Align M690

[Zaxxon]

I have seen a couple of threads regarding the Align M480 Quad, but not the M690 Hex.

I'm about to put my name down for one of these as I need a larger airframe so I can get my DSLR mounted for AP work.

I was very close to ordering a DJI S900 so I could mount a NEX7 but a colleague advised me to look into the new Align model and I personally think it looks like a better option.

Is anyone else looking to get one of these?

http://youtu.be/pS6-_FrAr14

[flybywire]

I';m no AP expert, and I';m certainly not getting involved in the minefield of pro drone work, but I would kind of focus on the gimbal at this level, a hex is a hex is a hex, but not all gimbals are created equal.  I think DJI gimbals take some beating. 
I';m sure the ';big boys'; will be along soon to offer you sage advice tho.   

[Zaxxon]

From what I can find so far, the gimbal I am ordering is for a 5D, however you can use it with other cameras, it is not locked to the camera that is fitted. It is also slaved to the FC the same as (I think) the Zenmuse is.

I would like to see some reviews of the systems though, but I guess that will have to wait till mid Oct.

[flybywire]

Yeah, I kind of meant to say they appear to me as flying gimbals, and they get very expensive!  I looked at the S800 a couple of years ago when it came out, folding arms and all, looked cool, but as I say, I';m not going there!  too much  and ££££

[ShackFlyer]

I too am keeping a close eye on the progress of the Align M690 vs S900.
The main advantages of the Align as I see it are lighter weight (possibly sub 7kg) & the gimbal which allegedly has multiple controller profiles and mounts for various body/lens combinations. This is all unconfirmed at this stage, as is their quality or abilities but does sound good.

The S900 Wkm Z15 combo is a known quantity with a lot of users & tips (regardless of poor DJI Customer care).

I for one will be holding off writing those chapters of my Ops manuals for a while!

[ashutchy]

This could well be a serious contender not only for the S800 but the S900 too, for me at least anyhow. I was all ready to push the button and order my S900 until it became clear that keeping her under 7kg was gonna be tricky if not impossible. It wasn';t even like I planned on carrying a dSLR, just my Sony a6000. Sub 7kg is a must as far as I';m concerned.

Many thanks for the heads up on the M690. I';ll be following and waiting for those all important reviews.

[Zaxxon]

Ordered mine yesterday afternoon, I should hopefully get it end of October according to the guy at Skyline Models.
There is a waiting list of over 30.

[Zaxxon]

My 690 arrived yesterday, I';m still waiting for my 5D gimbal but that should be with me next week.
Looking through the kit, all I can say is that the build quality is stunning, it';s a work of art.
I hope to build it tomorrow evening and I may have it up for a test flight on Sunday. I';ll be using a modified Taranis for TX and the Align VTX and a black pearl for GS.

As soon as I get the gimbal I can mount the camera, weigh it and get my Ops manual off to EuroUSC for my acceptance test. Hopefully this carrying my 5D and my F550 carrying my GoPro4, I should be able to cover most requests for AP work.

I';ll post up my experiences with it as I go along. Hope to have some phots up soon.

[ShackFlyer]

That';s good to hear that Skyline have had some.

They have sent me my G3-GH & VTx/osd but told me my 690 ';may'; be here next week. Which is somewhat annoying TBH.

Just out of interest how are you going to attenuate the Align VTx down from 2000mWatts to 25?

I';ve heard the EuroUSC flight examiners are now getting power meters to check the output is Uk legal.

[Zaxxon]

That';s interesting ref the V TX power, I have not had an issue with my 600mw on my 550 and also was told by a couple of very reliable sources that the 25Mw limit was not really policed.

I';ll have a check into this and have to see what I can get by with. I';m not interested in big distances obviously and 50-60m is probably a happy working limit for what I want to do.

[ShackFlyer]

Andrew Bailey mentioned it at the ground school I completed.

He said it was something that was on the way in, & it ';may get picked up'; in Ops manuals as well if not stated as 25mW, but gave no precise timescale as he knew no more.

[Zaxxon]

I built the 690 to basic build tonight, I just need to add the VTX and Taranis reciever.

It was a very easy built, taken 3 hours so far. The frame when the arms are screwed into the flight position is rock solid. One thing I will need to put together will be a transporting case or foam type holder.

[ShackFlyer]

Did you threadlock the prop screws/bolts since they are too long to tighten properly?

[Zaxxon]

Not yet, I';ll be removing the props etc to set up the model. I will probably purchase some shorter bolts or work out a method (washer / sleeve) to stop the bolts going through. I also need to purchase some sleeving / rubber ring type washers to protect the cables.

[ShackFlyer]

I see, thanks.
Does the copter come with the/a spare PCU cable to power the gimbal?
Reason I ask is I have the gh gimbal and it only seems to come with the power cord to independently power it not a PCU one?

[Zaxxon]

I';ll have a look tonight.

Check out the Align Facebook page, there was a warning about how to power the Gimbal. It seems as if someone managed to get it wrong and fried their gimbal.

Info posted below:

The Gimbal controller DC 12V input/output port, it only for connected to PCU wire or as power input port.

Make sure not to plug any signal wires into the DC 12V port.
Especially it is forbidden to take S. Bus signal wire from the accessory bag as power input to the DC 12V port.

Any incorrect wiring or error connected from positive pole to negative port will cause PCB burnt out and/or other electrical devices damage.

Images are on their Facebook page.

[ShackFlyer]

Many thanks.
Had seen the power lead thing on FB.

TBH how they got them confused I dunno. The other cable would be miles too long to use for mounting an Rx on the gimbal?!

[Zaxxon]

I received my G3-5D today (strange having a courier delivery on a Sunday).

Good news and bad news ref the weight. Here in th eUK we have a 7kg weight limit for flying in build up areas.

M690 with G3-5D gimbal, 1x Align 5200mah Lipo & Canon 5D Mk3 with a 16-35mm lens = 7.1kg

M690 with G3-5D gimbal, 1x Align 5200mah Lipo  & Canon 5D Mk3 with a 50mm 1.4 lens = 6.8kg

M690 with G3-5D gimbal, 2x Align 5200mah Lipo & Canon 5D Mk3 with a 16-35mm lens = 7.9kg

Looks like I';ll be stuck with the 50mm 1.4 prime lens, but this is a great lens for video. I';ll have to keep an eye out for a lighter wide angle. The 17-40 is 140g lighter so it may be a possibility.

For reference the Canon 5D Mk3 is 990g with out a lens. With the 16-35mm lens it is 1675g[/QUOTE]

[Revs]

Stunning bit of kit. Enjoy buddy 

[jimmybonsaville]

That looks like a really well built piece of kit right there!!!

[Ground Engineer]

Beautiful, how about using the Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di II VC LD A IF, it';s only 570 grams.

[xxpitt]

wow nice bit of kit, and looks like you';ve pit it together really well 

[Zaxxon]

Thank you. Ref the quality of my build, I don';t deserve any credit as the kit is of such high quality, I don';t think it is possible to mess it up. It is typical Align quality.

Thank you GE, I';ll have a look at that lens, could be a way forward.
Another option could be the Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens at 280g. I';ll worry about the lenses once I have this contraption in the air and past the EuroUSC check tests. I just hope I can get a good weather window to get everything completed.

[Zaxxon]

First flight of my M690 today and to sum up.....smooooooooth.

I';m very pleased with the platform. I used Align 60C 5200 cells and had to add a counterweight (no gimbal and camera for the first flight obviously) at the front to balance. Total weight was 5.5kg.

Flight times were around 7 minutes and the batteries were showing 14%.

Failsafe worked very nicely on the return to home switch. I also ran a test by switching of the transmitter, everything worked as planned and the M690 returned and landed, lowering it';s undercarriage at about 20ft and touching down very softly. However the landing spot was about 10ft from the take off location, no major worry but could have caused a problem if the take off location was restricted.
I also had a couple of minutes flying manual and it seemed to be pretty neutral and reasonably stable

My preferred settings so far are:
- Gains as standard
- DR 70% Ail & ELE 50% Rudder (note that the drone will not start with D/R';s selected, you need full rates to start the props spinning).
- Carefree Orientation mode, I was initially flying GPS Velocity but found the way the model straightened up level to be pretty harsh when the model stopped moving. I';ll need to have some more time flying both GPS flight modes, but my initial thoughts were that Velocity would not make for smooth video.

[ShackFlyer]

Yup I found GPS angular smoother & less aggressive on mine.

P.S. Don';t fly with Bluetooth adapter cable connected to APS-M (if you have one) I found it gave RF interference with both flight control & GPS.

[Zaxxon]

Yep I';ll give Angular a go next time (weather forecast says no way for tomorrow).

Thats pretty poor ref the bluetooth, I';ll make a note to remove that next time until a remedy is found.

[ShackFlyer]

In fact I found it was easier to fly it smoothly in Atti all told :huh

[criticalmass]

wow.......... speechless!!!

[Cloudbuster]

Nice to see someone breaking the dji mould and trying somethin else ... Looks an awsome build and spec !!! I am presuming you will be mostly taking still shots hence the canon 5d ... Just as an aside i was lucky enough to try out one of the black magic cameras last week and for video it is just sublime !!! I would recommend it over anything else i have used it just does video to such a level that i am already planning how to obtain one LOL !!!!

Regards rob

[ShackFlyer]

Align have issued APS-M v1.1 update to address the slow GPS lock.
http://www.align.com.tw/download-en/apsm/
I have done the update & lock is gained easily in 20-25secs (about 1/3 of the time it was taking)