THE first flight test of DJI A2 FC firmware upgrade V2.1

[PeterLester]

This is a big topic....

A Futaba s.bus receiver is now built-in to the FC housing eliminating hardwire and related user configuration issues/errors (so take the cost of a separate RC receiver in to account when comparing WKM versus A2.

That built-in receiver allows for more RC Transmitter channel inputs such the the Futaba T8FG can now use more than the typical 8 channels, e.g. all 14 I believe.... comes in handy.
Issues related to MR frame vibration affecting the IMU and/or FC and/or RC receiver are apparently better resolved so that airframe vibration is less likely to lead to a fly-way.
The GPS/magnetic compass is larger and apparently much more precise....

Is it worth the extra price?
Not 100% sure but it helped to push down the price of the older WKM and for a costly new heavy lifter MR airframe c/w more expensive and heavier camera I would suspect that it is more reliable but ofcourse much depends on the QA/QC of the firmware.
But I have not flown mine yet..... apparently DJI dropped the ball again with their first firmware release but has since been resolved with the version 2 firmware.

With release 1 fw there were still some issues when configuring to some of the other RC transmitters.....

 

[Benjamin Kenobi]

I can't see the benefits of the A2...yet. WKM have been around a little while and I think most of us have tried them in our commercial rigs. They work well enough.

The A2 seems like an upgrade rather than a replacement for the WKM. I don't own an A2 so have no informed comment but Droider has certainly put me off it!

 

[plingboot]

It doesn't usually take much for DJI to have me parting with cash, but the A2 leaves me cold.

My major issue is the integration of the receiver with the MC unit and the general trend for DJI pushing everyone towards s.bus/futaba.

Over the last 4 years i've owned radios from all the big manufacturers, but i've now settled and heavily invested in Jeti equipment.

With that i have the option of traditional multiwire or single wire PPM connection, but NOT s.bus.

It seems odd to engineer out the ability to offer these - still very relevant - kinds of connections and require an additional (costly) unit to add back that functionality.

So until DJI has a rethink, i'll be sticking with my existing WKM units.

 

[Carapau]

Totally with you there plingboot. The Jeti system is amazing and I wont use anything else so WKM does me just fine.

 

[Droider]

I ain thad time to post the A2 S-BUS video yet but not happy.. don't know whatbthe issue is but its all on video. It keeps trying to register a new home point if fast forward motion, at least thats what I think it is doing. This is on a big HL x3 machine so may be some more tuning is required but right now its to jumpy and not a pleasant experience to fly.. Ill be sticking with the WKM for work so is the A2 worth the cost .. still a defiant NO from me.

Dave

 

[Tahoe Ed]

I will ask why DJI is so in bed with Futaba and Sbus. I looked at the specs and JR/Spektrum falls short. I am a long term JR/Spektrum guy and finally moved to Futaba. It was not an easy transition for me. Learning new programing is never easy. I now have it down and I will only keep a Spektrum Tx for my mini heils. We all have choices. I made mine. My A/P friend also decided to move to Futaba after seeing that the PPM in JR/Spektrum was not stable enough for his UHF Tx. Make your own choice.

 

[Javier]

I ain thad time to post the A2 S-BUS video yet but not happy.. don't know whatbthe issue is but its all on video. It keeps trying to register a new home point if fast forward motion, at least thats what I think it is doing. This is on a big HL x3 machine so may be some more tuning is required but right now its to jumpy and not a pleasant experience to fly.. Ill be sticking with the WKM for work so is the A2 worth the cost .. still a defiant NO from me.

Dave

Hi Dave,

It sucks to hear that. Since I had a fly away with the A2, and have been waiting on comments from guys like you (not many) who are testing the A2 some more. It seems like I'm definitely throwing away the A2 after all...

 

[Bartman]

...........My A/P friend also decided to move to Futaba after seeing that the PPM in JR/Spektrum was not stable enough for his UHF Tx......... .

The PPM out the back by the trainer plug isn't useable but there's a hack to tap the full PPM stream from within the radio and I'm pretty sure that it's stable when taken there.

It is what it is though, if DJI likes Futaba then you fly Futaba in order to fly DJI. They're both good radios so it's not like one is horrible and the other isn't.

@Dave, sorry to hear it....

 

[plingboot]

…then you fly Futaba in order to fly DJI.

couldn't agree less with that statement Bart.

I have no issue with Futaba radios - having previously owned one of their higher end models - but if i happen to prefer a different brand which offers features i need (which others may not) and that brand uses well accepted types of communication interface with the FC (ppm and or muti-wire), then I think forcing people to use a single brand with a proprietary communication interface is bad form.

 

[kloner]

that hack bart mentions is only on a few of the jr radios, for example it does not exist in an 11x.

pwm with any radio would work well with the a2, it's the single wire connections that give it fits. Theres so many types of ppm and i think they kinda targeted one particular type..... the jr sat connection thing, don't see why that's so hard unless it's a dsm2 dsmx thing.

 

[Bartman]

couldn't agree less with that statement Bart.

I have no issue with Futaba radios - having previously owned one of their higher end models - but if i happen to prefer a different brand which offers features i need (which others may not) and that brand uses well accepted types of communication interface with the FC (ppm and or muti-wire), then I think forcing people to use a single brand with a proprietary communication interface is bad form.

I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just saying it is what it is and just one of several considerations that must be taken into account with DJI. They're not exactly known for exhibiting "good" form. fwiw, Hoverfly refuses to break with their DX8 standard and won't add features or functions that can't be controlled by a DX8. crazy if you ask me but the multi-rotor landscape is littered with this kind of thing.

 

[Bartman]

that hack bart mentions is only on a few of the jr radios, for example it does not exist in an 11x.

pwm with any radio would work well with the a2, it's the single wire connections that give it fits. Theres so many types of ppm and i think they kinda targeted one particular type..... the jr sat connection thing, don't see why that's so hard unless it's a dsm2 dsmx thing.

the only problem i have with that Kloner is the 8 channel limit. maybe they'll expand the ability of the A2 to utilize more channels but that's the way I understand it though I could be wrong (again)

 

[Gerthart]

I have now flown my S800 EVO/A2 with v2.1 (no gimbal) three different days. I tested the following features:

- ATTI mode
- Go Home via switch, NOT by turning off my transmitter
- POI
- Landing gear retracts
- GPS mode

Attitude works well. Go home switch worked flawlessly numerous times. I wished I did test it with the gears up while I had the intelligent setting turn on. POI didn't work but was caused by user error on my side. Will try that again in the future. Gear retracts worked which is badass to witness IRL. GPS mode worked...sort of. I was pretty confident by the third day not seeing any funny movements before an unexpected behavior occurred. It was windy. About 20+ knots. She handled very well given the conditions both in ATTI and GPS. Suddenly, while maneuvering around in GPS mode, she began to very aggressively pitch backwards. I tried to counter it by pushing the right stick forward with no effect. I instinctively flipped the switch back to ATTI which gave me back control of the hexa. This happened very fast. Probably 2-3 seconds total before I switch modes. Even if the wind jolted it and it reacted by jerking backwards, it should have allowed me to control it while in GPS mode. Am I mistaken about this? I didn't have any video of the event

It was a bit scary for it to just pitch back that much. My buddies flew their F550s with Naza V2s same day, with the same weather conditions, and had zero issues in any flight mode.

I am now disassembling my A2 from the EVO and plan to install it onto an F550 or TBS discovery to test this system out further. At least that would not hurt as much if she drops down to the ground for some reason.

 

[Javier]

I have now flown my S800 EVO/A2 with v2.1 (no gimbal) three different days. I tested the following features:

- ATTI mode
- Go Home via switch, NOT by turning off my transmitter
- POI
- Landing gear retracts
- GPS mode

Attitude works well. Go home switch worked flawlessly numerous times. I wished I did test it with the gears up while I had the intelligent setting turn on. POI didn't work but was caused by user error on my side. Will try that again in the future. Gear retracts worked which is badass to witness IRL. GPS mode worked...sort of. I was pretty confident by the third day not seeing any funny movements before an unexpected behavior occurred. It was windy. About 20+ knots. She handled very well given the conditions both in ATTI and GPS. Suddenly, while maneuvering around in GPS mode, she began to very aggressively pitch backwards. I tried to counter it by pushing the right stick forward with no effect. I instinctively flipped the switch back to ATTI which gave me back control of the hexa. This happened very fast. Probably 2-3 seconds total before I switch modes. Even if the wind jolted it and it reacted by jerking backwards, it should have allowed me to control it while in GPS mode. Am I mistaken about this? I didn't have any video of the event

It was a bit scary for it to just pitch back that much. My buddies flew their F550s with Naza V2s same day, with the same weather conditions, and had zero issues in any flight mode.

I am now disassembling my A2 from the EVO and plan to install it onto an F550 or TBS discovery to test this system out further. At least that would not hurt as much if she drops down to the ground for some reason.

Thanks for sharing your test results Gerthart. Fortunatelly you didn't crash. I guess we can assume the A2 is still a piece of cr*p ...

 

[gtranquilla]

Gerhart.... True, the RC pilot should still be able to control the MR while it is in GPS mode such that you could change direction, altitude etc.
I hope DJI gets this issue fixed asap. It is shameful and dangerous to release an FC without this working properly.

 

[jazzboy]

DJI must now get a North American CEO that understands more than the toy market (not to denigrate the phantom, only a comment on the market share). The pro market is what many beginners aspire to and if all they see is negative stuff about the "top of the line components", how are they supposed to buy into a company like DJI for the long haul. We want a Cadillac but buy an Impala for the same reason. The A2 is inexcusable in terms of how it was released. It's great that some have it up and running but the best videos of it flying almost look as good as a Naza V2 and that's simply wrong as a flagship should even in it's earliest incarnation best a lower end product. It'll be interesting to see if DJI chooses someone from this industry as opposed to a runner up from a reality show this time around.

 

[Tahoe Ed]

I flew 3 packs through my A2 on a F550 with E300 motors and props. It is a little piggy with the aeroXcraft landing gear. I did not have the H3-2D mounted but did have the iOSD on for flight data. I used a single 4S 4000 lipo, near new hyperions. I was getting about 4:30 flight times. It is my intent to use dual 4000's and get about 8 minutes. I have to check how many mA I put back in and adjust the battery warning accordingly.

I like the new firmware. I did not experience the severe tilt to the rear that has been reported here. I am using the recommended gain settings for a F550. I flew it around in GPS and ATTI. I also added a few trips out in CL. The piros were near flawless. It as been a long time since I have been able to do that well. I always seem to get a 1' circle rather than rotate on a point. The balance right now is spot on with the F550. I did not get an opportunity to test POI as I was flying at the local AMA field and it was the typical busy Sunday. I will mount the gimbal, camera and vTx today and try and take it again next weekend.

 

[Javier]

Droider posted his latest testing results of the A2 with the new firmware. He still had loss of control problems with it and he has finally decided, like I did long ago, to ditch the A2. After he posted that info, the thread was closed. Why???? I guess MRF doesn't want any one to say anything bad about DJI. Dave's (Droider) post is the last post on this thread: http://www.multirotorforums.com/sho...(New-firmware-may-change-my-opinion)&p=142975

 

[PeterLester]

I thought there was an announcement previously explaining the need to better organize the A2 section(s) such that a new title was implemented, and two sections consolidated into the new less ambiguous title/section. Keep in mind that it if the FC hardware is 100% capable then all that has to occur is some refinement to the firmware. As to why there had to be a regression in total system reliability I have no idea.

 

[Bartman]

Droider posted his latest testing results of the A2 with the new firmware. He still had loss of control problems with it and he has finally decided, like I did long ago, to ditch the A2. After he posted that info, the thread was closed. Why???? I guess MRF doesn't want any one to say anything bad about DJI. Dave's (Droider) post is the last post on this thread: http://www.multirotorforums.com/sho...(New-firmware-may-change-my-opinion)&p=142975

please don't start that kind of ridiculous stuff here. please. i've explained myself and i've also allowed countless posts that have been very critical of DJI. go back and read the threads before you make these kinds of comments again.

After he posted that info, the thread was closed

that's wrong. the thread remained open throughout his wrangling with his A2 and when it finally appeared that the new firmware was a worthwhile repair to the system's overall problems I proceeded to structure new threads back to a more constructive discussion rather than have the one with the very negative title continue ad infinitum as the dedicated A2 thread. there you go, i've explained it again.