Dear DJI engineers! Will Spark turn off if it will be turned upside down by heavy wind?

The motor will be turned off if the drone was turned upside down.

Yes, it will...

Actually 90° is enough already to switch off, doesn't need to be upside down. But that would need to be extremely heavy wind where flying is anyway impossible. Thus nothing to worry about but rather a good security feature!

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-9-11 23:35
The motor will be turned off if the drone was turned upside down.

So... If there any chances to be able to turn this feature off in next firmware?

Wachtberger Posted at 2017-9-12 04:25
Actually 90° is enough already to switch off, doesn't need to be upside down. But that would need to be extremely heavy wind where flying is anyway impossible. Thus nothing to worry about but rather a good security feature!

Actually not very heavy wind + hard braking in Sport mode will be enough. I think this feature must work only in gesture mode or better it must be controlled via DJI GO...

I disagree, thats all I can add to this.

90°, tested is sufficient. Never seen in a flight record any way to reach that value. No reason basic wind will create a rotation. Only Spark motors can create it.

Dronason Posted at 2017-9-12 08:40
90°, tested is sufficient. Never seen in a flight record any way to reach that value. No reason basic wind will create a rotation. Only Spark motors can create it.

I don't know believe or not but one guy from another forum said that once his Spark was rotated by 180 degrees while braking in sport mode in strong wind but motors wasn't stopped and he managed to land...

I have not seen an example of that just yet.

Pashi Posted at 2017-9-12 07:33
So... If there any chances to be able to turn this feature off in next firmware?

This is a feature for Spark. I don't think it will be cancelled in the future.

As the User Manual mentioned, we do not suggest to fly in strong wind.

Pashi Posted at 2017-9-12 10:32
I don't know believe or not but one guy from another forum said that once his Spark was rotated by 180 degrees while braking in sport mode in strong wind but motors wasn't stopped and he managed to land...

Do you mean his drone was upside down in braking ? And he was able to land !
Tried to play crazy in sport mode, tilt angle never higher than 70°.
I would like to see his flight record DAT file to trust it.

I think you should have the option to toggle the feature off. I get that it can be helpful at times, but I'm more worried about birds attacking the Spark and turning it sideways. If that were to happen, it would just fall out of the sky. At least if the propellers are still turning then there's a chance it can regain balance. Please really consider this.

rcayca Posted at 2017-11-15 13:44
I think you should have the option to toggle the feature off. I get that it can be helpful at times, but I'm more worried about birds attacking the Spark and turning it sideways. If that were to happen, it would just fall out of the sky. At least if the propellers are still turning then there's a chance it can regain balance. Please really consider this.

I think it's a necessary safety feature as this drone is a beginner drone and most first time users will not have the skills to regain control if the drone tilts more than 90º, it could cause a much bigger damage to people or other people properties if the motors don't turn off...

Dronason Posted at 2017-9-21 08:45
Do you mean his drone was upside down in braking ? And he was able to land !
Tried to play crazy in sport mode, tilt angle never higher than 70°.
I would like to see his flight record DAT file to trust it.

Me too it's hard to believe...

Viking-Pilot Posted at 2017-11-15 13:53
I think it's a necessary safety feature as this drone is a beginner drone and most first time users will not have the skills to regain control if the drone tilts more than 90º, it could cause a much bigger damage to people or other people properties if the motors don't turn off...

Common now. I've touched the propellers with my fingers first hand. Trust me, it's not that bad. They're soft. You'll get minor cuts, but nothing too serious. It'll be much worse if the drone falls on your head from a high altitude due to a bird attack. The toggle should definitely be implemented. It should be the user's choice. Besides, if you have obstacle avoidance on, it's actually hard to grab the Spark in mid-air as it tries to distance itself from the ground.

If the Spark turns 90° it will turn off this function is so if you crash to motors turn off.

the "minor" cuts are pretty bad. i've learned that the hard way. i would not recommend sticking your fingers into the propellers
i have seen no birds attacking the Spark so far and there were birds flying around my spark. i would say the birds will lose in this game
then, Spark indeed turn off if you turn it upside down. but it will resist as it is made to regain altitude and the normal fly (with propellers up). i've seen that as flying it, hit a branch of a tree and it stumbled but did not fall down.
if you hand catch your spark and turn it upside down it will turn off after resisting for 2-3 seconds.

You can find lots of posts where the user has stopped the engines in Sport mode and unmanageable control ... I welcome this feature only in gesture mode.

https://forum.dji.com/thread-118986-1-1.html

Have a think about the risk is of turning off auto shutoff.

With traditional Radio Control equipment, you can control your throttle and shut it off.   If you crash your plane or heli, your first action is to stop the props to prevent further damage

There is no “easy” way to stop the throttle on the spark,  (there is the little know kill process...which takes some time to take affect I believe).  So if you crash your spark, it will continue to spin uncontrollably on the ground causing more and more damage and presenting a safety risk.   It shouldn’t be an option...it should disable

I also happen to take advantage of this feature all the time.  I’ll hover the drone, come from behind and underneath to grab it and tilt it 90degrees to shut off.    It was very handy last week when I was taking off and landing from a small boat.  There was no room to land AND it was too choppy to give s stable surface.

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-9-15 01:04
This is a feature for Spark only. I don't think it will be cancelled in the future.

As the User Manual mentioned, we do not suggest to fly in strong wind.

It works for the Mavic Air as well...

If the Spark ever get's turned upside down (even if the motors keep going) I'm pretty sure it's toast. I don't believe it has hardware and software features to turn upright mid air like a cat. Although someday I'm sure DJI may add this functionality to future drones, they simply do not operate this way yet.

In drone crash videos it seems that if a drone starts tumbling in the air (end over end) there is no saving it. Thus, I don't see any reason to keep the motors going as it falls to the ground.

Bing Err Posted at 2018-2-27 22:31
If the Spark ever get's turned upside down (even if the motors keep going) I'm pretty sure it's toast. I don't believe it has hardware and software features to turn upright mid air like a cat. Although someday I'm sure DJI may add this functionality to future drones, they simply do not operate this way yet.

In drone crash videos it seems that if a drone starts tumbling in the air (end over end) there is no saving it. Thus, I don't see any reason to keep the motors going as it falls to the ground.

100% agree.  I think it would be foolish and dangerous to leave them running.   (and imagine all the DJI cases being raised saying "My drone  hit the ground then spun itself to death...DJI PLEASE FIX" )

My spark flipped from hard brakeing and I
Have flight data probably why sparks fall from sky

My spark fell from just brakeing and I have flight data
Probably a reason why they fall from sky

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-9-15 01:04
This is a feature for Spark. I don't think it will be cancelled in the future.

As the User Manual mentioned, we do not suggest to fly in strong wind.

I saw a guy catch a mavic by hand and roll it over to stop it

you sure?

Afaik Mavic / Air motors are stopping, when AC gets tilted over 90°
And isn't that a safety feature in all DJi's?

DJT_MVSP Posted at 2-27 19:34
It works for the Mavic Air as well...

So the mavic air also turn off when it side ways or upside down just like spark? I don’t know coz I don’t have one I have a spark and a Mavic Pro, the spark I ALWAYS hand catch landing and then just fast turn it the nose down and it turns off, I actually like it, otherwise it would be impossible to turn it off that way when you catch it. I don’t know about the Mavic Pro, well actually it’s too big to turn it upside down like spark I also ALWAYS hand catch my Mavic Pro and keep the left stick down and the props shut off. Hell I even hand catch my Yuneec q500 )))

Flysafely all
Alex

dj_dread Posted at 2-27 14:26
the "minor" cuts are pretty bad. i've learned that the hard way. i would not recommend sticking your fingers into the propellers
i have seen no birds attacking the Spark so far and there were birds flying around my spark. i would say the birds will lose in this game
then, Spark indeed turn off if you turn it upside down. but it will resist as it is made to regain altitude and the normal fly (with propellers up). i've seen that as flying it, hit a branch of a tree and it stumbled but did not fall down.

I agree with DJ Dread. DONT stick your fingers into the Spark blades while running. I got a really nasty cut the first month I had the Spark because I was trying grab it out of the air and it cut my palm wide open. Blood EVERYWHERE!
Don't listen to rcayca. Don't stick your fingers in running blades.

DeuceDriv3r Posted at 11-6 04:27
I saw a guy catch a mavic by hand and roll it over to stop it

you sure?

Thanks for heading up. As time goes by, this feature has been added for other models as well. After studying the attitude of various flying periods, if the drone has been flipped over to a certain degree for a certain time, the motor will be turned off to ensure the safety. Hope this helps.

wont having the drone be able to spin the motors backward help
so if its flips it can fly still

fansc15086a6 Posted at 11-6 04:09
My spark fell from just brakeing and I have flight data
Probably a reason why they fall from sky

Hi there, we're sorry to read the crash. Just to verify, has the drone been retrieved? If yes, please kindly send it for diagnosis, we'll arrange data analysis and offer you a proper solution: https://www.dji.com/support If you encounter any difficulties during the progress, feel free to contact us with your case number, we'd like to help.

DJI Susan Posted at 11-7 00:30
Thanks for heading up. As time goes by, this feature has been added for other models as well. After studying the attitude of various flying periods, if the drone has been flipped over to a certain degree for a certain time, the motor will be turned off to ensure the safety. Hope this helps.

Hi Susan,

Just out of curiousity, can you get us more specific info about this item ? Like what angle, and time the AC has to be in that angle ? I guess we talk 2 angles here. X and Y

Thanks for your always good help :-)

DJI Susan Posted at 11-7 00:30
Thanks for heading up. As time goes by, this feature has been added for other models as well. After studying the attitude of various flying periods, if the drone has been flipped over to a certain degree for a certain time, the motor will be turned off to ensure the safety. Hope this helps.

only thing I don't like about this 'feature' is that the motors cut off almost instantly as the aircraft approaches 90...

while not have happened to me personally yet... I live in an area with many large raptors.. hawks, falcons, osprey, and yes... even seagulls have been know to take a stab at brining a drone down

several videos out there of a drone taking a good hit , motors cut off either from tilt or (i believe) dji also uses some algo on the esc to shutdown motors if it senses a prop strike?  and the aircraft falls hundreds of feet to its demise...

wimherman Posted at 11-7 00:49
Hi Susan,

Just out of curiousity, can you get us more specific info about this item ? Like what angle, and time the AC has to be in that angle ? I guess we talk 2 angles here. X and Y

This is different in various scenarios. You may refer to the below:
1. If the aircraft is close to the ground about 1-2 meters, the motor will be turned off immediately.
2. The protection will be stricter when the aircraft just takes off.
3. If the attitude is more than 75 degrees for a long time, and the flight controller cannot determine whether it is close to the ground, the motor will be turned off automatically. Hope this helps.

SAADHERO Posted at 11-7 00:32
wont having the drone be able to spin the motors backward help
so if its flips it can fly still

Hi SAADHERO, may I have a short video of your operation? We'd like to check the exact status and try our best to help.

DeuceDriv3r Posted at 11-7 04:37
only thing I don't like about this 'feature' is that the motors cut off almost instantly as the aircraft approaches 90...

while not have happened to me personally yet... I live in an area with many large raptors.. hawks, falcons, osprey, and yes... even seagulls have been know to take a stab at brining a drone down

I understand your point and very sorry about this. It is recommended to stay away from the raptors and fly in open filed, safety is always the top priority.

DJI Susan Posted at 11-8 18:42
I understand your point and very sorry about this. It is recommended to stay away from the raptors and fly in open filed, safety is always the top priority.

Where do you think raptors hunt for mice and other things to eat. That also attach other birds and drones as they view them as a threat.

DJI Susan Posted at 11-8 18:38
This is different in various scenarios. You may refer to the below:
1. If the aircraft is close to the ground about 1-2 meters, the motor will be turned off immediately.
2. The protection will be stricter when the aircraft just takes off.

Thank you so much for the detailed information!

My conclusion is that we dont have to be affraid that for example a strong wind gust will knock out the motors when flying higher than 2 meters. Since the delay will give the FC time to take controll over the AC again.. Nice.. Little wonders DJI makes !

DJI Susan Posted at 11-8 18:39
Hi SAADHERO, may I have a short video of your operation? We'd like to check the exact status and try our best to help.

nothing wrong just something i would love spark to do so it can fly upside down if needed