- Joined
- Sep 2, 2018
- Messages
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- 98
- Age
- 66
Here are my lessons learned, now that everything is working with my Mavic-2 Zoom:
1. It's brighter than the surface of the sun ... VERY impressive display that actually hurts my eyes on the brighter settings. Even outside I had to dial it to 50% to keep from overpowering me visually. That means I "could have" paid less and gotten the non-Ultra screen, but I'm still thrilled with the brightness, and I'm sure there's a situation where I'll be glad for the extra intensity. Anything above about 15% inside, literally hurts. This display is made for a clear day, on a large flat iceberg, at high-noon, as you're flying your drone with the sun in your face. And even then, 60% is probably enough. Throw away your "sunshade hood". You'll never need it again. Haven't tried it yet, but I think this might work great while wearing sunglasses.
2. The "Auto" setting on the display seems "off". When I'm inside it shows the line to around 20%, but it's still retina-damaging bright. Turn off the "Auto" and take it to 20%, and it's just fine. Not sure what's up with that, but the "Auto" brightness setting doesn't seem to care about the ambient light. Maybe it's just me ...
3. The setup requires an update of BOTH the device Operating System ... AND ... the DJI App. I screwed this up, and when you do, it doesn't warn you. It simply lets you fly your Mavic-2 and displays it like a Mavic-Pro ... and then doesn't care when you figure that out, panic, nurse it home manually, and then hyperventilate for 30 minutes.
4. There's no easy way I found to update the app ... but it did eventually give me a pop-up and ask if I wanted to update. (That was weird, I'm sure there's a way, but I couldn't find it.)
5. The mounting options aren't pretty, but of the ones I bought to try, two worked best. The Evolution3D mount is what I'd call "rough but nice" (well-made and functional but 3D printing was obvious). The option I liked best is the Polar Pro Mavic-2 mount with the device-holding hardware removed, and replaced with the DJI CrystalSky device-holding hardware. I love the tiny size of the bracket that screws into the CS, the quick-release DJI connector, and the integrated cable. And the PolarPro base is metal and solidly seats in the controller swing-arms. One screw off, and then on, and it's ready to go. It fits perfectly after you remove the DJI base that doesn't fit the Mavic-2 slots or arms. (Come on Man ... DJI ... have your accessories ready when you release a new product!)
6. I tried a mounting option that positions the display on the back of the controller (over the antennae) making the controller LCD screen visible, but the weight of that configuration beyond your normal holding position makes that a very uncomfortable solution. Instead of thinking about my flight, I was thinking about holding up the screen. That said, I'm old and weak. Young and strong would probably prefer this configuration, at which point the Evolution3D mount is awesome.
7. They don't include a charging chord for the 2-battery charging hub. (How dumb is that?) I knew this going in, and still think it's cheesy and cheap on a $1,000 gadget. That said, the RC charging connector on my other drone (P4P+) works for this. Did I mention how cheesy and cheap it is to "not" include the power-supply and cable? Oh, right, I did. Sorry.
8. You'll set everything up, charge your batteries, sit down to watch Sunday Night Football, and start hearing weirdly random beeping noises an hour or so later. That's when you realize there's a "Mute" switch on the battery charger that oddly beeps at various times through and after the charging cycle. Just switch it the other way (Mute), and the beeping stops. (What product management "genius" thought "Charger Beeping" was a necessary feature? Skip that next time and include a gosh-darn charging cable instead.)
So now that I've figured all that out, I'm thrilled with my first few flights on this AMAZINGLY big and bright screen. My eyesight isn't great, and the fact that I can fly now without my reading glasses on is just terrific. My P4P+ had me loving "not" using my phone, and I was spoiled in that respect. From the first flight on my Mavic-2 ... I hated the "Cell Phone Display" requirement.
I give the CrystalSky 7.85 Ultra display "5+ Stars" and the other stuff around it "2 Stars", as DJI needs to do some better usability studies to see what "real people" do when they un-box and set up a new gadget like this. Oh, and guys, include a darn charging cable ... I'm almost embarrassed for DJI on that crappy decision. If I hadn't had my P4P+ RC charger, I'd have been giving the non-display part of this "1 Star", because I would have been unable to charge my batteries after opening the box. (Think "child" and "Christmas morning" ... and you'll fully appreciate that feeling.)
Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase, even though it's VERY pricey. But if you've got the scratch and love "big and bright" over "small and dim" ... then jump into the deep end of the pool like I did.
AND ... THANK YOU to the people on this forum that helped me with mounting advice and setup assistance. You were invaluable to getting this gadget up and flying.
I hope this info helps others ... as they consider and assimilate this new technology.
Rusty
1. It's brighter than the surface of the sun ... VERY impressive display that actually hurts my eyes on the brighter settings. Even outside I had to dial it to 50% to keep from overpowering me visually. That means I "could have" paid less and gotten the non-Ultra screen, but I'm still thrilled with the brightness, and I'm sure there's a situation where I'll be glad for the extra intensity. Anything above about 15% inside, literally hurts. This display is made for a clear day, on a large flat iceberg, at high-noon, as you're flying your drone with the sun in your face. And even then, 60% is probably enough. Throw away your "sunshade hood". You'll never need it again. Haven't tried it yet, but I think this might work great while wearing sunglasses.
2. The "Auto" setting on the display seems "off". When I'm inside it shows the line to around 20%, but it's still retina-damaging bright. Turn off the "Auto" and take it to 20%, and it's just fine. Not sure what's up with that, but the "Auto" brightness setting doesn't seem to care about the ambient light. Maybe it's just me ...
3. The setup requires an update of BOTH the device Operating System ... AND ... the DJI App. I screwed this up, and when you do, it doesn't warn you. It simply lets you fly your Mavic-2 and displays it like a Mavic-Pro ... and then doesn't care when you figure that out, panic, nurse it home manually, and then hyperventilate for 30 minutes.
4. There's no easy way I found to update the app ... but it did eventually give me a pop-up and ask if I wanted to update. (That was weird, I'm sure there's a way, but I couldn't find it.)
5. The mounting options aren't pretty, but of the ones I bought to try, two worked best. The Evolution3D mount is what I'd call "rough but nice" (well-made and functional but 3D printing was obvious). The option I liked best is the Polar Pro Mavic-2 mount with the device-holding hardware removed, and replaced with the DJI CrystalSky device-holding hardware. I love the tiny size of the bracket that screws into the CS, the quick-release DJI connector, and the integrated cable. And the PolarPro base is metal and solidly seats in the controller swing-arms. One screw off, and then on, and it's ready to go. It fits perfectly after you remove the DJI base that doesn't fit the Mavic-2 slots or arms. (Come on Man ... DJI ... have your accessories ready when you release a new product!)
6. I tried a mounting option that positions the display on the back of the controller (over the antennae) making the controller LCD screen visible, but the weight of that configuration beyond your normal holding position makes that a very uncomfortable solution. Instead of thinking about my flight, I was thinking about holding up the screen. That said, I'm old and weak. Young and strong would probably prefer this configuration, at which point the Evolution3D mount is awesome.
7. They don't include a charging chord for the 2-battery charging hub. (How dumb is that?) I knew this going in, and still think it's cheesy and cheap on a $1,000 gadget. That said, the RC charging connector on my other drone (P4P+) works for this. Did I mention how cheesy and cheap it is to "not" include the power-supply and cable? Oh, right, I did. Sorry.
8. You'll set everything up, charge your batteries, sit down to watch Sunday Night Football, and start hearing weirdly random beeping noises an hour or so later. That's when you realize there's a "Mute" switch on the battery charger that oddly beeps at various times through and after the charging cycle. Just switch it the other way (Mute), and the beeping stops. (What product management "genius" thought "Charger Beeping" was a necessary feature? Skip that next time and include a gosh-darn charging cable instead.)
So now that I've figured all that out, I'm thrilled with my first few flights on this AMAZINGLY big and bright screen. My eyesight isn't great, and the fact that I can fly now without my reading glasses on is just terrific. My P4P+ had me loving "not" using my phone, and I was spoiled in that respect. From the first flight on my Mavic-2 ... I hated the "Cell Phone Display" requirement.
I give the CrystalSky 7.85 Ultra display "5+ Stars" and the other stuff around it "2 Stars", as DJI needs to do some better usability studies to see what "real people" do when they un-box and set up a new gadget like this. Oh, and guys, include a darn charging cable ... I'm almost embarrassed for DJI on that crappy decision. If I hadn't had my P4P+ RC charger, I'd have been giving the non-display part of this "1 Star", because I would have been unable to charge my batteries after opening the box. (Think "child" and "Christmas morning" ... and you'll fully appreciate that feeling.)
Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase, even though it's VERY pricey. But if you've got the scratch and love "big and bright" over "small and dim" ... then jump into the deep end of the pool like I did.
AND ... THANK YOU to the people on this forum that helped me with mounting advice and setup assistance. You were invaluable to getting this gadget up and flying.
I hope this info helps others ... as they consider and assimilate this new technology.
Rusty
