Imaginary Tello 2

[zaldy]

Hello guys, lets have some fun..

In this thread, imagine ourself in the head of DJI/Ryze design dept. You are given task to design Tello version 2.

First of all, design philosophy. Tello is lightweight, small, cheap, easy to use, programable drone for beginners.. And Tello target market (from price standpoint) is affordable, low cost, under $200.. lets keep Tello version 2 that way..

i mean, we can fit Tello 2 some cutting edge sensors, battery, and camera.. but it wont be "Tello" and it wont be cheap either... it will cross larger drones like Mavic and Phantom price point.. nope.. we will keep our Tello 2 cheap, affordable, while updating some technical aspects.

So, summarize Tello design philosophy, and to set margins for our imaginary Tello 2, it will be:
- Cheap and affordable (Under $200)
- lightweight (under 200 grams, maybe)
- Easy to use
- For beginner and new drone pilots
- Progamable


Okay, now for my personal imaginary Tello 2 technical specs:

- Upgrade to 1080p video..
I think 1080p is more than enough for Tello pricepoint... afterall, most consumer device like phones, low-end laptops, still had 1080 resolution for video.. so, 1080p is very okay for video and photo (for still photos, 5Mp is enough)

- Onboard MicroSD slot!
this upgrade will be game changer for Tello 2... it doesnt have to be some fancy UHS-1 micro SD slot.. just Class 10 is enough.. afterall 1080p video fine with 15-17 Mbps bitrate..

- GPS..
this also will be game changer.. if Tello 2 equipped with GPS, Just basic, smartphone type GPS.. doesnt have to be Garmin class or whatsoever..

- Upgrade battery time, or upgrade motor...
for battery,, 15 min flight time is more than enough.. i dont expect 30 min flight like Mavic or 60 min like Matrice.. lol... just 15 minutes per battery..
for motor,, i dont know if theres Brushless motor small and light enough.. but all upgrades above will add some weight, and eventually the motors should get some upgrade too.

- Upgrade wifi?
nah.. if Tello 2 have onboard microSD, wifi video transmission shouldn't be much problem.. since it will be only displaying video feed.. so 2,4 Ghz wifi is still enough.

I think for all the imaginary upgrade specs above is still within Tello pricepoint and design... yes it will gain some weight and dimensions.. but wont cross larger drone market like Mavic Mini...

So, anyone would join designing our imaginary Tello v2?
just for fun

 

[quaddamage]

I'm old and bitter so all I can offer is shattering dreams.

Tello was a child of some very specific circumstances:
- Movidius made a chip which could support all functions of the drone by itself (well, except Wifi and TOF altitude sensing)
- Dji used that chip in Mavic Pro, so they gained experience in using it
- Dji decided to try their chances in toy/education sector and expand upon the RoboMaster competition
- Intel buying Movidius was probably also a factor, allowing to show Dji as partner for American business

What we have now is:
- Intel reducing Movidius to a brand of USB sticks for AI enthusiasts
- Dji no longer using Movidius for any new drones
- Dji focusing on core markets and cutting branch projects
- Dji continuing with layoffs and focusing the teams on remaining projects

Dji makes their own chips now, so if they were during market expansion phase, they could make a single SoC for Tello 2 without Intel. But making chips is also expensive, and such chip would be only used for that one project - which makes it not really financially justified.

 

[CallmeDash]

I'm old and bitter so all I can offer is shattering dreams.

Tello was a child of some very specific circumstances:
- Movidius made a chip which could support all functions of the drone by itself (well, except Wifi and TOF altitude sensing)
- Dji used that chip in Mavic Pro, so they gained experience in using it
- Dji decided to try their chances in toy/education sector and expand upon the RoboMaster competition
- Intel buying Movidius was probably also a factor, allowing to show Dji as partner for American business

What we have now is:
- Intel reducing Movidius to a brand of USB sticks for AI enthusiasts
- Dji focusing on core markets and cutting branch projects
- Dji continuing with layoffs and focusing the teams on remaining projects

Dji makes their own chips now, so if they were during market expansion phase, they could make a single SoC for Tello 2 without Intel. But making chips is also expensive, and such chip would be only used for that one project - which makes it not really financially justified.

Thank you for shattering my hopes and dreams, atleast I can still rely on Santa Claus bringing me a spark 2

 

[volate!lo]

Lets look at this from another side:
Drone regulations around the world are getting tighter and tighter. Far too many idiots around without common sense.
We will sooner or later reach a point where flying a larger drone for fun just isn't really feasible anymore. In a few years a drone in the weight class of a mavic pro will be available only to licensed professionals.

On the other hand I find it questionable to impose any restrictions on a drone that weights as much as a sparrow. It's not dangerous even in a city, over people, not even at airports. No sparrowcan bring down a jet.

This is IMO where the mass market will head to: tiny drones under 100gr

I think I have stated a few times what I would like to see in a Tello 2:
Onboard storage (SD or embedded)
A fish-eye based electronic gimbal like the Bebop had, with 1080p resolution
Maybe a true north compass


What I don't want to see in Tello 2 is:
Mechanical Gimbal - far too fragile!
Folding arms - again, too fragile
GPS - as soon as we have GPS we will also have NoFlyZones, identification and registration. No thanks.

 

[quaddamage]

All good points, @volate!lo. It is true that the casual drone model Dji proposes gets smaller and smaller.
Phantom -> Mavic Pro -> Air 2, reducing size over time as soon as technology allows for the reduction without sacrificing footage quality.

So you did changed my mind. Tello 2 is the future. But I believe we're still years away from that future.

For the regulations - let's hope that was one time thing. There were no regulations, now there are. I don't think we'll see them getting amended any time soon.

 

[volate!lo]

Depends where you live. We always had regulations for remotely operated model aircraft, which then addressed drones, then got more restrictive, the even more restrictive with the EU wide harmonization.

i don't share your hopes: In a decade or so the airspace will be reserved for commercial drones, not for hobbyists.

Long term tiny Drones the size of tello will likely be the only legal future for hobbyists.

 

[zaldy]

Here in Indonesia, we got some rules.. but not as strict as in US or EU.. yes, drones above 250 grams required to registered here, and pilots must be licensed..

But, you know.. rules are rules.. and many drones and pilots here are not registered anyway..

Yeah, i agree future civilian and hobbyist drones should be smaller.. larger drones are for professional/industrial uses.

So, so far we all agree that our imaginary Tello 2 should have
1080p video
Onboard storage

Others are debatable.. like GPS..

And mechanical gimbal.. nope
Folding arms.. nope..
Our Tello now is a tank, dont want to be fragile..

Okay, nice respons guys .

 

[Hacky]

• Brushless motors
• 1080p video
• 8 MP photos
• Onboard storage on micro SD card
• live stream of Tello EDU also available in "station mode" (when using seperate WiFi network)
• Dual Band WLan (2.4 + 5 GHz)
• Both camera streams available in parallel (downward and forward facing camera)
• GPS
• Documented command / telemetry interface also via serial port on drone available (not only via WiFi)

 

[scottm3]

Everyone is missing the most important thing...

USB-c connection. Wonder if there is a mod for it?

 

[zaldy]

Everyone is missing the most important thing...

USB-c connection. Wonder if there is a mod for it?

You mean USB - C for charging? Maybe you can buy USB-C to micro USB OTG adapter for that.. i dont know..

Anyway, few days ago, i lost my Tello.. VPS error, wind blows it and it lands on water... Yeah, partly my fault for being to close to water body.. but i cant resist to record the scenery..

Now i bought Mavic Mini SE

 

[volate!lo]

Have fun! Mini SE is better for recording whatever scenery anyway.

But no worries if you miss tello after a few days or weeks with the new drone! Tello is just more fun, more versatile, quicker to deploy and less intimidating with basically zero risk for humans or property.

 

[zaldy]

Have fun! Mini SE is better for recording whatever scenery anyway.

But no worries if you miss tello after a few days or weeks with the new drone! Tello is just more fun, more versatile, quicker to deploy and less intimidating with basically zero risk for humans or property.

Thanks.. i still miss tello, though.. simple and fast setups.. with larger drones, i should do pre-flight check, waiting GPS lock, etc...

If i have some money, i will get another Tello..