DJI Releases SDK for Mini 3

[Anthony Ivory]

I, too, am eagerly awaiting the SDK's release for the same reason most others are. I'll go ahead and buy the Mini 3P once it's out. Go, LITCHI!

What I really want is a dongle which will open up use of 4G (or 5G) for better control when flying in tight spaces. There should be a good market. I don't think FAA or FCC would object, as long as required licensing is obtained. Yes, this will push the Mini 3P over 250 g, and require registration and RID. Don't care. I'll follow all regs as to when, where, and how to fly.

Anyone else with me on this?

You can buy the 4g dongle from the Chinese websites but they wont work in the US yet. I’ve seen prices ranging from $150 to $288 .

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

I don't enjoy bearing bad news but if I can save just one person the purchase price of a Mini 3, then this tragic news would have been worth delivering. DJI official spokesman Mr. William Wong has confirmed that the Mini 3 does NOT have the requisite onboard memory for the storage of Litchi's waypoint GPS coordinates, which means that even after Litchi announces the inclusion of the Mini 3 to its list of compatible drones, the new Mini 3's Litchi waypoint missions will TERMINATE the instant RC signal is lost, and the drone will RTH unceremoniously, WITHOUT completing the assigned waypoint mission.

https://sdk-forum.dji.net/hc/en-us/articles/8818033368857?page=3#comment_15905581583257

To say that I profoundly regret my hasty purchase of a Mini 3 that was inspired by news of the impending SDK release, would be a major understatement, given that the ONLY drone flying I EVER do entails sending the drone far beyond the reach of the RC controller since full autonomy waypoint drone flying is perfectly legal in the Third World backwater that I currently call home.

Without question, my hurried purchase of a Mini 3 along with TWO of the extra capacity Plus batteries, has now amounted to a colossal waste of money because Mr.Wong's statement at the DJI SDK forum leaves no further room for doubt that the Mini 3 is NOT suitable for any drone flier that expects the completion of waypoint missions even if the RC controller is powered OFF.

Hindsight is 20-20, and at the very least I can say with absolute certainty that I will NEVER, for the balance of my lifespan, purchase ANY further DJI drones that are newer than the Mavic 2 Pro. If this word of caution prevented anyone in this forum from wasting their money on a Mini 3, my modest consultancy fee will be one cold beer when next my random ramblings take me to your neck of the woods. That bud's fer me!

 

[RogerDH]

Maybe someone registered on that forum can ask Mr. Wong where the Mini 3 Pro stores the waypoints you can use in hyperlapse mode?

 

[anotherlab]

Maybe someone registered on that forum can ask Mr. Wong where the Mini 3 Pro stores the waypoints you can use in hyperlapse mode?

No one has asked that specific question, but based on the other questions posted in that thread, it appears that it would run Hyperlapse mode in what William Wong referred to as "joystick mode". With the drone within the range of the RC, the RC app is controlling the aircraft during the recording of the Hyperlapse. And if the drone loses the connection to the RC, RTH kicks in. Wong was clear about the Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro not supporting onboard waypoint missions.

 

[RogerDH]

No one has asked that specific question, but based on the other questions posted in that thread, it appears that it would run Hyperlapse mode in what William Wong referred to as "joystick mode". With the drone within the range of the RC, the RC app is controlling the aircraft during the recording of the Hyperlapse. And if the drone loses the connection to the RC, RTH kicks in. Wong was clear about the Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro not supporting onboard waypoint missions.

Well, the memory required for waypoint data would be completely trivial -- I'd guess that 10KB would be enough for 100, since DJI's waypoints are pretty simple -- so perhaps Mr. Wong means there isn't enough memory for the onboard firmware? Since most of what it needs to do is already onboard with the ability to return to home, they must have engineered the Mini 3 Pro to be really tight on memory! That's strange, given how cheap gigantic memories are these days, and they only come in powers-of-2 gigabyte sizes.

 

[anotherlab]

Well, the memory required for waypoint data would be completely trivial -- I'd guess that 10KB would be enough for 100, since DJI's waypoints are pretty simple -- so perhaps Mr. Wong means there isn't enough memory for the onboard firmware? Since most of what it needs to do is already onboard with the ability to return to home, they must have engineered the Mini 3 Pro to be really tight on memory! That's strange, given how cheap gigantic memories are these days, and they only come in powers-of-2 gigabyte sizes.

It's an odd omission. They would need a bit more than just the 10 KB of RAM, some additional CPU code and processing would be needed to self-navigate via the waypoints. But not enough to make any real difference in terms of the cost of the hardware. And it's not like it's a new problem for them to solve. Even my Phantom 3 Standard could store and navigate via waypoints.

I think it was a legal or marketing decision, not a technical decision

 

[Bob Jones]

Apologies sir for my hasty conclusion. I truly was convinced that the SDK had already been released, and I got carried away with the excitement. Won't happen again, but at least I know for sure the SDK is pledged by DJI and is now eagerly anticipated by Litchi users like myself.

They said a sdk was coming for the m3 too, looks like they lied.

 

[Kafftenen]

DJI announcement as of April 7th

Mobile SDK

Dronelink in Beta for enabling waypoint missions already
https://support.dronelink.com/hc/en...33-Beta-Test-Feedback?sort_by=recent_activity

 

[RogerDH]

DJI announcement as of April 7th

Mobile SDK

Dronelink in Beta for enabling waypoint missions already
https://support.dronelink.com/hc/en...33-Beta-Test-Feedback?sort_by=recent_activity

Somehow, Dronelink announced their Beta on March 30, a week before DJI announced the SDK release. It's encouraging that they are working with 3rd-party developers. It's unfortunate that the SDK is Android-only, but fortunately, I am too.

 

[Kafftenen]

Somehow, Dronelink announced their Beta on March 30, a week before DJI announced the SDK release. It's encouraging that they are working with 3rd-party developers. It's unfortunate that the SDK is Android-only, but fortunately, I am too.

Yes that's correct. At that point in time DJI released to the developer community at GitHub the Alpha release of DJI MSDK V5.2.

 

[chiyu]

The mini, mini2, and Air2s are used in litchi waypoints because they are virtual joysticks, and they often hover at a certain waypoint. The signal is poor, and they must be stopped manually. The waypoint memory of the old model is the best way, but DJI deliberately limits it.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

Dang, more depressing news. Just bought a Mini 3 after erroneously expecting that the newly released SDK was an assurance that Litchi waypoint missions BEYOND the signal range of the RC would be possible. That new Mini3 is now gathering dust on a shelf, and it looks more and more like that is where it will stay until the cows come home.

Bought two Plus batteries at $90 a pop with the anticipation that Litchi waypoint missions ranging for over ten miles round trip would be possible while I relaxed indoors with the RC controller switched off since that is legal where I live. Oh well, that's one grand USD down the drain. I won't sell it, because hope springs eternal, but I have no use at all for a drone that is hobbled with that infernal "Virtual Sticks" dog leash.

 

[pyrolator]

Litchi Beta App

 

[pyrolator]

Litchi Beta open
Only waypoint mode but more to come.

 

[chong67]

Thanks for the alert on that beta. I have Mini 3. Is it OK to install? The beta things scare me.

I can't find any info on the Litchi Pilot beta.

 

[DJ Wes]

Thanks for the alert on that beta. I have Mini 3. Is it OK to install? The beta things scare me.

I can't find any info on the Litchi Pilot beta.

Yes, it is OK to install the new Litchi Pilot Beta. Yes, "Beta" should scare you. That is the point of calling it "Beta". There may be (and most likely are) bugs to be worked out. If you are a relatively new drone user, perhaps testing a beta release is not the best thing to do. However, if you have already used the existing Litchi app, testing this new one may not be that big of a challenge.

Here is more information on the beta release:

New Litchi Pilot BETA

Say hello to Litchi Pilot, a brand new app we have been working on to support the latest DJI drones. While it’s still early days, we are happy to announce that the Litchi Pilot BETA starts today! At this stage, Litchi Pilot only supports syncing and executing waypoint flights. Planning waypoint...

forum.flylitchi.com

 

[Droning on and on...]

Yes, it is OK to install the new Litchi Pilot Beta. Yes, "Beta" should scare you.

Scare? I don't know about that. The RC-N1 is still in control of the drone.

Be prepared to pull the plug on the cord connecting your phone to the RC if the beta misbehaves. Then just fly or RTH the drone home and land.