Compass nightmares

[GalDizzle]

Hi all. Flying around the globe with my Mavic Air. Had minimal issues in Russia, Mongolia, China, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand other than needing to regularly recalibrate compass (accepted given I moved around a lot).

Now, however, I’m hiking around Chile and Argentina with a rather large paperweight.

The recalibrate compass message has decided to become permenant pretty much as soon as I go to fly despite the levels of interference showing as minimal (compass level is green in the sensors screen).

Needless to say I know how to recalibrate but something seems to simply have changed which is resulting in my Mavic Air being useless.

I can sometimes still get it in the air if, as soon as I ‘Go Fly’, I hit launch before the MA has had time to register the stupid compass error and if I do that it seems ok. Problem is as soon as I land and go to switch batteries it comes back and stays unless I power down for a few days / close app etc.

At my wits end. Any thoughts be appreciated.

Thanks
Garry

 

[Point Zero]

Have you tried restoring to factory settings?

Its the only thing I would try before other stuff and its something you can do. I think you will need dji Assistant 2 or Assistant 2 for Mavic to do it, so a laptop of some kind or a PC / Mac somewhere

 

[GalDizzle]

Funny enough that’s what I’ve just been looking at and is tomorrow mornings last resort.

Other than that I can only assume it’s actual damage somehow to the compass sensor. There’s a DJI store in buenos airies I can visit but it will be after all those beautiful mountains sadly!

I’ll post an update after the factory setting action tomorrow and flying attempts.

 

[Point Zero]

Funny enough that’s what I’ve just been looking at and is tomorrow mornings last resort.

Other than that I can only assume it’s actual damage somehow to the compass sensor. There’s a DJI store in buenos airies I can visit but it will be after all those beautiful mountains sadly!

I’ll post an update after the factory setting action tomorrow and flying attempts.

Well I wish you luck with it dude, that is a really rubbish scenario!

Maybe the compass got freaked out by going through so many xray or senor stuff? Hopefully its just a weird glitch. Try deleting your go4 app too and reinstalling it?
Fingers crossed

Edit: Also remember to go through some of your basic settings once you have done the factory reset as they will get set to default again! That caught me out big time when I did it a few weeks back lol

 

[sar104]

You have two identical threads running.

Compass nightmares

 

[dirkclod]

You have two identical threads running.

Compass nightmares

No more he don't this was the first and just closed the other .

 

[JLeePhoto]

I had the same problem with a new Air. Sent it to DJI and they sent me a new one without ever explaining the problem.

 

[GalDizzle]

Yes - I was meant to close down the one in the general forum after reading it was more for general enq. Lost internet after opening it again though.

Re: ‘not enough information to diagnose’.

What more would you need?

Mavic Air. All firmware, software, app up to date.

Turn on Mavic Air as per the last 6 months. Connect to remote as per the last 6 months (also tried with the wi fi connection in the event it was the remote causing the issue. Choose go fly in the app.

The ‘cannot take off’ message appears in red indicating to move or recalibrate compass. In the advanced settings -> sensors section the compass is level is green indicating no interference. IMU has been recalibrated with no issues.

The recalibration fails every time and I cannot therefore take off at all.

Hopefully that helps - basically something has triggered somewhere that now means either the app or the drone feels the compass is no bueno when it looks fine from the sensor review.

I have factory restore and re install app left to try tomorrow. See how it goes, just wondered if it was a common issue.

Thbaks
Garry

 

[GalDizzle]

Given it’s been fine for the last 6 months I’m hoping there is a fix. Was your new one fine?

 

[Mavić_Legenda]

I just had a similar issue I had never seen before, I’m also in a different country - on turning on MA, the usual annoying ‘calibrate compass’ message comes up except that there is also a yellow exclamation mark, tapping on calibrate does nothing, a new message comes up saying it needs a PC to calibrate. Several restarts later got rid of it.

 

[sar104]

Yes - I was meant to close down the one in the general forum after reading it was more for general enq. Lost internet after opening it again though.

Re: ‘not enough information to diagnose’.

What more would you need?

Mavic Air. All firmware, software, app up to date.

Turn on Mavic Air as per the last 6 months. Connect to remote as per the last 6 months (also tried with the wi fi connection in the event it was the remote causing the issue. Choose go fly in the app.

The ‘cannot take off’ message appears in red indicating to move or recalibrate compass. In the advanced settings -> sensors section the compass is level is green indicating no interference. IMU has been recalibrated with no issues.

The recalibration fails every time and I cannot therefore take off at all.

Hopefully that helps - basically something has triggered somewhere that now means either the app or the drone feels the compass is no bueno when it looks fine from the sensor review.

I have factory restore and re install app left to try tomorrow. See how it goes, just wondered if it was a common issue.

Thbaks
Garry

Post a DAT file. That will show all the compass calibration data, calibration parameters, and the reason for the calibration requests.

Mobile device DAT file: How to retrieve a V3.DAT from the tablet

 

[Gorm]

This link might be of interest/help

Compass Calibration - Success after using magnet

 

[Larryb007]

Good luck, i have ma and hope you find solution. Keep us updated.

 

[GalDizzle]

Ok guys, so here is one to blow your mind. I was in a rush and didn’t get a chance to factory reset today and just headed out as the eternal optimist and planned on getting the dat file in the worst case scenario. Here comes the mind blow.

I decided to simply wander around everywhere I could with the MA on, checking the message re: compass and cannot launch and monitor all of the compass level etc. All of a sudden I seemed to hit what I thought were pockets of success so I’d switch battery, yet the message returned *scratches head*. Started again, wandered, hit a green spot right under all sorts of wiring. One step back, red message about compass, one step forward ‘Ready to go GPS’ What the???

It was then I noted that I was switching between 99 and 100m from what appeared to be where I switched the MA on and a home point was registered.

99 - no good. 100 - all good. Anything over 100m away MA goes down, launches, registers new home point and hey presto I’m back in the game.

Now, has ANYONE any idea why the compass only kicks in and works 100m from a non flying registered home point? I’ve scoured the settings and can’t see anything that would be causing it. I have a workaround of switching on, marking home point manually, walking 100m away to launch but that’s gonna annoy me on a 20 minute battery I feel!

Thoughts?

 

[sar104]

Thoughts?

Yes. Where's the DAT file?

 

[GalDizzle]

Yes. Where's the DAT file?

I’ll post it tomorrow - I don’t have access to a tablet tonight. Appreciate the support!

 

[Andy@countrycams]

Had a similar problem, compass needs calibrating. Kept getting the same error. Would work sometimes and other times wouldn't. Then one day I suddenly realised I was wearing a leather bracelet with a magnetic clasp! Removed the bracelet and bingo no more compassions problems. Easy fix for me, just took a while to realise what was going on. Doh!

 

[mustmoto]

I had the same issue for the last 2 weeks. I tried calibrating over and over with no luck. Out in the middle of nowhere, in park, or my backyard-it didn't matter.

When looking at the compass sensor reading interference was in the green in the 30s. Still no go.

Finally figured somehow my compass or the the hardware around my compass was magnetized. Went to home depot and bought a tool demagnetizer for $2.97.

Rubbed it all around the compass while the drone was off and tried to calibrate... still no good. Hmm.. dang it.

Left the mavic air on and placed the demagnetizer on the tail above the compass. Looked at the compass sensor and it spiked to 999. Removed the demagnetizer and it dropped back down to 31. I then tried calibrating and BINGO!!!

Ran 5 batteries in 3 locations separated by 20 miles today. Didn't have a single issue.

This is the demagnetizer I used.

 

[mustmoto]

This should go without saying - but try at your own risk!!

 

[mustmoto]

3 more flights today without compass issues.