Parrot Anafi Problems with Pix4D Capture after Firmware 1.6.7

PIX4Dcapture PIX4Dcapture Questions/Troubleshooting
1

Here was my setup:

Anafi - Work Version Firmware 1.6.7
Freeflight 6.6.6 on iOS - iPad Pro 9.7
Batteries updated with update from Free Flight 6.6.6

I was using Capture for several double grid missions:

Problems:

  1. When the battery got to between 15 and 10% the Anafi Returned to Home on it’s own. It went to the preset altitude and then came home. It was still taking pictures while it did this and when I was making a map and model you can see in the Camera Calibrations a perfect rise to Return to Home Altitude then the Anafi flew back to home and then descended.

  2. The Anafi on a later flight when it got to 15-10% battery descended on its own. The screen said Manual Control was enabled even though I did not touch the sticks or device. While it descended the only controls available were yaw, bank, forward and backward. I could not make the drone climb. The drone barely missed a crash as it came down

  3. The Anafi did the same exact thing as it did in number 2 but this time with a new battery at 75%.

  4. The Anafi again did the same thin as number 2 and 3 and landed roughly in sand dunes. I was only able to do yaw, bank forward and back while the Anafi descended on its own once again and this time I define as how it landed as a crash.

  5. For the first time ever flight logs were not recorded in Free Flight 6 for my Pix4D Capture missions. I am missing around 9 flights!!! I log all of my missions and this is very unacceptable.

I sent a support ticket in to Pix4D Support and was told _"Thank you for contacting Pix4D Support. We don’t provide technical support to the user for the Pix4Dcapture app. The behavior you are describing has not been reported to us so far. However, I would definitely forward this to the developer team to further investigate the issue and improve the product.

Thank you for your help in troubleshooting the issue."

My business uses 2 Anafi’s and Pix4D. But if this problem is not fixed immediately I will be forced to move on to a different aircraft and software. My other job is contemplating a Pix4D purchase along with several Anafi Thermals, I cannot possibly see this being recommended at this time.

Before Parrot’s 1.6.7 Anafi Firmware update I had never had a problem before while doing mapping and modeling flights. I do not know where the blame is, Parrot’s firmware for the Anafi, Pix4D Capture or a combination, but this needs to be addressed. As it is now I have zero faith in flying missions even though I have several large projects and jobs that are scheduled. I do not want to move on to a new solution as I was extremely happy with the Anafi and Pix4D solution.

If this is not fixed or addressed I have no doubt that the Anafi will at one point descend on its own where it is flying and be lost.

Please do not leave a customer that stands behind your product left alone. I do not want to lose an aircraft due to this.

Thank you,

Jamieson

2

Hi @jaja6009,

We don’t recommend flying at the critical battery such as 10%-15%. At such a battery level, the only controls available were yaw, bank, forward and backward, this is the expected behaviors and the reason for the issue. It is the same for DJI drones, too. The issue that you experienced at 75% battery tells us that either that battery was faulty, or the firmware was faulty. In either case, I would suggest you report to Parrot.

Regards,

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