Gimbal problem

[darwin-t]

Problem? Gimbal jerks on startup, doesn't aim right, doesn't track to stay stabilized

Was unit in a crash? Not by me, but possibly by prior owner

What have you tried so far? I looked it over to see if there was something obvious. I tried gimbal calibration, it failed.

What device are you using iphone

What firmware are you running latest

Any modification? None

Did you change anything or install any apps? No, I just bought this used, installed the app. I don't have a history of what happened or was done before

Do you have a video or pictures of the problem?

When I did a test hover, it kept giving an error the the gimbal motor was overloaded.

Here is my failed calibration

 

[Cafguy]

It can be a few things This Maybe-
But Don't turn it back on too many times.- you could mess up the gimble motor ( possible ) I would say the problem is in the Gimble Board itself and thats a cheap and easy fix ( if indeed thats it.) anyone can do it, and the Board runs around 20 bucks on Ebay.
If the drone was crashed that board usually dies. ( are you getting sensor Errors too) the front sensor also connects here. If you do it, Just remember to be patient and careful when removing the goop they use to keep the connectors together. and remember to replace the goop with the correct semiconductor paste (not hardware chalk).
If you don't want to mess with all that find a drone repair close to you and send it in. IF you had to replace the camera and gimble you would be looking at some money. in your case I don't think it would cost you much.
The most expensive part of your drone is the gimble. I have one that has an Analog camera hot glued to it, because I didn't want to buy another Gimble at 200-300 bucks. I don't take pics with it I just fly it around with goggles

 

[old man mavic]

@darwin-t as a MPP owner for nearly 5 years ,have just passed it on ,i concur with some of what @Cafguy said above
one of the weaknesses of the MPP gimbal /camera set up, are the control cables that power it from the internal boards
especially the one that controls the gimbal ,over time micro breaks can occur in the very fine ribbon cable ,which causes the very symptoms you describe
i had to change the cable on mine after some two years or so of use
they are not very expensive ,but to actually remove and fit a new one is a very fiddly job ,and requires a lot of patience and requires dismantling a good portion of the front of the drone

 

[darwin-t]

It can be a few things This Maybe-
But Don't turn it back on too many times.- you could mess up the gimble motor ( possible ) I would say the problem is in the Gimble Board itself and thats a cheap and easy fix ( if indeed thats it.) anyone can do it, and the Board runs around 20 bucks on Ebay.
If the drone was crashed that board usually dies. ( are you getting sensor Errors too) the front sensor also connects here. If you do it, Just remember to be patient and careful when removing the goop they use to keep the connectors together. and remember to replace the goop with the correct semiconductor paste (not hardware chalk).
If you don't want to mess with all that find a drone repair close to you and send it in. IF you had to replace the camera and gimble you would be looking at some money. in your case I don't think it would cost you much.
The most expensive part of your drone is the gimble. I have one that has an Analog camera hot glued to it, because I didn't want to buy another Gimble at 200-300 bucks. I don't take pics with it I just fly it around with goggles

Thanks

I am not getting any other errors - just the gimbal motor overload. I did a hover test and it did eventually point forward and I could tilt it up and down. I'll post a video once I figure out how to get it onto my computer - it was really shaky.

I see the control boards are $50+ on Ebay.

 

[darwin-t]

@darwin-t as a MPP owner for nearly 5 years ,have just passed it on ,i concur with some of what @Cafguy said above
one of the weaknesses of the MPP gimbal /camera set up, are the control cables that power it from the internal boards
especially the one that controls the gimbal ,over time micro breaks can occur in the very fine ribbon cable ,which causes the very symptoms you describe
i had to change the cable on mine after some two years or so of use
they are not very expensive ,but to actually remove and fit a new one is a very fiddly job ,and requires a lot of patience and requires dismantling a good portion of the front of the drone

Thank you.

l found arms that include the flex cable on Ebay for about $45. Do you think that would fix my problem? I figure it would replace the cable and the motors in one fell swoop.

I found a very detailed video on Youtube on how to replace the cable. Replacing the entire assembly would be somewhat easier.

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[darwin-t]

Shaky video while hovering.

I LOVE the way this flies - better than any other one I have owned. A DJI, I don't remember the name of it - the video was on 2.4 Ghz and the control on 5 Ghz, IIRC, a homemade hexcopter, a homemade quad and a Chroma Blade. I sold the first one to buy parts to build the hex, the next quad flew away and I still have the Choma.

I tested RTH using the button and by turning off the transmitter. S'all good! I can't wait to test the range.

 

[Cafguy]

WOW have those gone up!!The gimble seems to work, its just getting conflicting Data from somewhere I would think it was the gimble board itself BUT you usually get a front sensor error too. when that board goes. It could be the camera the emu many thing but I would have to see it in operation before telling you Also check that the gimble is seated properly under the plates, the back needs to be under a sort of L bracket and the fronts ....well under the front brackets,

 

[darwin-t]

WOW have those gone up!!The gimble seems to work, its just getting conflicting Data from somewhere I would think it was the gimble board itself BUT you usually get a front sensor error too. when that board goes. It could be the camera the emu many thing but I would have to see it in operation before telling you Also check that the gimble is seated properly under the plates, the back needs to be under a sort of L bracket and the fronts ....well under the front brackets,

I get no other errors and the sensors all seem fine. I did the IMU and compass calibrations and they all work fine.

Given that, do you think it is more likely to be the flex cable or the board?

Is there a way to reset the quad to factory settings? I haven't found one yet.

 

[Cafguy]

yes it could be. make very sure the gimble is mounted correctly, (Plate and rubber grips) before you calibrate and Then find a good place away from metal and concrete and recalibrate. If that doesn't fix it, There are a few things that it could be-- BUT If you start replacing parts you may not need your repair will get really expensive.
Whatever you replace you are going to have to replace those cables ( for peace of mind if anything. ) They are cheap but OH BOY are they a HUGE pain to get back in correctly. Have a bottle of alcohol handy and I do mean the drinkin kind.
To save you money I will ask: What is your Electronics background, and Is this your first drone repair ? You can most certainly do this BUT If we start trying to troubleshoot your problem by replacing each part down the line- You will end up spending WAY more than you need to. Gimble repairs are expensive BUT, Not as bad as messing up a new part and buying it twice.

 

[darwin-t]

yes it could be. make very sure the gimble is mounted correctly, (Plate and rubber grips) before you calibrate and Then find a good place away from metal and concrete and recalibrate. If that doesn't fix it, There are a few things that it could be-- BUT If you start replacing parts you may not need your repair will get really expensive.
Whatever you replace you are going to have to replace those cables ( for peace of mind if anything. ) They are cheap but OH BOY are they a HUGE pain to get back in correctly. Have a bottle of alcohol handy and I do mean the drinkin kind.
To save you money I will ask: What is your Electronics background, and Is this your first drone repair ? You can most certainly do this BUT If we start trying to troubleshoot your problem by replacing each part down the line- You will end up spending WAY more than you need to. Gimble repairs are expensive BUT, Not as bad as messing up a new part and buying it twice.

I'm experienced doing electronic repairs and have built a hexcopter and a quad from scratch. I saw a video showing how to replace the flex cable and I agree 100% on the difficulty.I'll try again on the gimbal calibration outside away from everything.

Thanks again for your help