Check it out: an all-in-one telemetry kit for ArduPilotMega, all set up and ready to go! No more fussing around with Xbee configuration. $165 for the total, which includes the custom configuration.
In this kit you will find everything you need to add telemetry features to your aircraft set up. The Xbee modules come paired up and ready to use! Included with this kit:- 1x XtreamBee Board (The one manufactured by DIYDrones!), including the two female connectors and right angle connectors.
- 1x XBee-PRO 900 extended range module w/ RPSMA connector and duck antenna
- 1x XBee-PRO 900 extended range module w/ wire antenna
- 1x Xbee Explorer Dongle (USB adapter for the Xbee module!)
Comments
First, 50% gross margin is absolutely standard in retail. I think you'll find that in virtually every other business in the RC world.
Why? Because, as you know having run a store, overheads are significant. There is of course the salaries of the staff who load the setting on the Xbees, test them and pack them up to ship out. We have rent on our factory, very high insurance premiums (given the field we're in) to protect both us and our customers, and the overheads of full time customer and technical support staff standing by in case people need help.
Perhaps in your European business you were not large enough to have commercial rent, staff and insurance, but anybody who has built a business on the scale we have will tell you that 50% margin is about the minimum necessary to run a sustainable operation.
Seems a bit shameful is my opinion, and I stand by it. Saying something like "DIY Drones are ripping everybody off!" or "DIY Drones is charging exorbitant markups" without actually backing it up with facts would be bashing.
I guess I was hoping somebody would explain why a 50%+ markup is justified for products that they don't produce (minus the XtremeBee board, but even that seems cloned from many, many similar boards before it). I guess the silence from them is my answer.
Calm down. I was actually responding to people who questioned Jack Crossfire's post on the first page. Re-read my comment again putting emphasis on the "is".
I never said that DIY Drones can't charge whatever they want. And David Skinner obviously replied without knowing my history. I did "do all the hard work DIY Drones does and sell these products for a 5-10% markup" for 3 years while I lived in Europe. The only reason I stopped was when I moved back to the States. I didn't think it was ok to charge a 50%-100% markup on parts that I acquired from other sources. You obviously have never worked with Digi either as their customer service is actually pretty good.
Let's try and avoid this knee-jerk reaction of calling it bashing whenever somebody questions anything on here. A point was made that it seemed like a big markup for parts that are largely not created by DIY Drones. I reiterated the point and was searching for a comment from them on the subject. Which I would still like to receive.
I think DIY Drones has the right to charge what they want! If you don't like it then don't buy it. No one is forcing you to do so. I know this is a community and everyone has the right to say what they want but bashing a product just doesn't help. I'm sorry CheBuzz but if you think they are unjustified with their price then either purchase them elsewhere and spend the time setting them up yourself or do all the hard work DIY Drones does and sell these products for a 5-10% markup and see how long you last doing it.
PS. I'd like to see how good the after sales service is from digi when you contact them about your ONE broken XBee module. I have a feeling they may laugh at you???
Oh yes, you are right. I was looking at the extended range 2.4GHz Xbee Pro instead of the extended range 900MHz Xbee Pro.
A precursory BOM for each of the boards put them about $6. This is for units of 1. Things get a lot cheaper as you go 10, 50, 100, 250, etc. So $81 for the modems, let's say $15 for the boards since PCBs are going to cost about $1 each, and $10 for the antenna (taking your word for that, didn't search for them), it's still seems a hefty markup (+50%).
If I'm wrong, I'd like to have it pointed out to me by somebody that knows otherwise.
This is exactly what I had in mind for a communications system....those Xbee USB boards are awesome for a UAV set up where the AP has to talk to the computer!
That's the wrong modem CheBuzz. The wire antenna xbee 900 is 39$, the RPSMA is 42$
The USB adapter and xstream adapter for APM are 25$ each. Antennas are $10. That's $141, if you want to add shipping from 3 different places, and equipment that isn't programmed and tested, you're still going to break the $165+shipping that DIY is offering. Not to mention that if you get it all from the same place, you get a bunch of support, and you're supporting them who are working their butts off to provide some very advanced application support, free software and people to discuss with.
No they don't.
http://store.digi.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Prod...
$39, straight from Digi.
Get your facts straight.
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