The Matrice 200 Series of aircraft’s by DJI gives you three options to choose from. The M200, the M210, and the M210RTK.
The M200 is a powerful tool to have in your hands. DJI boast a 4.3 mile range with a maximum flight time of 38 minutes, when running the bigger TB55 batteries. Realistically, with a camera hooked up like a Z30, your getting closer to 30 minutes with TB55’s and about 25 minutes with the TB50’s. The M200 runs on a dual battery setup for redundancy, as well as giving the ability to “hot swap” batteries without having to power down the aircraft. Its weather resistant IP43 rated body is a first for DJI. The IP43 rating translates to the ability to handle splash water in any direction. The booms on the M200 fold down quickly, and the props and landing gear comes apart easily to make transportation and setup a quick process. With top, front, and bottom obstacle avoidance sensors you can fly worry free. There is a dedicated first person view camera mounted on the front of the M200 series aircraft as well. Another big leap in drone tech is the built in ADS-B receiver. This will provide the pilot with real time information about the surrounding manned airplanes. Making the airspace we fly in safer for everybody, and that is something we can all appreciate. The M200 offers a single downward camera payload that can support the X4S, X5S, XT, or Z30 camera. We will go over more details on each camera selection in a later blog. The M200 paired with the DJI ground station pro application gives you an aerial based mapping solution for a range of applications.
Stepping up to the M210 opens up a lot more possibilities. Applying the same structural and battery specs as the M200, what sets the M210 apart is the ability to have a dual downward gimbal setup, or even a top mounted camera. Imagine having a Zenmuse XT thermal camera paired with a Z30 zoom camera. Search and rescue , or police applications can now find a subject with a thermal camera quickly , and follow up by zooming in on the subject. Perhaps there is a need to inspect the heat signature on a object while also filming in real time HD. The Zenmuse XT paired with a X5S is a great solution. In addition, the M210 has a top mount option. This opens up the ability to do bridge inspections from below or inspect support systems in warehouse type environments. Imagine the time you can save and more importantly the risk of injury that is eliminated, by deploying your M210 to inspect a bridges and other structures. The M210 is also fully programmable. The ability to set a task, perform, and record your results is a crucial aspect of this unit.
Building off of the M210 , DJI allows the user to integrate a D-RTK system. The aircraft will constantly communicate with a ground station for increased accuracy. This will give the copter the ability to stay within a few centimeters of where it hovers. The D-RTK system also allows you to not be affected by electro-magnetic fields produced by power lines. Giving the pilot the ability to get close to its subject without relying on faulty compass and GPS readings. This amount of precision is great to have when mapping out an area, or flying in a tight environment.
Hopefully this blog was a good way to introduce the M200 series. Reach out to the helpful staff at Quadrocopter, and we can go into more details about your specific application and camera needs. Pairing our pilots with the right platform is an essential part of you accomplishing your job. When your job is done and all this content is recorded, Quadrocopter will soon be offering a cloud based content management system to organize and easily access all your data collected.