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Introducing Dronelink

Understood. The primary issue with a one-time payment revenue model is the long term incentives for continued innovation and support are not there for the developer.

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The goal is to become sustainable so we can have more options in the future for other segments of users.

I agree. I've sent in a few support requests to Litchi asking about new features, or just when their Android app will have all the functionality of their iOS app, and I usually get the answer that their dev team is very small and they dont know when they will get to it.
 
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is anybody having focus issues using dronelink? no matter what I do the footage is not in focus.

in the dronelink app, the reticule says AF when I tap the screen. I can also switch between AF/MF or exposure (i'm assuming this is exposure lock?).

i'm using ios and a mavic pro. the drone works fine using dji go, pix4d, dronedeploy, etc.
 
Hey everyone,

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I’ve been heads-down working on my next project called Dronelink.

Dronelink is an entirely new approach to flight automation, and we are looking for beta testers on iOS, Android, and the web. This is a great opportunity for you to influence our product roadmap, and we would love your feedback. You can join the beta now, and our public launch is scheduled for later this year.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jim McAndrew and I am a software architect and drone enthusiast from Austin, Texas. My passion for creating drone software started in 2014 with Autopilot, the first app for DJI drones in the iOS App Store. After Autopilot I cofounded Hangar and served as CTO until mid 2018. Since then I have been working hard to create Dronelink - the culmination of five years of experience and lessons learned. To those of you who have supported me along the way, thank you.

I look forward to creating the future of flight automation with you.

-Jim

Hey Jim,

I have been experimenting to try to figure out how to set a mapping grid that can follow varying terrain and maintain constant AGL based on terrain, not based on the homepoint. One idea I had was to make a standard mapping grid and export it to Google Earth to manually set the AGL levels as waypoints along each arm based on the terrain. So- is there a way to export a KML file from Dronelink? Will it work in the education version? Thank you!
 
True AGL support is on the roadmap.


Yes, from the mission previewer. We have a whole video dedicated to this.


I assume you mean the Free plan for individuals? Yes, there is no functional difference between Free and Pro right now.

I’ll tell you one thing, for your great customer service you will have a lot of dedicated customers who are paying ones. Thank you!
 
Ive been mostly manually doing this using various programs and am looking for a bit of help with the next step- getting my terrain following KML mapping flight path file I modified from a Dronelink KML file back into Dronelink with the camera controls intact.

Here is where I got with it so far - It’s a terrain following flight path based on using Google Earth DEM's and my sample Dronelink KML file edited using Excel:

0B19DAC2-791C-448F-BE05-A70C5101D6CF.jpeg

Here's basically how I did it up to the QGIS part:




Now I still have to figure out how to get it back into Dronelink with the rest of the controls intact. Has anyone tried this?

Once I get it right I will write instructions on it.
 
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@dronelink Tested my MPP with a mapping plan I created from home, had internet connectivity during this test. Few things I noticed that were different from other mapping apps.

  1. Your app took about 1-2 minutes to start ordering the UAS around, I'm used to 5-10sec VS others. It was over my head when I pushed play. I normally hand launch then load waypoint apps.
  2. The RC said "Joystick" vice "Waypoint" which I thought was odd, why the difference and any pro/con to either one?
  3. The mission failed after 5 min of following the waypoints and snapping photos, I stopped the test here. It was windy out and I didn't see the error message your app popped up. If theres a log I can look into it.
  4. Small thing here. When making missions the organization is Repository - Missions - Components, thats fine! The issue is when I load the app the only thing it shows is Missions. So if I want to map 3000 acres I made 1 repository with 7 missions, the app will list every mission. Imagine 10 or more repositories with 7 or more missions each, now I'm scrolling over and over to find the right mission; again small issue.
  5. Best UI of any 3rd party app, bravo!
 
is anybody having focus issues using dronelink? no matter what I do the footage is not in focus.

in the dronelink app, the reticule says AF when I tap the screen. I can also switch between AF/MF or exposure (i'm assuming this is exposure lock?).

i'm using ios and a mavic pro. the drone works fine using dji go, pix4d, dronedeploy, etc.

I flew this am with a MPP and noticed this as well. Dronelink wasn't responsive with the autofocus, eventually it worked but I clicked the screen many times before it finally worked, other apps dont do this for me either. Im on Android not IOS.
 
@dronelink Tested my MPP with a mapping plan I created from home, had internet connectivity during this test. Few things I noticed that were different from other mapping apps.

  1. Your app took about 1-2 minutes to start ordering the UAS around, I'm used to 5-10sec VS others. It was over my head when I pushed play. I normally hand launch then load waypoint apps.
  2. The RC said "Joystick" vice "Waypoint" which I thought was odd, why the difference and any pro/con to either one?
  3. The mission failed after 5 min of following the waypoints and snapping photos, I stopped the test here. It was windy out and I didn't see the error message your app popped up. If theres a log I can look into it.
  4. Small thing here. When making missions the organization is Repository - Missions - Components, thats fine! The issue is when I load the app the only thing it shows is Missions. So if I want to map 3000 acres I made 1 repository with 7 missions, the app will list every mission. Imagine 10 or more repositories with 7 or more missions each, now I'm scrolling over and over to find the right mission; again small issue.
  5. Best UI of any 3rd party app, bravo!
Might try asking on DL website forum and add link to you mission.
 
Now I still have to figure out how to get it back into Dronelink with the rest of the controls intact.
KML import is also still on the roadmap. Having said that, even if we do add it, the import will probably result in creating a path component, not a map component, which means you will then have to do all the camera commands yourself.

Few things I noticed that were different from other mapping apps
The reason Dronelink is different is because most other apps use DJI's onboard flight controller. This is also why you see it take a while at the start of the mission, and why you see it say joystick and not waypoint:



Having said that, if it took 1-2 minutes at startup my guess is that you are using a fairly old / underpowered device. I recommend you consider upgrading to something more modern that can handle running the flight controller.

I didn't see the error message your app popped up. If theres a log I can look into it.
The app will show a dialog with the error message when the mission disengages. If you forget to read it you can see it from the web app by hovering over the mission status in your mission list:

1571227893492.png

now I'm scrolling over and over to find the right mission; again small issue.
Every time you open a mission plan the web app marks it as "touched" and the native app sorts the list of mission plans by most recently touched.

Dronelink wasn't responsive with the autofocus, eventually it worked but I clicked the screen many times before it finally worked, other apps dont do this for me either. Im on Android not IOS.
The autofocus control is provided by DJI as part of their built-in UI library in the DJI SDK. They are working on an overhauled version of the UI library which I am hopeful will fix a lot of their bugs.
 
The reason Dronelink is different is because most other apps use DJI's onboard flight controller. This is also why you see it take a while at the start of the mission, and why you see it say joystick and not waypoint:



Thanks for that information. For autonomous flying the use of the onboard flight controller is much preferred over a constant connection to the phone as your support docs state Dronelink does. What's the advantage of your method?

Having said that, if it took 1-2 minutes at startup my guess is that you are using a fairly old / underpowered device. I recommend you consider upgrading to something more modern that can handle running the flight controller.

I'm using a Samsung Note 8 that I keep highly optimized, hardly think that's an under powered device.

The app will show a dialog with the error message when the mission disengages. If you forget to read it you can see it from the web app by hovering over the mission status in your mission list:

View attachment 83648


Every time you open a mission plan the web app marks it as "touched" and the native app sorts the list of mission plans by most recently touched.

Interesting and thanks for the screen shot. My Dronelink app on Android is missing that entire bar (folder, airplane, bell, 2 people, 9 block icon, and cogwheel). Am I using an outdated version?


The autofocus control is provided by DJI as part of their built-in UI library in the DJI SDK. They are working on an overhauled version of the UI library which I am hopeful will fix a lot of their bugs.

FYSA, as of last sunday autofocus is not an issue on Litchi, Drone Deploy, Pix4Dcapture and Airmap. I tested all of them to try and find what's going to work best offline.
 
Thanks for that information. For autonomous flying the use of the onboard flight controller is much preferred over a constant connection to the phone as your support docs state Dronelink does. What's the advantage of your method?
Not sure which part of the documentation you are referring to, but this article states that the only advantage is that the mission continues after you lose connection:

Enumerating all the features that would be lost by using the onboard flight controller is too hard. Basically you would be left with Path components only, and even then, no markers or curved flight paths or approaches. And you could only do one component per mission plan. If you need to continue executing missions when signal is lost or want something that runs faster on older devices, Dronelink is not the solution for you.

Interesting and thanks for the screen shot. My Dronelink app on Android is missing that entire bar (folder, airplane, bell, 2 people, 9 block icon, and cogwheel). Am I using an outdated version?
The screenshot is of the web app. The only thing the native app does is mission execution.

FYSA, as of last sunday autofocus is not an issue on Litchi, Drone Deploy, Pix4Dcapture and Airmap. I tested all of them to try and find what's going to work best offline.
IIRC none of those apps use DJI's UI library. DJI includes the UI library to give developers a jumpstart when creating new apps. In the end most developers end up switching to their own custom UI components for the flight dashboard to either get around bugs or provide industry-specific user experiences. We haven't had the time or the resources to prioritize this type of feature develop considering the long list of other features that people are demanding that make Dronelink unique.
 
Not sure which part of the documentation you are referring to, but this article states that the only advantage is that the mission continues after you lose connection:

Right, mission continuation after loss of connection is of significant importance for those of us who make orthomosaics. You called the Note 8 an old device again, snapdragon 835 + GPU is hardly an under powered device for any app (including FPS games); let alone for one that controlls a UAS. This app isn't quite there yet for anyone doing mapping, I'll keep following JIC something changes; good luck!
 
is of significant importance
When I implemented support for LCMC (lost connection mission continuation) in Autopilot years ago, about 1% of all missions were flown using it. People basically didn't want to use it once they saw the features they would lose by selecting it. The reason I implemented it was because the community was adamant about how important it was and how much they would use it once it was there. Unfortunately it look a ton of development effort and then the numbers didn't back it up. The reality is we will probably skip that style of LCMC all together in Dronelink and just go straight onboard (M series) or even run the flight controller in the cloud and sent commands over the cellular network (this is the future, it's going to be exciting).

You called the Note 8 an old device
2-3 years is an eternity when exponential curves are at play (Moore's law). These types of devices might be able to handle basic missions with a path and an orbit but once you start getting into larger more complex missions (as happens with mapping), you are pushing the limits. We are doing out best to push the limits of the tech but in the end you run up against physics. If you do need to use Android and/or a late model device, I would consider switching to a tablet, at least for the advantage of a larger battery and better heat dissipation (not to mention the larger screen to see the live video feed = safer).
 
When I implemented support for LCMC (lost connection mission continuation) in Autopilot years ago, about 1% of all missions were flown using it. People basically didn't want to use it once they saw the features they would lose by selecting it. The reason I implemented it was because the community was adamant about how important it was and how much they would use it once it was there. Unfortunately it look a ton of development effort and then the numbers didn't back it up. The reality is we will probably skip that style of LCMC all together in Dronelink and just go straight onboard (M series) or even run the flight controller in the cloud and sent commands over the cellular network (this is the future, it's going to be exciting).


2-3 years is an eternity when exponential curves are at play (Moore's law). These types of devices might be able to handle basic missions with a path and an orbit but once you start getting into larger more complex missions (as happens with mapping), you are pushing the limits. We are doing out best to push the limits of the tech but in the end you run up against physics. If you do need to use Android and/or a late model device, I would consider switching to a tablet, at least for the advantage of a larger battery and better heat dissipation (not to mention the larger screen to see the live video feed = safer).

Fair enough, can't argue against metrics. Last thing, my point on the "old device" comment was that your app, while complex, should not take 1-2 minutes to process on a Note 8. While its a 2 year old device the newest Note 10's CPU (Snapdragon 855) only beats the Note 8 by a measly 8 pts. That's Samsung's flagship phone, not a device issue is my point.


The specs are right there.

I'm only bringing it up because it's possible there's a bug in the app that causes slow execution time which caused it the mission failure 5 min later, food for thought.
 
only beats the Note 8 by a measly 8 pts
I guess it depends on who you want to believe. This article claims a 45% performance increase over the 845, so assume even more over the 835. In the end specs don't really matter. All that matters is the real-world experience with actual workflows.
Fair enough, can't argue against metrics. Last thing, my point on the "old device" comment was that your app, while complex, should not take 1-2 minutes to process on a Note 8. While its a 2 year old device the newest Note 10's CPU (Snapdragon 855) only beats the Note 8 by a measly 8 pts. That's Samsung's flagship phone, not a device issue is my point.

it's possible there's a bug in the app
Happy to test it our on our S7 test device if you share a link to the mission plan. Will post the results compared to loading times on latest hardware.
 
I guess it depends on who you want to believe. This article claims a 45% performance increase over the 845, so assume even more over the 835. In the end specs don't really matter. All that matters is the real-world experience with actual workflows.

Happy to test it our on our S7 test device if you share a link to the mission plan. Will post the results compared to loading times on latest hardware.

Your link based that 45% of an advertisement, the link I provided is based off benchmarks.

I'd be glad to send you the info, pm?
 
Hey everyone,

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I’ve been heads-down working on my next project called Dronelink.

Dronelink is an entirely new approach to flight automation, and we are looking for beta testers on iOS, Android, and the web. This is a great opportunity for you to influence our product roadmap, and we would love your feedback. You can join the beta now, and our public launch is scheduled for later this year.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jim McAndrew and I am a software architect and drone enthusiast from Austin, Texas. My passion for creating drone software started in 2014 with Autopilot, the first app for DJI drones in the iOS App Store. After Autopilot I cofounded Hangar and served as CTO until mid 2018. Since then I have been working hard to create Dronelink - the culmination of five years of experience and lessons learned. To those of you who have supported me along the way, thank you.

I look forward to creating the future of flight automation with you.

-Jim
 
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