dana5 Posted at 2016-11-28 20:13
Curious what version of Litchi we are warning about here... Since the original start of this thread, ...

Last litchi update 23/11/16
Thread started after that...

hallmark007 Posted at 2016-11-29 03:32
Last litchi update 23/11/16
Thread started after that...

My install (android) says last update was 3.9.1, updated on November 25th, 2016
I recall this update came late in the day.
I am pretty sure this was AFTER the original post.

dana5 Posted at 2016-11-28 20:38
My install (android) says last update was 3.9.1, updated on November 25th, 2016
I recall this upda ...

Sorry last iOS update 23rd nov, not sure about android.

hallmark007 Posted at 2016-11-29 03:41
Sorry last iOS update 23rd nov, not sure about android.

Hard to say what version the poster was using, since they have been banned, and the text from the original post is gone. Also, they could have posted a week after the incident for all we know.

I believe you about Nov 23 for ios, as I would not know (I do not use ios). Android is absolutely Nov 26 for last update.

Unless I hear of issues from an additional party that has NOT been banned, I am not too concerned. I suspect the device you are using also makes a big difference here.

Kind of saw it coming but I'll miss the Shill Slayer.
May the force be with you.

For the record   -  Here is Shill Slayers Original Post courtesy of Google...

A friend recently managed to obtain a Mavic Pro from the local Apple store.  He is an experienced UAV pilot who has owned two P3 aircraft as well as a P4.  We are both extensively experienced with Litchi missions.  The bird was updated to the latest firmware, & the RC, compass, & IMU were properly calibrated.  On Wednesday 11/23/16, after several manual test flights, he sent his Mavic Pro on a Litchi test mission.  He was using the latest iOS version of Litchi.  The results are discouraging & in fact rather alarming.  Video of the flight is attached.  The mission was a 37,500' non-stop @ 30 mph & the Mavic was out of RC contact for most of the mission.  Upon viewing the video it was discovered:

* Horizon tilt is horrible during the mission.
* The gimbal experienced repeated "hiccups" throughout the flight.
* Twice during the mission the bird inexplicably stops, alters altitude, & wanders about.
* The Mavic nearly lands itself into the harbor & nearly crashes into Pier #2.
* It is amazing that the Mavic was not lost.
* Upon viewing the flight footage the pilot became so disenchanted he immediately packed up & returned the Mavic.  Unfortunately he did not download the flight log.

Viewing the attached video my take is the bird either lost satellite signal (doubtful) or entered ATTI mode.  The latter has been reported by numerous Mavic pilots.  This often seems to occur even when the bird is locked on 10+ satellitess.

WARNING - Not sure if this is a single defective unit, or a general hardware, firmware, SDK, or Litchi issue, but exercise GREAT CAUTION when flying the Mavic with Litchi.

So 23/11 for Shill Sayer's friend.

In my case, both ATTI events occurred using Android 3.9.0 beta. I have subsequently updated to android 3.9.1 BETA 981.  Yesterday I flew it cautiously 5 laps around a simple litchi course within 200m or so of me. No loss of GPS. But I am still seeing poor slightly lagging video and at one point the Litchi app lost connection. Mavic was maybe 150m away in a clear field. RC was still in contact so this may have been a USB lead issue perhaps.    Either way I am super dubious still until someone gets to the bottom of the ATTI mode events occuring as mine passed waypoints.

Looking at the flight logs one thing I notice is that whilst at all times the Mavic was connected to more than 15 satellites and was reporting its exact location, the reported speed at during the ATTI events was 0 when it was clearly moving and logging itself as moving. So perhaps this is an issue with the GPS module itself.

No way I am sending mine on a Litchi mission more than a couple of hundred metres away until this gets sorted.

Didn't see this post earlier today and had already installed Litchi and ran a couple test missions around my place. Everything worked perfectly but after reading this it makes me concerned for sure.

I also like others come from a APM flight controller background and miss being able to plan my missions on my PC at home and upload to the aircraft and fly. I really do not like the idea of flying the missions manually and recording as you go.

Is there a DJI solution for planning the missions on a PC or mobile device and uploading to the Mavic without having to fly it? I would much prefer that software. This is my first DJI machine and so far I am very happy.

DJI Ken or other DJI personnel please advise. Thanks

@ Blade Breaker 0,while you are waiting for an official reply I will add my thoughts as they have evolved in the past week.  

Initially I thought it was Litchi at fault and causing the events.
I have since  learnt that these events are anecdotally know as TBE (Toilet bowl Events), where the aircraft loses orientation, starts describing a spiral over the ground, followed by drifting away into oblivion until the pilot intervenes and flies it home.  They seem to have occurred equally with and without Litchi.
The signifigance with Litchi (obviously) is that it gives you the abilty to fly autonomoulsy, beyond line of sight (LOS) and beyond signal range.  

Whereas when using DJI GO the drone will usually be witihin signal range, so you should have FPV and possibly LOS visual.

Now imagine your drone has a TBE event on the far side of a route when you are not connected to it and you cannot see that is is occuring . Chances of a recovery IMO are near zero.   Not Litchis fault other than it was the tool I used to place it in an un-monitored state.  

Some smart people around here have assesed my log files. No one has implicated Litchi as the cause.  DJI has advised me not to use Litchi, but this I suspect is more because it is third party, and it it prevents their normal DGI GO flight logging system from operating. But it is sound advice if you are being cautious.

In the intervening week I have flown maybe 10 Litchi missions. All worked out fine. But I made sure the weather was benign with light winds, so it could not get blown out to sea and more importantly made sure I always had RC reception. Therefore I could observe and deal with any TBE event should it occur.

DJI have my logs. I hope there will be a firmware update soon to prevent these TBE events. In the mean time mine stays on a close leash.  The warning really applies to anybody who is considering flying more than a couple of hundred metres away with any software. Just give some thought as to how you might get it back if it starts drifting away.

Blade Breaker 0 Posted at 2016-12-4 21:22
Didn't see this post earlier today and had already installed Litchi and ran a couple test missions a ...

I don't know when the DJI Ground Station will be available for the public. I know they are Beta testing it.
Until then there's apps like Litchi, just remember if the aircraft is lost DJI has no way to review the logs so it probably wouldn't be covered under the warranty.
If the crashed aircraft is sent to DJI, the flight data recorder will be able to see if there was a malfunction or issue caused by a 3rd party app.

Logger Posted at 2016-12-4 23:06
@ Blade Breaker 0,while you are waiting for an official reply I will add my thoughts as they have ev ...

If a proper compass calibration is done then there should be no TBE.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-12-4 22:13
If a proper compass calibration is done then there should be no TBE.

I haven't followed every thread about the TBE issue.  However, how do you know that the compass has been properly calibrated before flight?  In all the threads that I read, I don't remember anyone saying that they had an error or notification that the compass wasn't calibrated correctly?  It just seems like you won't know until it's too late.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-12-5 07:13
I don't know when the DJI Ground Station will be available for the public. I know they are Beta testing it.
Until then there's apps like Litchi, just remember if the aircraft is lost DJI has no way to review the logs so it probably wouldn't be covered under the warranty.
If the crashed aircraft is sent to DJI, the flight data recorder will be able to see if there was a malfunction or issue caused by a 3rd party app.

What is the DJI Ground Station? Is it  this ?

DJI ground station, now you have me very interested. I am looking forward to more information on this and when it will be available.

colonel00 Posted at 2016-12-5 00:41
I haven't followed every thread about the TBE issue.  However, how do you know that the compass has been properly calibrated before flight?  In all the threads that I read, I don't remember anyone saying that they had an error or notification that the compass wasn't calibrated correctly?  It just seems like you won't know until it's too late.

If you calibrate the compass with metal closeby then it will be calibrated to that. Then when you take off there's no more metal around and you may get the TBE.

Blade Breaker 0 Posted at 2016-12-5 06:13
DJI ground station, now you have me very interested. I am looking forward to more information on this and when it will be available.

I'll post if I get more info.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-12-5 08:10
If you calibrate the compass with metal closeby then it will be calibrated to that. Then when you take off there's no more metal around and you may get the TBE.

Right but how does one know if there has been interference.  It seems that in many of these situations, the user thought they calibrated the compass properly with no metal around.  It just seems like a guessing game if there is no way to verify if the compass calibration was performed properly.

colonel00 Posted at 2016-12-7 03:22
Right but how does one know if there has been interference.  It seems that in many of these situations, the user thought they calibrated the compass properly with no metal around.  It just seems like a guessing game if there is no way to verify if the compass calibration was performed properly.

Calibrate the compass, then take the aircraft up and away from you and if it hovers in place with no drift or oscillation then it's calibrated.
Also, when you have the aircraft on the ground you can look at the sensors tab to see if the compass is good.

hi
I have just installed Litchi for my new Mavic.
on DJI Go app, no problem, no compass error.
on Litchi, it tells me my compass needs to be calibrated and when trying to do so, I get an error (error code 1007). couldn't find what is it.
I am not close to Metal around and I killed DJI Go and other running apps to ensure no conflict, still experiencing the same error.
Any idea?

Thanks

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-12-4 22:13
If a proper compass calibration is done then there should be no TBE.

I have to agree with ken. Flew a battery worth with litchi today and she is stable as usual, only flew ~20 mph though. I'm using the older firmware right before 1.3

Everything is fine but follow mode. Horizon is pretty good, not perfect but it's good. It's probably something with the calibration and the new firmware. I've seen something like a tbe in follow mode, but it wasn't, rth worked to bring it back and exit the mode. I wouldn't use follow in litchi but the rest of the modes work. I have go 3 installed.

I'm confident in litchi, that's all I fly right now. I've setup missions offline and they've all flown fine, but at a slower speed. It could be the speed is causing more interference. I have my own theories about the wiring inside, but they gave me a good bird from what I've seen so far.

thehippoz Posted at 2017-1-2 00:15
I have to agree with ken. Flew a battery worth with litchi today and she is stable as usual, only flew ~20 mph though. I'm using the older firmware right before 1.3

Everything is fine but follow mode. Horizon is pretty good, not perfect but it's good. It's probably something with the calibration and the new firmware. I've seen something like a tbe in follow mode, but it wasn't, rth worked to bring it back and exit the mode. I wouldn't use follow in litchi but the rest of the modes work. I have go 3 installed.

Good to hear, maybe I'll try Litchi one of these days.

pascalc Posted at 2017-1-1 21:16
hi
I have just installed Litchi for my new Mavic.
on DJI Go app, no problem, no compass error.

I'm sure there's a Litchi forum if you Google, maybe you can get some assistance there.
I've never tried Litchi, I will sometime though.

Video no longer available, I'm very curious to see what you've described.