Gimbal Initialization Issue?

[hockey9999]

I purchased my Mavic yesterday, and think I may have gotten one with a bad gimbal.. It's been like this since I first turned it on. I upgraded to .600 and tried downgrading to .400 - doing IMU, compass and gimbal calibration along the way - no change.

Sorry for the annoying audio, turn your speakers down! Even with the clicking from the sonar, there is a loud metallic knock, most notably at 9-11sec and 15-17sec.

Is it normal for initialization to be this violent? I've never seen another Mavic in person, but a lot of others in videos seem to have a lot more smooth of an initialization.

Thanks!

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Former Member]

As long as the cam centers after it initializes, you are ok, and it looks like it does. The camera isnt going to break, neither is the gimbal. Try flying and see if your gimbal remains stable after a 15 minute flight. If it jerks, recalibrates, or is off center during the flight, send or bring it back and get a new one.

 

[Former Member]

BTW who did you buy your Mavic from?

 

[Dragonfly]

That looks like a normal calibration to me and is just what my gimbal does so no need to panic.

 

[hockey9999]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Glad to hear that this appears to be normal. Rob, I saw the initialization video you posted the other day, it appeared to be a significantly more tame process, especially toward the very end. I guess there is some variation?

I purchased it from Micro Center, so at least if something goes wrong I can return it locally within 30 days.

I went for a few flights today, footage appears to be fine. Roll is a bit off, I needed to adjust it to somewhere between .7 and 1.0 to get it level, but I think I've seen that is normal.

 

[Dragonfly]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Glad to hear that this appears to be normal. Rob, I saw the initialization video you posted the other day, it appeared to be a significantly more tame process, especially toward the very end. I guess there is some variation?

I purchased it from Micro Center, so at least if something goes wrong I can return it locally within 30 days.

I went for a few flights today, footage appears to be fine. Roll is a bit off, I needed to adjust it to somewhere between .7 and 1.0 to get it level, but I think I've seen that is normal.

Yes, they can all differ a bit and the roll can also differ on number for for calibration, mine is correct at .6 but as long as it stays at level each time you power up and dont have to keep altering it then its fine. You will see threads that it should be at zero but thats not correct. It does not matter what number it is to obtain level horizontal on correction as long as it remains level from their on is the key.

 

[Former Member]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Glad to hear that this appears to be normal. Rob, I saw the initialization video you posted the other day, it appeared to be a significantly more tame process, especially toward the very end. I guess there is some variation?

I purchased it from Micro Center, so at least if something goes wrong I can return it locally within 30 days.

I went for a few flights today, footage appears to be fine. Roll is a bit off, I needed to adjust it to somewhere between .7 and 1.0 to get it level, but I think I've seen that is normal.

Roll adjustment on a new bird of .7 to 1.0 is a little bit high, I dont usually need more than .3 to get it level on new ones. Did you start the bird on a level surface? Thats a factor in roll adjustment. Did the gimbal stay level when turning?

Ive bought, sold, and fixed a good number, and some are smooth, others are clunky during initial startup, but my criteria is what it does during flight. If you get any error messages whatsoever, bring it back asap and get another one.They are one of the easiest companies to return and exchange items to.

Microcenter is a good local place to buy, just look closely at your receipt for their drone return policy, and give them a call to make sure. Make sure you speak to a drone salesman. I had bought a good many from them, dozens, and then last year they came up with a nasty 14 day return policy, where before it was 30 days. Not sure if thats still the case, but best to make sure before the 14 days expire.

Did you buy DJI Refresh and/or drone insurance yet?

 

[hockey9999]

I calibrated on my kitchen counter, it's probably the most level thing around. Should I be resetting the adjustment to 0 before calibration?

I haven't gotten any overload or other gimbal related errors, and the limited flying and video so far appears to be good. I need to get out this week to a better location where I can fly a bit more aggressively to see how the gimbal behaves.

I'll definitely check the return policy, thanks for the heads up!

I plan on purchasing DJI Refresh tonight. Was hesitating in case I needed to return this one, and didn't want to deal with the hassle of transferring it.

 

[Former Member]

You can reset the roll adjustment to 0 prior to auto-calibration. Do the autocal, then adjust gimbal roll accordingly to see what its really requiring in terms of adjustment to level the horizon. Then take it for a flight to see if the horizon is level and if the gimbal stabilizes after a turn. It should stabilize within a few seconds after a turn. Thats been my experience. If you have to continuously adjust roll during the flight to keep the horizon level, thats not normal and the bird should go back.

 

[hockey9999]

Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to get a few flights in tomorrow and will report back.

Just picked up Refresh. The State Farm policies look great too, didn't know about them.