So I'm trying to convince my agency to purchase an M210 and one of the questions asked was the life span of the drone if they're going to invest $20-30K. I told them at least 5 years if not more depending on use and preventative maintenance. But it got me to wondering how accurate that might actually be. In doing some digging I saw the M100's came out about 4-5 years ago and now they aren't really selling them anymore. However, I know folks are still using them. I would think the 200 series will probably be the same way but wanted to get ya'lls thoughts.
Life Span of Matrice
- Thread starter jasnwatsn
- Start date
A DJI product's life span is entirely dependent on how long parts are available for it to continue functioning safely. As you are aware, DJI recently quit supporting a number of their products for whatever reason. So an aircraft such as my Inspire 1v2 that would be a valuable part of our fleet for years to come just became obsolete as soon as the first part is needed that is no longer offered. IF you are going to invest that kind of money in an aircraft, there are other options available to you that will probably have a longer shelf life and might even be more capable.
I’d like to add that useful life description is not limited to DJI as it applies to every consumer drone manufacturer that does not use commonly available COTS parts for the power and control systems.
Taking that a step further and you have makers that use parts that by all rights should be replaceable from COTS sources but that is prevented by the drone manufacturer using non standard, drone manufacturer mounting dimensions in their parts. An example is Yuneec with their 920 that employs 17” props. By all rights we should be able to obtain 17” props from other manufacturers if and when Yuneec’s become unavailable. But we can’t as Yuneec employs a non standard mounting bolt pattern in their props and motors.
We can significantly extend the useful life but doing so comes with a cost. When we find equipment that serves our purposes well today and will continue to serve effectively in the future we might consider obtaining a quantity of critical component spares when models are still popular and supported. Doing so might also improve resale value later as a used drone buyer would know they had a parts source available that would not be otherwise.
Taking that a step further and you have makers that use parts that by all rights should be replaceable from COTS sources but that is prevented by the drone manufacturer using non standard, drone manufacturer mounting dimensions in their parts. An example is Yuneec with their 920 that employs 17” props. By all rights we should be able to obtain 17” props from other manufacturers if and when Yuneec’s become unavailable. But we can’t as Yuneec employs a non standard mounting bolt pattern in their props and motors.
We can significantly extend the useful life but doing so comes with a cost. When we find equipment that serves our purposes well today and will continue to serve effectively in the future we might consider obtaining a quantity of critical component spares when models are still popular and supported. Doing so might also improve resale value later as a used drone buyer would know they had a parts source available that would not be otherwise.
So if I hear what you're saying Pat is that no matter who we decide to go with, invest in parts that typically wear out over time to ensure we have them available after the manufacturer decides it is no longer financially viable for them to support an older aircraft?
Close, but not quite as there are manufacturers that employ “non proprietary” parts that can be obtained from multiple sources. Such parts use common mounting dimensions, similar sizes, common size and power rating descriptions, and are often employed on numerous models.
The popular name manufacturers have planned obsolescence as part of their business strategy. Any company with a practice of superseding models on a frequent basis is letting us know that whatever we buy will not be supported in one manner or another for very long after a new model is released.
Battery supplies are a typical means of forcing model replacement as once the power supply becomes unavailable we either buy a new model with available batteries or cease flying. For systems using proprietary batteries, plan on 2-3 years from the original product release date as a life cycle estimate as that is about how long batteries from a production can be expected to be useful.
It works out we need to consider higher end purchases not only with what a system can do, but also with how long it will remain viable to do those things. It may well be that a system that is terribly convenient might ultimately be inferior to systems that offer similar functionality but with less convenience because replacement parts and power supplies will be available much longer for the less convenient system. There’s also the ability to transfer optional payloads from one system to another to consider.
The popular name manufacturers have planned obsolescence as part of their business strategy. Any company with a practice of superseding models on a frequent basis is letting us know that whatever we buy will not be supported in one manner or another for very long after a new model is released.
Battery supplies are a typical means of forcing model replacement as once the power supply becomes unavailable we either buy a new model with available batteries or cease flying. For systems using proprietary batteries, plan on 2-3 years from the original product release date as a life cycle estimate as that is about how long batteries from a production can be expected to be useful.
It works out we need to consider higher end purchases not only with what a system can do, but also with how long it will remain viable to do those things. It may well be that a system that is terribly convenient might ultimately be inferior to systems that offer similar functionality but with less convenience because replacement parts and power supplies will be available much longer for the less convenient system. There’s also the ability to transfer optional payloads from one system to another to consider.
A lot of great information Pat. Thank you. It sucks to think I would have to convince my upper command to spend more money in order to get something that should be useful longer than a few years. Other than dji, what are some others out there that offer thermal, zoom, everything else?
A police agency invests $20-30K in a police car. Will it still be running in 5 years? Unlikely. Anticipating future technology development s a losing game. Just like buying the latest computer and a better one comes out 6 months later. So you wait and never buy one, waiting for the next best thing? I have a 6 year old Inspire 1 still on the line, going strong. It can mount all the X series cameras. The question should be, does the M210 and sensor package you purchase today fits your mission? If yes get it. If command staff wants a guarantee the bird will never become outdated, well..there's no such thing in life.
Great point Luis. Thank you. Sometimes having the argument for why we’re going a certain direction is just as good or important to have as a better solution would be. Thank you.
As a retired chief of police I understand limited budgets and how we must spend wisely. But fortune favors the bold.
Thanks Chief. I’m going to use that phrase.As a retired chief of police I understand limited budgets and how we must spend wisely. But fortune favors the bold.
MedicFL1
Member
This is the exact reason i own three Inspire 1.v2 pros and purchase parts of broken birds off ebay. The Manufactures like to put you in a position where you feel you need to buy new from them. The Inspire batteries is a good example of their trying to force the issue. The Community usually responds by making mods and the area is expanding all the time.
There is a maintenance manual for the Matrice 200 series (manual by DJI for their service companies) but it will be tough trying to get it yourself meanwhile there are companies like ViewPro and Foxtech that make pieces for the Matrice now (Tracktenna is a good example) that just came out. The Matrice cameras should be "shopped" separately just as we do for other products we buy in our lives, you can significantly lower that $25k estimate. Example Zenmuse Z30 original $10,000 Now $2,600. Do you need an XT2 or is the Flir Vur Pro R (part of the XT2 - other part being the famous 1- 2.3" 12mp RGB Camera) at one third the price really what you needed in the first place (with an X4S or X5S camera combo)?
Interesting discussion as the TerraView RangePro X8 just came out and it can mount all the DJI Cameras.
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