Yikes, maybe you should take a time out to relax for a min bud. You are way to worked up over this... and we're nuts?? ?
Notice From Autel About Controllers and Compatibility in the Future
- Thread starter Eagle928
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Good points as always. I also have a TRIPLTEK tablet, (full disclosure, after I bought one, I did some write ups and how to's for them....LOL, just did it and sent it to them, and they in turn reached out to me to help test their new "pro" model, along with testing some tablet mounts....I have never been paid by them, and have no financial gain to be had by pushing TRIPLTEK tablets)... So to be clear....a TRIPLTEK tablet is an alternative that can serve multiple "masters", meaning any other brand of drone that uses a phone for a screen.
No, it is not an all in one controller like the Autel SC, and may not look as slick, but it will work on V1, V2, V3, V4 and so on drones from Autel.
Is it a hassle to setup every time? Not really, but of course it would not be as convenient as an all in one controller like the Autel SC.
The Autel SC sure does look sweet however, and very "pro" looking if you are using your Evo II for work purposes. I just can't justify spending that much on a controller for one single drone, since I currently have far too many drones. Is there a "Drone Buyers Anonymous" somewhere I can join?
Having said this....not trying to do a thread hijack, but just pointing out an alternative.
Its good to see that the New Autel CEO has posted here. Remember that this is NOT an authorized Autel forum. (if it actually is him, he didn't sign the post with his name)
Lets hope that I good solution can be had for this.
We need to be assured that the standard Autel RC for the Evo II will continue to be made available for our "V1" Evo II drones and will not be affected by this chip shortage. If the chip shortage will affect the current RC, and Autel comes out with a V2 RC that ONLY WORKS WITH THE V2 MODELS, and discontinues the "V1" RC, then that will be a huge issue, making our current drones obsolete if we need replacement parts. I hope this is not the case.
Well Randall is fully aware of the situation as he wrote back to me....unfortunately at present even he does not know what the best solution is! I have pasted the email chain below. Also I placed my preorder months ago with Drone Works and emailed them a few days ago...no reply as yet!
EMAIL CHAIN - RESPONSE FROM RANDALL
Hello Steve,
Thanks for taking the time to reach out. As you've noted, I've received several of these kinds of messages. I am now in my fifth day as CEO at Autel, and when I heard that there was this change I felt it prudent to make this known to our customers. You may be the first of a handful of messages that I actually understood the concern.
You are thinking that when you spend $1,200 on the Smart Controller under the premise that you can use this same controller on the next generation of airframes. I totally get that! I completely understand that there is a comfort in knowing this kind of investment will give you the user experience you're after on future iterations of Evos (and other airframes).
Changing chips means changing communications between the RC and the airframe. This is not a ploy to generate more sales or stick you with something you don't want. I joined Autel and was willing to put seven years of work building up my reputation and credentials on the line. I will not let you down! I don't have an answer or a solution today, but give me time to work it out. You can hold me and the $1,200 you're investing on the Smart Controller over my head. I want to make this right!
Where did you buy the Smart Controller from?
On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:30 AM Steve <xxxx> wrote:
I'm sorry to say I am speechless following your announcement that the smart controller will not work on any future products despite selling it on the basis that it is future compatible.
Can you please clarify that the smart controller I pre-ordered back in April and costing me 1,200 (which I paid for upfront) is now not future compatible due to your announcement of a so called chip shortage?
You are about to loose an awful lot of customers!
I now will have to consider using not using Autel ever again unless this case of negligence is undone and a solution given. You cant make promises in your marketing stating there is future compatibility and then do a u turn months later saying it is not future compatible and that I will have to buy another smart controller in several months time!.
Please propose something that fixes this major cock up which is unfair to your customers, as I can't think of anyone who will accept this situation and will happily buy another 1,200 smart controller in just a few months time!
--
Randall Warnas
CEO | Autel Robotics USA
[email protected]
autelrobotics.com
22522 29th Dr SE, Suite 101
Bothell, WA 98021
EMAIL CHAIN - RESPONSE FROM RANDALL
Hello Steve,
Thanks for taking the time to reach out. As you've noted, I've received several of these kinds of messages. I am now in my fifth day as CEO at Autel, and when I heard that there was this change I felt it prudent to make this known to our customers. You may be the first of a handful of messages that I actually understood the concern.
You are thinking that when you spend $1,200 on the Smart Controller under the premise that you can use this same controller on the next generation of airframes. I totally get that! I completely understand that there is a comfort in knowing this kind of investment will give you the user experience you're after on future iterations of Evos (and other airframes).
Changing chips means changing communications between the RC and the airframe. This is not a ploy to generate more sales or stick you with something you don't want. I joined Autel and was willing to put seven years of work building up my reputation and credentials on the line. I will not let you down! I don't have an answer or a solution today, but give me time to work it out. You can hold me and the $1,200 you're investing on the Smart Controller over my head. I want to make this right!
Where did you buy the Smart Controller from?
On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 11:30 AM Steve <xxxx> wrote:
I'm sorry to say I am speechless following your announcement that the smart controller will not work on any future products despite selling it on the basis that it is future compatible.
Can you please clarify that the smart controller I pre-ordered back in April and costing me 1,200 (which I paid for upfront) is now not future compatible due to your announcement of a so called chip shortage?
You are about to loose an awful lot of customers!
I now will have to consider using not using Autel ever again unless this case of negligence is undone and a solution given. You cant make promises in your marketing stating there is future compatibility and then do a u turn months later saying it is not future compatible and that I will have to buy another smart controller in several months time!.
Please propose something that fixes this major cock up which is unfair to your customers, as I can't think of anyone who will accept this situation and will happily buy another 1,200 smart controller in just a few months time!
--
Randall Warnas
CEO | Autel Robotics USA
[email protected]
autelrobotics.com
22522 29th Dr SE, Suite 101
Bothell, WA 98021
I'm pleased this CEO is concerned and I do understand his hands might be tied due to circumstances beyond his or the company's control. I was a little surprised to get this response so quickly on this Monday morning.
I appreciate you reaching out. I am considering everything and hearing what you're saying. The issue is not a loss in revenue, it's a loss of reliability. We need a stable supply chain, and with these specific chips that does not seem clear to ever recover. We are working toward NDAA compliance, so that the geopolitics of the day won't limit our ability to continue doing meaningful business. This is painful I'm sure, but this is moreso in keeping aligned with our promises long-term. We want to give our customers the best experience possible, and I am here to listen to your feedback. If you could explain to me why this change creates a negative impact on your personal usage, I at least could get that into my mind.
Looking forward to your response.
--
Randall Warnas
CEO | Autel Robotics USA
[email protected]
autelrobotics.com
22522 29th Dr SE, Suite 101
Bothell, WA 98021
Seriously?........ "If you could explain to me why this change creates a negative impact on your personal usage, I at least could get that into my mind." RANDLL
I wrote to Randall Warnas yesterday, and received a direct answer TODAY, which - to be honest- impressed me quilte a bit. Something tells me, that the guy takes our reactions seriously...
Hello Peter,
I appreciate you reaching out, and love nothing more than knowing I get a chance to clarify something that is not easily done in a product brief. I joined as CEO last Tuesday, and when I heard that there was going to be a mandatory revision change, I did something that most drone manufacturers don't do and made that public. I came from FLIR and before that was at DJI; both of them are also being impacted by this chip shortage. This is a matter of long-term reliability and serving our customers that fosters long-term relationships. I will commit to you that we will not leave you high and dry, even if we do have a limited production of the V1 Smart Controllers. I am trying my best to navigate all of things after a decision has already been executed. However, the decisions I make going forward will take into consideration the feedback I get from you and our customers! I made the announcement because I thought that transparency is the right thing, even if it is a hard thing and doesn't make you popular.
Please let me know what your genuine concerns are and I'll do what I can to remedy them!
Hello Peter,
I appreciate you reaching out, and love nothing more than knowing I get a chance to clarify something that is not easily done in a product brief. I joined as CEO last Tuesday, and when I heard that there was going to be a mandatory revision change, I did something that most drone manufacturers don't do and made that public. I came from FLIR and before that was at DJI; both of them are also being impacted by this chip shortage. This is a matter of long-term reliability and serving our customers that fosters long-term relationships. I will commit to you that we will not leave you high and dry, even if we do have a limited production of the V1 Smart Controllers. I am trying my best to navigate all of things after a decision has already been executed. However, the decisions I make going forward will take into consideration the feedback I get from you and our customers! I made the announcement because I thought that transparency is the right thing, even if it is a hard thing and doesn't make you popular.
Please let me know what your genuine concerns are and I'll do what I can to remedy them!
The solution is simple, find a way to make the SC compatible with current and future airframes and stop selling those that will be obsolete quite soon.
Are we really willing to buy another controller in such a small space of time, and all because Autel would prefer to take our 1,200 and not loose money?
full disclosure on the tripltek as well, prob the best tablet for a drone ever. when used with dji mini2 and skydio2, it has really changed the way i fly. i have pretty decent eyesight but for me, nits are everything. we're not nuts, we are just very excited by a new product. 
if other drone companies are experiencing the same shortages, let's see how they handle it (publicly). will be interesting.
if other drone companies are experiencing the same shortages, let's see how they handle it (publicly). will be interesting.
Honestly I am willing to purchase both if necessary. The wait time on the next one would be at min a year with them having to figure out how to make it compatible with both V1 and V2. Its honestly not worth the wait time to me. If people like me want to "waist" there money why not let them. It doesn't effect anyone who doesn't want it.
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This is a Disgrace , and these decisions are being made from a new CEO
The reason why they can get away with this is the Autel market share is next to nothing compared to DJI so there OK starting from scratch and loosing there
customer Base and starting over.
Thus the Reason for the New Ceo who has the option to Cancel / Stop / Change and Start over.
One thing is for sure this Global chip shortage was something Apple knew was happening before anyone and they beat everyone to the fix with there own chips.
Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your EVO 2 in the Rain.
The reason why they can get away with this is the Autel market share is next to nothing compared to DJI so there OK starting from scratch and loosing there
customer Base and starting over.
Thus the Reason for the New Ceo who has the option to Cancel / Stop / Change and Start over.
One thing is for sure this Global chip shortage was something Apple knew was happening before anyone and they beat everyone to the fix with there own chips.
Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your EVO 2 in the Rain.
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That's pretty much what I said in my reply to his reply since he wanted to know what exactly my concerns were. I want to be reassured I can keep my E2 in the air for years to come with parts available.
A good point about how other suppliers will react to this. I guess anything they do can’t beat this in terms of cock ups!full disclosure on the tripltek as well, prob the best tablet for a drone ever. when used with dji mini2 and skydio2, it has really changed the way i fly. i have pretty decent eyesight but for me, nits are everything. we're not nuts, we are just very excited by a new product.
if other drone companies are experiencing the same shortages, let's see how they handle it (publicly). will be interesting.
My issue with this is the possible limited availability of a Smart Controller that's compatible with my EVO II. If I get one, I'll be largely happy though it would have been nice if the $1200 controller was forward-compatible or could be made to be so.
What I'm concerned about is if the supply of v1 SCs is REALLY constrained, I'm going to be forced to source one from a scalper at a huge markup. I bought the EVO II Pro with the understanding there will be a Smart Controller for it. I hate separate tablets and phones for a variety of reasons... and the time I've spent flying my EVO II Pro using a phone makes it clear to me that A) the EVO is a great drone for my use and B) I really really don't want to use a phone or tablet as the primary control device for it.
That said, Advexure has assured me that if all goes according to the numbers they've been given by Autel, I should get my SC... at which point it does suck it won't work with the EVO III or whatever comes next, but it's not the end of the world.
I also also slightly concerned about what happens if my EVO II v1 takes a dip in the river or a hard crash and there is no EVO II v1 to replace it. It would greatly suck to have to buy another smart controller for the replacement bird... and would actually REDUCE lock-in and make me look at another brand. There's a lot of value to Autel in making a pricey piece of hardware like the SC forward-compatible too.
What I'm concerned about is if the supply of v1 SCs is REALLY constrained, I'm going to be forced to source one from a scalper at a huge markup. I bought the EVO II Pro with the understanding there will be a Smart Controller for it. I hate separate tablets and phones for a variety of reasons... and the time I've spent flying my EVO II Pro using a phone makes it clear to me that A) the EVO is a great drone for my use and B) I really really don't want to use a phone or tablet as the primary control device for it.
That said, Advexure has assured me that if all goes according to the numbers they've been given by Autel, I should get my SC... at which point it does suck it won't work with the EVO III or whatever comes next, but it's not the end of the world.
I also also slightly concerned about what happens if my EVO II v1 takes a dip in the river or a hard crash and there is no EVO II v1 to replace it. It would greatly suck to have to buy another smart controller for the replacement bird... and would actually REDUCE lock-in and make me look at another brand. There's a lot of value to Autel in making a pricey piece of hardware like the SC forward-compatible too.
I get where you are coming from. But for me yes it is my personal decision whether to buy both controllers or not. However my point being we should not be placed in this rip off scenario in the first place which includes being told months after paying full price for a preorder that it wont be forwards compatible despite its marketing stating the opposite! The least they can do is offer a free upgrade or replacement.
This, to me, is a far more serious issue than the smart controller one poses. We don't have those in our hands yet. If our current RCs cannot be replaced when the battery or antennas break, etc, we are all screwed.
I totally get where you're coming from as well,
my thinking is would I rather have to wait at least a year to see if they came out with something compatible or would I take something now that might be compatible with a V3 later.
I always think of the "tomorrow is never promised" saying.. in which case I'd rather get something today that works for what I need today, instead waiting, buying a tripletek and any needed accessories (that will add up to more or less what the SC cost me) and have at least the chance of it being compatible with a V3 and so on.
Even if it ends up not being compatible and I don't believe Autel with throw us under the bus by any means, I'd be happy with what I had and move on if I needed to later. As far as replacment V1s I don't think that will be an issue in the near future and if it is I'll sell my V1 SC at a loss most likely and get a V2, but the time that I used it while I needed it will be worth the loss.. no difference than having a lease or renting something. The ONLY thing I see here that really sucks for people is the lack of stock for the v1 SC, but again in the end I'll be able to sell mine at a better price, someone will get a deal and everyone wins.. I dunno, maybe I'm "nuts"..lol but thats where I'm at.
There is no way they will not honor the warranty on the V1s. Worst case senerio they will upgrade you to a V2 and if you have a V1 SC chances are they will upgrade you there too and resell the V1 or use it for parts.
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