I used the entries topics below to compare the feature of
the UDI U818A drone to other quads in the $40 to $80.00 range. You can do the same.
The UDI U818A is the most popular selling drone on Amazon.com. It's the 82nd most popular toy on Amazon.com. It's a very good drone training aircraft. I bought 3.
The UDI U818A is the most popular selling drone on Amazon.com. It's the 82nd most popular toy on Amazon.com. It's a very good drone training aircraft. I bought 3.
1) Price. $53.90 at Amazon. Free shipping!
2) Size is approximately 13" square and about 2 1/2" tall. Easier to see it in
the sky than smaller drones. "Eyebrows", "horns" or "mustaches" on the front of the quad
also helps identify which way it's flying. Made for outdoor flying.
3) Geared rotors. Hover not as twitchy due to larger mass of
the rotors and correspondingly slower rotational speed.
4) Reasonable flight time. Flight time given by UDI is: 7-9
minutes. I stop at 6 minutes to keep the battery usage in the "proper
range" - not totally drained at the
end of 6 minutes, the batteries typically read 3.68 volts or above.
That's about 10% remaining battery juice before damaging itself.
That's about 10% remaining battery juice before damaging itself.
NOTE:
U818A Quad kit comes with (1) 500 mAh battery.
I use 600 mAh batteries. Same physical size, last longer.
15 of the 600s gives me 80 minutes of so of flight time.
I use 600 mAh batteries. Same physical size, last longer.
15 of the 600s gives me 80 minutes of so of flight time.
5) Has a fixed iris video camera and can take stills. Quality given as:
"VGA". Translation: grainy video and photos. Good for training, though. This is NOT FPV (first person view) video.
6) Parts are cheap and readily available. Be sure to keep at
least 2X spare sets of rotors. There are 4 different rotors. 2 front and 2 back of
different color and rotation: CCW and CW. That's 8 spares total for 2X sets.
A full set (4) cost $2.28 on Amazon. Be sure to buy at same time as quad to get free shipping.
A full set (4) cost $2.28 on Amazon. Be sure to buy at same time as quad to get free shipping.
After a crash, sometimes the rotor(s) well get bent. You can
bend it back, but it will never be the same. Recommend you change it after the days flying.
7) Transmitter. Low output power limits the range. I try to fly the
quad within 10-120 feet of so. Transmitter batteries last forever (4X AA).
Batteries not included.
8) Mode 1 and 2 switch. Mode 1 is "Beginner" mode, Mode 2 is "Advanced".
Mode has to do with how the quad reacts to input and the maximum allowable
angle the quad can achieve.
I will switch modes depending on the wind, and the type of maneuver I want to accomplish. Hovering in "no wind" is very easy in beginner mode.
Mode 1 allows only low pitch angles making for a lower forward speed and a slightly slower response that helps from pilot over controlling.
You can switch live between the two while flying at any time. Be sure not to press the button above the Mode switch. That's the "Overturn" (flip) aka the "Eversion" function. If the wind picks up while in the air, flip the switch to Advanced mode to get more control.
I will switch modes depending on the wind, and the type of maneuver I want to accomplish. Hovering in "no wind" is very easy in beginner mode.
Mode 1 allows only low pitch angles making for a lower forward speed and a slightly slower response that helps from pilot over controlling.
You can switch live between the two while flying at any time. Be sure not to press the button above the Mode switch. That's the "Overturn" (flip) aka the "Eversion" function. If the wind picks up while in the air, flip the switch to Advanced mode to get more control.
9) LCD shows: percentage of motor RPM, trim settings,
camera on/off, photo take, battery voltage as a bar graph, antenna reception. A picture
of an antenna shows when power is on.
10) Power (on-off) LED
(Green)
11) On - Off switch
is easy to find.
12) Right button on
top of case turns quads LED lights on and off.
13) Two font rotors
are white, rear are black. Helps a little. At 50 feet, they look the same, though.
14) Instructions are
ok. Be sure to read "UA5 Transmitter (4 axis) Calibration Instructions". Some amount of "Chinglish". See the translation guide posted on
this site:
15) A matching pre-cut to fit, foam lined, aluminum flight
case is $29.95 more. Holds batteries, chargers, quad, etc. Very nice.
16) Comes delivered in
a cardboard shipping container that can double as a flight case. Instructions are
pretty good.
Quadcopter Box includes:
1 x U818A RC Quadcopter with Camera
1 x 2.4G Remote Controller (does not include 1.5v AA batteries)
1 x AC Adaptor for charging battery (not voltage accurate)
1 x 2GB MicroSD card
1 x USB to MicroUSB cable for downloading video out of camera
1 x bag - 4 each, rotor pinions gears
1 x Small Phillips head screwdriver
1 x set of (4) rotors - 2 white, 2 black
1 x LiPO 3.7V 500mAh Battery
Keep the shipping/presentation box for a flight case.
Where to buy:
1 x U818A RC Quadcopter with Camera
1 x 2.4G Remote Controller (does not include 1.5v AA batteries)
1 x AC Adaptor for charging battery (not voltage accurate)
1 x 2GB MicroSD card
1 x USB to MicroUSB cable for downloading video out of camera
1 x bag - 4 each, rotor pinions gears
1 x Small Phillips head screwdriver
1 x set of (4) rotors - 2 white, 2 black
1 x LiPO 3.7V 500mAh Battery
Keep the shipping/presentation box for a flight case.
Where to buy:
Keep on Flying!
If you have been looking for drones in the under $200 price range, you must have come across the UDI U818A since this is one of the most talked about drones in this budget. However, considering its size, the main concern is the durability. See more http://mydronelab.com/reviews/udi-u818a.html
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