Just a quick one on Litchi Flight Modes.

[cheddarman]

I've downloaded and read the Litchi "Help". information but can't see anywhere it says anything about the RC Mode Switch, P, A & F when changing from FPV mode to one of the smart modes, Orbit, Follow etc.

Does one have to switch to "F" on the RC as one does in the DJI-GO App or just leave it on "P"?

Thanks

 

[Dennis Frantz]

I've downloaded and read the Litchi "Help". information but can't see anywhere it says anything about the RC Mode Switch, P, A & F when changing from FPV mode to one of the smart modes, Orbit, Follow etc.

Does one have to switch to "F" on the RC as one does in the DJI-GO App or just leave it on "P"?

Thanks

Litchi is a separate application that you must purchase and use instead of DJI_GO. It is much better than DJI_GO with many features that DJI_GO does not have. I have been using Litchi for 6 years and highly recommend it. Last time I looked it was about $22.00 U.S. dollars, and well worth the money.

 

[wa5tef]

I always fly P mode in Litchi. Much smother.

 

[cheddarman]

Litchi is a separate application that you must purchase and use instead of DJI_GO. It is much better than DJI_GO with many features that DJI_GO does not have. I have been using Litchi for 6 years and highly recommend it. Last time I looked it was about $22.00 U.S. dollars, and well worth the money.

I should have said that I've already purchased Litchi but was questioning the position of the Mode Switch on the RC when flying the special modes available in Litchi.
On the DJI-GO App you can only get into the other modes by taking off and then switching the Mode Switch from "P" to "F".

 

[cheddarman]

I always fly P mode in Litchi. Much smother.

That's what I wanted to know, thanks. So just forget the Mode Switch on the RC unless you want some ATTI practise.

 

[cheddarman]

I always fly P mode in Litchi. Much smother.

Tried Litchi for the first time today and I had to put the Mode Switch on the RC to "F" before it would do any of the advanced functions, Orbit, Follow etc.

I took off in FVP with the Mode Switch in "P" but as soon as I pressed one of the other functions on the RC I got the message that I was in the wrong mode! Switched the Mode Switch to "F" and it flew a dream!??

 

[REL]

Yes, take off in P, but if you want to use any of the other flight modes like waypoint missions .. Litchi will prompt you to switch to F mode when you try to start the mission. In a waypoint mission, I usually set my 1st waypoint to be in close proximity to the takeoff point (so I can see the drone) ..... then set the ending to be back at the 1st waypoint. The drone will return there and wait for further instructions. When it does, just flip the switch to the P mode and you take over and land it manually. Such a nice, safe convenience when your takeoff position has limited vision of the overall flight pattern

 

[cheddarman]

Thanks REL. Just a bit confused by wa5tef saying he always flies in P mode!! It's not possible.

 

[REL]

Thanks REL. Just a bit confused by wa5tef saying he always flies in P mode!! It's not possible.

I suppose it is really is possible (if you are not going to use any of the features of Litchi that most people buy it for) . Perhaps wa5tef just feels that flying in Litchi P mode gives smoother results than flying DJI GO in P mode.

 

[cheddarman]

One thing I've just read about Litchi program that is a bit disturbing and that is, in Orbit, if the drone loses contact it doesn't "return to home" but just circles until it runs out of power and then lands where it is!!

Surely it wouldn't be rocket science to make it return home!!??

 

[Chrislaf]

I fly my P3S in F-mode all I he time and rarely fly in P-mode. I don’t think there is any difference other than F-mode makes the autonomous flight options available. I haven’t noticed any differences in flight characteristics.

With regards to orbit mode, the AC will keep orbiting until you stop it. I think the idea here is that the AC is in VLOS and within controller range so that the pilot can manually stop it and fly it back. I’ll have to take a look at the RTH behaviour in the Litchi manual or maybe try it out, but I am assuming that the AC will RTH if you manually trigger RTH or if it goes to low battery RTH.

Chris

 

[cheddarman]

Yes it will RTH if you trigger it but what the manual says is that if the battery gets to LOW it will not trigger RTH, just land where it is and to me that's a bit worrying. Mind you, I keep a careful eye on the battery and I have my warning set quite high, at 30%.

 

[REL]

Yes it will RTH if you trigger it but what the manual says is that if the battery gets to LOW it will not trigger RTH, just land where it is and to me that's a bit worrying. Mind you, I keep a careful eye on the battery and I have my warning set quite high, at 30%.

If that is the case (since you have the battery warning set high) .....if you get a low battery warning .... just flip to P mode and press RTH.

 

[cheddarman]

Oh yes, my finger will hover ??

 

[REL]

Oh yes, my finger will hover ??

I , like you (even though I had R/C model airplane flying experience ) was somewhat overwhelmed by all the choices you have to make correctly to keep from damaging your expensive new DJI toy. I did little except a few snapshots from the air initially. Then I read about Litchi ..... and it opened up a whole new and interesting option of autonomous video and snapshots that I could enjoy. So, 3 years later, I'm enjoying my P3P at a whole new level.
My suggestion ..... find yourself a soccer field, or an open area to practice and try some of the Litchi features (my favorite is waypoints with video). Once you become comfortable with the programs and what they do, you will understand the basics. Next is obstacle avoidance ....once you understand the importance of getting high enough to avoid hitting trees, buildings, and towers .... you will have another level of experience under your belt. Keep your flights short ...you can work on long distance stuff when you are comfortable with everything else.
At a time like this when we have restricted mobility it is especially rewarding to enjoy myself (on my half acre wooded lot) being able to take off in my back yard and carefully fly through a 60 foot diameter hole in the canopy in P mode up to 150 Ft (above tree level) and then switch to F mode and initiate a waypoint mission ....with waypoint #1 (within visual line of sight) starting and ending there .... and fly all over my neighborhood doing snapshots or video. At the end of the mission When the drone returns to #1 waypoint and hovers, flip to P mode and carefully land through the 60 foot diameter hole in the canopy.
My other suggestion ..... don't stretch the flying time. Lithium polymer batteries decline over time at the expense of flying time. Charge your drone battery fully, then hover your drone at about 10 feet until your low battery alarm kicks in with a warning. Use this start-to-warning time as a rule of thumb (it will shorten over time so check it regularly) to determine the time you build your Litchi flights to take.
Sorry for the long response .... just trying to share my personal experiences.

 

[cheddarman]

Hi REL, most informative and thank you.
Just as a matter of interest, where do you have your "low battery warning" set? I'm at 30% at the moment but I think that may be a bit generous.
Unfortunately I don't have a half acre plot, just a wee are front and back. One neighbour doesn't like me taking off, thinks it invades privacy, and the other day I was flying in a field when some guy came over and called me a pervert flying a drone ? so I have to go out into the country, well away from life to fly!

 

[REL]

Hi REL, most informative and thank you.
Just as a matter of interest, where do you have your "low battery warning" set? I'm at 30% at the moment but I think that may be a bit generous.
Unfortunately I don't have a half acre plot, just a wee are front and back. One neighbour doesn't like me taking off, thinks it invades privacy, and the other day I was flying in a field when some guy came over and called me a pervert flying a drone ? so I have to go out into the country, well away from life to fly!

Sorry to hear about your lack of flying options close to home as the vertical take off and landing aspect of drone flying makes it much more convenient than flying fixed wing R/C aircraft (which require a large open area and a smooth landing strip). I have neighbors as well, but if you go straight up (to 150ft or more) from your property before starting any horizontal movement your drone won't be much for complaining neighbors to see or hear once it is at that height. It is incredibly easy to plan those types of flights (waypoint) on your desktop using the Litchi Hub... then transfer them to your phone or tablet and use them whenever you want.
IMHO 30% is a good point to start getting battery warnings. Batteries and their known deterioration from use and age are definitely a major weak spot in drone flying ! Time and again on these DJI forums you read about crashes and lost drones due to battery failure of some type. For that reason I never try to push my flight times to under 20% of battery power remaining .....except in the 10ft high hovering tests to see what the "real" useful flight time of a given battery is.
I don't see your location in your avatar .... where are you located?

 

[cheddarman]

Thanks REL. I'm in Devon, England?
Must give the hovering test a go sometime. Although old, I don't think the batteries have had that many charges. My so rarely used it when he had it in Papua and I've only had it since last year and don't do a lot of flying.

 

[REL]

WOW ! 4K miles and 5 hours later there. The care and feeding of batteries (in order to maximize their life and useful capacity) is a whole study in itself .... and a very worthwhile one. I'll send you a link or two that I have found useful. Meanwhile, you can click touch the battery icon at the top right in the DJI GO app (see P1 below) and it brings up P2 below. There you will see the number of times the battery pack in the drone has been charged. As you can see, the battery pack in my example has been charged 71 times. 200 charges is considered the normal life of a pack and the care and feeding you give it will be vital in achieving that. Also take note of the cell voltages. You want them to be as close as possible to each other. A cell that continually reads significantly lower is a sign of trouble developing.