Difference between RC-N2/RC-N3

[OldGuy]

I am trying to find out the difference between the above controllers. The RC-N2 specs are readily available but I can find very little info on the RC-N3. The RC-N2 has O4 but does the RC-N3? As there is a big difference in price between the two controllers I imagine that the RC-N3 is inferior to the RC-N2?

 

[Chrislaf]

They both have O4. From what I have read the N3 has a smaller battery otherwise they are basically the same.

Chris

 

[Droning on and on...]

They both have O4. From what I have read the N3 has a smaller battery otherwise they are basically the same.

Chris

Yup... just about half in capacity, a few hundred grams lighter too.

 

[kentdavidge]

Regarding the signal, from what I understand the difference between O2 (RC-N2), O3 (RC-N3), and O4 (RC-N4) is you can get further with the drone without losing signal, but this is of no value when it comes to objects blocking your signal. There's a guy on YouTube testing with all of the three technologies and the results are the same: loss of signal in a congested area.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Regarding the signal, from what I understand the difference between O2 (RC-N2), O3 (RC-N3), and O4 (RC-N4) is you can get further with the drone without losing signal, but this is of no value when it comes to objects blocking your signal. There's a guy on YouTube testing with all of the three technologies and the results are the same: loss of signal in a congested area.

There is no RC-N4.

The RC-N1 uses O2. RC-N2 uses O3 and O4, RC-N3 O4 only.

As for obstacles between the RC and aircraft, they attenuated the signal to varying degrees. Modulation, encoding, and error correction techniques can improve successful acquisition of a digital signal from a radio carrier without changing anything else about the transmission system.

As such, simply updating firmware to a more robust communication protocol can result in better penetration through obstacles, resulting in, for example, staying connected while passing behind a building with O4 that caused a disconnect with O3 on exactly the same equipment.

As an aside, there is an inverse relationship between time and power transmitting information over RF (or any wave-based medium). As power gets weaker, a signal can still be extracted given more time. In the extreme, a signal well below the noise threshold can be recovered through a mathematical process called convolution.

You can extract it, but you can't hear it

 

[OldGuy]

They both have O4. From what I have read the N3 has a smaller battery otherwise they are basically the same.

Chris

If they are basically the same apart from a smaller battery then why the difference in price. Here in Europe the RC-N2 is €159 ($177) and the RC-N3 is €119 ($133)? A difference of €40 or $44!?

 

[Rchawks]

I"m counting my money too, I don't want to spend more than I have to, or get undervalued.
Appreciate the thread.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Upshot: You'll have to charge it more often.

 

[Rchawks]

I'll use it for certain flights and my other 2 drones for other flights. Depending on the situation and area. It is something to keep in mind though for sure.

 

[RangerEd]

There is no RC-N4.

The RC-N1 uses O2. RC-N2 uses O3 and O4, RC-N3 O4 only.

As for obstacles between the RC and aircraft, they attenuated the signal to varying degrees. Modulation, encoding, and error correction techniques can improve successful acquisition of a digital signal from a radio carrier without changing anything else about the transmission system.

As such, simply updating firmware to a more robust communication protocol can result in better penetration through obstacles, resulting in, for example, staying connected while passing behind a building with O4 that caused a disconnect with O3 on exactly the same equipment.

As an aside, there is an inverse relationship between time and power transmitting information over RF (or any wave-based medium). As power gets weaker, a signal can still be extracted given more time. In the extreme, a signal well below the noise threshold can be recovered through a mathematical process called convolution.

You can extract it, but you can't hear it

You must have worked with RF before. Good explanation. I used to design sonar systems; pretty much similar principles. The only difference is the medium.

 

[DARKSeifer]

The N3 is basically a downgrade.

 

[Droning on and on...]

The N3 is basically a downgrade.

Fair, but I'd point out only in how long you can use it before recharging. Otherwise, it's functionally identical.

Watch the forum... won't be long until some pops it open and mods those missing batteries back in. Probably 18650s.

 

[OldGuy]

Fair, but I'd point out only in how long you can use it before recharging. Otherwise, it's functionally identical.

Watch the forum... won't be long until some pops it open and mods those missing batteries back in. Probably 18650s.

So why is it so much cheaper just because of a smaller battery?