All Drones = Mavic
Well yesterday my Mavic passed the 300 flight landmark. 420kms and & 40 trouble free flight hours.
If you are wondering what maintenance I have done to keep it all running, the short answer is zero. The long answer may be of interest to new or prospective Mavic users….
Compass:- calibrated a single time on day one. Since then I have carted it all over Australia and have never touched the compass calibration again. I have had numerous occasions when the system told me to recalibrate the compass. Like yesterday when trying to take off from the back of a pickup/ute. I simply moved it away from the metal and the message went away.
IMU/Gimbal/Joysticks: I have not recalibrated or touched any of these other systems. IMU, Gimbal and RC remain untouched.
Propellers: Still running the original set. I never unfold them by hand. I unfold them before flight using the motors
I give them a wipe with a damp cloth occasionally. I will probably switch them out and keep as them as spares. YES, I have read the suggestion to replace at ~200 flights. But at 305 flights they still look solid to me.Main camera - I have not touched or wiped once.
Batteries – No maintenance. I do try to use them down to ~ 15% and sometimes down to 10%. I have numbered them so I use them in order. I don't worry about storage and transport charge levels. KISS.
Storage – DJI shoulder bag that came with the Fly More combo. I wedge the RC in vertically with the 45 degree twist so joysticks are in a corner. They get rammed in, along with the Mavic with props and no special protection – absolutely no problems with this. The shoulder bag is so convenient. Pull Mavic and RC out and drop Gimbal guard, Gimbal lock and phone case back in. I have taken the whole kits on about 40 airline flights and never had any issue with security. I just throw the shoulder bag inside my wheelie bag where it takes up about the same space as a pair of shoes.
My Setup:
-Mavic Fly More Combo + DJI Care Refresh
-Samsung S7 edge <- 95% of flights
-iPad Air 2 GSM <- 5% of flights and great for building Litchi missions.
-Microsoft Surface 3 Pro with Premier Pro.
I don’t have any fancy landing pads, gimbal guards, Lipo bags, pelican cases, stickers lanyards or Cheesy Pet names for it. Only mods are a sticker with my name and number and another yellow tag on the gimbal lock. So it is obvious if I have forgotten to remove it. I just try to keep the props clean and pop the gimbal lock and camera cover back on as soon as I land. That’s about it.
Pre-purchase I thought that I would want to use the iPad all the time due to its large screen. As it turns out the S7 edge is what I use all the time as the screen is excellent and combined with the RC is much more portable. I really only use the iPad if somebody wants a demo or If I am flying from a spot where I can sit at a bench. Looked at iPad holders, but they are not my thing. I was surprised the physically much larger iPad Air2 screen was not as good as I expected it would be. The S7 edge is in fact higher res albeit much smaller. iPad is good for making Litchi mission, though & I am sure the newer models are higher res.
Use:
I use Litchi for WPT mission flying and taking 360 Panoramas.
I use DJIGo 4 for FPV flight as I prefer its interface. Course Lock is my favorite smart flight mode and really the only one I use frequently.
I read the manuals inside out (numerous times). I have hung out and learnt a lot at this forum and the DJI one. Some very helpful people around here. Thankyou all.
Past Issues:-
Early on I had one Toilet Bowl Event (TBE) & an ATTI event. Both occurred whilst learning to use Litchi WPT missions and had my Mavic drifting downwind out to sea. Fortunately I was able to recover from both. Since the recent Mavic firmware updates it looks to me like this issue has been addressed one way or another.
Crashed/Mowed my way into long grass at ~ 35kmh one evening with VPS off – No damage. Me being stupid flying in semi darkness and misjudged the height. Lucky.
S7 edge Phone – Has at times had app crash issues during flight. For example when DJIGo4 was first released. For the most part this can be fixed by killing all apps, which I do as part of my setup each time I fly.
Current Issues:-
Litchi Adroid – App frequently crashes after LOS on WPT missions (I hate this bug but not a show stopper).
Memory Card Door (Said battery door - brain fade sorry) one of the two tabs broken – No real issue until the second tab breaks. Possibly in time this will be the first wear & tear part to break on other Mavic’s too. Unfortunately, it is attached by tape to the inside of the case so not readily user replaceable. I wonder if a copy can be made with a 3d printer without the tape? DJI have said to send it in for a repair but this seems an overkill.
Overall:-
I have really had a trouble free & reliable run with my Mavic.. After 2.5 months of solid use it, is still in excellent condition and looks new. I have been thrilled with what I can do with this thing. I see it as great value and it has given me loads of enjoyment and satisfaction. I trust this shows how reliable this little marvel can be. This is what I do. It is not necessarily the right way but it works.
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