So this is an issue, just not sure DD can do anything about it…
I was doing a 60ac job, in the heat, standing outside the truck. Mission was about 60% done and iPad turned off with the overheat protection.
immediatly got in the truck and started AC full blast on back of ipad, when it recovered (less than 3 min later) DD was closed and it just came back up to dashboard… nothing about current mission, no “recovery” option, Nada, Nunca.
I hit the return home button (P4) and it started coming back (still taking interval pictures as if it was doing mission).
Now I am not really complaining as it was my fault, but I DO think this is a bug that needs to be addressed. Maybe some cache file (log) that is saved to the tablet as the mission progresses and you can “recover” from when tablet comes back up. I did switch to GO and was able to see camera to confirm it was coming back, but something should be in DD as this is a legitimate failure mode and could result in loss if drivers cant cope.
@PanamediaPA
The first part of your issue also has happened to me in the Florida heat. I allowed the drone to continue the mission as we had already completed ~150 or the 300 acres we were flying. The drone came back and landed when it required an additional battery. Once the battery was replaced everything resumed as normal. Obviously my situation does not address your issue; however, I figured I would share my expereience as well
I’ve had that happen to me in the past and like you, I admit I did not plan on the chance this might happen. I’ll try to be simple as I don’t speak “complicated” as to better offer some help.
DD does use a lot of processing power . . . . it takes a lot of processing to assure an accurate flight, proper triggering of camera, good automatic camera control, etc. As such, the iPad does end up using a lot of the processor energy which creates heat. Couple that with daylight temperatures, well, the iPad will shut down (along with the program) to protect itself from destruction. I know the engineers at DD will try to do everything possible to help but in the end, as pilots, there are things we can do to assist in keeping this from happening.
#1 - Preplan, I’m sure you do a great job pre-planning your flights before you get on scene but it will help to also pre-plan flight after getting on scene. If it is warm, try to find a shaded area to operate from if possible. If you can sit in a vehicle, set up external antenna’s on the roof of a vehicle or extended pole (this is if you have hacked the remote and added new copper connectors) and place the iPad near an air conditioner.
#2 - Do not use an iPad tablet protector while flying in hot weather. I use a rubber tablet protector and guess what, that holds in the heat!!! I really felt like an idiot when I found out that I didn’t take it off before flying.
#3 - I bought a “cool rag” (a rag you can put in cold water for a little bit, ring out dry, and it stays cool for a while) placed it behind the iPad and then mounted it on the remote holder. This helped to keep the iPad cooler and was able to finish flights without shut down.
The end result is, you have to find a way to keep the pad cool. DD’s program is not the cause in my opinion. Since I have taken the steps shown above, I have never had the incident occur again.
I was simply asking them to look at the issue of the app not recovering after an overheat situation and having to failback to DJI GO to see telemetry and not rely on RTH.
Coming sense is key here, of course there was no iPad case in play, mission only lasted 18min (outside) and failed at 15min, external antenna is not a realistic solution for anyone (as you are supposed to maintain LOS.
Only thing is shade, and in this location it’s almost non existent.
Thanks for the reply but will wait for the designers to weigh in on this issue.
