Skydio 2 Follow Me

[VEGASROBBI]

I don't think it would fly long under those conditions. I think the magnesium body is important in cooling and acts as the main heat sink. My S2 gets too hot to hold by the metal body I think the next generation should have more active cooling with a larger fan.

But to be realistic most manufacturers limit their drones to between 100 and 104 degrees. The S2 having all the additional electronics generates more heat than the average drone.

 

[VEGASROBBI]

 

[VEGASROBBI]

I S2 had no problem flying in this light drizzle.

 

[Ridefreak]

That's pretty good, I would have figured the water droplets would have affected the avoidance cameras but it doesn't appear to phase them. Likely the prop wash is helping keeping the lenses clear.

The desert is nice after a rain (most of the time) haha.

 

[VEGASROBBI]

Yeah you can see blurring on the main lens from water drops. It seems a small amount of contamination is acceptable before you get the lens dirty warning.

 

[VEGASROBBI]

The first video is with the new software running the beacon and the phone app. The second video is beacon only. It's apparent there's a problem with the phone/beacon interface my first flight was filled with disconnects, GPS tracking only, not focusing on the subject.... In the first video I had to edit a lot to get rid of the disconnects and Rth's, in the second video I could almost let it go the entire flight. Hope they sort this firmware out soon but until then I'll be running the beacon only.

 

[Lifeisfun]

I hope Skydio will actually do something about it ASAP, not 8 months later ...

 

[Ridefreak]

That conflict seems to be what I was seeing also. My primary purpose in running the app along with the beacon is to ensure the app has the drone's LKP information in case it goes down. If what I've heard is correct, you can connect the app to the beacon after a crash and it will pull the LKP in from the beacon. I've never tested that function after an unintended landing using only the beacon. If I can confirm that works as described I don't really have an issue using only the beacon. I'm going to ask SD to confirm the Find My Drone works as described above.

It's always interesting watching one of your videos Robbi, I learn a good bit about motor differences, gearing etc...

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

 

[dmac1]

I just tested my new (replacement) drone. Did a 15:52 min flight via app hooked to beacon and beacon to S2. Only issue was 2 gimbal shifts towards the end. Its likely the first was actually due to wind moving the drone but the 2nd seems like a shift....I got numerous high wind warnings.

For the test session, I had it follow me while I stopped and started and moved it to different positions in a wide open field on an ATV track that has a long straight and some hills that it winds around. One big leafless tree to avoid, which it did fine.

This was my 3rd test session and only did the one flight this time, but it seemed pretty solid. I looked a couple times at GPS signal strength and it was 2 bars. All tracking via optical, never much farther out than 2nd position. Samsung S21 running android 12.

 

[dmac1]

So I did another test flight this afternoon, just walking in my yard, having S2 track me from right side,then left as I walked the same path back and forth. Had app connected to beacon, beacon to S2. Put phone in my pocket and pretty soon thereafter heard a Beep Beep! Pulled it out in time to see it'd lost connection! Beacon was all of 2' from it....only happened the one time, but still.

 

[dmac1]

That conflict seems to be what I was seeing also. My primary purpose in running the app along with the beacon is to ensure the app has the drone's LKP information in case it goes down. If what I've heard is correct, you can connect the app to the beacon after a crash and it will pull the LKP in from the beacon. I've never tested that function after an unintended landing using only the beacon. If I can confirm that works as described I don't really have an issue using only the beacon. I'm going to ask SD to confirm the Find My Drone works as described above.

Good to know about ability to pull LKP from beacon!

Heres a reason to keep app connected tho...on my 'lost drone' incident, via app (connected to beacon, beacon to drone) I was eventually able to see drone imagery while it was flying lost and via it, I was eventually able to pilot it over what I hoped would be a good landing spot (a road). I got real lucky, but absent the imagery, the drone would prolly still be in the forest and broken....unless LKP worked and it landed softly somehow.