Random thoughts.... [Tech Edition]

[leviathan]

So you're comparing these two, right? Left is the DJI RC-N1, and right is the DJI RC.

I would strongly prefer the RC-N1 with the phone holder, tbh. The sticks on the "Smart" look a bit more solid, true, but with the way you usually fly a DJI drone it doesn't matter in the slightest. The low position of the screen is not good imho, I much prefer the screen above my hands, and with the normal remote you get the option to use a larger-screen tablet if you want - maybe not with the default holder that it comes with, but there's certainly 3rd party attachments or something you can 3D-print to make it work. And an iPad is where it's at for flying these, really. Battery life will also likely be much better on the normal controller, not having to power the screen in addition to actual remote internals.

Some comparisons online also have these points to make:

- N1 allows you to use third-party apps as well as the original DJI app. There are some that offer quite notable features, such as Litchi.
- Typical phone screens nowadays are a fair bit brighter than the built-in RC screen, which sits at 700 nits - relevant for flying in daylight.
- The RC offers two control wheels on the back, vs only one on the RC-N1. Those can be handy to control gimbal tilt and zoom at the same time for more complex shots.
- Setup time in the field is quite a bit quicker with the RC, not having to fiddle around with the phone/tablet, plugging it in, starting and connecting the app, etc.

(source: https://www.droneblog.com/dji-rc-vs-dji-rc-n1/)

 

[Perc]

I would strongly prefer the RC-N1 with the phone holder, tbh. The sticks on the "Smart" look a bit more solid, true, but with the way you usually fly a DJI drone it doesn't matter in the slightest. The low position of the screen is not good imho, I much prefer the screen above my hands, and with the normal remote you get the option to use a larger-screen tablet if you want - maybe not with the default holder that it comes with, but there's certainly 3rd party attachments or something you can 3D-print to make it work. And an iPad is where it's at for flying these, really. Battery life will also likely be much better on the normal controller, not having to power the screen in addition to actual remote internals.

Some comparisons online also have these points to make:

- N1 allows you to use third-party apps as well as the original DJI app. There are some that offer quite notable features, such as Litchi.
- Typical phone screens nowadays are a fair bit brighter than the built-in RC screen, which sits at 700 nits - relevant for flying in daylight.
- The RC offers two control wheels on the back, vs only one on the RC-N1. Those can be handy to control gimbal tilt and zoom at the same time for more complex shots.
- Setup time in the field is quite a bit quicker with the RC, not having to fiddle around with the phone/tablet, plugging it in, starting and connecting the app, etc.

(source: https://www.droneblog.com/dji-rc-vs-dji-rc-n1/)

Thanks, I just unboxed my drone with the RC.

I would imagine that clamping an 11" iPad to the RC-N1 would end up being very top-heavy?

 

[Matt2000]

(source: https://www.droneblog.com/dji-rc-vs-dji-rc-n1/)

Thanks, that was interesting. It seems like the answer is both. In general I don't see myself needing the RC, but it has the two control wheels. Would I ever want to control the gimbal and zoom at the same time? Maybe not. Third party apps might give me options there.

I hadn't thought about using a tablet with the controller, I think my 12.3" iPad Pro might be a bit much to mount but it could be stood up and plugged in if I'm sitting at a table or something. I'd hope my iPhone Pro Max would be big enough for to get started.

I suppose I would get the RC-N1 and then if I really want it I can buy the RC separately, but not the other way around. Maybe they will release a new controller with the twin control wheels.

 

[Perc]

I guess this is now the blog thread for my drone purchase, it seems the RC doesn't want to charge properly from my Macbook charger.

I bought a whole stack of Huawei 65W PD power bricks with 2m cables on Black Friday, these came in handy now. In theory everything could charge from the same brick (all three batteries in the charging dock and the RC chained to the dock, they charge one after the other afaik) but I want everything charged NOW so I dug out ALL the chargers.

 

[jack_christie]

Need a drone thread

 

[leviathan]

I would imagine that clamping an 11" iPad to the RC-N1 would end up being very top-heavy?

Yeah, that's a fair point. If you use the RC-N1 with a tablet, you'll want a lanyard, and ideally a harness-type one - similar to what "serious" RC pilots use for large remote controllers with a million switches and stuff.

 

[Matt2000]

Yeah, that's a fair point. If you use the RC-N1 with a tablet, you'll want a lanyard, and ideally a harness-type one - similar to what "serious" RC pilots use for large remote controllers with a million switches and stuff.

Relevant old clip from Robot Wars.

Need a drone thread

That would be good.

 

[93Flareside]

I miss Junkyard Wars.

 

[Perc]

I just remembered watching some kind of "tech of the future" tv show as a kid, probably from some trade show. This was in the early to mid 90's. They showed a four-propeller "drone" suspended from a crane via a chain with an electrical cable zip tied to it. The thing was fed by mains power. It managed to fly on its own for about ten seconds until it crashed, or would have if it hadn't had its umbilical cord. In any case it sent itself into a deadly spin and made a mess of everything. And here I am, flying a thing that cost a "measly" 1k€ and can go kilometers away, totally wirelessly. Technology is awesome.

In a related question, what's a good, compact, USB-C microSD card reader? I figured out already that plugging the drone into the laptop is way too much of a PITA because it needs to be turned on. I don't own any portable devices with USB-A but I guess A would be nice if I ever have to pull imagery into someone's older PC. Is the Kingston MobileLite any good? Compact would be nice because it's going to live in my drone carrying bag.

 

[Matt2000]

I miss Junkyard Wars.

Yes, if they brought that or the UK equivalent Scrapheap Challenge back I would apply to go on it.

I just remembered watching some kind of "tech of the future" tv show as a kid, probably from some trade show. This was in the early to mid 90's. They showed a four-propeller "drone" suspended from a crane via a chain with an electrical cable zip tied to it. The thing was fed by mains power. It managed to fly on its own for about ten seconds until it crashed, or would have if it hadn't had its umbilical cord. In any case it sent itself into a deadly spin and made a mess of everything. And here I am, flying a thing that cost a "measly" 1k€ and can go kilometers away, totally wirelessly. Technology is awesome.

Sounds like BBC Tomorrow's World.

As for USB MicroSD readers, pretty much anything that suits your needs should be fine, we're at the point where the USB bus or MicroSD card itself will be the bottleneck so buying a big brand has few benefits. I had to buy a CFExpress card reader last year for the card my Nikon Z9 uses, there are so few choices I did end up going for one made by Integral. It's great but the blistering speed of the CFExpress card is crippled by USB 3.0. The Kingston MobileLite DUO looks fine, it has USB A and C and the price isn't offensive here.

 

[Perc]

To continue my drone blog:

@leviathan had concerns about the battery life of the RC. So far I haven't lost more than one out of four battery LEDs on the controller, and that's after depleting two drone batteries to about 30% or so. Feels like the RC's battery life is more than enough for the three drone batteries I have. I'm still new at this and like to swap the batteries early. It's also windy and bitterly cold (Finland in March) so it's not exactly prime drone weather.

Edit: Went to one of the harbours to shoot a bit of scenery today. Came across a couple of guys, one of them carrying an RC controller. "Same hobby?" "Yeah. Mini 3 Pro?" "Yep"

 

[Perc]

Oh yeah and the guys I met convinced me to get the DJI care package with only a couple of hours left of the 48 hour window you have after registering your device. I got yelled at by the controller because it was too windy up there, and flying over the archipelago means that if you crash it, it's more or less gone.

So that's another €139 on the credit card then.

 

[Matt2000]

Oh yeah and the guys I met convinced me to get the DJI care package with only a couple of hours left of the 48 hour window you have after registering your device. I got yelled at by the controller because it was too windy up there, and flying over the archipelago means that if you crash it, it's more or less gone.

So that's another €139 on the credit card then.

I'll budget for that, I'm learning from videos how easy it is to damage a little drone.

 

[Redliner]

I'll budget for that, I'm learning from videos how easy it is to damage a little drone.

Years of fail videos taught me that.

 

[Perc]

One downside of the DJI RC: every now and then the controller nags about updating something called FlySafe. Not sure if it has to do with the fact that I live close to an airport. Doing this while out flying requires tethering my phone because the RC doesn't have an internet connection of its own. I'm assuming that phone users never notice anything because it just happens in the background.

 

[Perc]

I did some range testing today. DJI claims "Low Interference (suburb/seaside): Approx. 7-12 km"

I stood on the beach today and gunned it straight out to sea. Free line of sight, in other words. I chickened out and hit RTH when the signal started breaking up and if the coordinates in the picture I took is to be believed, it was 1,4km away at that point.

Still amazes me that a 249 gram plastic toy can do this.

 

[leviathan]

Farthest I ever flew was about 3.5km, with a DIY VTOL plane-type drone (specifically this thing). It was also RTH-capable and tested to perform it reliably, but it's still a bit nerve-wracking.

 

[eizbaer]

Still amazes me that a 249 gram plastic toy can do this.

still a bit nerve-wracking.

Yeah I never managed more than (super illeeeeeeegal!!!!) 500m or so - somehow for me the nerve-wracking part begins as soon as you can't see or hear the drone anymore (or you can't see yourself in the live-feed), which happens quite quickly (even more so, I think, with the smaller and lighter-grey dji mini [compared to the darker mavic i mean]).

 

[NecroJoe]

This can only lead to good, good things.

Microsoft lays off entire AI ethics team while going all out on ChatGPT

A new report indicates Microsoft will expand AI products, but axe the people who make them ethical.

www.popsci.com

 

[NecroJoe]

I know it's just The Onion, but it's from about 25 years ago, and hilarious to read today.

New $5,000 Multimedia Computer System Downloads Real-Time TV Programs, Displays Them On Monitor

HOUSTON—The highly touted "Internet Revolution" took another major step forward Monday, when Compaq unveiled the breakthrough Compaq Presario 6000, a $4,995 multimedia computer system that enables users to download files containing network-television programs and display them on a computer monitor.

www.theonion.com