Hover vs drift in GPS mode when sticks are released?

[stressor]

Hi

I only fly with GPS lock, but I have had a few occasions where the MP seems to drift after I release the sticks. My question is should it always hover holding position when sticks are released, or will some drift be normal? For example in the wind, will it try to hold its position in 3d space? thanks

 

[msinger]

will it try to hold its position in 3d space?

Yes, it should hold its horizontal and vertical positions when hovering in place.

 

[vette19862000]

Mine did the same thing , after i calibrated the "imu" it didn't drift anymore. make sure it is cold when you do this. then calibrate the compass since your already in the menu.

 

[Mossiback]

What is your altitude when you notice the drift? Closer to the ground it uses its downward facing cameras and ultrasound along with GPS to hold steady but if the cameras are dirty or the surface is featureless or there is insufficient light it cannot fix correctly. With GPS alone it may drift a little but will stay within a few feet of the spot where you released the sticks.

Is the downward positioning system turned on?

You mentioned it seems to drift after you release the sticks. Does it continue to drift the same direction relative to the nose of the craft? If so you may need to calibrate your sticks.

 

[Anthony]

Hi

I only fly with GPS lock, but I have had a few occasions where the MP seems to drift after I release the sticks. My question is should it always hover holding position when sticks are released, or will some drift be normal? For example in the wind, will it try to hold its position in 3d space? thanks

I would calibrate IMU & Compass and test again as it should be solid ... mine is.

 

[Mossiback]

I would calibrate IMU & Compass and test again as it should be solid ... mine is.

What he said. ↑↑

 

[Ebonicus]

I agree with all above. Just wanted to add that downward sensors will also cause drift if terrain below is moving, i.e. a river or ocean.

 

[LeafPeeper]

Just a note that a lot of us have some YAW drift no matter how much you cal and recal the IMUs, gyros, compasses, and fwd/dwn sensors. There may not be much you can do about it short of taking a shot at getting a better one by returning it. Again, this is rotational drift, not location drift.

LP

 

[BudWalker]

Just a note that a lot of us have some YAW drift no matter how much you cal and recal the IMUs, gyros, compasses, and fwd/dwn sensors. There may not be much you can do about it short of taking a shot at getting a better one by returning it. Again, this is rotational drift, not location drift.

LP

Does the YAW drift occur just after launch and then stop? And, in just one direction?

 

[LeafPeeper]

Does the YAW drift occur just after launch and then stop? And, in just one direction?

No...for me it's intermittent and happens mostly above the range of the downward sensors, and usually after an intentional rotation - and then it drifts in the opposite direction for 20-30 sec before stabilizing. Closer to the ground, it seems more rotationally stable - not ROCK solid, but more stable. I've done every cal I possibly can, multiple times, and under the best circumstances I can manage (level, etc.). Frankly I'm just fed up with it and waiting for a better drone to come along...

LP

 

[BudWalker]

No...for me it's intermittent and happens mostly above the range of the downward sensors, and usually after an intentional rotation - and then it drifts in the opposite direction for 20-30 sec before stabilizing. Closer to the ground, it seems more rotationally stable - not ROCK solid, but more stable. I've done every cal I possibly can, multiple times, and under the best circumstances I can manage (level, etc.). Frankly I'm just fed up with it and waiting for a better drone to come along...

LP

I suspect that what's happening is that the "drifting" you're seeing is actually the Flight Controller correcting a disagreement between the Yaw value and magYaw (heading determined by the magnetometers). Don't know the cause of the the Yaw/magYaw separation, but you've eliminated the obvious causes with the calibrations you've done.

Can we do a test? Turn the battery on and let the Mavic sit still for 2 minutes. Then launch and attempt to produce the drifting you've seen. After that provide the .DAT so that we can take a look. Look here for info on how to retrieve the .DAT

How to retrieve a V3 .DAT File

It'll be large so you'll need to Dropbox or GoogleDrive it and provide a link

 

[LeafPeeper]

I suspect that what's happening is that the "drifting" you're seeing is actually the Flight Controller correcting a disagreement between the Yaw value and magYaw (heading determined by the magnetometers). Don't know the cause of the the Yaw/magYaw separation, but you've eliminated the obvious causes with the calibrations you've done.

Can we do a test? Turn the battery on and let the Mavic sit still for 2 minutes. Then launch and attempt to produce the drifting you've seen. After that provide the .DAT so that we can take a look. Look here for info on how to retrieve the .DAT

How to retrieve a V3 .DAT File

It'll be large so you'll need to Dropbox or GoogleDrive it and provide a link

Sounds great to me, Bud - but it may take a while. I've been grounded for the past few weeks because the fall and winter get pretty windy where I live. As soon as I can fly again, I'll do the test and come back to this thread.

What you describe makes sense to me. It may also explain the gimbal drift I see when it's sitting on the ground prior to take off. It drifts to the left for a while and then stabilizes. It started after the .900 firmware update I believe.

Thanks for the offer to help!
LP