Smart Function and Follow Me mode Problems

[Eufures]

Hello, could someone help me? I am having problems with my Blade Chroma 4k, the Smart function is not working correctly, sometimes it works well and sometimes it does not move to the sides. The Follow Me function is not working either. Has anyone had these problems and been able to solve them?

I tried calibrating the drone to see if it fixes the Smart Mode but it's still having problems. Sometimes it doesn't move sideways or when I try to fly it sideways it goes forward or backwards.

PD: In Angle mode it works perfectly


Thank you

 

[DoomMeister]

This sounds like the GPS in the controller is not working, therefore the aircraft can’t Follow and the Safe Circle suffers from the same issue. The controller needs a good GPS lock for them to function properly.

 

[Eufures]

This sounds like the GPS in the controller is not working, therefore the aircraft can’t Follow and the Safe Circle suffers from the same issue. The controller needs a good GPS lock for them to function properly.

Any solution for that? Could you tell me how I check if the control's GPS is working?

The drone in Angle Mode works perfectly, but the function that interests me, the Smart works poorly and the Follow Me function doesn't even work, the drone stays stopped in the air

I bought this drone last year online from Canada. I live in South America, specifically Uruguay. I'm not sure if this could be related to the issue, or if I need to change some settings.


When I bought the drone, it came with factory firmware version 1.03. During the first flight attempt, the controller did not connect to the satellites until I decided to install firmware version 1.02. After that, it started recognizing the satellites, but it seems the malfunction began in Smart Mode.

 

[Eufures]

This sounds like the GPS in the controller is not working, therefore the aircraft can’t Follow and the Safe Circle suffers from the same issue. The controller needs a good GPS lock for them to function properly.

My st10+ has the build number st10+v01b26c There is a version available st10+v01b30c for the US, would it be viable to try that version?

 

[WTFDproject]

What indication do you see on the ST10+ GPS indicator?
The indicator should be flashing while it is acquiring GPS.
It should be solid if GPS has acquired.


If the GPS LED is dark, it might mean one of several things:
Bad LED
Bad GPS components
Bad Firmware
Chroma "Model Select" is not compatible with ST10+ GPS (Not sure about this)

The ST10+ has a built in GPS test that may at least provide some indication of which problem to pursue. The PDF below shows how to access the ST10+ controller GPS test.

 

[h-elsner]

I would update the ST10+ to 30c. And I would put a SD card (old 4 or 8GB is enough) in the slot under the battery (if you haven't one there already).
On the SD card flight logs will be recorded that may help us to understand what's going on.

 

[Eufures]

What indication do you see on the ST10+ GPS indicator?
The indicator should be flashing while it is acquiring GPS.
It should be solid if GPS has acquired.
View attachment 31543

If the GPS LED is dark, it might mean one of several things:
Bad LED
Bad GPS components
Bad Firmware
Chroma "Model Select" is not compatible with ST10+ GPS (Not sure about this)

The ST10+ has a built in GPS test that may at least provide some indication of which problem to pursue. The PDF below shows how to access the ST10+ controller GPS test.

I performed the GPS test with the controller; it found 11 satellites, and the light kept blinking.

 

[Eufures]

I would update the ST10+ to 30c. And I would put a SD card (old 4 or 8GB is enough) in the slot under the battery (if you haven't one there already).
On the SD card flight logs will be recorded that may help us to understand what's going on.

Yes, I have already updated to version 30c, but the problem persists. I am going to perform a test flight with the memory card inserted in the controller, and I will report back with the results.

 

[WTFDproject]

..., the Smart function is not working correctly, sometimes it works well and sometimes it does not move to the sides.

..I am going to perform a test flight with the memory card inserted in the controller, and I will report back with the results.

A couple of quick words about the Smart Mode on Chroma.
Smart Mode does not work the same as on later models. It does not work correctly unless the Drone is ~ 16ft (3 meters) away from the pilot and facing straight away from the pilot when the motors are started.
Also, if you change where you are standing at any time during the actual flight it will mess up the relation of forward/backwards/left/right. And your new position may not be within the protected "Safe Zone"

These are bits of memory and notes from the "manual". I won't have access to a Chroma to confirm until later today.

 

[Eufures]

Here are the flight logs. I first tested it in Smart mode, and while it works, there are many errors. Sometimes it recognizes the commands, but most of the time, it either stays stationary or only responds to commands for lateral movement.

Another issue I noticed is with the satellite connection. Initially, the control locates the satellites, and the light remains steady. However, after some time, it suddenly drops to 0 satellites and starts searching for them again. This cycle repeats: it connects, the light stays fixed, then it loses connection and begins searching for satellites again.

Follow Me mode does not work at all

 

[WTFDproject]

Here are the flight logs. I first tested it in Smart mode, and while it works, there are many errors. Sometimes it recognizes the commands, but most of the time, it either stays stationary or only responds to commands for lateral movement.

Another issue I noticed is with the satellite connection. Initially, the control locates the satellites, and the light remains steady. However, after some time, it suddenly drops to 0 satellites and starts searching for them again. This cycle repeats: it connects, the light stays fixed, then it loses connection and begins searching for satellites again.

Follow Me mode does not work at all

Quick look shows the controller time/date is not set. Since GPS location depends on time date, it might be a good idea to go set the time/date and time zone in the ST10+. I THINK it uses time date from the satellites anyway, but setting the values for the controller can't hurt and might remove a conflict.
It would also make reviewing the logs easier for future flights.

 

[Eufures]

Intentaré cambiar la fecha y la hora, ya que no me había dado cuenta de ese detalle antes. Volveré y te diré si esto resuelve el problema. ¡Muchas gracias!

Translation:
I will try to change the date and time, as I hadn't noticed that detail before. I will come back and let you know if this solves the problem. thank you very much!

Una mirada rápida muestra que la fecha y hora del controlador no están configuradas. Dado que la ubicación del GPS depende de la fecha y hora, puede ser una buena idea configurar la fecha y hora y la zona horaria en el ST10+. CREO que usa la fecha y hora de los satélites de todos modos, pero configurar los valores para el controlador no hace daño y puede eliminar un conflicto.
También facilitaría la revisión de los registros para futuros vuelos.

 

[WTFDproject]

......Another issue I noticed is with the satellite connection. Initially, the control locates the satellites, and the light remains steady. However, after some time, it suddenly drops to 0 satellites and starts searching for them again. This cycle repeats: it connects, the light stays fixed, then it loses connection and begins searching for satellites again.
........

The flight logs indicate you were standing in a tight location with lots of reflective surfaces in the area. Restricted and reflected signals can cause GPS problems.
Have you done other flights in open areas with a clear view of the sky?

 

[h-elsner]

The battery voltage is too low, the battery itself is not in good condition. I would not fly with this flight battery any more. The risk of a crash is high.
It's also a known poblem that low battery causes GPS instabilities.
Another
Another conspicuous feature is the sometimes large distances between the telemetry data sets. Maybe the low telemetry rate is caused by battery too.

Please send flight logs from a try with fully charged battery, best with a good battery.

 

[Eufures]

The flight logs indicate you were standing in a tight location with lots of reflective surfaces in the area. Restricted and reflected signals can cause GPS problems.
Have you done other flights in open areas with a clear view of the sky?
View attachment 31550

I just returned from an open area where I tested the Blade Chroma 4K. Despite adjusting the date, time, and time zone, the Smart Mode malfunction persists. Even when positioning the drone 3 meters away from the controller and remaining within the designated area, the drone continues to exhibit forward and backward movement issues and does not consistently move sideways. It seems to work only sporadically.

The Angle Mode functions perfectly. However, the most important feature for me, "Follow Me" mode, does not work at all. The drone remains stationary and does not follow the operator as expected.

I forgot to bring an SD card to save the logs during the open-area test, even with the dates properly set. The battery is new; I bought it less than two months ago. During the previous flight test for the logs, the battery was low, which might explain the low voltage reading. For this new flight in the open area, the battery was fully charged to 100% before testing.


I can practically only use Smart Mode for vertical movements.

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[h-elsner]

The SD card should be left in the SD card slot (forever). You can access the file system of the SD card via the micro USB connector on the side of the ST10+.

 

[Eufures]

The SD card should be left in the SD card slot (forever). You can access the file system of the SD card via the micro USB connector on the side of the ST10+.

Tomorrow, I will perform another test with the SD card inserted in the controller, and I will upload the flight logs here.

Sorry for the inconvenience; I'm new to this. I mainly want the drone for the 'Follow Me' mode to capture bike ride footage and the Smart mode for better control. However, I'm starting to give up and believe it's a hardware issue. The strange thing is that the Angle mode works perfectly... I’m not sure if that’s related.

 

[Eufures]

In the GUI panel, even with the drone calibrated, I still get the alert that the compass needs recalibration.

 

[WTFDproject]

In the GUI panel, even with the drone calibrated, I still get the alert that the compass needs recalibration.

Please be aware it is very easy to get the compass warning when connected to the GUI, just because you are inside and near a computer. This is mine with a piece of metal held about an inch from the antenna mast:

This is the same screen a few seconds after I moved the piece of metal away:


Were you outside in an open area away from anything metal during the compass calibration?
Do you get compass warnings during flight?

Other Questions:

Does the Hardware Monitor look normal on the Controller?

Have you done a control stick calibration?

Is the ST10+ selected to flight Mode 2?

Using the last page of the GUI, what firmware version is installed on the Chroma itself?

Have you done a factory reset of the ST10+?

 

[h-elsner]

From Flight log:
- Stick calibration look good, switches OK so far
- Turtle-rabbit slider is on rabbit
- Mode 2
- Follow-me mode is not in the logs, means not available due to invalid Controller/drone GPS (I think controller because cgps_used is always 0).
- On the other hand the accuracy of the controller in RemoteGPS log looks good. Maybe you have to wait a little bit longer to enable Follow-me. It should be visible on the screen of the ST10. I know this from my Q500 - also it needs some time to get Follow-me enabled.
- Speed (tas) is nearly the same in smart mode compared to angle mode. I don't know if this is vertical direction or not but I cannot see problems in the logs. In the video we also can see propeller some time. This means pitch is following the commands, I think.
If I remember right the max speed in smart mode is limited and lower by design compared to angle mode.

Smart mode is not a better control for the drone. Angle mode is much more better: more logic regarding the direction of the flight, faster reaction especially you are near obstacles and have to react.
But really fun is Stability mode (blue) (and if you experienced and crazy enough - Acro mode (red)).