The controller should get an automatic turning off functionality for when it's been inactive for longer than 30 minutes or so (which is longer than any possible flight time anyway) this should also be easy to implement with a firmware update.

Why?
Because yesterday after flying I must've not double checked wether the controller had turned off after doing the power off, and put it in the "foam" case. Well it hadn't and luckily I needed the controller an hour after when I discovered it was hot as hell and had drained quite some battery. Would be a logical precaution.

Best,

Alari

It beeps if left inactive too long, I think this is sufficient.. I doubt you will forget to double check again

Having an auto shut off feature would cause way more problems than the simple problem of forgetting to shut off your controller.

@Sploodge: YES I definitely will be more observant over the fact, but it still could happen again, as with the gimbal protection - where I had to write a reminder over the power button however during the whole time, I didn't hear any beeping.
@Tj10: right now I can't see how it would create more problems, when the standby time would be clearly longer than any possible flight time, so if you take off, and don't touch any of the controls your drone will have long landed and out of battery before your controller shuts off sue to inactivity. Also your app will clearly state if your controller is turned off, if you see that as an issue where people might not know why they can't take off or something.

It does beep, and that's good because I've had mine remind me that it was left on a couple of time this way...    But, if I were to pack thing up after a flight, and then leave the house, it would wind up beeping to itself until I got back home, or the battery went dead.

It would be nice to have a no activity auto-off selection in the menu.  That way users could choose between 'beep when left on', or beep, but shut off after a predetermined time of no activity.

Personally, I'd rather learn the hard way.  A flat battery isn't the end of the world.  Too much automation can create a couple of problems.  Firstly, it adds complication, which is there by the bucket load already so can be another thing to go wrong/learn/confuse.  Secondly, when people rely on automation, they get lazy & don't bother checking stuff or learning how it all works.  Judging by the crash threads on here, the majority of problems are caused by people not learning to use what they have responsibly.

I agree some things can & should be improved upon, especially for safety, but not just to make life easier.  Part of flying should include a checklist, both before & after flight. Automating basic tasks discourages this attitude & encourages bad habits.

Just my opinion based on experience with many things besides RC aircraft.

Not wanting automation and flying a Phantom 4 seems mutually exclusive to me. Just my opinion.

Have the RC (transmitter) turn off after 30 minutes of inactivity AND not connected to an aircraft. That is how other RC radio systems implement auto shut off.

nigelw Posted at 2016-5-11 19:05
Personally, I'd rather learn the hard way.  A flat battery isn't the end of the world.  Too much aut ...

@Nigelw:
I was just worried about consequences from the high amount of heat created, when in the foam case and being afraid of the battery exploding/catching fire that could result in more than just an empty battery.
The temperature was almost too hot for the touch.

I'm all for knowing what you're doing and everything I learn I need to know how it works out of curiosity, which is one of the reasons I've never had to study for any math based subjects and always graduated them with honours.

In this case it's a pure safety concern for me.

nigelw Posted at 2016-5-11 10:05
Personally, I'd rather learn the hard way.  A flat battery isn't the end of the world.  Too much aut ...

I have to agree with Nigel on this one.  It would be far better to get the existing features sorted out and working properly than to add another potential problem feature that,  really,  is not all that difficult to deal with manually.  There will always be things that are possible to do,  after all, "  Just a little software code " or whatever.  Personally,  I would prefer less autonomy over more.  And there is already an auto power off.  It is called a dead battery.

alariii Posted at 2016-5-11 18:31
@Nigelw:
I was just worried about consequences from the high amount of heat created, when in the f ...

I see your point, but I'd be more concerned as to why the RC got so hot.  Does it get that hot outside the case?  Maybe a hardware thermal cutout should be incorporated, which would reduce the risk yet have less of a negative effect.

nigelw Posted at 2016-5-11 13:22
I see your point, but I'd be more concerned as to why the RC got so hot.  Does it get that hot out ...

I've done this before, it did get very warm. I was sitting there wondering why it didn't auto shutoff.

Is this on the p4? Because the RC does shut off automatically on the p3.

alariii Posted at 2016-5-11 11:57
@Sploodge: YES I definitely will be more observant over the fact, but it still could happen again, a ...

But just imagine you don't fly right away, you leave your phantom on for a while before flying..that would pass the 30 min mark. then after that the controller shuts off on you.

@Nigela: no, during the flying outside it never gets nearly as hot, probably because there's moving air around, however the foam in the case is a really good thermal insulator allowing it to heat up rapidly while losing very little of the heat generated.
@Rajooni: YES P4.
@TJ10: No, it wouldn't happen, as I said after 30 minutes of inactivity, which means that when you take of after 29 minutes of standby, it'll be again another 30 minutes uses of you not touching the remote, until it shuts off, which is unlikely. And as Ggoodlett mentioned, 30 minutes of inactivity and no connection to the craft is how most RC controllers do the shut off (lack of connection being extra precaution) and even without the disconnection being an indicator, if you manage to lose connection to the craft right after take off, it'll be back home before 30 (before shut off) for sure, as the battery could never last as long.

It does beep after a period of time disconnected from the Phantom. I doubt that you will hear it once in the case. I am sure that you will check it from now on after your experience.

I would also agree. Maybe a hard lesson learned, but I would personally hate to see another feature like this added. I would think it would involve a little engineering, maybe not huge, but it would only add to the costs.
I agree that things happen and yes it is nice to have everything "fool-proof", but sometimes we just need to slow down a bit and make sure we are doing the responsible thing. To me it would be like have your car shut off if you got out of it and left it running, and after 30 minutes it would automatically turn itself off if no movement is detected. Then you would get into the routine of not worrying about it. Not for me I guess.

Ricardo Posted at 2016-5-12 13:51
I would also agree. Maybe a hard lesson learned, but I would personally hate to see another feature  ...

I agree, I would be worried about it shutting off while I'm flying

@Richard: most new cars nowadays do what you described as a method for reducing environmental impact however regarding the costs, as Rayrokni mentioned, the p3 already had a auto shut off functionality, and as a knowledgeable software engineer and software solutions architect I can reassure this functionality would only be a few tiny little lines of code. (Even in case the functionality was to be created from scratch)
@Exib: in the described scenario, for the remote to shut off mid flight would be impossible, if you know a little bit about programming.
I understand people have split views on this topic and it's unlikely DJI will implement this just because it's in some forum thread. I'm just trying to put in my 2 peas to prevent a possible house fire for someone

Alari Posted at 2016-5-12 19:39
as a knowledgeable software engineer and software solutions architect I can reassure this functionality would only be a few tiny little lines of code...

It may only be a small amount of code, but it would be adding to the existing rats nest which is far from perfect.  The last thing most experienced pilots want is more to go wrong.  Most just want a reliable aircraft rather than added features.  A level horizon would be nice, as would stable altitude & a VPS system that actually helped.

nigelw Posted at 2016-5-12 22:31
It may only be a small amount of code, but it would be adding to the existing rats nest which is fa ...

Fortunately I don't have the horizon leveling or instability issues (yet, I hope it stays that way) haven't flown indoors, don't know about vps. But if those issues aren't present on all devices it can be some sort of calibration (or even factory calibrations, users can't do themselves) or hardware issues.

Alari Posted at 2016-5-13 02:39
@Richard: most new cars nowadays do what you described as a method for reducing environmental impact ...

Good to know! Thanks for explaining that about the automobiles, I wasn't aware. Sounds like you are a person with some experience in programming/software. Thanks for you input.

nigelw Posted at 2016-5-13 04:31
It may only be a small amount of code, but it would be adding to the existing rats nest which is fa ...

I agree with you nigelw. That was also kind of what I was trying to say. Although I am not as experienced as a lot of you, I am for keeping it as basic and simple as possible.

ggoodlett@aol.c Posted at 2016-5-11 18:29
Not wanting automation and flying a Phantom 4 seems mutually exclusive to me. Just my opinion.

Hav ...

I see no harm on this, in fact it is a good idea. We are humans after all. Check lists etc are all good from a pilot point of view for more important areas, but there will always be that one time we may forget to switch it off. I think beeping is good, but if packed already in your vehicle and you have no direct visual or audible contact with your RC, what then???

Alari Posted at 2016-5-13 09:19
Fortunately I don't have the horizon leveling or instability issues (yet, I hope it stays that way ...

You're lucky if you get perfectly level horizons.  Judging from the videos I've seen & my own experience, they've got a long way to go before they can claim the horizon level is as good as it gets.

Regarding VPS, I can see no difference between flying with VPS on or off, either indoors without GPS or outside with GPS.  Also the height monitoring by ultrasonic sensors appears to be accurate compared to the barometer.  However, it doesn't actually appear to do anything other than display the height  on the app.  As far as I can tell, the P3 will happily fly into the ground when using waypoints, even though the ultrasonic sensor is telling you & the app it's losing altitude!  Surely that's just code, no?

Off subject,maybe the phone companies can shut down all cell phones that.  are activated.  if not used in 30 minutes. My home. Computer hibernates after 30 minutes.