Nighttime precision landing

EnricoBrun · Nov 29, 2018

Has anyone tried? Even after the last update my wrong contact point of 2 meters! ... test both in automatic and manual take-off.

Mossiback · Nov 29, 2018

Precision landing needs good lighting to work. So does obstacle avoidance.

EnricoBrun · Nov 29, 2018

Mossiback said:
Precision landing needs good lighting to work. So does obstacle avoidance.

The two headlights below are useless then?

Mossiback · Nov 29, 2018

EnricoBrun said:
The two headlights below are useless then?

Can't say. I have a MP not the M2P. DJI has been improving the precision landing with recent updates but they may have more work to do. As a test, add more light to your home point and see if precision improves. It is possible the downward lights are not enough if the original takeoff spot has a dark surface.

Actual M2P owners can step in any time...

EnricoBrun · Nov 29, 2018

Mossiback said:
Can't say. I have a MP not the M2P. DJI has been improving the precision landing with recent updates but they may have more work to do. As a test, add more light to your home point and see if precision improves. It is possible the downward lights are not enough if the original takeoff spot has a dark surface.

Actual M2P owners can step in any time...

As on dji forum nobody talks about it, it seems that I am unique to have tried the precision landing at night ..... strange ...

msinger · Nov 29, 2018

EnricoBrun said:
The two headlights below are useless then?

I think so. In my testing, I found the my M2P landed about 10 feet from the home point. It didn't make a difference if I allowed the light to manually turn on/off or if I kept it turned on the entire time.

DanMan32 · Nov 29, 2018

There is a thread somewhere here about this. Nobody has tested it yet.

msinger · Nov 29, 2018

DanMan32 said:
Nobody has tested it yet.

See my post above.

DanMan32 · Nov 29, 2018

Yes, I saw that, but pointed out there's a more extensive discussion about this.

msinger · Nov 29, 2018

A more extensive discussion about nobody testing it? I'm not sure that will help the OP. Feel free to link it here though if you think it will be helpful.

dirkclod · Nov 29, 2018

DanMan32 said:
Yes, I saw that, but pointed out there's a more extensive discussion about this.

There was one thread with 9 pages that got sidetracked talking about calibrating and a few others but only a few post in them .
Now I just went out back in pitch black with a white landing pad/flat box and tried it 2 times and it won't hit spot on like was said .I did try the other day about dark where the lights did come on and it hit spot on but it was not real dark other than the sun had just set .This is what I just saw 2 times .

EnricoBrun · Nov 29, 2018

dirkclod said:
There was one thread with 9 pages that got sidetracked talking about calibrating and a few others but only a few post in them .
Now I just went out back in pitch black with a white landing pad/flat box and tried it 2 times and it won't hit spot on like was said .I did try the other day about dark where the lights did come on and it hit spot on but it was not real dark other than the sun had just set .This is what I just saw 2 times .

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Excellent video demonstration! Even with my Pro the landing missed the target of about 2 meters !!! We were just a few to try the Precision Landing at night!

dirkclod · Nov 29, 2018

Well singer did it also and am disappointed as I wanted to do one like the other landing from where I normally take off, bed of my truck .I would miss it at night but with light it slides right in .Now this isn't something I
will use as I always take over when it gets over head and hand catch but had to try it .

Porky · Nov 30, 2018

dirkclod said:
There was one thread with 9 pages that got sidetracked talking about calibrating and a few others but only a few post in them .
Now I just went out back in pitch black with a white landing pad/flat box and tried it 2 times and it won't hit spot on like was said .I did try the other day about dark where the lights did come on and it hit spot on but it was not real dark other than the sun had just set .This is what I just saw 2 times .

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Thanks for sharing your video with us dirk, very interesting. I wonder if it would work using a orange landing pad with reflectors built into it. I’ll have to try it out when the weather here improves.

I don’t think I’ll use it that often but because it’s a new feature I’ve got to try it out, very inquisitive I am..

dannybgoode · Nov 30, 2018

I tried it the other night but it was the first time I had tested PL since updating the firmware so do not know if it is working full stop.

I do use an orange launchpad with a reflective H and it was a far few feet off. It did not turn on the aux lights until well after if had started descending and did not make any attempt to correct its position.

I landed manually from then on after using RTH to get me there or thereabouts. I will try and test PL in daylight just to verify it is definitely working and if so will give it another shot.

Porky · Nov 30, 2018

dannybgoode said:
I tried it the other night but it was the first time I had tested PL since updating the firmware so do not know if it is working full stop.

I do use an orange launchpad with a reflective H and it was a far few feet off. It did not turn on the aux lights until well after if had started descending and did not make any attempt to correct its position.

I landed manually from then on after using RTH to get me there or thereabouts. I will try and test PL in daylight just to verify it is definitely working and if so will give it another shot.

Oh well.. not going to bother trying that now, waste of time if it doesn’t work with your landing pad, mine has a reflection border sooo what’s the point in having that.

lolo780 · Nov 30, 2018

PL is not realiable at night, be ready to manually correct if you have a small landing zone.

Handicapped parking spots work well, but if you're in an empty parking lot at night you don't really need PL..

dannybgoode · Nov 30, 2018

Porky said:
Oh well.. not going to bother trying that now, waste of time if it doesn’t work with your landing pad, mine has a reflection border sooo what’s the point in having that.

The reflective border / H still helps PL in daylight conditions.

Porky · Nov 30, 2018

dannybgoode said:
The reflective border / H still helps PL in daylight conditions.

No problem with landing my M2 in daylight on my pad.

This is from my landing pad manual,

Night Lighting - In the surface area we have added a silver octagon area made of special material to help get a good view at night flying, giving a better operating experience.

You also get pads that come with led lighting, I wonder if that would help. Then saying that it’s only a testing experiment, let’s not go down that route.