Having P3P, P4P and Inspire 1 Pro I'm looking for one more aircraft which will nicely round up my fleet. Hexacopter that is. Amazing M600 seems to be the obvious choice, but - for many reasons - it's an overkill in my case. My hope is that DJI will come up with something smaller. Something between M200 and M600 in size and lifting power, with M100 developmental philosophy employed. Here's the rough list of basic features I'm dreaming about:
1. Hexacopter with the same motors as for I2/Matrice 200 on foldable arms.
2. Three or four TB47/48 class batteries for 30 minutes flight.
3. A3 + Lightbridge 2.
4. Front, back, sides and top obstacle avoidance system.

Am I missing anything in my dream machine?

   

I've been saying this since the M600 came out. Something in between the M600 and the I2. This is why I ended up with the S900/A3/LB2/X5R setup as it offers redundancy. Not bothered about sensors, not required for 2 man operators really. So for me the S900 is perfect.  

I read this post, closed me eyes and dreamed for a minute, then suddenly the bubble burst and I looked around and it was still 2017.

iSkyUnmannedSys Posted at 2017-4-5 03:33
I've been saying this since the M600 came out. Something in between the M600 and the I2. This is why I ended up with the S900/A3/LB2/X5R setup as it offers redundancy. Not bothered about sensors, not required for 2 man operators really. So for me the S900 is perfect.

I was considering S900/A3/LB2 setup with X5 class gimbal as well. What is average flight time of your bird? What is your controlling environment assembled with (RC, app etc.), if you don't mind asking?

Dobmatt Posted at 2017-4-5 20:37
I was considering S900/A3/LB2 setup with X5 class gimbal as well. What is average flight time of your bird? What is your controlling environment assembled with (RC, app etc.), if you don't mind asking?

I currently fly with a single 16k Tattu 20C battery which gives me a good 15-17 minutes of flight time without pushing the voltage very low, 25-30% remaining. Which is more than I need in most cases.

My RC setup is a secraft TX tray with an iPad and a Black Pearl HDMI screen next to each other. I usually have map open on the iPad screen and the HDMI monitor is so I can keep an eye on what is getting shot by the camera operator. For me this is a perfect setup. Shooting in RAW, excellent flight times etc. It's basically a pumped up Inspire 1 RAW, looks the business too.

iSkyUnmannedSys Posted at 2017-4-6 07:14
I currently fly with a single 16k Tattu 20C battery which gives me a good 15-17 minutes of flight time without pushing the voltage very low, 25-30% remaining. Which is more than I need in most cases.

My RC setup is a secraft TX tray with an iPad and a Black Pearl HDMI screen next to each other. I usually have map open on the iPad screen and the HDMI monitor is so I can keep an eye on what is getting shot by the camera operator. For me this is a perfect setup. Shooting in RAW, excellent flight times etc. It's basically a pumped up Inspire 1 RAW, looks the business too.

Thank you very much for sharing, that's really impressive piece of hardware. However, I'm looking for  different setup, aircraft features aside. I need reliable hi-tech guidance system like the one DJI is offering for Matrice generation. This is because I'm often filming landscapes in tight spaces - canyons, creeks and brooks, between trees and under forest canopy, low altitudes, troubled GPS etc. Secondly, camera operator is not optional in my case. That's OK since I've mastered filming in Follow mode, controlling only gimbal pitch and craft yaw.

I guess this is narrowing my search to Matrice class since guidance system of such reliability is not compatible with S900 platform.

Dobmatt Posted at 2017-4-6 22:08
Thank you very much for sharing, that's really impressive piece of hardware. However, I'm looking for  different setup, aircraft features aside. I need reliable hi-tech guidance system like the one DJI is offering for Matrice generation. This is because I'm often filming landscapes in tight spaces - canyons, creeks and brooks, between trees and under forest canopy, low altitudes, troubled GPS etc. Secondly, camera operator is not optional in my case. That's OK since I've mastered filming in Follow mode, controlling only gimbal pitch and craft yaw.

I guess this is narrowing my search to Matrice class since guidance system of such reliability is not compatible with S900 platform.

Sound like you maybe better off with the I2? Better of single man flying for sure with the sensors. It's not that the S900 isn't currently compatible with guidance, all A3 frames are, including the M600 of course.

We'll see what the wind blows through this year, heard there some big announcements coming soon from DJI, and no not the Spark thing either.

I just want the option to mount a camera to top of M600 and also have the capability to dual mount sensors to the bottom of the M600, like the 200 has. Don't care too much about avoidance sensors as we always use a visual observer anyways and they don't help much with small guide wires, which is our biggest threat.

iSkyUnmannedSys Posted at 2017-4-7 01:10
Sound like you maybe better off with the I2? Better of single man flying for sure with the sensors. It's not that the S900 isn't currently compatible with guidance, all A3 frames are, including the M600 of course.

We'll see what the wind blows through this year, heard there some big announcements coming soon from DJI, and no not the Spark thing either.

iSKY, are you sure that it is possible to build S900 frame with DJI Guidance? They clearly say it's compatible with Matrice series...

Anyway, yes - I2 idea crossed my mind once or twice, but ... I do have I1P and I love her... Yet the 6-rotor and multiple batteries redundancy (all controlled via familiar Go app environment) does appeal to my senses a lot. After all it's more a hobby and amateur photography than serious film making business in my case. Would love to see RTF Matrice generation hex in less industrial (cheaper) incarnation and smaller than M600 behemoth. Add the M100 customization and I'm in!

Who knows, time will tell...