Hi everyone, this is my first post. I'm new to drones so I ask for your patience and give you my thanks in advance.
Motorcycles are what brings me to the world of drones. I am planning a solo motorcycle trip to South America and I am looking for a drone to take along. I want to be able to capture the landscape (pretty standard filming) but I also want it to be able to capture me riding in it (a much more dynamic demand).
I have been looking at the IRIS+ (with "follow me" mode) and have came VERY close to buying one on several occasions but still haven't actually ordered one yet. The quad has so many excellent features but it comes up short in a few VITAL areas. I guess that's what's stopping me.
The biggest problem is it's size. It is way too wide to fit in any case I want to carry on my motorcycle.
I found this post today (http://rcexplorer.se/projects/2012/05/the-quadrone/) about building a quad with folding legs and it got me thinking.
If I used the IRIS+ as my base electronics design and put it all on the same frame the guy builds in the link above it would be EXACTLY what I need. Now, if I was going to build this quad from parts then I would also like to try and extend the flight time to 20 - 25 minutes instead of the 10 to 12 it gets now (fully loaded with Gopro. Gimbal and FPV). Also the speed rating for the IRIS+ is "40 Mph (software limited)" what does that mean and can I make it go faster with an upgrade as well?
I expect some combination of changing motors, ESCs, props and batteries? I assume the Pix hawk could handle the upgrades but would it need extensive resetting of values to operate the same with larger components?
What would you do to upgrade the IRIS+ to meet these requirements?
Replies
Why not get a flare, it folds http://www.steadidrone.com/steadidrone-flare
The price point is a little too high for me. I can get the IRIS+ with gimbal and a few extra batteries and not come close to that. I think 3DR has done a good job putting this package together. The folding arms is a must for me but I could build that folding frame for under $100. The extra power / duration is a "nice to have" but not if it costs me $200 or $300 per minute additional time.