I have been working on an idea I have to do away with switch toggling that involved some electronics etc installed in the transmitter when it occured to me that it maybe it can be done in firmware. Remembering the Phantom already has a brain so it knows if it is flying or not and can measure time. Yes I hear the screams of horror but whether we like it or not we haven't seen the last firmware update.

I have not had any trouble with the compass calibration switch sequence but the Course and Home Lock leave much to be desired.

I also think that Home Point and Home Lock Location should be two seperate things? Comments please.

For the sake of clear understanding Home Lock could be called Point Of Interest Lock (POI LOCK).

I have revised the initial idea to address the concerns about being able to move Home Point and also keep Home Point if desired.

Revised Firmware idea is as follows...

CALIBRATING THE COMPASS WITH SWITCH 1

PRESENT METHOD: TOGGLE SWITCH 1 FROM GPS POSITION (Top) TO FAILSAFE / MANUAL* POSITION (Bottom) AND BACK TO GPS POSITION (Top) SIX TIMES. * Depending on setting in Assistant. Confirmation = Slow Yellow LED flashing.

PROPOSED METHOD: SWITCH 1 FROM GPS POSITION TO FAILSAFE / MANUAL* POSITION (MANUAL) FOR 5 SECONDS AND THEN BACK TO GPS POSITION WHEN THE YELLOW LIGHTS ARE FLASHING TO COMMENCE COMPASS CALIBRATION. * Depending on setting in Assistant.

For this next part to work the Phantom will need to be able to work with two seperate GPS locations Home Point (HP) and Point Of Interest (POI).

Note: On Take-off the Home Point and Point of Interest should the same locations so IOC will work initially on Home Point and then move to Point Of Interest if and when selected and is different.
SETTING COURSE LOCK NOSE DIRECTION WITH SWITCH 2

PRESENT METHOD: SWITCH 2 FROM OFF POSITION (Top) TO COURSE LOCK POSITION (Middle) AND BACK TO OFF POSITION (Top) 5 TIMES. Confirmation = Rapid Green LED flashing.

PROPOSED METHOD: SWITCH 2 TO COURSE LOCK POSITION FOR 10 SECONDS (=>10 Secs) SIGNALS COURSE LOCK AND REMAIN ON COURSE LOCK UNTIL SWITCHING BACK TO OFF POSITION TO TURN COURSE LOCK AND IOC OFF.

SETTING HOME LOCK AND POINT OF INTEREST LOCATIONS WITH SWITCH 2

PRESENT METHOD: SWITCH 2 FROM COURSE LOCK POSITION (Middle) TO HOME LOCK POSITION (Bottom) AND BACK TO COURSE LOCK POSITION (Middle) 5 TIMES SETS A NEW HOME LOCK LOCATION AND ALSO MOVES THE HOME POINT LOCATION. Confirmation = Rapid Green LED flashing.

PROPOSED METHOD - NEW HOME POINT: SWITCH 2 TO HOME LOCK POSITION FOR 5 SECONDS BUT LESS THAN 10 SECONDS (=>5 Secs And <10 Secs) AND BACK TO OFF POSITION SIGNALS NEW HOME POINT SETTING. Confirmation = Rapid Green LED flashing.

PROPOSED METHOD - NEW POINT OF INTEREST: SWITCH 2 TO HOME LOCK POSITION FOR 10 OR MORE SECONDS (>5 Secs AND =>10 Secs) SIGNALS NEW POI LOCK (Keeping Home Point. Confirmation = Rapid Yellow LED flashing) AND REMAIN ON POI LOCK UNTIL SWITCHING SWITCH 2 BACK TO OFF POSITION TO CANCEL POI LOCK AND IOC OFF.

Guy,
Please clarify the mode, Phantom or NAZA-M and the specifics for each, i became quite confused guessing which mode i thought you might be referring to.

The biggest problem I see is that when switching to Course Lock or Home Lock during flight you will also be resetting the Course Lock heading depending on which way the bird is facing when it resets, and the home point will also change to where it is when reset.

I frequently change to or from Course Lock in flight, and sometimes change the heading in flight, but this might work.  You'd just need to watch the LED's to know when it sets I reckon.

Food for thought though.  It's good to see you thinking!

Guy, my guess is that some of the musical toggle we have to do is in some sense a failsafe and this is for NAZA-M pretty much specifically...so if someone wants to stay in Phantom/GPS mode, so be it..That keeps life a lot simpler...If you are going to select NAZA-M then to me it is even more of an awareness thing..Frankly, i like the multi flip so as not to be concerned that i might accidentally jar the S2 and end up in CL and stand there for 5 minutes trying to figure out why the Phantom is going off on a totally different direction than what it think it should be when trying to control it (just imagine it was out 500-600' with the sun behind it...I could not see those yellow lights even with Binoculars....Sure there could be improvements and i am not opposed to change..I just think the suggestions would create a lot of havoc and certainly make the switch (pun intenddd) a lot more catastrophic for the majority of flyers.
And i think we may be confusing things here a bit...
I fly in NAZA-M. For me, Home Lock is as simple as switching S2 down to position 3, that is it..I am in Home Lock and i have IOC enabled..I know exactly the flight characteristics i am going to get..While in HL, pulling back on the right stick brings BB right back to me....
Not saying there is not room for improvement but i like the current built in failsafes,.,,Frankly, better warnings/indications on the display would be a bonus..
ie. NAZA-M HL Enabled or NAZA-M - CL Enabled or NAZA-M ATTI Enabled or NAZA-M Flyaway Imminent, you did not calibrate your compass!!ByeBye!!About to Begin...

Guy
Just rereading the title of your Thread....Comments on an idea to the stop switch toggling please....o.k....How about push buttons..
PB1 and PB2 and lets assume for NAZA-M for the moment.....
In Place of S1 you have PB1 and in row 1 of PB1 you have three LED's only one of which illuminate for the mode your are in of: GPS, CourseLock and HomeLock and it will go from one setting to the next with each subsequent push of the button and to engage the setting in the mode you want so to speak, when you push PB1 twice to go to HomeLock it is yellow and you have to hold it down once on the HomeLock position until you get some other LED flashing green that confirms it...
Same for PB2...
Not sure which would be worse though, a switch as we have not working or an LED going out and not knowing what mode you were in...

Northofthe49th Posted at 2015-3-21 11:25
Guy
Just rereading the title of your Thread....Comments on an idea to the stop switch toggling pleas ...

You can already do the compass calibration from within the DJI vision app on your phone or tablet.  No more toggling the S1 switch.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-3-21 11:27
You can already do the compass calibration from within the DJI vision app on your phone or tablet. ...

Yes, i had seen that in the app but not tried it from the app yet..I kind of like the old compass dance as it gets me and BB real close! and i actually get to see her eyes as we trip the lights fantastic!!
That said, one switch down, still a few to go....

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 11:29
You lucky sausage!!

Remember I am Vision impaired!

Some of it, still lots out there.
You should get your eyes fixed like I did,  I was 20/2400 in the left eye and they couldn't even measure the right eye.

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 11:37
My line of thinking is something that is more reliable than the Parkinsons switch twiddle!

The el ...

ndg,
i like it and like i said, i am not opposed to change as the switch twiddle can be as or more confusing than anything else..in any event, for a "major change event" that could significantly alter flight characteristics, i think some confirmation process must be in place...and it needs to be easily discernible by the user...

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 11:45
Did your video from the Drive In have snow in it?

Regards

There's still 2 feet of snow in the lot

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 11:58
You know how rapid green flashes confirms new home lock position, I have not been able to find out ...

Guy,
Best i can find is that you will get a Yellow Green Yellow Green etc. as you switched into IOC though not sure this continues or is just the acknowledgement...Something to test for me to be sure...
I will be Jamie could answer this......

guy, it flashes 20x rapid green for either HL or CL reset

Recording Home Location or Course Lock direction in NAZA-M is rapid Greens (pg. 25 in NAZA-M Manual)
Going into (IOC) HL or CL in NAZA-M should be yellow/green, yellow/green...etc...as confirmation you have switched modes.

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 12:31
That in its self is confusing. Say you did the wrong sequence and set Course Lock instead of Home  ...

If you are in NAZA mode, course lock and home lock are both set when you initially take off.  They both rely on position of the Phantom for course lock and home position at takeoff for home lock with the GPS.

north, that is true, but while it only says 'homeloc is rapid green' , it does it for both homeloc and courseloc resets.

gnixon2015 Posted at 2015-3-21 13:06
north, that is true, but while it only says 'homeloc is rapid green' , it does it for both homeloc a ...

gnixon,
Me thinks you are correct, in reading the NAZA-M manual, pg. 25 (rapid greens) it states it has recorded forward direction (CL) or home point (HL)
yellow/green yellow/green are indicating you are in or have switched to IOC for HL and CL and that is the sequence you would get when you switch into the mode..or at least temporarily as acknowledgement.

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 13:08
The LED chart does not show the LED sequence when Home Lock and Course Lock is set or reset.

In th ...

ndg,
you are correct, the chart does not say it and i hate interpreting shit! It should be more clear in the chart.
It does clarify it in the NAZA-M manual on pg. 25...

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 14:04
It is clear in my head now but the problem is remembering the various LED sequences!!

Maybe someo ...

Guy,
You just took the words out of my mouth and thank you, I was going to suggest doing the same or suggesting to DJI whom I presume are watching here and can hopefully see why this can be confusing,,
It is in the manual but not on the Toe Tag for the RC...it should be on there!

Northofthe49th Posted at 2015-3-21 14:07
Guy,
You just took the words out of my mouth and thank you, I was going to suggest doing the same  ...

Maybe it's poem time again so we can get updated charts.

O.k, here is one,
Let's say you are out tooting around in Home Lock...la...la...la...la...la..
Anyhow, RTH is initiated due to low battery and you just let it do it's thing to come home to land....
Will the Phantom stop at the magic 10m radius if you are still in Home Lock or does it override that and land where it is supposed to land?

I was taught at an early age that green, yellow and red only had 1 meaning each.
Red meant stop
Green meant go
Yellow meant drive very, very fast

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 14:30
Had not thought of that one!!!!

Regards

I think RTH will over ride any other controls.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-3-21 14:29
I was taught at an early age that green, yellow and red only had 1 meaning each.
Red meant stop
Gree ...

Where I live,
Green means go Fast,
Yellow means Go Faster,
Red means do not stop or you will be blocking the intersection!

Northofthe49th Posted at 2015-3-21 14:34
Where I live,
Green means go Fast,
Yellow means Go Faster,

That was when I was a lot younger,  now it's fast, faster and warp drive.

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 14:30
Had not thought of that one!!!!

Regards

One would hope it would be like same as if in ATTI where you are flying without GPS.., it still has the GPS but you are selecting to fly without it so an RTH in that instance would still bring it home, presumably it should be same same for this but who knows?...Another test I suspect...
Bed time here
Have a good night folks,,,

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 14:42
Yes I agree (he said crossing his fingers and toes).

Guy

It over rides all the others, why wouldn't it over ride home lock?

guy, i get what you are saying but they are the same

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-3-21 11:27
You can already do the compass calibration from within the DJI vision app on your phone or tablet. ...

You can initiate the compass orientation from within the Vision app, but you still have to do the compass dance. Just saves wear and tear on the S1 switch.

perdidoflyer Posted at 2015-3-21 21:33
You can initiate the compass orientation from within the Vision app, but you still have to do the  ...

Correct, that is what Guy is saying, no unnecessary wear on the switch.

sorry guy, maybe i posted in teh wrong thread.  i thought you asked me somewhere to clarify if the homeloc and homepoint were the same points.  maybe i misread, apologies.

nom de guerre Posted at 2015-3-21 14:20
Can you clarify this for me please.....

I think HOME POINT and HOME LOCK should be different loca ...

this was the post i meant to reply to guy.  homepoint and homeloc are same things.  homeloc will fly circles from where the phantom is to where the homepoint is, not where you are standing.  i hit a tree because of this and had to figure out why the circle had a diff radius than i thought it should.  then i realized it was circling something 30m away from me.  still circled but it seemed like a changing radius but then i tested again and it made more sense.  

Guy,
not trying to be difficult but think of it like this and it may make it easier to take...
Home Lock is a Lock (or locking) to your Home point (wherever that is)..so if you change your home point, your home lock will follow you..you do not have to adjust home lock, it is what it is...but your home point can change..
Your Home Lock never changes..Only your home point which you can change with the switch-flip-athon!

GMacD Posted at 2015-3-22 06:20
Explain consequences of this scenario please....

I take off from somewhere (a safe spot to return  ...

You are right Guy, your Phantom will fly RTH to the new home point,(point of interest) as you call it.  

GMacD Posted at 2015-3-22 06:20
Explain this scenario please....

I take off from somewhere (a safe spot to return to when battery  ...

Guy,
If you fly over a ravine (not saying you would or i would but what if!), and we set some point way out in the abyss as the new home point...That is where the Phantom is going to try to go in the case of an RTH..You told it home was over a baron abyss...Bye...Bye..Birdie...
If you could somehow magically float and go to that home point and then you enabled Home Lock, you and Birdie would be in the abyss together...

There is no "Point of Interest" once you are done here so to speak please change Home Point to there...Home Point is Home Point and Home Lock locks to where ever your home point is/was set.

GMacD Posted at 2015-3-22 06:32
If I change my Home Lock to circle something I don't really want to change my safe Home Point.

Ma ...

They need to add in the programming a (point of interest).  But it will probably be only added into the waypoint part of the program.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-3-22 06:35
They need to add in the programming a (point of interest).  But it will probably be only added int ...

Yep, i have it on a 6 yr. old Garmin GPS that has been stupid reliable that i take whenever traveling out of town, ie. i am driving to xx.yy and have a call and end up having to go to xx.zz first, i have the choice of making xx.zz my new destination or a waypoint/intermediate stop...
either way, i am o.k. with how it works.

GMacD Posted at 2015-3-22 06:49
I presume doing the Course Lock Switch-flip-athon does not change Home Point?

Guy

Course lock will always fly in relation to the home point set at that time.  So if you had reset your home point, course lock would fly in relation to the new one.

CL switch toggle (5x fast top/mid) does NOT change homepoint/homeloc.  and yes, the homePOINT only moves if you fast toggle mid/bot 5x midflight.  otherwise, it stays at whatever you took off at.  basically there is no 'point of interest', if you change homepoint midflight, your old homepoint no longer exists.  you have moved it to the new place.  CL on the ohter hand, rotates the circle around the current HL/homepoint (assuming you are 30ft or whatever away from it).

GMacD Posted at 2015-3-22 07:04
Sorry Gerry but I have just thought of another scenario which could spell disaster....

New Home P ...

That's right. you would return to the new home point.

Sorry Guys (actually not)..Weather appears to have broke here...Going Flying cause i am Toggle Boggled