Mini 2 Accessories Questions, Thoughts&Advice

[MARK (LI)]

I bought the prop guards and never even took them out of the box .......and they do push the weight over 250 grams...yes on the strobe light...you aren't too old to have fun with it...so get out and do that

 

[MavicMini2Rookie]

Thank you, do you have any experience with FPV goggles, or FPV in general? Been reading a little about it, just thought I would ask around if it is worth it. The goggles cost as much as the drone, wow!

 

[vindibona1]

I've been sort of indisposed for awhile, so sorry to be late to the party. I have tried and owned may different strobes. I have had Firehouse Arc V's, Arc II's their mini strobes, Lucorb T-T3 and Vifly.

Without question the ARC V's are the brightest and can be seen the farthest. However they area few grams heavier than the others. I DO NOT recommend the holder for the ARC V. Use any other lightweight leg extenders instead as some don't need removal for storage. Velcro placed the right spot(s) are good enough. However the Velcro supplied by Firehouse works well at first but wears out quickly. We can talk about velro later.

After the ARC V, I like the Vifly the best. They are slightly heavier than the small Firehouse cree strobes but one Vifly can be dialed in the clear, red or green with varying pulses. $15. It's a best buy of strobes in my opinion.

If you only want one strobe, get the ARC V clear. I typically have one of those plus small red and green strobes for orientation so I know how my done is pointed. I've thrown down a couple of older images from my Mini 1 but it's the same for the Mini 2. Really the only changes is that I don't have that patch of velcro on the rear underside, but a small patch on the battery door if I want a green strobe on the rear. The Headlight mount seems to work pretty well, but now mount a FH cree or the Vifly (red mode) inside of it then a green on the back door. Sometimes with R/G front/rear I'll skip the bottom clear, but the clear does give me good vision of the drone about 1600' out. You can see in the last image I have folding leg extenders. They fold up and fit right in the case. I did have to modify the case a bit but 3 minutes with an exacto did the job.

I have more pictures elsewhere but these were at my fingertips.

 

[Faster]

I've been sort of indisposed for awhile, so sorry to be late to the party. I have tried and owned may different strobes. I have had Firehouse Arc V's, Arc II's their mini strobes, Lucorb T-T3 and Vifly.

Without question the ARC V's are the brightest and can be seen the farthest. However they area few grams heavier than the others. I DO NOT recommend the holder for the ARC V. Use any other lightweight leg extenders instead as some don't need removal for storage. Velcro placed the right spot(s) are good enough. However the Velcro supplied by Firehouse works well at first but wears out quickly. We can talk about velro later.

After the ARC V, I like the Vifly the best. They are slightly heavier than the small Firehouse cree strobes but one Vifly can be dialed in the clear, red or green with varying pulses. $15. It's a best buy of strobes in my opinion.

If you only want one strobe, get the ARC V clear. I typically have one of those plus small red and green strobes for orientation so I know how my done is pointed. I've thrown down a couple of older images from my Mini 1 but it's the same for the Mini 2. Really the only changes is that I don't have that patch of velcro on the rear underside, but a small patch on the battery door if I want a green strobe on the rear. The Headlight mount seems to work pretty well, but now mount a FH cree or the Vifly (red mode) inside of it then a green on the back door. Sometimes with R/G front/rear I'll skip the bottom clear, but the clear does give me good vision of the drone about 1600' out. You can see in the last image I have folding leg extenders. They fold up and fit right in the case. I did have to modify the case a bit but 3 minutes with an exacto did the job.

I have more pictures elsewhere but these were at my fingertips.

May I ask you why you don't recommend the holder for the ARC-V? I have one and never had a problem with it.

 

[LoudThunder]

I've been sort of indisposed for awhile, so sorry to be late to the party. I have tried and owned may different strobes. I have had Firehouse Arc V's, Arc II's their mini strobes, Lucorb T-T3 and Vifly.

Without question the ARC V's are the brightest and can be seen the farthest. However they area few grams heavier than the others. I DO NOT recommend the holder for the ARC V. Use any other lightweight leg extenders instead as some don't need removal for storage. Velcro placed the right spot(s) are good enough. However the Velcro supplied by Firehouse works well at first but wears out quickly. We can talk about velro later.

After the ARC V, I like the Vifly the best. They are slightly heavier than the small Firehouse cree strobes but one Vifly can be dialed in the clear, red or green with varying pulses. $15. It's a best buy of strobes in my opinion.

If you only want one strobe, get the ARC V clear. I typically have one of those plus small red and green strobes for orientation so I know how my done is pointed. I've thrown down a couple of older images from my Mini 1 but it's the same for the Mini 2. Really the only changes is that I don't have that patch of velcro on the rear underside, but a small patch on the battery door if I want a green strobe on the rear. The Headlight mount seems to work pretty well, but now mount a FH cree or the Vifly (red mode) inside of it then a green on the back door. Sometimes with R/G front/rear I'll skip the bottom clear, but the clear does give me good vision of the drone about 1600' out. You can see in the last image I have folding leg extenders. They fold up and fit right in the case. I did have to modify the case a bit but 3 minutes with an exacto did the job.

I have more pictures elsewhere but these were at my fingertips.


View attachment 145749View attachment 145750View attachment 145751

Just curious, have you weighed it with the strobes and leg extensions. And have you Enabled "Payload Mode" under Safety, Advanced Safety Settings?

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

I haven't put my Mini 2 on the scale to know how much under 250g it is. Is it really just 249 so any of the lights would push it into registration territory?

UAV Forecast is great...except for today when it's gorgeous out after several days of crazy rain and the wind is gusting at 30. Now I'm just sad. One nice benefit to registering UAV is that you can save favorites for faster checking of places you frequently fly.

 

[LoudThunder]

I haven't put my Mini 2 on the scale to know how much under 250g it is. Is it really just 249 so any of the lights would push it into registration territory?

UAV Forecast is great...except for today when it's gorgeous out after several days of crazy rain and the wind is gusting at 30. Now I'm just sad. One nice benefit to registering UAV is that you can save favorites for faster checking of places you frequently fly.

I served over 30-years in the Air Force so the government knows a lot about me, so I'm not of the frame of mind that seems to say, "You'll pry my ID out of my cold, dead hands…"

I fly a DJI Mini 2 and I have registered my drone and the FAA. I found that keeping a copy of my TRUST Completion Certificate, my FAA UAS Certificate of Registration, a copy of the Recreational Flyers & Modeler Community-Based Organizations Flying Rules, if I'm in an FAA Controlled area and had to apply for flight authorization through the FAADroneZone Web Site-a copy of the authorization, or if I only had to apply for LAANC, I show them a printed copy of my Computer Screen Authorization, and if the area is OPEN, I show them the Map on B4FLY App.



So, if I get "stopped" by some "so-called-authority" figure, either I dazzled them with my brilliance, or I baffled them with bull…

Now, that has been much said about going over the 250 gram limit and when your drone says 249 grams on it, regardless of it accessories, "roof rack, water skies, spare tires, landing lights, open containers of alcohol…" I cannot imagine anyone wanting to weigh your drone to ensure you have not gone over the limit.

Well, I've inspired much conversation about registering an under 250 gram drone and about carrying this paperwork.

Put Your Contact Information on Your Drone...

What do you think you are doing? This is a No-Drone Zone…

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

I hear ya. I'm former military, amateur radio operator, etc. so it's less about that and more about paperwork. I'm studying for Part 107 so it'll be registered soon enough anyway, I suppose.

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

 

[Clintoops]

I haven't put my Mini 2 on the scale to know how much under 250g it is. Is it really just 249 so any of the lights would push it into registration territory?

UAV Forecast is great...except for today when it's gorgeous out after several days of crazy rain and the wind is gusting at 30. Now I'm just sad. One nice benefit to registering UAV is that you can save favorites for faster checking of places you frequently fly.

I use the same app I find the gps satellite numbers can be off.
Saying it's not good to fly and yet there are plenty of gps signal.

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

That's a good reminder. I hadn't thought to compare what the fly app sees vs what UAV reports. I'll try to remember to check tomorrow. I do like that you can tweak the settings to what you're comfortable flying with which can make some of those red days turn green.

 

[LoudThunder]

That's a good reminder. I hadn't thought to compare what the fly app sees vs what UAV reports. I'll try to remember to check tomorrow. I do like that you can tweak the settings to what you're comfortable flying with which can make some of those red days turn green.

When you go to check your GPS reception on your phone/tablet using the UAV Forecast, remember your Mini 2 can only receive signal from the US's GPS, the Russian's GLONASS, and the European Union's Galileo satellites. The UAV App also can receive the Chinese Beidou satellite signal. So be sure your Beidou reception is disabled for a true count.

I fly my Mini 2 using a Samsung Galaxy S2 Tablet, but my phone is a Samsung Galaxy J7 Sky Pro. I have the UAV App installed on both, but they do not always agree on the number of satellites overhead. So, the first factor to consider is the your devices GPS reception capabilities. My two units are close, but they do not always agree. So sensitivity is an issue… DJI does not list the GPS sensitivity of its drones, but considering how critical a drone's position is, I imagine DJI's GPS sensitivity is pretty good.

I would like to say I have just finishing checking myself, but alas, my Mini 2 is sitting on a workbench in the DJI's Fort Worth repair facility, having an Arm Motor Cable and ESC Board Module being replaced under warranty. But I will check when it's returned…

Since "Enquiring Minds Want to Know," please let us know what your finds turn up.

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

Learned something new about the satellites. UAV Forecast only shows me options for GLONASS and Galileo. Only the former is selected. It showed 16 visible and 15.5 locked at sunrise this morning. DJI Fly showed 24 at startup and then 19 while I was flying. This is piqued my interest more so I'll do some more digging.

That image is, unfortunately, common. The wife and I laugh at how GPS wanted us to drive off a mountain several years back. Unfortunately, some people do blindly follow them.

 

[vindibona1]

May I ask you why you don't recommend the holder for the ARC-V? I have one and never had a problem with it.

I would suspect it might block some of the light refracting from the crystal. That comes from the photos I've seen. Can you take a few pics of yours? Also, I prefer to use leg extensions to make sure the bird sits high enough above grass and debris. My buddy has one of those setups from his Mini 1 and Arc II and I didn't like it. Last thing that I forgot is that I can mount the strobe on top for storage in the case. I then turn on the drone, the strobe and transfer it to the bottom. Everything stays on my drone all the time. I can even park 3 small strobes on top until I need them. Landing gear folds up and goes back in the case. Very fast deployment.

But whatever works for you works for you. Everyone will have different opinions and needs.

 

[vindibona1]

Just curious, have you weighed it with the strobes and leg extensions. And have you Enabled "Payload Mode" under Safety, Advanced Safety Settings?

Yes... But it takes very little to push the Mini 2 past 250 grams. The US laws make the weight no big deal. I have never used payload mode, even with leg extensions, three strobes and a lens hood. I have more images but can't locate them for the moment. Below are Arc II vs ARC V weights with velcro. The ARC II just gets under the weight limit. The ARC V is just a hair over before adding a mount or legs.

 

[LoudThunder]

UAV Forecast only shows me options for GLONASS and Galileo

The attached photo is a composite view of two screenshots on my Samsung Galaxy S2 Tablet. If you click on the "Sats Locked" box on the UAV screen, it will bring up the Configuration Screen. On this Screenshot, it shows that I am also including the Chinese Beidou Satellites ( I should have turned them off -- disabled them for this topic… ). This works the same on the App that is loaded on my two other smartphones, but the phones will not run the DJI App. So you should have the same options…

 

[LoudThunder]

I have never used payload mode

This is how I imagine the Mini 2 feels...

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

@LoudThunder it must be a difference between Android and iPhone.

 

[LoudThunder]

it must be a difference between Android and iPhone.

First off, you need to enable Galileo… Since the Mini 2 cannot receive China's Beidou satellite positioning, you do not need to worry about that.

As I write this, I tested the UAV App and if I have all four systems enable, the App indicates 21.6 Satellites locked. When I disable Beidou, the count drops to 12.6.

If I change the configuration on the Min Est Sats and GPS Elev Mask to both zero (all the way to the left…) the count goes up to 27+, if I disable Beidou, the count drops to 17+. I do not know what these setting do other than make the App accept weaker GPS signals…

Any case, enable the other two systems, I suppose the U.S. GPS is a default, but include GLONASS and Galileo…

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

I enabled both once I realized that one was unchecked. Tonight there was half a satellite missing somewhere. UAV said 21.5 and Fly said 22. I'm wondering if an asteroid hit one and took half of it with it.

 

[Meta4]

Learned something new about the satellites. UAV Forecast only shows me options for GLONASS and Galileo. Only the former is selected. It showed 16 visible and 15.5 locked at sunrise this morning. DJI Fly showed 24 at startup and then 19 while I was flying. This is piqued my interest more so I'll do some more digging.

No matter where you are or when, there will always be many more sats than you need.
You can completely ignore the sat numbers in UAV forecast.

The wife and I laugh at how GPS wanted us to drive off a mountain several years back. Unfortunately, some people do blindly follow them.

That wasn't GPS that was responsible.
It was the mapping and programming of the device you used.