Thanks! Nice video. You stick to the point and don't fool around. To many videos out there where they talk way to mutch about how they feel and how the morning coffee tasted, before they even get close to what you came for in the first place. Thumbs up to you, sir.
Is there a way to switch between 2.4 or 5.8 while connected with the dongle? When I connect, it automatically connects to 5.8 but my distance is severely limited to less than 1000 feet.
I fly all my DJI drones with Crystalsky monitors now, and the Spark is no exception. I just have to power up the RC before connecting the OTG cable in order for the logic in the cable set to be recognized - a bit of inconvenience, but worth the flying experience! (BTW, must use the DJI OTG dongle since most others have too large a plug head)
Just what I like nice and easy, thank you Rick for the GREAT information. I use Apple but like you said my phone or iPad will use less battery with the method you just showed us. You are my drone professor!!! Thank You, Thank You!!!
Excellent idea. Being an Android guy ever since the original Droid (and the only one in my family) I am thankful for this work around for my soon to arrive (hopefully) Spark Fly More.
Pure Android here too; until I purchased my Mavic. I saw lots of good points on the IPad Mini 4 and went ahead and pulled the trigger for one. It is solely dedicated for the Mavic. Since you're getting the Spark...a lower purchase price...I would suggest considering the Mini 4. You won't regret it. Then you'll have it if you ever upgrade to the Mavic.
Bill, you're welcome and I'm glad I was able to help. WiFi has always been a little spotty for connection and DJI was able to match the transmitter and receiver between the controller and quad well so it provides a great signal for flying. Unfortunately the receiver for connection to the phone is a little goofy so this cable fixes that issue for some Android tablets. Thanks for the post and be sure to stop back soon. Rick
CrazyDave, I agree with you and bought my iPad Mini 4 specifically for the quads. I needed a display device that I could swap between the different quads I fly and the iPad Mini 4 has been flawless. Thanks for the post and your support of the channel. Rick
Hi, your videos are very informative. My question on this issue is I made my connection with the OTG, it seems to work but when operating the DJI GO app the signal strength icon does not work. I have no way to know how strong of a signal I have. I have not tried to fly any distance because of this. Do you know what this could be? I have tried my iPad with the w-fi "off" and "on" with the same results. Thanks
Thanks for this report and demo. Are you able to connect the Spark Controller to your iPhone via USB? I'm wondering if I can use a standard micro USB-to-USB plugged to an Apple lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter to go between the Controller and the iPhone.
Dave, thanks for the post and I'm glad that you enjoyed the clip. I have more coming so be sure and watch the channel for updates or subscribe if you like. Rick
Drone Valley for sure Rick.like I said before, I may not have the products you share on video.but I watch because I love learning about everything and new quad products . Your channel and Kelly's help me gain more knowledge. thanks again for the great videos.Keep up the great and hard work you do in each video. Donnie (Big drone flyer77)
Hi Rick, Thank you for your excellent video. You mentioned in the video at 2:30 one can turn the wifi off on the device, but this doesn't work (at least in my case with a Galaxy Pro 8.4 tablet) In the moment I turn the wifi off, the quad is disconnected from the controller. I have used the StarTech.com 5in Micro USB to USB OTG Host Adapter, (UUSBOTGW) and the original USB cable which comes with the Spark. Do I miss anything or does this only apply to Apple devices?? Thank you again for your effort to help us.
Rick - Dumb question? I looked on your sight for those hats you wear from time to time but didn't see them. Do you sell them? If so, can you tell me where to look on your sight?
I have used this and it works very well. Thanks for the tip. However, when I turn off the wifi, the ability to see the signal strength to the spark goes away. Is there a way to correct this? Why do we lose the signal strength reading? One last question, if you keep the wifi on while using the cable, is the cable being used or the wifi?
NIce video. I've really enjoyed your Spark series! Quick, tangentially related question - Have you had any issues with the remote to Spark connection just dropping out mid-flight? I've flown 3 times with remote and lost signal all 3 times (never at long range, all just in my front yard). If so, will using the dongle help? It's unclear to me if I'm losing connection from my phone to the controller and then it's dropping the connection to the quad (this is what I think is happening) or if the remote is just losing the quad (seems unlikely given the minimal distance). Thanks and keep up the good work!
Wonderful presentations RICK! So my Q: just got my cables and RC for spark. No video on the go4, until I set WIFI on the iphone6 to the RC ssid. Why? Had the cables in place! What am I doing wrong?
Hi Rick, thanks again for the great info. Can you confirm that the dji cable Mavic - RC Cable (Reverse Micro USB connector) to lighting also works in this show setup?
Hans, I'm not sure which cable you meant. This setup is technically a MicroUSB (on the controller) to either Lightning or MicroUSB (on the phone/tablet). the wrinkle is that you'll need a dongle on the controller to convert the MicroUSB to female USB to use whichever cable fits your phone. A straight-through cable won't work without the dongle. I hope that clears it up and please let me know if it didn't. Thanks for the post and your support on the channel. Rick
hey Rick...noticed with my mavic when I am in 1080p video mode you can zoom and in 4k mode, you cannot..So however, when you zoom in, the image is still in 1080p with no pixelation. .which makes sence as it is a 4k or 12MP ccd and if it is a 2x zoom...So can you see if this is the same occurs on the spark thus is in 2x 1080p thus in 4K resolution in that part of the ccd?
I do not have this quad, but it seems to me that if you take an usb extension cord, split out the signal wire while leaving the power and ground wire intact, and then solder the signal wire to an appropriate usb connector you should be able to power the remote from an usb battery through the cracked usb extension cord while sending the video feed to the goggles through the signal wire and appropriate usb connector. The goggles are, from my understanding, powered by an onboard rechargable battery and thus need not power from the remote. And if the goggles are indeed charged through the same usb port that you connect the usb signal wire / usb connector I also think you could solder on power and ground wire to the usb connector alongside the signal wire from the cracked usb extension cord and thus charge both the controller and the goggles through separate usb batteries. But perhaps I am wrong as I have yet little experience with the wiring of usb cables. And by the way, I used the term cracked above rather than hack as hacking are just dissasembly to learn how thing works while the term cracking is the term to use when breaking / modifying a product to make it do something else or more than it was intended for.
Hi Rick keep doing them my friend. Question,what the best in your view to buy BT300 or the DJI goggles ? I had the BT200 they where amazing on my phantom 3 plus.
Rick, does the RC controller establish both links (to the aircraft and tablet) over the same physical WiFi channel, or does the controller put each link on separate physical WiFi channels? In the former, the available bandwidth is cut in half, and in the latter, there is the potential for massive radio desense issues if both links are on the same band (but on different channels). Edit: One other thing that could be happening if it's the first case is hidden transmitter syndrome. The aircraft can hear the controller, but not the tablet, or the tablet can hear the controller, but not the aircraft. Either case results in potential excessive packet collisions on the WiFi channel since one transmitting device can't hear the other transmitting device.
Fred, on the other DJI drones it's more important to follow that order but on the Spark it seems to work fine either way. It may have something to do with the topology being Wifi, which negotiates a little differently. Thanks for the post. Rick
jeremy armagost actually I had two issues. first I had a bad USB cable. second, I was connecting the OTG adapter to the phone. if you are using an OTG cable, that needs to connect to the controller and not the phone. hope this help.
Thanks 🙏 for the video. I was one that saw those comments on the forums and right before writing this comment to you I saw that people that said a cable to RC will work were taking down their comments because it didn't work with IOS 10.3. I'm using IOS 10.3 so can you verify the IOS cable to RC will work on 10.3 version. I can't try because I'm still impatiently waiting for my Spark to even ship. Thank 🚁
Lenny, thanks for the post and I am running 10.1.1 on my iPad Mini 4 at present and it works great. I will check my iPhone in the morning and see what it's running and if there are any issues. Thanks, Rick
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018M8YEX0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 This is described as USB OTG Mobile Device Adapter cable... I thought that was the same as a dongle? Thanks for your help!
when the spark is connected to tablet by wire does the transmitter still charge tablet like the mavic does; which i think is a poor setup please let me know
Hi, after hear your Tip, I bought the OTG Cable, But, when I try to connect in my Iphone 6plus, This message apperar to me: "this accessory may not be supported". Now I don't know if the problem is the OTG cable or in Iphone Lightening cable... Do you have any idea what I have to do? Cheers Mate.
So can someone definitely confirm to me that if I were to use a micro USB to USB Type C cable, with no dongle in the middle, it would not work? And if so, why? Just seems a better way to do it
George, thanks for the post and here's the link to our site - www.dronevalley.com/store/p97/DJI_Spark_-_Custom_Data_Cable_%2820cm%29_-_For_Apple_Devices.html Remember that you'll also need the short adapter to make this work as well. Thanks for the post and please let me know if you have any other questions. Rick
Referring to "normally" (0:45). Correct order of things (safety first): -- Power up controller before powering on the drone. -- Power off the drone before powering off the controller. The roots of this are from RC flying. The notion being that there should always be means to control the aircraft when it is powered up - no matter how unlikely it is that the drone will misbehave.
Fair point Alan and I agree with you that it's important to have a standard checklist for pre-flight activities and a set order of doing things. The only reason I was a little less strict with the Spark is that since it's Wifi based, it's less critical that the controller be up and ready when the quad wakes up. With the Phantom and Mavic you can have sketchy connection problems if you do it in the wrong order but WiFi is more forgiving. Thanks for catching that and pointing it out as its a great thing to remember. Rick
Didn't see that cable i think you said ur store had? A wire always beats wireless! Could you help me find it. Thanks for ur help! Cheers! ( th short lighting)
Tom, here's the link to the Spark accessory page on our site. You can find the adapter and the cable there. Thanks again for the support! Rick www.dronevalley.com/store/c10/Spark_Accessories.html
Willem, it should work but I don't have that quad to try it. I am putting together a more comprehensive connection guide for all of the quads that I hope to have finished by next week for the DJI Goggles. Be sure to stop back to check. Rick
Drone Valley I hope you post new video soon. I'm curious to see the RC distance you reach . I'm warier because in the Dji forum you can find a lot o people complain about RC signal interference with poor image on the phone screen ecc.... I'm glad to know more about it . I'm waiting for the combo lava red and the reason I bought because of the RC and more range instead of the only phone .
Phil, Thanks for the post but these shorter cables are also used on the Mavic remote as well, which doesn't need the dongle and it eliminates the need to carry 6 additional cables. Also, the dongle is a specialized connector that would be difficult to build into a cable. A straight MicroUSB to MicroUSB cable won't work without the dongle attached. I appreciate the post and hope that explains it. Stay tuned for more clips, Rick
The OTG adapter isn't needed for the Mavic. The Mavic has a standard USB port on the bottom so you can use any USB to micro USB cable like the one that came with the Mavic.
Jesse, Sorry to hear about the damaged connector. We pack them well but shipping can be rough. Send me an email (Rick@dronevalley.com) and I'm happy to send you a new one in the morning. Thanks, Rick
Rick and community: After spending 8 hours with DJI the conclusion was that there was a hardware issue with the remote controller and possibly the Spark itself. I use an iPhone 7 with iOS 10.3.2. Even without the controller the GO 4 app shows seriously weak signals from the Spark but does provide good video. However, if I use the controller I get the same very weak signals (5.8 ghz band) but now the video is totally broken up. I get maybe an updated video frame every 5 to 15 seconds. That is totally unusable and is why the bypassing the wifi with the cable idea has become quickly adopted. I personally will not fly this with these set of hardware limitations. That is why I sent my Spark and controller back to DJI for repair. In my opinion this is a serious design flaw IN HARDWARE. I hope I'm wrong but I can not see how this will be fixed in software. To verify this for yourself open the settings and select the wifi icon. There you will see it default to the 5.8 Ghz band. Notice the very weak signals available to chose from. No matter which channel you chose the video will never clean up while you use the remote controller. At least that is what I saw. Is that what you see too? Using the adapter eliminates the wifi path between the phone and the controller, as Rick pointed out. However, the "designed" use of wifi should not cause such a degradation in video and range performance. Your only asking for problems if you fly without the adapter cable, in my opinion. I hope this extended explanation will help and perhaps Rick can verify this and share this information with the entire channel instead of only those who read comments. Cheers!
You need to add a disclaimer that DJI does not support using the OTG Cable with the Spark and the RC. If you ask for support and tell them your using an OTG cable they will tell you that its not support and request you try what ever problem you have with out the OTG cable using only Wifi to the RC. Also not you lose the ability to see you signal strength to the quad, the signal strength grays out on the screen.
Another note on this needing a disclaimer .... when some yoyo complains to DJI about there Spark dropping out of the sky (like we hear some doing) and wants DJI to replace there busted up quad an they say NO because they find out an OTG cable was used and they blame it as an unsupported configuration. Some one may come to you and ask you to repalce there Spark because you said it would work and sold it to them with out telling them its not really support. This not to say I am not using an OTG cable but I do it knowing full and well that its not support and I get what I deserve when something wonky happens. Also Excellent videos huge amounts of good info on the Spark.
There is absolutely no risk whatsoever that using the cable to make the connection to your controller will cause your Spark to fall out of the sky. The reason is simple, you can fly your quad without even connecting the phone to the controller since it's only used to make initial adjustments to the settings and for streaming video being delivered by the camera. I have done clips showing that you can disconnect your tablet or phone during flight without any issue at all and safely land it back home just fine. As for the "falling out of the sky" comment, this is grossly exaggerated on the boards and if the pilots that had these crashes were being honest there were other issues leading to the failure beyond the quad. I fly almost every day, with a wide range of drones and other pilots. Virtually every single crash I've had or others I speak with have had is related to physical equipment failure (loose batteries, bad props) or pilot error. Don't fear the cable, its harmless and will help eliminate signal loss. Thanks, Rick
Wow, you completely missed the point of my comments or avoided it one. So let me try again, this time I will ask specific questions. Rick, Is the OTG cable a supported configuration with the spark RC by DJI? If so could you please provide some info on were DJI says its supported or share were DJI told you it was supported.
Hi Rick. Great video and I did give it a thumbs up. HOWEVER. I'm sick of the Spark. It seems all new content on UA-cam is about the Spark. I'm done with it. Did everyone forget about the other drones? I realize it is "Something New" But all the drone UA-camrs are doing the same stories. Amazingly there seems to be no negative things to say from anybody other than Tony Northrup. Don't get me wrong. I think it's a cool... Toy... Selfie drone. It has nothing to do with quality photography or videography. It's for social media content at best. I'm sorry to say all this but you did ask "Let me know" in the video. Maybe I'm the only one. But I'm done done done with the Spark.
Yep! But this Spark wave is driven by DJI's PR team. Remember. In the video Rick asked if we liked it. I don't. I'm sick of the Spark. That's all I'm saying. I love DJI products. This one is cool, but the hype is disproportionate to the quality of photo/video. Just to be clear here. I think Rick does a great job and is truly passionate about these presentations. I'm just done with the Spark. Rick or anyone else.
I don't think interest is tied to quality of image, otherwise the inspire 2 would be the only thing people are talking about. price point is whats driving this current interest, along with it being new.
Dale Smallwood An expensive selfie toy I may add...with very limited flight time compared to other DJI quads...if you purchase an extra battery on top of the 2 you have with the fly more combo, you are set back by 860 € in Europe,,,, Speaking of fly more...the Mavic adds 2 batteries, the Spark only one...Apple pricing I would say...
Hi Rick another great video... This guy in the UK did a great video on how under the latest Mavic firmware with distance restrictions in DJI Go 4 you are limited with range. Unless you first login to the app. He covered it in great detail even adding that if your just using the goggles and the Mavic you will not be able to fly the full distance until you run the DJI go 4 on a iPhone or Android for a moment first. It looks like the goggles can't log you into your DJI account. So this brings me to ask you if any restriction like the ones that exist in the Mavic in firmware 800 also exists on the Spark? For more info see this: ua-cam.com/video/B5Z2SughGIM/v-deo.html
Enjoy your clips and comments but notice a lot of unanswered questions, some from two weeks ago. If the question happens to pertain to your products there is an almost instant reply by you. Just ?????
Thanks for the post but I think it's worth the money when you consider you're getting a second battery, a charging hub and power supply and a controller. All of those together are well over $300 and that doesn't include the prop guards and the case. I agree that it's not cheap but it's one hell of a great quad. Thanks again for stopping by. Rick
You can support the channel by visiting the links below:
DJI Spark - tinyurl.com/mjhufss
Drone Valley Website- www.dronevalley.com
Thanks! Nice video. You stick to the point and don't fool around. To many videos out there where they talk way to mutch about how they feel and how the morning coffee tasted, before they even get close to what you came for in the first place. Thumbs up to you, sir.
The first video, that explains it well. Thank you! Good job!
Is there a way to switch between 2.4 or 5.8 while connected with the dongle? When I connect, it automatically connects to 5.8 but my distance is severely limited to less than 1000 feet.
I fly all my DJI drones with Crystalsky monitors now, and the Spark is no exception. I just have to power up the RC before connecting the OTG cable in order for the logic in the cable set to be recognized - a bit of inconvenience, but worth the flying experience! (BTW, must use the DJI OTG dongle since most others have too large a plug head)
Good tip and great job! Certainly good information for those of us with a new Spark! Thank you!
This video definitely answered my question. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work. More power to you.
will the cable connection provide a better or clearer picture on the screen? more like an hd image?
Just what I like nice and easy, thank you Rick for the GREAT information. I use Apple but like you said my phone or iPad will use less battery with the method you just showed us. You are my drone professor!!! Thank You, Thank You!!!
Eric, thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoyed the clip. I have a few more posting soon so be sure to stop back. Thanks, Rick
Excellent idea. Being an Android guy ever since the original Droid (and the only one in my family) I am thankful for this work around for my soon to arrive (hopefully) Spark Fly More.
Pure Android here too; until I purchased my Mavic. I saw lots of good points on the IPad Mini 4 and went ahead and pulled the trigger for one. It is solely dedicated for the Mavic. Since you're getting the Spark...a lower purchase price...I would suggest considering the Mini 4. You won't regret it. Then you'll have it if you ever upgrade to the Mavic.
Bill, you're welcome and I'm glad I was able to help. WiFi has always been a little spotty for connection and DJI was able to match the transmitter and receiver between the controller and quad well so it provides a great signal for flying. Unfortunately the receiver for connection to the phone is a little goofy so this cable fixes that issue for some Android tablets. Thanks for the post and be sure to stop back soon. Rick
CrazyDave, I agree with you and bought my iPad Mini 4 specifically for the quads. I needed a display device that I could swap between the different quads I fly and the iPad Mini 4 has been flawless. Thanks for the post and your support of the channel. Rick
Hi, your videos are very informative. My question on this issue is I made my connection with the OTG, it seems to work but when operating the DJI GO app the signal strength icon does not work. I have no way to know how strong of a signal I have. I have not tried to fly any distance because of this. Do you know what this could be? I have tried my iPad with the w-fi "off" and "on" with the same results. Thanks
Good Video as always but I was wondering if there will be a dji goggle review coming soon?
Thanks for this report and demo. Are you able to connect the Spark Controller to your iPhone via USB? I'm wondering if I can use a standard micro USB-to-USB plugged to an Apple lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter to go between the Controller and the iPhone.
Thanks good video :) Do you know a quick an easy tip to slow the Sparks yaw or gimbal down? I can't seam to find one yet.
Lots of excellent information. Thank You
Dave, thanks for the post and I'm glad that you enjoyed the clip. I have more coming so be sure and watch the channel for updates or subscribe if you like. Rick
Thanks rick for the great video
You're welcome and I'm glad you enjoyed the clip. I have more posting this week and hope you'll stop back! Rick
Drone Valley for sure Rick.like I said before, I may not have the products you share on video.but I watch because I love learning about everything and new quad products . Your channel and Kelly's help me gain more knowledge. thanks again for the great videos.Keep up the great and hard work you do in each video. Donnie
(Big drone flyer77)
Hi Rick,
Thank you for your excellent video.
You mentioned in the video at 2:30 one can turn the wifi off on the device, but this doesn't work (at least in my case with a Galaxy Pro 8.4 tablet) In the moment I turn the wifi off, the quad is disconnected from the controller. I have used the StarTech.com 5in Micro USB to USB OTG Host Adapter, (UUSBOTGW) and the original USB cable which comes with the Spark. Do I miss anything or does this only apply to Apple devices??
Thank you again for your effort to help us.
Rick - Dumb question? I looked on your sight for those hats you wear from time to time but didn't see them. Do you sell them? If so, can you tell me where to look on your sight?
I have used this and it works very well. Thanks for the tip. However, when I turn off the wifi, the ability to see the signal strength to the spark goes away. Is there a way to correct this? Why do we lose the signal strength reading? One last question, if you keep the wifi on while using the cable, is the cable being used or the wifi?
My video feed breakup on my Spark, and I'm using an iPhone SE. Would this dongle help me with this issue?
NIce video. I've really enjoyed your Spark series! Quick, tangentially related question - Have you had any issues with the remote to Spark connection just dropping out mid-flight? I've flown 3 times with remote and lost signal all 3 times (never at long range, all just in my front yard). If so, will using the dongle help? It's unclear to me if I'm losing connection from my phone to the controller and then it's dropping the connection to the quad (this is what I think is happening) or if the remote is just losing the quad (seems unlikely given the minimal distance). Thanks and keep up the good work!
Wonderful presentations RICK! So my Q: just got my cables and RC for spark.
No video on the go4, until I set WIFI on the iphone6 to the RC ssid. Why?
Had the cables in place! What am I doing wrong?
Beautiful video - thumb up 👍
Fantastic thanks for the information.
Some more awesome tips thank you
Hi Rick, thanks again for the great info. Can you confirm that the dji cable Mavic - RC Cable (Reverse Micro USB connector) to lighting also works in this show setup?
Hans, I'm not sure which cable you meant. This setup is technically a MicroUSB (on the controller) to either Lightning or MicroUSB (on the phone/tablet). the wrinkle is that you'll need a dongle on the controller to convert the MicroUSB to female USB to use whichever cable fits your phone. A straight-through cable won't work without the dongle. I hope that clears it up and please let me know if it didn't. Thanks for the post and your support on the channel. Rick
i would like to see indoor flight with the prop guards attached, and an up close selfie video
hey Rick...noticed with my mavic when I am in 1080p video mode you can zoom and in 4k mode, you cannot..So however, when you zoom in, the image is still in 1080p with no pixelation. .which makes sence as it is a 4k or 12MP ccd and if it is a 2x zoom...So can you see if this is the same occurs on the spark thus is in 2x 1080p thus in 4K resolution in that part of the ccd?
I do not have this quad, but it seems to me that if you take an usb extension cord, split out the signal wire while leaving the power and ground wire intact, and then solder the signal wire to an appropriate usb connector you should be able to power the remote from an usb battery through the cracked usb extension cord while sending the video feed to the goggles through the signal wire and appropriate usb connector. The goggles are, from my understanding, powered by an onboard rechargable battery and thus need not power from the remote. And if the goggles are indeed charged through the same usb port that you connect the usb signal wire / usb connector I also think you could solder on power and ground wire to the usb connector alongside the signal wire from the cracked usb extension cord and thus charge both the controller and the goggles through separate usb batteries. But perhaps I am wrong as I have yet little experience with the wiring of usb cables.
And by the way, I used the term cracked above rather than hack as hacking are just dissasembly to learn how thing works while the term cracking is the term to use when breaking / modifying a product to make it do something else or more than it was intended for.
Hi Rick keep doing them my friend. Question,what the best in your view to buy BT300 or the DJI goggles ? I had the BT200 they where amazing on my phantom 3 plus.
Rick, does the RC controller establish both links (to the aircraft and tablet) over the same physical WiFi channel, or does the controller put each link on separate physical WiFi channels? In the former, the available bandwidth is cut in half, and in the latter, there is the potential for massive radio desense issues if both links are on the same band (but on different channels).
Edit: One other thing that could be happening if it's the first case is hidden transmitter syndrome. The aircraft can hear the controller, but not the tablet, or the tablet can hear the controller, but not the aircraft. Either case results in potential excessive packet collisions on the WiFi channel since one transmitting device can't hear the other transmitting device.
I notice that you've been pretty much sticking with the DJI Goggles for everything. Did the Moverio's not work out for you?
Good vid. Thanks
Rick, Is there any way to use my far sharks with the spark. Can you run the DJI googles and the mini IPad at the same time
You mentioned some Android devises that didn't have a problems. Can you tell me which one they were? Thx
Rick, will the Mavic lead (with micro usb and apple connection) fit between or is it too short?
I’ve had a few problems but I think I fixed it. When I’m using controller my phone has lost connection to the drone or been very laggy. I’ll try this
Hi there. I always thought the sequence for on was rc, then drone ?
Fred, on the other DJI drones it's more important to follow that order but on the Spark it seems to work fine either way. It may have something to do with the topology being Wifi, which negotiates a little differently. Thanks for the post. Rick
Drone Valley thanks for the reply; as always good to follow you :)
Will doing this method drain the power from one to the other?
i have a question did you Spark discnect from the rc controller a lot? and take it really long time to reconnect i have so much problems with that.
I had this exact issue and question on an Android phone and tablet. Gets to 700-800 feet and loses signal. Thank you...again!
another great video Rick like from me good buddy
has this been fixed (broken) by DJI? I tried connecting my drone but it never connected to my Spark using Galaxy S7. had to use Wifi.. :(
jrcintron I can't connect my galaxy 7 with a cable either...have you found a fix?
jeremy armagost actually I had two issues. first I had a bad USB cable. second, I was connecting the OTG adapter to the phone. if you are using an OTG cable, that needs to connect to the controller and not the phone. hope this help.
Thanks 🙏 for the video. I was one that saw those comments on the forums and right before writing this comment to you I saw that people that said a cable to RC will work were taking down their comments because it didn't work with IOS 10.3. I'm using IOS 10.3 so can you verify the IOS cable to RC will work on 10.3 version. I can't try because I'm still impatiently waiting for my Spark to even ship.
Thank 🚁
Lenny, thanks for the post and I am running 10.1.1 on my iPad Mini 4 at present and it works great. I will check my iPhone in the morning and see what it's running and if there are any issues. Thanks, Rick
Thanks again, can I just use a male to male micro usb cable instead of the dongle?
No, the OTG dongle has circuitry in it to make the controller a host. Here's how it works: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_On-The-Go
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018M8YEX0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
This is described as USB OTG Mobile Device Adapter cable... I thought that was the same as a dongle? Thanks for your help!
Dottie Benjamin Lokks like that one is OTG. I thought you were referring to a straight male to male cable without the extra magic built in.
Thanks again Charlie...and appreciate your extra magic! :))
when the spark is connected to tablet by wire does the transmitter still charge tablet like the mavic does; which i think is a poor setup please let me know
Why didn't DJI just keep the same wired connection that the Mavic controller had? Feels like a big backstep to have it be Wi-Fi.
Apple doesn't officially support the OTG cable and could prevent it from working at any time.
apple doesn't officially support tons of connections and cables.. sometimes 3rd party is the way to go
which four android devices work well for you?
Hi, after hear your Tip, I bought the OTG Cable, But, when I try to connect in my Iphone 6plus, This message apperar to me: "this accessory may not be supported". Now I don't know if the problem is the OTG cable or in Iphone Lightening cable... Do you have any idea what I have to do? Cheers Mate.
Bruno Rovarotto May or may not, just cancel the warning and try it out...😉
Does the spark controller hold and IPAD or Ipad mini
So can someone definitely confirm to me that if I were to use a micro USB to USB Type C cable, with no dongle in the middle, it would not work? And if so, why? Just seems a better way to do it
What four Android devices have worked well in your experience? That would be pretty useful information!
Rick, I didn't see the short cable for the IPAd.
George, thanks for the post and here's the link to our site - www.dronevalley.com/store/p97/DJI_Spark_-_Custom_Data_Cable_%2820cm%29_-_For_Apple_Devices.html
Remember that you'll also need the short adapter to make this work as well. Thanks for the post and please let me know if you have any other questions. Rick
Referring to "normally" (0:45).
Correct order of things (safety first):
-- Power up controller before powering on the drone.
-- Power off the drone before powering off the controller.
The roots of this are from RC flying. The notion being that there should always be means to control the aircraft when it is powered up - no matter how unlikely it is that the drone will misbehave.
Fair point Alan and I agree with you that it's important to have a standard checklist for pre-flight activities and a set order of doing things. The only reason I was a little less strict with the Spark is that since it's Wifi based, it's less critical that the controller be up and ready when the quad wakes up. With the Phantom and Mavic you can have sketchy connection problems if you do it in the wrong order but WiFi is more forgiving. Thanks for catching that and pointing it out as its a great thing to remember. Rick
Didn't see that cable i think you said ur store had? A wire always beats wireless! Could you help me find it. Thanks for ur help! Cheers! ( th short lighting)
Tom, here's the link to the Spark accessory page on our site. You can find the adapter and the cable there. Thanks again for the support! Rick
www.dronevalley.com/store/c10/Spark_Accessories.html
Thank you!
I tried this but I cannot get it to work do you have to turn off wi fi on the iPad?
does this also work for the Phantom 3 4k ?
Was wondering the same.
Willem, it should work but I don't have that quad to try it. I am putting together a more comprehensive connection guide for all of the quads that I hope to have finished by next week for the DJI Goggles. Be sure to stop back to check. Rick
Drone Valley o ok thanks
Drone Valley I hope you post new video soon. I'm curious to see the RC distance you reach . I'm warier because in the Dji forum you can find a lot o people complain about RC signal interference with poor image on the phone screen ecc.... I'm glad to know more about it . I'm waiting for the combo lava red and the reason I bought because of the RC and more range instead of the only phone .
Ok... If you are making and selling custom cables for the connection, why not make a one-piece, and do away with the dongle? Seems sensible to me...
Phil, Thanks for the post but these shorter cables are also used on the Mavic remote as well, which doesn't need the dongle and it eliminates the need to carry 6 additional cables. Also, the dongle is a specialized connector that would be difficult to build into a cable. A straight MicroUSB to MicroUSB cable won't work without the dongle attached. I appreciate the post and hope that explains it. Stay tuned for more clips, Rick
you can get one piece OTG.or you can get a short one with 90 degree micro usb end... we got them over here in Maplins But the US must have them too
Thanh you!👌
What about the mavic, does this work for mavic
The OTG adapter isn't needed for the Mavic. The Mavic has a standard USB port on the bottom so you can use any USB to micro USB cable like the one that came with the Mavic.
Does the iPad have to be a cellular model?
Alan Cook no
Rick. Just got the connection from you. It's damaged. Just got my spark today. What do I do.
Jesse, Sorry to hear about the damaged connector. We pack them well but shipping can be rough. Send me an email (Rick@dronevalley.com) and I'm happy to send you a new one in the morning. Thanks, Rick
Thanks rick. Your tops in my book
What are the 4 android phones that worked for you?
I have a few friends who are using an OTG dongle when connecting to android devices. This is stopping the dropouts and the app crashing.
Rick and community: After spending 8 hours with DJI the conclusion was that there was a hardware issue with the remote controller and possibly the Spark itself. I use an iPhone 7 with iOS 10.3.2. Even without the controller the GO 4 app shows seriously weak signals from the Spark but does provide good video. However, if I use the controller I get the same very weak signals (5.8 ghz band) but now the video is totally broken up. I get maybe an updated video frame every 5 to 15 seconds. That is totally unusable and is why the bypassing the wifi with the cable idea has become quickly adopted. I personally will not fly this with these set of hardware limitations. That is why I sent my Spark and controller back to DJI for repair. In my opinion this is a serious design flaw IN HARDWARE. I hope I'm wrong but I can not see how this will be fixed in software. To verify this for yourself open the settings and select the wifi icon. There you will see it default to the 5.8 Ghz band. Notice the very weak signals available to chose from. No matter which channel you chose the video will never clean up while you use the remote controller. At least that is what I saw. Is that what you see too? Using the adapter eliminates the wifi path between the phone and the controller, as Rick pointed out. However, the "designed" use of wifi should not cause such a degradation in video and range performance. Your only asking for problems if you fly without the adapter cable, in my opinion. I hope this extended explanation will help and perhaps Rick can verify this and share this information with the entire channel instead of only those who read comments. Cheers!
I don't understand why this is a hack as all you do is just plug in the damn cable and Wala, it works.
Charging your Controller whilst using it is NOT GOOD for your Controller Battery...
You need to add a disclaimer that DJI does not support using the OTG Cable with the Spark and the RC. If you ask for support and tell them your using an OTG cable they will tell you that its not support and request you try what ever problem you have with out the OTG cable using only Wifi to the RC. Also not you lose the ability to see you signal strength to the quad, the signal strength grays out on the screen.
Another note on this needing a disclaimer .... when some yoyo complains to DJI about there Spark dropping out of the sky (like we hear some doing) and wants DJI to replace there busted up quad an they say NO because they find out an OTG cable was used and they blame it as an unsupported configuration. Some one may come to you and ask you to repalce there Spark because you said it would work and sold it to them with out telling them its not really support.
This not to say I am not using an OTG cable but I do it knowing full and well that its not support and I get what I deserve when something wonky happens.
Also Excellent videos huge amounts of good info on the Spark.
There is absolutely no risk whatsoever that using the cable to make the connection to your controller will cause your Spark to fall out of the sky. The reason is simple, you can fly your quad without even connecting the phone to the controller since it's only used to make initial adjustments to the settings and for streaming video being delivered by the camera. I have done clips showing that you can disconnect your tablet or phone during flight without any issue at all and safely land it back home just fine. As for the "falling out of the sky" comment, this is grossly exaggerated on the boards and if the pilots that had these crashes were being honest there were other issues leading to the failure beyond the quad. I fly almost every day, with a wide range of drones and other pilots. Virtually every single crash I've had or others I speak with have had is related to physical equipment failure (loose batteries, bad props) or pilot error. Don't fear the cable, its harmless and will help eliminate signal loss. Thanks, Rick
Wow, you completely missed the point of my comments or avoided it one.
So let me try again, this time I will ask specific questions.
Rick,
Is the OTG cable a supported configuration with the spark RC by DJI? If so could you please provide some info on were DJI says its supported or share were DJI told you it was supported.
hi rick i love ytour vids
can we use the samsung goggles headset to the mavic or spark for fpv
With your battery peoblem just buy a splitter cable..
Hi Rick. Great video and I did give it a thumbs up. HOWEVER. I'm sick of the Spark. It seems all new content on UA-cam is about the Spark. I'm done with it. Did everyone forget about the other drones? I realize it is "Something New" But all the drone UA-camrs are doing the same stories. Amazingly there seems to be no negative things to say from anybody other than Tony Northrup. Don't get me wrong. I think it's a cool... Toy... Selfie drone. It has nothing to do with quality photography or videography. It's for social media content at best. I'm sorry to say all this but you did ask "Let me know" in the video. Maybe I'm the only one. But I'm done done done with the Spark.
new things get talked about more than old things.
Yep! But this Spark wave is driven by DJI's PR team. Remember. In the video Rick asked if we liked it. I don't. I'm sick of the Spark. That's all I'm saying. I love DJI products. This one is cool, but the hype is disproportionate to the quality of photo/video.
Just to be clear here. I think Rick does a great job and is truly passionate about these presentations. I'm just done with the Spark. Rick or anyone else.
I don't think interest is tied to quality of image, otherwise the inspire 2 would be the only thing people are talking about. price point is whats driving this current interest, along with it being new.
Of course you're right.
Dale Smallwood An expensive selfie toy I may add...with very limited flight time compared to other DJI quads...if you purchase an extra battery on top of the 2 you have with the fly more combo, you are set back by 860 € in Europe,,,, Speaking of fly more...the Mavic adds 2 batteries, the Spark only one...Apple pricing I would say...
Dont throw the Ipad just like that. You wont see anything without it if its broken
Hi Rick another great video... This guy in the UK did a great video on how under the latest Mavic firmware with distance restrictions in DJI Go 4 you are limited with range. Unless you first login to the app. He covered it in great detail even adding that if your just using the goggles and the Mavic you will not be able to fly the full distance until you run the DJI go 4 on a iPhone or Android for a moment first. It looks like the goggles can't log you into your DJI account. So this brings me to ask you if any restriction like the ones that exist in the Mavic in firmware 800 also exists on the Spark? For more info see this: ua-cam.com/video/B5Z2SughGIM/v-deo.html
Enjoy your clips and comments but notice a lot of unanswered questions, some from two weeks ago. If the question happens to pertain to your products there is an almost instant reply by you. Just ?????
Spark, great idea but 200 dollars too much for the fly more combo. It's just not worth the price
Thanks for the post but I think it's worth the money when you consider you're getting a second battery, a charging hub and power supply and a controller. All of those together are well over $300 and that doesn't include the prop guards and the case. I agree that it's not cheap but it's one hell of a great quad. Thanks again for stopping by. Rick
Not really to much, it really is a great drone.
Did you made this video for English speaking people only? No .... well The I have an advise for you .... speak slower