Cold weather flying. Camera instability, M2Z

[Barbara]

I've been doing some flying in the -5 to -10 deg C range and have noticed that the video is not entirely stable. It looks like the gimbal is constantly doing discreet micro-adjustments instead of smoothly holding the shot. It's particularly noticeable if you zoom into something.

Flying at +5 or warmer, no issues.

Has anyone else experienced this? Solutions?

 

[akdrone]

You might play and test the gimble and advanced settings. I don‘t have an M2 so can’t make comparisons but have come across videos that have talked about that kind of general issue (not cold related) that may have some pointers.

 

[old man mavic]

'@Barbara negative temps can cause issues ,with the gimbal and also in certain conditions can cause ice to form on the props
flying in low temps does need a bit more care as the battery life ,will also reduce the flight time as well

 

[Yaros]

I've been doing some flying in the -5 to -10 deg C range and have noticed that the video is not entirely stable. It looks like the gimbal is constantly doing discreet micro-adjustments instead of smoothly holding the shot. It's particularly noticeable if you zoom into something.

Flying at +5 or warmer, no issues.

Has anyone else experienced this? Solutions?

Yep, had that too when flying in low temps. The fix is to move the gimbal up and down fast, that partially fixes the problem.

 

[Barbara]

You might play and test the gimble and advanced settings. I don‘t have an M2 so can’t make comparisons but have come across videos that have talked about that kind of general issue (not cold related) that may have some pointers.

Pretty much determined this is a cold related issue, but will do more research. Thanks for the suggestions.

'@Barbara negative temps can cause issues ,with the gimbal and also in certain conditions can cause ice to form on the props
flying in low temps does need a bit more care as the battery life ,will also reduce the flight time as well

I'm always careful, even nervous, flying in cold weather. My first ever drone flight, my Spark at about -10 C, had compass and IMU errors after about 5 minutes followed immediately by my Iphone failing and going blank. Landed successfully.

But I digress. It sounds like issues with the gimbal are not unheard of at cold temperatures. I don't generally fly when humidity is high (while it's snowing or foggy) and I watch my battery and distance from carefully. But thanks, your advice is good.

Yep, had that too when flying in low temps. The fix is to move the gimbal up and down fast, that partially fixes the problem.

Appreciate your confirming that I'm not the only one who's experienced this issue, thanks. I'll have to try your suggestion.

 

[Barbara]

I also talked to tech support at my local (well, they're in Canada, what's 2000 or so km) DJI Store and these are their suggestions:

• gimbal calibration through the DJI app settings
• a firmware refresh through Assistant 2 software on a PC or Mac
• resetting the camera settings

I'll give them a try. I'll do the gimbal calibration at cold temperature. Then check my firmware, I think I'm one version behind right now. And then the camera settings. Also Yaros' suggestion. I will have to verify the effect of each separately so I can determine which fix actually worked to correct the problem, if any actually does.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

I don't really know, but I can't help but wonder if there isn't a rubber pully in the gimbal package that would change in the cold temps, become stiffer.

Just a thought.
Chris

 

[Barbara]

I don't really know, but I can't help but wonder if there isn't a rubber pully in the gimbal package that would change in the cold temps, become stiffer.

Just a thought.
Chris

Just watched a video of someone disassembling a gimbal (M2P). Does not appear that there are any pulleys, or gears, involved in the mechanism. Good thought though.

 

[Chrislaf]

If the gimbal stability is actually due to cold that would be surprising since the M2 is rated to be able to fly in temps as cold as -10ºC and you certainly were within that range. I am wondering if something else was causing the instability.

I don't have a M2 but I have flown my Spark in temps as low as -16ºC and I do get problems with the gimbal having problems pitching its entire range but as @Yaros said I usually launch and hover and then do a few quick up and down pitches until I get the full range back and then it is usually good to go. With my older Phantom 3, I have flown it in weather as cold as -25ºC and maybe even colder and haven't had any problems with the gimbal. Both the Spark and the Phantom are only rated to fly in weather to 0ºC.

Chris

 

[old man mavic]

@Barbara i think that what @Not A Speck Of Cereal ,was referring to in his post ,when he mentioned rubber pully was actually the flexible rubber mountings that attach the gimbal plate to the drone ,there main purpose is to isolate as much vibration as possible from the motors that gives rise to what we call jello which shows up during playback ,and indeed in bad cases on the screen device while in flight,
it could be that the cold temperature does cause them to become stiffer than normal ,so that they do not work as well as they should
this is just my opinion on your issue

 

[Barbara]

Here's a brief example of the instability I'm getting:

 

[Chrislaf]

Is it only happening when it is being zoomed in? I notice in your video it is snowing out - does the M2Z lens physically zoom in and out? If so maybe the snow is getting on the zoom and interfering with its smooth operation - just a thought. Does this happen on cold days when it is not snowing? These are some of the questions I would be asking before assuming the cold is causing the issue.

Chris

 

[Yaros]

Here's a brief example of the instability I'm getting:

This is not the same issue that happened to me. My issue was that it rotated slowly and the horizon went kinda crazy. This looks like the gimbal motors are cold and getting stuck. Try to launch it in your room, in room temperature and see if it happens.

 

[Barbara]

Is it only happening when it is being zoomed in? I notice in your video it is snowing out - does the M2Z lens physically zoom in and out? If so maybe the snow is getting on the zoom and interfering with its smooth operation - just a thought. Does this happen on cold days when it is not snowing? These are some of the questions I would be asking before assuming the cold is causing the issue.

Chris

The zoom mechanism is internal to the housing so snow could not be affecting the operation. Also, this will happen whether or not it is snowing, but so far as I can tell, only at temperatures below freezing.

 

[Barbara]

This is not the same issue that happened to me. My issue was that it rotated slowly and the horizon went kinda crazy. This looks like the gimbal motors are cold and getting stuck. Try to launch it in your room, in room temperature and see if it happens.

Definitely a different issue for you. I've since flown in the house and don't see the same stability issue. However it seems to be much easier to see on long shots and particularly when I zoom in, neither of which are really possible inside our house. Unfortunately warm weather testing outdoors won't be possible for a few months yet. Weekend temperatures are expected to be around -25 C here. BRRR....

 

[Chrislaf]

The zoom mechanism is internal to the housing so snow could not be affecting the operation. Also, this will happen whether or not it is snowing, but so far as I can tell, only at temperatures below freezing.

Has this happened before at cold temps that are within specs (ie., not colder than -10ºC)? If not then something else is likely causing this issue. I am no expert, but if it was my M2 I would also check my props to make sure everything was ok with them.

Maybe someone else who has a M2Z and has flown it in temps between 0ºC and -10ºC can report back to see if they have had any problems similar to yours.

Chris