Let's get down to it: Steady Device

[RPR]

There is an new device in the market that has been causing a stir, as well as videos of the device being use, called the Steady Device. What is a steady device? The SD is a manual motion and directional control for the ST16 and ST16S. Still confused? If you do a search under "Steady Drive" you will see and read further information of what this device really is. Without further adieu, where's my short review.

The Steady Device is nothing more than just a mechanism to aid in locking the heading of a sUAS in either directional pitch or roll, and this is great for videographers, who are looking for that smooth dolly, low to the ground vertical to an acceding climb to meet the glorious sunrise of sunset shots, and by having that smooth (as rail) camera work, the SD allows the operator to follow a perfect path, and it does not stop there. The SD will allows one to be as creative as one can get, while the sUAS is moving, you have full control of the gimbal, allowing you to compose shots or focus on any subject. You can even yaw as the drone is moving.

My ratings:
Cinematography. 10
Construction. 6

Why did I give the SD a 6 out of 10? Because, as I was learning how use and get the feel for the device. I do not see the SD in aiding me beyond the monotonous of gridding of the trenches, inspecting pipes, and rebars, which is not a whole lot, and the workflow are mechanical rather than creative, when I got done gridding, the SD went back inside the bag never to be brought out again, and giving the SD a score of 6 in use in the construction field, because in certain areas it slowed me down, I think 6 is fair, because this device is a dolly, and dolly's are used in creative storytelling. The sUAS is very smooth once the Pitch or Roll is locked in place. Others brought up the topic of safety, and this, what I can say. Do not worry about your drone cashing, fly away, while using the Steady Device, because it will not. The steady device can easily be removed, and you are not flying a 100mph drone. The SD is easy to put on, as well as remove.

Safety. 10

 

[NorWiscPilot]

Very misleading, @RPR.

When I first read your ratings for the device, it appeared you were giving it a 6 for “quality of materials and workmanship”. Only after reading deep into your rambling did your opinion seem to evolve into a rating for “use in inspecting construction sites.”

If I have this wrong, please let us know. It seems the former [materials and workmanship] have been previously vouched for as worthy.

Also, “never to be brought out again”? Is this similar to your love/hate relationship with your H Plus and the various “the bomb, no wait, horse crap, then again ‘like butta’ “ firmware sagas?

Just bustin’ a bit; in good fun. (I hope.)

Jeff

 

[RPR]

Very misleading, @RPR.

When I first read your ratings for the device, it appeared you were giving it a 6 for “quality of materials and workmanship”. Only after reading deep into your rambling did your opinion seem to evolve into a rating for “use in inspecting construction sites.”

If I have this wrong, please let us know. It seems the former [materials and workmanship] have been previously vouched for as worthy.

Also, “never to be brought out again”? Is this similar to your love/hate relationship with your H Plus and the various “the bomb, no wait, horse crap, then again ‘like butta’ “ firmware sagas?

Just bustin’ a bit; in good fun. (I hope.)

Jeff

Let’s not play with words Jeff, it gets old. The SD has a purpose, and that is in cinematography, also I will always give my honest thoughts that will never change.

 

[NorWiscPilot]

Let’s not play with words Jeff, it gets old. The SD has a purpose, and that is in cinematography, also I will always give my honest thoughts that will never change.

Not playing, just saying.

Guess it’s just getting more difficult to cut through all the vacillations we are reading lately. Praise in one post: downright vitriol in the next.

Not singling out anyone. Only observing some recent threads.

Nothing personal intended. Only giving my own “honest” observations.

 

[RPR]

Not playing, just saying.

Guess it’s just getting more difficult to cut through all the vacillations we are reading lately. Praise in one post: downright vitriol in the next.

Not singling out anyone. Only observing some recent threads.

Nothing personal intended. Only giving my own “honest” observations.

Yes, I’ve bashed Yuneec’s incompetence, with their builds, and also shared on how to make them work, with mods. If you want my ratings for the build quality, it’s a 10.

You entered the discussion, with tunnel vision. lol The SD acts like a dolly, a similar purpose to tap fly and cruise control, these modes are great in cinematic workflow.

Construction has a different workflow, and as I stated that during 10-30 docs the SD is useful. I am not bashing the SD. This was not design for the intention, with construction operators in mind, but designed to those that wants a cinematic, smooth fell of a dolly cam.

And that will be my next project is to really put the SD’s true intentional design into good use, and that to implement it in my creative workflow.

I can get pretty anal, when it comes devices, and or apps that I use for work. I did not write about my dislikes, but rather an honest, and raw opinion.

A small percentage in this forum works on the construction field, therefore my next presentation will be to satisfy the masses.

 

[Phaedrus]

Got my Steady Device today. Nicely packaged in a neat little can. Looks very well done. Of course I have a full week of rain starting tomorrow

 

[RPR]

Got my Steady Device today. Nicely packaged in a neat little can. Looks very well done. Of course I have a full week of rain starting tomorrow

You will like it, because now, I can wait for the weekend to come, and do something creative with it.

With the current setup, you have to lower the speed rate, and with doing that you already, either miss the important things in your composition, sunrise/sunset, or following a moving vehicle. I tried the SD in sport mode that got me excited. The device stays precisely on track, when flying in high speed.

 

[RPR]

And I also want to add. The SD does not require an extensive expertise in flying, an operator, with 2 weeks of flight under his or her belt can also benefit from the SD.

 

[Phaedrus]

And I also want to add. The SD does not require an extensive expertise in flying, an operator, with 2 weeks of flight under his or her belt can also benefit from the SD.

Cool, then I am all set ?

 

[RPR]

Cool, then I am all set [emoji106]

[emoji23] you’re exempted from future discussions. But, can’t wait on what you will create, with the SD. Fly it in sport mode! I’ve been practicing on the tilt and pan, when in sport mode.

 

[Docdor]

Very misleading, @RPR.

When I first read your ratings for the device, it appeared you were giving it a 6 for “quality of materials and workmanship”. Only after reading deep into your rambling did your opinion seem to evolve into a rating for “use in inspecting construction sites.”

If I have this wrong, please let us know. It seems the former [materials and workmanship] have been previously vouched for as worthy.

Also, “never to be brought out again”? Is this similar to your love/hate relationship with your H Plus and the various “the bomb, no wait, horse crap, then again ‘like butta’ “ firmware sagas?

Just bustin’ a bit; in good fun. (I hope.)

Jeff

I also read it that way until reading further. Mine arrived yesterday and is very well constructed.

 

[AH-1G]

I'm happy to see you all received your SD. I use it both in the construction arena and for videography out side of construction.
It is a great tool!
Now how can I switch the tilt mode over to the rabbit and turtle side and vise versa? This would be so much easier to pan and tilt at the same time rather than having both hands on the left side.

 

[Phaedrus]

Makes me wish I was left handed!!

 

[RPR]

I also read it that way until reading further. Mine arrived yesterday and is very well constructed.

Ahhh gotcha! The word “construction” that got Jeff in a bunch. The quality as you would expect from copterdawg.com is quality like @Ty Pilot other products.

So again, let’s give the quality a rating of 10 and packaging a rating of 10 as well.

 

[RPR]

Makes me wish I was left handed!!

[emoji23] I’m ambidextrous in this right handed world. I feel you.

 

[Ty Pilot]

I am glad RPR got his Steady Drive finally. I was hoping it had more use as a tool of his trade but if he thinks it has only moderate gains in that field so be it. As I have stated from the beginning, the SD was born out of the desire to regain the ability to have 'Cruise' coupled with the fluidity of the other controls in order to get more cinematic shots. How it is going to be used depends entirely on the individual; it is just another tool in the tool box and it is up to the operator to figure out how to get the most from it.

 

[RPR]

I am glad RPR got his Steady Drive finally. I was hoping it had more use as a tool of his trade but if he thinks it has only moderate gains in that field so be it. As I have stated from the beginning, the SD was born out of the desire to regain the ability to have 'Cruise' coupled with the fluidity of the other controls in order to get more cinematic shots. How it is going to be used depends entirely on the individual; it is just another tool in the tool box and it is up to the operator to figure out how to get the most from it.

The SD is very useful, don’t get me wrong, it locks the sUAS heading precisely. My thoughts of you for making this device is a blessing to us all, because I made a cheap DYI with the same functionality as the SD, and it cannot hold a candle to your creation.

The disclaimer in your video, where you said that one needs to be proficient in flying is great n’ all, but I let two of my buddies fly my TH Plus, the first is a DJI flyer and he loves the idea, because the app takes time to exit, reposition, and enter into a new flight plan. The SD can enter a flight plan or course in 3sec.

The other buddy of our, who’s getting into drones to personally document a build for himself, flew my TH Plus, and with ease he was flying like he has been flying for years. My point is this, and my opinion alone. The SD is beneficial to new and season operators.

SD vs in App Modes. The SD reduces the time to execute a new flight route, because one does not have to exit a flight mode. But, I am anal time, specially when I have a lot to check off in my to do list. There are some kinks that the SD needs work on in my field of work, as a general use device, and as you said it is up to the individual on how to incorporate the SD in his or her workflow.

I am not knocking the SD, and this is where the misconception starts to form, and to dodge the bullet, beta tester shares false reviews, with a bandwagon mentality and culture that needs to change. I will review the SD again and put in a more creative use, where I can play with perspectives, and grand reveals, because not a lot of members on here works in the field that I work 6 days a week (depending on the weather) who can sympathize my workload. Albeit, I have already been practicing maneuvers to showcase the SD’s strongest points in the cinematic arena.

 

[Ty Pilot]

No worries, I wasn't sure if it even had a use in your line of work as that is not something I have ever done with it. So, thank you for your honesty. You do make a lot of good points: in my video I wanted to be clear and up front in making a disclaimer - on the one hand it (SD) is so ridiculously easy to use and in seconds just about anyone will get it, but on the other, we know there is that 1 in 100 flyer so I felt it was necessary. Also when compared to using ANY electronic tool or app or flight mode - the simplicity factor of the Steady Drive comes out on top (in my estimation - I haven't used any DJI in a while)

Some of the things I am going to show in later videos and you may have already seen is; in Sport Mode and higher rates you can literally drift the Typhoon around in amazing fashion including high banking orbits, 180 degree slides and a lot of other stuff that has no use from the camera's point of view but it's just a fun exercise in flight.

 

[RPR]

No worries, I wasn't sure if it even had a use in your line of work as that is not something I have ever done with it. So, thank you for your honesty. You do make a lot of good points: in my video I wanted to be clear and up front in making a disclaimer - on the one hand it (SD) is so ridiculously easy to use and in seconds just about anyone will get it, but on the other, we know there is that 1 in 100 flyer so I felt it was necessary. Also when compared to using ANY electronic tool or app or flight mode - the simplicity factor of the Steady Drive comes out on top (in my estimation - I haven't used any DJI in a while)

Some of the things I am going to show in later videos and you may have already seen is; in Sport Mode and higher rates you can literally drift the Typhoon around in amazing fashion including high banking orbits, 180 degree slides and a lot of other stuff that has no use from the camera's point of view but it's just a fun exercise in flight.

I’m planing to get another one shortly, but it needs to shaved it down to fit my DJI controller. I also have a mod in mind that I will share with you in reducing time, when shifting from pitch to roll in a second, and I know you’ve seen the other mod ? and I really dig it! And that will change my ratings to a perfect 10 in construction work.

FYI I’m not practicing in normal speed. Like I’ve said, I’m flying the SD in sport mode, where it somehow shines, gelled with the speed rate, from turtle to rabbit.

I’m already thinking head of how I am going to use it on next personal project, and my plan will not disappoint, because you have already covered this topic in your product video.

 

[Guardian44]

So, if I understand this all correctly, this device became necessary because the H Plus does not have the cruise control feature that my H Pro has? I should be able to do the same function as this, just using my cruise buttons, right?