Sorry for so many posts, recently.  I had to reinstall firmware and app today and thus had to reset all the settings.  I always come across in Safety, Advanced Settings the Emergency Propellor Stop setting and I always select Emergency Only.  I don't select the other option (I think it's Always) for fear of accidentally triggering a motor stop.  Then, I ask myself what Critical Error would enable the Emergency Only function and do I get any indication in the app that a Critical Error is in progress.  I did a search which turned up nothing (as usual, but that's another thread/complaint to DJI) so I'm turning to you SMEs out there (subject matter experts).  Thanks for humoring this old fart but I think many of you might want to also know the answer to my questions.

Dirty Bird Posted at 8-15 10:03
The specifics of what constitutes an "emergency" appear undefined, so I can only assume it means after an impact, aircraft inverted, or some sort of abnormal sensor reading.

I leave it set to Always.   If you know how to fly there is no reason the sticks should ever be in either of the motor stop positions.  If in mid-flight you hand the RC to a kid or total newbie, maybe then 'Emergency" makes sense.  

I use full roll (left or right) and full pitch (aft) on the right controller to give a reveal to the left or right (like a beach scene).  Other times, I use full throttle (aft) and full yaw (left or right) on the left controller adding a little pitch to maximize my rate of descent.  So, at times, I have at least one controller fully deflected as in the Emergency Stop position.  I also worry about maybe trying to adjust the sun shade or some other motion where I accidentally drop the RC and in catching it accidentally move the controls to the Emergency Stop position.  I do see your point, though.

I recall reading that if the drone detects a critical error in flight then this constitutes an emergency which enables that CSC option to take effect. What defines a critical error I am not sure but I think what DB has stated hits the nail on the head - impact/crash, inverted flight, motor malfunction, battery malfunction or equivalent severity.

I too set to emergency only.  

A J Posted at 8-16 05:12
I recall reading that if the drone detects a critical error in flight then this constitutes an emergency which enables that CSC option to take effect. What defines a critical error I am not sure but I think what DB has stated hits the nail on the head - impact/crash, inverted flight, motor malfunction, battery malfunction or equivalent severity.

I too set to emergency only.

an inversion won't need the emergency shut off as the MA2 automatically kills the motors when it senses that it's flipped over.

had a few instances the first day I got mine where it lost RC connection and wouldn't reconnect. each time at least it was still low enough that I could snatch it down from midair carefully and just flipped it over to shut down the motors.

XbladezDW Posted at 8-16 09:39
an inversion won't need the emergency shut off as the MA2 automatically kills the motors when it senses that it's flipped over.

had a few instances the first day I got mine where it lost RC connection and wouldn't reconnect. each time at least it was still low enough that I could snatch it down from midair carefully and just flipped it over to shut down the motors.

Yeah, the Spark use to it too. But my point was a critical error in the drone enabling CSC - flipping was just one example.

With the response set to "emergency only" I have brought a mini down from appreciable height with the sticks in the CSC position and it never stopped the motors. It was a controlled descent the whole way down, as soon as the sticks were released the mini hovered. ( I was fairly sure the motors would not stop)
With the response set to ''anytime'' and the mini LOW down the CSC position stopped the motors after about 2 seconds, the remaining fall was about 18" onto grass.
If you can read/understand the charts put out by CsvView the attached   shows a CSC position held from slightly over 20m down to around 1.5m. As the mini gets near the ground you can see the landing protection start to kick in and slow the descent, you can see the beginnings of the hover going off to the right.
The appreciable height test was from higher up.

It's not really an area for experimentation unless you accept that the drone could be wrecked, I think the danger with the mini is that it would tumble in freefall and that would prevent the motors restarting.

As an experiment I have done a intentional midair CSC and restart with a Phantom 3 and it's an interesting experience
From what I saw on the screen the phantom spun but barely wobbled. However after looking at the logs it did wobble quite a bit so the gimbal did a terrific job. The phantom's motors restarted at idle and it continued to fall at near enough terminal velocity, it took me a second or so to realise what was happening and give it full throttle.

Having flown a Mavic Air 2 too close to a tree, when a gust of wind moved the thin branches toward it, I certainly wished I had "Always" selected. I did the CSC, to no avail.
Instead, I got to watch it chew on the branches and leaves for a while, before it fell to the ground and then tumble around on the ground. I presumed it would turn itself off, and didn't really dare to let it out of sight by messing with the app, so I calmly watched (with a broken heart). After about 20 seconds (which felt like 5 minutes), I couldn't stand watching it anymore, so I picked it up with my hands. I did all sorts of things with it while holding it, including holding it upside down, and tap & press the power button, but nothing stopped it.

This nightmare would have been avoided if only I had changed the setting from "Emergency only". Needless to say, I will not fly Mavic Air 2 with the "Emergency only" setting again.

From the manual.

hallmark007 Posted at 9-6 15:51
From the manual.

[view_image]

That’s the whole point of my post...I know what’s in the manual.  But what constitutes a Critical Error and do I get a Critical Error message so I know the CSC is enabled??? That’s what’s NOT in the manual.

hallmark007 Posted at 9-6 15:51
From the manual.

[view_image]

This is not an excerpt from the MA2 manual...I did an Adobe search and looked throughout the manual and could not find it anywhere.  Can you give me a page reference???  And it really doesn't pertain to what I was asking in my original post.

djiuser_pNEMNXwXNvO1 Posted at 9-6 04:12
Having flown a Mavic Air 2 too close to a tree, when a gust of wind moved the thin branches toward it, I certainly wished I had "Always" selected. I did the CSC, to no avail.
Instead, I got to watch it chew on the branches and leaves for a while, before it fell to the ground and then tumble around on the ground. I presumed it would turn itself off, and didn't really dare to let it out of sight by messing with the app, so I calmly watched (with a broken heart). After about 20 seconds (which felt like 5 minutes), I couldn't stand watching it anymore, so I picked it up with my hands. I did all sorts of things with it while holding it, including holding it upside down, and tap & press the power button, but nothing stopped it.

I'm wondering that if you did all those things:  CSC...turned it upside down...pushed the battery power button...etc...if CSC would have even worked if you had been in Always mode?

Rustic17 Posted at 9-6 18:33
This is not an excerpt from the MA2 manual...I did an Adobe search and looked throughout the manual and could not find it anywhere.  Can you give me a page reference???  And it really doesn't pertain to what I was asking in my original post.

Most people ignore the most important manual you have, which is safety and disclaimer. It will open your eyes of the importance of safety and where you stand visa vie your warranty in accordance with how you choose to fly your craft. There are also many good hints regarding your craft battery etc. I believe if you choose not to read this manual, you may well do it at your peril ;+)

hallmark007 Posted at 9-7 07:59
Most people ignore the most important manual you have, which is safety and disclaimer. It will open your eyes of the importance of safety and where you stand visa vie your warranty in accordance with how you choose to fly your craft. There are also many good hints regarding your craft battery etc. I believe if you choose not to read this manual, you may well do it at your peril ;+)

Great words of wisdom, hallmark007, as always...thanks for the reference!!!