NEW RELEASE: Autel Smart Controller for EVO II

MattMPA · Jun 29, 2021

Agree..I'd like to see the EV adjustments on that right scroll wheel. Frankly, the zoom shortcut seems to be of little use to me..

GeekOnTheWing · Jun 29, 2021

Autelpilotsnumpty said:
This V1, V2 debacle smells fishy to me. Chip shortage I can believe. Not able to be compatible with previous versions etc etc. Not so much.
What a way to generate interest in the V1 SC, and the likely hood that the previous owners of the V1 get their hands on one at the stupidly expensive price it is now, by saying, this is a limited run item and get your hands on it now as it's the only time you'll get a chance to have it because are changing things, for your benefit but it's been a really difficult decision for us so please don't blame us.
Look we have a new CEO too, to show we care.

This is all just like an Amazon sale on Amazon day. Get this deal now as it's going to go forever.

Fear of missing out. FOMO.

I'd love to able to disagree with you. Unfortunately, I can't because AR's Web site STILL doesn't mention anything about the V1 / V2 incompatibility. Unless a new customer reads this forum or frequents FecesBook, they have absolutely no way of knowing that the drone they buy today will be incompatible with any future accessories that use an RF connection. That's reprehensible (and probably actionable).

As for the new CEO, if I were to say what I actually suspect about @AutelCEO I'd probably be sued for defamation; so let's just say that he has a ways to go before he earns my trust: and it will take more than the ponderous amount of meaningless words that he spews at every opportunity to do so.

kenautelevo2pro · Jun 29, 2021

GeekOnTheWing said:
I'd love to able to disagree with you. Unfortunately, I can't because AR's Web site STILL doesn't mention anything about the V1 / V2 incompatibility. Unless a new customer reads this forum or frequents FecesBook, they have absolutely no way of knowing that the drone they buy today will be incompatible with any future accessories that use an RF connection. That's reprehensible (and probably actionable).

As for the new CEO, if I were to say what I actually suspect about @AutelCEO I'd probably be sued for defamation; so let's just say that he has a ways to go before he earns my trust: and it will take more than the ponderous amount of meaningless words that he spews at every opportunity to do so.

there's nothing relevant to mentioned today about v1 and v2 incompatibility...at the consumer level. give us an example, what would you like to see mentioned? nobody publishes their production plans on their website, what type of notice would you like to see posted on the AR website?

GeekOnTheWing · Jun 29, 2021

kenautelevo2pro said:
there's nothing relevant to mentioned today about v1 and v2 incompatibility...at the consumer level. give us an example, what would you like to see mentioned? nobody publishes their production plans on their website, what type of notice would you like to see posted on the AR website?

One short sentence in the specifications for the E2P: "Due to hardware revisions, this aircraft will not be compatible with future controllers or accessories that use radio-frequency signals."

kenautelevo2pro · Jun 29, 2021

GeekOnTheWing said:
One short sentence in the specifications for the E2P: "Due to hardware revisions, this aircraft will not be compatible with future controllers or accessories that use radio-frequency signals."

I do agree the future controllers or accessories that use incompatible rf signals need to be marked appropriately but I don't think it is necessary to declare your goods on the shelf now will not work with future items.

if resellers want to advise, that's fine; they probably should.

GeekOnTheWing · Jun 29, 2021

kenautelevo2pro said:
I do agree the future controllers or accessories that use incompatible rf signals need to be marked appropriately but I don't think it is necessary to declare your goods on the shelf now will not work with future items.

if resellers want to advise, that's fine; they probably should.

Some of them have and continue to, from my informal romp around the Interwebs earlier today. That's not only ethical, but avoids unhappy customers and returns. But clarifying it on the manufacturer's Web site would do both even more so.

Also, I can't think of a good reason not to advise potential buyers in advance other than because it might slow sales of the remaining V1 birds, or maybe even force Autel to discount them. Perhaps that wouldn't bother me so much if it weren't for @AutelCEO's lofty talk of "transparency," which I would think would include mention on the company's site of a known, imminent incompatibility issue.

Talk is cheap. Drones are not.

Even cell phone providers gave customers years of notice that the 2G and 3G services were going down so they wouldn't buy old, cheap flip phones that were already obsolete to begin with, but would stop working altogether in a few years. It's pretty bad when cell phone companies have the edge on you with regard to consumer protection.

I just can't come up with a justifiable reason to preach "transparency" out of one side of your mouth, and keep the other side zipped with regard to a known, imminent incompatibility. That's probably the part that bothers me most. We have words for that where I come from in Brooklyn, but they're not allowed on this forum. "Bovine excrement" is [hopefully] an allowable synonym.

kenautelevo2pro · Jun 29, 2021

GeekOnTheWing said:
Some of them have and continue to, from my informal romp around the Interwebs earlier today. That's not only ethical, but avoids unhappy customers and returns. But clarifying it on the manufacturer's Web site would do both even more so.

Also, I can't think of a good reason not to advise potential buyers in advance other than because it might slow sales of the remaining V1 birds, or maybe even force Autel to discount them. Perhaps that wouldn't bother me so much if it weren't for @AutelCEO's lofty talk of "transparency," which I would think would include mention on the company's site of a known, imminent incompatibility issue.

Talk is cheap. Drones are not.

Even cell phone providers gave customers years of notice that the 2G and 3G services were going down so they wouldn't buy old, cheap flip phones that were already obsolete to begin with, but would stop working altogether in a few years. It's pretty bad when cell phone companies have the edge on you with regard to consumer protection.

I just can't come up with a justifiable reason to preach "transparency" out of one side of your mouth, and keep the other side zipped with regard to a known, imminent incompatibility. That's probably the part that bothers me most. We have words for that where I come from in Brooklyn, but they're not allowed on this forum. "Bovine excrement" is [hopefully] an allowable synonym.

im going to agree with you that autel should not put out a confusing message that will turn off sales because the message is confusing. that would amount to a self-inflicted debacle that didn't have to happen.

GeekOnTheWing · Jun 29, 2021

kenautelevo2pro said:
im going to agree with you that autel should not put out a confusing message that will turn off sales because the message is confusing. that would amount to a self-inflicted debacle that didn't have to happen.

Exactly. Especially when you have a fundamentally excellent product. Mixed messages distract from the quality of the product itself by seeding doubts about the company. It's not good for business.

Anzacjack · Jun 29, 2021

kenautelevo2pro said:
I do agree the future controllers or accessories that use incompatible rf signals need to be marked appropriately but I don't think it is necessary to declare your goods on the shelf now will not work with future items.

if resellers want to advise, that's fine; they probably should.

Except some resellers have no idea. One that I spoke to didn’t believe me and it wasn’t until I sent them to this forum that they believed in the validity of my source. They said that they had received no information from their supply chain in China, and that their V1 controllers had been recalled and they would be receiving V2 controllers in the next few weeks. They had no idea that these V2 controllers would be incompatible with current drones out in the wild. There is going to be some issues very soon when people start buying the V2 controller to find it won’t work.
I think is here on this forum are very lucky and understand what is going on, but outside of here, there are resellers and customers that are going to have a world of issues when the V2s hit the market

kenautelevo2pro · Jun 29, 2021

Anzacjack said:
Except some resellers have no idea. One that I spoke to didn’t believe me and it wasn’t until I sent them to this forum that they believed in the validity of my source. They said that they had received no information from their supply chain in China, and that their V1 controllers had been recalled and they would be receiving V2 controllers in the next few weeks. They had no idea that these V2 controllers would be incompatible with current drones out in the wild. There is going to be some issues very soon when people start buying the V2 controller to find it won’t work.
I think is here on this forum are very lucky and understand what is going on, but outside of here, there are resellers and customers that are going to have a world of issues when the V2s hit the market

what new v2 controllers?

GunnerBAC · Jun 29, 2021

MattMPA said:
Agree..I'd like to see the EV adjustments on that right scroll wheel. Frankly, the zoom shortcut seems to be of little use to me..

How about WE can decide what it adjusts. Wouldn't that be the best plan? ?

alsey7 · Jun 30, 2021

So Drone-Works isnt shipping any SC they have in stock because firmware issue. i wonder what it can be..... they might be talking about playstore and services apk. @advexure can you chime in if you guys kknow anything

advexure · Jun 30, 2021

alsey7 said:
So Drone-Works isnt shipping any SC they have in stock because firmware issue. i wonder what it can be..... they might be talking about playstore and services apk. @advexure can you chime in if you guys kknow anything

Autel has advised that we notify customers who have already received Smart Controllers to refrain from installing Google Play Store or Google Services Frameworks when trying to install 3rd party applications. A notice was provided yesterday directly to all Advexure customer who have received pre-orders.

We have downloaded two firmware updates on our Smart Controller that were made available late last week for the app and the SC itself. There are a couple small bugs that linger aside from the not being able to download some 3rd party applications. Autel will be providing a solution for users to be able to install third-party applications ASAP.

At this time we are not aware of, nor have we been advised by Autel to be holding pre-order fulfillment. Units continue to go out to pre-order customers in the order they have been received as additional batches of units continue to come into our facilities.

alsey7 · Jun 30, 2021

advexure said:
Autel has advised that we notify customers who have already received Smart Controllers to refrain from installing Google Play Store or Google Services Frameworks when trying to install 3rd party applications. A notice was provided yesterday directly to all Advexure customer who have received pre-orders.

We have downloaded two firmware updates on our Smart Controller that were made available late last week for the app and the SC itself. There are a couple small bugs that linger aside from the not being able to download some 3rd party applications. Autel will be providing a solution for users to be able to install third-party applications ASAP.

At this time we are not aware of, nor have we been advised by Autel to be holding pre-order fulfillment. Units continue to go out to pre-order customers in the order they have been received as additional batches of units continue to come into our facilities.

thanks for the fast reply

SARty · Jun 30, 2021

SARty said:
Now, what can we do about the missing card slot? We've got to be able to transfer flight records and image data quickly between flights!

@advexure (and anyone else with access to an SC) - just had an idea and am hoping you guys might be willing to do a quick test for us... Would you mind plugging in a USB flash drive into the USB-A or USB-C port to check if: 1) the SC recognizes the drive and allows file transfers to/fro 2) the SC allows writing directly to the drive instead of the internal memory (I might not be articulating this well, but the DJI SC allows flight records, image cache, etc. to be written directly to a microSD card instead of the internal memory).

I know you guys are busy, but this might be a workable solution and make for a nice selling point if it works.

They make flash drives that are small enough to be left plugged in during flight (e.g. amazon.com/Samsung-MUF-128AB-AM-Plus-128GB/dp/B07D7PDLXC)

Thanks!

alsey7 · Jun 30, 2021

SARty said:
@advexure (and anyone else with access to an SC) - just had an idea and am hoping you guys might be willing to do a quick test for us... Would you mind plugging in a USB flash drive into the USB-A or USB-C port to check if: 1) the SC recognizes the drive and allows file transfers to/fro 2) the SC allows writing directly to the drive instead of the internal memory (I might not be articulating this well, but the DJI SC allows flight records, image cache, etc. to be written directly to a microSD card instead of the internal memory).

I know you guys are busy, but this might be a workable solution and make for a nice selling point if it works. They make flash drives that are small enough to be left plugged in during flight (e.g. amazon.com/Samsung-MUF-128AB-AM-Plus-128GB/dp/B07D7PDLXC)

Thanks!

the SC will always write to internal memory thats how the app is setup. until the Exploere app lets you change recording location then you will be able to use a flash drive

advexure · Jun 30, 2021

Following the recent launch of the Autel Smart Controller, a handful of users have reported issues while attempting to install third-party applications to their devices.

To avoid similar issues, please do not attempt to download apps through the Google Play Store. Doing so will crash the system and require the device to be returned to factory settings.

To successfully install third-party apps, we recommend users either:

Download the APK file directly from the Smart Controller’s web browser.
Scan the QR code below (QR CODE COMING!) to access a list of compatible apps, which Autel will fill with essential applications over the next two weeks, then continue to gradually expand over the next few months.

If you have any questions or suggestions about which apps should be prioritized for our essential application list, please the Advexure or Autel teams know.

VIDEO: Updating the Autel Smart Controller

Quad808 · Jun 30, 2021

Can someone please explain to me why the SC is marketed to have support for expandable memory up to 1TB and no memory slot for a micro sd card?
As far as I know, you don't design a shell with a cutout for a memory card slot, advertise that it can be expanded, then ditch the memory card slot after production has begun. Is this what happened? Or is there some other way to expand storage??

*wait. One more thing. From Autels website: DUAL BAND SUPPORT. True or not true?? If NOT true, how can you advertise that it does? Autel drones are 2.4Ghz only.

Autel Smart Controller

The only Autel Robotics official store, which sells the most advanced camera drones and accessories to consumers, we committed to design and provide best drone to each consumer and bringing our customers unparalleled technology and support at affordable prices. Learn about our drones: EVO II...

auteldrones.com

ehill · Jun 30, 2021

Quad808 said:
Can someone please explain to me why the SC is marketed to have support for expandable memory up to 1TB and no memory slot for a micro sd card?
As far as I know, you don't design a shell with a cutout for a memory card slot, advertise that it can be expanded, then ditch the memory card slot after production has begun. Is this what happened? Or is there some other way to expand storage??

*wait. One more thing. From Autels website: DUAL BAND SUPPORT. True or not true?? If NOT true, how can you advertise that it does? Autel drones are 2.4Ghz only.

Autel Smart Controller

The only Autel Robotics official store, which sells the most advanced camera drones and accessories to consumers, we committed to design and provide best drone to each consumer and bringing our customers unparalleled technology and support at affordable prices. Learn about our drones: EVO II...

auteldrones.com

View attachment 10824

There are so many discrepancies between the published specs and the real controller! I did NOT cancel my order - but I PLACED the prepaid order (based on the specs that were PUBLISHED INFORMATION) on 4-19-2021. The product as it is today doesn't come close to meeting those specs. The specifications as published on that day of my preorder had no note mentioning "specifications subject to change" and looked final to me. I can find at least 4 deviations from those specs today. That bothers me alot given the unit's price point. The vendor/Autel received (and have kept) my payment of $1243.83 since 4-19-2021 and I STILL can't even get an ETA on my order even as other orders ARE BEING SHIPPED.

At this point (as I try to get a new drone business off the ground) - I'm not a happy customer. ?