LITCHI app Phantom 3 Standard warning... what to do if it happens?!

[dabbee]

I just bought and loaded the Litchi app after watching youtube video "
Turn your Phantom 3 into a Phantom 4 - Litchi App"
... it looked great and worth the price but today I saw this warning:


Warning When using a Phantom 3 Standard or Phantom 3 4K (not to be confused with Phantom 3 Pro), be aware that the aircraft will not return to home automatically if signal is lost while Litchi has some or all control of the aircraft, it will hover instead. The following flight modes are affected: VR with Immersive/Joystick Head Tracking active, Follow, Focus and Track. All other aircraft models and flight modes are unaffected by this issue.

Note: I have had lost signal while flying the Phantom 3 standard with the DJI app and the drone DOES automatically return home. I also had it automatically return home when the battery gets too low. IMO, Both these features are needed since they both saved my aircraft.

I saw this subject raised in another thread, but could not find a resolution within the thread.. sorry if the answer was given somewhere else, but I have a question that I need answered before I use the Litchi app..

I am assuming that the following happens:

1. A pilot is flying the Phantom 3 Standard with the Litchi app and the signal gets lost.
2. The Phantom 3 stops and hovers.

What should someone do if they are using the Litchi app and they lose control of their Phantom 3 standard? How can someone regain control of their drone and bring it safely home?

• Do I turn off the Litchi app and go back to the DJI?
• Could someone switch between the DJI and the Litchi app while flying and regain control of drone?
• Does ANY 'return home' feature work while using the Litchi app with the Phantom 3 Standard? Ex. will it return home if the battery level drops below a certain level? If no 'return home' safety features work with the Litchi app on the Phantom 3 Standard, this would be a 'show stopper' for the Litchi app IMO.

What should a person do if they are flying their Phantom 3 Standard with the Litchi app and the signal gets lost, resulting in the Phantom 3 not returning home, but just hovering in last position it had signal?

If the signal returns, does the Litchi app regain control of the Phantom 3 standard? This seems like a logical question but I did not see it addressed anywhere.

Thanks in advance for any help offered.

 

[jcoop]

That's odd...
I have a standard, and it hasn't said that to me. It does automatically rth when the battery gets low, and also when I lose signal in all the modes except for waypoints (at least for me)


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[royster]

I lost signal, well screen froze & I couldn't tell if she was still actively moving or not. After a few minutes, my buddy spotted her hovering way off in the distance, just a speck in the sky, not moving, I had no idea of orientation, after 5 minutes I hit return to home & home she came

 

[dabbee]

That's odd...
I have a standard, and it hasn't said that to me. It does automatically rth when the battery gets low, and also when I lose signal in all the modes except for waypoints (at least for me)


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSES..Sorry for not understanding but, when ROYSTER and JCOOP say that you lost signal, where you using the LITCHI app or not?

this Warning is directly from the LITCHI website "Warning When using a Phantom 3 Standard or Phantom 3 4K (not to be confused with Phantom 3 Pro), be aware that the aircraft will not return to home automatically if signal is lost while Litchi has some or all control of the aircraft, it will hover instead

I hadn't had it happen with Litchi because I'm worried what will happen... I was just wondering what to do if it does happen.

Thanks...

 

[Procharged97]

**** that sux!! I'm beta testing it on my standard using iOS and now I don't want to use it!! I think someone had a issue with litchi while using vr goggles..im going to try and find it

 

[jcoop]

THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSES..Sorry for not understanding but, when ROYSTER and JCOOP say that you lost signal, where you using the LITCHI app or not?

this Warning is directly from the LITCHI website "Warning When using a Phantom 3 Standard or Phantom 3 4K (not to be confused with Phantom 3 Pro), be aware that the aircraft will not return to home automatically if signal is lost while Litchi has some or all control of the aircraft, it will hover instead

I hadn't had it happen with Litchi because I'm worried what will happen... I was just wondering what to do if it does happen.

Thanks...

I was talking about in litchi. Sorry for the confusion!


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[Pharm]

...The following flight modes are affected: VR with Immersive/Joystick Head Tracking active, Follow, Focus and Track. All other aircraft models and flight modes are unaffected by this issue.

Your assumptions are partially correct. It's critically important to read the ENTIRE warning (above). ONLY VR with head tracking, Follow, Focus, and Track modes are affected. In other words, if you're flying manually, using your phone or tablet for FPV, it'll RTH if the signal is lost. If you're flying waypoints and lose contact, the mission will continue as planned as it has always done. I mainly use it for waypoint missions and have lost contact several times but I don't worry because it's ALWAYS completed the mission and wandered back home (granted, the first time it happened, the pucker factor was quite high but I had read that it would complete the mission anyway so I nervously waited for four agonizing minutes until it came back in range!) I highly recommend it, just be aware of the limitations if you're flying in any of the modes mentioned above.

 

[RDZDroneFlier]

Your assumptions are partially correct. It's critically important to read the ENTIRE warning (above). ONLY VR with head tracking, Follow, Focus, and Track modes are affected. In other words, if you're flying manually, using your phone or tablet for FPV, it'll RTH if the signal is lost. If you're flying waypoints and lose contact, the mission will continue as planned as it has always done. I mainly use it for waypoint missions and have lost contact several times but I don't worry because it's ALWAYS completed the mission and wandered back home (granted, the first time it happened, the pucker factor was quite high but I had read that it would complete the mission anyway so I nervously waited for four agonizing minutes until it came back in range!) I highly recommend it, just be aware of the limitations if you're flying in any of the modes mentioned above.

I've puckered as well
Using my P3S
And my friends P2Vision
Both with Litchi

Accidentally set a waypoint @ 1646 feet altitude . Bird flew 760 feet saw it and was able to stop and take control and bring it back down

I have since added my altitude limits

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[shazstar]

I was really excited about the litchi app as my vr goggles arrive in a day or two. My p3s has a problem of losing connection ever time it switches off so i have to relink each time I use it. My worry is if in vr mode and I lose signal then it will just hover and then I'm guessing land when the battery is low and because of the fault with my connection, it may not auto reconnect and I could be in a real situation.

I really wanted to try VR

 

[With The Birds]

The flight modes effected are, as you have posted above (from litchi) VR with Immersive/Joystick Head Tracking active, Follow, Focus and Track. All other aircraft models and flight modes are unaffected by this issue.

If you loose connection in one of these modes with litchi the AC will hover untill critical battery level is reached at which point it will autoland.

Switching to DJI Go won't help.

The only hope you have is to reestablish connection.

This is not a problem with litchi, it is a DJI SDK/firmware bug. Hopefully it will be corrected in a future DJI firmware update.

 

[chrislongley]

"It will just hover"

That's fair enough, but surely at critical battery it does automatically return to home?

Signal loss and critical battery are two different situations

 

[With The Birds]

"It will just hover"

That's fair enough, but surely at critical battery it does automatically return to home?

Signal loss and critical battery are two different situations

The whole issue here is that RTH does not initiate on signal loss as expected. Normal behaviour on critical battery is auto landing (guaranteed with no signal connection as you can't use the memote to hold altitude or pitch).

 

[chrislongley]

The normal behaviour of Litchi is not to initiate RTH on signal loss surely?

 

[With The Birds]

The normal behaviour of Litchi is not to initiate RTH on signal loss surely?

Why would you think that (LCMC during waypoint execution being the notable exception). In most instances you would want the AC to initiate RTH when control link lost.

 

[chrislongley]

I suppose I think that because it's what I normally use Litchi for. I think it's what a lot of people buy it for, the Litchi Mission Hub.

IIRC doesn't DJI Go let you set a sensible RTH for signal loss, where the aircraft hovers for a bit to see if it can regain the signal?

 

[xxxntwv]

So if flying litchi in vr mode if you don't have immersive head tracking enabled the drone will rth when signal is lost?

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[tommi.piiroinen]

I had this issue with my p3-4k few days ago. I had distance about 420 meters and then the video did freeze and it disconnected. I waited a while and nothing happened and controls didn't respond. Then my friend saw it just hovering in the air so I walked towards it until i got signal back and hit rth on remote. It came back but I just can't trust it and I have to use dji go instead. Dji go always hits rth when signal disconnects.

Lähetetty minun SM-G930F laitteesta Tapatalkilla

 

[BillW50]

I got into the habit when I am opening Litchi, to quickly check what it is set to for loss of signal. And a few times it was set on hover and I never selected that one. I think it was happening when I switch between Litchi and DJI GO from one flight to another. Since I have been using Litchi all of the time, it has stayed on RTH. And it does as I fly out to the fringe area all of the time with Litchi and it always RTH. Oh I have a P3S.

 

[jlgaustin]

I got into the habit when I am opening Litchi, to quickly check what it is set to for loss of signal. And a few times it was set on hover and I never selected that one. I think it was happening when I switch between Litchi and DJI GO from one flight to another. Since I have been using Litchi all of the time, it has stayed on RTH. And it does as I fly out to the fringe area all of the time with Litchi and it always RTH. Oh I have a P3S.

So your saying that if your flying with Litchi and lose signal your P3S will in fact RTH? Where is this setting in Litchi?

 

[Neon Euc]

So your saying that if your flying with Litchi and lose signal your P3S will in fact RTH? Where is this setting in Litchi?

Neon Euc