When you think of DJI and its drones, the first thing that comes to mind is the hefty price tag. Despite making some of the most powerful drones on the market, its drones are bound to punch a pretty big hole in your pockets. Fortunately, DJI recently announced their cheapest and most compact drone, the DJI Spark. DJI Spark, price $499 is a new ‘lifestyle’ drone or mini drone that can fit in any bag and fly without a controller or phone. The smaller brother of the DJI Mavic Pro, Spark features a 2-Axis Gimbal and a 12MP camera for stills. It can also record videos in Full HD (1920×1080) and 30fps frame rate. While this all sounds great, DJI does not provide a guide on their packaging. So, if you’ve recently purchased the DJI Spark and are wondering how to connect it and make things work, read on as we bring you our guide on how to set up and use the DJI Spark:
Set Up DJI Spark with Your Smartphone
note Before proceeding, be sure to fully charge all Spark’s batteries.
- To start, Download the DJI GO 4 app for your smartphone. It’s completely free and available for both Android and iOS.
- Open the DJI app and “Log in” with your DJI account. If not, tap the icon. “Register” option to create a new account.
- Now connect the battery to your DJI Spark and turn it on. To do this, press and hold the battery power button for 3 seconds. Now, hold down the drone power button for 9 seconds until you hear 3 continuous beeps.
- Now open the WiFi settings on your smartphone and Connect to the drone’s WiFi. WiFi details should be mentioned on it. under the drone box or battery compartment.
- When you connect to the drone’s WiFi, Open the DJI GO 4 app. application now check for any firmware updates. If found, reconnect to your WiFi with Internet access and download the update file. Then reconnect to the drone’s WiFi and update the firmware.
- Next, turn on the remote pressing the power button once and then hold for 3 seconds.
- Now we need pair the remote with the drone. To do this, press and hold the battery power button on the drone for 3 seconds Now, until you hear a single beep Press and hold the Pause, Function and Action button on the remote for 3 seconds until it starts beeping. The remote will now start pairing with the drone.
- When paired, the front 2 LEDs on the drone will first flash green and then turn solid red. Moreover the status LEDs on the remote will turn solid green additionally.
- Now, we need to connect the smartphone to the remote control. To do this, open the WiFi settings and connect to the remote’s WiFi. Note that this WiFi will be different from the aircraft WiFi and credentials for it can be found at the back of the remote control.
- When you connect to the WiFi of the remote control, Open the DJI GO 4 app. If you see a text dialog that says “Connected”, that means you are ready to go. If not, repeat all the steps from the beginning.
Controlling DJI Spark
1. Departure
Before lifting the drone, make sure there is enough space around the drone to ensure proper flight. Also, this step refers to simply hovering the device over the ground. You can remove the drone by following one of three steps:
- simply move life bar in the remote control above direction slowly to initiate takeoff.
- If the second option is tap the take off button, located in the upper left corner of your screen in the DJI GO 4 app. Tap it and you will receive a notification for departure confirmation. Just swipe to confirm the take off sequence.
- Finally, if any gesture controls if enabled on the device, hold the device in your hand and slowly raise your hand to guide the plane to take off.
2. Controlling DJI Spark Using Gestures
The main USP of the DJI Spark is that it can be operated with just gestures, without the need for any smartphone or remote control. With the help of a sensor on the Spark, you can: start the device from your hand, have it follow you, take simple selfies and have it land in the palm of your hand again additionally. Note that in this mode the drone will not travel very far and should always be facing you. Overall, the gesture mode works really well and is simple to use for clicking simple selfies. See the image below for the various gestures you can use to control DJI Spark:
note: Motion mode should only be used in areas with no wind or low speed wind, otherwise the camera may become unstable and make it impossible to control the drone.
3. Controlling DJI Spark with the DJI GO 4 App
The DJI GO 4 App can be used for various functions to get the most out of your flight time. The main screen of the application contains options for: aircraft status, takeoff, landing, compass, camera shutter button and settings page. A battery bar is also shown on the main screen during flight, showing the remaining flight time relative to the drone’s battery.
The DJI GO 4 App can be used to: control device movement At the same time, it basically simulates the sticks of the remote control on the screen of the device. You can maneuver the device and fly it directly from your smartphone. The app allows you to rotate the drone as well as move it. It also allows you move the camera up and downChanging the focus area.
this “Aircraft Status” page Accessible by tapping . “In flight (vision)” the option in the top left will show you many options related to the plane. you can check general status, flight mode, calibrate your compass, replace Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), replace Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) and more. It can also be used to configure the remote control. reprogram the ‘Fn’ and ‘C’ keys on the controller.
By tapping the 3-dot menu in the upper right corner of the home page in the application General Settings for application. The Settings page comes with its own sidebar that allows the user to access the Main Controller Settings, Visual Navigation Settings, Remote Control Settings, WiFi Settings, Aircraft Battery Info and Gimbal Settings. These settings can be used for configure max distance, max height, turn on Start modeChange Units of Measurement, select Live Streaming Platform, allow audio to be recorded with on-device video cache, and more.
located under the camera’s shutter button. camera’s advanced settings page. With the help of this menu you can: adjust shutter speed, change shooting mode from single shot to burst, adjust ISO, exposure, white balance and more. You can also use this menu to format SD card, show Camera Screenshot and more.
Finally, the DJI GO 4 app also comes with: DJI’s own video editing software Also, this allows the user to easily edit the videos captured by the drone. With just a few taps, you can combine multiple clips, trim, add transitions and effects, and much more. Note that these videos are saved in the app’s video cache and must be exported before you can view them from the device’s gallery.
4. Controlling the Drone with a Remote
Alternatively, if you have purchased More combo fly, you get the Remote Control for DJI Spark included in the package. DJI Spark’s Remote Controller can be used to control the device, take photos and record videos during flight. As indicated in the list below, each button has a specific function associated with it.
- this To search using for move camera. You can move the dial left and right to move the camera up and down respectively.
- this Save button. One press will put you into video recording mode (if you are not already in that mode) and a second press will start video recording.
Finally, press this button again to stop video recording. - this Back to Home button. Holding this button will make the drone return to its home position (where it originally took off) and land automatically.
- this Left Stick using for change altitude besides the drone rotate. Moving the stick up and down will increase or decrease the height of the drone, respectively. Also, moving the stick left or right will make the drone rotate along its axis counterclockwise or clockwise respectively.
- this Emergency button. This button is used for apply emergency brake to the drone while flying at high speeds.
- this Sport mode switch. Sliding the button to the right activates the sport mode. In this mode, the wings of the drone move as fast as possible, allowing the drone to reach maximum speed. 50km/h while moving. this mode NOT RECOMMENDED for beginners.
- this Function button. this button Customizable To perform a specific task at the discretion of the user. By default, this opens advanced camera settings. To change its action, open the DJI GO 4 app > Airplane Status > Button Customization > Fn and select the desired task.
- this Right Stick used in controller change direction and maneuver drone You can use the analog stick in 8-axis motion to move the device forward, backward, left, right and diagonally.
- this power button. Press and hold to rotate remote control open or closed.
- this camera button. A single press puts you in camera mode (unless you’re already in that mode) and a second press takes a photo.
- Next, we have ‘C’ or Action button. This is also a user customizable button. Similar to the function button, by default the button opens the advanced camera settings. To change its action, open the DJI GO 4 app > Airplane Status > Button Customization > C and select the desired task.
- Finally, this micro USB portavailable for charge the remote control.
SEE ALSO: 7 Best DJI Spark Alternatives to Buy
Set Up and Use the DJI Spark Drone with Ease
Overall, the DJI Spark is a great device and is proving useful for beginners as well as professional users. Its ease of use combined with a plethora of features make it an attractive drone one can quickly get used to. As a farewell note, I would like to point out that flying a drone can be a lot of fun and opens the door to a whole new world of photography, but always make sure you fly with the proper permission. It may be illegal to fly drones in some areas, so take note of that. With that in order, take out your DJI Spark and capture the world in a different view. Share with us your favorite ideas for drone footage and how you intend to use your DJI Spark in the comments section below.