Hello.

  

I hope you can help me troubleshoot a problem with my Inspire 1 Pro.

  

  

Recently the aircraft has changed the way it behaves during low battery RTH. In the past I would receive audible warnings with a countdown and beeps as well an on screen option to abort the action. That was great as it gives the pilot ample time to react to his current circumstances and decide what to do. If I took no action, the aircraft would ascend to my predetermined RTH altitude, proceed to the location directly over the home point and then slowly land.

  

  

Now, the aircraft simply lands wherever it happens to be when it gets to the critical battery threshold. It does not elevate to my preset Return to Home altitude and does not come back to the home point. This is a new behavior and I can’t find anything in the app which would cause it.

  

  

Your choices in the app under home point settings are “Return to Home” or “Return to Controller”. Nowhere does it give me the option for the aircraft to land right where it is but, that is what it is doing. I find that to be an unsafe action.

  

  

I have had tech support both on the phone and in a separate occasion in an online chat suggest that I could reset things to their defaults by using the DJI Assistant app. I had to inform them on each occasion that the Assistant app is NOT compatible with the Inspire 1. After they assure me that it is, and I raise my voice slightly, they go and check only to verify that I am correct.

  

  

It flies well in every other way. This same action occurs on any of my 6 batteries and my batteries are well cared for and deep cycled when the app calls for it. It must be a software thing and I’m open to any possibilities, including my own mistakes which may have caused this condition.

  

  

DJI GO App version     3.1.52 (Android)

  

Aircraft firmware       1.11.01.50

  

X5 camera firmware  1.11.1.50

  

Remote firmware       1.7.80

  

Fly Safe Database       01.00.01.09

  

  

RTH Altitude                60M (though it has occurred at altitudes much lower as well)

  

Low Battery Warning 30%

  

Critical Battery           20%

  

  

Tech support suggested an IMU and compass calibration. Done, with no effect. I have adjusted those battery thresholds slightly just to see if it would change anything and the results are the same. I also went through and upgraded everything to the latest firmware on every component in hopes of defaulting whatever setting may have been changed. I have a few other things to try but the weather hasn’t been cooperating lately. I’m looking for more insight if you can provide it.

  

  

If I can provide any further info, I am happy to do so. I just don’t feel confident flying this aircraft on a commercial job in the state that it’s currently in.

  

  

Thanks very much!

If the Inspire is less than  20m  away (if my memory serves me correctly) it will land right where it is, this is normal.

Mark G.

Mark Guille Posted at 4-26 09:10
If the Inspire is less than  20m  away (if my memory serves me correctly) it will land right where it is, this is normal.

Mark G.

Thanks Mark.
Yup, I have been 40M away and had the same result. This behavior is new and unusual. Keep those suggestions coming though. It's gotta be staring at me somewhere.
Thanks for weighing in though, I'm grateful for the input.

Kernel Droner Posted at 4-26 13:01
Thanks Mark.
Yup, I have been 40M away and had the same result. This behavior is new and unusual. Keep those suggestions coming though. It's gotta be staring at me somewhere.
Thanks for weighing in though, I'm grateful for the input.

Hi Kernel,

Could you upload your flight data to Airdata.com  and share a link here.

Mark G.

Mark Guille Posted at 4-26 23:04
Hi Kernel,

Could you upload your flight data to Airdata.com  and share a link here.

Sure thing, Mark.
I think this one is a good example. It never gets the return to home command. It just auto lands without returning to home.
Check it out.

https://app.airdata.com/share/TSEHyG
And, I can verify that if the aircraft is within a 20 meter/65 feet radius it will decsend in place. Straight from the manual. Not the case in this example as I was at 127 feet away.

Kernel Droner Posted at 4-29 05:40
Sure thing, Mark.
I think this one is a good example. It never gets the return to home command. It just auto lands without returning to home.
Check it out.

Is the Smart Return to Home enabled?

The reason I ask is, it seems to miss the low battery stage where it would normally initiate the RTH and then tries to land when the battery gets to the critical state ( which it should).

Mark G.

Mark Guille Posted at 4-30 07:58
Is the Smart Return to Home enabled?

The reason I ask is, it seems to miss the low battery stage where it would normally initiate the RTH and then tries to land when the battery gets to the critical state ( which it should).

Great question- and one that tech support has asked me as well. The answer is yes. What's missing in the flawed flights is the "Returning Home" command.

I've been working with different battery threshold settings with some success, but not consistent. I reinstalled the app and had a good flight with 20% and 13%, returned to home perfectly as it should. Then just for the sake of science, I set 50% and 45% and it landed in place. Ugh! Wondering if those numbers were too close, I then set 50% and 43%, landed in place. Ugh X2!

Testing continues, weather, schedule and sanity permitting.

Kernel Droner Posted at 5-3 12:24
Great question- and one that tech support has asked me as well. The answer is yes. What's missing in the flawed flights is the "Returning Home" command.

I've been working with different battery threshold settings with some success, but not consistent. I reinstalled the app and had a good flight with 20% and 13%, returned to home perfectly as it should. Then just for the sake of science, I set 50% and 45% and it landed in place. Ugh! Wondering if those numbers were too close, I then set 50% and 43%, landed in place. Ugh X2!

I have mine set at 30% and 10%, I guess it depends on how far away you fly but this works well for me.

Keep us posted.

Mark G.

Thanks Mark.
I guess I'm a little surprised that no one else has chimed in. Leave it to me to have some crazy problem that no one has ever seen before.
Anybody?