Vision system

[Wingman8209]

So I wanted to take some race video to day but the Spark wouldn't enter into any flight mode other than ATTI. I know there is no way I'm going to get GPS lock in this building as it has steel girders in the roof and what looks like a steel roof. But I should have been able to use Opti/Vision mode. I've seen another Spark fly in this same building and it was dead steady. But I haven't flown the Spark in ATTI mode yet so opted to shut it down and try again another day. So my question is can Opti mode be disabled and I need to turn it on. If so, where? If it's not that, is there something else you need to do to allow the Spark to enter Opti mode ? Reading other threads here on the vision system, it would seem that with the drone sitting in a one color counter would be one of the conditions that would prevent vision mode from activating?

Thanks.

 

[monty.roman]

OPTI mode requires decent light conditions and the surface should be a little bit structured (VPS doesn't work well on monochrome or reflective surfaces).

 

[Wingman8209]

OPTI mode requires decent light conditions and the surface should be a little bit structured (VPS doesn't work well on monochrome or reflective surfaces).

Thanks and I agree but as I said, I've seen another spark flying in this building with no issues at all.

Steve

 

[Wingman8209]

Is it possible that I can have this function turned off ? If so, where would I look to check. If it's there, I can't find it. I get enough satellites inside my house to fly in p mode but can you force Opti mode to check and see if it's working at all ?

 

[Wingman8209]

Any other idea's ? I'm wondering if I should return it while I can thinking that opti mode isn't working.

 

[monty.roman]

i think there's no way to turn it on/off or force it to be enabled. there are some guides to force the ATTI mode even in the area with good GPS coverage but don't know about the OPTI mode. try to launch in some well lit room without GPS coverage and see if it works before returning it.

 

[Wingman8209]

I tried an experiment tonight. I turned on the Spark and let it go through it's startup. Plugged the phone into the controller and turned them on. The controller connected with the Spark and the GO 4 app opened. I covered the top of the Spark with aluminum foil to prevent satellite reception. The Spark was in "no positioning ATTI" mode. I moved the Spark to various locations in the house that were well lit and had various "ground" conditions. Like rug, tile floor, throw rug's, etc. The Spark never came out of ATTI mode and the rear lights were always flashing slow yellow. Am I missing something or does it appear that the vision system isn't working. Does DJI monitor this forum ? The only thing I haven't tried yet is calibrating the IMU and Compass. Not sure how that would have anything to do with the Vision system but I guess it's another thing to try.

 

[Wingman8209]

So I guess I'm about ready to return the Spark while I can. I've done everything I can think of and still can't get the vision system to work. I've recalibrated the IMU and Compass. I've reflashed the firmware using DJI Assistant 2. The sensors and camera are clean. In my brightly lit kitchen with a tile floor and granite counter top, I can start everything up and get a good GPS lock with about 12 satellites. If I drop a piece of tin foil on top of the spark to block the GPS signals, it will momentarily go into positioning vision and then go into no positioning ATTI Mode. I can't imagine the lighting or floor surface isn't adequate. I'll give it one more try outdoors on the next sunny day and that will be it. My last question to the experienced users here regards calibrating the 3D sensing system. The directions I've found say to open the DJI Assistant, hook up the Spark which I do. The assistant recognizes the Spark and I click on that icon. That open another box where you can check/reload the firmware. Upload flight data, something called black box, etc. What I'm seeing online is that there should also be a calibration option to click on so you can calibrate the vision system but I'm not seeing that choice. Suggestions ?

 

[Wingman8209]

Just to close out this thread, the last thing I wanted to try was calibrating the IMU and Compass. It didn't make any sense to me that this would have any effect on the vision system but it did. I went back to the same spot I was trying to fly it before. It went into ATTI mode for maybe a second, then switched to vision mode. Flew fine with no issues. Very stable and didn't drift at all. Go figure.