10% Low Battery Auto Landing, can it be cancelled or turned off?
with Spark Controller and iphone 6


Lets say you are flying at your home, in your side yard and have plenty of time to land and are in fact bringing it in for a landing and your Spark drone decides it's time to land 10 feet in, over the tree line with trees about 50 feet tall and you are around 40 feet above the trees when the drone take the controls from you! Can you control it at all or even cancel it or shut this feature off to begin with?  I had a close call with some trees and bushes and only scratched up some props with Zero stratches to the drone itself. So I bought some props and the drone looks new and flys just like before but I could had hit the tree, luckely it landed in a bush that was in front of the trees. If I had full controll down to 7% Spark battery life, I could had landed a few feet away from myself because at the time I was bringing it in for a landing and I did Not see any option to cancel it from landing into the bush!  what if I was over a crowd of people? what's the joke! anyways this was my first time I let it go this low because of some sunset shots I was taking. I like to land between 20% at the lowest up to 50%. But on average 25 percent is what I shoot for.  after in landed, at the end of the flight there was 9% remaining... more than enouph time for me to land it myself.

All DJI drones force land at 10% as safety measure, don't think there is a way around it

Now you will get answer like this: You must fly rensponsibly and always keep in mind battery percentage and distance. So that you have time to get home before auto landing.

Good question

Even when it is autolanding like this, you can throttle up (left stick forward) and it will raise up overriding the auto land while the stick is up.  But as soon as you stop full throttle, it will continue its auto descent.  Like the others mention, its best to plan your flight to avoid getting yourself in this situation.  Having said that, I know how it works due to personal experience.  ;)  Part of the reason to avoid this situation is for optimal battery health.  As I understand it, LiPo batteries don't like to be deeply discharged.  

AlfexOmega Posted at 2017-11-11 14:43
All DJI drones force land at 10% as safety measure, don't think there is a way around it

It should say 0% but with a reserve of 10% to auto land with limited manual control. Why does it say you have 10% left when in fact you have 0% left to fully control your drone?  Sure I know this now... but it would be nice if DJI where more accurate because when you loose control of your drone it's at 10%. of course I am lucky to find out the easy way this time because my Spark Drone still looks and is flying like new!  Just the props got scratched up. This is Only a safety feature if you know ahead of time 10% really means 0% when it comes to fully controlling your drone like avoiding obsatcles, people, etc....

Kloo Gee Posted at 2017-11-11 17:32
Even when it is autolanding like this, you can throttle up (left stick forward) and it will raise up overriding the auto land while the stick is up.  But as soon as you stop full throttle, it will continue its auto descent.  Like the others mention, its best to plan your flight to avoid getting yourself in this situation.  Having said that, I know how it works due to personal experience.  ;)  Part of the reason to avoid this situation is for optimal battery health.  As I understand it, LiPo batteries don't like to be deeply discharged.

thank you... I will do a test some time to see if this is true, thanks again!

Afaik: The only thing YOU can do, is to fly it horizontal during the autolanding.
Which means, as higher YOU are, on 10%, as longer you have some control about the direction!

Kloo Gee Posted at 2017-11-11 17:32
Even when it is autolanding like this, you can throttle up (left stick forward) and it will raise up overriding the auto land while the stick is up.  But as soon as you stop full throttle, it will continue its auto descent.  Like the others mention, its best to plan your flight to avoid getting yourself in this situation.  Having said that, I know how it works due to personal experience.  ;)  Part of the reason to avoid this situation is for optimal battery health.  As I understand it, LiPo batteries don't like to be deeply discharged.

I will try this in one of my next flights!

S-e-ven Posted at 2017-11-12 10:15
Afaik: The only thing YOU can do, is to fly it horizontal during the autolanding.
Which means, as higher YOU are, on 10%, as longer you have some control about the direction!

Ah, I think you may be correct!  Now that I think about it after you say that, I think I was wrong to say it would go up!  It will override the descent, but it won't ascend either.  But most of the time, that is better than just letting it go down right where it is at the moment while you find a good spot to put it down.  Thanks for the double check on that!

bobsma Posted at 2017-11-12 08:30
thank you... I will do a test some time to see if this is true, thanks again!

I would recommend you set the low battery warning and fly back your drone when you get the message for its safety. Please read the manual carefully.

DJI Elektra Posted at 2017-11-12 23:05
I would recommend you set the low battery warning and fly back your drone when you get the message for its safety. Please read the manual carefully.

You just listed page 13, but there is additional/more detailed information on Page 14 in the Spark owners Manual, but DJI does Not tell you at what percent the critical battery warning goes into effect. So where in the Spark owners manual? does DJI say the following: At 10% battery life you will No longer have full control of your drone because the spark will auto land. And your recommendation has Always been my plan because of the battery longevity factor... and of course to make sure I get back the drone before I loose full control. So I recommend that DJI make it more clear to Spark Owners with a warning that at 10% it's really 0% when it comes to fully controlling your drone. If I had this warning ahead of time.... I would Never had this close call.  I am so glad this happened the "easy way" because my drone still looks brand new with no scratches except for the props.

here is my edit to a section of Page 14 in the Spark owners manual. I simply added:  (10% level) to the manual.

bobsma Posted at 2017-11-13 00:18
You just listed page 13, but there is additional/more detailed information on Page 14 in the Spark owners Manual, but DJI does Not tell you at what percent the critical battery warning goes into effect. So where in the Spark owners manual? does DJI say the following: At 10% battery life you will No longer have full control of your drone because the spark will auto land. And your recommendation has Always been my plan because of the battery longevity factor... and of course to make sure I get back the drone before I loose full control. So I recommend that DJI make it more clear to Spark Owners with a warning that at 10% it's really 0% when it comes to fully controlling your drone. If I had this warning ahead of time.... I would Never had this close call.  I am so glad this happened the "easy way" because my drone still looks brand new with no scratches except for the props.

Interesting thoughts on 0 percent left meaning it will auto land then.  I figure at 0 percent battery left, the drone will lose motor power and become a glider at any moment.  Pitch forward for optimum glide ratio and flare for the touchdown.  

I would rather the drone used the last 10 percent to arrive at the ground softly versus a vertical glide.  DJI choose wisely.

Gunship9 Posted at 2017-11-13 00:37
Interesting thoughts on 0 percent left meaning it will auto land then.  I figure at 0 percent battery left, the drone will lose motor power and become a glider at any moment.  Pitch forward for optimum glide ratio and flare for the touchdown.  

I would rather the drone used the last 10 percent to arrive at the ground softly versus a vertical glide.  DJI choose wisely.

you said: "Interesting thoughts on 0 percent left meaning it will auto land then."

it's at 10% it will auto land... see my post above with the edited PNG attachemnt

bobsma Posted at 2017-11-13 00:18
You just listed page 13, but there is additional/more detailed information on Page 14 in the Spark owners Manual, but DJI does Not tell you at what percent the critical battery warning goes into effect. So where in the Spark owners manual? does DJI say the following: At 10% battery life you will No longer have full control of your drone because the spark will auto land. And your recommendation has Always been my plan because of the battery longevity factor... and of course to make sure I get back the drone before I loose full control. So I recommend that DJI make it more clear to Spark Owners with a warning that at 10% it's really 0% when it comes to fully controlling your drone. If I had this warning ahead of time.... I would Never had this close call.  I am so glad this happened the "easy way" because my drone still looks brand new with no scratches except for the props.

here is my edit to a section of Page 14 in the Spark owners manual. I simply added:  (10% level) to the manual.

Based on the current location, spark will judge if it has sufficient power to return to home. Please fly your spark back when the low-battery warning is triggered.

DJI Elektra Posted at 2017-11-13 00:56
Based on the current location, spark will judge if it has sufficient power to return to home. Please fly your spark back when the low-battery warning is triggered.

The Sparks current location was within 30 feet horizontal and about 80 to 90 feet vertical, so I just needed to go 30 feet more horizontal to land it exactly where I took it off from. I would had only used ONE PERCENT of the battery to do so but the Spark took most of the controls away from me and decided to land in a bush in front of some trees. (if this ever happens again, I have now learned to give it full up vertical to temporarily stop this decent as it says in the manual when you reach the critical battery level: screen shot of spark manual shown below) It was a soft landing but I did have to replace 2 props. Why doesn't DJI list 10% in the manual so we all know exactly when we no longer have full control over the spark?  So now I will treat 20% like 10% when it pertains to full control over your spark because at 20% you only have 10% left to fully control you drone.

Kloo Gee Posted at 2017-11-12 18:13
Ah, I think you may be correct!  Now that I think about it after you say that, I think I was wrong to say it would go up!  It will override the descent, but it won't ascend either.  But most of the time, that is better than just letting it go down right where it is at the moment while you find a good spot to put it down.  Thanks for the double check on that!

yes.... here is the updated/edited spark instructions to show at what percent the auto land begins, and the part on page 14 in the spark owners manual that shows what control you have...  I will test and report back.

850 meters from home, this spark reached 0%, but it made it back.

heliman Posted at 2017-11-13 16:06
850 meters from home, this spark reached 0%, but it made it back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwoAvHAxrnM

Looks like that guy was quick on the overrides.  Not sure why he climbed with such low power left but it worked out.  Hope he enjoys his range trophy.  Though I have flown out 5,089 meters and back on a windless day.  At least I will tell him that

heliman Posted at 2017-11-13 16:06
850 meters from home, this spark reached 0%, but it made it back.

what a boring flight. something I would not do because it's not healthy for the battery. and landing in the Sand is something I will never do.  Nice to see you can continue flying with some control at less than 10%.... something that this video demonstrates. thanks for sharring.

Gunship9 Posted at 2017-11-13 23:36
Looks like that guy was quick on the overrides.  Not sure why he climbed with such low power left but it worked out.  Hope he enjoys his range trophy.  Though I have flown out 5,089 meters and back on a windless day.  At least I will tell him that

i know... what a stupid move to climb, then landing on the sand to boot. plus the battery longevity will go down.

Kloo Gee Posted at 2017-11-12 18:13
Ah, I think you may be correct!  Now that I think about it after you say that, I think I was wrong to say it would go up!  It will override the descent, but it won't ascend either.  But most of the time, that is better than just letting it go down right where it is at the moment while you find a good spot to put it down.  Thanks for the double check on that!

I was wrong!
Lately I had the chance to test this
Actually the left stick is keeping it away from landing.
And it will indeed ascend if you want or need it to.

bobsma Posted at 2017-11-15 13:08
i know... what a stupid move to climb, then landing on the sand to boot. plus the battery longevity will go down.

The 'stupid move' was the try not to let it outoland over water.
This way he had a chance, to get it back.
And it seems to be easier, to ascent, instead to play the stick for a horizontal flight
I did try that 2 days ago.
Either you ascent or the bird wanna land.

S-e-ven Posted at 2017-11-23 17:23
The 'stupid move' was the try not to let it outoland over water.
This way he had a chance, to get it back.
And it seems to be easier, to ascent, instead to play the stick for a horizontal flight

understood, so I obviously jumped to conclusions. so the climb was his only option. I will test myself but I don't like to hurt my lipos!

bobsma Posted at 2017-11-24 04:14
understood, so I obviously jumped to conclusions. so the climb was his only option. I will test myself but I don't like to hurt my lipos!

You can test it, like I did, very close to you and very close to the ground.
It starts at 10%. Keep it in the air for some seconds, you don't need to squeeze all of the 10% out of the battery. It is enough to see what it is doing then

You can't abort auto landing but you can still control your drone with the sticks so you should be able to avoid any obstacle or choose the best landing spot while auto landing.

heliman Posted at 2017-11-13 16:06
850 meters from home, this spark reached 0%, but it made it back.

He was able to keep the Spark flying after zero % battery. I tested on a Phantom 4 Adv. I could keep it aloft with control after 10 percent but it landed at zero.

Kloo Gee Posted at 2017-11-12 18:13
Ah, I think you may be correct!  Now that I think about it after you say that, I think I was wrong to say it would go up!  It will override the descent, but it won't ascend either.  But most of the time, that is better than just letting it go down right where it is at the moment while you find a good spot to put it down.  Thanks for the double check on that!

It will raise up!  tested this many times.

So during critcally autolanding (10% batt level) - full control. But you have to push up to stop the descend.

cheers
JJB

JJB* Posted at 4-3 03:03
It will raise up!  tested this many times.

So during critcally autolanding (10% batt level) - full control. But you have to push up to stop the descend.

Wow, this is a blast from the past.  Always interesting to see old posts pop up like this.....

Yes, I agree, it will rise up, not just stay flat.  

KlooGee Posted at 4-3 03:55
Wow, this is a blast from the past.  Always interesting to see old posts pop up like this.....

Yes, I agree, it will rise up, not just stay flat.

yep  very old post.

But its good that people read all (old) posts on here, so much to learn form it.

cheers
JJB

See my post here earlier today...  https://forum.dji.com/thread-185607-1-1.html

See there use to be a setting you could adjust for when your battery gets to low or loses connection. You could make it hover, land, or return to home. Now it just lands right away.

There use to be advanced settings where you could make it either hover, land or return to home if the battery got to low or if it lost connection. Now it just lands ASAP...

Almost crashed my spark which i bought a year ago while doing survey on a land, started landing by itself on top of powerlines about 50 meters high, I thought It would already hit but luckily there was no wind to make the power wires sway, it was only a few inches away from the power lines... dji should let us maneuver the drone to prevent this type of stuff