Skydio 2 Follow Me

Ridefreak · Jul 6, 2020

I've had mine give a temp warning a couple times, it comes up and says over temperature land immediately or something similar. Happened twice, both times flying low n slow. Never had the issue flying faster or higher up.

@ 4K and close to 100 degrees my GoPro doesn't like the direct sun ether.

VEGASROBBI · Jul 31, 2020

I'd like to see more user video posted; here's one from last week it was over 100* out.

Ridefreak · Aug 1, 2020

Being able to stand off further really improves the scene. Nice video VR. My work's been to busy to fly much.

VEGASROBBI · Aug 16, 2020

Another video, I'm starting to learn, and take advantage of some of the less understood modes.

In orbit you can speed up, slow down, change direction, change altitude and distance. I find it requires both the Beacon and tablet to do this.

skydioconvert · Aug 16, 2020

What does the tablet enable you to do that can't be done with the beacon?

VEGASROBBI · Aug 16, 2020

Mainly an easy way to control altitude, there might be something I'm missing but I use the buttons on the app to control my altitude. I know you can point and drag the S2 with the Beacon but I haven't tried that yet I used to do that with my typhoon H.

Rich Z · Aug 16, 2020

VEGASROBBI said:
Another video, I'm starting to learn, and take advantage of some of the less understood modes.

In orbit you can speed up, slow down, change direction, change altitude and distance. I find it requires both the Beacon and tablet to do this.

Man, you REALLY have me thinking hard about whether I could scrape up $40 somewhere. Do these conversions work well in the 2 door JKs? What about regular maintenance issues like just replacing starters and water pumps and the like?

VEGASROBBI · Aug 16, 2020

Yeah we’ve done lots of two doors. Stick with a normally aspirated engine in a two door, with this much power they can get Squirrley.

The LT1 is very popular now it is a very powerful engine but very mild at the same time perfect in a two door.

You can double your horsepower, increase your fuel economy while staying legal and make your JK fun to drive.

The approach we took unlike others was to keep everything pure GM - the engine, transmission, wiring, modules, operating systems and more. Therefore everything is pure GM - water pumps, starters... Any GM dealer that can service the powertrain in the donor vehicle could service your JK.

skydioconvert · Aug 17, 2020

VEGASROBBI said:
Mainly an easy way to control altitude, there might be something I'm missing but I use the buttons on the app to control my altitude. I know you can point and drag the S2 with the Beacon but I haven't tried that yet I used to do that with my typhoon H.

I guess repeated pushes of a button might be easier if the phone were stationary like in the cab of a moving vehicle but otherwise tapping a small screen while moving might not be the safest way to go.

VEGASROBBI · Aug 17, 2020

I'm not sure what buttons you are referring too? Maybe Ridefreak can comment, how do you control altitude in the Follow mode with just the beacon?

skydioconvert · Aug 17, 2020

Aren't there + and - buttons shown on the Skydio app to raise and lower altitude?

VEGASROBBI · Aug 17, 2020

Those set the distance in Follow on the Beacon. When you switch into "Hover" they control altitude. Yes the app has + and - for altitude and distance so it is convenient to tap the screen, my tablet is mounted to the dash.

Edit:

I should add the Wizard Wand keeps things simple; when the Wand is horizontal the up and down buttons control pitch, when the Wand is vertical they control altitude.

While this may sound confusing it's very intuitive and one of the reasons my Typhoon H is still one of my favorite Follow drones.

skydioconvert · Aug 17, 2020

It isn't confusing but it all boils down to personal preference.

Skydio lets you go from Distance to Height changes by switching modes (i.e. Follow to Hover).

Your Yuneec Typhoon does the same by having the orientation of the Wizard Wand (horizontal vs vertical) determine whether your changing pitch or height.

Since ease of transport is also "all important" to me the backpack size of the S2 clearly rules out the suit case size Typhoon for ease of transport.

I'd also think it awkward to always physically hold the "wand" one way for a prolonged period of time.

Different strokes for different folks....

VEGASROBBI · Aug 17, 2020

When in Follow it's awkward to have to stop, switch to "hover" set altitude then continue. By using the Beacon and app I can Follow uninterrupted without having to stop. It's not a big deal because I'm in a vehicle.

The Wizard Wand only has to be oriented when giving a command otherwise you can put it in a pocket and not worry about orientation. I use my WW along with the ST16 Yuneec controller, this way the WW does the flying and I can control the camera with the ST16. The 360 degree gimbal opens up possibilities the S2 and other drones don't have.

skydioconvert · Aug 17, 2020

Think we just look at things differently regarding the S2.

The Yuneec on the other hand far exceeds my needs, is too expensive and has far too many negatives for me to even consider it.

P.S. Thanks for clarifying how the Wizard Wand works though...

VEGASROBBI · Aug 19, 2020

Wow the point and drag feature works awesome, it's very easy to put the S2 right where you want it. You can drag it up or down for altitude and to any clock position.

Took a little to get used to but then it was easy. It allows better precision than the predefined steps using the beacon.

VEGASROBBI · Aug 21, 2020

In this video I'm almost exclusively using the point and drag method with the Beacon, it works awesome.

You can point and smoothly drag the S2 into position, this includes altitude. If you drag slow the movement is very smooth, if you drag fast the S2 moves fast.

I use the Beacon buttons when flying behind me or to set distance. I need a little more practice but this is the future.

Ridefreak · Aug 21, 2020

The combo of your narration and the drone video go very well together, visually interesting and informative. How's the response been from showcasing your products and services this way? I'm impressed on how extensively you discuss some of the technical aspects obviously unscripted.

Edit: Obviously good, 2.3M