I can already totally understant that view
@Kilrah ....
even just sorting out the air unit, and determining which antennas to use... is such a faff.
whilst there is a lot of info on the internet about these drones and how to setup/ resolve issue, which Im really grateful of
BUT... it can be contradictory, misleading, imprecise or out of date.
that said, hats off to Betaflight and OpenTX, both are remarkable pieces of software...really well supported.
also I have to say, if you like tinkering/fine tuning, or learning about how a drone flies - these drones are fantastic.
But, I think this is why the DJI stuff is at a different level, its a level of design/engineering - that requires significant investment, which is just not practical in the DIY sector - the market is just not profitable enough.
as above, I suspect DJI are justifying the costs, as they hope to get it into their main product lines - which sell really.
I think DJI rely on thier user base upgrading every few years...
yet, they realised they were reaching a bit of a plateu, they already perform well, 4k is more than enough for most people, the 'mass market' probably dont **need** 1" sensors... so fpv is the next selling point, to give a more immersive feel.
I suspect, the '3' series (Mavic 3,Air 3, Mini 3(?) ) will in some form or another have fpv abilities - if these helps sales of these, then that new fpv userbase will far outstrip the dji fpv drone sales
there are some interesting challenges though...
if you look at the DJI FPV we can see compromises.
the weight I think largely comes from:
- Battery
its high capacity (they clearly targetted a min of 15 mins flight) , and somewhat protected with plastic shell , and has a proper 'connection'
(I dont think the smart charge pcb weight more than 2-3g)
- Active cooling - fans/heatsink
large amps, means cooling is required to be 'reliable', and safe
Im not sure that DJI can compromise on either of these... unlike DIY quads, if a quad/battery explodes, or falls on someone - they are looking at a multi million dollar lawsuit - similarly, this may also be limiting the repairability, to non-flight components.
these are the kind of things that the fpv community seem to largely ignore...since its not an issue in diy ... the builder/flyer assumes that responsibility.
but its why I dont think DJI would want to release something like the iFlight Nazgul, its too 'risky', and not that profitable.
( I also dont think DJI will move to carbon fibre, since they have so much invested in plastic molding -its also cheaper)
but going back to the series '3' ,
would they be able to carry this extra weight... no one wants a Mavic Air FPV that flies for 4 minutes, their user base expect 15-20 minutes minimum.
also we have to question the rigidity of the current gps drone lineup with collapsable arms, would the handle flips/rolls?
similarly, to be 'camera drones' - they need that 3 axis gimbal, can that lock in a stable enough position for fpv?
my guess is to overcome this, the series 3 will be quite fpv compromised - really focused on the immersive side, so perhaps no/limited acro on the smaller ones.
which would also help differentiate the product line e.g. mini 3 = no acro, air = having acro
(perhaps why DJI didnt really 'push' the acro/racing abilities of the dji fpv drone - since mid-term this is not that important to them)
its interesting for DJI though...
on one hand, fpv goggles add $600 to the price tag... thats, more than the price of the mini 2 kit... how many will be willing to fork that out?
on the other hand... its a great 'add on' accessory, I could see people being tempted 6 months into ownership of a air 3/mini 3.
also, I could see myself buying a mini 3 if its compatible with the DJI FPV combo.
(also dji love selling combo packs, so perhaps a variety of combo packs with mini, air... a bit like Parrot do)
what do you all think?
is the DJI FPV the start of a product line?
or is just a development vehicle? (air unit -> dji drone -> gps drone feature)