DJI Spark white Service Manual

SPARK

User Manual

2017.05

V1.0

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Using this Manual

Legends

Warning Important Hints and Tips Reference

Read Before the First Flight

Read the following documents before using the SPARKTM:

1. Spark in the Box

2. Spark User Manual

3. Spark Quick Start Guide

4. Spark Disclaimer and Safety Guidelines

5. Spark Intelligent Flight Battery Safety Guidelines

We recommend that you watch all tutorial videos on the ofcial DJITM website and read the Disclaimer before you y. Prepare for your rst ight by reviewing the Spark Quick Start Guide and refer to the User

Manual for more details.

Video Tutorials

Go to the address below or scan the QR code on the right to watch the Spark tutorial videos, which demonstrate how to use Spark safely: http://www.dji.com/spark/info#video

Download the DJI GO 4 App

Be sure to use the DJI GOTM 4 app during ight. Scan the QR code on the right to download the latest version. The Android version of the DJI GO 4 is compatible with Android v4.4 or later. The iOS version of the DJI GO 4 is compatible with iOS v9.0 or later.

Download DJI Assistant 2

Download DJI Assistant 2 at http://www.dji.com/spark/download

Contents

Using this Manual

Legends

Read Before the First Flight

Video Tutorials

Download the DJI GO 4 App

Download DJI Assistant 2

Product Prole

Introduction

Features Highlights

Aircraft Diagram

Activation

Aircraft

Flight Modes

Aircraft Status Indicators

3D Sensing and Vision System

Return-to-Home (RTH)

Intelligent Flight Modes

Gesture Mode

Flight Recorder

Attaching and Detaching the Propellers

Intelligent Flight Battery

Gimbal and Camera

Controlling the Aircraft with a Mobile Device

Remote Controller (Optional)

Remote Controller Prole

Using the Remote Controller

Linking the Remote Controller

DJI GO 4 App

Equipment

Editor

SkyPixel

Flight

Flight Environment Requirements

Flight Limits and No-Fly Zones

Preight Checklist

Auto Takeoff and Auto Landing

Starting/Stopping the Motors (When Using Remote Controller)

Flight Test

Calibrating the Compass

Firmware Updates

Appendix

pecications

After-Sales Information

Product Prole

This section introduces the DJI Spark and lists the components of the aircraft and remote controller.

Product Prole

Introduction

The DJI Spark is DJI's smallest ying camera featuring a stabilized camera, Intelligent Flight Modes,

and Obstacle Avoidance inside a light, portable body. Equipped with a Vision System and

3D Sensing System, Spark can lm 1080p videos, capture 12-megapixel photos, QuickShot Mode and Gesture Control. With a maximum ight speed* of 31 mph (50 kph), and a maximum ight time of 16 minutes**, Spark is quick and fun, making drone photography exciting and simple.

Features Highlights

Spark supports mobile device control and gesture control, making ying easier than ever. For users looking for more control options, an optional remote controller delivers maximum ight capabilities.

Camera and Gimbal: With the Spark, you are able to shoot 1080p video at 30 frames per second and capturing 12 megapixel photos that look crisper and cleaner, all stabilized by the compact onboard

gimbal.

Flight Controller: The next-generation ight controller has been updated to provide a safer, more reliable ight experience. The aircraft is able to automatically return to its home point when transmission signal is

lost or battery level is low. Apart from being able to hover indoors at low altitudes, the aircraft is also able to sense and avoid obstacles on its route, enhancing safety.

* Maximum ight speed requires operating Spark with a Spark remote controller.

** Maximum ight time was tested in windless conditions ying at a consistent 12.4 mph (20 kph). This

value should be taken for reference only.

Aircraft Diagram

Spark User Manual

1 2

3 4

6 7

1. Propellers

2. Motors

3. Front LEDs

4. 3D Sensing System

5. Gimbal and Camera

6. Aircraft Status Indicators

7. Intelligent Flight Battery

8. Power Button

9. Battery Level Indicators

10. Micro USB Port

11. Micro SD Card Slot

12. External Charging Contact

13. Vision System

Activation

Activation is required before using the Intelligent Flight Battery and aircraft for the rst time.

Activate the Intelligent Flight Battery

All batteries are in Hibernation Mode before shipment to ensure safety. Use the provided USB charger

to charge and activate the battery for the rst time. It is recommended to fully charge the battery before each ight.

Power Outlet

100~240 V

USB Charger Micro USB Port

Activate the Aircraft

Launch DJI GO 4, tap the icon in the upper right corner, scan the QR Code on the storage box or in the battery compartment, and follow the prompt for activation.

Use your DJI account to activate the aircraft. Activation requires an internet connection.

Internet

Aircraft

This section introduces the Flight Controller, 3D Sensing System, Vision System, and the Intelligent Flight Battery.

Aircraft

Spark contains a ight controller, video downlink system, 3D Sensing System, Gimbal and Camera, propulsion system, and an Intelligent Flight Battery. This section introduces the features of the ight

controller, video downlink system, and other aircraft components.

Flight Modes

The following ight modes are available for Spark: P Mode (Positioning): P Mode works best when the GPS signal is strong. The aircraft utilizes the GPS

and Vision System to locate itself, automatically stabilize, and navigate between

obstacles. Intelligent Flight Modes such as QuickShot, TapFly and ActiveTrack are enabled in this mode.

When forward obstacle sensing is enabled and lighting conditions are sufcient,

the maximum ight attitude angle is 15° with a maximum ight speed of 6.7 mph (10.8 kph). When forward obstacle sensing is disabled, the maximum ight attitude angle is 15° and the maximum ight speed is 13.4 mph (21.6 kph).

The aircraft will automatically switch to ATTI mode when the GPS signal is weak

and lighting conditions are too dark for the Vision System, it will not be able to automatically avoid obstacles and only use its barometer for positioning to control altitude. Intelligent Flight Modes are not available in ATTI mode.

Note: P Mode requires larger stick movements to achieve high speeds.

S Mode (Sport): The aircraft uses GPS for positioning. As forward obstacle sensing is disabled, the

aircraft will not be able to sense and avoid obstacles when in Sport Mode. Intelligent Flight Modes, Pano Mode and ShallowFocus are not available in Sport Mode.

Note: Aircraft responses are optimized for agility and speed making it more

responsive to stick movements.

The 3D Sensing System is disabled in S Mode (Sport), which means the aircraft will not be able

to automatically avoid obstacles on its route.

The aircraft’s maximum speed and braking distance are signicantly increased in S Mode

(Sport). A minimum braking distance of 30 meters is required in windless conditions.

Descending speed is signicantly increased in S Mode. The aircraft’s responsiveness is signicantly increased in S Mode (Sport), which means small

stick movements on the remote controller will translate into a large travel distance of the aircraft.

Be vigilant and maintain adequate maneuvering space during ight.

S Mode is only available with a Spark remote controller. S Mode is disabled when ying with a

mobile device.

Use the Flight Mode switch on the remote controller to select aircraft ight modes.

User Manual

Spark

Aircraft Status Indicators

Spark has Front LEDs and Aircraft Status Indicators. The positions of these LEDs are shown in the gure

below:

Front LEDs

Aircraft Status Indicators

The Front LEDs show the orientation of the aircraft and the status of some functions (please refer to the Gesture Mode “Feature Descriptions” section for more details). The Front LEDs glow solid

red when the aircraft is turned on to indicate the front or nose of the aircraft.

The Aircraft Status Indicators communicate the system status of the ight controller. Refer to the

table below for more information about the Aircraft Status Indicators.

Aircraft Status Indicator Description

Normal

Alternating red, green and yellow ashes Turning On and Self Diagnostic Testing

Alternate yellow and green ashing Warming Up

Slow green ashing P Mode with GPS

×2 Two green ashes P Mode with Vision System

Slow yellow ashing No GPS and Vision System

Fast green ashing Braking

Warning

Fast yellow ashing

Slow red ashing Low Battery Warning

Fast red ashing Critical Low Battery Warning

Red ashing IMU Error

— Solid Red Critical Error

Fast alternating red and yellow ashing Compass Calibration Required

Remote Controller Signal Lost

Spark User Manual

3D Sensing and Vision System

Spark is equipped with a 3D Sensing System 1, consisting of a 3D infrared module at the front of the aircraft, which scan for obstacles during ight.

The main components of the Vision System are located on the underside of the aircraft body. This includes a camera 2 and a 3D infrared module 3. The Vision System uses 3D infrared module and image data to help the aircraft maintain its current position, enabling precision hovering indoors or in environments where GPS signal is not available.

The 3D Sensing System constantly scan for obstacles, allowing Spark to avoid obstacles when lighting is

sufcient.

Detection Range

The detection range of the 3D Sensing System is depicted below. Note that the aircraft cannot sense or avoid obstacles that are not within the detection range.

0.2- 5 m

Using the Vision System

The Vision System is activated automatically when the aircraft is turned on. No further action is required. The Vision System can be used in indoor environments where GPS is unavailable. Using the Vision System, the aircraft can hover precisely, even without GPS.

User Manual

Spark

Follow the steps below to use the Vision System:

1. Ensure the aircraft is in P Mode and place the aircraft on a at surface. Note that the Vision System

cannot work properly on surfaces without clear pattern variations.

2. Turn on the aircraft. The aircraft will hover in place after takeoff. The aircraft status indicators will ash

green twice, which indicates the Vision System is working.

Powered by the 3D Sensing System, the aircraft is able to actively brake when obstacles are detected in front. The 3D Sensing System works best when lighting is adequate and the obstacle is clearly marked or

textured. The aircraft must y at no more than 6.7 mph (10.8 kph) to allow for sufcient braking distance.

3D Sensing and Vision System performance are affected by the type of surface being own over.

The aircraft will switch from P Mode to ATTI Mode automatically if neither GPS or Vision System are available. Please be vigilant when operating Spark in the following situations:

Flying at high speeds below 0.5 meters.

Flying over monochrome surfaces (e.g., solid black, solid white, solid red, or solid green). Flying over highly reective surfaces.

Flying over water or transparent surfaces. Flying over moving surfaces or objects. Flying in an area where the lighting changes frequently or drastically.

Flying over extremely dark (lux < 10) or bright (lux > 100,000) surfaces.

Flying over surfaces without clear patterns or texture.

Flying over surfaces with identical repeating patterns or textures (e.g., tiling). Flying over small and ne objects (e.g. tree branches and power lines). Flying at speeds of over 6.7 mph (10.8 kph) at 2 meters above the ground.

Keep sensors clean at all times. Dirt or other debris may adversely affect their effectiveness.

Spark User Manual

Return-to-Home (RTH)

The Return to Home (RTH) function brings the aircraft back to the last recorded Home Point. There are three types of RTH: Smart RTH, Low-Battery RTH, and Failsafe RTH. This following section describes the

three RTH scenarios in detail.

GPS

If a strong GPS signal was acquired before takeoff, the Home Point is

Home Point

the location from which the aircraft launched. The GPS signal strength

is indicated by the GPS icon ( ). The aircraft status indicator will

blink rapidly when the home point is recorded.

Smart RTH

Initiate Smart RTH when GPS is available. Tap the RTH button in DJI GO 4 and follow the onscreen instructions. The user can also immediately exit Smart RTH by pressing the Stop icon × in DJI GO 4. Pressing and holding the RTH button on the remote controller can also initiate Smart RTH. Press it again to exit.

Low-Battery RTH

Low-Battery RTH is triggered when the DJI Intelligent Flight Battery is depleted to a point that may affect

the safe return of the aircraft. Users are advised to return home or land the aircraft immediately when

prompted. DJI GO 4 will display a notice when a low-battery warning is triggered. If no action is taken after the 10-second warning, the aircraft will automatically return to the Home Point. The user can cancel

the RTH procedure by pressing the RTH button or Flight Pause button on the remote controller. The thresholds for these warnings are automatically determined based on the aircraft’s current altitude and

distance from the Home Point. Low-Battery RTH will only appear one time during ight.

The aircraft will land automatically if the current battery level can only support the aircraft long enough to descend from its current altitude.

Description

The Battery Level Indicator is displayed in DJI GO 4, and is described below:

Critical Low battery level warning

(Red)

Low battery level

warning (Yellow)

Sufcient battery level

(Green)

Power required to return home

Battery Level Indicator

Remaining ight time

12:29

Spark

User Manual

Battery Level

Warning

Low battery level warning

Critical Low battery level warning

Estimated remaining

ight time

When the Critical Low Battery level warning is triggered and the aircraft begins to land

automatically, throttle up using the virtual joysticks or control sticks to keep the aircraft at its current altitude. This gives you an opportunity to navigate to a more appropriate landing location.

The colored zones and markers on the battery level indicator bar reect the estimated

remaining ight time. They are automatically adjusted according to the aircraft’s current

location and status.

Remark

Battery power is low. Land the aircraft.

The aircraft must land immediately.

Estimated

remaining ight

based on current battery level.

Aircraft Status

Indicator

Aircraft status indicators blink RED slowly.

Aircraft status indicators blink RED quickly.

N/A N/A N/A

DJI GO 4 App Flight Instructions

Tap “Go-home” to have the

aircraft return to the Home point automatically, or “Cancel” to resume normal

ight. If no action is taken,

the aircraft will automatically go home after 10 seconds. Remote controller will sound an alarm.

The DJI GO 4 app display

will ash red and the aircraft

will start to descend. The remote controller will sound an alarm.

Fly the aircraft back and land it as soon as possible, then stop the motors and replace the battery.

Allow the aircraft to descend and land automatically.

Failsafe RTH

If the Home Point was successfully recorded, GPS signal is strong and the compass is functioning

normally, Failsafe RTH will be automatically activated if the wireless signal is lost for a specied amount of time (three seconds when using the remote controller and 20 seconds when using Wi-Fi). The user may

cancel Failsafe RTH to regain control when the wireless signal connection is reestablished.

RTH Procedure

1. Home Point is recorded automatically.

2. RTH procedure is triggered i.e., Smart RTH, Low-Battery RTH and Failsafe RTH.

3. Home Point is conrmed and the aircraft adjusts its orientation.

4. a. The aircraft will ascend to the pre-set RTH attitude and then y to the Home Point when the aircraft is

further than 20 m from the home point.

b. When the aircraft is between 3 m and 20 m from the Home Point, it will return to the Home Point at

the current altitude with the RTH at Current Altitude option enabled (the default setting in DJI GO 4) if ying at or above 2.5 m. It will ascend to 2.5 m then return to home if ying lower than 2.5 m.

Spark User Manual

Note: If RTH at Current Altitude is disabled in DJI GO 4, the aircraft will land automatically when the aircraft is between 3 m and 20 m from the Home Point.

c. The aircraft will land automatically if RTH is triggered and the aircraft is less than 3 m from the home

point.

5. The aircraft will hover 0.3 m above ground and wait for conrmation from the user. The aircraft will land and stop its motors after user conrmation.

1 Record Home Point 2 Remote Control Signal Lost

3 Signal Lost for Extended Time

Hovering at 0.3 meters above the Home Point

4 RTH (Adjustable Altitude)

Height over HP>Failsafe Altitude

Elevate to Failsafe Altitude

Failsafe Altitude

Height over HP<=Failsafe Altitude

5 Landing (After User Conrmation)

The aircraft cannot return to the Home Point when GPS signal is weak or unavailable.

It is important to set a suitable Failsafe altitude before each ight. Launch the DJI GO 4 app, tap

“GO FLY” and tap to set the Failsafe Altitude.

The aircraft will stop ascending and immediately return to the Home Point if you move the

throttle stick in the aircraft reaches 65 feet (20 meters) altitudes or beyond during Failsafe.

Obstacle Avoidance during RTH

Spark will Return to Home at a ight speed of 10 m/s and cannot avoid obstacles when RTH is triggered and

the aircraft is further than 100 m from the home point.

Spark can sense and actively attempt to avoid obstacles during RTH, provided that lighting conditions are adequate enough for the 3D Sensing System and RTH is triggered when the aircraft is less than 100 m from the Home Point. Upon detecting an obstacle, the aircraft will act as follows:

1. The aircraft decelerates when an obstacle is sensed at 16 ft (5 m).

2. The aircraft stops and hovers then starts ying backward until the 3D Sensing System cannot sense any

obstacles.

3. The aircraft ascends vertically for about ve seconds.

4. RTH procedure resumes. The aircraft will continue ying to the Home Point at the current altitude.

5 m

Ascends for ve seconds

User Manual

Spark

Obstacle sensing will turn off and the aircraft will ascend to the Failsafe altitude automatically

and will y to the Home Point at a ight speed of 10 m/s if the obstacle can still be sensed after the aircraft has own backward for 10 m.

The aircraft will repeat steps 1-3 if the obstacle is sensed again during ascent.

The aircraft cannot avoid obstacles above, beside, or behind the aircraft.

Precision Landing

Spark automatically scans and attempts to match the terrain features underneath it during Return-to-

Home. When the current terrain matches Home Point terrain, Spark will begin landing immediately to achieve precision landing. DJI GO 4 will show a terrain feature mismatch prompt if matching fails.

Precision Landing performance is subject to the following conditions:

a. Home Point is recorded upon take o, and cannot not be refreshed during ight. b. The aircraft must take o vertically. Takeo altitude must be greater than seven meters. c. Home Point terrain features remain largely unchanged. d. Home Point terrain with no distinctive features will aect performance.

e. Lighting conditions cannot be too light or too dark.

The following actions are available during landing:

a. Throttle down to accelerate landing.

b. Moving the control sticks in any other direction will stop Precision Landing. Spark will descend

vertically after the control sticks are released.

Intelligent Flight Modes

Spark supports Intelligent Flight Modes, including QuickShot, ActiveTrack, TapFly, Gesture, and Tripod Mode. Tap in DJI GO 4 or press the Function button on the remote controller to enable an Intelligent Flight Mode.

QuickShot

QuickShot shooting modes include Rocket, Dronie, Circle, and Helix. Spark will record a video according

to the selected shooting mode and then automatically generate a 10-second short video. The video can

then be viewed, edited, or shared to social media from the Playback menu.

Dronie : Fly backward and upward, with the camera locked on your subject.

Circle: Circle around your subject.

Helix: Fly upward, spiraling around your subject.

Rocket: Ascend with the camera pointing downward.

Using QuickShot

Ensure that the aircraft is in P Mode and that the Intelligent Flight Battery is charged sufciently. Follow

the steps below to use QuickShot:

1. Take off and ensure the aircraft is ying at least 4.5 ft (1.5 m) above the ground.

1.5 m

2. Launch DJI GO 4, tap , then select QuickShot, and follow the prompts.

In-Flight（GPS）

09:29

QuickShot

1080P/30

61%

2.4G

Spark User Manual

H 9.6

S 1.1D 9.6

3. Select your target subject in the camera view and choose a shooting mode. Tap “GO” to begin

recording. The aircraft will y back to its original position after shooting is nished.

In-Flight（GPS）

09:29

QuickShot

1080P/30

61%

2.4G

4. View and edit the generated or original video using Playback.

QuickShot is only available when GPS signal is strong.

Tap in DJI GO 4 to exit QuickShot anytime during shooting

In QuickShot, the aircraft cannot avoid obstacles automatically. Please make sure to only use

QuickShot in wide open areas.

ActiveTrack

ActiveTrack allows you to mark and track a moving object on your mobile device’s screen. No external tracking device is required. Spark can automatically identify and trace bikes and other vehicles, people and animals, and use different tracking strategies for each.

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