Gimbal freak-out in flight when switching from video to still camera

pogopilot · Jul 23, 2017

So this is now happening to me on a regular basis and cannot find a similar issue previously posted. So when I am flying and recording video and decide I need to stop recording to take a snap, the gimbal freaks out (or maybe it is just a reset). I then have no control over the camera trigger button for maybe 15-20 seconds and then things go back to normal. The first time it happened I had to change my shorts, now it is just a pain in the butt. Any ideas how to remedy this? (I am on all latest firmware and apps.) I fly with the DJI go app

Static8 · Aug 6, 2017

pogopilot said:
So this is now happening to me on a regular basis and cannot find a similar issue previously posted. So when I am flying and recording video and decide I need to stop recording to take a snap, the gimbal freaks out (or maybe it is just a reset). I then have no control over the camera trigger button for maybe 15-20 seconds and then things go back to normal. The first time it happened I had to change my shorts, now it is just a pain in the butt. Any ideas how to remedy this? (I am on all latest firmware and apps.) I fly with the DJI go app

Static8 · Aug 6, 2017

Yes I had the same thing happen to me today,..never done this before , I was taking pictures and went back to video and went bezerk but I also did a Tap FLy never done before including putting on the sensors all of them..I usually keep everything off. Its fine now but I also **** my shorts when it happened...

David_D · Aug 6, 2017

Yes happened to me in the last few flights. I was freaked out cause I thought I lost communication to the drone. First thing I checked was if I have GPS signal and I did. I can see the gimbal reset (ie. horizon line went tilted to one side then came back, then phone screen showed all white like overexposed then correct exposure came back to normal). I just glad that the drone still remain in the position where it was at and not falling down from the sky.

Static8 · Aug 6, 2017

David_D said:
Yes happened to me in the last few flights. I was freaked out cause I thought I lost communication to the drone. First thing I checked was if I have GPS signal and I did. I can see the gimbal reset (ie. horizon line went tilted to one side then came back, then phone screen showed all white like overexposed then correct exposure came back to normal). I just glad that the drone still remain in the position where it was at and not falling down from the sky.

Exactly what happened with me...I think its the new firmware update, I did not have this with the last..

David_D · Aug 6, 2017

Static8 said:
Exactly what happened with me...I think its the new firmware update, I did not have this with the last..

Yes I noticed it only in the last 2 weeks or so I think.

JohnRobinson · Aug 6, 2017

Blimy, I was about to post a thread about this very issue but thought I would check the forums first. Never happened to me before but when I was about to fly back and land I looked down at the screen and suddenly it looked like the drone was in a dive with the camera at approx 30-40 degrees to the side. Obviously being used to it being horizontal this was a shock. I tried to get control however it appeared that i didn't have any control. Because I had looked down and back up again I had lost visual contact with it even though there was zero obstruction between myself and the drone. I looked down again and once again the camera was at an acute angle and I prepared for it crashing.The altitude stayed the same within a foot and obviously what I had thought was it in a downward trajectory was in fact the camera had totally freaked out! While it was happening I tried several times to take a picture to show the angle and a video however there was no response to my commands.
I looked up but due to my increased heart rate I still could not see it. I returned to the screen and flew it back to me and landed without issue. Shaking hands of course. ;-)

The altitude stayed the same within a foot and obviously what I had thought was it in a downward trajectory was in fact the camera had totally freaked out! While it was happening I tried several times to take a picture to show the angle and a video however there was no response to my commands.

This has to be a firmware problem. I think I will downgrade the firmware until its confirmed that it is fixed. My heart cannot take another incident like that!

David_D · Aug 6, 2017

@JohnRobinson - I know that feeling (thinking your drone is falling from the sky cause you were looking at the screen and saw what the camera was seeing at the time but did not realised the gimbal was doing a reset). When it happened the 2nd time onward I was a bit more calm and the first thing I check is it's height to make sure it stays the same and secondly that I still have GPS signal. I hope they will release a fix soon. If you happen to downgrade the firmware can you please write back to give us an indication if the issue still exist? Thanks.

JohnRobinson · Aug 6, 2017

David_D said:
@JohnRobinson - I know that feeling (thinking your drone is falling from the sky cause you were looking at the screen and saw what the camera was seeing at the time but did not realised the gimbal was doing a reset). When it happened the 2nd time onward I was a bit more calm and the first thing I check is it's height to make sure it stays the same and secondly that I still have GPS signal. I hope they will release a fix soon. If you happen to downgrade the firmware can you please write back to give us an indication if the issue still exist? Thanks.

I have downloaded all of the files and will downgrade tomorrow. I'll let you know. Have a good night (day).
Thanks.

David_D · Aug 6, 2017

Thanks. Found a Youtube video that shows exactly what happened to my drone:

JohnRobinson · Aug 7, 2017

David_D said:
Thanks. Found a Youtube video that shows exactly what happened to my drone:

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Well that's it exactly. So DJI know about it for sure. Let's hope it's fixed quickly.

JohnRobinson · Aug 7, 2017

Ok I've Downgraded to. 0700 today without issues. On flying I didn't have any problems with the camera other than it kept changing from PAL to NTSC....?

However on the second battery this happend.

I still had control but the DJI app states that the aircraft had disconnected. I landed, killed the DJI app and started it again and again flew without any other problems.

One step forward and two back.

Static8 · Aug 7, 2017

David_D said:
Thanks. Found a Youtube video that shows exactly what happened to my drone:

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Exactly what happened to me, dang probably last FW update..Also didn't record on the SD only GoAPP, so its the same glitch for sure..DJI..do you ever test these FW updates???

David_D · Aug 7, 2017

JohnRobinson said:
Ok I've Downgraded to. 0700 today without issues. On flying I didn't have any problems with the camera other than it kept changing from PAL to NTSC....?

However on the second battery this happend.

I still had control but the DJI app states that the aircraft had disconnected. I landed, killed the DJI app and started it again and again flew without any other problems.

One step forward and two back.

Hmmmm. if I have a choice between Disconnection and Gimbal Reset... I would prefer Gimbal Reset. Disconnection is too scare. Keep monitoring this to see how things go. Hope this doesn't happen again with the disconnection.

JohnRobinson · Aug 8, 2017

To be honest both are scary. Nothing like thinking you have lost control and going to crash to build confidence. I am wondering whether the problem is not so much the mavic firmware but the android app? Can someone on IOS confirm they have suffered the same symptoms please?

David_D · Aug 8, 2017

JohnRobinson said:
To be honest both are scary. Nothing like thinking you have lost control and going to crash to build confidence. I am wondering whether the problem is not so much the mavic firmware but the android app? Can someone on IOS confirm they have suffered the same symptoms please?

There goes your theory cause I am on IOS and still experienced that.