SZ DJI Know-how Co., Ltd often known as at present DJI is a serious electronics producer based mostly in China as its largely credited with creating the patron drone trade. Whereas primarily recognized for making drones they’ve expanded their portfolio into many different industries such Digital camera Gimbals, Transportable/Motion Cameras,, Wi-fi Microphones and now Transportable Energy Stations.
Whereas DJI’s core enterprise stays drones they’ve diversified during the last 5 years into extra of a life-style electronics firm and is constant that pattern.
With the priority within the US different nations round knowledge safety and the risk China poses with the used DJI drones round crucial infrastructure DJI is going through a doable ban within the US.
Within the huge quantity of hypothesis round this there has additionally been questions raised asking if DJI can survive with out entry to western elements.
In the present day I’m going to try to reply that.
DJI Now Vs Then
Traditionally DJI merchandise have been largely constructed from commodity off the shelf elements most made in or IP owned by western firms, these consisted of the next
- Arm based mostly microcontrollers from ST Microelectronics – Flight Management.
- Gyro & MEMS From invenSense (TDK) – Flight Management
- Positioning Chipsets From UBlox – GPS.
- Leadcore Arm chipsets & DSP – Common Processing and RF.
- Video Picture processors from Ambarella – DVR
- FPGA from Lattice – Picture Processing & RF Heavy Lifting
- Wi-fi chipsets from DaVinci and Artosyn – Lightbridge and Ocusync hyperlink.
- Movidius/Intel – Object Sensing & VPS.
- Energy Administration From Texas Devices – Battery BMS and SMC.
- Sram/Rom/EMMC from Elpida,MXIC, Micron,Samsung
Nonetheless issues have modified loads within the final 5 years and DJI’s reliance on western elements has lowered dramatically.
Subsequent are some examples of DJI Drones and part provide adjustments over the previous 7 years.
DJI Drones unto the DJI Phantom 4 largely had an identical remark choiceand utilization, whereas there was some various of part choice with early Lightbridge the remaining was largely the identical.
Right here you will note DJI use a good mixture of western elements of their drones.
DJI Mavic Professional & Ocusync
The discharge of the DJI Mavic Professional was a giant shift for DJI, whereas the drone was largely a extra compact Phantom DJI Launched Ocusync, their new wi-fi video system, this was based mostly initially on off the shelf Leadcore chipset.
The Mavic Professional was the beginning of DJI beginning to peruse extra residence grown alternate options with some elements being marked DJI as effectively.
DJIs battery programs did nonetheless depend on administration programs by Texas Devices.
In 2019 DJI began to essentially transfer away from off the shelf commodity components for core elements and programs reminiscent of flight management, picture processing and wi-fi video and moved to the usage of customized ASICs into their merchandise.
Their newest wi-fi system Ocusync and video picture processing is now based mostly on what we consider is their very own in home customized Asics, this based mostly on Arm Cortex MCU and Ceva DSP IP and may be very related in design to chipsets by Leadcore and later Artosyn.
I’ve an in depth write up on the historical past of Digital FPV and particularly DJI Ocusync and its chipset beneath.
Historical past Of Digital FPV
DJI Ocusync Historical past
For the fundamental microcontrollers they’ve largely stopped utilizing ST Micro and the place wanted use the likes of GigaDevice and the DJI Air 2s is a superb instance of the transfer away from western components for core elements in comparison with the previous.
DJI closely reuses their circuit designs and chipsets of their drones and different merchandise, for example DJI Ocusync 2,Ocusync 3 based mostly product makes use of both their P1 “Pigeon” chipset or its smaller brother the S1. Newer merchandise with O4 now use their newest S2 variant and this chipset is one in all DJI’s core applied sciences and is deemed because the “Crown Jewels”.
You’ll solely discover these chipsets in DJI designed merchandise and makes them very identifiable.
The DJI Air 2 is a superb instance of the shift in comparison with earlier fashions, whereas western elements are nonetheless used the depend has dropped dramatically.
DJI Element Reliance In the present day
The DJI Mavic 3 and DJI Avata 2 are a few of DJI newest drones and so they highlights simply how far they’ve moved away from reliance on the west for key elements of their drones
The Mavic 3 is filled with customized ASIC’s such because the H6,E29, P1 Ect.
The brand new Avata 2 is a implausible instance of DJI’s ongoing discount in part depend and consolidation of programs operating on their customized silicon.
Of their cameras and imaging payloads DJI use both Sony picture sensors from Japan or Omnivision Picture Sensors from China’s.
In enterprise merchandise as a consequence of export restriction on FLIR thermal sensors DJI transitioned to a china based mostly equal some years in the past once more dropping extra western reliance.
Abstract
Whereas that is solely a small snapshot of DJI merchandise the truth is at present DJI just isn’t closely reliant on western part provide to have the ability to manufacture their merchandise.
There are nonetheless some key western know-how that DJI does nonetheless use reminiscent of MEMS from Invensense , GPS chipset from Ublox and advance energy administration elements from Texas Devices.
Nonetheless controlling provide of those within the international part market could be near inconceivable and DJI’s continued use of those elements is as a lot as a consequence of them being “finest in school” than a pure reliance.
China based mostly alternate options do exist.
Ultimately DJI’s reliance on the west comes from gross sales greater than the rest and DJI proceed to be on the sharp fringe of drone know-how with the remainder of the damage being no less than 3 years behind.
Mad
Pictures Disclaimer
Pictures on this article have been sourced from a number of locations many with unknown origins, a few of my very own, some are discovered on https://github.com/o-gs/dji-firmware-tools/wiki/ and others are unknown credit score.
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