DJI A2 PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BUY (New firmware may change my opinion)

[gtranquilla]

Is it safe to assume that the issues you have experienced are related to an attempt to use the DJI A2 gimbal functions? It is my intent to use the A2 for flight control without going near the built-in gimbal functions, in which case I am hoping all FC functions will work properly. Please advise. Thanks.

Well

I have now removed the A2 from the new ADX and replaced it with a WKM and I now have my comfy slippers back!

Issues

GPS fly away as whitnessed by Speed Gonzalas and Eyball. On a shoot we a real nightmare from the start

Issue 1 Gimbal control

We had a whole load of mither getting the gimbal control to function for tilt. The gains are ridiculous with any adjustment other than 50% locking it up or reversing the action.
Speed control is useless all it seems to do is limit the movement of the tray and does not reduce the speed for TX contol of tilt. (this was an issue in the early days of the WKM)


Issue 2

Gimbal affecting gains
I tested and tested my A2 to death with a fixed weight to represent the camera and gimbal load. and got it pretty dialled. BUT then we attached the gimbal and it went in to shake down! There is a note in the assistant that "says if you experience shaking/vibration after you have set the manula control speed in the gimbal pain reset it to factory"! USELESS

Issue 3

GPS. This is the most scary one. I can fly her for 1 pack or ten and you never know when its going to take off to god knows where. After sorting out the shaking after the gimbal was fitted we resided ourselves that we would just not use any tilt in the shot which was bloody annoying. That said once we got the gains sorted with the gimbal on she flew nice. It was very windy with really strog juste and she held position nicley and the Radian/CX730 combo got some nice panning shots locked in GPS to the spot. I was getting more confident. We moved on to some other sets and even though the wind was horrific she managed to get some usable footage. Our last shoot of the day was some down hill bikers. flying in atti between the trees was as usual a bit nerve racking but we got the shots required. The light was amazing so I thought I woud just do a slow climb out of the forrst to reveal the mountains and the surrounding Forrest.. Flying in atti up through the trees I got to a point that revealed the most amazing scene, so flick to GPS and start my pan...... whoosh as soon as I flicked to GPS she was off at 32º somewhere! Flicking back in to atti stopped the dash for china and with shaking hands I brought here back down to a hover in front of us.. flicked to GPS adian of off she went.. this time a small christmas tree and a rapid flick back to atto brought here back under control.

So when I got home I ordered up a WKM and that is now what is on the machine and she is once again flying lovely.. and I have full telemetry.

I have another A2 machine sat here with a replacement WKM to go on it until the issues are sorted out.

Conclusion

Gimbal control 0/10
General flight characteristics in atti 9/10 great streight line flight and smoooooth as you like
GPS lock. to the spot. amazing accuracy BUT unpredictability with my unit makes it useless 0/10
TX interfacing. NO telemetry available unless using iosd (idont) so no temps, secondary GPS reporting, Voltages and altitude possible UNLESS you go for the subs adaptor (not available) so you can use a standard receiver that supports telemetry to your TX.

I am sure these issues will get sorted but for now unless my A2/GPS is faulty its useless.

I am going to persevere with the machine I still have an A2 on and its just waiting for the weather to clear up and I will go fly to see if it behaves better in GPS than the first one. If it does then I will send the first A2 back for testing by DJI... thats if they are bothered.

If you want a challenge go for it, if you want comfy slippers stick with the WKM until I can get mine flying nice and reliable

Dave

 

[rilot]

From this thread it seems like it's best to avoid the A2 at the moment. I was seriously considering it as DJI have a very good deal on at the moment for an S800 EVO + A2 + iOSD bundle.
To build an S800 EVO with a WKM and iOSD would actually cost more if buying individually.

 

[gtranquilla]

Droider.... I had similar issues with the WKM where the switchover to/from gimbal control made basic and attitude gains go weird and/or activation of RTH caused the MR to buck like a bronco. UAVProducts provided me with the info I needed to resolve these issues, i.e., I can't quite recall but DJI did not take in to consideration this scenario in the sw/fw development..... Look's like it is still not resolved in the new A2. But since most new camera gimbal systems are now BGC and need a separate IMU on the camera anyway, there is no need to use the DJI built-in gimbal control and tilt can be managed on BGC by simply bypassing the FC (direct connection between RC Rx and the BGC.

Since the original WKM is overly sensitive to vibration and the A2 has this resolved, I would be inclined to step away from the WKM and stick with the A2..... in any case I have both and the WKM is performing extremely well for well over 80 flights to date c/w BGC etc.

 

[rilot]

I was just about to pull the trigger on an S800 EVO and A2 but my dealer is warning me against the A2, saying it just doesn't work properly at the moment. He's telling me to use the Wookong until the A2 is ready for prime time.

 

[Kentjjl]

your dealer doesn't know what he's talking about I have the a2 and evo with over 200 flights not one problem.

 

[Scott Drysdale]

Very suspicious..... I get the impression you are operating undercover for another multirotor FC manufacturer..... or the DJI dealer you are referencing is in way over his head!!!

I was just about to pull the trigger on an S800 EVO and A2 but my dealer is warning me against the A2, saying it just doesn't work properly at the moment. He's telling me to use the Wookong until the A2 is ready for prime time.

 

[Tahoe Ed]

Very suspicious..... I get the impression you are operating undercover for another multirotor FC manufacturer..... or the DJI dealer you are referencing is in way over his head!!!

Scott and rilot,

The A2 is not for everybody. I see guys buying an S800 with A2 as their first multi-rotor. If you are not familiar with your Futaba or JR/Spektrum Tx and have the ability to map channels then don't go there. I know that there are dealers that have no clue how to set up this controller. I agree that the initial firmware was less than ideal. The current firmware works just fine. I do not have nearly as many flights on mine as kentjjl but it does fly fine. Scott let's not get paranoid here like they are doing over on RCG.

 

[cbpagent72]

Very suspicious..... I get the impression you are operating undercover for another multirotor FC manufacturer..... or the DJI dealer you are referencing is in way over his head!!!

Your theory doesn't make sense. If he worked for another fc company, why would he offer the Wookong as an alternative to the A2?

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[kloner]

I took this controller out for a real flight yesterday and she's the most stable rig i've personally ever seen/flown. it looked a lot like a hoverfly, even in gps position lock it just sits there and wind slightly tilts her. Theres no more aggressive over corrections like wk and naza do. Bar none the nicest flying FC i've flown yet. went from zero to 40 to zero as level a line as anybody could do never moving throttle. I had to get rid of a throttle curve to tame hover, it was too tame like it's built in now..... You can make it go up super slow, easy to land with a straight curve. I want it on everything but am gonna give the superX a good look first since it's half the price.

But, i haven't lifted a red yet, so we will see soon if she's as nice under stress

 

[wearypanda]

Thanks for that feedback Kloner. Now I know what I need to put on my Christmas shopping list.

 

[rilot]

I don't work for another FC company. What a bizarre accusation.

Anyway. The issues as I see them probably won't apply to me. I know what I'm doing with my Tx and have a decent amount of experience with the Naza in my F550.
The initial issues with not supporting the ground station and the H3-2D tilt don't apply as I use neither.

I think I'll just do it. If I can't get it to work I can always lean on you guys for help.

 

[HighGainTuning]

Very suspicious..... I get the impression you are operating undercover for another multirotor FC manufacturer..... or the DJI dealer you are referencing is in way over his head!!!

The definition for that is a Shill

Scott let's not get paranoid here like they are doing over on RCG.

Ed... I don't know how this forum handles shills but members need to be aware that your compensated by DJI and Empire Hobby to post on all the forums you can in support of their product.
Anyone can search your posts and see that you never post an issue although you do post them to the DJI Team. I think it would be in the best interest of the forum and it's members to know when you post it is in the best interest of DJI

Shill: A shill is a person who publicly helps a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with the person or organization."Shill" typically refers to someone who purposely gives onlookers the impression that they are an enthusiastic independent customer of a seller (or marketer of ideas) for whom they are secretly working. The person or group who hires the shill is using crowd psychology to encourage other onlookers or audience members to purchase the goods or services (or accept the ideas being marketed). Shills are often employed by professional marketing campaigns.

How do I know this? I was on Team DJI as is Ed and 3 others until they required that we keep all issues off the forum and not report anything negative. To me that is not tech support. That is a cover up and I will not be both a member and a shill for anyone. If anyone feels this information is false I have every e-mail that the Team copies us on. If you want to know who the other members are, just PM me.

Forums should be a place to come for honest information about a product. Not to be filled with false information from compensated members.

 

[Tahoe Ed]

Make sure if you have an issue with flipping on take off in GPS that you check your settings and try in ATTI. If that solves the problem, I would contact your dealer. There have been several reports of faulty GPS units, some not all. Some guys are getting many flights without problems. I did have a flip in GPS but have not been able to try in ATTI so I am not sure what the issue is right now. I might have made a set up error but I am thinking I was unlucky with this GPS.

 

[rilot]

The flip is what my dealer told me.
I've been having an email conversation with them and they really don't want to sell me an A2. Even going so far as to tell me I'll be on my own with no support from them if I do buy one.

Not sure what to do now. I don't really want to invest in a Wookong as essentially it's now a dead platform now the A2 has arrived.
Maybe I should just wait until after christmas and see what's what then.

 

[BorisS]

Any chance of pinpointing the problem with faulty GPS units yet ? Similar than we had it before with the WKM and flips happend or just simple fly aways !

Boris

 

[Scott Drysdale]

Rilot...... Please accept my apologies for judging your motives...... I was paranoid...... and also very disappointed to hear this bad news after having already laid down so much money for the new A2. Hopefully my A2 GPS is not defective.... the rest should be manageable with my Futaba T8FG Super.... and all my previous bench configuration and testing before flight.

 

[soler]

The flip is what my dealer told me.
I've been having an email conversation with them and they really don't want to sell me an A2. Even going so far as to tell me I'll be on my own with no support from them if I do buy one.

Not sure what to do now. I don't really want to invest in a Wookong as essentially it's now a dead platform now the A2 has arrived.
Maybe I should just wait until after christmas and see what's what then.

Hi Rilot,

which transmitter do you plan to use? I have a 8FG and I am quite happy with the A2, from what I have heard it seams that the non Futaba transmitters have issues with the A2 and DJI have fixed and then broken the support for them. I have do far had no problems with it.

i would say if your going to use this with Futaba then you should be ok, if another transmitter then stay away for the moment until you start to see positive reviews with these transmitters.

 

[sochin33]

The definition for that is a Shill




Ed... I don't know how this forum handles shills but members need to be aware that your compensated by DJI and Empire Hobby to post on all the forums you can in support of their product.
Anyone can search your posts and see that you never post an issue although you do post them to the DJI Team. I think it would be in the best interest of the forum and it's members to know when you post it is in the best interest of DJI

Shill: A shill is a person who publicly helps a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with the person or organization."Shill" typically refers to someone who purposely gives onlookers the impression that they are an enthusiastic independent customer of a seller (or marketer of ideas) for whom they are secretly working. The person or group who hires the shill is using crowd psychology to encourage other onlookers or audience members to purchase the goods or services (or accept the ideas being marketed). Shills are often employed by professional marketing campaigns.

How do I know this? I was on Team DJI as is Ed and 3 others until they required that we keep all issues off the forum and not report anything negative. To me that is not tech support. That is a cover up and I will not be both a member and a shill for anyone. If anyone feels this information is false I have every e-mail that the Team copies us on. If you want to know who the other members are, just PM me.

Forums should be a place to come for honest information about a product. Not to be filled with false information from compensated members.

I agree with you 100%
Its very dissapointing to find out that someone whom you trusted and sought advice from is actually a shill for some company. I've had advice from these people in the past, not knowing that they were compensated. I can only hope that the advice they gave me was unbiased and sincere.

To those for whom this applies:
Is your advice unbiased and sincere ?

 

[SMP]

Gotta be candid. If you're sponsored and part of that agreement is to not post negative feedback then I would concur, disclosure in your signature would probably be appropriate.

 

[rilot]

Hi Rilot,

which transmitter do you plan to use? I have a 8FG and I am quite happy with the A2, from what I have heard it seams that the non Futaba transmitters have issues with the A2 and DJI have fixed and then broken the support for them. I have do far had no problems with it.

i would say if your going to use this with Futaba then you should be ok, if another transmitter then stay away for the moment until you start to see positive reviews with these transmitters.

I was planning to use my FrSky Taranis with an X8R S-Bus rx. I could move to a Futaba 14SG I suppose but I really like the Taranis.
What are the problems with other tx? I'm aware of the flaky comparability with Spektrum satellites.