quadcopter options Vs. Cost
mklrobo
Posts: 420
I would like to ask a question, where permissible. I have seen other quadcopters for sale in Tower Hobbies, for $80 - $up. What does
the Parallax quadcopter offer me, over the other copter versions, to overcome the difference
in $? I love Parallax products like everybody else, but I need some options avaliable. Is there
a propeller on board with the kit? are there accessories avaliable, GPS, camera transmissions,
and other capabilities? Can I put a Raspberry Pi on it, with the propeller?
Please advise.
Comments
The ELEV-8 is much more capable, and of course is a kit which you have to put together. It comes with a HoverFly board that uses a Propeller chip. Unlike the Hubsan, the ELEV-8 will not automatically level itself* when you release the control sticks. The ELEV-8 would greatly benefit from this feature in my opinion.
Since it is a kit, and has about 2 lbs of payload capacity, you can add pretty much whatever you want as long as it isn't too heavy.
*you could upgrade to the HoverFly Pro in order to gain this feature but it is quite expensive. I would prefer to see Parallax offer an add-on IMU to enable this feature.
10-4. Thanks for the info.:cool:
I will probably have to start with the Hubsan X4, as you have suggested. Tower hobbies also sells flight simulators; for the quadcopters, - ?
The auto leveler function, could be programmed with the power or a Raspberry Pi, I assume.(add gyros) I have a project that I will need a
camera, and some other functions, so the ELEV-8 sounds good, with a 2 LB capacity. It will work nicely for research on crops.
And this is in our plan. Have you been bugging my office, Rich?
First, we are releasing the new ELEV-8 V2 with proper documentation on August 1st, then we begin the add-on IMU design that will plug onto the top of the OPEN board. Long-term, we will have a full educational program that includes progressive code examples like you find in our other tutorials. This all takes time, sometimes a long, long time. But I assure you we'll do it right. First step is the kit's hardware revisions and assembly guide.
Ken Gracey
Ken Gracey
Yes, the ELEV-8 includes the Hoverfly OPEN flight controller.
To answer your top question, you will certainly find full systems with more capabilities (GPS, return to home) than the Parallax ELEV-8. Our niche with the ELEV-8 is the following:
- high quality kit with replacement parts readily available (or make them on your own)
- proper support to get it in the air and stay there - a crash isn't the end of the fun with our product
- consistency from year to year in basic design, like the Boe-Bot chassis
- Made in the USA with the highest-quality parts we can build or source (ESCs and motors come from China, always)
- educational support (coming, not obvious yet)
In time we will have add-on hardware that provides the capabilities you want, but this process takes time. You'll notice that the OPEN board has a header and could accommodate a stacked board on top with IMU/GPS.
Ken Gracey
A flight sim is a good idea. The Propeller can handle auto level but you will need to add accelerometers, gyros are already on the HoverFly board - or wait for the Parallax IMU...
I might as well wait for the new product comes out, because the library add-ons, and people hacks, will outweigh the cost of it;
I always will have access to quality products that parallax offers.
Since I have you here, I will ask another question.....(sneaky)
When is the P2 coming out, and how powerfull will it be? Does Parallax plan a response
to Raspberry Pi or Beaglebone, or build an interface? (Inquiring minds want to know!)
P2 will be coming out about 60 days after the design is finished.
As for a response to RasPi or Beaglebone, our audience tends to be less interested in operating system-based embedded devices and more interested in deterministic multicore microcontrollers. We have no specific plans for such a device but maybe our community can produce such a system.
Ken Gracey
Right, same board. I think I mentioned somewhere else that we try not to obsolete good designs with our upgrades. As such, the new ELEV-8 V2 is mostly compatible with the prior version in terms of parts, repair and design. The improvements relate to ease of assembly, quality of components, aesthetics, and crash repair. We will produce a list of these changes.
Ken Gracey
Crash repair? That sounds like something I need desperately. I'm still having a hard time getting the hang of flying the Elev-8 and mine is broken more often than it is working. I'm looking forward to V2! :-)