{"id":12880,"date":"2016-04-07T14:24:27","date_gmt":"2016-04-07T18:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ammorc.com\/?p=12880"},"modified":"2017-06-10T20:43:21","modified_gmt":"2017-06-11T00:43:21","slug":"meet-the-traxxas-aton-plus-and-its-multiple-personalities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/driverc.com\/index.php\/2016\/04\/07\/meet-the-traxxas-aton-plus-and-its-multiple-personalities\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet The Traxxas Aton Plus and Its Multiple Personalities"},"content":{"rendered":"

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“Your Easy-To-Use Aerial\u00a0Photo and Video Assistant. Meet Aton Plus, Your Personal Video Assistant.” \u00a0That is the first thing you’ll read when you visit Traxxas Aton website<\/a><\/span>. \u00a0What is the Aton all about and who is the target market is the first that comes to my mind.<\/p>\n

It seems obvious Traxxas is intent on promoting this from the video angle first and\u00a0have given pilot’s two choices with the Aton and the Aton Plus. \u00a0The difference is between the two is that the Plus has a larger battery and a 2-axis camera gimbal.<\/p>\n

Second,\u00a0no experience necessary is somewhat of a Traxxas mantra\u00a0and the Aton Plus is no exception, according to Traxxas. And that also means the Aton Plus has to be durable.<\/p>\n

Third, it’s the only 2-axis gimbal quadcopter on the market that has 3 modes: Film, Sport, Expert. \u00a0So while other machines are purpose built, Traxxas decided to give the Aton Plus owners a real\u00a0option for different styles of flying.<\/p>\n

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SPECIFICATIONS<\/h1>\n

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MEET ATON+<\/h1>\n

FLYING DRONES<\/strong>
\nTraxxas introduces you to the Aton with\u00a0the Quick Start Guide and the Know Before You Fly<\/a> pilot responsibilities.<\/p>\n

I suspect many looking to buy and fly the ATON+ will be coming to it because of the Traxxas name and reputation. \u00a0And while Traxxas begins each quick start guide with warnings, the surface side of r\/c is significantly different that flying a drone. \u00a0The FAA has specific restrictions, including drone registration, all exhaustively covered at knowbeforeyoufly.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FLIGHT READY<\/strong>
\nIn true Traxxas fashion, everything you need to fly is included. \u00a0The ATON+ (Model #7909) comes with an upgraded 5000mAh 3S LiPo battery and 2-axis gimbal versus a\u00a03000mAh 3S LiPo battery and fixed camera mount for the ATON. \u00a0The charger is also included.<\/p>\n

Understanding the ATON+ transmitter is next after understanding your obligations as a drone pilot. \u00a0The throttle and flight sticks will be familiar to anyone with drone or r\/c helicopter experience. \u00a0And it will also be the biggest challenge to any newcomer to drone flying.<\/p>\n

TRANSMITTER<\/b>
\nThe transmitter LCD screen has the necessary information you need to fly including TX & RX battery, flight mode, throttle rate, helicopter lights on\/off, and status of AUX1 and AUX2.<\/p>\n

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The ATON+ can take up to a minute to initialize for flight. \u00a0On the back of the ATON+ are 4 lights: Power, GPS, Home, Info. \u00a0To begin flying, the pilot must set the ATON+ on the ground with the status bar facing you. \u00a0The ATON+ will begin searching for the GPS satellites and will emit a tone and glow solid when complete. \u00a0The Home indicator then lights up indicating the Home position has been set. \u00a0After all 4 indicators are green, the ATON+ is ready to arm for flight.<\/p>\n

The Throttle has to be all the way down, followed by pressing the arm\/disarm button on the transmitter. \u00a0A sound will emanate and the ATON+ is ready to fly.<\/p>\n

FLYING:<\/strong>
\nThe throttle stick needs to be pushed to 50% and the ATON+ will send itself and hold a hover at 8-10\u2019 off the ground. \u00a0Push further on the throttle stick and you\u2019ll hear a high-pitched tone indicating you\u2019re gaining altitude. \u00a0Descend and you\u2019ll you hear a low-pitched tone. \u00a0Hover and you won\u2019t hear anything.<\/p>\n

FILM MODE:<\/strong>
\nIn FILM mode, the ATON+ will do everything it can to hold its position using a 6-axis flight control system, allowing the pilot to focus on pictures or video. \u00a0The control inputs are extremely docile from the factory. \u00a0The pilot can change the settings via the app or while flying, which will allow for faster flight and\u00a0quicker\u00a0response from transmitter inputs.<\/p>\n

In most cases, the settings for FILM mode are fine and brilliant for a new pilot. \u00a0However, changing to more\u00a0aggressive settings was helpful to me when chasing faster moving objects like r\/c cars.<\/p>\n

SPORT MODE, AIR BRAKES & HOME:<\/strong>
\nRemove the camera and legs (4 screws), jump over to SPORT mode and watch the ATON+ come alive. \u00a0This is also where the AUX1 button is available to initiate various aerobatics: front, back, side and diagonal flips. \u00a0The AUX2 continues its role as your Air Brakes or panic button… \u00a0increasingly useful with a dialed up drone.<\/p>\n

If you find yourself disoriented, confused or at risk of crashing and need to pause to catch your breath or regain perspective, this is your button. \u00a0Simply hold the button down for as long as it takes you to collect your thoughts and the ATON+ will bring itself to a hover until you release the button and start flying again. \u00a0I don\u2019t care how many years you\u2019ve been flying, this is a sweet little button to have at your disposal!<\/p>\n

If you shake up your nerves enough,\u00a0you can also tap the home button on the TX to bring the ATON+ back to where it launched. \u00a0There is no obstacle avoidance, so caution is advised. \u00a0However, the ATON+ will make the move back home at 45\u2019 or higher. \u00a0So if you\u2019re in the trees and tap the home button, the ATON+ elevates to 45\u2019 and heads to the home position, then descends to its takeoff\u00a0point. \u00a0Cancel return to home by tapping AUX2 Air Brakes.<\/p>\n

EXPERT MODE:
\n<\/b>When Traxxas says Expert Mode, they aren\u2019t joking. \u00a0The ATON+ shuts down all it\u2019s aides and puts the drone entirely in the hands of the pilot’s inputs. \u00a0No assists in this mode, so expert mode should only be activated\u00a0by experienced pilots.<\/p>\n

SAFETY HELP:
\n<\/strong>The ATON+ has a few other features to help keep itself safe and you out of trouble. \u00a0First is geofencing– a GPS enable boundary for the ATON+, set at approximately 500\u2019. \u00a0Should you fly outside that boundary, the ATON+ returns to home. \u00a0Once it\u2019s back within the 500\u2019, pressing and releasing the air brakes gives you back flying control.<\/p>\n

There is also a low voltage flysafe (telemetry) 2-way communication with the ATON+. \u00a0Before the battery is completely discharged, the ATON+ has 3 levels of warning. \u00a0First is to emit a tone every 5 seconds. \u00a0Second, the tone will be continuous. \u00a0Lastly, the ATON+ will emit the return to home tone, land and disarm itself.<\/p>\n

And finally, should you end up in the weeds because you went for\u00a0the air brakes a little too late, there is a retrieval \u201cfind me\u201d beeper.<\/p>\n

FIRMWARE & SOFTWARE:<\/strong>
\nFor those with some technical experience or geek tendencies, the ATON+\u00a0some evolving open source software you might like.<\/p>\n\n\t\t