Why not just turn off the controller?

[Haucke]

I get my Mavic tomorrow... I have built and flown RC Planes and helos for several years and then dropped out of the hobby for photography, now here I come at it again combining the two.
From past experience and expense I have learned that the more time you do researching the less you spend on needless expense and repairs. So with that in mind I have spent the last month researching Drones and zeroed in on DJI products and up until I ordered the Mavic I was considering the Phantom 4 Pro. I decided the portability was more important to me at this point.
During the research I have noted videos and forums talking about the Mavic spin no/little control and how people have lost their drones due to this issue. Several of the videos that I have seen demonstrated what appears to be a controller issue. I have yet to hear anyone suggest turning off the controller and let the fly home process kick in. Am I missing something here?


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[BD0G]

No . I think you have a handle on things . Although if there is no stick control during the "toilet bowl" effect then turing off the remote control may not correct the "toilet bowl" effect and RTH.

As I recall this effect was created as one of the motors on the Mavic would develop high levels of EMF (usually when in Sport mode and going wide open) . This EMF would interfere with one of the onboard compasses. Then the other compass'es data would differ from that of the first compass and then the Mavic would become disoriented and experience the effect nicknamed "toilet bowl". (for its circular spiralling)

I have noted that fewer and fewer reports of this phenomenon have been reported over time. Which leads me to believe that DJI has addressed this issue within one of the recent firmware revisions.

The latest Mavic's shipped already have the latest or nearly the latest firmware installed. That should put your mind at ease. What also helps is to purchase a personal articles insurance policy for your Mavic Pro from StateFarm. You do not have to have an existing policy and the cost is about 60 $ a year. It covers anything that occurs. Theft , fire, Crashes, fly aways, etc.

With an investment in the Mavic of 1 K plus 60 a year should be chump change. I was the first person with this type of insurance in Northern Nev and I find it easier to sleep at night with the coverage.

Trackers are also a good idea. Marco Polo is your friend.

 

[Robbyg]

I have yet to hear anyone suggest turning off the controller and let the fly home process kick in. Am I missing something here?

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Great question. Yes you are missing something.

If the Mavic is spinning out of control all you would have to do is let go off the sticks and if it's working properly it should stop and hover at that location. If it's in Atti mode it will drift with the wind but the spinning and descent will stop.

In most cases that is not the case, the person has lost control because something is wrong with the mavic and pressing RTH or turning off the controller is not going to help.

Typical Problems:

1) A Factory lemon

2) The Mavic had a prior crash and something is broken. Typically a piece of the prop clip has dropped in a motor and has seized up the motor.

3) Low temperatures have caused icing on the propellers causing the motor to draw excessive power until it looses RPM's or shuts down.

4) Sensor malfunctions that give the Mavics CPU incorrect info.

And the list goes on.

In all these cases the Mavic is not going to be able to return home by itself, it will just continue to do what it is doing unless the Pilot has some level of control and a lot of skill and can maneuver it enough to make a controlled hard landing.

The other big reason to keep on the controller is that it is receiving telemetry data and possibly recorded video data which will help you locate the Mavic if it is far away. At the very least you will have data that gives you an idea of what happened. If you turn off the controller you have nothing except the last position of the Mavic when you switched it off.

Also keep in mind that an RTH is only going to be successful if you have a proper GPS signal. Many of these crashes occur because the GPS signal was lost and the pilot could not fly it well enough in Atti mode.

Rob

 

[Logger]

Your description of a Mavic spin no/little control issue is all a bit vague. Lets say the spin or loss of control was actually the drone going in to ATTI mode due to loss of GPS signal then spiralling away - then killing the RC to trigger RTH is not going to work. It does not know how to navigate home as it is in ATTI mode. If the Mavic spin no/little control was due to magnetic interference at the controller & the RC now detects this then a recent update will trigger a RTH on its own. But yeah if you are confident your RTH path is clear AND 100% certain the Mavic is in GPS mode AND the Mavic wont turn into the sun and gets stalled by the OA system, then give it a whirl. It should bring it home. I would be trying plenty of other things first though before intentionally killing the connection.

PS Why not just turn off the controller? Because you do not wish to lose control of the drone. Far better to hit the RTH button which gives you the option to re-intervene, should you choose.

 

[Robbyg]

Killing the connection would only be a good idea if some how one of the sticks or buttons on the controller was stuck and sending a stream of bad commands. That's about the only time I would try killing the connection. I have not seen a report yet of a stuck stick or bad button, I have heard of a broken off stick and in that case an RTH and leaving the controller on is much better than turning it off.

Rob

 

[BD0G]

Me too. Like flying in ATTI Mode looking at the position of the last known location of the Mavic Pro on the radar if present and then flying manually in ATTI mode back to my location.

Being able to fly in ATTI mode seems like an invaluable skill.

 

[m0j0]

I think he is responding to early reports about the Mavic. Many were believing that the problem was related to the TX. I'm not certain that problem is still occurring.


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[GerdS]

There was a hint somewhere on how to leave the TBE in case it happens. Just use the yaw stick and quickly do one or more full 360° turns.

 

[Haucke]

Killing the connection would only be a good idea if some how one of the sticks or buttons on the controller was stuck and sending a stream of bad commands. That's about the only time I would try killing the connection. I have not seen a report yet of a stuck stick or bad button, I have heard of a broken off stick and in that case an RTH and leaving the controller on is much better than turning it off.

Rob

This is exactly what I am talking about. There are a couple YouTube videos showing this spin and showing the bogus signals coming from the controller.
Great replies everyone, There were a couple of aspects I have not yet considered. That is what I like about forums!


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[Haucke]

I think he is responding to early reports about the Mavic. Many were believing that the problem was related to the TX. I'm not certain that problem is still occurring.


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Yes, that is what I am referring to.


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[deltalimatango]

No . I think you have a handle on things . Although if there is no stick control during the "toilet bowl" effect then turing off the remote control may not correct the "toilet bowl" effect and RTH.

As I recall this effect was created as one of the motors on the Mavic would develop high levels of EMF (usually when in Sport mode and going wide open) . This EMF would interfere with one of the onboard compasses. Then the other compass'es data would differ from that of the first compass and then the Mavic would become disoriented and experience the effect nicknamed "toilet bowl". (for its circular spiralling)

I have noted that fewer and fewer reports of this phenomenon have been reported over time. Which leads me to believe that DJI has addressed this issue within one of the recent firmware revisions.

The latest Mavic's shipped already have the latest or nearly the latest firmware installed. That should put your mind at ease. What also helps is to purchase a personal articles insurance policy for your Mavic Pro from StateFarm. You do not have to have an existing policy and the cost is about 60 $ a year. It covers anything that occurs. Theft , fire, Crashes, fly aways, etc.

With an investment in the Mavic of 1 K plus 60 a year should be chump change. I was the first person with this type of insurance in Northern Nev and I find it easier to sleep at night with the coverage.

Trackers are also a good idea. Marco Polo is your friend.

Best post ever. I live in Finland and before I even had my P4, I called my insurance company. Because the drone has a camera, they included it to be insured under my professional camera gear. Sold the P4 and now have the Mavic. Same thing. Insured under my pro camera gear. Get insurance people.... It's worth it.