Solution to choppy video on iPad

[gjanu]

I read many complaints about MAVIC video feed, as viewed on an iPad, being choppy, intermittent etc. I started flying my MAVIC in January and as time went by, this problem was getting worse. I know it is not due to a magnetic, or RFI interference because I have been testing this on the same flight path and the video feed used to be perfect and now it is not. This problem makes it dangerous to fly the MAVIC because, as the video freezes for a few seconds, it is possible to hit an obstacle and crash. As the weather got warmer and we entered the summer season with 90-plus degrees temperatures and high humidity, I gradually realized that the choppy video problem is caused by the iPad overheating. For some reason, when the iPad starts overheating, the video feed fails first. I made an assumption that the updates of the DJI GO4 app, with added features (fixed wing mode, SPARK and DJI Goggles support etc.) present a higher CPU load for the iPad and cause overheating. In the latest DJI GO 4 app update (ver.4.1.3), DJI even included a message "You mobile device CPU is fully loaded, it will affect performance". So I downgraded to ver. 4.0.5, but it did not help at all. So I started looking for a cooling solution for the iPad. By the way, the overheating problem is certainly made worse by my running the iPad screen at a maximum brightness, but without it, the screen is barely readable. I tried attaching two icepacks with rubber bands to the back of the iPad and it did solve the problem. Video feed was perfect. Another proof that video feed problems are in fact caused by iPad overheating. But icepacks are a clumsy solution-I typically do not carry a refrigerator with me. I eventually found a solution offered by some avionics shops - an X-Naut iPad mini cooler. X-naut iPad Cooling System
The following pictures show my iPad cooling setup:View attachment 17653 View attachment 17654 View attachment 17655 View attachment 17656 View attachment 17657 View attachment 17658

In this setup, the overheating problem got "almost" eliminated, but the video feed occasionally got choppy after flying in direct sun for some 20 minutes, or so. The final solution has been in attaching some low profile aluminum heat sinks to the back of the iPad (I coated each with some thermal joint compound and attached them with two small dots of "Arctic Alumina thermal adhesive" - all available at Amazon):
View attachment 17659

I would love to hear about your own experience with this choppy video/overheating problem.

 

[gjanu]

I am not sure that the pictures show, so here is another try: