My iPad is on OS X 9.2. Litchi on the iPad is version 1.2.1. I don't recall the firmware on the Phantom when it was lost, but it is the latest one as of mid-January.
Litchi autonomous flight: lost my bird
- Thread starter diveguy
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My iPad is on OS X 9.2. Litchi on the iPad is version 1.2.1. I don't recall the firmware on the Phantom when it was lost, but it is the latest one as of mid-January.
If you can retrieve any logs I think it would be useful if anyone can analyse. I am new to litchi and asked a tonne of questions but this sounds like a cause for concern. Weather is so bad in the UK no idea when I can fly next.
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Litchi auto syncs to healthy drones if you set that up prior. That could be very useful. Any chance?
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Do you have the mission link to take a look? Something more happened than just a litchi problem I think. Tough to say. Tough pill to swallow. Sorry man. Visit flylitchi.com and hop in the user group to hit up support, if you haven't yet.
Just to comment on my experiences with the Litchi Hub, I use it all the time almost exclusively since its nice to plan waypoint missions on a 50in TV screen using my computer at home then later when I am out on site I just load them up and go. Really nice. It was a bit quirky to get use to using but I have never had any issues with the waypoint missions I have created.
Nothing wrong with Litchi, people just can't omit that they do anything wrong and the software or firmware is the first thing they want to blame, you see it here over and over.
I believe we are over thinking the problem here.
It sounds like you made a very complex way point mission.
Using mission hub and transferring to app could easily introduce and error in the mission or even when it was uploaded to the Phantom.
Like any computer it may have froze up on that error and no longer would respond to any commands.
If this was the case it probably flew till it ran out of battery and then dropped out of the sky.
Hope you can find it, one of those time you wish there was a tracker on it.
It sounds like you made a very complex way point mission.
Using mission hub and transferring to app could easily introduce and error in the mission or even when it was uploaded to the Phantom.
Like any computer it may have froze up on that error and no longer would respond to any commands.
If this was the case it probably flew till it ran out of battery and then dropped out of the sky.
Hope you can find it, one of those time you wish there was a tracker on it.
How can you lose RC connection when it is flying so close to you and signal not being obstructed ? Restart APP or Load DJI Go ? I have tested loading both at the same time and sometimes they have connected fine, other times I have had to unplug the USB cable and plug it back in (this only happens when swapping apps).
As regards to Litchi complex flight there would have to be a big software error for that to happen given it had flown most of the points already. I am wondering whether the home point had dynamically been updated when you moved perhaps?
As regards to Litchi complex flight there would have to be a big software error for that to happen given it had flown most of the points already. I am wondering whether the home point had dynamically been updated when you moved perhaps?
I remember reading that the ground level is the level it reads when it first starts. Even if you added more altitude in your waypoints, it may not have added 200 feet to the level of the waypoint. It may have been flying to low due to confusion of altitude you assumed it was reading. I hope you understand what I'm saying. Or someone here gets it. If anyone here can better explain what I'm saying, please add to it.
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Indeed, "Ground Zero" base altitude is set where it takes off from. If a waypoint has the altitude programmed to be 200' then it will fly to an altitude that is 200' above the base altitude set with take off. The P3 has no idea of the true AGL or MSL during flight so you have to plan accordingly... "climbing a hilll" simply requires appropriate waypoint altitude settings that increase with flight.
Since the P3 apparently had flown most of the mission and was on the return path, it's unlikely that there was any altitude issue... and homepoint wouldn't matter if the finish action on the mission was to simply hover...
I've flown many autonomous Litchi missions with my P3A and lost RC signal during many of them without any issue and always recovered it during flight but still allowed the aircraft to end the mission and hover at the last waypoint (which is the finishing action I use)...
Something must have really gone wrong for yours to end with a flyaway as it did... sorry for your loss OP!... I use an RF-V16 device for GPS tracking just in case of a mid-flight failure when RC signal was lost... very helpful as a precaution and cheap.
Thanks to everyone for the ideas, thoughts, and feedback.
To be clear, I think many instances of lost Phantoms is in fact operator error and I'm not ruling that out. I consider myself a new pilot with about 50 flights, and although I try to be thorough, it is very possible that my own handiwork or some unknown environmental features came into play. I am also new to Litchi and although I read all the documentation and practiced with it, there may be something I missed.
I do have my phone number on the drone and my fingers are crossed that a hiker or someone will find it - we have sunny and 60 degree temps here right now so it's a possibility. If I recover it I will be sure to share all the flight data and information I have for the good of our community, and so we can all learn from others.
To be clear, I think many instances of lost Phantoms is in fact operator error and I'm not ruling that out. I consider myself a new pilot with about 50 flights, and although I try to be thorough, it is very possible that my own handiwork or some unknown environmental features came into play. I am also new to Litchi and although I read all the documentation and practiced with it, there may be something I missed.
I do have my phone number on the drone and my fingers are crossed that a hiker or someone will find it - we have sunny and 60 degree temps here right now so it's a possibility. If I recover it I will be sure to share all the flight data and information I have for the good of our community, and so we can all learn from others.
It seems your RTH attempt was when you had zero satelites but you still had a connection to your RC.
Did you try and fly back in ATTI while you still had signal?
Why did you perform RTH?
It seems Litchi disengaged from mission execution when you attempted RTH, your only option was to fly back manually before loosing signal.
Sorry about your loss.
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I flew my P2V+ V3. 44 times before fly away. About 8.8 hrs or 528 min.
I was hovering about 150 ft making sure all was ok then right about when I hit the go button on a GS mission it went into ATT mode, lost all satellites and took off in opposite direction of where it should go. I now flipped the switch to ATT mode and back to GPS mode, nothing. Tried to steer it , nothing, hit the come home button, nothing. RTH switch, nothing.
I Found Phantom thanks to GPS tracker about 1/2 mile or more away high in a tree.. Got it back and checked camera footage and the camera cut off about half way thru flight, so did not get the crash on camera. It show it taking off going backwards and then about half way into flight turning around and going forward then video shut off . By looking at camera file dates, the flight I had just before the 'fly away' flight had the right file date. The 'fly away' flight had a file date of 12-31-2007. Seems like the phantom lost its brain for a little bit as it flew away.
When I went next to turn it on it had a MC Data Error, MCU IMU Calibration error. So I plug into Phantom Assistant and recalibrate then do a compass calibrate and now it flies again. The video file dates are now back to normal.
At the end of this video the screen capture part froze and the remaining few seconds is from the on board camera until it stop recording. Don't know why it stopped recording. Drone continued on flying for about 1/2 mile or so after recording stopped.
It seems, from the video, you attempted to engage the mission with zero satelites.
What does the red text say on the engage screen? Warning messages?
Where was the homepoint recirded?
You probably should consider starting a new thread so people can help you solve this.
Do you suspect litchi is to blame here?
From scanning through posts after this one, there seems to be some confusion about this "3rd party app bug". Autopilot relies on RC reception being pretty good, as it flies the drone in much the same way that you do with the joysticks. Other third party apps like Litchi, upload all the information to the Phantom first--so that the Phantom can actually fly all way-points with your RC turned off!
The warning from Autoflight, is simply that (unlike with the Go app), the Phantom will not begin return home once RC signal is lost; but this in effect is no different than other apps like Litchi which uploads all commands ahead of time.
Regardless of whether you're using Autopilot or Litchi, if the Phantom had been configured to RTH at low battery level, correctly, it would have done so regardless of what app was running or not running. Before I ever launch an autonomous mission app, I check everything out with the Go app first, including making sure failsafe is set to RTH (not simply land), and a good return altitude higher than any terrain I may be flying near. I also double-check the homepoint on the map before switching over to a third party app.
Unless your [the OP's] RTH altitude was set too low, or failsafe was set to LAND or HOVER instead of RTH; then something must have happened on board the phantom--not the apps fault.
*EDIT: I see With the Birds pretty much already stated the above a little more concisely earlier*
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Found!
Even though I lost the Phantom in what appeared to be a non-accessible, heavily-wooded area, through an act of God (or perhaps because I had my phone number on it) I just got a call from a hiker who found it 1 day later! I am going to pick it up later tonight.
Interestingly, it wasn't found in the area where I though it landed.
Once I get it back I will download all the flight data and I'll gladly share it with everyone. I am very happy to get it back, but also equally eager to find out what happened and (likely) what mistakes I made. Hopefully it will help us all and prevent someone else from making similar mistakes, or otherwise find a way to prevent someone else from losing their bird.
Stay tuned...
Even though I lost the Phantom in what appeared to be a non-accessible, heavily-wooded area, through an act of God (or perhaps because I had my phone number on it) I just got a call from a hiker who found it 1 day later! I am going to pick it up later tonight.
Interestingly, it wasn't found in the area where I though it landed.
Once I get it back I will download all the flight data and I'll gladly share it with everyone. I am very happy to get it back, but also equally eager to find out what happened and (likely) what mistakes I made. Hopefully it will help us all and prevent someone else from making similar mistakes, or otherwise find a way to prevent someone else from losing their bird.
Stay tuned...
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