Notice From Autel About Controllers and Compatibility in the Future

[mshmovie]

Hi Fellow Autel Pilots:

There's a lot of good thought and constructive collaboration in this thread and there a no points earned for being right or wrong; I'd actually like to be wrong, and see Autel do a great job with this release despite the chip shortage.

If I was to change my signature, I'd have it say Decent Human; it's the best I can hope to do with what I have to work with.

Please do be decent as we deal with this and all its frustrations, we're here for each other, not to light fires.

Regards,
Marc - (Decent Human)

 

[kenautelevo2pro]

I really really hope the v2 sc has better range and connectivity because if for some reason it turns out now to be significant....

from what I understand o3 doesn't blow the doors off o2, not sure what we are expecting. will v2 promote to sc to rc+alientech status?

 

[kenautelevo2pro]

it is incredible that I see some controversy among you customers instead of forcing Autel to take solutions in the common interest. My opinion is that the v1 version of the SC will never be shipped and that it wouldn't be worth a penny anyway. I am convinced that the solution is to force Autel when it produces version 2 of SC to combine it with a bare and minimal version of the aircraft chassis at a reasonable price for acquired and interested customers. In my opinion, there are no other viable solutions, for us and for Autel if they want to maintain credibility in the drone sector without excessive predictions. We also have to convince the big dealers to force this solution.

obviously you've never owned a dji product....talk about credibility and trying to force a company to do something LOL.

personally I measure the sc worth by how much value it brings to me and I express those in $$$ that I pay...not how much I can get for it on the open market or even how much other people pay or want to pay for one. for me, most of the value has to do with the next best thing....the alternative. for me, that's a standard rc with a cs with alientech and sky fire. love it...but sick of it.

at this point, I feel like today the sc is worth 119,900 pennies to me. but I get it, if you are unhappy with a product because other people don't like it or won't buy it off you once you used it up, certainly it is worth less. if you don't like a product because the product introduction was sloppy and the entire world didn't go along with the rollout plans, certainly the value is diminished. if I paid cash for a pre-order and am currently paying interest on a 20% interest credit card for a product that doesn't exist and arrival unknown and I run the risk of not being able to get a refund, surely I would be be upset because I didn't handle it so well.

but I'm not any of those. I've handled my business without a lot of drama and fanfare. I agree after-sales support is important and I will take that under advisement. until I have indications otherwise, I'd like to give weight to the product's performance once it arrives.

 

[JTech777]

obviously you've never owned a dji product....talk about credibility and trying to force a company to do something LOL.

personally I measure the sc worth by how much value it brings to me and I express those in $$$ that I pay...not how much I can get for it on the open market or even how much other people pay or want to pay for one. for me, most of the value has to do with the next best thing....the alternative. for me, that's a standard rc with a cs with alientech and sky fire. love it...but sick of it.

at this point, I feel like today the sc is worth 119,900 pennies to me. but I get it, if you are unhappy with a product because other people don't like it or won't buy it off you once you used it up, certainly it is worth less. if you don't like a product because the product introduction was sloppy and the entire world didn't go along with the rollout plans, certainly the value is diminished. if I paid cash for a pre-order and am currently paying interest on a 20% interest credit card for a product that doesn't exist and arrival unknown and I run the risk of not being able to get a refund, surely I would be be upset because I didn't handle it so well.

but I'm not any of those. I've handled my business without a lot of drama and fanfare. I agree after-sales support is important and I will take that under advisement. until I have indications otherwise, I'd like to give weight to the product's performance once it arrives.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

 

[Eagle's Eye Photo]

Agreed... it's all vaporware until end users have a physical product in their hands. Meanwhile. I'm going to continue on my mods on my current airframe and controller, to make this system operate as effectively as possible for me.

 

[mshmovie]

I really really hope the v2 sc has better range and connectivity because if for some reason it turns out now to be significant....

from what I understand o3 doesn't blow the doors off o2, not sure what we are expecting. will v2 promote to sc to rc+alientech status?

Hi Ken,

I have an Air 2S and have flown it with the stock and my smart controller. I can't see any discernible difference from it and my Mavic 2 Pro or Zoom with regards to transmission or command response; that could be due to me or that my the area I've flown both in is not to challenging for either protocol. Both are superior to O1 on my Mavic Pro & Pro Platinum (I had to walk into the woods once to regain control of my MPP - not fun - I thought I'd lose it).

I feel O2 and O3 are both pretty terrific for my use; I don't fly my devices beyond line of sight (though it goes a ways due to strobes helping me see it at a distance).

I anticipate either version to be competitive with O2 & O3; we'll see.

- M

 

[Anzacjack]

I think im going to avcept the fact im not getting a smart controller anytime soon and spend the funds i had waiting on the dji fpv.

 

[clackey]

Sir, that rather sarcastic post was not that helpful, but in fact no different than what I posted here... simply that accepting a new poster with a username AutelCEO, as automatically being Randall Wardas is not supported by any evidence at all. After all only the single post has been made.

As far as the issue I brought up regarding email posting, of course anyone can post any email they choose to. I never suggested otherwise. But it does bring up some liability exposure to the forum, when it is posted here.

If there are any other issues you have with me, why don't you start a conversation?

A little late to the game here but just wanted to confirm that @AutelCEO is actually the Autel CEO.

 

[mshmovie]

I think im going to avcept the fact im not getting a smart controller anytime soon and spend the funds i had waiting on the dji fpv.

Whatever you can do with your hard earned cash, that gives you joy, go for it. Be sure to buy the supports that reinforce the DJI FPV's arms and DJI care. Enjoy.

 

[mshmovie]

Hello All,
I read through these messages and there are certainly a lot of strong opinions that Autel has handled this incorrectly. I want you to put yourself in my shoes for a second, as you have all selected Autel in some form or fashion to end up here. I joined the company last Tuesday, and this topic came up later in the week. You would not fully understand what created the need to redevelop the problem other than the shortage, but you know that long-term this change is necessary. Sending out a notice with my name on it, I did it because the notice is the right thing to do. Changing the chips is the right thing to do. I want to do everything I can to be the most reliable, trustworthy, upfront company in drones. The intentions here are not ill spirited. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to check back here, but get your feedback to [email protected] and I am wanting the team to give you what you need. And your combined feedback WILL right our ship. Thanks for caring enough about this technology to voice your opinions!

Thank you Randall (and congratulations on your new position).

I'm sure you've noticed the main themes here are to highlight concerns, the perceived impacts of the decision, and provide suggestions that we hope are technically, operationally, and financially feasible.

More than anything, we want you and Autel Robotics to succeed and are happy provide the voice of your most passionate consumers and resellers to assist.

We're here as a resource, and also look forward to learning how our investments can hopefully be somewhat future proof; able to be used with product based on the new chipsset.

Again, thank you for reading the thread and caring about your consumers, resellers and Autel Robotics.

Regards,
Marc

 

[Eagle's Eye Photo]

A little late to the game here but just wanted to confirm that @AutelCEO is actually the Autel CEO.

Thank you for that! I retract any statements regarding that poster identity. I still stand by that it could easily have been his secretary typing out the post, just as if she was taking dictation. However it does indicate that at least he is trying to communicate with the group and is aware of our viewpoints.

At the very least, it does add some much needed clarity, to a rather muddy thread.

 

[Wayne Maine]

With all the uncertain things going on with the New Autel I have decided to cancel my PreOrder. It was a hard decision to do a pre order and equaly so in canx. it. For me its back to wait and see.

 

[GeekOnTheWing]

In a perfect world Autel would swap out the V1 with the V2 sans camera, battery, and props.

I like your idea. Time will tell if Autel is able to come up with something to achieve something like this.

Empire Drone's post does clarify why this new chipset is a necessity moving forward. I get it now. The entity list and government purchases are a very big deal to a company like Autel Robotics, Skydio, and DJI.

Wouldn't it be easier to just swap out the logic board?

I haven't opened my EVO II up to look; but I've built, taken apart, and put back together enough transceivers, phones, computers, and so forth to know that most of the time, the logic boards are designed for easy replacement to speed up warranty repairs. I'd bet a decent meal at a better-than-mediocre restaurant that that's true here, as well.

 

[GeekOnTheWing]

With all the uncertain things going on with the New Autel I have decided to cancel my PreOrder. It was a hard decision to do a pre order and equaly so in canx. it. For me its back to wait and see.

I'm on the fence. I really don't give a rat's posterior about the resale value because with the exception of iPhones, I just assume that consumer electronics will depreciate to worthless in three years, anyway. Plus the SC v1 will still solve the problem for which I ordered it, to wit, to be able to see the blasted screen.

As someone who earned my first FCC Radiotelephone license when I was 14, however, I find the technical arguments hard to swallow. Nobody really "repairs" electronics these days. You just swap out the whole insides. Half a dozen screws, a couple of flexes, and maybe some thermal compound is the "fix" for nearly any telecommunications device these days.

I haven't opened up my EVO II to look at it. I do have a teardown from the FCC I'll have to look at again, though. I just can't imagine it being that difficult to swap in a new board and unify everything going forward. I could be wrong, of course. But it would be a pretty unusual thing for swapping a logic board to take more than an hour or so, start-to-finish.

 

[UasDriver]

Does anyone know if the new SC will let you fly like the stock controller? NO explorer, just RC AC?

thanks
dave

 

[PingSpike]

Interesting question @UasDriver

Under what circumstances would you need to do that?

 

[Eagle's Eye Photo]

Do not want to drag this off-topic, but are there any menus, adjustments or readouts only available on the app... and not on the controller?

 

[UasDriver]

Under what circumstances would you need to do that?

the same as now, I only fly with the RC, no extras. I'm still on the firmware from Nov last year, works great, does everything I expected when I bought the unit, in other words, IF it ain't broke don't fix it!
the ONLY reason i would like the new controller is for the brightness and size. I flew the past 3 days along Lake Michigan and it was a challenge seeing the screen. I did get great shots and good videos so I'm still a happy camper

 

[PingSpike]

Does the Smart Contoller even run the Explorer app? ?‍

It technically doesn't need to, right?

 

[mshmovie]

Does the Smart Contoller even run the Explorer app? ?‍

It technically doesn't need to, right?

I would think it would; that would be analogous to DJI's smart controller which runs either DJI Fly or DJI Go 4 (depends on model).