Follow Mode - Not what I expected.
And unless I am missing something in settings, nor is it what I need.
Mini 3 Pro with RC-N1, Samsung A55 and Dronelink DJI
Expected behaviour in a scenario where the drone is set to follow for example directly behind me (say 40m behind, +20m elevation) is to have the drone always on the same course and heading as the controller regardless of changes. ie It maintains the same relative position... in this example always behind me.
The unexpected behaviour is the M3P with Dronelink is a fixed heading regardless of course changes. If it is facing (for example) north with offset to the south when FM is activated it will always face north and fly forwards, backwards and sideways with offset to the south to match controller course changes.
Manuals, posts and video clips gave no indication of this behavior.
Am I missing something in settings?
Comments
9 comments
Follow mode is differnt then the DJI Active track. Follow mode just follows the devices GPS so when you turn it will just fly directly towards the device and cannot track the object from behind. This is the way all follow modes work. This is more for drones which don’t have Active track. I always use the DJI Active track for any flights where I want it to follow because of how well they work from behind the side or other position. You can enable the sticks to make corrections during the setup process but it will not work the same as Active track.
Not sure I entirely understand the issue, but if you post a video it might help. Also, there are several different options in follow mode so understanding what you have selected would help.
Mike, I am coming from Litchi which has the only comparable GPS based follow mode that I am aware of and it definitely follows as I expect. Litchi also has the option to follow in the same manner as Dronelink. Unfortunately Mini3 is not supported and is not looking like it will be any time soon.
Jim, I don't know how I can be any clearer. Mike seems to get it. What don't you understand? Where are the options you speak of that could change the follow behaviour?
If you mean you want it to stay relative to your course of motion and not relative to north, Dronelink doesn't support that at this time.
Okay, I don't like it, but that is what I needed. Are there plans to add support in the (preferably near) future?
Don’t want to advertise for another app but I think if you look at the Litchi website the Mini 3 is supported you just need a completely separate app. I don’t speak for Jim’s app but the DJI Fly app which has active track and works so well there would be no benefit in using the DL app for the same thing. Enjoy.
Mike, it can be good to talk about the capabilities of other products. It can lead to improvement... if devs are open to constructive comments.
Follow is not supported in any way in the new MSDK v5 version of the Litchi app for Mini 3 and later. The old v4 version is what I used with my Mini2 and for comparison. Follow is a single popup with sliders and check boxes, not a multi page wizard btw.
I am fairly certain DJI active track is visual and is useful for tracking other objects, but doesn't work as well when interrupted by tree cover or large objects moving through the frame. I used it for about a minute. Dronelink and Litchi are GPS based. Even if DJI follow was GPS the lack of dynamic home point is a deal breaker. I can't be updating HP on the move or having the drone disappearing back to the start point which could be 10km behind me when it thinks it has just enough battery to get there or having the controller screeching at me for half the flight.
BTW, Dronelink DHP is only available when follow mode is active. That is a bit of a pain. First time I used it I disabled follow early while passing under some trees to the LZ, pressed RTH and no prizes for guessing where it wanted to land. At least it wasn't trying to fly back to the start point. Litchi DHP is an independent setting and can be set always on. This scenario does not happen.
Definitely open to suggestions but admittedly we are more focused on business / enterprise features right now. As I recall from writing similar functionality during the Autopilot days, course follow can get pretty wild, especially at slow speeds with abrupt course changes when the drone is relatively far away. Even the slightest changes from your perspective can cause the drone to cover hundreds of feet to “get behind” your new course.
I got caught by something similar yesterday. Setting up Litchi Follow on a new device. I was stationary with the M2 that has flown less than 2hrs about 20m away. It swung around wildly and before I could stop it (I usually fly a different setup) it ended up about 15m up in a pine tree. That was a fun recovery with a cherry picker and a picking pole. Probably caused by GPS jitter at my location telling the software I was moving and gave a false course and direction. Usually the software is really good at filtering the noise. Plus there was a good dose of my own stupidity. I was really annoyed at my moment of stupidity because I bought that drone long after the M3P because the M3P simply did not work for me and my old M2 has 2000hrs+ on it. I do know better.
Dronelink does its own little dance when the AC is too close. I've had the thing doing gyrations and nothing I could do to back it away except exit follow mode. You did warn us in the manual.
The point where I started using follow mode was a few years ago when I was flying the old M2 for crop bird control. Yes! It was effective on its own for about half the season and after that I would use it for spotting and drive through with a gas gun. Effective range at tree top level is about 1km and I have about 10km2 to cover. When I needed to move I'd put the M2 on a leash and have it follow me instead of landing and relaunching.
Now I fly a 40kg quad with a mounted gas gun that is all very professional looking, but what I was doing with the M2 was very much business / enterprise / commercial.
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