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Showing posts from 2020

Read this if your DJI Spark is "Hopping" (erratic behavior)

My DJI drone has had this issue with my DJI Spark where, when I try to take off, it will  sort of hover, but then "hop" up and down.  It heads toward the ground and then seems to recover.  When it is heading toward the ground, the obstacle avoidance alert is going off. Searching the internet, I found forums littered with a gazillion about "Fly Away" issues. I do NOT consider this is a FLYAWAY issue.  It seems like there are so many issues that are blanket described as "Fly Away", and while I suppose it is possible you could lose your drone as a result of this, it is most likely just going to hit the ground straight below, worst case.  I can technically fly it around, but it is fighting me the whole time.  The obstacle avoidance alert is intermittently on and off. The drone will ascend okay, but it descends VERY slowly (which is kind of scary if you get any sort of real altitude).  Also, at random it will just start heading vertically downward...

Defuddling JamKazam Vol. 2: Don't believe everything you read

I feel that one of the most important things to get out of the way are the truths of many, many claims and misnomers that are floating around on social media - no doubt a common issue with very rapid adoption of a complex tool.  We'll do this Snopes.com style.  Here are some, in no particular order: Claim: "You Can't Use WiFi with JamKazam" Status: Partly true Explanation: Well, you CAN use WiFi.  But it's better if you use an ethernet cable.  For starters, the nature of WiFi is that it tends to deliver packets via different physical transmission paths, which causes them to arrive in the wrong order.  On the other side, these packets have to be queuing them into a buffer (temporary holding tank for data), and reassembled into a contiguous stream.  Then they are released for you to hear. Ethernet cables require less of this action to be required, so JamKazam uses a smaller buffer, and therefore you end up with lower latency.  Now consider that most...

DeFuddling JamKazam Vol 1: What you really need

Intro This is the first installment of a series on demystifying JamKazam for newcomers.  As previously mentioned, there are video tutorials and a pretty good forum  that can help you get through the setup step-by-step. You can start with those.  There is also a Facebook Group, Subreddit, etc. where people are chatting about their JamKazam experiences.  I would stay away from those for a little while - there is some helpful info, but also a lot of misinformation. Once you are up and running, you can explore those in-depth discussions, and weigh what you read with your own experience. Another word of warning: Unless you have a working home studio already, you are very likely going to have to spend some "real" money to get this running.  It could be $50 for a few odds and ends, or it could be around $1,000 if you just have a guitar and an internet connection.  It really depends.   If you want to jam online, listen to my advice and the things I t...

JamKazam: Online Jamming for Quarantined Musicians

This is month 2 of Armageddon for musicians.  If you are one, or know someone who is, you are aware that they are climbing the walls because all of their shows, rehearsals, and even jam sessions have been taken off the table since March.  Playing together online using Zoom or Meet sounds like a great idea, until you try it and find out no one can line up the rhythm due to the inherent delays. Enter JamKazam  - the service for jamming online.  Musicians sign up, login, and can jam with each other for free. And it uses a different method of delivering audio to each other, so it actually works! Sounds great, right?  Well this service has been running since 2015, and the world is just finding out about it now.  What gives? The barrier to entry is fairly high.  Make no mistake about it, achieving success with JamKazam sessions is not for the faint of heart.  If you are expecting to download an app to your phone, set it on the table, and magically...