I am close to ordering a Mavic Mini (MM), but have a couple of questions. I am an experienced FPV drone flyer using 5.8ghz analog video. Also I have a Tello with which I discovered trying to fly WIFI FPV is not practical for a variety of reasons. I finally gave up and mounted an AIO VTX on the Tello.
Here are my Mavic Mini pre-purchase questions (I should probably make this two posts, but here goes)...
1. Having had a bad experience attempting wifi fpv with the Tello, I'm concerned about similar issues with the MM. There seems to be a few existing ways to do head mounted display (HMD) FPV with the MM. One way is to use a tablet paired to the controller that has hmdi out, and run this into the hdmi in of your analog HMD. This seems to be a good "view only" solution that has minimal latency. This allows the tablet to do the required real-time control functions that aren't built into the actual controller. And in my case allows use of an existing HMD. The second way is to use a wifi mirroring dongle, plugged into the hdmi in of your HMD. Again this requires a phone/tablet paired to the controller, which does mirroring to the dongle attached to the HMD. This solution seems to have increased latency issues. Another way is like just described, but use a "VR" (Google cardboard) HMD with a phone in it, which is mirrored to. This would required two phones -- the controller phone mirroring to the HMD phone. Another way is to use a smartphone inside a VR HMD. This phone would be paired to the controller, but not connected to the controller. This solution allows use of apps like Litchi running in "VR mode" which can actually control the MM using movement sensors in the phone. However it is ripe with logistical issues in that you have to keep removing the HMD to do required control functions that aren't built into the controller. I have been unable to find a "WIFI" HMD that is actually a wifi receiver that can receive wifi video directly from the drone (except for the Epson Moverio glasses solution). I am really surprised that the drone industry has not recognized the need for this, now that most non-racer drones have migrated from 5.8ghz analog to wifi digital for the FPV signal. Lastly, here's another solution I though of, but can't find any info about. I did a "chat" with a DJI tech about this, and he said he didn't think it would work, but I don't see why not. Perhaps somebody could test this. You would have 2 smartphones -- one paired/connected to the MM controller, and another in a VR phone HMD. Both of them would be linked to the "wifi station" that is the drone. Then you could control as designed by DJI, and view as if a normal non-wifi HMD. You would not do control functions via the HMD -- just viewing. It would be great if the Litchi-like phone sensor head movement bit would work though (pitch & yaw). Latency would be no greater than with the phone on the controller. Like I say, the drone industry does not seem to have thought through the implications of moving FPV from analog to wifi (other than "hey, it's cheaper"). All of the above are what I would consider "work arounds"! If there is/are other solutions I have overlooked please let me know.
2. I am interested in doing air-to-air video of other RC aircraft. I'm curious to know if the "follow me" function is good enough to actually follow another aircraft. Or does that only work with large slow moving objects like a person?
Thanks for whatever enlightenment you can provide!
Here are my Mavic Mini pre-purchase questions (I should probably make this two posts, but here goes)...
1. Having had a bad experience attempting wifi fpv with the Tello, I'm concerned about similar issues with the MM. There seems to be a few existing ways to do head mounted display (HMD) FPV with the MM. One way is to use a tablet paired to the controller that has hmdi out, and run this into the hdmi in of your analog HMD. This seems to be a good "view only" solution that has minimal latency. This allows the tablet to do the required real-time control functions that aren't built into the actual controller. And in my case allows use of an existing HMD. The second way is to use a wifi mirroring dongle, plugged into the hdmi in of your HMD. Again this requires a phone/tablet paired to the controller, which does mirroring to the dongle attached to the HMD. This solution seems to have increased latency issues. Another way is like just described, but use a "VR" (Google cardboard) HMD with a phone in it, which is mirrored to. This would required two phones -- the controller phone mirroring to the HMD phone. Another way is to use a smartphone inside a VR HMD. This phone would be paired to the controller, but not connected to the controller. This solution allows use of apps like Litchi running in "VR mode" which can actually control the MM using movement sensors in the phone. However it is ripe with logistical issues in that you have to keep removing the HMD to do required control functions that aren't built into the controller. I have been unable to find a "WIFI" HMD that is actually a wifi receiver that can receive wifi video directly from the drone (except for the Epson Moverio glasses solution). I am really surprised that the drone industry has not recognized the need for this, now that most non-racer drones have migrated from 5.8ghz analog to wifi digital for the FPV signal. Lastly, here's another solution I though of, but can't find any info about. I did a "chat" with a DJI tech about this, and he said he didn't think it would work, but I don't see why not. Perhaps somebody could test this. You would have 2 smartphones -- one paired/connected to the MM controller, and another in a VR phone HMD. Both of them would be linked to the "wifi station" that is the drone. Then you could control as designed by DJI, and view as if a normal non-wifi HMD. You would not do control functions via the HMD -- just viewing. It would be great if the Litchi-like phone sensor head movement bit would work though (pitch & yaw). Latency would be no greater than with the phone on the controller. Like I say, the drone industry does not seem to have thought through the implications of moving FPV from analog to wifi (other than "hey, it's cheaper"). All of the above are what I would consider "work arounds"! If there is/are other solutions I have overlooked please let me know.
2. I am interested in doing air-to-air video of other RC aircraft. I'm curious to know if the "follow me" function is good enough to actually follow another aircraft. Or does that only work with large slow moving objects like a person?
Thanks for whatever enlightenment you can provide!
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