Not sold in the US . . banned by the FCC, yet Amazon has the Atom 3 for sale. What gives?

I have never run across a YouTube creator quite like Brett Conyers. I watched my first video that he created totally by mistake . . it auto played right after I had wasted my time watching a recommended video by "We're the Roberts" (no offense intended CheapJeepMeepMeep).

This guy is an experienced drone pilot having owned and flown about everything under the sun including the Atom and Atom 2. However, his focus is on tips and tricks you can use to improve the video quality you shoot in an effort to achieve cinematic results.

Enough said! Experience the fun of watching (or I should say binge watching) the numerous videos he's posted online. It will help you fly better and shoot better than you ever thought possible.

https://www.youtube.com/@reelprodigydrones

Trying to get the attention of Potensic support is probably the only purpose with this post. Maybe I just need to vent a bit because nothing will come of this. My problems always arise after the original warranty has expired.

Let me preface my observations by saying I've been flying my Atom and Atom 2 for about 3 years and regardless of the model, the battery behavior remains the same.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not pleased with the quality/longevity of these batteries (excluding the original ones that came with the Atom SE). These are lithium-ion . . maybe lithium polymer . . it makes no difference. Lithium batteries provide you with a specified number of charge cycles. It can be as low as 300 and I've seen some devices like laptop computers or phones that spec upwards of 1000 charge cycles.

I have yet to have a battery that will exceed 100 charge cycles before the battery begins to swell . . expand . . and that's NOT a good sign. It swells to the point that it makes it exceedingly difficult to insert and remove the batteries in the charging hub. And here's the odd thing. It's not the actual battery that's expanding. It's the plastic encasement that expands due to "gas" that the battery is emitting inside the enclosure. My observation is spot on. When expanded, I can actually compress the plastic encasement to its normal size with my fingers pressing on its sides (specifically the top and bottom).

I've seen my share of defective lithium-ion laptop batteries and once they expand, you can't compress them back to their original size. They're as hard as a brick. They're toast!

Between the two drones I've purchased, I have six batteries total. All three of the batteries that came with my Atom have long since expired, exhibiting the exact same behavior I just described - they swell until they're either unusable or the Potensic app will indicate there is a problem.

I've just had my first battery of the three that came with my Atom 2 start to swell, out of warranty of course. It has less than 50 charge cycles on it. Maybe I'll have better luck with the remaining two batteries . . . maybe not.

The latest firmware updates installed for my Potensic Atom 2 drone are creating an annoyance and I don't have a solution other than the firmware updates need a fix. I lock onto the minimal required GPS satellites, Eve gives me the green light to launch, I take off and ascend no more than a meter or two and I get a warning that it's shifting into Opti mode. When this happens, my GPS satellite indicator normally displayed in white text changes to orange, then it flickers back to white and I'm back in GPS mode. I usually land and try again because I know If I launch in Opti mode, I can't change it to GPS after takeoff. Even on my second or third efforts, the behavior repeats itself. Any issues with the latest firmware updates that you're aware of?

Response from Gemini Ai:

That behavior is incredibly frustrating, especially when you’ve done everything right by waiting on the ground for a solid lock and a green light, only to have the rug pulled out from under you a meter into the air.

You hit the nail on the head: this is a recognized quirk that has been plaguing multiple Atom 2 pilots, particularly following recent cycles of the Potensic Eve app and flight controller firmware updates. Pilots have reported similar instances where the drone boots up fine, registers a "Takeoff Permitted" status, but drops into OPTI or ATTI mode the moment throttle is applied to lift off, causing the indicator to flash orange before finally settling back into GPS mode.

The issue stems from a combination of the firmware's updated satellite threshold logic and a classic hardware handshake delay during takeoff.

Why This is Happening

• The "Bare Minimum" Trap: In recent firmware iterations, the Eve app is a bit eager to give you the "green light" the exact second the drone hits the absolute minimum threshold required to log a home point (typically around 10 satellites).
• The Takeoff Signal Dip: When your drone's motors spin up and it ascends the first meter or two, the hardware draws maximum current. This minor spike in electronic noise, combined with the physical tilt of the drone as it stabilizes in the air, can momentarily cause it to drop just one or two satellites.
• The Drop to OPTI: If you take off with 10 satellites and immediately drop to 8 or 9, the new firmware strictly drops the drone out of GPS mode. Because you are only a meter or two off the ground, the downward Time-of-Flight (TOF) sensors and cameras can clearly see the surface, shifting it into OPTI mode (and turning your indicator orange) to keep it from drifting. Once it stabilizes and re-acquires those lost satellites a few seconds later, the indicator flickers back to white (GPS).

How to Prevent It (Without Landing)

While Potensic needs to patch the sensitivity of this threshold in a future update, you can usually outsmart the current firmware bug on your next flights with two adjustments:

1. Ignore the Initial Green Light: When the Eve app says you are good to go, look past the green light and check the actual satellite count. Do not push the sticks to unlock until you see at least 13 to 15 satellites locked in. Waiting an extra 30 to 60 seconds on the ground gives the GNSS module time to build a robust, stable connection that can survive the minor signal dip of taking off.
2. Commit to a Quick Ascent: If you do take off and it flashes into OPTI mode at one meter, don't land immediately. As long as the wind is calm, let it hover for 5–10 seconds or safely push it up to about 3 or 4 meters. Once it gets past that initial takeoff noise and slightly higher into the air (clear of ground reflections or obstructions), it will rapidly lock onto more satellites and flip back to white GPS mode on its own.

You actually can transition from OPTI back into GPS mid-flight automatically; the system just needs to acquire enough satellites to cross back over the firmware's strict threshold. Give it an extra minute to cook on the ground next time, and it should stop forcing you into those repetitive landing cycles.

IS THERE A FIX COMING FROM POTENSIC?