Very disappointed with my new Nvidia Shield

[Pedro]

Yes, just Go4 regrettably.. I'd probably get an iPad Mini if I could start again given IOS has more functions and appears to have less issues that Android. I have Litchi but I still can't pluck up the courage to use it given the bad press it seems to get. There's an issue at the moment with some of the flight modes I believe.

 

[FireFlyer451]

Ive switched to an ipad pro. My K1 just got the Android update and it seems a bit slower than before. But The apps I need to run only run on ios. Anyone want to buy a used K1?

 

[WheelzWorld]

When you talk about "USB debug" is it a way to block the tablet to get charged?

I currently practice on a Galaxy tab s2 with Android 6.0.1 that actually don't get charged by the mavic's remote (was actually wondering why...). I plug it on the bottom USB while using the side for a power bank (originally to avoid the remote to drain when charging my phone).

I had no crash that I can think of. (just gimbal bugs)

As I'm also wondering which tablet to get and really want to avoid IOS, is it confirmed android 5 is more stable than 6?

Or again, could that be because the tablet being charged by the remote...?

 

[pohny]

I have a new, still in the box, Shield K1 ready to open and get in use. I've read plenty about issues after upgrading to Android 7.0 Nougat and how things get back to normal (DJI GO 4 does not crash) after reverting to Android 6.0.1. I'm fairly new to Android, had an ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 Z580C that I liked with DJI GO and the Phantom 3 Standard I used to have, so not sure how to prevent my new Shield K1 from updating to Nougat.

Is it as simple as just saying no to upgrade prompts or is there something else I should do before connecting it to WiFi and the internet for the 1st time?

Thanks

 

[Pedro]

Yes, you have to give permission to upgrade..

I had 30 minutes flying today with the new Shield, Go4 didn't crash once.

 

[pohny]

Perfect. Thanks!

I unboxed, have it charging, and installed DJI GO 4. When i checked updatws it is current as of 6/2016 but asks about installing 5.1 (Android 7). Is there a way to get more recent updates without Android 7 or should I be happy at 6.0.1 with June updates?

I'm really hoping for a nice non-crashing, well performing Android tablet for my Mavic. I'll sell my iPad mini 2 days after that happens.

 

[drdroo]

I haven't flown with my Shield yet (too cold and windy), but the app crashed on me while I was going through my config settings after a firmware upgrade (for the Mavic). After reading everyone's comments I rolled the thing back to Android 6 and things seem to be fine. Rolling back isn't terribly difficult, but it can be a 'warranty killer' because you need to unlock the bootloader. Given the cost of the unit, especially compared to an iPad, I didn't care much about that.

Most of what I read online that made me buy the Shield is how happy people were with the device until they upgraded to Android 7. My iPad 4 (not Mini 4, but iPad 4) is too old to run Go 4 and my cell phone usually is in some low amount of charge when I want to fly. The Mavmount + Shield setup seems like it'll be great.

If you need help rolling back, I might be able to help. I ran into a couple problems, but it was because my Platform Tools weren't recent enough and it claimed the firmware was too big for the device.

Also - I wouldn't care so much about security updates for a tablet you're namely going to be using flying. Android 6 devices are going to be 'out there' for a long time, many won't ever get an update to 7. If DJI Go 4 demands Android 7 at some point, they'll have to fix the bugs.

 

[Oyibo VFX]

Yea, I just returned the nvidia k1 to Amazon (had it for 2 weeks before the update, Amazon is great for returns) and ordered an ipad mini 4. Never had or wanted an apple device, but willing to accept defeat in this case because, up until the update, I loved to just fly (over 500 miles since 1/1) and for the last 3 days all I have done is fly to see if, after hours of troubleshooting, it is going to crash again. Looking forward to getting back to flying for the love of it.

If I read correct here, looks to me that the iOS devices have lots less wahala that evil Android.
Does your mini 4 has a barometer?

 

[pohny]

Also - I wouldn't care so much about security updates for a tablet you're namely going to be using flying. Android 6 devices are going to be 'out there' for a long time, many won't ever get an update to 7. If DJI Go 4 demands Android 7 at some point, they'll have to fix the bugs.

Thanks for this thought. I'll keep my K1 at the June 2016 6.0.1 update it delivered with unless there are specific issues that need an update. Other than DJI GO 4, a screen recorder (if the built in one is not up to the task), and the OneDrive app I don't plan on installing or using other apps.

Are there any pre-installed apps I should uninstall/disable or settings recommendations to optimize the K1 for GO 4 & a screen recorder?

 

[Robert Granata]

If I read correct here, looks to me that the iOS devices have lots less wahala that evil Android.
Does your mini 4 has a barometer?

Yes it does. After nearly a month with the mini 4 it has never crashed. Not to mention all additional apps available to iOS, like AutoPilot and Ground Station Pro.

 

[kydroneman]

I just received my Nvidia K1 Shield yesterday and upgraded the firmware to Nougat. I went out today for a test flight and it was good experience for the first 15 minutes. After the 15 minute mark I started getting no RC signal according to the DJI Go 4 app, yet I had all the bars for the HD video link, but video feed was frozen. Checking my controller, I see that there is good signal for the RC control and I see that the craft is responding. I couldn't get control signal to come back in the app.. I tried disconnecting cord and reconnecting and it started to work intermittently. Finally I just hit the return to home. Even when the craft as right in front of me, no working connection with the app.

In addition to the false RC connection issues, the compass did not work at all for the entire flight. How are you supposed to line yourself up with the craft if the compass doesn't work? These antennas are directional and it's important to have a proper alignment with the craft. In addition to that, the Sheild does not display both tachometer and map. It's only 1 or the other where the Ipad version of Go 4 has both displayed. I've never had issues like this with my Ipad Mini 4. It ALWAYS works. I'm so disappointed as I'm an android guy. I really wanted the Shield to work as I want the HDMI out as well as the ability to view my flights by popping in the SD card.

Next, the screen on the Shield K1 is no where near the quality of the Ipad. The contrast and colors are rather dull. I guess I could live with it if the device worked properly.

It is really a shame how poorly DJI is supporting Android devices. I have so many Android tablets including the Samsung Tab S2 9.7, Tab S2 8.0, Tab Pro 12.2, and many android phones. None of them are working perfectly like the Ipad Mini 4. The Samsung Tab S2 works well once you get it connected which requires a restart of the tablet after craft and controller are turned on. At that point I have no issues with the S2 other than the wrong speed reported in MPH which is actually feet/sec.

To summarize, for me the Ipad Mini 4 is the only way to go. I don't want any crashes caused because I'm forced to use Return to Home so frequently. I need the device to work consistently.

I haven't used my shield yet with the controller(waiting for mount) but from the information I gathered before purchasing it was not to update to marshmellow 6.01 at the time because of issues with litchi and dgi go 4 so I haven't but the fact you updated to nougat tells me either the tablet is the problem or maybe the flight apps. I know my S7 recently updated to nougat and I have not flown since but when it was running marshmellow I never had issues.

 

[drdroo]

Thanks for this thought. I'll keep my K1 at the June 2016 6.0.1 update it delivered with unless there are specific issues that need an update. Other than DJI GO 4, a screen recorder (if the built in one is not up to the task), and the OneDrive app I don't plan on installing or using other apps.

Are there any pre-installed apps I should uninstall/disable or settings recommendations to optimize the K1 for GO 4 & a screen recorder?

I went in and disabled all the "Google" Apps (Gmail, Hangouts, Movies and TV, etc.) and most anything else I didn't think was terribly relevant. The Nvidia Hub I think is what tells you there's an update and bugs you about updating. Not sure if that's needed for the built in screen recorder or not. I'm pretty sure I disabled it though along with any preloaded games and things like that.

I have the DJI Go 4 app set to optimize currently, hopefully that gives it most of the horsepower of the unit.

I have B4UFly installed and a weather app (Storm in my case), but I'd have to connect wifi to my hotspot to really make use of any of those, or use them before I went to fly. The Shield is a nice tablet, but I basically have it just for the Mavic.

 

[drdroo]

I haven't used my shield yet with the controller(waiting for mount) but from the information I gathered before purchasing it was not to update to marshmellow 6.01 at the time because of issues with litchi and dgi go 4 so I haven't but the fact you updated to nougat tells me either the tablet is the problem or maybe the flight apps. I know my S7 recently updated to nougat and I have not flown since but when it was running marshmellow I never had issues.

Seems to be related to Android 7 instead of Android 7 on the Shield. There's a thread on DJI Forums where someone has a Nexus 6P with 7.1.1 and had crashes. Someone else had some crashes with a S7 and Android 7 as well. Rolling back or leaving it at Android 6 on the Shield seems to make DJI Go 4 work just fine. I saw more of those posts (that things work fine on Android 6) than anything.

 

[pohny]

I went in and disabled all the "Google" Apps (Gmail, Hangouts, Movies and TV, etc.) and most anything else I didn't think was terribly relevant. The Nvidia Hub I think is what tells you there's an update and bugs you about updating. Not sure if that's needed for the built in screen recorder or not. I'm pretty sure I disabled it though along with any preloaded games and things like that.

I have the DJI Go 4 app set to optimize currently, hopefully that gives it most of the horsepower of the unit.

I have B4UFly installed and a weather app (Storm in my case), but I'd have to connect wifi to my hotspot to really make use of any of those, or use them before I went to fly. The Shield is a nice tablet, but I basically have it just for the Mavic.

Thanks. I disabled most of those before reading your post but also before my 1st K1 flight.

1st K1 flight went great. Screen recording (DU Recorder) worked perfectly. No GO 4 crashes or problems. No disconnects or video lag. I know it is only one flight but the experience was very good. After the flight I put the micro SD card from the Mavic into the K1 and used the One Drive app to transfer video and screen recording to One Drive with no problem or slowness (like experienced with my iPad Mini 2). This is perfect for me and if it works for a few more flights the Mini 2 is ebay bound. I really like screen recording all flights to be able to review things I missed during the real time flight.

It was a cold (20 degree F) windy day so I only burned one battery today. I did check out some of the recent wind damage in the neighborhood (not my fence).

 

[BorisTheSpider]

Slightly unreliable information maybe since it's different hardware but I can report no stability problems with Go4/Litchi on a marshmallow device (OnePlus3) and I don't plan to update my phone OS, I suspect a lot of the issues are with more recent android and v6 seems stable.

 

[taztwr]

After more thought, I went ahead and followed advise and downgraded to version 6. Talk about a pain in the [Bleep]. Took me till now to get everything downgraded, then reinstall my apps and log back into things.

Now for the next question. Is there anyway to block the device from even check for android updates?

 

[drdroo]

After more thought, I went ahead and followed advise and downgraded to version 6. Talk about a pain in the [Bleep]. Took me till now to get everything downgraded, then reinstall my apps and log back into things.

Now for the next question. Is there anyway to block the device from even check for android updates?

It never tries to install the updates for you, but I did notice that disabling Shield Hub (I disabled a lot of other apps too) seems to reduce the upgrade suggestions. They only seem to come up on WiFi anyway.

 

[taztwr]

I was looking at my phone today and saw that my Samsung S7 is running IS 7.0 Nougat.

Why is it that I can run both DJI go 4 and Litchi on my phone with zero problems, but on my Nvidia K1, I had to roll it back to OS version 6.0.1 to get the apps to work, which by the way I still get diaconects

 

[drdroo]

Don't really have an answer for that one, taztwr. I've had no issues at all with DJI GO 4 on my Shield since I rolled back. I haven't tried Litchi or any other apps that use the DJI SDK yet though. Maybe you have a bad USB cable? I bought a Startech angle USB cable thing from Amazon for my Shield and Mavmount setup.

 

[Bunny Too]

I am running greenify (which hibernates apps I choose) I hibernate everything and run the shield on full power and my last flight I did not have any disconnects (airplane mode and Nougat 7.0.)
Regards,
-d.