Litchi not obeying camera gimbal settings on waypoint missions

[Mavic-Master88]

Is anyone else having problems to get Litchi to properly adjust the camera gimbal angle on waypoint missions?

I have a new Mavic 2 Zoom and been using the latest version of Litchi on my new iPad Mini (2021). I've flown about 30 waypoint missions so far and the Mavic follows the waypoints perfectly on GPS location, altitude (above ground), speed and heading --- but it seems very wishy-washy when it comes to gimbal pitch at certain waypoints. For example, if I create a short flight (under half mile) then the camera angle seems to work properly at each waypoint, but if I fly a longer mission (more than 4 miles roundtrip) then the gimbal seems to adjust properly at Waypoint 1 and then gets stuck at that angle for the rest of the flight, ignoring the other angles I set for the remaining waypoints on the mission.

I've tried various mission settings like Focus POI and Interpolate for default pitch mode but nothing seems to change this strange behavior with the camera gimbal. I've used the waypoint feature in the DJI GO4 app and camera gimbal angle works perfectly at each waypoint, as you'd expect. However, I like the ability of the Litchi app to allow me to create missions without needing to have my drone powered up under active GPS lock and also the ability to create missions on my laptop and then upload them to my iPad when I'm ready to fly.

 

[Chrislaf]

If I am not mistaken, once the drone is out of signal range then Litchi will ignore gimbal commands and will stay at the last setting it was at when in signal range.

If you want gimbal control during your waypoint mission then you will need to plan a mission within signal range.

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Mavic-Master88]

If I am not mistaken, once the drone is out of signal range then Litchi will ignore gimbal commands and will stay at the last setting it was at when in signal range.

If you want gimbal control during your waypoint mission then you will need to plan a mission within signal range.

Hope this helps.

Chris

Oh that really sucks!

How come the GO4 app is able to adjust gimbal angle on waypoint missions that are out of controller range? Seems like something simple in the SDK that Litchi could access so this feature would be available. I'm sure lots of other people have complained about this for years?

 

[MarkusAtHome]

Is anyone else having problems to get Litchi to properly adjust the camera gimbal angle on waypoint missions?

I have a new Mavic 2 Zoom and been using the latest version of Litchi on my new iPad Mini (2021). I've flown about 30 waypoint missions so far and the Mavic follows the waypoints perfectly on GPS location, altitude (above ground), speed and heading --- but it seems very wishy-washy when it comes to gimbal pitch at certain waypoints. For example, if I create a short flight (under half mile) then the camera angle seems to work properly at each waypoint, but if I fly a longer mission (more than 4 miles roundtrip) then the gimbal seems to adjust properly at Waypoint 1 and then gets stuck at that angle for the rest of the flight, ignoring the other angles I set for the remaining waypoints on the mission.

I've tried various mission settings like Focus POI and Interpolate for default pitch mode but nothing seems to change this strange behavior with the camera gimbal. I've used the waypoint feature in the DJI GO4 app and camera gimbal angle works perfectly at each waypoint, as you'd expect. However, I like the ability of the Litchi app to allow me to create missions without needing to have my drone powered up under active GPS lock and also the ability to create missions on my laptop and then upload them to my iPad when I'm ready to fly.

Litchi tech support confirmed that the flight path is uploaded to the drone but the RC performs gimbal control. If Litchi is configured to continue a waypoint mission at signal loss, the gimbal remains in the last position.

 

[joeruby]

I believe this also happens with Speed when speed is changed between waypoints. See quote from the Litchi Manual below. Too bad. I expected that the drone should calculate both Pitch and Speed on board, but maybe the onboard processor can't do it all in the required loop-control refresh cycle time, and still keep everything stable. The processing on board these DJI drones is amazing to me. I can imagin the DJI engineer arguing with his management (but if we added this much more processing power and a tiny amount of weight, we could do this too.)

Quote from manual:
"Speed: The speed at which the aircraft will travel from this waypoint to the next. By default the aircraft will use the mission's cruising speed setting, but the cruising speed can be overriden for each waypoint using this setting.
Warning This setting is only in effect when the aircraft is in range of the remote controller. "

 

[Mavic-Master88]

I believe this also happens with Speed when speed is changed between waypoints. See quote from the Litchi Manual below. Too bad. I expected that the drone should calculate both Pitch and Speed on board, but maybe the onboard processor can't do it all in the required loop-control refresh cycle time, and still keep everything stable. The processing on board these DJI drones is amazing to me. I can imagin the DJI engineer arguing with his management (but if we added this much more processing power and a tiny amount of weight, we could do this too.)

I'm not a programmer or computer engineer by any stretch --- but does it really take that much processing power to execute commands for gimbal pitch angle and lateral speed at each waypoint?

Even if the drone is out of range from the controller, the Maven app WILL execute proper gimbal pitch angles at each waypoint during an autonomous mission, whereas the Litchi app will not. So at least we know there is no hardware obstacle for these types of commands when the Mavic is beyond signal range of the controller.

 

[joeruby]

I'm not a programmer or computer engineer by any stretch --- but does it really take that much processing power to execute commands for gimbal pitch angle and lateral speed at each waypoint?

Even if the drone is out of range from the controller, the Maven app WILL execute proper gimbal pitch angles at each waypoint during an autonomous mission, whereas the Litchi app will not. So at least we know there is no hardware obstacle for these types of commands when the Mavic is beyond signal range of the controller.

I am not familiar with the Maven app, but if Maven app can do both camera pitch and/or speed between waypoints during a mission when out of range of the RC, then I would think Litchi could do it too. I suggest you ask Litchi tech, via email, your question and see how they answer. You can find the Litchi tech email address in their manual. I think it is: ([email protected]) I would sure like to hear their answer once they know Maven can do it. Please post their answer back here.

 

[Drone_Pilot]

If your drone loses signal while flying litchi the mission will continue but all your camera settings will not work until signal is regained

 

[Jeff A]

Is anyone else having problems to get Litchi to properly adjust the camera gimbal angle on waypoint missions?

I have a new Mavic 2 Zoom and been using the latest version of Litchi on my new iPad Mini (2021). I've flown about 30 waypoint missions so far and the Mavic follows the waypoints perfectly on GPS location, altitude (above ground), speed and heading --- but it seems very wishy-washy when it comes to gimbal pitch at certain waypoints. For example, if I create a short flight (under half mile) then the camera angle seems to work properly at each waypoint, but if I fly a longer mission (more than 4 miles roundtrip) then the gimbal seems to adjust properly at Waypoint 1 and then gets stuck at that angle for the rest of the flight, ignoring the other angles I set for the remaining waypoints on the mission.

I've tried various mission settings like Focus POI and Interpolate for default pitch mode but nothing seems to change this strange behavior with the camera gimbal. I've used the waypoint feature in the DJI GO4 app and camera gimbal angle works perfectly at each waypoint, as you'd expect. However, I like the ability of the Litchi app to allow me to create missions without needing to have my drone powered up under active GPS lock and also the ability to create missions on my laptop and then upload them to my iPad when I'm ready to fly.

The simple answer is yes, I have witnessed this behavior as well. It never used to behave this way but it does now. Litchi Support says that my iPad is "Not up to the task". There's a real technical explanation for you! You mentioned distances of 4 miles. Mine Mavic 2 Pro will do this even close in. Personally, I feel that the Litchi support explanation is just a Cop Out. I have been using Litchi for a long time and it has been flawless, until it was not.

 

[Mavic-Master88]

The simple answer is yes, I have witnessed this behavior as well. It never used to behave this way but it does now. Litchi Support says that my iPad is "Not up to the task". There's a real technical explanation for you! You mentioned distances of 4 miles. Mine Mavic 2 Pro will do this even close in. Personally, I feel that the Litchi support explanation is just a Cop Out. I have been using Litchi for a long time and it has been flawless, until it was not.

Well I'll be God damm. These waypoints apps are "regressing".

Other people have mentioned the gimbal problem in Litchi once the Mavic goes out of signal range of the controller. I just can't figure out why this is a problem when the Maven app can still adjust gimbal at each waypoint even if the drone is far away and not connected to the contoller.

The main appeal of a waypoint mission is to allow the UAV to fly autonomously and not need controller commands. So why have all these limitations when the controller loses connection? Doesn't make any sense.

 

[Mavic-Master88]

I am not familiar with the Maven app, but if Maven app can do both camera pitch and/or speed between waypoints during a mission when out of range of the RC, then I would think Litchi could do it too. I suggest you ask Litchi tech, via email, your question and see how they answer. You can find the Litchi tech email address in their manual. I think it is: ([email protected]) I would sure like to hear their answer once they know Maven can do it. Please post their answer back here.

I just sent them an email and we'll see what transpires.

I can't understand the mindset of the programmers who write these waypoint apps. They seem to have very little grasp on what we Mavic flyers want the most on a waypoint mission. The Litchi software people were smart enough to realize that people like to plan out missions on a laptop so they created Mission Hub and use topographic datasets so you can properly calculate above-ground altitude at each waypoint. But they don't allow camera commands once out of range! And the Maven software folks allow gimbal commands beyond controller range, but they won't design a mission hub for PC computers like Litchi did, and I find that any CSV file imported from Litchi needs some tweaking after being opened in the Maven app. And the DJI people screwed up by making 18 MPH the maximum cruise speed on a waypoint mission in the GO4 app, which makes long missions over 4 miles roundtrip impossible, even though a Mavic 2 has enough battery for a 7-8 mile roundtrip mission at top speed in calm weather.

 

[Drone_Pilot]

Well I'll be God damm. These waypoints apps are "regressing".

Other people have mentioned the gimbal problem in Litchi once the Mavic goes out of signal range of the controller. I just can't figure out why this is a problem when the Maven app can still adjust gimbal at each waypoint even if the drone is far away and not connected to the contoller.

The main appeal of a waypoint mission is to allow the UAV to fly autonomously and not need controller commands. So why have all these limitations when the controller loses connection? Doesn't make any sense.

I just sent them an email and we'll see what transpires.

I can't understand the mindset of the programmers who write these waypoint apps. They seem to have very little grasp on what we Mavic flyers want the most on a waypoint mission. The Litchi software people were smart enough to realize that people like to plan out missions on a laptop so they created Mission Hub and use topographic datasets so you can properly calculate above-ground altitude at each waypoint. But they don't allow camera commands once out of range! And the Maven software folks allow gimbal commands beyond controller range, but they won't design a mission hub for PC computers like Litchi did, and I find that any CSV file imported from Litchi needs some tweaking after being opened in the Maven app. And the DJI people screwed up by making 18 MPH the maximum cruise speed on a waypoint mission in the GO4 app, which makes long missions over 4 miles roundtrip impossible, even though a Mavic 2 has enough battery for a 7-8 mile roundtrip mission at top speed in calm weather.

I believe Maven is only for Apple devices not Android. So at least I am out of luck in trying out the app.

 

[Mavic-Master88]

I believe Maven is only for Apple devices not Android. So at least I am out of luck in trying out the app.

Litchi is a good app for autonomous waypoint flights as long as you can either stay connected to the controller or don't mind a fixed gimbal angle once you go beyond controller range. For a long distance mission, many people will set the gimbal at -16 to -20 degrees and get a nice view of the ground with just a small sliver of sky, so it looks appealing when you watch the video. Now when you do a flyaround of a point of interest, how good it looks on video playback from that -16 to -20 angle will depend on your altitude and distance from the POI. If I'm circling a house, I can usually get good results when I'm about 150 ft. above the house and somewhere around 100-150 yard horizontal distance.

 

[AZDave]

The main appeal of a waypoint mission is to allow the UAV to fly autonomously and not need controller commands. So why have all these limitations when the controller loses connection? Doesn't make any sense.

1. There may be technical reasons (for either the drone or the app or the combination) why the app doesn't provide that capability.

2. The app may assume that you're flying VLOS per the law and would rarely be out of RF range.

3. The app may assume that if you're flying that far away and out of sight that you wouldn't know what you want to point the camera at anyway ... or at least how precisely you would want to do so.

It all depends upon what tradeoffs the Litchi developers thought they had to make.

 

[justcruisin]

Now when you do a flyaround of a point of interest, how good it looks on video playback from that -16 to -20 angle will depend on your altitude and distance from the POI. If I'm circling a house, I can usually get good results when I'm about 150 ft. above the house and somewhere around 100-150 yard horizontal distance.

Have you tried POI’s? Right click on the map to add a POI.

Then for each waypoint you want the drone staring at the POI select Gimbal Pitch Mode —-> Focus POI

this autocalculates the gimbal angle to point from your drone to the POI.

Not sure if remote signal connection is required to execute, but it tells you the angle in the box so you could then use that angle for your flight so that if you lose signal you have the correct angle already.

 

[dave canada]

now i need to go fly my pro and see if it is still as solid as ever

 

[Jeff A]

I am not familiar with the Maven app, but if Maven app can do both camera pitch and/or speed between waypoints during a mission when out of range of the RC, then I would think Litchi could do it too. I suggest you ask Litchi tech, via email, your question and see how they answer. You can find the Litchi tech email address in their manual. I think it is: ([email protected]) I would sure like to hear their answer once they know Maven can do it. Please post their answer back here.

I have flown many Litchi missions, then one day, the camera quit obeying commands. Litchi support told me that my iPad Mini 4 was a weak unit. Seems strange as it worked great for along time until it didn't. DJI Waypoints 2.0 works flawlessly with my same drone and same Mini 4.

 

[Chuck715]

Just want to add that gimbal control for waypoint missions, while out of range, has definitely been fixed in the Litchi version 4.14.3, released in November 2022. Same with speed changes while off RC. You have to turn on a new setting called "Enable DJI's Gimbal Interpolation in Waypoint mode" for it to work. I have a Mavic Platinum Pro and a Mavic 2 Pro and it works great on both.

 

[Maci]

Just want to add that gimbal control for waypoint missions, while out of range, has definitely been fixed in the Litchi version 4.14.3, released in November 2022. Same with speed changes while off RC. You have to turn on a new setting called "Enable DJI's Gimbal Interpolation in Waypoint mode" for it to work. I have a Mavic Platinum Pro and a Mavic 2 Pro and it works great on both.

Hi Chuck715, will you please tel where is the setting called"Enable DJI's Gimbal Interpolation in Waypoint mode"? Only find Gimbal gesture control in Aircraft menu

 

[Chuck715]

Maci, I have attached a screenshot of the setting. Its in "Settings", "aircraft", near the bottom. If you don't see it, then make sure you have the latest Litchi version installed. Also, I am not sure if this setting applies to every drone but for sure it does for Mavic Pro and Mavic 2 Pro because I have both and this feature now works on both.