IRIS+ is an advanced quadcopter by the amazing 3DRobotics. The drone is know for it’s full GPS-guided flying capabilities. It is designed to be a simple “out of the box” drone that brings powerful high quality robotics to the market at an affordable price.
The IRIS+ quadcopter can now be purchased for $599 at the 3drobotics store or buy from Amazon.
Source: 3drobotics.com
Specifications
- Maximum payload: 400g/0.8lb
- Flight time: 10-15 minutes
- Weight with battery: 1282g
- Autopilot hardware: Next gen. 32bit Pixhawk with Cortex M4 processor
- GPS
- FlySky FS-TH9X RC Transmitter
- 3-cell 11.1V 3.5Ah Li-Po Battery
- Integrated GoPro camera mount with vibration dampener
- 3DR Telemetry Radio (915 MHz for USA, 433MHz for EU)
In The Box
The IRIS Multicopter box includes the following:
- Ready-To-Fly IRIS+
- Transmitter
- 3DR Telemetry Radio (915 MHz for USA, 433MHz for EU)
- Micro USB cable
- Android OTG cable
- 3500mAh 3S battery
- Li-Po charger
- Charger bag
- Extra red legs
- Manual and flight checklist
IRIS+ Quadcopter
The IRIS+ quadcopter has a beautiful and simple design. Build quality is really good and even the arms feel solid, which is quite rare. The arms and legs are produced from Zytel Nylon which provides wear, abrasion and impact resistance. The plastic cover is made of strong plastic and you can tell than the drone can take quite a few bumps.
Even though this is a ready to fly drone, you still need to attach propellers to the motors before you can start flying. There are stickers on arms to help you with which way they go. Everything needed to put the drone together is in the box. Also I would advise on buying a cheap propeller balancer in order to make sure all the props are balanced.
As far as the inside goes, the wiring inside the drone is neat and easily understandable. All of that is under a cover that can be easily removed for future upgrades.
What I really like about this quadcopter is that it has an integrated GoPro mount at the front the body and you can also install a gimbal mount under the drone. Also the propellers wont show in any video you should shoot, thanks to the wider wingspan.
Flying
IRIS+ is like the DJI Phantom in the way that it is quite easy to fly. Everything about this drone is pre-configured so you can pretty much get straight to flying.
The drone has basically 2 options: you can fly it completely manually with the transmitter or set a destination with an android tablet. For the last, all you have to do is attach the 3DR Telemetry radio to your tablet and enjoy the amazing features. There are 2 versions: 915 MHz for USA and 433MHz for EU. You can also attach it to a computer or an android phone. The mobile app for the drone allows you to simply draw the path. The pre-programmed GPS path points allow the drone to be used for professional activities such as mapping. This is something new when it comes to drones in the consumer market. It can basically be set on autopilot.
IRIS+ also has a powerful cross-platform software that allows analysis and flight planning. It runs on Windows, OS X and Linux. It’s also really simple and allows simple point and click configuring.
Another plus when it comes to flying is that the start up is very quick compared to other quadcopters.
The transmitter has all the most popular flying modes. Including the manual mode, called Stabilize, which allows you to experience the full power of the IRIS+ multicopter. It also has the Return To Launch mode just in case you should lose control. The Return To Launch mode lands the drone super smooth.
The flight time is quite poor to be honest. It is claimed to be 10-15 minutes but really you’ll probably be experiencing 12 minutes and with a gimball around 8 minutes. Of course you can always buy a bigger battery, which the drone allows you to. With a 5000/5450mAh you can expect around 17 minutes of flight time and 14 with a gimbal.
Credit: http://www.kooltoyz.co.uk
Camera
IRIS+ doesn’t have a built-in camera so if you wish to shoot videos then you have to use an external one. IRIS+ is built for GoPro so that’s the most hassle free way but you can also use any other similar options. The drone has an integrated mount at the front and also the possibility to attach a gimbal under the drone. This drone is quite powerful so it has no problem flying with a camera attached.
PS. If you plan on using a gimbal then you might also want to buy the drone with bigger legs. They come as an optional extra.
PS! When using a GoPro with IRIS+, please ensure that the WiFi is turned off; this can cause interference between IRIS+ and the controller.
To enable FPV flying experience you need to buy the 3DR FPV LiveView GoPro. This setup enables live video link with a programmable on-screen-display.
Source: 3drobotics.com
Battery
IRIS+ comes with a 3500mAh Li-Po battery. Thankfully though the drone does allow using a bigger battery such as 5000mAh 3S Li-Po.
This is a huge advantage because IRIS+ allows you to use any 3S LiPo, compared to DJI Phantom series which demands for only their own brand. The plain LiPos are up to 3x cheaper than the DJI ones which makes the IRIS+ a much better investment in the long run.
Conclusion
The IRIS+ quadcopter is an excellent out the box drone! No other drone provides fully autonomous GPS flying for $599 so if pre-drawn flight paths are a must for you, then this is the best drone to get. Perhaps the only thing that’s a bit lacking for the price is the flying time but that can easily be fixed by getting a bigger battery for around $30.
PS. This isn’t exactly a beginners drone so it’s recommended to have some previous flight experience.
