Onboard DJI Waypoints Legacy Drones - Converting and Running Missions

  • Updated

There are 2 different workflows to run onboard DJI waypoint missions depending on your drone.

This article is only for Legacy Drones.

 

1. Modern Drones Workflow (Air 3 Series, Mavic 3 Series, Inspire 3, Mini 4 Pro, M4E, M30)

Convert and export a DJI Waypoints KMZ file from the Dronelink web mission planner and run the mission in the DJI app. The Dronelink mobile app is not required.

See this article for Modern Drones.

 

2. Legacy Drones Workflow (Mavic 2 Series, Phantom 4 Series, Inspire 1 and 2 Series)

Convert a Dronelink mission into an onboard DJI waypoints mission, and run the mission in the Dronelink app. Workflows stays within the Dronelink app, and does not support exporting to a KMZ file.

The detailed instructions below cover the legacy drones workflow only.

 

Onboard DJI waypoint missions are not supported for virtual stick only drones. Onboard DJI waypoints will not work for the Mini 1 / 2 / 3 Series, Mavic Air 2 Series

 

This article shows how to convert a virtual stick missions to a onboard DJI waypoint mission and run it onboard in the Dronelink app. It's possible to also directly create DJI Waypoint missions, and set waypoint actions. 

Onboard waypoint missions are uploaded to and run on the drone, which has the benefit of not requiring constant communication between the controller and drone, unlike virtual stick. Dronelink allows you to run onboard waypoint missions, while still having access to visual mission planning, complex path shapes and multi component missions.

 

 

 

1 - Basics to Convert and Run Onboard Mission

Step 1 - Select Convert from the Menu on the Plan 

SettingsMenu.png

Convert button.png

 

Step 2 - Select DJI Waypoints (Legacy)

Convert To.png

 

Step 3 - Select Finish Conversion with Default Settings

The map will show a conversion preview, select Finish Conversion with the default settings to complete the process.

More on these settings later.

 

DJI Waypoints Legacy.png

 

New Mission is Saved Ending with DJI Waypoints 

Your original virtual stick mission is still available. You will need to convert again if you make changes to the original.

mceclip5.png

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Step 5 - Open and Select Start to Upload Waypoints and Run Mission

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Drone mode and status will display that waypoint flight is active

mceclip9.png

 

Key Details

  • A onboard mission will continue after disconnection with the controller
  • Mission will automatically resume at last camera location after battery swaps, or pausing the mission. No resume point must be selected like other apps
  • DJI waypoint missions have a 99 waypoint limit
  • Multi component onboard missions require a connection to upload each component
  • Commands are not converted to onboard missions. You'll need to set them with DJI app, or run a separate camera setup mission.
  • A Path component will be broken down into a single onboard component and supports bezier curves
  • Map component conversion uses distance based triggering
  • Multi altitude orbits are possible with DJI Waypoints and Dronelink using the converter
  • Smoother orbits can be achieved with onboard

 

2 - Conversion Options

There are 2 settings during conversion. We'll look at the behavior in more detail with an example below.

 

Strategy (Convert to Multiple Components or a Single Component)

Select to have the converter create multiple onboard waypoint missions that will best fit the original path with multiple missions up to 99 waypoints each. This requires a connection to upload waypoints during the mission.

Or convert the entire mission into 1 single component that will have a 99 waypoint limit. Only one mission will need to be uploaded, although the path may not have the best fit to the original due to the limited number of waypoints.

Default Waypoint Spacing:

Control how many waypoints will be used during the conversion. The smaller the spacing the more waypoints will be used. This setting is not useful for large missions being converted as a single component.

 

DJI Waypoints Legacy.png

 

Let's convert the following flight plan that contains a Map and Path component, both using Terrain Follow. 

mceclip0.png

 

Multiple Component Strategy resulting in 3 DJI Waypoint components: 2 Map components, and 1 Path component. 

mceclip2.png

 

Increasing the waypoint spacing using the Multiple Component Strategy.

mceclip3.png

 

Single Component Strategy resulting in 1 DJI Waypoint Mission

mceclip4.png

 

3 - Disconnection During Flight

Before disconnection, showing location of mission.

mceclip5.png

 

When the drone disconnects during flight the following message displays. The drone continues to fly the onboard mission. A Pause icon shows the last reported location on the map preview.

 

mceclip8.png

 

Open reconnection, Dronelink automatically resumes the mission, and clears pause icon on the map preview and shows the current drone position and preview.

 

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