Xiaomi Mi Drone - the first real tests of the new quadcopter
Today, I hasten to share with you my impressions of the purchase of new items from the company Xiaomi - Mi Drone. In this article I will talk exclusively about the impressions of the flights, as well as the most objectively talk about all the pros and cons of this news.
The drone was purchased on pre-order at the Gearbest store, the price at the time of the order was $ 533 , but the 4k version decided not to wait, as there was no certainty about the date it entered the market.
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And finally, this long-awaited package reached me.
The drone is a solidly assembled product without any backlash, the battery mounts and rotors are reliable, the plastic from which the MiDrone is made is pleasant to the touch, but a little stamped.
Mi Drone is equipped with comfortable folding legs that simplify transportation, in the folded state without screws, it fits perfectly into an ordinary 35-liter backpack and is easy to carry. The mechanism of folding legs works exactly, I did not find any backlashes.
Convenient marking is applied to the screws and the case, which significantly speeds up the assembly and disassembly of the quadcopter. The assembly is quite fast and there are no problems. The average time I spent on the assembly and preparation for the flight was about 5 minutes.
The device is equipped with a 5100 mAh battery, the claimed flight time is 27 minutes, in real conditions the drone showed 20-23 minutes, which is pretty good, for 20 minutes it flew away with the wind at maximum height. As seen in the close-up photo, the battery compartment is of high quality and does not cause any complaints.
In the lower part of the drone 2 ultrasonic sensors are located which are responsible for determining the distance to the ground at low altitudes. They cope with their task by letting the drone accurately hang in one place.
Next, we turn to the camera, it has a YTXJ01FM marking and dimensions of 67x76x110 mm, the maximum video resolution is 1920x1080 60FPS, the maximum photo resolution is 4608x2592. Mount the camera to the drone is also quite simple, you need to insert the camera into the pass and snap into place. Video and photo quality is normal.
The camera is located on the 3-axis suspension.
The control panel is made of the same material as the drone, the sidewalls are rubberized, it is comfortable in the hand. On the remote control there is a home return toggle switch, the control knobs themselves, the on / off button for the remote with the charge indicator, the autoroute / landing button, and the wheels for turning the camera, and 2 programmable buttons at the back. The on / off buttons for the console and the takeoff / landing have a red backlight.
The assembly of the console quality, nothing creaks and does not play, the joysticks work smoothly and gently without distracting from the flight control.
The remote has a convenient folding mount for the phone, it is securely fastened and does not slip out of it, it is also worth noting that despite the folding design, the mount does not swing from side to side as on some other models from other manufacturers.
We now turn to flying. Mi Drone flies well, it's true, the management is responsive and clear, with a strong wind behaves consistently and predicted, although the drift increases slightly. Hanging in place under normal conditions is not satisfactory.
The actual flight range in the open area was 500 meters, the maximum height was 120 meters, it was not possible to fly further, the video signal disappeared, and then the radio control, the drone went into return home mode and began to fly back, an interesting feature of return home is that it returns back as flew, and does not turn the camera forward. Returning home works fine, the quadric flies exactly to the landing site, however if you shifted from the console to the side, it will fly to the console and start falling over you, the whole process is completely controllable and predictable, I haven't had any problems. The program initially included a beginner mode with a limit of 100 meters in range and 50 meters in height, in order to remove it you need to fly in this mode for 300 minutes, during this time you will get used to it and feel your new drone.
The camera shoots quite well for this price segment, it has a 12 megapixel sensor from Sony and is able to record video at a resolution of 1920x1080p with a maximum frequency of 60fps. The camera has a 3-axis suspension, the whole bunch, as shown by my tests, works very smoothly and accurately and performs all the functions assigned to it. The maximum resolution of photos is 4608x2592 pixels.
Sample photo (taken in clear and sunny weather)
Video example
I can recommend this drone to newcomers who are just starting to fly, as it turned out when flying into the software, there are many different kinds of insurance that will ensure the comfort and safety of flights for the beginning pilot.
Conclusion
The company Xiaomi has turned out a good product designed for a wide range of audiences, namely, novice pilots and those who have long dreamed of buying a good drone at a bargain price. The set of characteristics MiDrone is not exactly inferior to competitors, the management of the drone is smooth and responsive, and quite often the outgoing firmware updates with new functions indicate that the company does not intend to throw their product and will expand its functionality in the near future. Separately, I want to note a longer flight time, it flew off on one battery in good weather for 28 minutes (battery discharge 95%), which is significantly higher than the performance of other manufacturers. I definitely recommend it to purchase those who are just starting to fly, you will get an unforgettable pleasure from flying, and the high level of safety of the drone will save you from many troubles.
The drone was purchased on pre-order at the Gearbest store, the price at the time of the order was $ 533 , but the 4k version decided not to wait, as there was no certainty about the date it entered the market.
')
And finally, this long-awaited package reached me.
The drone is a solidly assembled product without any backlash, the battery mounts and rotors are reliable, the plastic from which the MiDrone is made is pleasant to the touch, but a little stamped.
Mi Drone is equipped with comfortable folding legs that simplify transportation, in the folded state without screws, it fits perfectly into an ordinary 35-liter backpack and is easy to carry. The mechanism of folding legs works exactly, I did not find any backlashes.
Convenient marking is applied to the screws and the case, which significantly speeds up the assembly and disassembly of the quadcopter. The assembly is quite fast and there are no problems. The average time I spent on the assembly and preparation for the flight was about 5 minutes.
The device is equipped with a 5100 mAh battery, the claimed flight time is 27 minutes, in real conditions the drone showed 20-23 minutes, which is pretty good, for 20 minutes it flew away with the wind at maximum height. As seen in the close-up photo, the battery compartment is of high quality and does not cause any complaints.
In the lower part of the drone 2 ultrasonic sensors are located which are responsible for determining the distance to the ground at low altitudes. They cope with their task by letting the drone accurately hang in one place.
Next, we turn to the camera, it has a YTXJ01FM marking and dimensions of 67x76x110 mm, the maximum video resolution is 1920x1080 60FPS, the maximum photo resolution is 4608x2592. Mount the camera to the drone is also quite simple, you need to insert the camera into the pass and snap into place. Video and photo quality is normal.
The camera is located on the 3-axis suspension.
The control panel is made of the same material as the drone, the sidewalls are rubberized, it is comfortable in the hand. On the remote control there is a home return toggle switch, the control knobs themselves, the on / off button for the remote with the charge indicator, the autoroute / landing button, and the wheels for turning the camera, and 2 programmable buttons at the back. The on / off buttons for the console and the takeoff / landing have a red backlight.
The assembly of the console quality, nothing creaks and does not play, the joysticks work smoothly and gently without distracting from the flight control.
The remote has a convenient folding mount for the phone, it is securely fastened and does not slip out of it, it is also worth noting that despite the folding design, the mount does not swing from side to side as on some other models from other manufacturers.
We now turn to flying. Mi Drone flies well, it's true, the management is responsive and clear, with a strong wind behaves consistently and predicted, although the drift increases slightly. Hanging in place under normal conditions is not satisfactory.
The actual flight range in the open area was 500 meters, the maximum height was 120 meters, it was not possible to fly further, the video signal disappeared, and then the radio control, the drone went into return home mode and began to fly back, an interesting feature of return home is that it returns back as flew, and does not turn the camera forward. Returning home works fine, the quadric flies exactly to the landing site, however if you shifted from the console to the side, it will fly to the console and start falling over you, the whole process is completely controllable and predictable, I haven't had any problems. The program initially included a beginner mode with a limit of 100 meters in range and 50 meters in height, in order to remove it you need to fly in this mode for 300 minutes, during this time you will get used to it and feel your new drone.
The camera shoots quite well for this price segment, it has a 12 megapixel sensor from Sony and is able to record video at a resolution of 1920x1080p with a maximum frequency of 60fps. The camera has a 3-axis suspension, the whole bunch, as shown by my tests, works very smoothly and accurately and performs all the functions assigned to it. The maximum resolution of photos is 4608x2592 pixels.
Sample photo (taken in clear and sunny weather)
Video example
I can recommend this drone to newcomers who are just starting to fly, as it turned out when flying into the software, there are many different kinds of insurance that will ensure the comfort and safety of flights for the beginning pilot.
Conclusion
The company Xiaomi has turned out a good product designed for a wide range of audiences, namely, novice pilots and those who have long dreamed of buying a good drone at a bargain price. The set of characteristics MiDrone is not exactly inferior to competitors, the management of the drone is smooth and responsive, and quite often the outgoing firmware updates with new functions indicate that the company does not intend to throw their product and will expand its functionality in the near future. Separately, I want to note a longer flight time, it flew off on one battery in good weather for 28 minutes (battery discharge 95%), which is significantly higher than the performance of other manufacturers. I definitely recommend it to purchase those who are just starting to fly, you will get an unforgettable pleasure from flying, and the high level of safety of the drone will save you from many troubles.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/396679/
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