Quadcopters
People keep making innovations in the world of aviation by using modern technology. One of these innovations is the quadcopter. This is a rotor copter that has four arms that each have a motorized propeller at their tips. Quadcopters can be thought of as helicopters with four propellers. Also, helicopters have a rotor at their tail known as a pitch. It helps to keep the craft stable while flying. Quadcopters do not have a pitch since the four individual rotors can easily keep it stable as it zooms around in the air. Commonly built by hobbyists, quadcopters for sale are often small flying gadgets that are equipped with cameras to record footage as they fly. In the quadcopter, two propellers spin clockwise while the other two spin counterclockwise. As a result, the quadcopter can fly and hover as well.
Pros
Due to the four rotors, the quadcopter has more lifting power than a helicopter of the same size. The rotors work together to lift the weight of the quadcopter airborne. It can also carry more payload than a helicopter of the same size too. This technology has been applied to military and commercial drones. This is because four rotors assist the craft to carry heavy loads without any added engineering adjustments. As a result, the craft is more capable while still remaining cost effective. Quadcopters also have extensive maneuverability. They can easily hover and fly in any direction.
Cons
They have less power than hexacopters and octocopters. This means that they don’t have as much lifting power as the latter two crafts.
Hexacopters
This is a type of remote controlled flying device that has six propellers. They are arranged in a circular shape above the main body of the hexacopter. This body often carries a camera and features two legs shaped like skis. These skis allow the device to be stable when it lands. The six propellers give this craft more maneuverability and flying power than a quadcopter. The craft can fly very steadily and reach higher altitudes than a quadcopter too. This is because it has more lifting power. If you are using an expensive camera to capture footage with this craft, you can be sure that it is can fly the camera without any problems of stability.
Pros
The main advantage of this craft is that it can keep flying even if one propeller blade fails. The motors powering the propellers are placed 120 degrees apart. If one fails, the other 5 can easily keep the craft airborne. The drone will land safely with no issues thus protecting the camera that is attached to it. In addition to that, this craft can easily be landed even if it loses two propellers. 4 of them are equal to those on a quadcopters. As a result, it can still fly effectively. Due to the 6 propellers, a hexacopter can achieve altitudes that are way higher than thost that a quadcopter can achieve. This is because the propellers give it more uplift power than that of a quadcopter. This drone can fly faster than a quadcopter. Again, this is as a result of more propellers. A hexacopter has more load carrying capacity than a quadcopter. Thus, you can attach more payload to it than a quadcopter. As such, you can carry a high performance camera with a hexacopter.
Cons
Hexacopters are more expensive to build than quadcopters. The extra rotors cost more. In addition to that, they are larger than quadcopters. As such, they are not as compact. If they get damaged, the rotors of a hexacopter are more expensive to repair or replace.
Octocopters
This flying craft has even more rotors than a hexacopter. It has 8 fully functioning propellers. These are powered by 8 motors. As a result, the craft has more flying capability than both quadcopters and hexacopters. It combines the flying speed, maneuverability and uplift power of quadcopters and hexacopters. They are very stable as they fly. As a result, they are capable of recording stable, high quality footage from any altitude. They are favored by explorers and professional videographers. The eight rotors allow for a stable, high altitude shot of anything from wildlife, landscapes and events.
Pros
They are super-fast. This craft has 8 spinning propellers. These give the craft great uplift power and acceleration as well. They are faster than both quadcopters and hexacopters. This speedy ability does not sacrifice on control. The multiple rotors allow the pilot to have complete control ove rthe craft. The octocopter can fly right through rain and strong winds as well. In addition to that, this craft has the ability to remain airborne even if it loses motors. The octocopter can lose 2 or even 3 motors and still keep flying effeectively. The main advantage is that the craft is capable of flying with 4 or 5 motors. It will keep its payroll airborne and safe. If you are using a high performance camera such as the GoPro for drones, you might be best with an octocopter. This is because it is the safest bet. They have superb engine control, stability and easy hovering ability. It can reach dizzying heights. It is agile and can change direction very fast. Thus, octocopters are commonly used to shoot movies and motion picture pieces. The octocopter can carry pretty heavy payloads. It can carry cameras and extra batteries. Moreover, it can be used to transport materials from one place to another.
Cons
This device is pretty large. The 8 rotors make it a bulky flying machine. You need to carry it and transport it with care. It is also pretty expensive to build and use. The rotors are high powered and therefore are expensive to procure. If they get broken, they are expensive to replace. The octocopter consumes a lot of power. As a result, it has low flying time. The first generation of octocopters could not fly for more than 10 minutes. Today, they have more flying time but do not fly for long periods of time. As such, they require extra batteries or frequent charging.
Walkera TALI H500 Hexacopter
The Walkera TALI H500 Hexacopter Drone is an affordable, professional aerial video with RTF (Ready to Fly) and FPV (First Person View) capabilities. Consumers were looking for such a product at an affordable price. To cater the needs of them, Walkera released its Tali H500 drone in August 2014. Before releasing Tali H500, open airframes such as DJI S500 hex or F450 quad were the options for those who wanted to purchase a drone in 450 to 550 size range. These multicopters were fine if you are satisfied with open airframe concept. But this was not suitable for everyone because of the complexities.
Tali H500 is perhaps the first true plug-n-play RTF kit in the world in the 500 size category. This drone targets mainstream consumers who want to own an FPV hexacopter with Phantom-like style and convenience. The sleek body of the H500 is capable to hide almost all of its wires and electronics under some nice curves. Therefore, this is considered as a true consumer RTF kit. Initially this drone was available only in white. But, now, a black version with carbon fibre finishing is also available.
Features of Tali H500
* One Button take-off
* Rectangular landing gear
* GPS position hold
* Hyper IOC function
* Orbit mode
* Return to home autopilot
* Self-tightening Props
* Bottom and Top status LEDs
* Wheeled hard case
Rectangular Landing Skids
This is a worth mentioning feature of Tali H500. Previously, drone enthusiasts had to install third party retractable skids Phantoms to get the legs out of view when panning camera. The rectangular landing skids allow consumers to remove a damaged leg individually. So, they can replace a broken leg within a minute. This is possible by unplugging the damaged leg and inserting the new one.
Battery and Flight Time
Tali H500 is equipped with 22V 6S 5400mAH battery. It can provide you around 25 minutes flight time if it is not carrying a payload. The flight time will be around 15 minutes if the drone carries a camera and gimbal. If the condition is windy, the flight time will be less. The battery has a brick-like appearance and it has 4 green LEDs at the rear. So, they can provide you information like the power available. The drone also has a red power check button and power switch. Battery can be inserted simply in the bay and it can be removed by squeezing the two latches at the rear.
Flight Controller
Mission planning is the other interesting feature of Tali H500. APM flight controller provides a myriad of features, mastering them will a bit of practice otherwise you run the risk of crashes or flying erratically when trying advanced manoeuvres. The Walkera Tali H500 hexacopter is the best option if you are searching for an RTF hexacopter in the 500-600 size category. Now, this product is facing stiff competition from Yuneec Q500.
There are many good choices when it comes to purchasing. The various Parrot drones and the HB Homeboat are popular as is the DJI Phantom series. If smaller more lightweight and nimble quads is what you are after check out our reviews of the best mini drones.
