DJI Mini 4 Pro loose propellers - can you check yours?

[Bane R]

Hi to all.

Can you please check this video.

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All propellers and screws looks genuine. All screws are tight to the max. All 8 propellers has the same play. Can you check yours DJI Mini 4 Pro please?

Is this normal movement? Thank you.

 

[Cafguy]

That is NOT Normal. Are you sure you have the correct screws?

 

[msinger]

Can you check yours DJI Mini 4 Pro please?

The props on my Mini 4 Pro have the same amount of play.

That is NOT Normal

Have you compared yours? The movement might look more pronounced in the video since it's zoomed in on the action.

 

[mavic3usa]

Looks the same on the Mini 3 Pro as well.

 

[Mynah]

Do take into consideration that the props do not 'spin/rotate' around the screws while in flight, centrifugal force keep them static, the screws only keep them in place.

 

[Cafguy]

Sorry I was not aware that they had that much play I seem to recall the mini 3 having play but that seemed excessive to me.

 

[Bane R]

That was fast response. You guys are great. The reason why I am asking is that I see too much "dance" on a wind from a drone. Also wind lifting front of the drone too much visually (maybe because 4 is sort of designed that way with lifted front). Never looked on my previous drones too much, but if you can see Mini 4 Pro up close on the wind, looks really nervous.

The footage looks stable. Never getting any wind warnings on the screen and now is the part of the year when winds are stronger compare "normal" time of flights for me.

Drone asked for IMU calibration but not like forbidding me to fly (not like that compass warning on Mini 1 every time). I did that, but not flying yet after calibration.

Maybe is just the way light drone act on the wind and winds in my case are not very powerfull. Mostly somewhere in the middle for the flight to be possible.

Do you think yours 4 Pro acts too nervous on the winds when you look it directly (no through the screen)?

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

That was fast response. You guys are great. The reason why I am asking is that I see too much "dance" on a wind from a drone. Also wind lifting front of the drone too much visually (maybe because 4 is sort of designed that way with lifted front). Never looked on my previous drones too much, but if you can see Mini 4 Pro up close on the wind, looks really nervous.

The footage looks stable. Never getting any wind warnings on the screen and now is the part of the year when winds are stronger compare "normal" time of flights for me.

Drone asked for IMU calibration but not like forbidding me to fly (not like that compass warning on Mini 1 every time). I did that, but not flying yet after calibration.

Maybe is just the way light drone act on the wind and winds in my case are not very powerfull. Mostly somewhere in the middle for the flight to be possible.

Do you think yours 4 Pro acts too nervous on the winds when you look it directly (no through the screen)?

It is vital that you carry out the IMU calibration, and also calibrate the collision sensors, EVEN if you do not turn the collision sensors on during your drone's flights. Neglecting to calibrate the IMU, the compass, and collision sensors can cause the drone to fly erratically and stop without reason while flying waypoint missions, for example, which could result in the outright loss of the drone.

I lost TWO Mavic 1 Pro drones over the years because I neglected the calibration of those collision sensors, so I tend to go overboard warning others not to repeat my mistakes

 

[Starz]

looks really nervous.

What you describe is one of the reasons I don’t have any DJI products that include
“mini” anywhere on the box they come in. There are tons of them out there flying around struggling to compensate for whatever slight breeze makes them twitch. That’s just their design.
DJI is very good at marketing research and scored a big success with the”mini” series.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

Enticed by the purported 40-minute flight time and the promise of an SDK that would make possible waypoint missions beyond the reach of the RC controller, I committed the cardinal mistake of buying a Mini 3. When the SDK for the Mini 3 was eventually released, the key feature that I required, which was that the drone should have the capability to complete Liitchi waypoint missions beyond RC signal range, never materialized.

Over the year since I bought the Mini 3, I have flown it maybe five times in total. The rest of the time the drone sits on a shelf while I fly the heck out of my other DJI drones - the Phantom 3 Standard, Mavic 1 Pro, the Mavic 2 Pro, the Air 1, and the Air3, all of which do complete Litchi waypoint missions beyond signal range, and all of which can fly for over 30 minutes with non-DJI extra-range batteries.

Starz, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I have to say that like you, I will NEVER purchase any DJI drone that bears the name "Mini" again, no matter the discount offered.

 

[Felix le Chat]

That was fast response. You guys are great. The reason why I am asking is that I see too much "dance" on a wind from a drone. Also wind lifting front of the drone too much visually (maybe because 4 is sort of designed that way with lifted front). Never looked on my previous drones too much, but if you can see Mini 4 Pro up close on the wind, looks really nervous.

The footage looks stable. Never getting any wind warnings on the screen and now is the part of the year when winds are stronger compare "normal" time of flights for me.

Drone asked for IMU calibration but not like forbidding me to fly (not like that compass warning on Mini 1 every time). I did that, but not flying yet after calibration.

Maybe is just the way light drone act on the wind and winds in my case are not very powerfull. Mostly somewhere in the middle for the flight to be possible.

Do you think yours 4 Pro acts too nervous on the winds when you look it directly (no through the screen)?

I regularly use the mini 3 pro (basically the same airframe) and in 'normal' mode it is very skittish, almost over-reactive to stick inputs and it does twitch alarmingly in reaction to wind gusts. I've come to expect this as normal behaviour and fly it differently to my other, heavier birds - which handle turbulence much more capably.

The mini 3 pro gets used (with prop guards fitted) where I can't legally deploy the bigger drones - for the UCAP detail shots (Up Close And Personal) and this little bugger can get some fantastic results... horses for courses...

 

[slowpony]

I own both the Mini 3 pro and Mini 4 pro that purchased new, and the props are the original ones that came installed on it. Both have that same amount of play as yours. So yes, I would say yours are okay. The only thing I suggest is for you to do a full up Calibration on Compass and IMU.

 

[Bane R]

That is very helpful.

Any other experiences regarding wind. I received wind warning regularly on first Mini, but never saw that much movement in the air (maybe I never noticed). But on Mini 4 Pro I have stable footage and no warnings, but drone just goes up and down, left and right during gusts. Maybe it is just like that, not sure... have to fly more with it.

 

[Mynah]

That is very helpful.

Any other experiences regarding wind. I received wind warning regularly on first Mini, but never saw that much movement in the air (maybe I never noticed). But on Mini 4 Pro I have stable footage and no warnings, but drone just goes up and down, left and right during gusts. Maybe it is just like that, not sure... have to fly more with it.

I have only ever flown Mini's, started with the Mavic Mini, then Mini 2, a Mini 3 and now also have a Mini 4 Pro. Reason for that is that I do a lot of multi day backpack hiking routes so weight is of paramount importance.

I have found the Mini's to be quite paranoid as to 'wind warnings', I get those often, especially hiking coastal regions and I almost never heed them.

There's no substitute for common sense, so I NEVER fly distance downwind, knowing that I need to return upwind. When I feel I'm pushing my luck with wind conditions I keep a reachable emergency landing spot in mind, I keep an eye on the drone attitude indicator on the compass display. I sometimes fly as low as possible to avoid altitude airstreams and I maintain awareness of possible airstreams created by valleys when flying mountainous terrain. I have not once experienced a wind related emergency and I have covered nearly a 1000kms with Mini drones, it is perfectly do-able.

Most unstable unpredictable wind conditions I experienced was flying a massive waterfall where the falling water created down and updrafts of air with lots of turbulence in between, but the Mini survived to tell the story