P3S refurb $349 from DJI

Littlepig · Jan 24, 2017

Went through the same experience. Cancelled the order and bought new at Target.

Ozz · Jan 24, 2017

Those using Tracking with Litchi - make sure you read carefully the Litchi warnings -
When doing some operations like Tracking on Litchi - Return To Home when signal lost may not work on P3S (fine on most the other dji drones). I think it will only hover instead then land when battery out - not good if over water - I nearly lost my P3S this way.

BillW50 · Jan 24, 2017

Ozz said:
Those using Tracking with Litchi - make sure you read carefully the Litchi warnings -
When doing some operations like Tracking on Litchi - Return To Home when signal lost may not work on P3S (fine on most the other dji drones). I think it will only hover instead then land when battery out - not good if over water - I nearly lost my P3S this way.

RTH works fine on signal loss with Litchi. I use it all of the time. Just don't loose the signal if you are using the following flight modes: VR with Immersive/Joystick Head Tracking active, Follow, Focus and Track. But these flight modes are pretty much worthless without a signal anyway.

Help - Litchi

Ozz · Jan 24, 2017

BillW50 said:
... Just don't loose the signal if you are using the following flight modes: VR with Immersive/Joystick Head Tracking active, Follow, Focus and Track.

Yeah - Exactly as I was saying - while using Lichi's Tracking with the P3S, as some of you said you were doing in this thread- be warned - if you loose signal it wont come back to you.

Travisimo · Jan 24, 2017

I bought my P3S refurb from DJI's partner on Ebay, Drone Nerds. Same exact refurbs that DJI sells directly, and it was $350. It arrived the other day, and other than a failed firmware update the first time (which set off a LOUD alarm for about 15 minutes while it redid the update), I've had a very nice time with it. I do get the "interference" message a lot while flying, but I think that's because I'm flying in an urban area with lots of power lines, cell towers, etc. The actual drone, however, was indistinguishable from new, other than a serial number that indicates it is refurbished. New battery, new props, new packaging, no marks or blemishes of any kind. I am usually hesitant to buy refurbished products, but with the same warranty and everything, I'm glad I did. $350 is a very minimal investment for a first drone of this capability, and I figure even if I eventually lose it or crash it, I am not out too much.

microlinux · Jan 24, 2017

Best $350 bucks I've ever spent.

I found a nice cheap case to go with it:

PIPELINE 100% Aluminum Case for DJI Phantom 4 and Phantom 3 Drone | eBay

She's not dainty, but I can fit all my gear and more . . .

upintheair · Jan 25, 2017

Did you guys all purchase the Litchi app for $22.99? Sorry if it was a very obvious question!

Travisimo · Jan 25, 2017

microlinux said:
Best $350 bucks I've ever spent.

I found a nice cheap case to go with it:

PIPELINE 100% Aluminum Case for DJI Phantom 4 and Phantom 3 Drone | eBay

She's not dainty, but I can fit all my gear and more . . .E]

microlinux said:

Best $350 bucks I've ever spent.

I found a nice cheap case to go with it:

PIPELINE 100% Aluminum Case for DJI Phantom 4 and Phantom 3 Drone | eBay

She's not dainty, but I can fit all my gear and more . . .

Click to expand...

Couple of questions on the case:

1) Does it fit your Phantom with the props on?
2) Did you have to modify the foam to get your P3S to fit? The description on Ebay states that it is designed for P4 and some modification may be necessary for P3. Just wondering if you had to modify it, or if it was a good default right away?

Thanks!

BillW50 · Jan 25, 2017

upintheair said:
Did you guys all purchase the Litchi app for $22.99? Sorry if it was a very obvious question!

I paid $24.99 for mine at the Google Play store last month.

microlinux · Jan 25, 2017

Travisimo said:
1) Does it fit your Phantom with the props on?
2) Did you have to modify the foam to get your P3S to fit? The description on Ebay states that it is designed for P4 and some modification may be necessary for P3. Just wondering if you had to modify it, or if it was a good default right away?

No cutting needed for my standard. I think you could probably leave the props on, I'll try it tonight. If anything you might have to cut back a bit of the eggshell in the top of the case.

Goldenzrule · Jan 25, 2017

What are the REAL benefits of litchi? I have read about some of the follow me features and mainly the waypoints which you can map out rather then fly the drone to set the points. What makes it a better option than using DJI GO?

Matts175 · Jan 25, 2017

upintheair said:
Did you guys all purchase the Litchi app for $22.99? Sorry if it was a very obvious question!

It's a nice app, but make sure you have a GOOD tablet with lots of ram/cpu to run it properly. I bought it yesterday and didn't have such a great experience. Luckily, you have 48 hours to request a refund on Google Play. So, if you do get it and then you find out your tablet is too wimpy for it at least you are covered.

Ozz · Jan 25, 2017

Goldenzrule said:
What are the REAL benefits of litchi? I have read about some of the follow me features and mainly the waypoints which you can map out rather then fly the drone to set the points. What makes it a better option than using DJI GO?

Main features I can see are
- the ability to plan routes and set it off on its own
- you can record the phone screen (for youtube videos etc)
- you can use Google Cardboard
- and it can auto upload to "healthy drones" website.
The tracking feature didnt work well for me - but your results may vary - was ok in a featureless environment (grass field) but didnt work on a road side.
Some love it - Its growing on me - but I still use DJI Go 3 and 4 more often unless there is something I need from Litchi.

NorthWestPassage · Jan 25, 2017

I really wasn't going to spend any additional money on my PS3 as I got it just to try a "real" drone for $314 refurb on sale at NewEgg. It is a lot more drone than I expected, so I just added a case similar to the one in this thread, a Surfer, a new phone holder (the one that came with it slipped after I tightened it and I almost lost a $500 phone), some extra props and quick connect prop guards. Now except for a second battery I'm set for the next year or two I think. The Refurb PS3 is IMHO the best intro to drones you can currently can get price/performance wise.

Travisimo · Jan 25, 2017

NorthWestPassage said:
I really wasn't going to spend any additional money on my PS3 as I got it just to try a "real" drone for $314 refurb on sale at NewEgg. It is a lot more drone than I expected, so I just added a case similar to the one in this thread, a Surfer, a new phone holder (the one that came with it slipped after I tightened it and I almost lost a $500 phone), some extra props and quick connect prop guards. Now except for a second battery I'm set for the next year or two I think. The Refurb PS3 is IMHO the best intro to drones you can currently can get price/performance wise.

What phone holder did you get? I have found the stock one to be a bit flimsy. My phone hasn't slipper or anything, but wobbles with any kind of movement.