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Cendence Controller Signal Distance / Issues

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Oct 25, 2021
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Hey All,

Writing today with my latest I2 issues - this time it’s about the Cendence Controller. I’ve been rocking the standard controller up until now, and decided to upgrade to the Cendence for an upcoming job that required client monitoring. I thought the SDI was a great feature, and read about the purported improved signal distance / high quality feed when coupling with the Patch Antenna.

Thank the heavens, they were too busy with the rest of the shoot to try to make use of the monitoring feature, because the signal was 10x worse using the Cendence; constantly artifacting on the screen, nonstop weak signal warnings, disconnections while only a couple hundred feet away with no obstructions, repeated RTH’s that disrupted my ability to continue/kill the record.

This was all whether I was using the patch antenna or stock antennas. I tried switching frequencies, multiple power recycles, different batteries in all units, updated firmware in all devices, compass calibration, controller calibration, flight modes, and more. So, I’m at a loss here; I don’t understand the problem. If it made things this much worse, it would have never hit the shelf.

Does anybody have any insight that could help me identify and/or hopefully solve the issue?

Thanks,
John
 
Which credence did you use? I remember something about a cednce only for m600. Perhaps you were using the wrong version??
 
Which credence did you use? I remember something about a cednce only for m600. Perhaps you were using the wrong version??
This model was definitely Cendence 1 for the Inspire or Matrice. I believe the renewed Cendence is for the Matrice only.
 
So, nobody has any experience with these issues? Maybe I’ve got a defective unit…
 
It sounds like it is defective. The only time I’ve seen this behavior is when there is no power going to the patch antenna.
 
So, nobody has any experience with these issues? Maybe I’ve got a defective unit…
There could be several issues causing this. The most obvious would be the broken off wires going from the RF board to the antenna ports. Relatively easy to check, as the RF module could be pulled out from the radio after removing only 4 screws.
IMHO this is the most likely culprit. Especially if you used stick antennas before and frequently turned them from rabit ears to fold down transport position, the wires could simply be twisted off the ports after some time. This part of the radio is not well designed and prone to failure over time. I am talking from my own experience. However if the wires are still in good condition and properly connected, there could be other issues involved which would require your radio to be inspected and repaired by DJI service. If the problem is "too deep", they might just send you a new radio and if out of warranty, charge you accordingly.
 
There could be several issues causing this. The most obvious would be the broken off wires going from the RF board to the antenna ports. Relatively easy to check, as the RF module could be pulled out from the radio after removing only 4 screws.
IMHO this is the most likely culprit. Especially if you used stick antennas before and frequently turned them from rabit ears to fold down transport position, the wires could simply be twisted off the ports after some time. This part of the radio is not well designed and prone to failure over time. I am talking from my own experience. However if the wires are still in good condition and properly connected, there could be other issues involved which would require your radio to be inspected and repaired by DJI service. If the problem is "too deep", they might just send you a new radio and if out of warranty, charge you accordingly.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find this controller anywhere online, and had to buy it "brand new, never used" from someone on Ebay for a little over $1K. The patch antenna came included and was already installed, which I understood was supposed to imrpove transmission rather than make things worse, so I had never used the rabit ears on this controller prior. I meant that I had used the standard controller, which has the rabbit ears, and it had worked much better. I've never tried taking this unit apart, but I guess that's my next step. Everything that came with the controller was still in its original plastic wrapping, so I have no reason to believe the unit was deceptively being sold, but I guess I have no way to know one way or the other. Either way, this sucks.
 
Hey All,

Writing today with my latest I2 issues - this time it’s about the Cendence Controller. I’ve been rocking the standard controller up until now, and decided to upgrade to the Cendence for an upcoming job that required client monitoring. I thought the SDI was a great feature, and read about the purported improved signal distance / high quality feed when coupling with the Patch Antenna.

Thank the heavens, they were too busy with the rest of the shoot to try to make use of the monitoring feature, because the signal was 10x worse using the Cendence; constantly artifacting on the screen, nonstop weak signal warnings, disconnections while only a couple hundred feet away with no obstructions, repeated RTH’s that disrupted my ability to continue/kill the record.

This was all whether I was using the patch antenna or stock antennas. I tried switching frequencies, multiple power recycles, different batteries in all units, updated firmware in all devices, compass calibration, controller calibration, flight modes, and more. So, I’m at a loss here; I don’t understand the problem. If it made things this much worse, it would have never hit the shelf.

Does anybody have any insight that could help me identify and/or hopefully solve the issue?

Thanks,
John
I hear your frustration. Checking the wires leading to the antenna ports is literally a 15 min job and you can do it yourself easily. Then you can go to the next step if needed be. It is all about eliminating the simplest to fix possibilities. Good luck.
 
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Are you using the Cendence with a Crystal Sky? I have had nothing but trouble using the I2 with the Cendence & Crystal Sky combo.

Tonnes of interference on 2.4 & 5ghz not to mention broken transmission and frequent LOS. Image artefacts and tearing on the screen constantly.

It was a joke. It got to the point where I stopped using the I2 whenever a client was going to be on-site.

Firmware updates. Firmware downgrades. Updating with everything plugged in together. Everything updated with everything completely separate. Nothing made any improvement.

I needed the cendence for the dual bumper wheels when I need to fly and control the camera as a one man band. Otherwise I would have just stuck with the I2 controller and called it a day.

Strangely I used to find if I flipped it to broadcast mode things used to stabilise somewhat - which I thought was weird. But this locked out certain video settings that made it unusable as a solution.

Many, many hours of research (including here) lead to no solution except to send it in to DJI and pray. Then I stumbled across a crumb of info that turned into a nugget of gold. Throw away the Crystal Sky.

You can't imagine the sense of relief I felt when I tested this out by launching the I2 from my front lawn with a Samsung tablet running DJIGO4 sitting on my lap while USB tethered to the Cendence and it flew like an eagle without missing a beat. Everything was instantly fixed. No interference on the channels. No screen artefacts or tearing. No LOS. No D/C. Not issues in over 7 months now.

Since then I've replaced the Crystal Sky bracket with the locking Tablet Holder and I've never looked back.
 
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Are you using the Cendence with a Crystal Sky? I have had nothing but trouble using the I2 with the Cendence & Crystal Sky combo.

Tonnes of interference on 2.4 & 5ghz not to mention broken transmission and frequent LOS. Image artefacts and tearing on the screen constantly.

It was a joke. It got to the point where I stopped using the I2 whenever a client was going to be on-site. Firmware updates. Firmware downgrades.

Updating with everything plugged in together. Everything updated with everything completely separate. Nothing made any improvement.

I needed the cendence for the dual bumper wheels when I need to fly and control the camera as a one man band. Otherwise I would have just stuck with the I2 controller and called it a day.

Strangely I used to find if I flipped it to broadcast mode things used to stabilise somewhat - which I thought was weird. But this locked out certain video settings that made it unusable as a solution.

Many, many hours of research (including here) lead to no solution except to send it in to DJI and pray. Then I stumbled across a crumb of info that turned into a nugget of gold. Throw away the Crystal Sky.

You can't imagine the sense of relief I felt when I tested this out by launching the I2 from my front lawn with a Samsung tablet running DJIGO4 sitting on my lap while USB tethered to the Cendence and it flew like an eagle without missing a beat. Everything was instantly fixed. No interference on the channels. No screen artefacts or tearing. No LOS. No D/C. Not issues in over 7 months now.

Since then I've replaced the Crystal Sky bracket with the locking Tablet Holder and I've never looked back.

Are you using the Cendence with a Crystal Sky? I have had nothing but trouble using the I2 with the Cendence & Crystal Sky combo.

Tonnes of interference on 2.4 & 5ghz not to mention broken transmission and frequent LOS. Image artefacts and tearing on the screen constantly.

It was a joke. It got to the point where I stopped using the I2 whenever a client was going to be on-site. Firmware updates. Firmware downgrades.

Updating with everything plugged in together. Everything updated with everything completely separate. Nothing made any improvement.

I needed the cendence for the dual bumper wheels when I need to fly and control the camera as a one man band. Otherwise I would have just stuck with the I2 controller and called it a day.

Strangely I used to find if I flipped it to broadcast mode things used to stabilise somewhat - which I thought was weird. But this locked out certain video settings that made it unusable as a solution.

Many, many hours of research (including here) lead to no solution except to send it in to DJI and pray. Then I stumbled across a crumb of info that turned into a nugget of gold. Throw away the Crystal Sky.

You can't imagine the sense of relief I felt when I tested this out by launching the I2 from my front lawn with a Samsung tablet running DJIGO4 sitting on my lap while USB tethered to the Cendence and it flew like an eagle without missing a beat. Everything was instantly fixed. No interference on the channels. No screen artefacts or tearing. No LOS. No D/C. Not issues in over 7 months now.

Since then I've replaced the Crystal Sky bracket with the locking Tablet Holder and I've never looked back.
Good to hear. Some people also swear by the ipad mini4. There are obviously other solutions apart from Crystalsky which is great. I personally like the brightness of CS, the solid wire free quick mount, the physical buttons etc...CS is great when it works🙂
I have found the way to make it work reasonably well with Cendence. I strictly follow very specific sequence of steps upon start up and it seems to have helped to minimize (eliminate) all the issues you have described.
See my post on page 1658 #24863 in RCG forum
 
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Well thanks zero2espect, I’m certainly going to try not using the CrystalSky with the Cendence (w/ IN2) and use the TRIPLTEK 7” Pro that should be here next week, failing that, I’ll try an iPad. I invested in the AlienTech mod and that isn’t much of an improvement with the regular controller mod. Thanks for the tip. I’ll report back when I have some results.
 
Are you using the Cendence with a Crystal Sky? I have had nothing but trouble using the I2 with the Cendence & Crystal Sky combo.

Tonnes of interference on 2.4 & 5ghz not to mention broken transmission and frequent LOS. Image artefacts and tearing on the screen constantly.

It was a joke. It got to the point where I stopped using the I2 whenever a client was going to be on-site.

Firmware updates. Firmware downgrades. Updating with everything plugged in together. Everything updated with everything completely separate. Nothing made any improvement.

I needed the cendence for the dual bumper wheels when I need to fly and control the camera as a one man band. Otherwise I would have just stuck with the I2 controller and called it a day.

Strangely I used to find if I flipped it to broadcast mode things used to stabilise somewhat - which I thought was weird. But this locked out certain video settings that made it unusable as a solution.

Many, many hours of research (including here) lead to no solution except to send it in to DJI and pray. Then I stumbled across a crumb of info that turned into a nugget of gold. Throw away the Crystal Sky.

You can't imagine the sense of relief I felt when I tested this out by launching the I2 from my front lawn with a Samsung tablet running DJIGO4 sitting on my lap while USB tethered to the Cendence and it flew like an eagle without missing a beat. Everything was instantly fixed. No interference on the channels. No screen artefacts or tearing. No LOS. No D/C. Not issues in over 7 months now.

Since then I've replaced the Crystal Sky bracket with the locking Tablet Holder and I've never looked back.
That’s very interesting actually and something I hadn’t honestly considered. The only logical thing in my mind was that the new controller was the issue, because the monitor was, well, just a monitor, right? I’ll have to fire it back up soon with the iPad again, when surely enough, I was able to fly it much more like an eagle and less like a… turkey. Thanks for the tip!
 

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