CrystalSky running Litchi in controlled airspace. P4PV2.0

[David_Rigg]

I live and work in restricted airspace. Fortunately, DJI has “Unlocked” that airspace for me for a year.
This means I MUST open Go4 first to activate the “unlock” on the Phantom first.

Then I can open Litchi, let it connect, and close DJI Go4. On my Smart controller, I don’t even have to close the DJI app. (Yeah, I know what the app says, but I have not seen any difference between killing the app and just letting it run in the background.)

When I try the same procedures on the Chrystalsky monitor, the Litchi app (Installed via Amazon.) will open fine but will NOT connect to the camera.

Is anyone out there successfully running Litchi on a Crystalsky P4PV2.0, working in controlled airspace? If so, I would really like to know what sequence of “start-up” events you are using to get your “Zone unlock” and then run Litchi.

Both the “Smart Controller and the Crystalsky” are running the same Android versions.

TIA

[TriBar]

@David_Rigg

(Yeah, I know what the app says, but I have not seen any difference between killing the app and just letting it run in the background.)

Obviously not on the Crystal Sky.
Do what the app says.

[David_Rigg]

@TriBar

Obviously not on the Crystal Sky.
Do what the app says.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. Nothing “Obvious” except the fact that if following the app’s instructions produced results, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

You’re focused on the wrong thing. Whether I close the DJI app on my Mavics or the Phantom has nothing to do with getting the drone unlocked before letting Litchi take control. That would be a separate debate, and I’m sure there are valid reasons for Litchi recommending that you kill the DJI app before opening Litchi. (This is NOT willful disobedience, I have forgotten to close the DJI app on multiple occasions and do not see any difference in the results of the “Waypoint” mission, flown with AND without closing the app.)

Perhaps the Crystalsky does not have enough resources to support both apps being open a the same time, even if it is just briefly to “unlock” the drone.

It’s not the end of the world if this controller won’t support Litchi in a “controlled airspace” environment. I picked it up for a great price and can resell it to recoup my modest investment. I would however benefit from the larger, brighter screen.

I am just looking for guidance from someone else who has attempted to use this Crystalsky with a P4Pv2.0 before throwing in the towel. This would make a nice upgrade to the system but I don’t see a situation where keeping both controllers would be practical.

@David_Rigg

Is anyone out there successfully running Litchi on a Crystalsky P4PV2.0, working in controlled airspace? If so, I would like to know what sequence of “start-up” events you are using to get your “Zone unlock” and then run Litchi.

Thanks again.

[David_Rigg]

ISSUE RESOLVED! Sort of…

How to use Litchi on a CrystalSky controller when you need to unlock your drone in controlled airspace:
These are my observations and what seems to work for me after two days of experimenting with the CS785U and the P4PV2.0.

(First, don’t confuse LAANC authorization with DJI geofencing and “Unlocking” the drone. “Unlock” is between you and DJI, LAANC is between you and the FAA This post is about “Unlocking” the drone only. LAANC is a separate, required, procedure.) DJI can and will “unlock” restricted zones for up to a year and you can import that “Unlock” to the aircraft where it will reside regardless of which controller you are flying with today. Not to insult anyone’s intelligence, but I was unclear on this until I got my 107)

The instructions on the start screen are missing one step to allow you to fly with Litchi in controlled airspace with your CrystalSky device.

Step one:
Reboot your CrystalSky device. A fresh start seems to achieve consistent results.
Go to SETTINGS/ APPS. swipe left to ALL. Locate both your DJI app and the Litchi app and clear the defaults. Also, make sure the “Show notifications” box is checked.

Step Two:
With the USB cable unplugged, start the RC and then the drone. Wait for the green light on the RC.
Plug in the USB cable
DJI is going to try and highjack the device and trick you into setting it as the default. Resist the temptation.

Step Three:
Enter the DJI interface and address the “Unlock” issue, camera settings, etc.

Step Four:
Confirm your “Unlock” and Agree to the terms.

Wait for the maps to load, the drone to acquire satellites, and for the “Homepoint” to be set.

Before you “Kill” the DJI app, make sure the “Show notifications” box is checked. In my initial testing, this does not seem to stay checked and you may have to check it every time you go through this procedure.

Here’s the critical step:
Unplug the CS from the RC

Launch Litchi and then reconnect the USB cable to the RC.

This will allow Litchi to take control of the RC and the drone. NOW, kill the DJI app. (With extreme prejudice!)

You should now be ready to fully utilize Litchi while maintaining your “Unlock” status.

The DARK side…
Now I remember why I leave the DJI app open in the background when flying with the “Smart controller”***. Because you will have to go through this entire process every time you land to change batteries. The CrystalSky will not let you leave the DJI app open in the background even if you want to. When you power the drone down to change batteries, Litchi reverts to the “Locked” status as soon as it is disconnected. This issue may be the deciding factor on whether the brighter larger screen justifies the added steps needed to fly a multi-battery mission in controlled airspace. We’ll see.

Cheers!

*** Would someone please explain to me why this is a bad idea?