Sunday, July 31, 2016

Xiaomi Yi 2 Review - watch this before you buy a gopro 4!!!


-> buy here: Cam info/shop

Really a decent cam! Sorry that I couldnt compare it directly to a gopro4 black. Maybe I can do this in a next video later. But it's better than every single actioncam I've tested so far.
I also will make a slowmo videoclip - since this is the first cam I have that can deliver 720p240 (8-10times slowdown).
I will probbably not fly the vortex with it a lot since low and fast in 4k is too much for youtube's codec... (it looks perfect on the raw footage though!).
Sample clips: 
RAW high flying 
RAW Low and Fast over field (hard for codec)
sharpness comparison chart

►Pro's and con's:
+ batterylife!
+ touchscreen: intuitive UI
+ image quality: stunning in 4k, timelapse mode works great, I guess 2hrs with full battery are in range
+ slow motion (1280x720@240fps) looks decent - quite sharp and gives really smooth motion
+ tripod mount integrated directly

+- pricetag (bad if you compare it to other chinese cams, not if you compare to gopro :)
+- gyro stabilizer: doesnt work nice in all conditions, reduces quality of course,...

- form factor: not gopro sized, own dimensions, only their waterproof housing will fit
- touchscreen: not easy to read in sunlight - and then setting the options is hard...


►Specs:
Ambarella A9SE75 DSP (this is more advanced than what Gopro4 black has, and it is way more efficient - the cam doesnt overheat, battery lasts longer...)
Sony IMX377 12MP 1/2.3" Sensor
Lens F2.8 aperture / 155° wide-angle lens, 7G, f=2.68mm
LCD Screen 2.19", 640*360 resolution touch screen, 330PPI, 250cd/m2 brightness, 30FPS, 160° FOV, 16:9
Weight: 88gr   Size: 65 x 42 x 21 mm
(but not compatible with Gopro cases since it's a bit wider!)

4K 30,25 Ultra Wide 3840x2160
2.5K 30,25 Ultra Wide 2560x1920
1440P 60,50,30,25 Ultra Wide 1920x1440
1080P 120,100,60,50,30,25 Ultra Wide 1920x1080
960P 120,100,60,50 Ultra Wide 1280x960
720P 240,200 Ultra Wide 1280x720
480P 240,200 Ultra Wide 848X480

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Arkbird OSD and Autopilot on the new FPV Plane "XUav ONE"







See this nice plane in my hangar, a few build tips and closeups. Find lots of infos in description!
X-AUV One plane
Arkbird OSD/AP

►Infos
Buildlog from the MFM Material version with some good tips
another Buildlog from SchumiXD of the EPO Version (the same as what I'm testing)
useful RCGruops Thread

Buildlog:
hotglue the servos
glued vtail foam into plastic parts and carbon rod with hotglue
screw on the V-tail fins (secure servoconnectors with tape inside the tail-boom!)
mounted the 3536 1800kv turnigy motor (was easy fit there)
add grease into gearbox (crane grease)
used 60amp Turnigy plush ESC - plenty of space - ESC cables routed outside through air flow
add linkage to servoarms
currently use 5channels directly on radio, later add autopilot

first tries with fixed styrofoam nose - later installing FPV cam on 2axis gimbal (to look around)
(roll axis? to stabilized image - but this is useless with servos - one would need a brusless gimbal - so roll servo is useless IMHO)

CG: to achieve proper CG (around 75mm from LE) I had to move the battery (5200mah 4cell 433gr) all the way forward, did even carve out some more foam from the nose itself - so battery sticks a few cm in the nose). Also added some dead weight directly in the nose ~ 100gr) and the Runcam2 ontop the nose.

Brand:X-uav
Item: ONE EPO FPV Aircraft Kit
Material:EPO
Propeller:12x6 inch Folding Propeller
Wingspan: 1800mm (71inch)
Length: 1078mm (42.5 inch)
Wing area: 38.2dm2(592sq.in)
Empty weight: 750g
CoG: in middle of wing, 65-80mm from leading edge CG: about 76mm from LE
Flying Weight: 1360g(23lb) Standard, max:2kg
Wingload: 35.6g/dm2 (11.7oz/sq.ft)
Take-off Weight:2000~2500g

Features:
- Deluxe Editon with glassfiber inner board and 3K Carbon Tube.
- With two-axis servo gimbal that suits mini HD camera, easy to control and stable.
- Propeller Design: Complete new-power structure,will be lower the attack and resistance.

Recommend Drive System:
Motor: 3536 KV1800
ESC: 30A/40A
Servos: 6x 9g metal gear servos
Battery:4S 14.8V 4000-8000 mAh Lipo

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Runcam Owl Plus Review (compared to HS1177, night vision comparison - how dark?)

Runcam sent me their top cam - let's see if you can fly in total darkness with it! I compare the Owl against the popular HS1177 with a nice dual monitor setup.

►RunCam Owl Plus Specs:
1/2″ image sensor
700TVL horizontal resolution;
150 degree FOV lens (2.4 mm)
5V to 22V (suitable for 2s – 5s LI-POs)
light senility, 0.0001 Lux/1.2F min. illumination
Digital Wide Dynamic Range (D-WDR)
Digital Noise Reduction (2DNR)
Automatic gain control (AGC)
Back light compensation (BLC)
OSD menu
26 mm x 26 mm x 30 mm, 15 g net weight.

►Thoughts:
The OSD is pretty straight forward, just activated the DWDR and played with colors and contrast a bit.
Not as good with shadowd vs. sunlight on the day, but awesome in the night. Although you shouldnt expect to fly a miniquad in acro mode without "some" light in the night.
If you use it on a GPS stabilized quad or plane you could really almost fly in pitch black nights.
If you wanna explore darker buildings you will be surprised how long you get coloured images until it finally switches to BW mode.

I will have to do a few flights, but I think you can definitly use it as a standard cam and also fly in daylight if you are not too picky. And it is definitly better than those cheaper CMOS cams (like the one that came with my Vortex250).