Why I would think twice about "droning" as a career...Lightning cable saga...

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Professional Droning - My journey regarding one small link in a very long chain...

It's funny. But when friends or people in the forums ask about "getting into the drone business," I try not to be too discouraging, but I must warn them that there are a LOT of things to know, lots of equipment to maintain and lots of protocols to fully understand before one can deliver a professional product. From door to door (or sometimes called "portal to portal"), there are 100 things that can go wrong, any one of which can stop you from delivering a product. This short story is about just one cog in a vastly large machine.

An example...

Just today I decided that I was tired of messing around with substandard Apple Lightning cables. Regardless of who makes them or where I buy them, they seem to be saddled with either low data rates, low current ratings (for charging), are flat-out unreliable or are inconsistent. Some are even rejected by Apple peripherals (actual warnings in the app about the cable). I just want a 10' Apple Lightning cable that will carry 2 Amps (the rating of their chargers) and pass data at a rate that won't choke out any of my peripherals or apps (40Mbps seems reasonable). I ASSUMED that OEM factory (or MFi certified) cables would fulfill those specifications. Well, it turns out I was wrong. First off, factory cables never come in lengths over 2 Meters. I need roughly 3 meters for my mapping jobs. Is a 10 ft. USB->Lightning cable really that much to ask?

Second, even the OEM Apple cables sometimes have to be unplugged and replugged to work. Maddening.

My hunt started on eBay. After purchasing well over a dozen very fancy looking cables from Chinese vendors that wouldn't charge OR pass data (received refunds for every cable), I decided to use domestic vendors. I found vendors that sold 10' Lightning cables under the guise of being "OEM." But those cables would either not pass data or would not charge. I need a cable that does both at the same time.

So then I started looking into high-end aftermarket companies like Noyce, Alta, McDodo and Nomad. But first, to cut through the hype, I wanted to see user reviews. So I did a Google search, and stumbled across this ****** "review" of a Noyce 13' cable. This "review" was nothing more than 2.5 minutes of unboxing. Yes, you read that right. 2.5 minutes of opening a ******** box. Jerk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucyBVVeklQ8

Fortunately, I found another, more comprehensive review for this long, FOUR meter Noyce cable from a guy named Jeff Geerling.

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/…/review-noyce-13-4m-lightning…

Unlike the previous ****stick, this guy actually ran tests on the cable.

I checked Amazon reviews, which were good - not excellent, but good. Overall, the reviews were good enough that I decided to pull the trigger on one of these Noyce cables. So I clicked on the Amazon link only to find that the "item is unavailable." No worries. I'll search eBay. Nope. Nothing there. No worries. I'll go straight to the Noyce website. What's this?? NO WEBSITE!??!?!?! Are you ******** kidding me?!?! ARGH!!!

Okay...time to start over. Apparently Noyce either went out of business or is in hiding. Time to move on to Nomad cables, which are available in only 2 lengths; 1.5M and 3M. 10' is long enough, so I decided to move forward.

Unlike the Noyce cable, I could find no comprehensive tests done on the cable. I found plenty of "Macworld" type reviews that, in typical Apple user fashion, talked about "fit" and "finish" and how nice the cable fit in their bag and the pretty color, but not one of those ****sticks actually ran any data or power tests on the thing. ARGH!! And while the "Macworld" community touted this as "the last Lightning cable you will ever need," the Amazon community seemed to take exception to that assertion. Amazon reviews ran the gamut. 75% of users thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. 25% of the users thought it was **** with comments like, "Laster 6 weeks" and "Connector broke off in my iPad" and "Stopped working already" and "Worked for 2 weeks" and "These cords are terrible" and on and on.

So then I moved on to Anker cables, which netted almost identical reviews to the Nomad cables.

So then I moved on to McDodo cables. Those reviews were even worse, but the hype was better.

So $70 later it seems I've purchased one of each + a USB tester and will have to conduct my own reviews and tests.

I've just spent over 2 hours (and $70) researching these lousy Lightning cables. 2 hours! The Lightning cable is just one of many, many components I rely on as a drone professional. Imagine batteries and/or Firmware and/or propellers and/or software and on and on and on. For every paid hour, I spend 2 or 3 on R&D.

Are you SURE you want to get into this business?

L8rz,

Donnie Frank
 
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I'd do it and be successful.... 'cept I work at night and sleep in the day (When the really good stuff happens). You'd have to be one that fits the scenario and want to make it your full time thing. The "107" part limits what I can do as a "regular Joe" and it'll only get worse as "Adam Henry" units ruin it for all. But It sounds like a blast doing what you already like to do and cash those $$....
 
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I'm glad I'm not the only person who can't find a dependable lightning cable. I carry no less than 4 different cables in my "Drone Case" and several more in other cases in my vehicle. My only saving grace is that my current processes don't require anything more than 1M so my options are greatly increased over Donnie's needs.

Thus far I have found ANKER to be the ones I trust the most and to date (knocks on wood) my ANKER has performed flawlessly and requires the least amount of "unplug/replug".
 
I'd do it and be successful.... 'cept I work at night and sleep in the day (When the really good stuff happens). You'd have to be one that fits the scenario and want to make it your full time thing. The "107" part limits what I can do as a "regular Joe" and it'll only get worse as "Adam Henry" units ruin it for all. But It sounds like a blast doing what you already like to do and cash those $$....

I actually feel pretty fortunate. It's the right mixture of "techy stuff" and the great outdoors.

Check out my iPad shade. HA!

DSC01784.JPG
 
(Apple makes things sadder than needs to be).....

I find it ironic that they're stuff is so pricey, yet the quality so marginal. I just assumed that OEM was the way to go. But, unlike most markets, it seems the Apple aftermarket stuff is actually the "quality" stuff. Who knew?

I purchased roughly $70 worth of cables and a tester. I'll figure out which cables are of higher quality and will probably make a video. Every "Apple Cable Review" video I've seen so far has been crap...including a 2.5 minute "unboxing" of a Noyce cable. That just cracked me up. I could see unboxing a car engine or a computer for 2 minutes. But a cable? That guy really pissed me off. But I digress.....
 
Professional Droning - My journey regarding one small link in a very long chain...

It's funny. But when friends or people in the forums ask about "getting into the drone business," I try not to be too discouraging, but I must warn them that there are a LOT of things to know, lots of equipment to maintain and lots of protocols to fully understand before one can deliver a professional product. From door to door (or sometimes called "portal to portal"), there are 100 things that can go wrong, any one of which can stop you from delivering a product. This short story is about just one cog in a vastly large machine.

An example...

Just today I decided that I was tired of messing around with substandard Apple Lightning cables. Regardless of who makes them or where I buy them, they seem to be saddled with either low data rates, low current ratings (for charging), are flat-out unreliable or are inconsistent. Some are even rejected by Apple peripherals (actual warnings in the app about the cable). I just want a 10' Apple Lightning cable that will carry 2 Amps (the rating of their chargers) and pass data at a rate that won't choke out any of my peripherals or apps (40Mbps seems reasonable). I ASSUMED that OEM factory (or MFi certified) cables would fulfill those specifications. Well, it turns out I was wrong. First off, factory cables never come in lengths over 2 Meters. I need roughly 3 meters for my mapping jobs. Is a 10 ft. USB->Lightning cable really that much to ask?

Second, even the OEM Apple cables sometimes have to be unplugged and replugged to work. Maddening.

My hunt started on eBay. After purchasing well over a dozen very fancy looking cables from Chinese vendors that wouldn't charge OR pass data (received refunds for every cable), I decided to use domestic vendors. I found vendors that sold 10' Lightning cables under the guise of being "OEM." But those cables would either not pass data or would not charge. I need a cable that does both at the same time.

So then I started looking into high-end aftermarket companies like Noyce, Alta, McDodo and Nomad. But first, to cut through the hype, I wanted to see user reviews. So I did a Google search, and stumbled across this ****** "review" of a Noyce 13' cable. This "review" was nothing more than 2.5 minutes of unboxing. Yes, you read that right. 2.5 minutes of opening a ******** box. Jerk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucyBVVeklQ8

Fortunately, I found another, more comprehensive review for this long, FOUR meter Noyce cable from a guy named Jeff Geerling.

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/…/review-noyce-13-4m-lightning…

Unlike the previous ****stick, this guy actually ran tests on the cable.

I checked Amazon reviews, which were good - not excellent, but good. Overall, the reviews were good enough that I decided to pull the trigger on one of these Noyce cables. So I clicked on the Amazon link only to find that the "item is unavailable." No worries. I'll search eBay. Nope. Nothing there. No worries. I'll go straight to the Noyce website. What's this?? NO WEBSITE!??!?!?! Are you ******** kidding me?!?! ARGH!!!

Okay...time to start over. Apparently Noyce either went out of business or is in hiding. Time to move on to Nomad cables, which are available in only 2 lengths; 1.5M and 3M. 10' is long enough, so I decided to move forward.

Unlike the Noyce cable, I could find no comprehensive tests done on the cable. I found plenty of "Macworld" type reviews that, in typical Apple user fashion, talked about "fit" and "finish" and how nice the cable fit in their bag and the pretty color, but not one of those ****sticks actually ran any data or power tests on the thing. ARGH!! And while the "Macworld" community touted this as "the last Lightning cable you will ever need," the Amazon community seemed to take exception to that assertion. Amazon reviews ran the gamut. 75% of users thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. 25% of the users thought it was **** with comments like, "Laster 6 weeks" and "Connector broke off in my iPad" and "Stopped working already" and "Worked for 2 weeks" and "These cords are terrible" and on and on.

So then I moved on to Anker cables, which netted almost identical reviews to the Nomad cables.

So then I moved on to McDodo cables. Those reviews were even worse, but the hype was better.

So $70 later it seems I've purchased one of each + a USB tester and will have to conduct my own reviews and tests.

I've just spent over 2 hours (and $70) researching these lousy Lightning cables. 2 hours! The Lightning cable is just one of many, many components I rely on as a drone professional. Imagine batteries and/or Firmware and/or propellers and/or software and on and on and on. For every paid hour, I spend 2 or 3 on R&D.

Are you SURE you want to get into this business?

L8rz,

Donnie Frank

I found you a solution,
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p...gYSGiURYeRtKM_LYygR6IN7TZxDD8fNkaAieVEALw_wcB
 
HD,

I have not checked, but does Monoprice sell a cable like what you need?

I just ordered a 10-footer to add to the test collection. Their reviews are on par with every other cable. Funny...pretty consistently, it seems 75% of Amazon cable customers are thrilled with their purchase, and 25% are not. Of those 25%, some cables lean more towards VERY unsatisfied, while other cables are more spread out among "very dissatisfied" to not-so-satisfied. Interesting.
 

I actually own quite a few USB extenders, both 3.0 and 2.0. For the most part, they seem to pass electricity okay, but don't do so well in the data department. Because of the nature of our work environment, I would honestly like to eliminate as many points of failure as possible, which precludes cable extenders. But thanx for the link and the suggestion.
 
That setup looks pretty great, but where's your comfy lawn chair and beer cooler?! :)

Hehe...well, for longer jobs, I DO bring a chair, which does recline. And the cooler's not in the photo. We always bring a cooler with frosty beverages and some snacks. My partner and I are partial to bananas. Boy...that sounds funny....
 
I just ordered a 10-footer to add to the test collection. Their reviews are on par with every other cable. Funny...pretty consistently, it seems 75% of Amazon cable customers are thrilled with their purchase, and 25% are not. Of those 25%, some cables lean more towards VERY unsatisfied, while other cables are more spread out among "very dissatisfied" to not-so-satisfied. Interesting.

Would be interested in hearing how their cable stands up to your tests. I've purchased their cables before and haven't had any issues to date. In fact, just ordered some 4K HDMI cables. The prices for their cables are a fraction of the prices charged for the hyped-up brands.
 
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Professional Droning - My journey regarding one small link in a very long chain...

It's funny. But when friends or people in the forums ask about "getting into the drone business," I try not to be too discouraging, but I must warn them that there are a LOT of things to know, lots of equipment to maintain and lots of protocols to fully understand before one can deliver a professional product. From door to door (or sometimes called "portal to portal"), there are 100 things that can go wrong, any one of which can stop you from delivering a product. This short story is about just one cog in a vastly large machine.

An example...

Just today I decided that I was tired of messing around with substandard Apple Lightning cables. Regardless of who makes them or where I buy them, they seem to be saddled with either low data rates, low current ratings (for charging), are flat-out unreliable or are inconsistent. Some are even rejected by Apple peripherals (actual warnings in the app about the cable). I just want a 10' Apple Lightning cable that will carry 2 Amps (the rating of their chargers) and pass data at a rate that won't choke out any of my peripherals or apps (40Mbps seems reasonable). I ASSUMED that OEM factory (or MFi certified) cables would fulfill those specifications. Well, it turns out I was wrong. First off, factory cables never come in lengths over 2 Meters. I need roughly 3 meters for my mapping jobs. Is a 10 ft. USB->Lightning cable really that much to ask?

Second, even the OEM Apple cables sometimes have to be unplugged and replugged to work. Maddening.

My hunt started on eBay. After purchasing well over a dozen very fancy looking cables from Chinese vendors that wouldn't charge OR pass data (received refunds for every cable), I decided to use domestic vendors. I found vendors that sold 10' Lightning cables under the guise of being "OEM." But those cables would either not pass data or would not charge. I need a cable that does both at the same time.

So then I started looking into high-end aftermarket companies like Noyce, Alta, McDodo and Nomad. But first, to cut through the hype, I wanted to see user reviews. So I did a Google search, and stumbled across this ****** "review" of a Noyce 13' cable. This "review" was nothing more than 2.5 minutes of unboxing. Yes, you read that right. 2.5 minutes of opening a ******** box. Jerk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucyBVVeklQ8

Fortunately, I found another, more comprehensive review for this long, FOUR meter Noyce cable from a guy named Jeff Geerling.

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/…/review-noyce-13-4m-lightning…

Unlike the previous ****stick, this guy actually ran tests on the cable.

I checked Amazon reviews, which were good - not excellent, but good. Overall, the reviews were good enough that I decided to pull the trigger on one of these Noyce cables. So I clicked on the Amazon link only to find that the "item is unavailable." No worries. I'll search eBay. Nope. Nothing there. No worries. I'll go straight to the Noyce website. What's this?? NO WEBSITE!??!?!?! Are you ******** kidding me?!?! ARGH!!!

Okay...time to start over. Apparently Noyce either went out of business or is in hiding. Time to move on to Nomad cables, which are available in only 2 lengths; 1.5M and 3M. 10' is long enough, so I decided to move forward.

Unlike the Noyce cable, I could find no comprehensive tests done on the cable. I found plenty of "Macworld" type reviews that, in typical Apple user fashion, talked about "fit" and "finish" and how nice the cable fit in their bag and the pretty color, but not one of those ****sticks actually ran any data or power tests on the thing. ARGH!! And while the "Macworld" community touted this as "the last Lightning cable you will ever need," the Amazon community seemed to take exception to that assertion. Amazon reviews ran the gamut. 75% of users thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. 25% of the users thought it was **** with comments like, "Laster 6 weeks" and "Connector broke off in my iPad" and "Stopped working already" and "Worked for 2 weeks" and "These cords are terrible" and on and on.

So then I moved on to Anker cables, which netted almost identical reviews to the Nomad cables.

So then I moved on to McDodo cables. Those reviews were even worse, but the hype was better.

So $70 later it seems I've purchased one of each + a USB tester and will have to conduct my own reviews and tests.

I've just spent over 2 hours (and $70) researching these lousy Lightning cables. 2 hours! The Lightning cable is just one of many, many components I rely on as a drone professional. Imagine batteries and/or Firmware and/or propellers and/or software and on and on and on. For every paid hour, I spend 2 or 3 on R&D.

Are you SURE you want to get into this business?

L8rz,

Donnie Frank
Not sure why you seem to have kind of glossed past Anker's products.

Lots of folks have commented about them on this forum, and I don't know anyone who's had less than favorable results with their Apple Lightning cables.

And FYI, when I see issues with having to re-plug a known "good" Lightning cable to get the electrons moving again, a reboot of the Apple device always solves it unless the problem was something on the copper.

Various responses to other comments... USB hubs and extenders can be hit or miss, depending on the devices in use. Many vendors recommend avoiding them.

I love Monoprice stuff but am careful about it. For mission-critical applications I tend to think twice.
 
I actually feel pretty fortunate. It's the right mixture of "techy stuff" and the great outdoors.

Check out my iPad shade. HA!

View attachment 99987

Cool setup. I think.
You need a ladder to work the RC...??
Or you have a “remote remote” hooked up to that thing?
Or- are the you setting up a programmed flight that steers itself once running?
 
Cool setup. I think.
You need a ladder to work the RC...??
Or you have a “remote remote” hooked up to that thing?
Or- are the you setting up a programmed flight that steers itself once running?

He's doing a LOT of autonomous flights (aka mapping).
 
Cool setup. I think.
You need a ladder to work the RC...??
Or you have a “remote remote” hooked up to that thing?
Or- are the you setting up a programmed flight that steers itself once running?

A couple of magnet mount L-Com antennas would be another option.
 
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That setup looks pretty great, but where's your comfy lawn chair and beer cooler?! :)
BTW, it is VERY ILLEGAL to drink and fly. I don't drink at all (because I am too young,) and I NEVER will. Sorry, but I get angered by alcohol. It is very bad. I had many family members and friends who have died from drugs and alcohol. Also, the FAA is very clear about doing drugs and alcohol before or during flight. (Maybe it's time to read that chapter in the small uas Remote Pilot manual again...)
 
BTW, it is VERY ILLEGAL to drink and fly. I don't drink at all (because I am too young,) and I NEVER will. Sorry, but I get angered by alcohol. It is very bad. I had many family members and friends who have died from drugs and alcohol. Also, the FAA is very clear about doing drugs and alcohol before or during flight. (Maybe it's time to read that chapter in the small uas Remote Pilot manual again...)
. He asked where his beer cooler was, not why he wasn’t sloshed yet...
 

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