Three Hundred and Fifty Five Days Later I found the time energy and weather to fly a drone. But unfortunately i cannot remember how to connect my phone, controller, and drone. [Mini 2].
I seem to recall the last time i tried to fly it it took some time to establish connections.
Should have taken out the Mini 3 Pro or Mini 4 Pro.
Hopefully in the next few days I’ll get one airborne…
Turn the RC on (press the power button, 4 lights come up on the front, press it again, 1,2,3,4, beep, 4 lights again, flashing).
Turn on the drone (power button under body just aft of the gimbal, similar procedure, mode light under battery compartment flashes).
3)Turn the phone on and open DJI Fly app.
Connect the RC and the phone with suitable cable, and fit the phone into the clamp on the RC
Follow on-screen instructions to connect drone, phone, & RC. Battery indicator lights on RC & drone will steady, then the camera will show whatever it sees, and you wait a short time for the drone to capture satellites, then it tells you that 'Take Off is Allowed.
Press take-off button on screen, and then press/hold the startup button. Drone will spin props and then ascend about 6’, and hover awaiting instructions.
Zen, fly my pretties, fly, soon ze vorld vill be your food, fly, ve shall rule, ze vorld, ze vorld (ok, Johnster, calm down, nurse will be along shortly with the blue pills)!
Or, refer to manual online and follow instructions.
You think after owning drones over 3 years i didn’t try all that?
I beginning to think last time i had the issue it was that the controller/phone cable only works in one direction and the icon with two dots one end is supposed to be telling me something.
Much prefer the drones with screen remote… Once the Mini and Mini 2 have each logged about 25 flights they will be sold on and just keep the Mini 3 Pro and Mini 4 Pro (and whatever the future may hold.)
I had the cable connected to the correct socket (not the blank one for storing the cable)
I had the correct ends of the cable in the controller and phone
I didn’t have the cable connected to the phone the right way around; it looks right when the cable is plugged in with it coming out of the plug and down to the controller but apparently only works in the other orientation with the cable coming out above the plug and then twisted down to the controller below. [If you see what i mean?]
All seems connected now but saying compass calibration required before takeoff. This drone hasn’t been flown in almost two years.
We now seem to be all connected and good for some flying later this afternoon (after district nurses have visited my legs.)
BUT it is saying battery firmware needs updating, I’ve not had to do this on the Mini 2 previously, which I was given 2nd hand and have only flown three times. I click ‘ok’ to update the battery firmware and it starts at 70% and after 15 minutes is still at 70%.
DJI Assistant 2 (Consumer Drones Series) doesn’t appear to recognise the Mini 2? Same Assistant 2 works fine with my Mini 3 Pro and Mini 4 Pro.
I like a story with a happy ending! IIRC the Mini 2 uses the same RC & cables as my Mavic Mini, and I agree that the usb socket on the RC looks as if the plug can go in either way round, but it can’t. The later RC-1 used with my Mini 4K uses usb-c cables which can go in both ways. I leave the cable attached to the RC for the older drone to avoid confusion and attempting to force it it; forcing it in never ends well…
Its the connection to phone not controller that was the issue, it is usb c so can be plugged in to the phone either way around but only works when plugged the way that looks wrong???
Next to try and find my Mavic Mini and dust that down; i haven’t seen it since before i was in and out of hospital at the beginning of the year and my Dad tidied (i say hid my things) my place. Its no use asking him, he’ll just point at random things in the room and say “is this it?”
4 months later ive found most things bar my Mavic Mini and the Christmas money my sister gave me that was taken out of the envelope for no apparent reason.
You are right, of course. I couldn’t get my head around a usb-c plug being inserted the wrong way round, though; all of mine seem to be 100% reversible…
My Mavic Mini has a little black RC and the phone is held underneath; it uses wi-fi connectivity, as I believe does the Mini SE. The Mini 2 uses the grey RC-1 with the phone clamped on top, and has Occusync connectivity. This drone is the basis of the Mini 2SE and the Mini 4K, which I have, and they all use the same bodyshell, but the Mavic Mini and Mini SE have different props fitted with different screws. The Mavic Mini’s wind rating is level 4, and I think the SE has this as well, but the Mini 2 & derivates are good for level 5, possibly due to the different props or perhaps they have more powerful motors.
I’ve found the Occusync connectivity to be noticeably more robust than wi-fi, and I would assume it is less susceptible to wi-fi signal interference as well.
Someone I know did a flight of about 2km distance with the Mavic Mini, it was only about 20 or 25 metre altitude and out to sea to see what a ship was. (It turned out the ship had brought sand from the Sahara region to replenish a north Wales beach.)
I treat the wifi on the Mavic Mini as VLOS, which I find patchy at about 100m with my wobbly eyesight; I certainly wouldn’t expect to ever see my drone again at 2km out to sea, or anywhere else! The Occusync on the Mini 4K, however, I would happily trust BVLOS for miles if it were to be allowed. I reckon that the drone has an effective safe range of about 8 miles, 4 out 4 back, and is limited by battery life rather than any other factor.
That and the level 5 wind resistance of the 4K are it’s main advantages over the MM, and I prefer the RC-1 controller as well. I keep the MM for indoor flying with the propguards, which take it well over the weight for outdoors anyway.
I’ve only flown Mavic Mini 3 times and hit a maximum distance from home at 83m. I reckon I could possibly double that when I get glasses again.
I was gifted the Mavic Mini after recommending it to a friend; when he upgraded he wrote it off as a business expense and gave it to me. I didn’t get the prop guards with it.
No, I just don’t trust the wifi signal where I can’t see the drone, and I don’t want to lose the drone because I can’t control it… Wifi is pretty much LOS anyway, and subject to interference in urban areas.