Smart Controller, is it any good ?

Twocalf · Apr 23, 2020

Gindra said:
Yes, I ordered directly from Thor's website. Definitely the way to go. The package comes with HDMI cable and the mount of course. Simple to attach to Smart Controller. No problems ordering or getting the items in a timely way.

I route the camera feed to the Monitor so there is nothing distracting from the photos or video on screen. The normal telemetry only appears on the SC screen. You can have the Monitor mirror the SC screen though if you wish.

We live about an hour southwest of Portland in rural Newberg. Congrats on the new granddaughter! Stay safe. Enjoy your new kit.

Gary

Thanks for the great info! I may well get this rig as it seems that you could definitely do a better job of framing shots more quickly than squinting at a small screen. All the best!

RonRob61 · Apr 24, 2020

Being new to DJI ownership I had the advantage of getting into the game after the release of the smart controller and purchased my Mavic 2 Zoom bundled with the Smart controller. So right out of the box I paid about $350 for the SC as that was about the difference in price from getting the bundle with the standard controller.
Im new to DJI but not to RC and FPV and alot of my friends have DJI stuff using there tablet or phones. In my opinion none of the tablets, no matter how big are bright enough so if you cant see it then who cares about the size. Then the ones you can see hae a hood and the whole set up is just cumbersome. The Smart Controller screen is super clear, super bright and even though is not huge its EASY to see clearly even in the brightest sunlight. No hood, no brackets, no squinting. Im up and flying within 1 minute of opening my bag. I have 4 flight batteries and fly conservatively trying to land with over 20% left so about 90 mins of run time on the SC with each outing and its still got about 50% charge. Im totally spoiled by the SC and I really want to get another DJI drone, im interested in something smaller but the compatibly with the SC is key to my purchase. Im waiting to see if the Mavic Air 2 is compatible, if it is im in, if not im out.
would I pay $600 - $700 for the controller.......probably not. But as a $350.00 upgrade I consider it a bargain.

RonRob61 · Apr 24, 2020

Twocalf said:
Hey Cyborg....I've got a M2P and SC and have found the screen to be bright enough even on sunny days. I agree that the screen is a bit on the small side when dealing with so much information. I may follow Gindra's lead and purchase a HDMI monitor. I like the SC in that there is nothing to hook up, I just fire up the SC, then the drone, they recognize one another almost immediately and I can be airborne very quickly. I haven't tried installing any 3rd party apps on the SC yet but have read that it is possible. I'd like to get Litchi as an upgrade to Waypoints 2. Good luck with your decision!

RonRob61 · Apr 24, 2020

i Just installed my first app to the controller. DropBox....it friggen awsome. After a day of flying i dont have to pull the card from my Controller or Zoom. all the pics save to dropbox now and are available to me via the cloud.

Renoetra · Apr 24, 2020

I to have been flying at first with an ipad mini and the hassele to set it up at any location has me worn down.
so i bought a smart controller to 3 weeks ago and my ipad mini stays in the bag now for backup or so.

screen wel lit at sunny days have now dropouts or so.
can fly up to 6km far without dropouts here in the netherlands.

worth wile to buy is my recomedation.

ff22 · Apr 24, 2020

RonRob61 said:
i Just installed my first app to the controller. DropBox....it friggen awsome. After a day of flying i dont have to pull the card from my Controller or Zoom. all the pics save to dropbox now and are available to me via the cloud.

Any special methods to install Dropbox to the SC? How did you get it?

RonRob61 · Apr 24, 2020

ff22 said:
Any special methods to install Dropbox to the SC? How did you get it?

I did a google search for the DROPBOX.APK file then just copied it to the controller via my PC. Then use the file manage app on the controller to run the .APK file. It installs just like any other app on andriod.