Ok, got my Spark and of course issues ensued...

[Brojon]

Used Dji Assistant 2 to update the aircraft.
Used my Galaxy S7 Edge to pair to remote and this is where teh fun began.
I had read about the wifi dance so the back and forth only tripped me up once.
Got RC connected.
Now I know the S7 Edge supports OTG because I have used it and have the OTG adapter for it.
You think the RC cared? Nope - no bueno. What device?
Had to connect with wifi.
Then it was telling me every time I turned it on I needed to reconnect to the AC. The thing that bothered me was a message saying that due to a region mismatch device was limited. Ruh roh. What the heck is THAT about? I almost think it had something to do with the device activation - apparently Dji has gotten stupid with wanting you to auto-activate every dang time you fire it up. Who owns this thing anyway?
But guess what? OTG works with my iPad Mini 4 and iPhone 6S+
It does say "this device may not be supported" when plugged in but it Just Works.
*sigh* I'd really hoped I could dedicate the Android phone for this drone.
Second thing is when I hooked it to the Apple it said there was a firmware mismatch and proceeded to upgrade the aircraft - I don't think it was the battery since it didn't do it when I plugged the 2nd battery in.
I also have not gotten the weird region message.
So the first thought that went through my mind since I got it from a fleaBay seller in NYC was grey market.
Be just my luck to get sold a Euro model.
How can you tell?
Anyone have any ideas on OTG on my S7 Edge?
Other than that - dang this thing flies slow. They say 6.8 mph but I feel like I could walk faster.
I was impressed that the signal went almost as far as my Mavic in this neighborhood full of trees.
Got teh Litchi beta and next step is to test waypoint missions and get some flight data on my test loops.

 

[RPL]

Turn off obstacle avoidance if you want to fly faster. As for the other issues, I have no idea.

 

[Brojon]

Ah! Good to know. It doesn't slow the Mavic or Phantom down that much.
Second possible issue - I notice the two motors on the right side spin freely.
The two on the opposite side are very stiff. To give an idea I can flick the ones with my finger and they'll spin about 1.5 revolutions .
I do that to the other side and they barely go half a revolution.
It seems to fly ok but I can hear a bit of odd pulsating going on - especially if I use the sticks to start motors and let them "idle"

 

[Spark 317]

It seems to fly ok but I can hear a bit of odd pulsating going on - especially if I use the sticks to start motors and let them "idle"

My Spark did that as well in the past.

Members here said it was normal.

If you don't get a warning during flight, you should be ok.

I had a motor that felt like the magnet inside was catching (?) and wouldn't spin freely.
It doesn't do that now and I haven't had any warnings except an occasional "motors have reached Max speed" when flying in Sport Mode and it quickly goes away as the Spark adjusts during flight.

 

[suprPHREAK]

Used Dji Assistant 2 to update the aircraft.
Used my Galaxy S7 Edge to pair to remote and this is where teh fun began.
I had read about the wifi dance so the back and forth only tripped me up once.
Got RC connected.
Now I know the S7 Edge supports OTG because I have used it and have the OTG adapter for it.
You think the RC cared? Nope - no bueno. What device?
Had to connect with wifi.
Then it was telling me every time I turned it on I needed to reconnect to the AC. The thing that bothered me was a message saying that due to a region mismatch device was limited. Ruh roh. What the heck is THAT about? I almost think it had something to do with the device activation - apparently Dji has gotten stupid with wanting you to auto-activate every dang time you fire it up. Who owns this thing anyway?
But guess what? OTG works with my iPad Mini 4 and iPhone 6S+
It does say "this device may not be supported" when plugged in but it Just Works.
*sigh* I'd really hoped I could dedicate the Android phone for this drone.
Second thing is when I hooked it to the Apple it said there was a firmware mismatch and proceeded to upgrade the aircraft - I don't think it was the battery since it didn't do it when I plugged the 2nd battery in.
I also have not gotten the weird region message.
So the first thought that went through my mind since I got it from a fleaBay seller in NYC was grey market.
Be just my luck to get sold a Euro model.
How can you tell?
Anyone have any ideas on OTG on my S7 Edge?
Other than that - dang this thing flies slow. They say 6.8 mph but I feel like I could walk faster.
I was impressed that the signal went almost as far as my Mavic in this neighborhood full of trees.
Got teh Litchi beta and next step is to test waypoint missions and get some flight data on my test loops.

First thing: there is no such thing as a "euro" model. All are the same, and will adjust their settings to the standards of whatever location they are in (EC/FCC) so don't worry about that.

Try this: start up the drone and RC and connect your phone. When all is connected, manually tell it to look for updates. Chances are, your RC is not properly updated, so doesn't actually support OTG yet. When that is all done, connect your OTG cable and see what happens.

Regarding your OTG adapter: it is important which direction it is connected. In this case, it should be in the RC, not the phone.

As far as the region mismatch goes, DJI advises to reset the RC and re-pair with the spark. To do this you hold down the RC power button for 9 seconds until you hear 3 beeps. More detail here:

 

[Brojon]

First thing: there is no such thing as a "euro" model. All are the same, and will adjust their settings to the standards of whatever location they are in (EC/FCC) so don't worry about that.

Try this: start up the drone and RC and connect your phone. When all is connected, manually tell it to look for updates. Chances are, your RC is not properly updated, so doesn't actually support OTG yet. When that is all done, connect your OTG cable and see what happens.

Regarding your OTG adapter: it is important which direction it is connected. In this case, it should be in the RC, not the phone.

As far as the region mismatch goes, DJI advises to reset the RC and re-pair with the spark. To do this you hold down the RC power button for 9 seconds until you hear 3 beeps. More detail here:

Well - what I was actually referring to is that Dji will not honor warranty for gray market items - at least that's what I was told when I looked at getting my Mavic from outside the US. Most camera manufacturers have the same policy. They do this to discourage sellers that buy them cheap in bulk in a country with more favorable pricing and send it to teh US. They get annoyed because it circumvents their distribution network where they carefully control availability and thus prices.
I just got off with Dji support and they say OTG isn't officially supported yet. My Apple stuff is a happy accident.
No big deal - I hate the remote discharging to keep the phone charged anyway
Since wifi is just for communicating with the remote I can live with that for the times I'll be packing it.

 

[Brojon]

My Spark did that as well in the past.

Members here said it was normal.

If you don't get a warning during flight, you should be ok.

I had a motor that felt like the magnet inside was catching (?) and wouldn't spin freely.
It doesn't do that now and I haven't had any warnings except an occasional "motors have reached Max speed" when flying in Sport Mode and it quickly goes away as the Spark adjusts during flight.

Interesting - hmmm. I found it odd that *both* motors on the same side have the issue.
It has warranty so that's good. But if it falls down goes boom I have to depend on Dji to say it was their fault.
Then the fleaBay seller doesn't do exchange - return only so there goes the good deal I got.
If I could find someone that had the Spark + Controller for $349 I'd jump on it and just buy another battery, a fast charger and extra props. The bag isn't really all that useful and their charger still does one at a time..

 

[Bob Johnston]

Turn off obstacle avoidance if you want to fly faster. As for the other issues, I have no idea.

To go faster, you put in in sport mode. Obstacle avoidance is then auto turned off.

 

[Brojon]

To go faster, you put in in sport mode. Obstacle avoidance is then auto turned off.

I know that - I was just shocked at how lackadaisical it flies normally. Call me spoiled by the Mavic and Phantom. We know it can fly faster - so it must be a limitation of detection distance using the IR sensors in the front. Shorter detection distance so it has to fly slower in order to react.

 

[Andre Levite]

A newly setup Spark is set to BEGINNER MODE as the factory default. This markedly limits the speed (and several other features). When you turn off this mode in Settings it will speed up greatly. Turning off Obstacle Avoidance speeds it up even further. And Sport Mode is a zippy 31mph.

But it will be as fast as a Phantom or Mavic because it's an entirely different animal.

 

[Brojon]

A newly setup Spark is set to BEGINNER MODE as the factory default. This markedly limits the speed (and several other features). When you turn off this mode in Settings it will speed up greatly. Turning off Obstacle Avoidance speeds it up even further. And Sport Mode is a zippy 31mph.

But it will be as fast as a Phantom or Mavic because it's an entirely different animal.

Sorry if this sounds snarky but I assume you blew right the part where I have a Mavic and a Phantom 4 Pro?
Beginner mode has been disabled forever on my devices and is the first thing I disable on a new drone.
I get it the Spark is slower in obstacle avoidance - I was just surprised at how much slower it flies from the limited range it has with the IR sensors and no cameras.
I'm sending this one back due to the two stiff motors and will test flying without obstacle avoidance and in Sport mode.
In the end tho it's not a big deal since I'm using this as a "scout" drone.

 

[Andre Levite]

Sorry if this sounds snarky but I assume you blew right the part where I have a Mavic and a Phantom 4 Pro?
Beginner mode has been disabled forever on my devices and is the first thing I disable on a new drone.
I get it the Spark is slower in obstacle avoidance - I was just surprised at how much slower it flies from the limited range it has with the IR sensors and no cameras.
I'm sending this one back due to the two stiff motors and will test flying without obstacle avoidance and in Sport mode.
In the end tho it's not a big deal since I'm using this as a "

To go faster, you put in in sport mode. Obstacle avoidance is then auto turned off.

scout" drone.

Yep. I bought both my Sparks from professional ariel videographers who had purchased them as "scout drones" but couldn't deal with the limitations. Seems like people who start with a Spark love them and hold onto them forever. But those who start with a more capable drone like the MP find the "downgrade" to a Spark is a big compromise.

I hate the Spark's short battery and 2-axis gimbal life but love the quick setup and stealthy size. Glad you found what works for you!

 

[Brojon]

Yep. I bought both my Sparks from professional ariel videographers who had purchased them as "scout drones" but couldn't deal with the limitations. Seems like people who start with a Spark love them and hold onto them forever. But those who start with a more capable drone like the MP find the "downgrade" to a Spark is a big compromise.

I hate the Spark's short battery and 2-axis gimbal life but love the quick setup and stealthy size. Glad you found what works for you!

I can see that - I even had a moment of doubt when I needed to return mine.
Ultimately I reminded myself how big a PITA it is to schlep around a P4P or even a Mavic, setup to fly, a clear place to take off and the general higher level of scrutiny in the public eye. So I ordered a new one This is mostly urban photography use - graffiti, old buildings, interesting architecture - all that beg for a drones-eye view.
Truth be told if I could have afforded a Mavic Air I would have snagged one of those in a heartbeat. As it was I traded in some Pokemon cards (really!) to get this mad-money and avoid stink-eye from my wife who's tired of her kitchen table being cluttered with FPV parts (first there was a li'l Whoop, then I started building a 5" racer)

Not my photo but this "graffiti park" is scheduled for demolition in the next year so now or never.

 

[Andre Levite]

I can see that - I even had a moment of doubt when I needed to return mine.
Ultimately I reminded myself how big a PITA it is to schlep around a P4P or even a Mavic, setup to fly, a clear place to take off and the general higher level of scrutiny in the public eye. So I ordered a new one This is mostly urban photography use - graffiti, old buildings, interesting architecture - all that beg for a drones-eye view.
Truth be told if I could have afforded a Mavic Air I would have snagged one of those in a heartbeat. As it was I traded in some Pokemon cards (really!) to get this mad-money and avoid stink-eye from my wife who's tired of her kitchen table being cluttered with FPV parts (first there was a li'l Whoop, then I started building a 5" racer)

Not my photo but this "graffiti park" is scheduled for demolition in the next year so now or never.

Wow. That's really a fantastic photo.

I was thinking about going around town and taking drone shots of known local landmarks. There's something very attractive about seeing an extremely familiar object from a new perspective. Brings new interest to an old place.