Hey DJI: Consider selling the FPV drone stack for builders

If you’ve been following the forums, you’ll know that drone pilots are pretty much spread across the new DJI FPV drone. Some people – especially those who are new to FPV or who have flown DJI products in the past – seem to really like it. What about experienced FPV pilots? Meh. They say it’s not as responsive as a built house, is fragile, etc. And that made us think …

DJI products will always have enemies. And often the ones that get the most criticism are those in the first-person construction and racing community. And we understand that: these people take the time to learn about all the components. They learn to build and to fly. Then they crash, repair and keep flying. Many of these people compare DJI’s new FPV drone to an SUV that is easy to damage and expensive to repair.

We keep saying it: this is not the target market. But that doesn’t really matter here …

Forum Posts

Hit the forums and various Facebook groups if you want proof. You won’t find a shortage of people who criticize the product … and people who defend it. Those who love it appreciate the tight integration of the technology and the fact that you can fly this drone from day one in N and S modes (although you should really have a visual observer with you). Like all other DJI products, it does what it’s supposed to do.

But the DJI drone is not as rugged as the carbon frame builds that experienced FPV pilots prefer. It also has a heavier frame and isn’t as nimble as a well-tuned 5-inch quad. And that explains a post we saw the other day.

Facebook message

Someone (and we’re not going to search now) was asking if anyone with a crashed DJI FPV drone wanted to sell it for parts. They said they had a project in mind. And based on other rumors, we’re pretty sure what this project is: take the electronics and stack them on a carbon frame.

It’s actually a pretty smart idea. You will get the weight reduction and resistance of carbon, as well as likely a more responsive drone. You will also benefit from the technological integration provided by this system, which includes a warning when a manned aircraft equipped with ADS-B gets too close. In fact, we’ve already seen people report that they got the alert before they could hear the approaching plane and were able to bring down their drone safely. It’s a huge safety device, and that should arguably be in every FPV drone. Plus, having the camera on a single-axis gimbal gives the pilot more options during flight – even if you decide to add a GoPro or other camera for your cutscenes.

We added this last point because some people criticized the camera. Today, however, we got a good look at the quality of the images in this video. And it looks good:

And so…

Trust us on this. In a few weeks, someone is going to hit YouTube with a video of a quad they’ve built using electronics from the DJI. They might also think that they can then install a 6s LiPo pack at a significantly reduced cost compared to DJI’s admittedly expensive $ 149 battery. (Yes, this battery seems to give pretty long flights, but – wow – expensive compared to buying LiPo packs.)

While this is a great idea for a builder, we also anticipate that you are going to be stuck with the factory batteries. Why? Well, see those three extra little connection points?

We’re guessing it’s not just for a balanced charge, but something to do with their smart battery system as well. In fact, the connector at the end of the drone (not just the charger) has matings for these three tiny connectors. We therefore bet “no dice” for a standard 6s LiPo.

There is a precedent

But DJI doesn’t make separate FPV components, you might say. Well, in addition to its FPV Air unit, the company has previously produced and sold separate motors and ESCs for FPV racing. There is the Takyon ESC series and the Snail propulsion system:

Will it happen?

We would like to see it but doubt it one way or another. But, after the shakedown period and pending customer feedback, it would be cool for DJI to sell these electronics mounted on a super stiff carbon frame. This would help calm the voices of those who don’t like this drone, give buyers another option … and ensure that most repairs can be done at home.

Think about it, DJI.

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