Start up sequence?

[Eagle928]

yes, but no. The original problem was the Autel RC pushing maximum voltage to charge the tablet at the same time...in the last firmware Autel updated the RC firmware to not do that anymore. It still will charge, even with the resistor cable, but at a very low rate. I don't know the rate it is now without the cable and with the latest Autel firmware, but the slow, choppy video isn't an issue anymore on the explorer app running on the TRIPLTEK. Of course, it's up to you....my point was only that the cable is not required anymore to overcome the choppy explorer app if that was the reason you are using it.

I tried a bench test with a different cable and it did boot up in the safe sequence (controller, app, drone). Only a field test will determine if it drains the battery on the controller like it did before. I mean it literally dropped a percentage point every few seconds which is why I felt the need to get the cable. I do wish I had known they could fix this with a software update. I could have saved myself $40+.

I really like this Evo 2. I wish they still supported the Evo 1. I'd probably buy one. Seems to me it still has a place in the line up for many from what I've read.

The weak link, from what I can tell so far, is the software and the communication between Autel and their customers on what they plan to do, want to do, and are considering so people can plan accordingly. Right now it almost seems like the Evo 2 and controller firmware and the Explorer app updates are an afterthought instead of a planned action in coordination with a testing/R&D dept.

This is more of an observation than a complaint. Autel could easily post news of interest to their customers on their website and they really should. People are dying for a smart controller from Autel but the best we can get are rumors. I don't understand this business model. I'm definitely not saying DJI is much better but they do have a larger market share and most likely some top notch software engineers. DJI has updates that cause more problems than they fix sometimes so it isn't just one company making these mistakes. Heck; Microsoft did it for decades. I finally got tired of their bloatware and moved to Linux years ago. Been much happier with my PC's ever since.

Thanks for your advice. Sorry about being rude. I think I mentioned this might be a cable issue in my first post in this thread.

 

[herein2021]

I tried a bench test with a different cable and it did boot up in the safe sequence (controller, app, drone). Only a field test will determine if it drains the battery on the controller like it did before. I mean it literally dropped a percentage point every few seconds which is why I felt the need to get the cable. I do wish I had known they could fix this with a software update. I could have saved myself $40+.

I really like this Evo 2. I wish they still supported the Evo 1. I'd probably buy one. Seems to me it still has a place in the line up for many from what I've read.

The weak link, from what I can tell so far, is the software and the communication between Autel and their customers on what they plan to do, want to do, and are considering so people can plan accordingly. Right now it almost seems like the Evo 2 and controller firmware and the Explorer app updates are an afterthought instead of a planned action in coordination with a testing/R&D dept.

This is more of an observation than a complaint. Autel could easily post news of interest to their customers on their website and they really should. People are dying for a smart controller from Autel but the best we can get are rumors. I don't understand this business model. I'm definitely not saying DJI is much better but they do have a larger market share and most likely some top notch software engineers. DJI has updates that cause more problems than they fix sometimes so it isn't just one company making these mistakes. Heck; Microsoft did it for decades. I finally got tired of their bloatware and moved to Linux years ago. Been much happier with my PC's ever since.

Thanks for your advice. Sorry about being rude. I think I mentioned this might be a cable issue in my first post in this thread.

Charging issues? Choppy Explorer App? Resister cables? I'm liking my iPad mini choice more and more . All jokes aside though, I think most of the problems you describe are simply due to Autel's size. Autel is tiny compared to DJI.

I read somewhere that DJI has over 500 computer scientists in their R&D department, Autel by comparison would probably be lucky to have 20. DJI has around 14,000 employees and Autel only has around 1200. DJI also makes around $2.9B/yr while Autel only makes $155M so this is really a David vs Goliath situation. Knowing the numbers and the uphill battle that Autel is facing (even GoPro gave up in their attempt to compete with DJI), I really do feel lucky that Autel and the EVO II exists at all.

Sure there's quirks, a long list of things that could be improved, frustrations with customer service, etc. but at the end of the day the EVO II is a fantastic drone which can be used to create some great footage. So I think when it comes to their business model at the moment they are probably just trying to stay alive and shortcuts have to be taken to do so (customer service, features, app completeness, communication, marketing, etc.). But they must be doing something right, rumor has it that the EVO II caught DJI by such surprise that the Mavic 3 was delayed to give them time to compete.

 

[Eagle928]

Charging issues? Choppy Explorer App? Resister cables? I'm liking my iPad mini choice more and more . All jokes aside though, I think most of the problems you describe are simply due to Autel's size. Autel is tiny compared to DJI.

I read somewhere that DJI has over 500 computer scientists in their R&D department, Autel by comparison would probably be lucky to have 20. DJI has around 14,000 employees and Autel only has around 1200. DJI also makes around $2.9B/yr while Autel only makes $155M so this is really a David vs Goliath situation. Knowing the numbers and the uphill battle that Autel is facing (even GoPro gave up in their attempt to compete with DJI), I really do feel lucky that Autel and the EVO II exists at all.

Sure there's quirks, a long list of things that could be improved, frustrations with customer service, etc. but at the end of the day the EVO II is a fantastic drone which can be used to create some great footage. So I think when it comes to their business model at the moment they are probably just trying to stay alive and shortcuts have to be taken to do so (customer service, features, app completeness, communication, marketing, etc.). But they must be doing something right, rumor has it that the EVO II caught DJI by such surprise that the Mavic 3 was delayed to give them time to compete.

All good points yet there is room for improvement. People can be quite forgiving and understanding when they know the challenges facing others. In this case the others are the Autel Robotics division of the Autel Co. An "Autel News" section on the Robitics/Drone webpage would go a long way to inform their customers so they would be given the chance to be more understanding.

In a very real way Autel and its customer base are working together to advance their product development and to keep the company viable. One doesn't work without the other.

 

[Quad808]

I tried a bench test with a different cable and it did boot up in the safe sequence (controller, app, drone). Only a field test will determine if it drains the battery on the controller like it did before. I mean it literally dropped a percentage point every few seconds which is why I felt the need to get the cable. I do wish I had known they could fix this with a software update. I could have saved myself $40+.

I really like this Evo 2. I wish they still supported the Evo 1. I'd probably buy one. Seems to me it still has a place in the line up for many from what I've read.

The weak link, from what I can tell so far, is the software and the communication between Autel and their customers on what they plan to do, want to do, and are considering so people can plan accordingly. Right now it almost seems like the Evo 2 and controller firmware and the Explorer app updates are an afterthought instead of a planned action in coordination with a testing/R&D dept.

This is more of an observation than a complaint. Autel could easily post news of interest to their customers on their website and they really should. People are dying for a smart controller from Autel but the best we can get are rumors. I don't understand this business model. I'm definitely not saying DJI is much better but they do have a larger market share and most likely some top notch software engineers. DJI has updates that cause more problems than they fix sometimes so it isn't just one company making these mistakes. Heck; Microsoft did it for decades. I finally got tired of their bloatware and moved to Linux years ago. Been much happier with my PC's ever since.

Thanks for your advice. Sorry about being rude. I think I mentioned this might be a cable issue in my first post in this thread

No worries....I didn't take any comments as being rude at all. I have thick skin, so robust conversation doesn't bother me. Sometimes in a forum setting people are misunderstood. I have a meter that I may be able to use to determine the power draw of the connected TRIPLTEK to the Autel RC, with or without using the resistor cable from TRIPLTEK. I will see if I can get that done today. Since this isn't a TRIPLTEK thread (sorry guys) I will post any results in the correct thread.
On another note...I had a chance to test the low noise props on the Evo II, and to my ears, they are lower in pitch and quieter than the originals. I have not flown, other than in a hover, so can't attest to their flight characteristics yet...if there is any difference at all in flight.

 

[Eagle928]

No worries....I didn't take any comments as being rude at all. I have thick skin, so robust conversation doesn't bother me. Sometimes in a forum setting people are misunderstood. I have a meter that I may be able to use to determine the power draw of the connected TRIPLTEK to the Autel RC, with or without using the resistor cable from TRIPLTEK. I will see if I can get that done today. Since this isn't a TRIPLTEK thread (sorry guys) I will post any results in the correct thread.
On another note...I had a chance to test the low noise props on the Evo II, and to my ears, they are lower in pitch and quieter than the originals. I have not flown, other than in a hover, so can't attest to their flight characteristics yet...if there is any difference at all in flight.

Funny you should mention the low noise props. I just found and ordered some extra stock non low-noise props because I like the sound of them and I want to hear them. I have a full set of the low noise props. I guess I should give them a try as well to see if the sound or performance is affected in any way.

 

[herein2021]

@Quad808 @Eagle928 I have been using the low noise props for the last 100 miles or so of flying (I got them the same week that I got the EVO II) and the dB is definitely lower and more importantly the pitch is lower as well so it sounds even quieter. I haven't seen any difference in performance.

 

[tomrink550]

Hi, just as a thought, the USB cable used between the tablet or phone and the RC could be the possible problem for some if it is C type. There are now several different types of C cables, some have a small resistor inside which depending how it is wired can make the cable a Slave or Host, you'd have to check what you have, if Slave it needs a signal from the Host i.e. Phone or tablet to trigger whatever it is connected to before it works properly...
Just a thought... best read up from the web as I might have it the wrong way around... happend to me, changed back to a cheap old cable and then worked fine... might help. Cheers

Has anyone done what he has suggested. i cant right now just got home from surgery but would be interested to hear about what happens. and as soon as i can get out and try i will and report back to you all P.S. i have aDJI CrystalSky on my autel pro 6k and they are known to have the usb unplug then plug back in to get them to work

 

[Quad808]

I posted the TRIPLTEK power draw in the TRIPLTEK thread: Maybe the best 7" tablet for drone flying? TRIPLTEK

 

[quinn karter]

Something I noticed today that I hadn't seen before. Normally I start the controller, then the drone, then plug in the tablet. It won't turn on the camera view in the display on the monitor that way no matter what I did. I rebooted everything and still no-go. As a last ditch effort so my trip to the flight location wasn't a total bust I shut everything down again then started the drone first then the controller then plugged in the tablet.

For whatever reason this is how I must start everything now to get it to work. This is a new issue since updating everything. Not sure it's just my setup or a funky cable I got from Tripltek to keep the controller from charging the tablet or what. I will have to try different tablets/phones/etc. to see if i can pinpoint the issue. I'll also experiment with my second E2P to see if acts the same way now and try different connection cables. I have had an issue with another cable that must have been a charging cable only and not a data transfer cable or simple a bad cable.

Anyone seen this issue before?

I get a frozen camera view, if I leave the EVO Explorer app running in the backround while i perform my startup sequence. I have to make sure that I have completely exited and shut down the app before my startup routine. The last thing I do is re-start the App. Then the app runs normally.

 

[Earthboundmisfit]

I always started previously with Tablet or phone on first, NOT launching any flying apps, then RC, connect the phone/tablet, then turn on the drone. I found that sometimes the app, either Autel or DJI, sometimes doesn't detect the drone, even if connected to the RC.

I don't do this anymore. Now, it's Drone always first. Then RC. Let them connect. No hurry. Then I connect the RC to phone/tablet. Let the app launch once it detects the usb connection. Why drone first? The app first to RC will allow the app to override the drone. I want the drone fully started up before any external connection. This startup procedure took me a while to "trust" it, being as you guys said....if the RC isn't on, what if the drone gets crazy? I haven't had this happen, even once. I let the device launch the app upon usb connection, this way I know for sure that the phone/tablet is getting the correct signal from the RC first, before manually launching the app like I used to. I have found the variable is the app...so I never manually launch it. Doing more than one flight? I force quit the app and don't have it running before the next flight. This ensures a clean startup of the app every time by USB connection. Yep, I turn off the RC as well, whenever I turn off the drone to change batteries.

If any "glitches" to the above startup, I will start all over. Force quit the app, disconnect it from the RC, and turn off both Drone and RC. Because I can force quit the app, I almost never restart the phone or tablet in the field. I work in the IT industry and realize how finicky software can be sometimes, so find it best to reboot everything when there is anything not normal....even if I have everything connected with the above order and the app, even in a glitch for a second, loses connection to the drone....could be a loose cable or any other reason. I force quit the app and disconnect the usb cable, and connect it again to the phone/tablet and let the app re-launch. Maybe overkill, but I don't want the app getting wonky in flight and having to restart it mid-flight. I never, ever rush a flight no matter what. All it takes is that one time you are in a hurry, and chances are...things will go wrong quickly. Not worth the risk. I do this on all my drones...Autel/DJI etc.

We are lucky with the Autel drones that we can just use the RC and not have to fly with the app if the app screws up mid-flight. Early on, with the Evo II Pro, I had the app disconnect mid flight as it did a RTH, AND the RC restarted. The drone didn't care, since it was doing an automated RTH and was still a ways away. Disconnected the USB and restarted the RC...connected right away and brought the bird home. Only a small panic. LOL!

Quad, THANK YOU! My RC Disconnect issue was solved by following your directions! Just had a fun flight shooting video in my front yard. Im new to drones, and just realized mine has two zoom levels!