verifying what I found searching

[UasDriver]

spent the day searching for answers;
I "understand" I can't get to ALL the settings without some phone/tablet connected and running explorer app? (I have neither)
I can't use my laptop, that cost more than the drone, to access settings either?

If that's so, I can't do IMU cals if the RC wants me to?

did find In manual I can cal compass from RC
I did download the OA to my PC

thanks
dave

 

[xval]

android tablets are cheap like dirt these days. Event from Samsung they are much cheaper than a single battery. No need to suffer.

 

[verticalflyer]

I agree with xval. Devices can be had for cheap, especially on the used or refurbished market for something a little higher end.

That being said, there are ways to use your laptop but they are 100% not supported by Autel. If you crash and burn then it's on you. I'd highly recommend not doing it and going with a dedicated Android or iOS device.

For Android, the Autel Explorer app can be downloaded directly from the Autel Drones website. That can be installed into an Android emulator, a virtual machine running Androidx86 or a physical machine dual booted with Androidx86. Both virtual options require USB passthrough. Virtualbox is a good, open source, virtual machine program. Keep in mind though, if google maps is not available on the Android install then you will get stuck with very limited Chinese mapping option within Explorer. That is one of my pet peeves about the Explorer app. If Google or iOS maps are not found then Mapbox/OpenStreetMaps should be the default.

 

[UasDriver]

thanks,
I just want to take pics and fly, I have no use for mapping, flight plans, maps ettal.
Just looking for intelligent flight modes and IMU calibrations, which SHOULD be on the RC already. My $200 trainer can do it, not sure why a $2,000 can't

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Just know that by not using a Phone or tablet you will not have telemetry logs if something should go wrong like a fly a way. Autel will expect you to give them logs to validate any warranty claim. And by not using a tablet or phone your $2000 unit is performing half of what it can do.

 

[UasDriver]

I emailed Autel before I made my purchase, asked specifically if using just the RC works and was fine to fly, they said yesser, send check. Even asked if I could use my PC instead of tab/phone, they said needed livedeck, but then yesser, send check.
I bought both the 501S and the EV2 specifically because they had built-in displays.

so they only honor warranties if you also invest in 3rd party products, seems like Racketeering in the 'ol days
guess it's time to contact the Amazon seller and see If i can return it for a Phanton 4pro with built in screen

 

[Jagerbomb52]

I emailed Autel before I made my purchase, asked specifically if using just the RC works and was fine to fly, they said yesser, send check. Even asked if I could use my PC instead of tab/phone, they said needed livedeck, but then yesser, send check.
I bought both the 501S and the EV2 specifically because they had built-in displays.

so they only honor warranties if you also invest in 3rd party products, seems like Racketeering in the 'ol days
guess it's time to contact the Amazon seller and see If i can return it for a Phanton 4pro with built in screen

In this day and age I find it hard to believe someone does not have a Cell phone or at the very least a tablet. ?
Hell I have seen 90 year grandmas who have a Cell phone
Perhaps you should have done better checking before pulling the trigger on a $2000 product.

 

[UasDriver]

I opted for a laptop over smrt/tabd device, my G7 17 7700 will out smart any smart devices i've looked at.
I want to create video and photography, no interest in social media, so a 4k 17" screen comes in handy, just like my 10yr old flip-phone works just fine for talking, spent an hour yesterday with DELL.
the simple "fix" would be explorer for PC, somebody there must know how to code, they put out the OA calibration for PC. That seems more complex then storing data or uploading params to the RC AC.

I opened a ticket with Autel, I'll wait for their input.

 

[verticalflyer]

thanks,
I just want to take pics and fly, I have no use for mapping, flight plans, maps ettal.
Just looking for intelligent flight modes and IMU calibrations, which SHOULD be on the RC already. My $200 trainer can do it, not sure why a $2,000 can't

I don't disagree that all calibration options should be on the RC. Autel just released the IMU calibrations in Explorer in the last major update so RC IMU may be coming up in a new update. Reaching out to Autel, like you have, may help get them to understand that it needs to be done. The livedeck will allow you to use a PC as a monitor but not much else. I went through PC options with a drone from a different manufacturer and just found that biting the bullet and getting a decent dedicated tablet going forward was the best way to go. As @Agustine said, having logging is needed for warranty claims and I find that it's also important to do screen recordings of the actual flight screen (ie, video recording everything that is happening and that I do on my tablet and interaction with the Explorer app) will be beneficial for any reason that I need to reach out to Autel or ever have to answer to the FAA. That and it helps me to go back and see what I may could have done better camera settings wise.

I have a similar "trainer" drone that you do from the same company and I'll say that there is no way in heck that I would connect a personal device, containing any personal info, to it after having done network level packet analysis on the app and it's outgoing connections. I too wanted a dedicated controller so that's why I bought that brand/model but even then things are off. Not dragging their name into this thread but I have a level of distrust. Haven't done the same analysis yet for Autel Explorer but may get around to it at some point and time.

 

[UasDriver]

I'm quite happy with the EVO, being used to my trainer, the minor "twitchy" I experienced with the EVO on 1 flight actually made me smile. I live in BFE farm country, my hotspot is locked in max at 15G/mth. my laptop does just fine eating up my bits, ZERO interest in one more data eater. My understanding once the app is loaded I don't need a connection since I have no interest in maps or plans or...
my understanding for log files, the FC passes the data to the RC, the RC passes it to some USB device, seems pretty "simple" to just cache it to a usb drive, guessing files are already encrypted, that way all bases are covered.
I quit looking at software in '14 when I got outsourced n downsized, I just assume EVERYBODY wants to know what i'm doing, where i'm at, and how can they sell me more stuff.
In the early days it was fun confusing the algorithms, now with AI, it's no fun any more

 

[verticalflyer]

From my experience, you don't need to have a connection at all for the Explorer app as I've ran it from a tablet connected to my cellphone via bluetooth for a connection and on a tablet without a connection. Without a connection I've done both cached maps and complete go-and-fly runs. Logs are saved through Explorer just fine no matter.

What I see, the raw telemetry data is being sent to the RC from the drone and then going to the app connected via USB where it is getting encrypted and stored. I could be extremely off there though. If I'm not then for Autel to write the log files out directly to a USB device connected to the RC would be a rather massive change and one that may not even be supported by the software running on the RC (not sure if it's Android or not). Now a smart controller, which would more than likely be running some sort of Android OS, would actually have no issues since it would be a full on dedicated device.

Winter is coming so I'll have some time to play around. I'm going to have to add USB packet analysis to the list of things to poke around at.

 

[ovrszd]

For my simple needs, I have no use for a tablet. I fly using my Cell Phone and get along great. Actually can see everything very well. I used a tablet when flying my XSP.

I guess I don't understand what you are trying to do. But that's normal for me. Most members here are far above my pay grade of understanding. And most members here are very receptive to educating me and tolerating my ignorances.

 

[verticalflyer]

For my simple needs, I have no use for a tablet. I fly using my Cell Phone and get along great. Actually can see everything very well. I used a tablet when flying my XSP.

I guess I don't understand what you are trying to do. But that's normal for me. Most members here are far above my pay grade of understanding. And most members here are very receptive to educating me and tolerating my ignorances.

In my responses tablet = cellphone. Same difference. Something that runs the Autel Explorer app.

 

[UasDriver]

thanks, yup they equate the same to me. I have a flipphone for talking, a laptop for all things net (that i'm interested in)
i'm always amused when a smartphone goes off and 4 ppl twitch
my choices have nothing to do with my big brother or any of his friends. I fixed high end electronic systems for my career, I'm now free to be simplistic, hopefully that makes sense.
after 6 flights, 3 of them quite long, I didn't know I had a problem, the AC did what I wanted, really didn't even think about logfiles, see above reason, but once it was pointed out I "may" have to eat a malfunction, not of my own doing, that got my attention.

 

[verticalflyer]

You own a flip phone but will sit in a pc racing chair in the back 40 and fly a drone from it.

 

[UasDriver]

LOL, mostly I have no clue where the phone is, like Easter n eggs
but the chair n back 40 I keep real close

still crickets on my email.....crappy fly day anyway

 

[Rubik3x]

I agree that a fully functional integrated screen on the controller would be ideal. That was one of the reasons I bought my old Typhoon H. But this drone requires a separate screen device to make full use of it. Perhaps Autel will make their controller with integrated tablet available for the EVO 2 drones some day. Check out this thread:

Flying EVO with the monitor in the controller

I'm a Mavic owner but have been admiring the EVO a while now simply because of the one feature I admire the most, the built-in monitor in the controller. I have a few questions for you owners. It appears to me that anytime the app in the phone used to fly the drone crashes you could probably...

autelpilots.com

 

[UasDriver]

I'm packing n heading south to avoid cold, made the decision to just eat it and fly. No interest in autonomous flight, calibrations and logs would be nice. but, I missed that in the fine print so i'm stuck with it. maybe I find some kid that wants to trade my 501 for a tablet so I can cal, then toss it in the trunk til next cals. I find most imagery within VLOS is just fine for filming so unless the AC looses it's mind and fly's back to CCP, i should be able to find it.

the heading does suck, can't believe you get all the other telemetry, guess the programmer was in a hurry and there's no oversight for oversights
I was getting pretty good at instrument flight on the 501, I'd loose vid feed at ~450M, but would just fly the heading watching pitch roll and yaw, speed, til my pucker factor kicks in at about 700M then hit RTH and track the telemetry til video kicked back in.
you'd think if it's done for $200, it could be GREAT for $2k
ah well, live n learn