Hello from Newbie Drone Pilot in Scotland

[AlbaAlan]

Hi All,

I'm new to drone flying and recently purchased the Potensic Atom SE as my first drone. I absolutely love it so far and have been taking it out to fly every chance I get. I have also obtained the UK CAA operator and flyer ID so everything is nice and legal.

I just have one question; Does anyone know how to pull data from a damaged SD card? I was away for a few days recently hiking and fishing on the west coast of Scotland and took lots of fantastic pictures and videos however the SD card stopped working on the last day of the trip. I had a message pop up on the Potensic app which read 'No SD Card Detected'. I thought it was maybe a problem with the drone but I've tried the SD card in 2 different computers, a phone and a tablet and none of them will read it. No device is recognising that the card is even present. I would really like to get the footage from the card but I'm not really sure how if nothing will recognise it?

Anyway I look forward to lots more flying and reading through these forums.

Alan

 

[LoudThunder]

I'm new to drone flying

Welcome from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, USA.

Unfortunately, MicroSD Cards are a micro piece of hardware and have no moving parts. Many reasons can make a card go bad: physical damage (like bending, dropping, or water exposure), improper removal from a device, extreme temperatures, excessive write/erase cycles (especially with continuous recording), manufacturing defects, malware/virus infection, corrupted file system, and wear and tear from frequent usage.

But since you were using it at the time it stopped working, it would appear it is just defective (assuming it was as new as your drone…). If this was a reputable, name brand card this is exceedingly rare to almost not existent. However if it was a a cheap knock-off, then this is almost to be expected…

There are "forensic tools for data recovery" and they can recover data from devices like hard drives, smartphones, and solid-state drives. You might try contacting some of the businesses locally that might do that.

But honestly, it probably would not be worth the cost, but what price do you put on memories?

You did not mention if that MicroSD Card was purchased at the same time as the drone or is it was an old card you just had laying around… All reputable cards come with warranties, mostly for a lifetime, so if it was new, and it is not a "knockoff" that you bought cheap, you can get it replaced without cost.

Even if you have flown Drones before, here is some Good Old Fashion Advice…

You paid a lot of money for that Drone, put your phone number on it. If your drone gets lost or stuck in a tree and it finally comes down when you are not around, give the finders an opportunity to contact you so it can be returned.

Now, for the Fun Part, But do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.

There are so many things I could write but these are the highlights that I feel need mentioning.

Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, and then remove the Gimbal Cover.

The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short "Remove Before Flight" ribbon to the cover so it's more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…

Turn on the drone and watch it come to "life." Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a puppy or kitten opening its eyes for the first time…

Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).

Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.

Lift off, 6 feet (2-meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, "Home point Updated."

If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you'll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…

Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.

I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can "fly it vicariously" through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your "New Baby."

Fly On and Fly Safe…