No image on smart controller

[Matt M PA]

Thanks langcpht, I appreciate your thoughts. I'd expect that I would only really use the SC for flying so the OS probably will make no difference in the long run.

I too have a concern about the "dreaded gray screen". I know re-booting would annoy me.

Off topic, but I have also read in some places on line that the range is not as good on the SC compared to the regular controller...but that opinion seems to vary with no official word I could find.

 

[langcpht]

Off topic, but I have also read in some places on line that the range is not as good on the SC compared to the regular controller...but that opinion seems to vary with no official word I could find.

I doubt that there's any problem with range that you'll actually notice. If you follow the rules, you shouldn't be flying beyond visual line of sight anyway, of which the Smart Controller should easily provide. I don't fly long distances at all but I've gone ~1700 feet from takeoff and had 4 bars of signal.

 

[Matt M PA]

I assumed as such...just wondered the difference..

 

[Horsefly]

FWIW: I had one vid failure in flight at about 100m away, 30 m high. It was unnerving but I quickly brought it back and landed. I believe it was caused due to a AC startup on rough terrain and the camera hit grass or debris on function test.

I always start the SC first then the AC.

Edited to correct the starting sequence.

 

[Matt M PA]

FWIW: I had one vid failure in flight at about 100m away, 30 m high. It was unnerving but I quickly brought it back and landed. I believe it was caused due to a AC startup on rough terrain and the camera hit grass or debris on function test.

I always start the AC first then the SC.

From my days of radio control..and I realize it's a very different technology..we always turned on the device last and the controller first. At the time, there was a concern that the device could get an errant signal and go off by itself if the remote wasn't turned on first...

 

[langcpht]

From my days of radio control..and I realize it's a very different technology..we always turned on the device last and the controller first. At the time, there was a concern that the device could get an errant signal and go off by itself if the remote wasn't turned on first...

This is exactly what I do because this is what I was taught. The transmitter is the first to turn on and the last to turn off. Old habits.

 

[Horsefly]

From my days of radio control..and I realize it's a very different technology..we always turned on the device last and the controller first. At the time, there was a concern that the device could get an errant signal and go off by itself if the remote wasn't turned on first...

My apologies, I got my initials swapped. I have since corrected my error.

 

[Dakarenduro]

From my days of radio control..and I realize it's a very different technology..we always turned on the device last and the controller first. At the time, there was a concern that the device could get an errant signal and go off by itself if the remote wasn't turned on first...

same

 

[PimV]

My M2P and SC suffer from the same problem. Mostly infrequent (my guess 1:15) but sometimes frequent (for a short period). Non of the mentioned 'remedies' (power-on sequences, sd-card) give a stable solution. Mostly it is solved by a reboot of he M2P. Sometimes you have to do that a second time and sometimes you have to reboot the SC (also). It is a bug that DJI has to fix.

It is not risky to power-on the aircraft first. As long as it has not exchanged a proper (digital) handshake with it's remote (the one it has been paired with) it won't move.

 

[brent10]

just unboxed my new Mavic 2, updated all firmware on mavic and smart controller. Everything seems okay, but there is no video display on the smart controller at all ... just gray screen. Do not want to attempt takeoff like that. Anything I'm doing wrong? I read the manual!! Thanks in advance.

I have had this problem for a couple of years with my Mavic 2 Zoom.
Initially, it was infrequent but now it happens a majority of the time sometimes requiring reboot of drone and Smart Controller three times before the camera image shows up.

OSD info shows up but the camera image is blank.

And this issue also happens with a regular remote controller.

I also have a Mavic 2 Pro which has NEVER had this problem.

 

[PimV]

I have had this problem for a couple of years with my Mavic 2 Zoom.
Initially, it was infrequent but now it happens a majority of the time sometimes requiring reboot of drone and Smart Controller three times before the camera image shows up.

OSD info shows up but the camera image is blank.

I also have a Mavic 2 Pro which has NEVER had this problem.

As you can see from my entry #29, my M2P does have this problem.

 

[brent10]

As you can see from my entry #29, my M2P does have this problem.

The fact that it happens to some Pros as well as some Zooms would seem to rule out the camera itself since they are different cameras. I had thought that maybe some revs of the Zoom camera/sensor had an issue with intermittent connection but apparently that's not it.
Some folks were thinking it's a problem with the Smart Controller but at least in my case it's not as it also happens when I use a regular controller (and it doesn't happen with my Pro with the same Smart Controller).
This morning I chatted online with DJI about it. The rep said she was puzzled and would send it to a senior engineer. I will allegedly later get an email with the engineer's "conclusion".

 

[langcpht]

Some folks were thinking it's a problem with the Smart Controller but at least in my case it's not as it also happens when I use a regular controller (and it doesn't happen with my Pro with the same Smart Controller).

I'm just replying to confirm that this same thing happened to me using the standard controller and smartphone (before I upgraded to the Smart Controller) at least 3 times, but I found my USB-C port on my phone to be packed full of pocket lint. Cleaning it out with a shaved-down toothpick solved that problem for me. The same issue with the Smart Controller is much less frequent, but still an intermittent problem.

 

[scoble08]

I'm just replying to confirm that this same thing happened to me using the standard controller and smartphone (before I upgraded to the Smart Controller) at least 3 times, but I found my USB-C port on my phone to be packed full of pocket lint. Cleaning it out with a shaved-down toothpick solved that problem for me. The same issue with the Smart Controller is much less frequent, but still an intermittent problem.

I find I have fewer issues if I first go to Recent, and close all open apps and then start Go4.

 

[brent10]

I find I have fewer issues if I first go to Recent, and close all open apps and then start Go4.

Thanks. I'll give that a try next time.

 

[langcpht]

I find I have fewer issues if I first go to Recent, and close all open apps and then start Go4.

It may just be coincidental. I've had the problem happen even when "cold booted" with no recent apps and when using the Quick Fly feature. For what it's worth I've never used any app other than Go4 on my smart controller. ?‍

Since others here have reported that the problem happens with one drone and not another (e.g. with a Zoom but not a Pro) it makes me think the issue might lie with individual aircraft.