SkyRocket $150 GPS drone with ardupilot firmware

[@TomPittenger]

Great video, thank you for posting! I have a tiny request: around 1:10 where you mention "Arduino flight controller" could you add an overlay text stating that it's not 8-bit Arduino? Bonus points to mention it's a 32bit flight controller?

[@bophoto]

Tom, DANG, now you tell me, I can't re-render the video, but let me try to add a KZbin text note later today. (wish KZbin would let me re-upload a video to the same position like vimeo do)

[@TomPittenger]

any luck on that KZbin text?

[@MBrulla]

Been looking at an entry level drone for a week or two. Seen a few videos with Matt, but getting to see him dive into it more, show the online interface...SOLD. Picking one up. This will be a blast. Any suggestions on toying with the camera mount? Wondering if anyone's opened the case on one of these to mod.

[@bophoto]

Maybe just hang a keychain camera under it?

[@MBrulla]

Bo Lorentzen I was thinking along the lines of removing the current camera, modding the mount, maybe even removing some of the housing to accommodate a larger cam or gimbal mount. See what it looks like when I pick it up. Hopefully the camera connections to the main board aren't too complex. Great video!

[@bophoto]

Probably not toooo complex, awesome project, for sure post a video of this. :-) maybe consider a single or dual micro-servo gimbal situation, to stabilize the existing camera as an alternative.?

[@MBrulla]

Bo Lorentzen Hard to tell if the 720p is enough with all the jello. 11 year old daughter is showing interest in STEM, so will probably use this as an introduction to gimbal and multirotors. I might start there. Have to make sure the craft isn't imbalanced. Might be easier to do as you suggest, retain original connections, and improve the mount. Will definitely post if we mod it!

[@bophoto]

Love that you are wrapping her into this. the aircraft flies great, i would probably personally start with small hardware mod's like a 2 axis servo gimbal for the existing camera, that way you know the stuff is flying. there are lots of things that can be played with like creating a payload system that release on ground proximity or stuff like that.

[@thomthorne7306]

I purchased a Viper gps 2450 today at Toysrus for 50% off. I like how it automatically holds an elevation. It does creep around some but it does automatically maintain an elevation. It can really haul ass straight up and Fwd/back. Not bad for $75, but the flight time really sucks. . I'm watching this video while I wait for my battery to recharge.

[@bophoto]

LOL yeah flight time is not the strongest point of the viper, that said, as you said, GPS hold for $75 is hard to beat.

[@thomthorne7306]

Bo Lorentzen These things are great for making short 2 minute videos. Down loading and watching the video is actually more fun than flying it to me. I have a fish pond, cant wait to make some flyover videos of it. I feel confident enough to fly it over the water. Especially since the Viper maintains elevation.

[@johnbeckley3613]

Hi bo have a h501s with a crack in the arm ,do you know what i could use to repair (glue) it?

[@bophoto]

massage some superglue in the crack if its along the length of the arm and then wrap clear packaging tape around it a couple times. if its a transverse crack, get a new body shell :-)

[@dirty7739]

Does anybody know how to update the frame where I'm having problems with mine it doesn't hold position I'm brand new to this

[@crazyvahillbilly3373]

Happy to see you back Bo good video to

[@bophoto]

Hey Mr. HillHilly, missed ya, Sorry for the long break, have been a crazy busy summer for me, started a new business in Los Angeles and it kept taking away video play time.

[@RichardGilmoreDronetech]

can it be hooked up to mission planner to program or only skyviper GUI??

[@bophoto]

Good question. Im thinking SkyViper GUI. as its wireless via WiFi.. but I dont know, thats something to revisit when I get one to play with

[@ResDog70]

Richard Gilmore Mission Planner works on this! When connected via WiFi to the frame, select UDP for the com connection!

[@RichardGilmoreDronetech]

ResDog70 Thanks buddy. cheers.

[@rmackay9]

@Richard Gilmore, Yes, like @ResDog70 says it can be connected to the mission planner (or any other mavlink enabled GCS) over wifi. It's fully capable of autonomous missions and all the other things ArduPilot can do. There's a very small web server running on the drone which you can connect to to upload custom firmware if you like as well. I'm an ardupilot developer so I'm biased but I have one of these and I love it actually.

[@bophoto]

Now we just need to convince Matt that this board need to hold ESC's for micro brushless next year :-) then the route is open for a pocket sized ArduSnap product :-)

[@GimbalGuy]

Great to see the vid up!! Nice quad, are you gonna get into the bushless micros Bo?? Got some crazy stuff hitting the market need some of your advice on them! I got the Lizard review going up soon.

[@bophoto]

I've been flying micros for a while, think the sub 250gram category will be exploding the next couple years.

[@GimbalGuy]

Oh yeah I know.. I've been watching your channel for years and you were def one of the first I've seen flying what they call now whoops, around your house and the garden... I think I even remember you flying in a restaurant with some friends LOL.. I also started with a blade Nano FPV model 3 years ago... I was wonder if you liked the more powerful brushless micros??

[@jetabug]

Anyone know how to raise the flight ceiling? the company recommends 150 but I can't get above 130. The company told me to see if one of the firmware changed it but I can't find it in the flight parameters. any help!!

[@lordneeko]

jetabug come ask your question on discuss.ardupilot.org there is a parameter you can modify

[@AboveandBeyondGlobalDrones]

~> Quite the value at its price point. Saw his interview (also on) sUAS and was impressed with the throw mode.

[@zx001961]

How can I get mine to go higher. skyviper journey high as mine will go 141.5 fl

[@MrTUBER408]

Mr. Bo : Glad to see you again! The SkyVipor is a next gen. product. New tech and lower cost to produce. Now if they can decrease the motor vibration or produce props that are more balanced, that should greatly reduce JELLO and make for a Hubsan like bird. Why WiFi not 5.8? I prefer FatShark , Echine or FlySight goggles, as I already have them. ;-)

[@bophoto]

Hey Don Fish, totally agree, the big thing we see here is that unlike most drone-start-ups they are doing HUGE runs, prices are way down but with the features seen in more expensive gear. clearly we will see more of this in the future, and I love to see Matt add a 2 axis gimbal for 2018. actually I'm convinced we will see soon enough $150 gimbal stabilized selfie drone systems. Once I get a test unit from Matt I will be doing a proper unbox and also spend a couple minutes talking prop-balancing, that will reduce jello for end-users. I also have a off the shelf ND film here that can be taped over the lens to also reduce Jello. hmm maybe the two should be a separate video after the unbox..

[@georgeaura]

I saw a link to one with brushless motors that one looks brushed

[@georgeaura]

And for the same price

[@bophoto]

Wait about 2 months, this is the latest edition of the skyviper, flies better. The unit I flew is purely per-production and is being used to fine-tune the flight controller.

[@TheShoted]

He talks about the custom firmware's where do we find those?

[@lordneeko]

Shoted discuss.ardupilot.org

[@UAK13]

Is it possible to get live stream on a screen or anywhere other then the phone??

[@bophoto]

Not sure - check with the manufacture (I don't have one of these)

[@dzungng7507]

I got one(v2450 GPS) to day when it fly it always lean on right side ,it is not balance ? Let tell me how I can adjust it.Thanks Bo

[@bophoto]

If its leaning.. either there is some wind in the area.. or something is not right. so assuming you have no wind.. only one thing left, call SkyRocket support.

[@debbiejoychristmas3980]

When will they be in Australia ?

[@bophoto]

guessing sometimes in the fall this year.

[@12066634jonatcoodt]

When will this come to market! I have to get this now!

[@bophoto]

sometimes this fall, its hitting ToysRus in time for christmas.

[@lordneeko]

You talked about the great value of the flight board vs a pixhawk, but really...you got a professional flight controller + GPS + WiFi companion computer + fully tuned flight performance (no crashing to get it working) !! All for $150!!! My only question is, when are you and Matt going to preview the new 2018 models?? Fury, Scout, and Journey?

[@bophoto]

Good Question, hmmm Matt ?

[@lordneeko]

Firmware is ready: Firmware.sky-viper.com FCC is filed: Fccid.io/o53 Let's do this thang!

[@bophoto]

Matt is looking into scheduling a video about the new units, stay tuned.

[@blacknine]

review the Walkera Vitus 320

[@bophoto]

I have asked repeatedly for a review unit since January. :-)

[@lloydprunier4415]

I have a Solo and only flown it 2 times and it has worked perfectly. What irritated me about it is that it would only accept a GoPro in the gimbal. Had to wait a while with my budget before I could get a GoPro. This more open approach will make much more sense in marketing.

[@bophoto]

The solo works great, but bombed in the market, great quad with few users.

[@johnwedrall7149]

I just subscribed to your channel just now. Can you post a link for purchase . 🙄

[@PyrateGraphics]

interesting, was the controller you were holding in the video the one it comes with?

[@bophoto]

Tim, YES it come with a regular type radio and you can fly it in GPS without connecting your phone.

[@timgiles9413]

does it have a headless feature?

[@bophoto]

Yes its a full GPS quad, it can do all the tricks that require GPS, like hanging in place and fly headless.

[@lordneeko]

Ardupilot calls it "simple" and "super simple" mode

[@sUASNews]

Well done the Ardupilot team. If version 2 Ardupilot boards date yourself ;-) This is great flight testing device for Ardupilot fettlers.

[@bophoto]

interestingly, ArduPilot have existed for a long time, flight controllers have come and gone around Ardupilots. Im loving that this platform is alive and relevant in 2017 and possible becoming a platform of choice for open source quads again. kinda maintaining the android position in the phone world for drones.

[@sUASNews]

DJI are the Android of drones, in that most of the machines run Kitkat to fly

[@bophoto]

well yeah, but at the same it feels like they are reading the apple marketing book.

[@angelcampos4221]

Hola buenas tardes tengo un dragón de esos mismos pero mi pregunta es por qué mi dron se eleva y luego busca asia bajo no se mantiene estable

[@bophoto]

that seems like a great question for tech-support

[@cackychet]

its great copter just wish had more flight time

[@rcfanaticdublin]

Hello from Dublin(Ire), i purchased a SV gps,journey drone from a leading toy store outlet a few day's ago. I find the machine to be alarmingly unstable and unpredictable. also the transmitter has a very toy like feel to it...I have gone through two software update's with no sign of any improvement what so ever. in gps mode it does not hold position at all...and drift's with the slightest breeze...in altitude hold/manual mode it behave's just as bad. The only 2 good thing's i like are the flight app and the camera. OH and i almost forgot...when it's tome to land the thing...it clumsily slide's along the ground till it collides with some thing and flip's...no matter how hard you hold the left sick down or how you try to control the pitch/roll stick to counter it. what is wrong with this machine?

[@macdaddy5802]

I see you work on drones wonder if you could help me

[@bophoto]

I dont "work on drones" as in fixing up drones commercially. But there are lots of folks that do. just not me.

[@Agent36]

Whoa small world, I worked at Activision with Matt back in the days!

[@Agent36]

Matt Morton I still hangout with Evan Button, and Ag. I made it through Spider-Man the movie, did production testing on xmen legends in Wisconsin, then came back to Cod console as an assistant lead and was over it. I went to the beer business, atvi was good times though. I have flash backs of Aldo sometimes, the dude in the Hellraiser outfit, that dude was awesome! I just got into quads in the last year. I bought a skyviper first, and crashed it right away, user error, I have a warranty and need to send it in now that I actually can fly.

[@imemyself2820]

Activision!? The gods of games creation! You lucky s... *jaw dropped*

[@skeeterman7144]

Philip! Solo lives!

[@AbyssalPlain]

Yeah the music is fitting: clanky, cantankerous, and anachronistic (Danmark til Lykke!!!)

[@bophoto]

LOL Jo Tak.!

[@Raptor50aus]

Yah Bo is back !!

[@bophoto]

LOL yeah sorry been a really busy yeah here. :-)

[@vashon100]

0:21 J E L L O

[@bophoto]

HUGE JELLO... ! Prototype and $150..

[@FLYINGLIFERCREVIEWS]

That's always skyvipers run. Flood the market. Trash the bad units and sell more. I love skyvipers as a great beginner drone. But the support is non existent as to be expected from a toy maker I guess. I just wish they where better with that. But I have a few myself and if they work are very fun sporty flyers 😀.

[@bophoto]

Im not really familiar with skyviper in general, but remember we are comparing to nerf-guns now, thats what really amazing all the basic tech of a original phantom which in its simplest form was a GPS quad along with the added streaming video is in a $150 toy. I have not flown a final product, but expect to see production units fairly quickly as they have delivery dates.. want to put a small analog video camera on top and get this thing flying with my FatSharks :-)

[@FLYINGLIFERCREVIEWS]

Bo Lorentzen absolutely agree. It's awesome to see this tech in consumer toys 😀. It's going to be even more amazing in just another year or 2 I would hope .

[@bophoto]

Yeah thats really the part I find interesting here, as SkyRocket and other toy-industry players, get to do 250,000 unit runs, we are going to see custom chips with features we only dreamed about two years ago, at price-points thats ridiculously cheap compared to what drones normally cost.

[@FLYINGLIFERCREVIEWS]

Matt Morton that is good to hear . I can not wait to get my hands on some more new skyvipers!

[@Casp3r.aka.Droid.]

Sky Viper sucks I have the sky Viper Pro well had because the damn thing lost connection from the controller and flew up and away it's the second one check out my last review and my last comment I left on my last review the day after I made my review I lost my second one I've been through 4 of them never again will I buy them

[@imemyself2820]

I see lots of comments but not enough likes peeps!

[@bophoto]

guess nobody know for sure what this is good for yet. :-)

[@sptrader6316]

Toys-R-Us is gone !

[@larrysantacrose]

Aftet this video was made Toys R Us is out of business in America

[@kansas7614]

Sorry, I would warn against buying this drone due the fact you can NOT buy replacement parts for it. 110 % disappointment...Before you buy it do your homework on being able to get replacement parts first.. It's a real shame because it really is a cool drone. ( SKY VIPER V2450GPS DRONE ) There is not even away to contact anyone at skyviper.com I have tried.

[@bophoto]

wow. great feedback. thank you for the heads-up on the support. this is why I love comments, you guys know stuff that I don't. but between us all we get a pretty good picture of the overall product.

[@kansas7614]

It's really a good drone. I love mine. I'm just disappointed that it's very hard to find any replacement parts, even on their web site almost every thing for this particular drone is out of stock. Other then that it's a great drone. Your video was a big part of why I decided to buy mine. It's a great video. Just keep up the good work. Thank you.

[@angelcampos4221]

Si

[@dragonconley44]

Is it possible to binned my goolrc i6 with this drone???