I’m thinking of getting the CrystalSky, probably the 5.5”, as my phone is quite small and my iPad only wireless, so no GPS. Trouble is, I’ve read so many threads by people fed up with the thing, I’m wondering whether it’s worth it. I don’t really want to splash the cash on another iPad mini 4 but one with cell, just for the GPS, and quite like the idea of the high viz display on the CS. Given it’s now been updated for the Air, is it worth it?
Ta

DJI released a new Crystal Sky firmware v02.05.00.00 in which Mavic Air is supported.
Wait a few days until the first reports are out. If no big bugs are being detected, go for it.

try this..
put your phone into hotspot mode. connect to it with your tablet's wifi.  connect tablet to controller and fly drone, see if it get's gps signal.  it should get it from phone's location.  it updates slowly but plenty good enough for maps.

Is it worth it, well it’s dedicated to flying the monitor is excellent viewing exceptional, dji have been a bit slow to keep up with updates but as of today it’s fully updated.

One of its strongest points is, your phone no longer gets cluttered with videos/photos. It’s a great tool and yes it is worth getting.

I got a drone, my neighbor got a drone. I got RC to control it, my neighbor got RC to control it. I've got CS, my neighbor cannot afford. Great success!!
So, in my case it was very well worth it.

eYeSkYeYe Posted at 2018-2-9 11:37
I got a drone, my neighbor got a drone. I got RC to control it, my neighbor got RC to control it. I've got CS, my neighbor cannot afford. Great success!!
So, in my case it was very well worth it.

LOL.......

My clear and honest recommendation from own experience is go for it and you will have a new flight experience in whatever light conditions. It is an investment, true, but I don't want to use anything else any more since I have got mine.

iPad Pro 10.5 is the way to go.. works great in direct sunlight.... the crystalsky is clunky old android OS, much like the old beta vhs machines of the 1970s...

No matter what I did with my iPad, could never get it bright enough on sunny days, Tte CS solves all of that. So I like my UB!

I like my 5.5 as it is bright in the sun and it is dedicated monitor for my UAV's (drones) . If you can afford it get it.

I have the 5.5" the display is good, used to think it was great but just upgraded my phone to a Galaxy S8+ and it is not lacking in brightness, haven't done a side by side comparison yet, will do that at high noon tomorrow to see how much difference there is. Pro's for the CS for me is the HDMI output as I can use my Fat Shark FPV Glasses with it (saved buying DJI Goggles, much more comfortable as well) and the bright screen. Con's are no third party app's that require Google Play Service / Google Play Store (such as Litchi), delayed updates to enjoy the same features that other Android/IOS users have, no support for Mavic Air as of yet.
Had an issue right out of the box that the internal battery was bad "Status Unknown" days of waiting on DJI to try to come up with a way to fix it, but in the end I got the usual response many users get "Kindly create a repair ticket and send it in" no way, found a work around for it. I find myself using my I Pad Mini 4 and Litchi more often than not.

I think the 5.5 is well worth the price point, the CS larger monitors are probably not worth extra.

The CS  ultra 7.85 is the most risky proposition due to a number of panel failures and it's exorbitant cost for a android 5.1.1 tablet with a bright screeen.

However the 5.5 is a good entry point and my 5.5 has been perfect for the 5 mths so far, it hasn't skipped a beat. I find that I am using it more than the bigger more cumbersome 7.85 units.
I like the portability when matched to the MPP or the MA, that I normally have in the bag.

Just because we have a new firmware upgrade, we  should not  forget that  DJI updates are slower with the CS android system and that this can lead to frustration when a new AC is not compatible and or new functions are not available.

I have both.
I used to use Ipad mini and got sick of video lag and messages that CPU was overloaded and performance would suffer. Which it did!
Caused me to crash into a tree when video froze once. After a half second of frozen video, I stopped the drone because the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't see where it was. It stopped about a foot from a tree, then drifted into it and fell damaging the retractable LG mechanism. (Inspire 1)
I then surrendered to the fact that the Ipad was obsolete and figured that if I got the CS, DJI would support it.
I haven't had any troubles with mine and was very happy, until I got the Mavic Air which forced me back to using phone for monitor. YECCCCCH!!!
But that is now behind me. They updated it for the MA!! Yeah!!
CS rocks!! The Ultra, although heavy, can be seen in the brightest direct sunlight.
NO MORE HOODS!!!

Been using my 5.5 with my Mavic Pro for a few weeks and are very happy with it. That's providing you've got the spare $$ otherwise using an iPhone or ipad with brightness turned up and in the shade of something is also pretty good.
WARNING:- You probably already know this but the official DJI Crysytalsky mount doesn't fit the Air RC so you'd have to buy a third party mount. I'm very annoyed about this because I bought the official DJI mount for my Mavic Pro and its no good with the Air RC

Thanks all for the replies. It seems there are sufficient positive reviews to swing the balance and so I’ll get a 5.5 (with a third party mount). Looks like a different flight bag will be needed  too. Now I wonder why I never seem to be able to keep my money for very long...

Auspete Posted at 2018-2-9 19:58
Been using my 5.5 with my Mavic Pro for a few weeks and are very happy with it. That's providing you've got the spare $$ otherwise using an iPhone or ipad with brightness turned up and in the shade of something is also pretty good.
WARNING:- You probably already know this but the official DJI Crysytalsky mount doesn't fit the Air RC so you'd have to buy a third party mount. I'm very annoyed about this because I bought the official DJI mount for my Mavic Pro and its no good with the Air RC

I managed to get my mount to fit

lannes Posted at 2018-2-9 23:17
I managed to get my mount to fit

[view_image]

Nice!!

which mount is it?

Kune Posted at 2018-2-9 23:25
Nice!!

which mount is it?

It's the standard DJI CS  mount for Mavic and Spark, but you do need some extra parts to get it to work with the MA controller

https://store.dji.com/product/cr ... om=search-result-v2

Be interesting to see how that all fits together, looks kinda neat

Tomcatuk Posted at 2018-2-10 02:41
Be interesting to see how that all fits together, looks kinda neat

I don't own a Crystalsky but I do have a Phantom 4 Pro+ (the one with the monitor).  This monitor is a version of the crystal sky but probably not as bright.  I absolutely love the brightness of the screen.  It is so much better than the iPhone or iPad.  The operating system seems to be a little less stable than the IOS devices.  I've experienced a few crashes of DJI4 app...but nothing I couldn't recover from.  As soon as I find a good mounting system for the Mavic Air I may get the 5.5 CS.  It's a shame though that the DJI's implementation of the CS with the MAVIC, AIR and SPARK controllers isn't more seamless.

Can you show us some pictures on how you got it to fit? What extra parts?

lannes Posted at 2018-2-9 23:17
I managed to get my mount to fit

[view_image]

Would it be possible for you to provide more detail on how you got the DJI CS mount to fit the Air RC.
You mentioned xtra parts but the link only showed the official DJI mount.
Help would be much appreciated

eYeSkYeYe Posted at 2018-2-9 11:37
I got a drone, my neighbor got a drone. I got RC to control it, my neighbor got RC to control it. I've got CS, my neighbor cannot afford. Great success!!
So, in my case it was very well worth it.

That is really, really funny.   Yes, I agree...YOU WON!

Auspete Posted at 2018-2-23 15:57
Would it be possible for you to provide more detail on how you got the DJI CS mount to fit the Air RC.
You mentioned xtra parts but the link only showed the official DJI mount.
Help would be much appreciated

I figured I wasn't going to use the Spark much any more with the CS , so I swapped the jaws off the Spark controller by removing the small cover screws and then just transferred them onto the MA controller. So now the MA controller is  compatible with the DJI Mavic mount for the CS.
Others have elongated the slots in the jaws by a tiny bit, but this can't be reversed like the jaw swap option.

Thanks heaps for the above suggestions

I love mine 7.85 U but can't say if it's worth it for you,  but to me it is

QuadKid Posted at 2018-2-9 16:32
I have the 5.5" the display is good, used to think it was great but just upgraded my phone to a Galaxy S8+ and it is not lacking in brightness, haven't done a side by side comparison yet, will do that at high noon tomorrow to see how much difference there is. Pro's for the CS for me is the HDMI output as I can use my Fat Shark FPV Glasses with it (saved buying DJI Goggles, much more comfortable as well) and the bright screen. Con's are no third party app's that require Google Play Service / Google Play Store (such as Litchi), delayed updates to enjoy the same features that other Android/IOS users have, no support for Mavic Air as of yet.
Had an issue right out of the box that the internal battery was bad "Status Unknown" days of waiting on DJI to try to come up with a way to fix it, but in the end I got the usual response many users get "Kindly create a repair ticket and send it in" no way, found a work around for it. I find myself using my I Pad Mini 4 and Litchi more often than not.

You can add Litchi to the apps on the Crystal Sky but it requires downloading (and buying it again) from the Amazon App Store.

I've got it on my Crystal Sky and it works well.

Every time I connect to the drone/ RC it prompts me to pick DJI Go4 or Litchi, and I always pick "just once" allowing me to choose the app I want to use for each flight.

Anyone happy with their Crystalsky?  


The first CrystalSky Ultra-brite I bought from DJI had a problem of freezing or hanging without warning.  Returned it for replacement.

The second CrystalSky Ultra-brite would initially not let me complete the first power-up Setup process.  For whatever reaon, the very top of area of CrystalSky Touchscreen would not accept input.  Which of course is where the Next or Continue buttons were located.

I came within a day of sending second CrystalSky back, when finally after another round of failed attempts, an attempt at finishing Setup process succeded.

A week ago, while I was checking settings of MPP with GO-4 App - briefly the Touchscreen would not accept input.  Hoping that is not a sign of problem returning.


At this time, I am satisfied with CrystalSky Ultra-brite.  Whether I still will be after CrystalSky is upgraded to latest firmware is an unknown.


I would probably be very happy with CrystalSky Ultra-brite if it weren't for nagging feeling, my CrystalSky will soon join ranks of over heaters, half-blank screen, dead screen, or green bar screen.

Not me. Biggest waste of money I’ve spent on a DJI product. App freezes mid flight updates are ridiculously slow compared to mobile versions just have a google search for some negative points on the crystalsky. I’ve ordered a tablet holder for the iPad mini I’m getting for flying my drones. If they sort out the problems with crystalsky in the future I will go back to using it again. Until then im using my iPhone 6s Plus until the iPad mini comes.

I think it's too expensive, my 8" tablet is fine.