Autopilot vs. Litchi
- Thread starter roblevine
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I’ve bought both litchi and autopilot about two years ago.
I really like how litchi’s map auto-scales as you fly further away. You never have to think twice about confirming location and orientation. Something I wish autopilot had.
But the only time I use litchi is when autopilot bugs out (which is extremely rare). For whatever reason, the gps focus function seems much more accurate and precise.
I’ve never used waypoints, can’t comment on that...
I really like how litchi’s map auto-scales as you fly further away. You never have to think twice about confirming location and orientation. Something I wish autopilot had.
But the only time I use litchi is when autopilot bugs out (which is extremely rare). For whatever reason, the gps focus function seems much more accurate and precise.
I’ve never used waypoints, can’t comment on that...
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Wow thanks for your expertise. Yes I'm having some issues with the Mini 2If you don't mind - what about the current iPad like this: iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular 32GB - Silver
Sorry about the delay. That model should be no issue. We still have an Air 2 which has the A8X CPU which has been fine (415 nits brightness on that model). This model has the A9, not sure about brightness on this one but has to be 4154
You can get the iPad Air 2 for sub $300: Apple iPad Air 2 (16GB) Space Gray (Certified Refurbished)
As mentioned above, we've been running the Air 2 with AutoPilot for about 2-3 years. Still works but definitely getting to be an older device.
Been using Litchi for some time. Camera direction can be set on POI'S at any angle and it can also interpolate with the best of them. Using mission hub to pre plan your missions and saving them is very easy. The learning curve is very quick and is well documented on google. I have been able to get it working on my crystal sky and do not use go4 much any more. It also works fine on my Ipad mini 2.
I started using Autopilot on a Mini 4 and it would crash when doing waypoint missions because it uses real time resources with your tablet instead of uploading waypoints and flying it IE Litchi. That is why with Autopilot you can change mission parameters on the fly. I switched to using an IPad Pro 10.5 with cellular and it has always ran buttery smooth. Like what was stated before IMO Autopilot is heads and tails better than Litchi it just has a much steeper learning curve. But if there is anything you can dream up to fly you will be able to achieve it with Autopilot you just might have to use your imagination on how to program it.
My biggest complaint on both of these is the fact that you can’t set multiple focus points that can be manually triggered/ cycled through while manually flying. Seems like a reasonable feature that is achievable.
Unless of course I’ve overlooked something
Unless of course I’ve overlooked something
Doesn't Autopilot require that the controller send the flight control information to the drone AS the drone is flying the mission, vs. Litchi uploading the whole mission and then the flight occurs autonomously? If so, then marginal RC conditions, like buildings, trees, etc.. would favor Litchi wouldn't it? I have a fair amount of experience w. Litchi .. but none w. Autopilot ... Someone w. more experience w. Autopilot please comment ... Tnx!
Autopilot needs to be connected to the drone the whole time. There is a LCMC mode but I never activate that. If the connection is lost, then there is a good reason to stop
Roostertail, can you tell me about using Litchi with Crystalsky? I have no idea how to get that set up.
Thanks
Thanks
Autopilot lists on their web site the different phones and ipads that it will run off of, both gps and built in barometers seem to be essential. What I cant find out from their site is memory on the devices. Obviously 128 is best, 64 second best, etc....but for those of us trying to save up for the Inspire 2 with the X8 camera (dont panic there aint no X8) (or is tgere?) for those of us $$ handicapped is there a minimum amount of memory you’ve found works (or doesnt work?)
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Are you talking about internal memory (RAM) or storage memory on the device?
All IPads shown on Hangar's list are capable running Autopilot.
If you want to store a lot of images/videos on the device then more storage mem is better
For example, my ipad mini 4 has 2 GB internal RAM and 128 GB storage capacity.
If you are going to buy an iPad, watch more for processing power (i.e. CPU speed) as this is the limiting factor in running Autopilot without problems.
Sorry, I should have been more clear, I meant memory on the ipad. I’ll compare processors with the ipads. I find the images left on my pad after flight are just for a quick review. I’m very new to drones, I was a freelance photographer for most of my life, it seems like I’m photographing essentially the same things except from the vantage point of 170 feet ( and the drone does all the running around for me )
I loved Auto Pilot but had to switch to Litchi bc I was having problems with AP, such as battery indicator not displaying ( how can you
Fly with out that?). Also other glitches. I was told by AP tech support that they consider my iPad mini 4 a “legacy” product. This after it was only on the market for 18 months. Unacceptable. So reluctantly I had to dump AP for Litchi.
Fly with out that?). Also other glitches. I was told by AP tech support that they consider my iPad mini 4 a “legacy” product. This after it was only on the market for 18 months. Unacceptable. So reluctantly I had to dump AP for Litchi.
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I purchased Autopilot about a year ago. I purchased it and set it up for one specific client. I needed consistent drone AND camera movement week after week. I've been using it twice a month every month for a year, and here's my take. I like the features, the consistency and the accuracy of the camera movement. Life in the editing room would be much nicer if if GNSS were more accurate, but that's not Autopilot's fault.
The caveats: When you set up fully automated flights, the tablet becomes the flight controller. What this means is, unlike waypoint flying (which is uploaded to the FC and then executed), you must stay in contact with the bird. Another caveat is that fully automated missions are VERY resource heavy. My iPad Air 1 worked great in the winter and spring. But come summer, Autopilot would randomly close due to CPU throttling back due to over-heating. The iPad has no cooling fans, so instead, it throttles back the CPU. Instead of Autopilot issuing a warning, it just closes. Game over. So I purchased an iPad Air Pro, and the problem went away...sort of. On hot days I have to store the iPad in the fridge for a couple hours, then transport it to the job site in a cooler with ice, and then operate strictly in the shade. Then, and only then, will Autopilot finish the two missions I fly twice a month for my client.
I haven't done the updates because I've been scared that this would break Autopilot. But honestly, I'm rethinking that as of late. I'll probably let Autopilot update this week. If it chokes, the folks at Hangar will be hearing from me.
Here's a test video. This is just a thrown together test. No color correction, color grading, white balancing, etc., - not a lot of time spent in post. At this point it's more a "proof of concept." Judge accordingly.
As far as I know, nobody else is doing this. Everyone and their brother SAY their doing it, but of course it's for a top-secret facility, so they can't show the video...<rolling eyes>...
If any of you know of anyone else doing this kind of construction, morphing time lapse, please post a link.
D
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