The Tello Drone. Joint Startup From Ryze, DJI and Intel

Introduction

On January 9, at the annual international exhibition of consumer electronics CES 2018, the debut of a joint project of the Ryze group of companies will take place Technology, DJI Innovations, and Intel. The Tello drone is an easy-to-use drone designed for the novice consumer category, a distinctive feature of which is the ability to learn the basics of programming through the developed MIT system called Scratch. The developers assure that even children can master both piloting and Tello programming.

Peculiarities

• Weight 87 grams
• 14-core Intel processor
• Flight control system from DJI Innovations
• Positioning (2 × ultrasonic + 1 × optical sensors)
• Obstacle avoidance system (optional)
• Auto takeoff and landing
• Altitude Hold
• Takeoff and landing by hand
• 5 × preprogrammed flight modes
• Short movie recording (for Circle, 360 and Up & Away flight modes)
• Execution of flips in 8 directions
• Protection in case of loss of communication (carries out auto-landing)
• 2 × antennas for more stable video transmission
• FPV removal distance 100 meters
• FPV broadcast in HD quality
• Shooting video in 720p quality
• Shooting 5MP photo
• Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS)
• Max. flight time 13 min
• Control via a smartphone or tablet via a mobile application, or in tandem with additionally purchased GameSir T1d Controller control equipment
• Adapted for pairing with a VR headset and gamepadAmi Gamesir and Apple MFi Bluetooth
• Supports visual (block) programming on Scratch
• For advanced users, supports further improvement of Tello via SDK

Equipment

The developer offers the Tello drone in two trim levels:

Tello

Tello Boost Combo

Specification

Drone

Flight weight:

87 grams

Dimensions:

98×92.5×41mm

Built-in features:

Range Finder/Barometer/LED Light/Vision System/WiFi 802.11n 2.4G/FPV 720P

Motors:

collector type

Charging port:

Micro USB

Removal distance:

100m

Max. horizontal flight speed:

28.8km/h

Max. flight time:

13 min

Food:

removable 3.8V 1100mAh LiPo battery

Camera

A photo:

5MP (2592 × 1936)

Video:

HD 720P@30fps

FOV:

82.6°

Formats:

JPG (Photo); MP4 (Video)

Image Stabilization:

EIS

Storage:

smartphone/tablet resources

App

Supported mobiles devices:

Appearance

Camera

The 5MP heading camera allows you to take excellent shots for UAVs in the occupied niche. Photos are detailed, color reproduction is natural. Thanks to the drone’s exemplary stability and generally good performance of electronic image stabilization, the quality of shooting is not inferior to more expensive devices. Of course, this drone is not for professional photography, but for amateur photography it is what you need!

Sample photo

Video example

Food

The Ryze Tello quadcopter is equipped with a removable 3.8V 1100mAh LiPo battery. According to the manufacturer, the charge should last up to 13 minutes of flight. In real conditions, with a stable flight in calm weather, the charge lasts for 10 – 12 minutes. If you make maneuvers and turn on different flight modes, then the drone will fly for about 8-11 minutes. When the battery is completely discharged during flight, the drone will gently land on the ground. The battery is charged from a USB cable, which means that by default, charging is also possible from portable chargers (power bank). Charging time is about 50 – 60 minutes.

Flight modes

The user has 6 flight modes:

1. Throw & Go

   – using this mode, you can simply throw the quadcopter and it will automatically take off.

2. Flips

   — quadrocopter makes coups in different directions

3. Up & Away

   – In this mode, the quadcopter records video while flying up and back.

4. 360

   — quadrocopter takes a panorama.

5. bounce mode

   – the quadcopter will automatically bounce up and down within 0.5 and 1.2 meters from the surface under the device.

6. Circle

   — the quadcopter automatically rotates around the takeoff site, recording video.

Control

The quadcopter is controlled using a smartphone or tablet through the Tello mobile application. The drone also supports pairing with gamepads: Gamesir and Apple MFi Bluetooth. When using gamepads, the same distance range remains, but this control method will bring maximum convenience in piloting.

Test Drive

In flight, the quadcopter is very stable. Adapted to run at home and on the street. Despite the collector motors, it performs well in different flight modes, there is enough power for normal, not very dynamic flights. In sport mode, the quadcopter will become noticeably frisky and suitable for dynamic FPV flights, the “Slow” mode is perfect for aerial photography. The quality of the on-board camera is respectable and ideal for beginners. aerial photographers.

• The only thing I would like to note is that in urban conditions the flight radius is very limited, within 35 – 40m.
• Despite the fact that for this money you can buy a drone with second-hand motors, we highly recommend the Ryze Tello for beginner pilots. After all, it has many modes, it is easy to control, and it is fun to fly on it.

I was very pleased with the versatility of Tello. If the user gets bored with flying, you can try your hand at programming and write a program for the drone. Even young pilots can handle this with the help of the Scratch program. The drone executes the given commands very clearly. For more advanced users, the drone software supports application development through the SDK.

Programming

Screenshot of the workspace of the Scratch software, which implements intuitive, block programming. Allows you to set the drone to perform sequential actions according to a pre-set algorithm. One block, one action, with the ability to fine-tune each.

Scratch (from the English. Scratch) is a programming language or a visual event-driven programming environment for teaching elementary and middle school students.

Price

Available for purchase at all DJI Innovations stores, as well as on various Internet marketplaces. The price of a drone depending on the configuration:

1. Tello – $113
2. Tello Boost Combo – $149

Recommendations

• In order to increase the flight radius, you can purchase a Xiaomi Mi Wi-Fi Amplifier 2 repeater. This will allow you to fly up to 170m and transmit a clearer picture to your smartphone with less delay.

Remarks

• On the quadcopter, a problem was noticed that when you fly far away, the video can be recorded in jerks. This is due to the fact that the video signal is transmitted via Wi-Fi and stored immediately on the phone.
• It is also worth mentioning once again that there is no USB cable for charging the quadcopter in the kit.

Conclusion

DJI Tello from $113

Functionality

6/10

Flight time

5/10

flight qualities

6/10

compactness

10/10

Equipment

10/10

Reliability

10/10

Price quality

10/10

pros

• Design/Quality
• Manageability (even with a smartphone)
• Dynamism
• Functionality
• Camera (capture quality)
• FPV Quality
• Block programming (simple and fun process)
• Flight time
• Ready for FPV flight out of the box
• Price

Minuses

• Collector motors
• No external storage (the recorded material is saved on the resources of the paired smartphone)
• The kit does not include a USB cable for charging the drone’s battery.

The best offer in the UAV niche up to $100, designed specifically for the novice user audience. The potential of the drone will allow the beginner to quickly and safely adapt to the control and flight in FPV mode, as well as introduce the exciting process of programming through the Scratch software. Ready for FPV flight out of the box.

A photo

The first photos of the novelty were taken at the DJI store in Paris, on the occasion of the release of the Mavic Air drone.

Video

Flight review of the Tello quadcopter.