Consistent need to recalibrate...Cause?

[rjpretor]

I have the exact same issue, it'll ask for a compass calibration about 90% of the time. Sometimes, it even requires a compass calibration after landing.

 

[ff22]

That is quite possible if he is holding the aircraft at power up, especially if the watch has a magnetic clasp.

Is it possible to power up the Mini without hold it since the power button is on the bottom. I guess you could lay it on its back?

 

[sar104]

Is it possible to power up the Mini without hold it since the power button is on the bottom. I guess you could lay it on its back?

Obviously you have to be touching it anyway to press the button. I was envisaging holding it in one hand from above while pressing the button, which is what I do and could bring a watch band clasp in close contact with it.

 

[Meta4]

On my newly purchased MA2 the manual states that after compass calibration the aircraft needs to fly within 3 mins else calibration may need to be repeated. Wonder if this applies to the MM and could be something to do with the problem?

That sounds like DJI continuing their tradition of giving confusing and misleading information regarding compass calibration.
The text from the manual says:

The aircraft can take off immediately once calibration is complete. If you wait more than three minutes to take off after calibration, you may need to calibrate again.​

Once the compass is calibrated, it's done and doesn't go out of calibration over a period of months (or even longer).
It's hard to imagine why it would after 3 minutes.

 

[Canuk]

My air2 has never asked for the dance. I have had it for a while now . I guess that’s better than one that being super picky

 

[boblui]

That sounds like DJI continuing their tradition of giving confusing and misleading information regarding compass calibration.
The text from the manual says:

The aircraft can take off immediately once calibration is complete. If you wait more than three minutes to take off after calibration, you may need to calibrate again.​

Once the compass is calibrated, it's done and doesn't go out of calibration over a period of months (or even longer).
It's hard to imagine why it would after 3 minutes.

Similar instruction can be found in M2's manual :



This is indeed very annoying. After the compass is calibrated and the drone ( still powered on ) is put at the back of my car , the calibration warning will show up again after a short while. It will stay even after the drone is moved away from the car and takeoff will not be allowed. I have to power reset it before it can be flown.

The MM does not exhibit such behavior, as soon as the craft is moved away from steel objects, the warning message will disappear.

 

[Meta4]

Similar instruction can be found in M2's manual :

View attachment 107761

That's not surprising.
DJI's manuals have always had confusing, misleading and incorrect information about compass calibration.
That's been a major contributing factor in the general confusion and misinformation that goes with anything related to the compass.

 

[BokiFly]

The text from the manual says:

The aircraft can take off immediately once calibration is complete. If you wait more than three minutes to take off after calibration, you may need to calibrate again.​

Once the compass is calibrated, it's done and doesn't go out of calibration over a period of months (or even longer).

But it can get uncalibrated during the flight, it happens to me with Mavic Mini. Half of the flight orientation icon is fine, but in one point became off, and after landing Mini request to calibrate compass. Why this happens? It's very annoying.

If it happens because Mini pick magnetic interference during the flight (high) up in the air then it's even more possible that it can pick magnetic interference before the flight after calibration, if you wait to take off.

This "half good - half bad" orientation icon during the same flight is very annoying. I use Yagi and it's important to know in what direction I should point controller.

 

[boblui]

But it can get uncalibrated during the flight, it happens to me with Mavic Mini. Half of the flight orientation icon is fine, but in one point became off, and after landing Mini request to calibrate compass. Why this happens? It's very annoying.

Did you see this message or you just the orientation icon turning red when the craft was flying ?

If it happens because Mini pick magnetic interference during the flight (high) up in the air then it's even more possible that it can pick magnetic interference before the flight after calibration, if you wait to take off.

Unless you fly the craft close to steel structures, magnetic interference is unlikely.

This "half good - half bad" orientation icon during the same flight is very annoying. I use Yagi and it's important to know in what direction I should point controller.

When flying my Mini, I have ran into the problem of the orientation icon turning red in flight and returning to normal by itself. I have been told that it's due to the compass of the phone turning off after being stationary for a period of time. Moving the phone around a bit will solve the problem. Just yesterday, a member of this forum shared the same experience. May be you can try out this method the next time.

 

[Meta4]

But it can get uncalibrated during the flight, it happens to me with Mavic Mini. Half of the flight orientation icon is fine, but in one point became off, and after landing Mini request to calibrate compass. Why this happens? It's very annoying.

It can't get "uncalibrated in flight".
That you say that, indicates a misunderstanding of what compass calibration actually does.
The orientation display is affected by magnetic effects deflecting the compass sensor in your phone or tablet, not the calibration of your drone's compass.

If it happens because Mini pick magnetic interference during the flight (high) up in the air then it's even more possible that it can pick magnetic interference before the flight after calibration, if you wait to take off.

You would have to be flying very close to any magnetic disturbance for it to have any effect the drone's compass.
Maybe about 6 feet from a large steel object.
But it still doesn't affect the calibration of the drone's compass.

 

[BokiFly]

Did you see this message or you just the orientation icon turning red when the craft was flying ?

View attachment 107779

I have that "Compass calibration required" message after flight, just before another take off. I think that I never saw that message during the flight.

No, I never have that red orientation icon, I have drone on that half-circle, it's there, but it's orientation is wrong. It starts fine after take off, and it's precise, but from one moment orientation icon point in wrong direction, and it remains that way for the rest of the flight. When I land Mini requests compass calibration, and after that it's fine again, for some time, maybe for whole next flight, maybe for just a part of the next flight.

 

[boblui]

I have drone on that half-circle, it's there, but it's orientation is wrong. It starts fine after take off, and it's precise, but from one moment orientation icon point in wrong direction, and it remains that way for the rest of the flight. When I land Mini requests compass calibration, and after that it's fine again, for some time, maybe for whole next flight, maybe for just a part of the next flight.

I have a lot of doubt on whether the orientation of the arrow representing the drone on the arc of the icon was really wrong. If it was indeed wrong, the craft would have exhibited irregular flying behaviors from flying in a circle by itself without stick inputs to flying straight away. This is my Mini having the compass off by almost 180 degrees :

If you can post the log files ( .TXT and .DAT ), perhaps a more accurate understanding into the problem can be acquired. Follow this thread to get the file : Mavic Flight Log Retrieval and Analysis Guide

 

[BokiFly]

I have a lot of doubt on whether the orientation of the arrow representing the drone on the arc of the icon was really wrong. If it was indeed wrong, the craft would have exhibited irregular flying behaviors from flying in a circle by itself without stick inputs to flying straight away.

Yes it can be wrong, it can be totally wrong, without any impact on flight behavior. It is a known problem, there are several topics here about that. Some of the pilots always have wrong orientation icon and they can't make it to work, but they fly relaying on the map in Fly app.

In the beginning it was always wrong for me, even with calibrating Mini's compass, and the problem was compass in my phone, after I calibrated it then orientation icon was fine, for the first time after several flights. But as i said, I often need to calibrate Mini's compass.

 

[Dbez1]

Yes it can be wrong, it can be totally wrong, without any impact on flight behavior. It is a known problem, there are several topics here about that. Some of the pilots always have wrong orientation icon and they can't make it to work, but they fly relaying on the map in Fly app.

In the beginning it was always wrong for me, even with calibrating Mini's compass, and the problem was compass in my phone, after I calibrated it then orientation icon was fine, for the first time after several flights. But as i said, I often need to calibrate Mini's compass.

My compass orientation is wrong more than 50% of the time but I just use the map which always seems to be correct. My MM flies just fine. It does, however, often ask for compass calibration. One time, during the flight I did the figure 8 with my controller and it corrected the compass calibration on the screen. This is not always the case. That’s why I rely more on the map orientation.

 

[BokiFly]

One time, during the flight I did the figure 8 with my controller and it corrected the compass calibration on the screen.

Interesting, I will try that. I know about "figure 8" but I never did it during the flight.

 

[sar104]

Yes it can be wrong, it can be totally wrong, without any impact on flight behavior. It is a known problem, there are several topics here about that. Some of the pilots always have wrong orientation icon and they can't make it to work, but they fly relaying on the map in Fly app.

In the beginning it was always wrong for me, even with calibrating Mini's compass, and the problem was compass in my phone, after I calibrated it then orientation icon was fine, for the first time after several flights. But as i said, I often need to calibrate Mini's compass.

You are confusing the function of the aircraft compass with the function of the compass in the mobile device. These issues are all related to the mobile device compass, not the aircraft compass, and any compass calibration requests before or afterwards are entirely coincidental.

 

[scro]

The drone orientation icon in the bottom middle of the screen uses 2 compases to determine what it shows. The drone compass is used for determining which way the little arrow on the arc points**, and the mobile device compass for where on the arc the arrow is placed.

If the drone compass is out-of-calibration then the drone flies very abnormally. This is also very rare.
If the mobile device compass is out-of-calibration, or subject to magnetic interference then the drone flies fine, but the position of the arrow on the arc of the indicator won't be correct. This is common, and happens for me on more than half of my flights.

Edit: **relative to the centre of the arc. If you rotate the controller and mobile device the arrow sweeps around the arc but also rotates so that it keeps pointing, say, directly away from the centre.

 

[boblui]

My compass orientation is wrong more than 50% of the time but I just use the map which always seems to be correct.

That's because the orientation icon on the FLY APP is showing the orientation and whereabout of the drone relative to the phone. If the phone's compass is off, the indication will be incorrect.

The map does not use any of the phone's orientation / position information so the indication is not affected no matter how off the phone's compass is.

 

[BokiFly]

You are confusing the function of the aircraft compass with the function of the compass in the mobile device. These issues are all related to the mobile device compass, not the aircraft compass, and any compass calibration requests before or afterwards are entirely coincidental.

If the mobile device compass is out-of-calibration, or subject to magnetic interference then the drone flies fine, but the position of the arrow on the arc of the indicator won't be correct. This is common, and happens for me on more than half of my flights.

Interesting. I admit that I didn't know about that.
But it's strange. First, in situations that position of the arrow on the arc of the indicator became wrong during the flight, why Mini asks for his compass calibration after that flight? And for the next flight, or part of it, position of the arrow is fine. Apparently that lead me to wrong conclusion about compasses.
Second question is why phone compass (if he is to blame) became out-of-calibration so often, even if it's fine in Google Maps, but not so fine for DJI Fly app.

Are other Mavic drones equally too sensitive with phone compass? Do they also require drone compass calibration often? Do they also have wrong orientation icon in half of the flights ?

 

[scro]

...
Second question is why phone compass (if he is to blame) became out-of-calibration so often, even if it's fine in Google Maps, but not so fine for DJI Fly app.

A lot of the phone compass problems come from the magnetic interference emitted by the controller. I presume that when using google maps your phone is not clipped into the controller, but when using Fly app it is? If you have a compass app on your phone try watching the compass needle as you slide the phone into the controller. Mine usually swings quite wildly off from north once clipped in to the controller. Some phones are a lot worse than others. For me, the only "problem" is the orientation indicator is often wrong, so I ignore it.