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The full original post can be found here http://www.visionrouge.net/web/2016/02/dji-inspire-one-year-after/ You may find online some information about product about to be release, product just released, but what about the product released one year ago and how do they hold they promises. This post also hold a lot of tips from my experience. Here are my thoughts after one year of using as a professional tools the DJI Inspire. This product evolved a lot, mostly its software, from a amazingly powerful designed device to a more family oriented product.
Propellers: During this year, DJI changed 3 time its locking propeller system, so I guess many of the pilot experimented some propeller trouble, it also avoid any unbranded carbon fiber propeller and forced you to stick to the DJI as the shape is quite hard to reproduced by third party. I have no trouble with that. Just make sure it doesn’t get loose after each mounting/dismantle operation. Get plenty of propeller around and don’t get cheap if you feel something is not right; just put a new one!
Hardware: You drone will be travelling with you and may even end in your backpack. Be very gentle with it and make a case where it will be secure from any external pressure. I unfortunately discovered that one of the legs was not firmly connected just arriving from a 4 hours flight in a remote location when the airline may have been dropped my very large flight case.
I had few ways to solve this as it was a remote location without almost nothing
I, later, one glue it back using this 3M double component glue for carbon fiber
Check before flying all the element and make sure nothing is loose. Cancel the flight in doubt and always bring a first air repair kit.
Firmware: DJI clearly released a non tested product at first in Nov. 2014 and the first few months were more a tweaking update to make sure it could just fly. But from the summer 2015, as things getting better, DJI started to restrict now the use of the full capacity of the Inspire. Most noticeable one is the limitation in the power it can deliver and its ability to flight in the wind.
I almost lost a bird once as I wanted to bring it back and a new message popped up saying that the maximum power was reached and so it took forever to come back home. One advice here also, the drone has more power fighting from facing the wind than from the side. At first, I thought it was because of the shape of the drone, but there is so much difference that I think it’s a limitation in the software, read bellow my tips for strong wind. I guess DJI is victim of its success and user are now people without experience that need to be restricted as a simple written notice will not be followed.
Software: Third party tablet are mandatory and I choose the galaxy tab S8 as the size was right and was at the time the brightest tab available (Dec 2014). All was good until the updated released of the “DJI GO app” in Dec 2015. Now the app is draining so much power that I lost 20 % of the battery from the tablet at each flight! I now need to use the “flight mode” on the tablet and also decrease the screen luminosity to get more than 5 flight in a row without getting dark. (you don’t need gps, it’s provided by the remote)
I also have an external battery pack that I plug right away after landing to the tablet to get some precious second. The app is very power hungry and I’m thinking of a backup one to flight in a safer way. I use also a tab dedicated to this task only, without any other software than the DJI app to avoid a bit of power drained. Make the right choice when you are buying your tablet, having an interchangeable battery may be a very nice move. At the time, I’m writing this, when the app is one, you can’t check the tablet battery level, this is something DJI should fix. If the tablet reach a low level, the screen will turn almost black and it will be very hard to bring the bird back home in the blind.
The adds-on you absolutely need.
Sun hood for the tablet: The missing part to be able to read your screen outside. I have designed my own as I can’t find anything fitting my Samsung tab S8. It’s foldable, strong and work perfectly to avoid people looking at your screen which can be annoying sometime.
On your side, be careful to get something which not touch the screen at anytime and press some unwanted function. Test it before you fly.
Anti reflective protective layer on your tablet to avoid the reflect of the sky is also a good move.
Antenna reflective booster: The DJI remote have 2 antennas, but each of this antenna is actually 2 antennas in one as well, each face is one system, one for 2.4Ghz and one for 5.8Ghz, one for video, one for flight control and instrumentation. I was surprise at first to get only about one 1Km distance before losing the signal. With this 3D printed simple device, it increase to 1Km before losing the preview.
This is fantastic, it also put the 2 antennas to a very directive and perfectly positioned antenna, getting the best signal available.
It’s way more directive and you need to have your antenna directed to your bird, but it’s a life saver.
DJI USB extra cable: This is the weak point of your connection, I have tried many usb cable and found that the DJI one are the best, Buy few of them extra. Don’t be cheap, if you lose the connection with the remote, it will be very hard to bring it back.
Things to do as a check list that you may not have thought.
–Dress in black! As the screen is reflective, a black shirt will avoid to be seen on your screen, you can wear a hat with a strap in a windy situation
read the rest here:
http://www.visionrouge.net/web/2 ... ire-one-year-after/
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Second Officer
lvl.2
lvl.4
