its purchase decision. Your wife's clients should be happy and you should love the toy. smirk

Just goes without saying, the flight of these drones in this business is a huge grey area. You are not flying purely personal but you are not selling the video or images for any profit. Insure and license yourself if your area requires it to be safe.
 
C

claytonbakerjr

Member
Better Toys
Sounds as if you have done your homework.
I need to look into this 1000 you speak of.
As per the Inspire 1 I've watched many videos of its footage but from what you are describing...I'm falling in love. ...lol
My dream is to fly such a creature.
 
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