Looks like this flight controller uses the same components, and it's just $34
Both have:
Atmel's ATMEGA2560
MPU6050 6 axis gyro
HMC5883L 3-axis digital magnetometer
MS5611-01BA01 Barometric pressure sensor
Can someone explain to me the price difference? Even the software was ported so you can have same version on both boards. Why should I pay $180 for APM 2.5?
TIA
Replies
I don't understand how you can talk about things being unfair for the developers, and talk about their "plight". When none of them are complaining. Your on here playing your "persona" supposedly for people that have been somehow wronged by 3DR, and are constantly talking about how 3DR is unscrupulous and ripping off or wronging one group or another. And seriously, the idea that 3DR should make a wiki about how to clone there product is just ridiculous. They have fulfilled there obligations and made public the eagle files and what not.....Which you say are incomplete, and yet quite a few company's have been able to use those docs to clone them pretty well.
I understand watching your friends copter fly off was a bad experience (BTW, were you actually there when that happend) but at some point you need to give it a rest and quit looking for conspiracy everywhere. You have the option of contributing to the code yourself, but you apparently fall at the top of the Developer pyramid and are so good that you don't want to do that without stock options.(which is what the top devs get) You also say that system is unfair, but Ive yet to hear a Dev who has actually felt that way.
I'm sorry for the rant, but I'm tired of all the negativity. Youve openly stated that your Playing a "Persona", but the rest of us are here as normal people. And we love having a community full of other normal people being themselves and helping each other out. You now have 2 websites of your own (diydronesafety and diyclones) where you can (and do) share your views of 3DR, but the rest of us would much rather get back to a non toxic helpful forum, then to keep up with the non stop negativity. /rant
All the functions of the 2.5
Free mission planner
Free updates
If you have a problem there is someone to call or write
Power module
Plastic case
$180 is a fantastic deal
Cheap copies from China $34 is a rip off.
I am also curious about how exactly "support" is defined / perceived by diydrones proper.
In at least one talk (link below), Chris Anderson mentions his position regarding community support. Is this really also the general consensus of the diydrones community?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysyYKPa9Rcg#t=22m37s
wow I wish i could pay 180$ I am curently paying 333$ at a place in Darkest South Africa. Hell not to mention the motors. I could have build 3 quads for the price of one. Damm you guys are lucky. And to topp it i am earning penuts as well.
whay was i born here! fk!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpUNA2nutbk
This came to mind when I read this post.
Jason
@ Ioan Ghip, maybe a board is cheap to COPY, but who does the R&D and creates the eagle files for you in the first place?
You get what you pay for.
Apple products are overpriced for what they are. An equivalent windows box can be had for half the cost and a linux box can be had for even less still. Apple was recently hailed as the most valuable company ever.
Engineering and future products don't buy loyalty they deliver to the consumer. Does the HobbyKing MulitWii deliver, ask the people on RC Groups...
Wait for APM 3.0 and you can get more functionality for the same price.
As Ive said before, I think it's priced pretty reasonably.....And has come down almost $50 from the APM 2, and another $50 from the APM1.
Now compare that to the Naza, which is $399 W/ GPS and does not even do waypoints.
But a more fair compairson would be to the Wookong M $1159
with 900mhz Telemetry your looking at $1679
Now if you want that system, only with 5 waypoints you have to add $900 to the total cost.
If that's not enough, you can move to the 50 Waypoint system. But that will cost you an extra $1100 on top of the $1679 for the hardware.
You can check it out for yourself here:
Or you can go for an APM 2.5 for $144.99 (unlimited waypoints)
Adding a GPS and Power module will bring it up to $179.99
Or for all of the above plus telemetry your looking at $259.99
You can check that out here:
Given the price of it's nearest competitor, and the trend of every dropping prices that we have seen so far. I think it's priced quite reasonably.
These are FLYING ROBOTS; We are living in THE FUTURE! $180 doesn't seem so bad, especially if you compare it to buying all of the elements as Arduino-compatible modules (9 DoF IMU, GPS, Mega 2560, etc)
3DR probably has a lot of overhead: Accountants, lawyers, marketing/PR/website, facilities, certifications, product liability insurance, and of course R&D. And they make a quality product, which takes more time (therefore cost) per item.
HK is able to take 3DR's open source board and use it as a reference design for a cheaper version, skipping part (or most) of the R&D. HK sells a LOT of stuff, so their overhead is easier to recover. Also, because of their location, they probably have less overhead. And as others have noted, HK seems to have some quality control or design issues: quality control can be a huge cost.
This discussion on price is incomplete (partially touched on by mentioning Asian labor costs) without noting the the currency costs.
When it is considered that the Yuan is less than 1/4 the USD, a major variable for the cheap price of the clone board becomes clear. On the other hand (a favorite economists phrase), if you bought that same board in China, it would cost nearly 212 Yuan. That is what it would cost the local hobbyist in the town the board is made in. Price is relative to your local economy.
The consumer decides where they want to spend their money. If you are happy buying your autopilot from people an ocean away, be happy. I prefer to keep the money I have earned on this continent as much as possible - even if I pay more. I am not just buying an autopilot but helping to employ people on this continent.
Our friends being paid in Euros are (still) having a great time as compared to us.. (1 Euro = 1.32 USD).
-=Doug
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