DJI Datalink 3 User Manual

Datalink 3

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Using this Manual

Legends

• Important
• Hints and Tips
• Reference

Before Flight
The following manuals have been produced to ensure you make full use of your DJI™ Datalink 3:

1. In the Box
2. Quick Start Guide
3. User Manual

It is recommended to check to see that you have all of the components listed in the In the Box. Then carefully read and fully understand the whole content of this User Manual and refer to the Quick Start Guide. Please be sure you are familiar with the function and characteristics of this product and the information listed in local laws and regulations about flight limits. Should you have any questions about this product, please contact DJI or a DJI authorized dealer.

For More Information
Please visit the following website to see up-to-date information about Datalink 3:
http://www.dji.com/cn/datalink-3

Warning

1. Installation

• Always connect the Air System antenna extension
  cables before connecting the Air System antennas. DJI takes no responsibility if the transmission power exceeds the legally regulated amount because of failure to use the antenna extension cables.

• Only use official DJI accessories.

• Install the Air System antennas before powering on Datalink 3.

• To attain optimal signal transmission, point the Air System antennas downwards and avoid obstruction from other onboard equipment. DO NOT twist or bend the Air System antennas.

• Keep the Air System antennas as far apart as possible and away from metal objects to attain optimal transmission.

• Only use official DJI antennas for the Air System and Ground System.

• Maintain an appropriate distance between electronic components to reduce electromagnetic interference as much as possible.

Note: Always stay alert when using Datalink 3. Carelessness may result in serious harm to yourself or others.

2. Before Use

• The Air System power cable (black-red-black) is for power only. Be sure to insert it into the power port of the Air System. Inserting it into incorrect ports will lead to permanent damage.
• Make sure you fully charge the Ground System before each flight.
• If the Ground System is powered on and is NOT used for more than five minutes, it will sound an alert. After six minutes, it will automatically power off. Move the sticks or perform some other action to cancel the alert.
• Adjust the clamp of the mobile device holder to allow for a firm grip on your mobile device.
• Ensure the mobile device holder is firmly in place and does not slip.
• Ensure the antennas of the Ground System are unfolded and adjusted to the proper position to achieve optimal transmission quality.
• Repair or replace the Ground System if it is damaged. A damaged Ground System antenna will greatly decrease performance.
• Recharge the battery at least once every three months to prevent over-discharging. The battery will enter hibernation mode if depleted and stored for an extended period of time

Introduction

DJI Datalink 3 is a long range downlink system capable of transmitting data at distances of up to 2.49 mi (4 km) . It is compatible with DJI flight controllers and other non-DJI flight controllers with SBUS protocol . Datalink 3 includes a Ground System and an Air System, which can be operated at a 2.4 GHz frequency. The multi-functional ports on the Air System can satisfy user requirements in a variety of applications ***. Datalink 3 integrates the remote controller module into the Ground System, which comes with a number of aircraft and gimbal controls, as well as some customizable buttons. By using channel settings, i.e. DJI ASSISTANT™ 2 for DJI series flight controllers, the buttons on the remote controller can be customized to perform common functions used in photography, mapping, and agriculture, etc. When used with either DJI MG or GS Pro apps, users will be able to see and adjust settings in real time, completing complex tasks more easily. The remote controller has a maximum working time of 15 hours.

Overview

Air System

1.  Firmware Update Port (Micro USB)
   Connect the Air System and the PC via a Micro USB cable for firmware updates.

2. CAN Port
   A: CANL; B: CANH; C: GND

3. UART Port
   D: UART_TX; E: UART_RX; F: GND

4. Status LED
   

5. Linking Button
   Use this button to link the Air System and the Ground System.

6. Antenna Ports
   Used to attach the Air System antenna extension cables.

7. Power Port
   Connect the external power source with a voltage of 8~30 V to supply power.

8.  DBUS/SBUS Port
   Used to connect to the RF port of DJI flight controllers.

When using the DBUS cable to connect the flight controller and the Air System, no extra power supply is needed. DO NOT use the power port on the Air System for power supply. It is, however, essential to provide an additional power supply (8~30 V) when using the SBUS cable to connect the flight controller and the Air System.

• Please refer to “Specifications” for more detailed information on supported DJI flight controllers.
  ** The remote controller can reach its maximum transmission distance (FCC) in wide open areas with no electro-magnetic interference, and at an altitude of around 100 meters.
  *** The CAN port on the Air System is currently only compatible with official DJI equipment. The UART port is currently not supported but will be added in a future firmware update. Please visit the official website for all the latest information.

Ground System (Remote Controller)

1. Power Button
   Power on/off the Ground System

2. RTH Button
   Press to activate Return to Home function.

3. **SW2 Switch***
   Three positions are available:

4. Status LED
   Indicates the connection status between the Air System and Ground System.

5. Battery Level LEDs
   Displays the current battery level.

6. Charging Port
   Used to charge the Ground System’s internal battery.

7. Control Sticks
   The default mode is known as Mode 2 and is customizable via the DJI GO 4 app. We recommend using Mode 2.

8. Mobile Device Holder
   Attach and lock your mobile device.

9. Small Device Positioning Tabs
   Lock your mobile device into place.

10. Antennas
    Used to transmit aircraft control and signals.

11. Handle Bar

12. **LW Dial***

13. **RW Dial***

14. **D Button***

15. **SW1 Switch***
    Three switch positions are available:

Toggle this switch to change the flight mode when used with a DJI compatible flight controller.

16. **A Button***

17. **B Button***

18. **C1 Button***

19. Micro USB Port

20. CAN/UART Port
    Used to connect supported external equipment. Please do not plug/unplug the cable inserted with the Ground System powered on.

21. USB Port

22. **C2 Button***

External GPS Module

1. Master Part
2. Velcro Strap
3. CAN Bus Port
4. CAN Hub
5. USB Cable

Installing the Air System

The antennas need to be mounted on the Air System to communicate with the Ground System.
When using Datalink 3, please make sure you connect the Air System antenna extension cables, then the Air System antennas.

1. Prepare the two antenna extension cables, two Air System antennas, and some double-sided foam tape.
2. Insert the Air System antenna extension cables into the ports on the side of the Air System, and snap them into place.
3. Connect the Air System antennas to the antenna extension cables.
4. Use the foam tape to mount the Air System onto the reserved space of the aircraft or other suitable flat surfaces.

• Install the antennas before powering on the Air System.
• For optimal transmission quality, point the antennas downwards and avoid obstruction from other onboard equipment.
• Only use official DJI antennas and make sure you install them correctly.
• When connecting the antennas, ensure the connector pin aligns with the port hole. DO NOT apply excessive force to avoid damaging the pin.
• DO NOT remove the antennas from the Air System unless necessary. When removing the antennas, use pliers to grip the metal connector. DO NOT apply excessive force to the wire.

Connecting the Ground System to Your Mobile Device

Prepare a slotted screwdriver to help install the mobile device holder.

1. Unfold the Mobile Device Holder. Remove the screw using the slotted screwdriver.
2. Plug the Mobile Device Holder into the Ground System and tighten the Screw Lock.
3.  Line up the hole on the Mobile Device Holder with the metal loop on the Ground System. Insert and tighten the screw.

Mount Your Display Device:

1. Press the button on the side of the Mobile Device Holder to release the clamp.
2. Place your mobile device inside the clamp and adjust it to secure.
3. Connect your mobile device to the remote controller via a USB cable.
4. Adjust the antennas to the desired position.

Connecting the Air System and the Flight Controller

Example: DJI N3 Flight Controller.

1. Ensure that the antenna extension cables and antennas are connected correctly.
2. Connect the DBUS/SBUS port on the Air System with the RF port on the DJI flight controller series using the provided DBUS cable.

Selecting your Receiver Type
When using a DJI flight controller, set the corresponding parameters in DJI Assistant 2 and select the receiver type. Do this after the Air System connects to the flight controller or else the flight may fail and cause a serious flight hazard.

Connecting the Air System and D-RTK

Attach a D-RTK to the aircraft to achieve centimeter-level positioning accuracy. Please use a DJI A3 series flight controller to ensure that the D-RTK works smoothly.

Installation

1. Mount the two GNSS antennas included in the D-RTK package to the antenna bracket with four M3.0 ×6.5 screws.
2. Attach the D-RTK processor (working as the Air System) and the Datalink 3 Air System to the aircraft body with double-sided tape.

Follow the requirements below if using the antenna bracket II:

• Ensure that the two antenna brackets II form a straight line through the aircraft’s center of gravity and that the distance between the two antennas is greater than 25 cm (the farther apart, the better).
• The two antenna brackets II should be equidistant from the aircraft’s center of gravity.
• The two Air System antennas should be kept at the same height.

Please set the location information of the GNSS antennas inside DJI Assistant 2 after mounting.

Connecting

1. Use the Antenna Cables included in the D-RTK package to connect the two GNSS antennas.
2. Attach the Datalink 3 Air System antennas and the antenna extension cables.
3. Connect the RF port on the A3 Flight Controller and the DBUS port on Datalink 3 with the provided DBUS cable.
4. Connect the CAN1 Port on the D-RTK Air System and any CAN1 port on the A3 Flight Controller using the 4-pin CAN cable.
5. Connect the D-RTK Air System to the power source using the power cable included in the D-RTK package.

WARNING: For more information about D-RTK, please refer to the DJI D-RTK Quick Start Guide.

Ground System Operations

Powering on/off the Ground System

The Ground System has a built-in 6000 mAh rechargeable battery and the battery level LED displays its current battery level. Please follow the steps below to power on the Ground System:

1. Press the Power button once to display the current battery level.
2. Press again and hold to power on the Ground System.
3. The Status Indicator will blink green (purple for Slave Ground Systems) rapidly when the Ground System is linking to the Air System and becomes solid green when linking is established.
4. Press the Power button once again, then hold to power off the Ground System.

The Ground System will beep to warn if the control sticks are not in the center position.

Charging the Ground System

Only use an official DJI battery charger to charge the Ground System.

The status LED will turn off when charging is complete. It takes about four hours to fully charge the Ground System.

Controlling the Aircraft

When used with a DJI flight controller, the default flight mode is Mode 2. Users can set or customize flight modes in the DJI MG or GS Pro apps.
There are Mode 1, Mode 2 and Mode 3 available for choose.

This manual takes Mode 2 as the example to illustrate.

Stick Neutral/mid-point: Control sticks of the Ground System are placed at the central position.
Move the Stick: The control stick is pushed away from the central position.

Adjusting Control Sticks
Hold and twist the controller sticks clockwise or counter clockwise to adjust the length of the
control sticks. A proper length of controller sticks can improve the controlling accuracy.

RTH Button
When using DJI flight controllers, the RTH button can be activated to start the Return to Home (RTH) procedure. Press and hold the RTH button to start the RTH procedure. The aircraft will then return to the last recorded Home Point. Press the RTH button again to cancel and regain control of the aircraft.

RTH status can also be determined by sound:
A single beep means the RTH command has been sent, but the aircraft has not responded yet.
A double beep means that RTH is still in progress.

Optimal Transmission Range

The transmission signal between the aircraft and the remote controller is most reliable when the antennas are positioned in relation to the aircraft as depicted below:

Linking the Ground System

Linking is required when using the Air System and the Ground System for the first time. Please follow the steps below to link your Datalink 3.

Using the DJI MG App to link

1. Ensure the antennas and the antenna extension cables are correctly inserted into the Air System that is connected to a flight controller.
2. Please be sure that the Ground System is at a distance of 1 to 2 meters from the Air System.
3. Power on the Ground System, connect it to a mobile device, and launch the DJI MG app.
4. Tap “Field Plan” to enter the Operation View >  , then tap “Linking RC”.
5. The app will send a prompt to start count down when linking starts.
6. Press the linking button on the Air System to complete linking. The Status LEDs on both Ground System and Air System will turn solid green if linking is successful.

Fast Linking Procedure

1. Ensure the antennas and the antenna extension cables are correctly inserted into the Air System that is connected to a flight controller.
2. Power on the Ground System and press the C1, C2, and D buttons simultaneously. When the Status LED on the Ground System blinks blue, and the Ground System sounds a continuously single beep, linking begins.
3. Press the linking button on the Air System to complete linking. The Status LEDs on both Ground System and Air System will turn solid green if linking is successful.

Ground System LEDs

The Status LED reflects connection status between the Ground System and Air System. The RTH LED shows the Return to Home status of the aircraft. The table below contains details of these indicators.

The status LED will turn solid red and beep to warn when the battery level of the Ground System is low.

Firmware Update

DJI will release firmware update information on the official DJI website. Please visit the official product website and update the firmware of your Datalink 3. Please go to the product page and download and install DJI Assistant 2 before updating.
(http://www.dji.com/datalink-3/info#downloads)

Air System Firmware Update

1. Connect the Firmware Update Port on the Air System to the PC via the provided Micro USB cable.
2. Launch DJI Assistant 2 and log in using your DJI account

3. Click Datalink 3 and choose the firmware update to start updating.
4. The firmware update will take some time. Please wait patiently. DJI Assistant 2 will send a prompt when the update is successful. Please retry if the update fails.

WARNING: Please connect the Air System to the flight controller or the external power source when updating the firmware. DO NOT connect the power port and the SBUS/DBUS port on the Air System simultaneously, or the Air System may be permanently damaged.

Ground System Firmware Update

1. Connect the Micro USB Port on the Ground System to the PC via the provided Micro USB cable.
2. Launch DJI Assistant 2 and log in using your DJI account.
3. Click Datalink 3 and choose the firmware update to start updating.
4. The firmware update will take some time. Please wait patiently. DJI Assistant 2 will send a prompt when the update is successful. Please retry if the update fails.

WARNING: DO NOT disconnect from the Internet and unplug the Micro USB cable during an update.

Attaching External GPS Modules

The Ground System does not have an internal GPS module. Please follow the steps below to mount an external GPS module when necessary:

1. Stick the provided Velcro tape on the back of the master part of the GPS module, Can Hub, remote controller, and the top of the mobile device holder

2. Mount the master part of the GPS Module on the top of the mobile device holder with the help of the already stuck on Velcro. The side marked with the DJI logo should face out when the master part is properly mounted.

3. Fasten the cable and the mobile device holder to prevent it from dangling with the Velcro strap.
Ensure that the cable hangs down beneath the remote controller alongside one side of the antennas. DO NOT place the cable through the middle of the antennas.

4. Stick the CAN hub on the bottom of the remote controller tightly as shown below.
5. Insert the cable end to the CAN Bus port on the remote controller.

Industrial Applications
With multiple customizable buttons on the Ground System, Datalink 3 can perform different tasks

Agriculture
When used with the DJI N3-AG, A3-AG flight controllers, the customizable buttons are channel set before shipment. Example: DJI N3-AG flight controller.

The chart below is the recommended channel setting in Mode 2 when non DJI flight controllers with SBUS protocol are in use.

The RTH button is disabled when the flight controller with SBUS protocol is in use.

Aerial Photography and Mapping

When DJI’s N3 or A3 flight controllers are in use, the customizable buttons on the Ground System can be channel set via DJI Assistant 2. DJI GS Pro empowers Datalink 3 to control or plan automatic flights. GS Pro dramatically increases the efficiency of various industrial applications, including but not limited to, aerial imaging, architecture, precision agriculture, electrical inspections, search and rescue, safety control, and more.

WARNNG: Datalink 3 does not support image transmission. Therefore, any feature related to image transmission of GS Pro is disabled when used with Datalink 3. For detailed information about GS Pro, please refer to the DJI GS Pro User Manual

DJI MG App

The DJI MG app is designed for agriculture applications and is able to display system status and configure many settings. After planning a task via the intelligent operation planning system builtin the app, the aircraft can operate automatically following the produced flight route when it is in F-mode.

Main Page

Operation Page

Intelligent Operation Planning System

Measure operation areas and obstacles, configure waypoints, and other settings via the intelligent operation planning system inside the DJI MG app, and the app will produce a flight route according  to the settings. The aircraft can operate automatically following the flight route when it is in F-mode.

Planning Flight Routes
Ensure that the aircraft is powered off when planning your flight route.

1. Power on the remote controller and enter the app.

2. Tap “Field Plan” to enter Operation View.

3. Wait until GNSS signal is strong enough (10 satellites or more) and the positioning accuracy reaches about +/-2 meters.

4. Tap “Start Measuring” in the lower right corner of the screen. Walk along the edge of the target field. Tap “Add Waypoint C2” or press C2 Button on the back of the remote controller at each corner of the field.

5. Mark the obstacles:
   Use the two methods below to mark obstacles (if any) in the start field.
   ① Tap “Start Obstacle Measurement C1” or press the C1 Button on the back of the remote controller, walk around the obstacle, and then tap “End Obstacle Measurement C1” or press the C1 Button on the back of the remote controller when finished. Tap and hold the marked obstacle on the screen to reframe the shape and size of the obstacle in the menu.
   ② Tap “Start Obstacle Measurement C1” or press the C1 Button on the back of the remote controller, walk around the obstacle, and tap “Add Waypoint C2” or press the C2 Button on the back of the remote controller at the same time to add waypoints. Tap “End Obstacle Measurement C1” or press the C1 Button on the back of the remote controller when finished.
   Follow Step 7 to edit the added waypoints for complete obstacle information.

6. Continue to measure by walking along the edge of the field, adding waypoints at each corner.
   Tap “End Measurement” when the field has been measured and all obstacles marked. The app will generate a flight route according to the edge of the field and the obstacles marked.

7. Editing Waypoints
   Tap any blank space on the screen to enter edit status.
   Move: Drag the waypoint to move.
   Fine tuning: Tap the waypoint to show the fine tuning buttons. Tap to adjust.
   Delete: Tap twice to delete a waypoint.

8. Adjusting Routes
   Route direction: Tap and drag the icon near the route to adjust the direction of the produced route.
   Line spacing: Tap on top of the screen to adjust the line spacing between two neighboring lines.
   Shrink distance: Tap on top of the screen, then adjust the shrink distance between the route and the edge of the field in Aircraft Settings.

9. Add calibration point: Walk to the location of the calibration point. Tap“Add Calibration Point C3”. The calibration point is used to rectify the bias of the flight route caused by the positioning difference between the remote controller and aircraft. Choose a fixed reference point for  calibration like a metal peg or obvious marker that is easy to identify for bias rectification when executing the same task.

10.  Tap “Save”, then name the task, choose crop, and configure other parameters.

Starting Task

1. Place the aircraft at the previously set calibration point and then power it on.
2. Toggle the flight mode switch to F-mode.
3. Tap “Task List” and choose a previously saved task.
4. Tap “Rectify Offset” and then “Rectify Aircraft Position”, or adjust the route position via the fine tuning buttons and tap “OK”.
5. Tap “Start”, then set work type.
6. Take off and start task
   ① If you fly to the targeted height, there will be “Slide to Execute” on the screen. Slide to start spraying.
   ② If the aircraft is on the ground, there will be “Slide to Take off” on the screen. Slide to take off and start spraying.

• Be sure to take off in open areas.
• The task will be cancelled automatically if motors are started before starting the task. You will need to re-call the task in the task list.
• When started, the aircraft will fly to the starting point of the route and lock its heading to the direction of the starting point to the next turning point.
• During the task, the aircraft sprays liquid automatically while flying forwards or backwards.
• It doesn’t spray liquid when flying left and right. Work efficiency (flying speed and spray rate included) and height above the crops can be adjusted in the app.
• The aircraft will hover at the ending point of the flight route after the task is completed.

Specifications

This content is subject to change.
Download the latest version from
www.dji.com/datalink-3
If you have any questions about this document, please contact DJI by
sending a message to DocSupport@dji.com.

© 2017 DJI All Rights Reserved.

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