Hello everybody,
I just received a beta test Bluetooth led module two days ago and wanted to share my initial impressions. Basically the BT LED module is a replacement of the stock LED module that comes with the DJI WKM. It allows you to have a Bluetooth link between the MC and a mobile device(so far the beta software is only released for IOS devices) rather than having to connect to the MC via a USB cable.
Overall Impression
I've received the beta unit and installed it on my X8 copter two days ago, the unit performed flawlessly out of the box ,I just had one issue connecting it initially because the transmitter was switched off(the instructions said to switch on the TX first, there may be other problems there and I reported the issue back to DJI). Overall I'm extremely pleased with the ability to access all the assistant software functions from a mobile device without having to carry my laptop to the field. I mainly employ my WKM setups in aerial photography/cinematography so it's 2 less things I need to carry with me to the shoot(long USB cable for the MC, and my laptop). Also I tend to be very skeptical of changing parameters on the job(i.e having to remove my protective dome and connect a USB cable) in case something accidentally gets pushed or moved around especially with the limited time I have on location. With the Bluetooth LED and just through the tests I conducted yesterday in my own workshop, I already feel relieved and more confident that I can do changes on the spot without too much hassle.
User Interface Overview:
In my opinion: They couldn't have done it better The interface is an touch screen version of the PC based assistant...self-explanatory and real simple to use if you've already been using the PC version.
Initial scan to search for the MC:
View attachment 10260
After your controller is found, the main interface then has 4 main menus:
"View" menu for information, you have your "basic info" for mixer type, IMU orientation and mounting and "advanced info" for failsafe, orientation and voltage protection stuff
View attachment 10266View attachment 10265
Basic setup and advanced setup: self explanatory, the section are identical to the PC assistant software.
View attachment 10264 View attachment 10263
"More" menu: basically the login information(same account info as the PC based assistant), controller serial number info, list of controllects, help....etc
View attachment 10268
The interesting sub-menu item in the "more" menu is the MC list which basically lists all the MCs you have previously connected to the app. The first time you connect an MC through the LED module it asks you to assign the MC a name and a password which are in turn stored on your DJI account. This way if you connect from a different device you have your settings tied to your account rather than having to search/enter the info again. Also this prevents others from connecting to your MC.
View attachment 10262 View attachment 10261
Areas of improvement in user interface:
*Perhaps moving between the basic and advanced settings view menu could be done by adding an additional button in the bottom rather than having to swipe the basic screen back and forth which is particularly useful for one had operation from a small device like the iphone or the ipod. There is a "motors off" slider button on top of the basic and advanced view screen(the red slider in the screen shots above) and I wouldn't want to accidentally switch off the motor output while trying to switch between these to. Setting the slider to "off" during flight doesn't really do anything, it just prevents you from accidentally starting the motors during setup process....this modification is perhaps just a personal preference.
*I also like the help menu but it only includes instructions on the setup of the WKM(similar to what the PC assistant has). Perhaps reformatting the help to include more information(e.g. more information around IOC and how to set the POI for POI mode) because sometimes one forgets and it would be nice to have a quick hints/checklist of things related to flying operations and not just setup.
Overall functionality:
Like I said, it is great to not have to carry the laptop to the field. So as it is(and keep in mind this is just the beta version), the software and the module are great but here are my suggestions for improvements:
*Since I plan to use this for field setup it would be nice to enable compass calibration directly from the device rather than having to switch buttons back and forth on the TX. I know this feature is not available in the PC based assistant software because it doesn't make sense to calibrate the compass while the MC is attached via USB cable to the computer, but it does make sense when you have and IOS device wirelessly connected to the MC.
*Connect/disconnect option: I found that to be a little bit of an annoyance every time I wanted to fly I needed and make sure that my ipod is no longer connecting to the module. To do that I had to exit the application, then go to the context switching menu and completely kill it in order to disconnect the app from the module/MC. A connect/disconnect option is needed in the controllers list menu(in a similar fashion that you would connect/disconnect from a wifi network or Bluetooth device in the IOS setup menu).
I've already sent my suggestions on all of the above to the DJI representative and they forwarded it to their R&D team.
And finally these are really good things(obvious but important):
*Ability to setup gains without sacrificing the X1/X2 channels: I've tested this by landing and re-tuning gains(not while the copter was in the air). I usually need to tweak gains slightly to get the best performance out of the copter depending on the weather conditions or type of shot(e.g. smooth flying, slow response vs aggressive flying for action footage)
*Ability to see live voltage readings: useful for bench testing with props without connecting additional sensors/meters
View attachment 10267
I just received a beta test Bluetooth led module two days ago and wanted to share my initial impressions. Basically the BT LED module is a replacement of the stock LED module that comes with the DJI WKM. It allows you to have a Bluetooth link between the MC and a mobile device(so far the beta software is only released for IOS devices) rather than having to connect to the MC via a USB cable.
Overall Impression
I've received the beta unit and installed it on my X8 copter two days ago, the unit performed flawlessly out of the box ,I just had one issue connecting it initially because the transmitter was switched off(the instructions said to switch on the TX first, there may be other problems there and I reported the issue back to DJI). Overall I'm extremely pleased with the ability to access all the assistant software functions from a mobile device without having to carry my laptop to the field. I mainly employ my WKM setups in aerial photography/cinematography so it's 2 less things I need to carry with me to the shoot(long USB cable for the MC, and my laptop). Also I tend to be very skeptical of changing parameters on the job(i.e having to remove my protective dome and connect a USB cable) in case something accidentally gets pushed or moved around especially with the limited time I have on location. With the Bluetooth LED and just through the tests I conducted yesterday in my own workshop, I already feel relieved and more confident that I can do changes on the spot without too much hassle.
User Interface Overview:
In my opinion: They couldn't have done it better The interface is an touch screen version of the PC based assistant...self-explanatory and real simple to use if you've already been using the PC version.
Initial scan to search for the MC:
View attachment 10260
After your controller is found, the main interface then has 4 main menus:
"View" menu for information, you have your "basic info" for mixer type, IMU orientation and mounting and "advanced info" for failsafe, orientation and voltage protection stuff
View attachment 10266View attachment 10265
Basic setup and advanced setup: self explanatory, the section are identical to the PC assistant software.
View attachment 10264 View attachment 10263
"More" menu: basically the login information(same account info as the PC based assistant), controller serial number info, list of controllects, help....etc
View attachment 10268
The interesting sub-menu item in the "more" menu is the MC list which basically lists all the MCs you have previously connected to the app. The first time you connect an MC through the LED module it asks you to assign the MC a name and a password which are in turn stored on your DJI account. This way if you connect from a different device you have your settings tied to your account rather than having to search/enter the info again. Also this prevents others from connecting to your MC.
View attachment 10262 View attachment 10261
Areas of improvement in user interface:
*Perhaps moving between the basic and advanced settings view menu could be done by adding an additional button in the bottom rather than having to swipe the basic screen back and forth which is particularly useful for one had operation from a small device like the iphone or the ipod. There is a "motors off" slider button on top of the basic and advanced view screen(the red slider in the screen shots above) and I wouldn't want to accidentally switch off the motor output while trying to switch between these to. Setting the slider to "off" during flight doesn't really do anything, it just prevents you from accidentally starting the motors during setup process....this modification is perhaps just a personal preference.
*I also like the help menu but it only includes instructions on the setup of the WKM(similar to what the PC assistant has). Perhaps reformatting the help to include more information(e.g. more information around IOC and how to set the POI for POI mode) because sometimes one forgets and it would be nice to have a quick hints/checklist of things related to flying operations and not just setup.
Overall functionality:
Like I said, it is great to not have to carry the laptop to the field. So as it is(and keep in mind this is just the beta version), the software and the module are great but here are my suggestions for improvements:
*Since I plan to use this for field setup it would be nice to enable compass calibration directly from the device rather than having to switch buttons back and forth on the TX. I know this feature is not available in the PC based assistant software because it doesn't make sense to calibrate the compass while the MC is attached via USB cable to the computer, but it does make sense when you have and IOS device wirelessly connected to the MC.
*Connect/disconnect option: I found that to be a little bit of an annoyance every time I wanted to fly I needed and make sure that my ipod is no longer connecting to the module. To do that I had to exit the application, then go to the context switching menu and completely kill it in order to disconnect the app from the module/MC. A connect/disconnect option is needed in the controllers list menu(in a similar fashion that you would connect/disconnect from a wifi network or Bluetooth device in the IOS setup menu).
I've already sent my suggestions on all of the above to the DJI representative and they forwarded it to their R&D team.
And finally these are really good things(obvious but important):
*Ability to setup gains without sacrificing the X1/X2 channels: I've tested this by landing and re-tuning gains(not while the copter was in the air). I usually need to tweak gains slightly to get the best performance out of the copter depending on the weather conditions or type of shot(e.g. smooth flying, slow response vs aggressive flying for action footage)
*Ability to see live voltage readings: useful for bench testing with props without connecting additional sensors/meters
View attachment 10267
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