X600D owners to receive free upgrade to new model

Over the last week or so I have been working very closely with XAircraft and together we've managed to turn the X600D recall into a positive by giving all affected customers not just replacement parts but far superior next-generation upgrades.

The next-gen upgraded flight board includes several enhancements such as GPS functionality - a hugely sought after feature for a quadrocopter.

We have been working closely with XAircraft to get the new boards (that is flight controller, ESC and a new board for USB connection (they have moved the USB connection to a daughter board to make room for the GPS functionality)) and 4 new motors for all of our customers as soon as possible.

As soon as we have the new next-gen parts we will issue them to our customers.

We will also be stocking the next-gen X600Ds but stock will be very limited initially and this will be exacerbated by the Chinese New Year close down in February. Pre-order yours on our website now if you'd like one: http://www.firstpersonview.co.uk/aircraft/x600D-quadrocopter

X600D product recall

Unfortunately a batch of X600D Quadrocopters have been found to have potential defects (as per this post on RCG http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1175755). In that post XAircraft have published a list of serial numbers and unfortunately several of our units were on the list.

We have now contacted all of our customers and got the serial numbers from each of them. Those that require new parts will be shipped new parts to rectify those potentially defective X600Ds as soon as possible.

We have never actually had any complaints from X600D customers or failures of our own X600Ds (which were on the list) and everyone has been very happy with them. That and the fact that XAircraft are dealing with the recall very professionally and properly will hopefully mean that it won't be too much of an inconvenience to our customers and XAircraft's reputation won't be badly affected.

All the best

Simon

X600D manual and step by step install video now available

I have now produced a translated manual and packaged it up along with the software, and Windows 7 drivers on our website www.firstpersonview.co.uk/aircraft/x600D-quadrocopter

In addition to that I've done a step by step howto video and uploaded it to YouTube! I had to split it into 3 parts for YouTube - the three parts are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4g3oC02kik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-3y_XEu_vg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHR33oyKkgc

X600Ds now in stock and pre-orders have been shipped out.

The X600Ds have arrived and the pre-orders have now been shipped out. You should receive them on Monday.

I've built mine but I'm waiting for a LiPo and receiver to arrive (hopefully on Monday) so I can't comment on flying it yet. The materials and quality of the components is excellent and the quickly translated manual was actually fairly easy to follow. I guess that shows how straightforward the X600D is to put together. There's nothing difficult about it, its just a case of putting it together step by step...and doing everything 4 times!

I'll be updating the manual to include an extra couple of photos and some slightly more clear translations today also.

I'm really looking forward to flying it on Monday, even if it is indoors.

FirstPersonView.co.uk featured in the Financial Times How To Spend It Magazine Christmas Gift Guide

I'm very pleased to say that our Advanced Flight Kit is featured very prominently in the Financial Times How To Spend It Christmas Gift Guide here: http://www.howtospendit.com/#/articles/763-gift-guide-first-person-view-flight-simulator

This follows our previous mention in the June issue of How To Spend It magazine's Technopolis column which can be seen here: http://www.firstpersonview.co.uk/myfiles/file/FTJune09.pdf

The Advanced Flight Kit is available from our website here: http://www.firstpersonview.co.uk/flight-kit-boxes/advanced-flight-box-cam45-vr1400-goggles-rx

XAircraft X600D Quadrocopter

I'm very pleased to be able to announce that we will very soon have stock of the excellent new X600D Quadrocopter from XAircraft. XAircraft have taken feedback from its customers to make the followup to the fantastically well received X500D even better than its older sibling.

Unlike a traditional model helicopter the XAircraft X600D has no complex mechanical transmission system - it uses four high-performance direct-drive brushless motors and propellers and a sophisticated electronic brain controls them using inputs from three-axis gyroscopes, three accelerometers and your control movements.

This incredible design makes for a very efficient and very stable platform which translates into long flights which are easy to control. The XAircraft X600D also has excellent load carrying capacity - 500grams is easily achievable and 1200grams is the maximum tested load capacity.

The Police, Fire service, and TV/ Film production companies have taken advantage of the stable platform offered by quad rotor systems such at the Microdrone and DraganFlyer - both with price tags far in excess of £10,000! The XAircraft X600D brings quadrocopters within the grasp of the rest of us at under £300.

The XAircraft X600D does not require special helicopter radio equipment and is compatible with standard 4 channel Tx and Rx systems (Futaba, JR, Sanwa, etc).

For more details check it out on our FirstPersonView.co.uk here: http://www.firstpersonview.co.uk/aircraft/x600D-quadrocopter

New PIXIM based camera DX201 excellent in contrasting lighting conditions

The DX201 uses the latest Pixim DPS (Digital Pixel System) wide dynamic range image sensor and image processing technology. The DPS system uses individual ADCs in each pixel to achieve a wider dynamic range than CCD and CMOS cameras and provides a better image when there is a sharp contrast in lighting conditions.

The DX201 is a highly sophisticated camera and is supplied with a plug in remote control to allow you to configure everything to your personal preference without the added bulk of built in controls.

The product is supplied with an optional metal case which adds approximately 14g to the weight. Many customers prefer to use the unit uncased for this reason.

The DX201 is available now at http://www.firstpersonview.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=186

Specifications
Video Standard User selectable NTSC or PAL
Image Sensor 1/3" DPS (Digital Pixel System)
Signal System PAL/NTSC
Effective Pixels 720 x 540
Resolution 540 TV Lines
Minimum illumination 0.5Lux/ F1.2;0.08Lux(Slow Shutter)
S/N Ratio >48dB
White Balance AUTO 2000K to 11000K
Dynamic Range 102dB Typical MAX 120dB
Auto Iris Lens DC
Video Output 1.0Vp-p,75 Typical 0.8~1.5Vp-p adjustable
Power Supply DC 12V
Power Consumption <2w