Just got my Iris today. Overall I'm very happy with it, but I have noted a few places where a new user could get tripped up.
1) Ignore the labels on the motors (as they may be in the wrong place as mine were). Instead, follow the guidance in the booklet included in the box to determine where the props belong.
2) It's very difficult to push the prop inserts down over the black steel threads. I recommend using the opposite end of the prop tool to carefully push it down until you have some threads exposed, then use the nut to torque it the rest of the way down. Then take the nut back off and follow the instructions in the book.
3) There's a million switches, knobs, dip switches and buttons on the controller. All you need to get started is the power button in the middle, the two sticks, and the two switches above the right stick. I'm not sure if any of the other controls do anything, but everything seemed to work properly leaving them in the position they were in when it arrived.
The Iris was a lot larger than I expected. My Hubsan X4 could fit entirely inside the main black shell. That said, the Iris behaves a lot like the X4 (provided your X4 is setup for throttle on the left stick, movement on the right stick). The main area it differed with respect to flying behavior is trying to make it descend. It can be scary at first (it feels sometimes like it won't stop ascending) as you need to bring the stick down almost all the way to get it to start descending. Doing that with the Hubsan would result in some tumbling and risk of a crash.
That said, I really liked how it descends. I got used to it after 2 flights, and every landing was very smooth.
There's an accessory arm on the front to attach a camera or other device. It's nice because you only need to figure out how to mount your bracket to the arm, not the Iris itself. I'm already thinking about a searchlight, one-arm-bandit claw from an arcade, etc. :-)
Again, I'm very happy with it so far. It flies amazingly well, very smooth and easy to control. Thank you to Chris and his team for making such a great product.
-Joe
Replies
Thanks for this... is there any explanation as to what all of these do? Doesn't seem to mention any of them in the manual.
Adam,
An explanation of all the connectors and components inside the shell you mean?
I was mostly referring to the switches and dials on the transmitter remote. Besides the joysticks, the only one that I can figure out is channel 6 for the gimbal rotation.
Excellent question. Please post if you find a manual for the transmitter. I'm currently focusing on trying to get Mission Planner to work.
-Joe
I tried loiter mode out today. Average wind speed was 10mph with gusts at 20mph. The Iris stayed very close to it's original position. It was really quite impressive. The altitude was a bit unpredictable though as it varied from 8ft to 40ft (estimated).
Another tip - when you check the props for tightness, check the antenna too. Mine is loose enough now to lay down into the path of the prop.
Mine is a flopper too... doesn't look like it can strike the props
I guess I do have to open it up :)
Did 3 brief flights.. 1st Alt hold and I was stoked how well it flew. Wife came home went to show her and it was a wobbly mess and did a snow landing which loosened the props.
Retightened the props.. reset everything waited good long time for green and it flew solid again. I have all flight modes set to simple right now.
Will play more this weekend hopefully before the snows !
Glad I'm not the only one. If the antenna is laying all the way down, the prop can easily hit it. I don't want to take the chance!
Please post any tips you have on tightening the antenna. It looks like there are plastic splines near the base of the antenna inside that may be for tightening.
FYI - I was able to lay the antenna down and carefully rotate it clockwise to tighten it. I didn't have to take anything apart and it's much less floppy.
Well, trying to tighten the antenna without taking the Iris apart didn't work for long. Luckily the top cover is easy to remove, it's just 3 bolts. You can use the hole in the wrench as an extension to get more leverage on the hex key if your bolts are hard to loosen.
Once open, carefully tighten the antenna using the splines. Keep in mind that the part of the antenna with the joint can move independently of the splined piece. In other words, just make it finger tight then correct the position of the joint after it's tight. Don't try to tighten the entire assembly 360 degrees or you'll probably break it. Here's what things look like inside the top cover.
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