Introduction to the Mavic 3 Enterprise Thermal

The Mavic 3 Enterprise Thermal (M3T) is a compact drone with an impressive set of features. This drone is equipped with both a wide and zoom RGB camera system along with a thermal imaging sensor. This portable drone was engineered for a range of applications such as public safety, search and rescue and infrastructure inspections.   

What makes this drone so versatile is its 12MP 56x hybrid zoom camera which is equivalent to 166mm focal length, a 48MP wide camera with a 24mm equivalent focal length and of course the 640x512 thermal imaging camera with an equivalent 40mm focal length.

Thermal Measurement Range

The M3T has both a high and low gain for its temperature range. High gain mode is rated for -20°C to 150°C (-4° to 302°F) and low gain mode is rated for 0°C to 500°C (32°F to 932°F). This is a good indicator of the temperatures to safely take reading of. 

You can switch between gain modes by this:

Avoiding Direct Sun Energy

As with any thermal camera, you should never point the camera directly at the sun or other high-energy sources such as lasers. This can cause calibration issues or worse, permanently damage the detector.

Avoiding the sun can be especially tricky when using a sUAS (drone) equipped with other sensor’s like the M3T (2 RGB cameras). Maybe you are looking to capture images for the underside of a bridge with the hybrid zoom camera, or you are looking to capture perspective photos for a roof  inspection, or even power line inspections. Pointing the camera in the direction of the sun can happen, even if you are mindful of the dangers. 

To ensure another layer of protection to the thermal imager, the M3T has a special feature called “Sun Burn Protection”. When the switch is enabled, the infrared shutter automatically closes when strong sunlight is detected. Always ensure this feature is on and I always check this setting after any firmware updates on either the RC Pro Enterprise Controller, the M3T aircraft or the Intelligent Flight Batteries. This should not make up for pointing in the direction of the sun but it does provide another layer of protection for you. 

As of this writing, this feature is still not listed in the Mavic 3 Enterprise User Manual (Version 1.6 2023.09). But don’t worry, I have shown how to find the setting below:

Sun Protection Instructions:

STEP 1:

Using the DJI RC Pro Enterprise Controller, enter the camera view from Pilot 2 App Homepage.

STEP 2:

Switch to the IR camera and click the Camera Settings Menu icon in the top right corner of the screen.

This will bring up the camera settings for the infrared camera.

STEP 3. 

Scroll down to the bottom where you will see “Sun Burn Protection”. Ensure this setting is enabled, as it will automatically close the infrared shutter when strong sunlight is detected.

That’s it! As mentioned, I check this setting after every firmware update and part of my pre-flight checklist. Once you know where to look and make this part of your routine, it takes no time at all and will help protect your thermal imager from damage from the sun.