IRIS shopping list

Hi.

I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive platform to try out aerial photography. I'm not really interested in building my own drone so there seem to be only two popular options: either one of the DJI Phantoms or the 3DR Iris. I understand that neither is a perfect platform but the Iris seems to be the better of the two so that's the way I'm leaning.

I'm trying to work through what I'm going to need but 3DR's shop seems to mainly cater for hobbyists who want to put it together themselves, and know what they're looking for. There's also a lot of information here but some of it seems to refer to the development kit version of the Iris, which is a bit confusing for me.

I think I may have got it narrowed down to the following though. Does this look right? What have I missed?

	3DR	Aeroworks	Hobbyking

Iris RTF	$750.00
Gimbal	$219.00
GoPro	$299.99
Battery pack	$35.00
Spares	?
FPV tx		$149.96
Black Pearl Monitor	$199.00
Zippy 5Ah			$22.90
Plugs for Zippy			?
$1,675.85	$1,502.99	$149.96	$22.90

I have the following doubts:

Can anyone confirm that I can use a Google Nexus 7 tablet with the planner software and hardware to set up autonomous flights? Does the RTF kit include all the hardware I need for that?

Does the charger that comes with the IRIS charge the higher capacity Zippy 5Ah batteries or do I need something more powerful?

How easy is it in practice to unscrew the arms on the Iris to reduce its space needs for transport? From the manual section on replacing the arms it seems it should be pretty straightforward, but does that that hold up in practice?

Ian

I think if you buy the gimbal separately you won't get the 3DR plate you need to mount? I remember reading that... there's some 3D prints for a Tarot mounting plate for the Iris if that's the case (~$30 to get printed)

The arms don't unscrew easily, I consider it a full disassembly. Even taking off the props each time to store is a pain. I have a Pelican 1650 which will fit the Iris with props and long legs, radio, and accessories. I bought it off Craigslist with intact foam for $150.

DroidPlanner2 works with Nexus 5 too. Screen is a bit cramped but smaller and I can mount my phone on the radio easier.

I would budget for a better charger + psu for the charger. If you DIY your own PSU, it's ~30 bucks to make good 12v supply off a server PSU. Plenty of links online on how to do that. Also get a battery charge reader. I have a hyperion sentry and hyperion net charger and I like both.

Good luck shopping!

Replies

AKRCGUY August 9, 2014 at 5:26pm

We would be happy to personally answer your questions with either platform at www.blackopsdrones.com
Tomáš Frank August 8, 2014 at 1:53pm
Hi, I purchased IRIS for same purpose in June and don't regret it. But I will have following newbie tips:
- go for 4S battery and 10x3,8 props, IRIS with gimbal is quite heavy (check this discussion)
- consider new lens for GoPro (without fisheye),cheap or ragecams
- add battery pack for radio
- memory card for GoPro
- consider other then 3DR long legs
Good Luck
- Greg Nuspel > Tomáš Frank August 9, 2014 at 11:13am
  
  This is a good source for the lens http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Gopro-Hero-3-Camera-Lens-5-4mm-10MP-...
- Ian Worthington > Tomáš Frank August 8, 2014 at 2:53pm
  
  I've bookmarked http://cloud-surfer.net/2014/07/14/3dr-iris-with-4s-batteries/ which discusses how to convert the Iris for the higher voltage 4S batteries. I think that's a job for later on. Ditto lens. Thanks.
  
  I've actually got a good stock of AA eneloops so a Lipo for the tx is probably not a biggie for me.
  
  Memory cards are a good idea, thanks!
  
  Those leg replacements don't actually seem to gain a great deal of flying time. Are they really worth it?
  
  Thanks!
- Tomáš Frank > Ian Worthington August 11, 2014 at 12:12pm
  
  Hi,
  
  I followed same guidelines for 4S. Right now I am getting 10-11 minutes with gimbal and FPV on 10*3,8 props and Zippy Compact 4S 4000 mAh. I just made small changes to extend battery compartment. Hopefully I will post some photos to discussion here.
  
  Add to long legs. You can save up to 100g on these, and it is not just about flight time, but also about IRIS flight behavior. You will feel each 50g (eg. 50g is FPV gear).
  
  Add 2 If you will go for 4S you will also need 12V UBEC for powering gimbal and FPV transmitter. I am pretty happy with this one.
  
  BR, Tomas
Francis Chan August 6, 2014 at 11:44pm

I think if you buy the gimbal separately you won't get the 3DR plate you need to mount? I remember reading that... there's some 3D prints for a Tarot mounting plate for the Iris if that's the case (~$30 to get printed)

The arms don't unscrew easily, I consider it a full disassembly. Even taking off the props each time to store is a pain. I have a Pelican 1650 which will fit the Iris with props and long legs, radio, and accessories. I bought it off Craigslist with intact foam for $150.

DroidPlanner2 works with Nexus 5 too. Screen is a bit cramped but smaller and I can mount my phone on the radio easier.

I would budget for a better charger + psu for the charger. If you DIY your own PSU, it's ~30 bucks to make good 12v supply off a server PSU. Plenty of links online on how to do that. Also get a battery charge reader. I have a hyperion sentry and hyperion net charger and I like both.

Good luck shopping!
- Ian Worthington > Francis Chan August 8, 2014 at 2:31pm
  
  Looks like if you get the gimbal from 3DR as an IRIS add on you DO get the mounting plate:
  
  http://store.3drobotics.com/products/tarot-t-2d-brushless-gimbal
  
  OK, I'm cooling on the idea if taking the arms off :) Maybe just the foam stack in my checked luggage is a better idea?
  
  Let me look at better chargers, thanks.
Khanh Tran August 6, 2014 at 5:41pm

I picked up this from Amazon Pelican 1511 Replacement Foam Set for 1510 Case (4-Piece) http://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1511-Replacement-Foam-4-Piece/dp/B001... to use with my Travelpro 22-in carry-on. You need to take the props off but can leave the arms on. You can also fit the radio, props and others in there. As for the battery charger, I bought the Imax 6BAC from HK and it worked really nice with the 5000mah batteries.
benbojangles August 6, 2014 at 2:01pm

I use a nexus 7 with droneplanner. I can also use my htc one.

I suggest using either a separate lipo for the gimbal, or a 12v ubec. For me, using a single lipo makes the quad behave strangely.
Todd August 6, 2014 at 11:47am

Can anyone confirm that I can use a Google Nexus 7 tablet with the planner software and hardware to set up autonomous flights?

Yes, I have a Nexus 7 tablet that works fine.

The software is called Droid Planner2. The Iris already comes with the radio and cable you need to connect.

Haven't done any FPV yet or needed to remove any arms.

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