Behold! The Only Extant Mini-2 With Arc X Strobe Power!

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

That's good to know. I've been wondering about strobe placement for that reason.

Thanks for the info. I just found a hood on Amazon. Might have to pick one up.

 

[Chaosrider]

You're right - no assistive devices (binoculars) are allowed for VLOS.

I know that's the rule, but I've never quite understood the reason for the rule.

If the objective is for people to be able to see the drone, and binoculars help them do that, why prohibit that from "counting"?

MM...FPV?

 

[Faster]

I know that's the rule, but I've never quite understood the reason for the rule.

If the objective is for people to be able to see the drone, and binoculars help them do that, why prohibit that from "counting"?

MM...FPV?

Because you are supposed to see your drone all the time while flying VLOS, not just the moment you use the binoculars.

 

[wonderdawg64]

Hi, I'm a newbie to DJI drones, and I struggle to see my Mini 2 more than a couple of hundred yards away. I did a ton of research and picked the Arc V to mount under the drone so I can see it from much further away. I think, even in daylight, that for me, it's a no brainer.

I ordered the strobe, and the tape that came with it stuck to the strobe brilliantly, but not so much the drone. I've bought some small neodynium magnets, (6x4x2mm) and superglued them to a cheap clip-on landing gear I bought, and glued another magnet to the velcro tape that attaches well to the strobe.

The magnets are plenty strong enough after some testing and I can just pull the strobe off in a second if needed. I was thinking of attaching some magnets directly to the chassis, but I'm a bit reluctant to superglue directly onto the drone, especially as it would scrape the strobe on landing. I appreciate that to use the strobe, I need to attach the landing gear, but, it takes a second.

The double magnets ensure a 5mm gap between the strobe and the air vents, and the position is just far away from the downward sensors. There's a small gap when landing, saving any damage to the strobe window.

Hope this is of help to someone, let me know your thoughts

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I've bought some small neodynium magnets

Not sure how the magnets will go so close to the aircraft systems, compass function etc.
You'll read threads about the IMU / compass conflicts, and flyaways causing many losses in the Crash / Flyaway section.

That's just near metal, rebar in a sidewalk, underground pipes, a vehicle hood, etc.
Those little magnets are pretty powerful.

Have you actually flown with this yet ?

If so, no problems I guess.

If not, be very careful, almost as soon as a pilot takes off, if this conflict is present makes the drone fly off on a tangent, gets worse and worse trying to correct the error, until either the system resolves, or more often the aircraft crashes or simply keeps flying, never to be seen again.

Before take off, go through the start up process, when GPS kicks in on the app, check the map, make sure the aircraft orientation on the ground matches that of the map aircraft direction.
If it's mismatched, you have an issue.

 

[wonderdawg64]

Not sure how the magnets will go so close to the aircraft systems, compass function etc.
You'll read threads about the IMU / compass conflicts, and flyaways causing many losses in the Crash / Flyaway section.

That's just near metal, rebar in a sidewalk, underground pipes, a vehicle hood, etc.
Those little magnets are pretty powerful.

Have you actually flown with this yet ?

If so, no problems I guess.

If not, be very careful, almost as soon as a pilot takes off, if this conflict is present makes the drone fly off on a tangent, gets worse and worse trying to correct the error, until either the system resolves, or more often the aircraft crashes or simply keeps flying, never to be seen again.

Before take off, go through the start up process, when GPS kicks in on the app, check the map, make sure the aircraft orientation matches that of the map aircraft direction.
If it's mismatched, you have an issue.

Have flown with this attached a couple of times without issue, but not for very far. Thanks for the suggestion about the map, I'll be sure to take another look before I fly tomorrow, and I'll take a look at those threads too - just to be on the safe side.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Have flown with this attached a couple of times without issue, but not for very far. Thanks for the suggestion about the map, I'll be sure to take another look before I fly tomorrow, and I'll take a look at those threads too - just to be on the safe side.

Hopefully it might be ok.
I use small rare earth magnets in some of my work equipment, they hang on pretty good !

Funny thing is, the plain metal that can affect a drones systems is usually within say a metre (a yard or so).

Maybe that type of magnetic field isn't an issue for some reason.
Be good to get your feedback here again when you check.

There are certainly the analysts here that may be able to offer their thoughts on that . . . @sar104 @BudWalker @Meta4

 

[vindibona1]

I cannot comment on the magnet strategy. I use magnets a lot, but think I'll stay with velcro on the bottom.

WARNING: DO NOT USE THE VELCRO PROVIDED BY FIREHOUSE. It works great for the first few times, then doesn't. Trust me, I've lost two ARC V's with their velcro @ $35 each. I suppose the male side of their velcro is ok, but the loop side just doesn't hold after a short while. I just skip it altogether and use heavier stuff. Use only heavy duty velcro or 3M dual-lock.

If attaching to the arms I like elastic hair bands that are really cheap but really effective.

 

[Chaosrider]

Firehouse makes a 3D printed fixture that attaches to the belly of the aircraft, and the Arc V just slides in. My biggest worry about the belly attach point was that I didn't want to mess with either the airflow or the electromagnetic environment, and the Firehouse mount seems to address both of those issues well.

Still, it's sort of kludgy. The location makes it awkward for me to push the on/off button on the drone, and it's pretty unstable when it sits on the ground. Ideally, I'd like to see full-up landing gear that includes a compartment like the Firehouse mount does, but also has the broad, more conventional landing gear legs.

Is anyone aware of such a landing gear/mount?

Thx.