The Drone Files

There’s a type of drone that is currently trending in the consumer UAV industry. Compact, foldable, and equipped with HD and 4K cameras. These easy to carry drones are making everybody’s delight. This foldable camera drone mania started with DJI Mavic, but there are now many companies trying to replicate its success.

Introducing the Parrot Anafi

We had already discussed how Parrot released the Bebop 2 back in 2017 to compete with DJI Spark. However, now, Parrot has taken a step further and designed a whole new UAV for this trending market. Of course the main selling factors of the drone is the foldable design and the built-in 4K HDR camera.

Although Parrot Anafi is not yet available in the market (comes out in July), we can already tell this is no average aircraft. For $699, it is definitely a very promising cheaper alternative to the DJI Mavic Pro.

Specifications

Camera & Gimbal

• 4K HDR Camera
• HD 720p Live Video Stream
• 1/2.4’’ 21MP CMOS Sony® Sensor
• Wide-angle f/2.4 ASPH lens
• 35mm focal length equivalent: 23-69mm (photo), 26-78mm (video)
• 180º tilt gimbal
• 2.8X lossless zoom
• 3-axis Image Stabilization

Design

• Ultra Compact
• Fast & Easy Folding System
• Weighs 320g
• Size folded: 244x67x65mm
• Size unfolded: 175x240x65mm

Battery & Charging

• 25-minute Flight Time
• USB-C On-the-Go Charging System
• 7.6V 2700mAh 2 cells Lipo

Controls & Controller

• Foldable Parrot Skycontroller 3
• Weighs 386gr
• 50km/h Wind Resistance
• 4Km Max Control Range
• Size folded: 94x152x72mm
• Size unfolded: 153x152x116mm

The Design

Want to know a fun fact? Anafi’s developer team actually studied insects (e.g. bees) to discover the best place to put the 4K camera for the best visibility possible. We got to know this on Parrot Anafi launch event, told by the CEO Henri Seydoux himself. Anafi is aimed at ease of carry. Parrot achieved this by folding the drone into a cylinder shape 9.6 x 2.6 x 2.5 in (24 x 6 x 7 cm). Ideal to carry in a backpack, but too large for a pocket and uncomfortable to carry by hand.

Unfortunately, the remote controller is not that compact, lightweight or even ergonomic. Dubbed Parrot Skycontroler 3, this controller also has a foldable design. However, the controller is quite bulky and heavy.

In fact, it even weighs more than the actual drone. Weighing 380g, it is not a pleasant experience, and keep in mind you still have to attach the smartphone for Live Video.

The Camera and The Gimbal

It is the first time Parrot is using a mechanical gimbal instead of digital stabilization. Therefore, you can already expect a significant improvement in image quality, especially for video. The camera is capable of recording 4K Cinema at 24fps, UHD at 30fps, and FHD at 60fps. To ensure image stabilization (no shaking footage) the camera is placed on a 3-axis gimbal that can also remotely tilt 180º. In terms of photos, the camera has a 1/2.4’’ CMOS Sony Sensor and is capable of taking 21MP wide photos and 16MP rectilinear.

Live Video is transmitted directly to the pilot’s smartphone device through a free to download app, available for Android and iOS. Through this app (Free Flight 6) you can also adjust control settings and camera settings.

The Features

Parrot Anafi doesn’t come with many features, but there are a few. First, it of course has Satellite Positioning System through GPS and GLONASS. Other features are focused around camera usage, and these are: Cinematic Shots (Reveal, Epic, Rise, and 360º), and 2.8x zoom. We have yet to find out if features such as Follow Me mode will be behind a paywall. It wouldn’t be the first time Parrot does this. Features like Follow Me were only available through an in-app purchase. Hopefully this won’t be the case with Anafi.

Is Parrot Anafi Worth Buying?

Well, in terms of price, if you are in the market for a foldable camera drone than Anafi definitely is a viable option. It is much cheaper than DJI Mavic Pro, although it lacks many autonomous features. When it comes to features it has about the same as most drones under $300, but camera quality is detailed to be truly amazing. Let’s see if the final product surprises or disappoints in July. Not having a paywall for some features would already be a great start.

NinjaTek!!! Just the name sounds like the filament will be deftly back-flipping through all of your prints with ease. But does it?

I am fairly new to 3D printing and most of my experience is with PLA. However, I have tried a cheap no name brand of TPU before with little success. So this time I am trying both a harder and more well known TPU for my review.
Product Highlights

• Shore Hardness = 75D
• Excellent bridging capabilities and virtually no warping
• Abrasion resistance 84% better than PLA and 60% better than ABS
• Chemical resistance to many materials, including naphtha, ASTM Oils #1-3, petroleum and freon
• Consistent diameter and material properties providing reliable, high quality prints
• No heated bed required. Build platform requires same prep as PLA

I am going to break up my review into 4 different areas that pretty much follows my experience with this NinjaTek Armadillo filament.

• Settings (ease of finding correct print settings)
• Adhesion
• Print quality
• Durometer Accuracy

Settings

This is obviously the most important thing in making this filament work and I will describe it in one sentence — you want this filament to be at Goldilocks’ porridge temperature and very slow.

When you look online at the NinjaTek website they say:

• Extruder Temperature: 220°C – 230°C
• Platform Temperature: Room temperature – 45°C
• Glue or blue painters tape is suggested if not using a heated bed
• Print Speed:
• Top and bottom layers: 15-20 mm/ sec (900-1800 mm/ min)
• Infill speeds: 45-60 mm/ sec (2700-3600 mm/ min)
• Use cooling fan if available for 2nd layer and up

All printers are different but there are a few things to keep in mind. At higher temperatures you may want to invest in a steel nozzle. In previous attempts with a no brand TPU the brass nozzle on my 3D printer started breaking down. This may have been caused by clogging and may not have entirely been due to the abrasive properties of the filament. It was, however, a lesson learnt.

I found that 220-225 was a good temperature for my prints. For the printing speed I was able to get away with about 30mm/sec but slower is definitely better. I found it to be hard to print with a layer setting of 0.1mm. This material is ‘goopier’ (my technical term) than PLA and a 0.2mm thickness did me well.

Adhesion

The Armadillo has very good layer adhesion and I absolutely love it. I had my glass bed at 60 degrees with glue stick and it worked great! The red looked like pure rubies were being laid on the glass. No issue with leveling and I think the goopiness had a way of overcoming my lack of skill in bed leveling.

Adhesion between layers was also not an issue. The only point to make here is less about the material and more about the model being printed. When printing the standard Bench the unsupported bow of the ship constantly wanted to curl up. You will need to take this into account with your model orientation and build supports.

Print Quality

Overall, I really liked this filament. The strength of the final part is amazing. Think of those indestructible black combs and when printed thinner (<5mm) it is very flexible and perfect for living hinges.

Details due to overhangs are not great but with tuning anything is possible. I also noticed that the larger flat surfaces printed over a 20% interior fill can come out a bit bumpy.

This can be seen on the top surface of the clips I made (first two photos above). Due to this, PLA is still my go to for detail but for a functional part with a decent level of detail the Armadillo is perfect.

Durometer Accuracy

The NinjaTek Armadillo filament is rated at 75 Shore D. I use the following image all the time as a real world reference chart. Based on this I would say the accuracy is 100% when the thicknes of the part is over 5mm. However, when it is thinner, my calibrated thumbs felt this was more in the range of 25 Shore D. In a way this is really great because it literally gives you flexibility in the model for living hinges in a fairly solid part.

If you’re looking to buy a drone or RC toy, consider checking out GearBest’s ongoing Mid Year Sale which currently offers exciting discounts of over 50%. A wide range of drones ranging from toy grade quadcopters to professional aerial photography drones such as the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum are currently on offer.

Not only that, GearBest has also lined up an impressive range of FPV racers, toy robots, RC boats and camera gimbals for the sale.

First, let’s take a look at the toy drones on offer. There are a number of sub-$100 drones on sale including the popular MJX Bugs 3 brushless mini quadcopter at $83.99.

The Bugs 3 (pictured below) and its brushless motors is a very nice drone to have if you’re into freestyle flying. Due its brushless motors, the Bugs 3 is a lot more powerful in the air and more durable than most sub-$100 toy drones that make use of cheaper coreless motors.

Coreless motors are not only less powerful, they tend to wear off faster and need frequent replacement.

Also in the sub-$100 range is the Xiaomi MITU (BNF kit) at $67.99. At this price point, it is one of the best deals you can get online for the MITU — a drone for those who are into aerial drone combat (at least two or more are required).

Drone gaming isn’t exactly new and has been around since the release of drones such as the Walkera Aibao but the Xiaomi MITU (pictured below) brings drone gaming to a whole new level with its affordability.

Get two MITU drones for about $140 and you’re ready for an aerial duel with a friend. The MITU makes use of infrared lights that function as “weapons”. Using the accompanying smartphone app, you can pilot a MITU to fire the infrared canon at another MITU drone. Each MITU drone is equipped with infrared sensors which are used to detect hits.

If you’re into professional aerial photography, then check out the Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K (pictured above) which is currently available for $459. Since it’s been around for some time, the Mi Drone may seem a bit long in the tooth but it’s still a very capable aerial photography drone that offers plenty of value.

It is capable of taking 4K video at 30fps and features GPS positioning and a 3-axis camera gimbal system — just what any pro aerial photographer needs for taking great aerial videos and stills. At just $459 shipped, GearBest has one of the best prices you can find online for the Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K which normally sells for well over $500.

If you’re looking for even more advanced features, there is the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum which is on offer for $1099 shipped. This price matches what DJI has on offer at its official store but bear in mind that the DJI Store does not ship to certain countries while GearBest ships to a wider range of countries which includes countries not covered by the DJI Store.