DJI Matrice 400 and Zenmuse L3 Drone LiDAR Survey System
W-9 and vendor pack with every quote
Shipped direct from the manufacturer
Aircraft, LiDAR payload, its dedicated gimbal connector and a D-RTK 3 base station on one purchase order. It ships without flight batteries, and the published accuracy needs the base station's own position calibrated first.
01
This system does not include flight batteries, and nothing in it charges one
The Matrice 400 in this system is our No Batteries / No Care configuration, so it arrives without a flight battery and without DJI Care Enterprise. There is no BS100 Intelligent Battery Station here either, so nothing in it charges a pack. Order this and nothing else and you have an aircraft, a sensor, a mount and a base station, with no power to lift it. Call us and we will put TB100 flight batteries and a BS100 station on the same purchase order. A survey pole and a tripod for the base station also sit outside it, sold separately. The base station is the part that earns the most explanation.
The drone this system flies on
DJI Enterprise's launch film for the Matrice 400, the only aircraft the Zenmuse L3 mounts to.
02
DJI's accuracy figures need a base station whose own position has been calibrated, not one simply switched on
That is why the D-RTK 3 Multifunctional Station is part of this instrument rather than an upsell. Every accuracy figure DJI publishes for the Zenmuse L3 was measured with the aircraft linked to a position calibrated D-RTK 3. A base station is a ground receiver that broadcasts corrections to the aircraft. Calibrated means its own coordinate was established first. DJI's D-RTK 3 FAQ names three ways to do that: Network RTK calibration, PPP calibration from satellite based Precise Point Positioning, or manual calibration. A receiver set down on an unsurveyed point is none of the three. DJI recommends calibrating during periods of inactive ionosphere, using four or more GNSS systems. It wants open ground, free of electromagnetic interference and of multipath, meaning signal arriving by reflection.
03
3 cm vertical is the 120 m figure, measured with that calibrated station and DJI Terra afterward
Every accuracy figure this system has belongs to one altitude. At 120 m, DJI's specifications page gives 3 cm vertical and 4 cm horizontal RMSE, root mean square error. At 300 m the same page gives 5 cm vertical and 7.5 cm horizontal. On other pages DJI publishes an RMSE tier at 150 m and a marketing figure at 500 m. Those figures share one measurement setup: a position calibrated D-RTK 3, linear scanning at 15 m/s, gimbal pitch at -90 degrees, checkpoints on exposed hard ground. The point cloud, the measured three dimensional points, was then processed offline in DJI Terra with Optimize Point Cloud Accuracy enabled. DJI states the live point cloud in DJI Pilot 2 is a field preview, with accuracy not guaranteed.
04
1.0 cm plus 1 ppm appears twice in DJI's material, for two different things
ppm is parts per million. The first is the base station's own coordinate after Network RTK Calibration: 1.0 cm plus 1 ppm horizontal, 3.0 cm plus 1 ppm vertical, RMS. The second is the aircraft's position in flight, with RTK, a live satellite correction, in Fix status. That one is 1.0 cm plus 1 ppm horizontal, 1.5 cm plus 1 ppm vertical. The horizontal figures match, the vertical ones do not, and each belongs to a different measurement. A second pair does the same thing. DJI gives the correction link from the D-RTK 3 to a Matrice 400 as 40 km under FCC, 20 km under SRRC, CE and JP. The aircraft's own video link to its controller carries those two numbers on a different DJI page.
05
The Zenmuse L3 mounts to one aircraft, on a connector that currently carries nothing else
DJI names only the Matrice 400 for this payload, across its product page, specifications, FAQ and support page. A Matrice 350 RTK will not take the L3, so this system is an aircraft as well as a sensor. The L3 rides on its own single gimbal connector, the part that joins a payload to a drone. DJI states that connector currently supports only the L3, and that it goes to the E1 port or mapping accuracy is reduced. The L3 with that connector weighs 1.745 kg. DJI rates the connector to 2100 g, and above 1600 g the gimbal damper's rated life drops from 1000 hours to 400 hours. The damper is the vibration isolator between drone and payload, so this pairing lives at the shorter number.
06
The laser is rated Class 1, and DJI's own cautions do not end there
DJI classes the 1535 nm laser as Class 1 under IEC 60825-1:2014, safe under all normal conditions of use. Its user manual still says not to look directly into the LiDAR optical window for extended periods. Nor through optical magnifiers such as telescopes or magnifying glasses, to avoid injury. DJI's Product Information document adds that another LiDAR in use, or any strong energy source, can permanently damage it. It also warns against touching the case or the optical window at power on, to avoid burns.
07
DJI says the L3's point cloud features are free in DJI Terra, which is not the same as DJI Terra being free
DJI's FAQ states point cloud processing and its advanced functions are free for the L3 in DJI Terra, as of DJI Terra V5.1.0. Read that sentence closely. It says the features cost nothing inside DJI Terra. It stops short of saying DJI Terra itself costs nothing. DJI says later functions may be charged. Every published accuracy tier needs DJI Terra post processing, so the licensing question sits directly under the accuracy this system is bought for. Better asked before a purchase order is cut than after. Call us and we will work through Terra licensing and quote the license on the same order.
08 FOR UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Who should not buy this system, and how to order it if you should
Fly a Matrice 350 RTK and this is the wrong system, because the L3 will not mount to it. Ask us about the Zenmuse L2 instead. Need a horizontal accuracy figure at 500 m for a specification, and DJI publishes none anywhere. Want one sealed carton, and this is four DJI part numbers on one purchase order. Order it on its own and it will not fly, so add the batteries and the charging station. My Surveying Direct is an authorized DJI Enterprise dealer, and we accept purchase orders from universities, colleges and government agencies. Shipped direct from the manufacturer. Call +1 888 850 6533, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 Mountain Time, and we will confirm the packing list against your order before you buy.
Checkout above. Financing available with Affirm.
Institutions only: universities, colleges and government agencies.
Attached automatically.
Send the certificate once, we hold it on file.
On request, for committee approval.
One person, from quote to delivery.
The sensor this system carries
DJI Enterprise's launch film for the Zenmuse L3, the payload this system is built to fly.
REFERENCE
Specifications
What this system is
| Drone | DJI Matrice 400. 6 kg max payload capacity at the third gimbal connector, sea level. Carries the L3 on its dedicated Zenmuse L3 gimbal connector, rated 2100 g max payload, separate from the third gimbal connector |
| Sensor | DJI Zenmuse L3. 1535 nm laser, up to 950 m detection range at 10% reflectivity and 100 kHz, dual 100 MP RGB mapping cameras, 1.60 kg without its own connector |
| Mount | Zenmuse L3 single gimbal connector, 145 g, the part that physically attaches the L3 to the aircraft. Our own listing supplies this as part of this configuration |
| Base station | DJI D-RTK 3 Multifunctional Station, 1.26 kg, IP67. Runs as a base station, a relay station, or a rover, and it is the specific device DJI's L3 accuracy figures are measured against |
| What the price line covers | Our own listing prices the Matrice 400, the Zenmuse L3, the gimbal connector and the D-RTK 3 as one line item on one purchase order rather than four separate ones |
Why the base station is part of the instrument
| Shared conditions behind every L3 accuracy figure | DJI Matrice 400 linked to a position-calibrated D-RTK 3 Multifunctional Station; DJI Pilot 2 Area Route with Calibrate IMU enabled; Linear scanning; 15 m/s flight speed; gimbal pitch -90 degrees; straight segments under 3300 m; exposed hard-ground checkpoints conforming to the diffuse reflection model; DJI Terra post-processing with Optimize Point Cloud Accuracy enabled. DJI does not state ground-control-point density beyond 'checkpoints', and does not label the figures absolute vs. relative |
| What 'position-calibrated' means | DJI's own D-RTK 3 FAQ names three ways to establish the base station's own coordinate before it is trusted as a correction source: Network RTK calibration, PPP calibration (satellite-based Precise Point Positioning), or manual calibration. A station simply switched on over an unsurveyed point is none of these three |
| Base-station coordinate accuracy (Network RTK Calibration) | Horizontal 1.0 cm + 1 ppm, vertical 3.0 cm + 1 ppm (RMS). DJI recommends calibrating during periods of inactive ionosphere, in open, unobstructed environments free of electromagnetic interference or multipath effects, using four or more GNSS systems |
| A different 1.0 cm + 1 ppm figure, not to be confused with the one above | The aircraft's own RTK Fix positioning accuracy, once it is receiving corrections, is horizontal 1.0 cm + 1 ppm, vertical 1.5 cm + 1 ppm. That is the aircraft's accuracy while flying; the base-station coordinate accuracy above is a different measurement, of the ground station's own position, and the two vertical figures do not match |
| The alternative DJI itself calls out | DJI's own Zenmuse L3 specs page lists the older D-RTK 2 as a second device that can generate the same DAT-format base-station data as the D-RTK 3. Our own listing states the L3's published accuracy figures were measured against a D-RTK 3, not a D-RTK 2, and that flying the L3 against the older station still produces a point cloud, just not the accuracy on the specification sheet |
System accuracy, by altitude
| 120 m altitude | Vertical 3 cm, horizontal 4 cm (RMSE). Published on DJI's specs page and DJI's FAQ, in agreement |
| 150 m altitude | Vertical 3.5 cm, horizontal 5 cm (RMSE). Published in DJI's FAQ and support page; not on DJI's specs page or our own listing |
| 300 m altitude | Vertical 5 cm, horizontal 7.5 cm (RMSE). Published on DJI's specs page and DJI's FAQ, in agreement |
| 500 m altitude | DJI's product page states vertical accuracy 'better than 10 cm' at 500 m. This is DJI's own marketing wording, not an RMSE figure like the tiers above, and DJI gives no horizontal figure at 500 m anywhere. Not published on DJI's specs page |
| Point cloud thickness | 1.2 cm at 1-sigma at 120 m nadir altitude; 2 cm at 1-sigma at 300 m nadir altitude, in Linear scanning on 80% reflectivity targets, with neither point cloud optimization nor downsampling enabled in DJI Terra |
| Real-time preview is not this figure | DJI states the real-time point cloud shown in DJI Pilot 2 during flight is for field-operation preview only and its accuracy is not guaranteed. The figures above require DJI Terra offline post-processing to achieve |
Detection range and the mapping cameras
| Detection range | 700 m at 10% reflectivity, 350 kHz. 950 m at 10% reflectivity, 100 kHz. 2000 m at 80% reflectivity, 100 kHz. DJI defines range as the distance at which 50% of emitted pulses are detected, measured at 100 klx ambient light, central FOV, perpendicular incidence, 23 km atmospheric visibility. Capped at 900 m by default |
| Wire detection range | 21.6 mm steel-core aluminum stranded wire: 300 m at 100 klx, 350 kHz. Measured as the distance at which a fully scanned wire section reaches 4 points per meter, drone flying at 15 m/s along clean, unaged wire |
| Ranging accuracy | Absolute accuracy plus or minus 10 mm; repeatability under 5 mm at 1-sigma. Met at 25 degrees C ambient temperature, 350 kHz pulse rate, 80% object reflectivity, at 120 m and 300 m distances |
| RGB mapping cameras | Dual 4/3 CMOS, 100 MP effective. Combined horizontal FOV 107 degrees, composed by merging images from the two cameras set at a 45-degree optical axis angle to each other |
| Ground sampling distance | 3 cm average, at 300 m nadir flight altitude |
| Conditions that reduce range, accuracy or add point cloud noise | DJI's user manual lists mirror or highly reflective surfaces, water or wet surfaces, low visibility from rain or fog, a payload that has just powered on and not warmed up, target distance under 10 m, excessively strong ambient light, backscatter from raindrops, fog droplets or dust, and high sampling frequency over large elevation differences |
Laser safety and handling cautions
| Laser safety classification | Class 1 (IEC 60825-1:2014). DJI states the Zenmuse L3 is safe under all normal conditions of use |
| Eye safety, DJI's own warning | DJI's user manual adds: do NOT look directly at the LiDAR optical window for extended periods, or view it through optical magnifiers such as telescopes or magnifying glasses. Do NOT photograph the LiDAR while in use, to avoid damaging the camera sensor |
| Sensor-damage and burn cautions | DJI's separate Product Information document warns: to avoid burns, do not touch the camera case or optical window when powering on; do not expose the LiDAR to strong sources of energy such as a laser beam or another LiDAR in use, or it may be permanently damaged; avoid vertical laser beam incidence on high-reflectivity mirror surfaces (such as coated glass) at 1.5 μm wavelength within the LiDAR's field of view, for the same reason |
| General handling cautions | DJI states: this is a precision instrument, do not drop it, handle with care; land on flat ground to avoid impact damage; do not disassemble, modify, or add components such as filters or lens hoods; only remove the payload after the aircraft is powered off; do not splash it with water or clean it with alcohol, benzene, thinners, or other flammable substances |
Positioning, PPK and the base-station link
| GNSS and POS update rate | GNSS 5 Hz; POS 200 Hz |
| Supported PPK differential data formats | DAT, generated in Base Station Mode by the D-RTK 3 Multifunctional Station or D-RTK 2; RINEX v2.1x, v3.0x; RTCM v3.0 to v3.3, protocols MSM3 to MSM7; OEM4, OEM6. DJI requires the Multifunctional Station to stay within 15 km of the aircraft and to observe more than two GNSS constellations |
| D-RTK 3 to aircraft link range, Base Station Mode | Between D-RTK 3 and Matrice 400: FCC 40 km, SRRC/CE/JP 20 km. Between D-RTK 3 and other DJI aircraft: FCC 15 km, SRRC 12 km, CE/JP 8 km. Measured in an unobstructed outdoor environment free of interference, one-way non-return flight. This is the base-station correction link, a separate measurement from the aircraft's own O4 Enterprise Enhanced video transmission range, even where the figures coincide |
| Differential data transmission format | When used as a base station or relay station, the D-RTK 3 records RTCM 3.2 raw observation data in DAT format. In rover station mode, or in calibration mode for base and relay stations, it supports RTCM v3.0, v3.1, v3.2, v3.3, MSM4, MSM5, MSM6, MSM7 protocols. DJI recommends receivers that support four or more GNSS systems |
| Initialization reliability | Greater than 99.9% |
| GNSS constellations, two different counts for two different jobs | The L3's own PPK differential data requires the D-RTK 3 to observe more than two GNSS constellations. DJI's separate recommendation for calibrating the D-RTK 3's own base-station coordinate is four or more GNSS systems. These are two different requirements for two different steps in the same workflow, not one figure repeated |
The D-RTK 3 base station itself
| GNSS frequency coverage | GPS L1C/A, L2C, L5. BeiDou B1I, B2I, B3I, B1C, B2a, B2b. Galileo E1, E5a, E5b, E6. GLONASS L1, L2. QZSS L1C/A, L2C, L5. L-Band supported |
| Rover accuracy, fixed survey | Horizontal 0.8 cm + 1 ppm, vertical 1.5 cm + 1 ppm (RMS), a different mode and a different figure from the base-station coordinate accuracy above |
| Rover accuracy, tilt survey | Angle range 0 to 60 degrees. Horizontal 8 mm plus 0.7 mm per degree of tilt, accuracy under 2 cm within 30 degrees |
| Physical characteristics | Weight approximately 1.26 kg (2.78 lbs). Dimensions 163 mm by 89 mm, without the OcuSync directional antennas. Protection rating IP67, measured in a controlled environment and not permanent. Operating temperature -20 to 55 degrees C (-4 to 131 degrees F). Max altitude 6000 m. Drop resistance 2 m with the pole fitted |
| Battery | LiPo, 6500 mAh, 46.8 Wh. Operating time under normal temperature: 7 hours as a base station, 4 hours as a relay station, 10 hours as a rover |
| Power draw and charging | Relay station 14.5 W, base station 7 W, rover station 6.2 W, maximum without heating. Charges from a USB PD 3.0 adapter, 9 to 15 V output, such as a DJI 65 W Portable Charger. A non-recommended 5 V charger can only charge the unit after it is powered off |
| Modes and what each is for | Base Station Mode broadcasts corrections to multiple compatible aircraft at once. Relay Station Mode extends the video transmission link between pilot and aircraft, unavailable in countries or regions without 5 GHz frequency support. Rover Station Mode turns the unit into a hand-held mapping device for control points and checkpoints |
Mounting and aircraft fit
| Supported aircraft for the L3 | DJI Matrice 400 only, requires the Zenmuse L3 single gimbal connector. No other aircraft appears anywhere in DJI's product page, specs page, FAQ or support page for this payload |
| Connector exclusivity | DJI states the Zenmuse L3 single gimbal connector currently supports only the L3. Mounting a different DJI payload on it, DJI's example is the Zenmuse H30T, may cause video shake that affects functions such as Smart Track and Automated Overhead Power Line Inspection |
| Connector payload limit, from the Matrice 400's own specifications | DJI's Matrice 400 spec page lists a dedicated Zenmuse L3 gimbal connector rated at 2100 g maximum payload; above 1600 g, DJI states the gimbal damper lifespan falls from 1000 hours to 400 hours. The L3 itself weighs 1.60 kg plus 145 g for its own connector, 1.745 kg total, inside that limit but above the 1600 g damper-life threshold |
| Correct mounting port | DJI's FAQ states the gimbal connector must be connected to the E1 port on the aircraft's underside; otherwise mapping accuracy is reduced |
| Flying the L3 alongside a second payload | Our own listing states that carrying the L3 on a second or third gimbal position needs the Matrice 400 Dual Gimbal Connector or Third Gimbal Connector, sold separately from this system |
What this system needs that is not included
| Flight batteries | Our own listing states this configuration ships without TB100 flight batteries or a BS100 Intelligent Battery Station, and that this system will not fly as quoted without them. Call and we will price both onto the same purchase order |
| TB100 Intelligent Flight Battery, for reference | 20,254 mAh, 977 Wh, rated for 400 charge cycles. DJI's own consumer store lists it as compatible with DJI Matrice 400 and weighing approximately 4720 g |
| BS100 Intelligent Battery Station, for reference | DJI's own consumer store describes it as a one-stop solution for charging, storage and transport, with three TB100 battery ports and compatibility listed as DJI Matrice 400 |
| Survey pole and tripod for the D-RTK 3 | Our own listing states no tripod or pole ships with the D-RTK 3 in this system. DJI sells a Self-locking Survey Pole and Dual-lock Tripod separately; DJI's FAQ gives the pole's diameter as 32 mm, length 1.25 to 2 m, and the tripod height as 92 mm |
| CFexpress card, confirmed included | DJI's FAQ states the 1 TB CFexpress Type B card comes with the Zenmuse L3, at 1500 MB/s sequential write. A non-bundled card may write more slowly or manage power less efficiently |
| Processing software | DJI's own software ecosystem for this system is DJI Pilot 2 for capture, DJI Terra for point cloud processing, DJI Modify for classification, and DJI FlightHub 2 for cloud viewing. DJI states point cloud processing and its advanced functions are free for the L3 in DJI Terra as of DJI Terra V5.1.0, and adds that whether later functions are charged follows the release notes at the time. It does not say every DJI Terra tier is free, and whether a paid tier is required to reach the accuracy figures above is not settled by what DJI or our own listing states. Call and we will quote a DJI Terra license alongside this system |
Ordering
| Dealer status | Authorized DJI Enterprise dealer |
| Purchase orders | Accepted from universities, colleges and government agencies |
| Shipping | Shipped direct from the manufacturer |
| Speak to us | +1 888 850 6533, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 Mountain Time |