If you have ever wanted a cool toy that that is ideal for seeing into out of the way locations, the AR.Drone is the device for you. Parrot the manufacturer of the AR.Drone is a leading manufacturer of wireless devices for mobile phones and finds itself on the cutting edge of innovation. Parrot was born in 1994 by Henri Seydoux who is driven by his vision of incorporating mobile phones into everyday life by creating high-quality, user-friendly wireless devices for easy living. The company originated in Paris, and is responsible for employing 450 people worldwide and generates 85% of its sales overseas.
Parrot calls the AR.Drone a “quadricopter,” the company’s name for a quadrotor or quadrocopter—a rotor-based aircraft using four independent rotors. While quadrocoptors may sound more complicated than traditional helicopters, they are actually both simpler and more economical: Instead of complex mechanics that control the aircraft by varying the angle of each rotor blade as it spins, a quadrotor uses fixed-pitch rotors. The aircraft is controlled by just moderating the relative rate of rotation of each rotor.
For your iPad to communicate with the device, the AR.Drone generates its own Wi-Fi network so you don’t have to have a router or Internet Connection. Once the “AR.FreeFlight” application has been downloaded, your iPod touch/iPhone turns into a true piloting station for the AR.Drone.
Batteries are a vital part of the AR.Drone flying experience, and the 1000mAh LiPo battery that comes standard with the drone can last from 12 to 20 minutes average is 15 minutes. The battery charging time is approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. The status LED turns green when the AR.Drone battery is fully charged. A typical battery frustration is that in order to charge the battery, you must remove the AR.Drone’s hull, disconnect the battery from the vehicle, and then connect the battery to the charger. And depending on the convenience of your electrical outlets, it may end up being easier to remove the battery from the AR.Drone completely. It would be great if you could just plug the charger into a jack on the exterior of the AR.Drone.
Similarly, the AR.Drone has no On/Off switch; to turn of the unit, you must disconnect the battery. Because the battery life is about 10 – 15 minutes, most LiPo experts recommend never drawing a pack down past 80% to 90% of its capacity. The battery telemetry on the display is fairly accurate so if you just stop flying when it’s at 20% remaining, I have found that to work pretty well.
The battery indicator on the screen of the iPhone shows battery level and becomes red when the AR.Drone battery is running low. When the battery is running low, the pilot will be requested to land safely. If the pilot fails to landing AR.Drone in due time, the autopilot will land the AR.Drone automatically. It is recommended that you land your AR.Drone as soon as the battery level indicator becomes red in to avoid any injury to any person, property or animal.
If you want longer flying sessions, you’ll need to pony up for an extra battery or two $30 each, so you can swap out a dead battery for a fresh one without having to wait for a charge The copter itself consists of a center control unit with battery and four powerful propellers that could double as leaf blowers. A protective ring keeps the props from shredding your pets and directs the air downwards. The device is made of light foam and is fairly damage resistant.
In the case of buying extra batteries – protection against component counterfeiting… Using a counterfeit Lithium Polymer battery which could be below the quality requirements of Parrot can cause irreversible damage to the AR.Drone as well as serious injuries to persons or property.
How can you check if your product is genuine? All original AR.Drones and spare parts contain a tesa Holospot®. With tesa Holospot®, every original product is unique and contains unambiguous, intelligent information about itself. Each Holospot® has multiple security features in different layers which make the Holospot® 100% unforgeable.
Want more information about repairing or modifying your AR.Drone? Our blog at http://allthisjunk.com/ar-drone/ is the place to find the parts, mods and repairs for the AR.Drone!