DJI Releases SDK for Mini 3

[Conservative Nihilist]

If we get a SDK for the mini 3 pro and you have paid for lichi on the mini 2 will we be able to use it on the 3 or will we need to purchase again

You only need to buy ONE Litchi license for your IOS devices and ONE Litchi permit for your Android devices. If you only use IOS and own a dozen DJI drones that came with DJI Go or DJI Go4, you can get by with just ONE litchi license purchase for the entire fleet. My purchase of Litchi is the best $25 I ever spent on anything.

 

[thomasoes]

Thanks for that . I had litchi for my mini 2,so thats good news

 

[mobilehomer]

If we get a SDK for the mini 3 pro and you have paid for lichi on the mini 2 will we be able to use it on the 3 or will we need to purchase again

As long as it is the same source platform. Appstore, Google Play store or Amazon app store.

 

[RogerDH]

MavicMover I would love to be wrong in my understanding that only Litchi can enable dDJI drones to complete waypoint missions beyond RC signal range.

This is an option in DJI's built-in waypoint system, and in fact it's the default. Litchi is simply enabling or disabling it when it uploads the waypoints.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

For anything using the Fly app, except for the Mavic 3, waypoints are only available in hyperlapse mode.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

If we get a SDK for the mini 3 pro and you have paid for lichi on the mini 2 will we be able to use it on the 3 or will we need to purchase again

You'll only need to buy a new Litchi license if you fly drones using both IOS and Android devices. If you only use one or the other of IOS or Android, then a single Litchi license will cover all your drones.

 

[thomasoes]

How will we be able to download litchi onto the new mini 3 pro remote or will we not be able to

 

[Chrislaf]

How will we be able to download litchi onto the new mini 3 pro remote or will we not be able to

At the present time you cannot install third party apps on the DJI RC and I would be surprised if DJI were to change that since it would lesson the benefits of owning the Pro controller (RC Pro) which does allow the installation of third party apps.

Right now the only way to use third party apps if an SDK were to be released and Litchi and Dronelink were to update their apps to support the Mini 3 Pro, would be with the RC-N1 controller and a phone or tablet or with the RC Pro controller.

Chris

 

[RogerDH]

How will we be able to download litchi onto the new mini 3 pro remote or will we not be able to

Even if you can get it installed, there seems to be some doubt that the RC has the resources to run third-party apps. But if it can run Fly, I expect it should be able to run Litchi (although you might need to make sure nothing else is running).

 

[Lister]

Let's say that DJI could enable Mini 3 waypoints as a paid firmware upgrade.
How much would you pay?

Me? $100 USD

 

[DJ Wes]

I don't think I've ever seen so much miss-information packed into one thread.

Yes, DJI announced on Feb 2 that the MSDKv5 will support the Mini 3 in Q2, 2023.

No, this does not mean the Mini 3 will be able to fly waypoint missions beyond signal range. That ability requires on-board waypoints. There has been no statement about on-board waypoints on the Mini 3 from DJI. Therefore, one has to assume the Mini 3 will only support "Virtual Stick" waypoint missions like most other DJI Fly drones.

Yes, the Mavic 3 has on-board waypoints and can therefore, fly waypoint missions out of signal range. However, that ability is independent of the Mini 3 and its capabilities and should not be part of this discussion.

No, you cannot currently install 3rd-party apps (such as Litchi) on the DJI RC. Whether or not that changes in the future is unknown at the moment.

No, IOS will not be supported. The MSDKv5 is Android-only. Also, the MSDKv5 is not compatible with MSDKv4 (currently used by Litchi). This means that one app cannot use both at the same time. As a result, Litchi is forced to create a totally new app based on MSDKv5 for future drones. They are already working on one for the Mavic 3 Enterprise versions. Presumably, support for the Mini 3 (MSDKv5) will be added to this new Litchi app. Since this will be a separate app from the current Litchi app, it is very likely going to have a licensing model separate from the current Litchi app. Therefore, one will most likely have to pay for this new app even though one may already own the current Litchi app.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

How will we be able to download litchi onto the new mini 3 pro remote or will we not be able to

My understanding of Litchi's functionality is that it is resident in the drone pilot's smart device but NOT incorporated into the controller as a downloaded augmentation. The magic occurs when that SDK release enables Litchi to tailor their functionality to the specific drone. The Litchi Mission Hub is a FREE download for your desktop computer that will allow you to start creating waypoint missions even BEFORE you shell out the very affordable $25 price of a licensed copy of Litchi on your IOS or Android device.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

I don't think I've ever seen so much miss-information packed into one thread.

Yes, DJI announced on Feb 2 that the MSDKv5 will support the Mini 3 in Q2, 2023.

No, this does not mean the Mini 3 will be able to fly waypoint missions beyond signal range. That ability requires on-board waypoints. There has been no statement about on-board waypoints on the Mini 3 from DJI. Therefore, one has to assume the Mini 3 will only support "Virtual Stick" waypoint missions like most other DJI Fly drones.

Yes, the Mavic 3 has on-board waypoints and can therefore, fly waypoint missions out of signal range. However, that ability is independent of the Mini 3 and its capabilities and should not be part of this discussion.

No, you cannot currently install 3rd-party apps (such as Litchi) on the DJI RC. Whether or not that changes in the future is unknown at the moment.

No, IOS will not be supported. The MSDKv5 is Android-only. Also, the MSDKv5 is not compatible with MSDKv4 (currently used by Litchi). This means that one app cannot use both at the same time. As a result, Litchi is forced to create a totally new app based on MSDKv5 for future drones. They are already working on one for the Mavic 3 Enterprise versions. Presumably, support for the Mini 3 (MSDKv5) will be added to this new Litchi app. Since this will be a separate app from the current Litchi app, it is very likely going to have a licensing model separate from the current Litchi app. Therefore, one will most likely have to pay for this new app even though one may already own the current Litchi app.

DJ Wes this highly informative response is appreciated. Your disclosure that onboard uploads of all waypoint GPS data prior to takeoff are not necessarily assured by DJI's release of the Mini 3 SDK, makes for discouraging news to these ears. My presumption had been that Litchi's access to the Mini 3's newly released SDK meant that beyond RC signal range autonomous flight would thus be facilitated.

Living in the Third World boondocks where CAA and FAA regulations are little more than passing curiosities, I was convinced I had hit the mother lode on hearing that this diminutive drone already capable of a truly astonishing 50-minute flight time with the extra capacity battery, would also gain the capability to complete waypoint missions while I relax indoors with the controller powered off, as is possible with my Phantoms and older Mavics.

Hope springs eternal, so I'll still keep my fingers crossed while fervently praying to the drone gods that my optimistic presumption is eventually rewarded by some good news from the code-meisters at Litchi, once they can get their hands on the promised Mini 3 SDK from DJI.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

By the way Wes, you wouldn't happen to be the same wise Litchi guru who uses the handle Wes Barris over at the Litchi forum, would you? Enquiring minds demand to know haha.

 

[DJ Wes]

By the way Wes, you wouldn't happen to be the same wise Litchi guru who uses the handle Wes Barris over at the Litchi forum, would you? Enquiring minds demand to know haha.

Same profile picture, same web site, same person. Yes, that is me.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

Same profile picture, same web site, same person. Yes, that is me.

Ha ha so much for my powers of observation. I'd better keep my day job and shelve that dream of becoming a gumshoe detective at least for now.

 

[RogerDH]

Let's say that DJI could enable Mini 3 waypoints as a paid firmware upgrade.
How much would you pay?

Me? $100 USD

My first experience with a GPS drone was with a borrowed Parrot Bebop. To fly waypoint missions, you needed to buy a $25 add-on, which I thought was a reasonable price. Litchi is $25, which I also think is a reasonable price. I wouldn't complain too much about paying DJI that for Mini 3 onboard waypoints -- or I might pay more with a lot of complaining, depending on how much more -- but really, I still feel that waypoints should be a standard feature of all GPS drones.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

I agree with Roger that a surcharge for full waypoint mission autonomy beyond RC signal range, as Litchi imparts on older DJI-Go drones would be worth every penny if requested by either DJI or Litchi.

If pre-takeoff onboard storage of all waypoint mission GPS coordinates is actuated by the Mini 3's upcoming SDK release, it'll be hard to name a more formidable and affordable hobby-grade surveillance drone than the Mini 3 flying Litchi missions with or without the RC controller switched on. This would be the ultimate Eye in the Sky for the common man, bar none.

With the Mini 3's optional "super batteries" fitted, that other-worldly 50-minute flight time while filming in silky smooth 4K@30fps even on windy days, truly sets the Mini 3 apart from the herd, in a rarefied league of its own. The tiny size of this hummingbird means soon after liftoff, it is but a speck in the sky, out of sight but not out of mind haha. For law enforcement, a $500 drone that can remain aloft recording 4K video for 50 minutes at a stretch would offer the best bang for the buck compared to any other departmental acquisition that comes to mind.

The bare-bones simplicity of the Mini 3, devoid of all except the downward-facing collision avoidance sensors, enables it to consume battery power with greater efficiency than the costlier Mini 3 Pro. To preempt interception by feathered bogeys while flying waypoint missions, there is no better deterrent than a tiny high-power tail-light strobe of blinding intensity. Suffice it to say I am on the edge of my seat straining to glimpse what Litchi pulls out of the hat when the Mini 3's eagerly awaited SDK finally walks the red carpet.

 

[thomasoes]

Most cheap drones on ebay have waypoints on and for the money DJI charge for the mini 3 it should include waypoints.Even if you had the option of paying more for a mini 3 with waypoints on I dont think many would moan

 

[ssb73q]

Hi, an SDK for the Mini 3 using the Plus battery will be great for mapping using Maps Pilot Pro. I will be able to cover a larger area without needing to change batteries.