IMU calibration - Gimble bumping

[BraamMavic]

Hi Guys,

1. Is it necessary to do an IMU calibration before each flight like with the compass ?
2. When I get to the stage in IMU calibration where the mavic is standing on it's "tail" facing the sky, the gimbal rapidly bumps against something & rattles which doesn't sound healthy. Put it level again & no problem. Is this normal ?

 

[Gary cato]

why do you do the compass before each flight? there is no need to do the compass at all unless
A it asks you too
B you do any upgrades, some do not even do it then.

i have only ever calibrated compass after an upgrade just to be sure but sometimes i did not do that. I movved Mavic 13000 kms and did no compass calibration and it flew fine with RTH working spot on to take off.

The manual tells you do not do a compass calibration unless asked too.

As for the gimbal no idea i have only ever calibrated mine once and it seemed fine, make sure your surface for an imu is ultra level and camera is in the normal straight position when starting.

 

[Cut.Aussie]

Hi Guys,

1. Is it necessary to do an IMU calibration before each flight like with the compass ?
2. When I get to the stage in IMU calibration where the mavic is standing on it's "tail" facing the sky, the gimbal rapidly bumps against something & rattles which doesn't sound healthy. Put it level again & no problem. Is this normal ?

Don't do either unless it tells you too

 

[BraamMavic]

Interesting - Sales guys in New York Shop told me to always do both before each flight...

 

[Gary cato]

Interesting - Sales guys in New York Shop told me to always do both before each flight...

He is a sales guy he will tell you anything as long as it sounds good

read the manual many times as many here will tell you very fast. (obviously the salesman does not fly drones coz he is a **** head).

i will add for the sake of clarity there are places you should never calibrate the compass. search the thread forum here for the many many posts on compass calibration.

only ever calibrate in a nice open space, without metal or rebar or magnetic interference, if your controller says calibrate compass and you are next to a lot of metal do not calibrate the compass move the AC away from the metal and see if it still asks you to calibrate. If the message goes away all is good. There are other places that people here with far more experience say do not calibrate the compass.

 

[BraamMavic]

read the manual many times as many here will tell you very fast. (obviously the salesman does not fly drones coz he is a **** head).

Page 51 of the manual says to do it whenever flying in a new location or a location different than previous flight...

 

[Gary cato]

good you are reading the manual it also says only to do it when asked, That is the fine line. You can not calibrate the compass in many places that you fly, therefore it is impossible to do it in every new place you fly.

Hence the manual stating to do it when asked, not to do it randomly.

Now on a personal level.

1 there are many threads on here that you can read regarding this.

2 I at first calibrated at each new location when i first flew, until i did the research (as you are wisely doing now). There is no need to do this, even if moving to a new location. (as i said i took mine 13000 kms from its last calibration, i never re calibrated it, it flew without a single issue including precision landing, it landed within two inches of its take off after returning home from a kilo away).

Back to you, If you wish to re calibrate then please continue to do so, i am not the one flying your Mavic and the decision is yours to make.

i also do not have or have personally seen anyone here who does re calibrate have problems either.

That being said you are better learning all the places not suitable for re calibrating a compass, (such as a beach etc etc).

I can only advise you here from my own personal experiences in over 90 flights, and the combined experience of others here with thousands of flights.

Or you can listen to the sales assistant. In which case good luck with that.

 

[BraamMavic]

Thanks Gary, jep the manual seems a little contradictory there. Thank you for your input.

Or you can listen to the sales assistant. In which case good luck with that.

.

 

[msinger]

the manual seems a little contradictory there

DJI manuals have also been contradictory on this subject. Check out the Compass Calibration Guide for the best advice.

 

[Dragonfly]

Also watch DJIs videos and they say in them to only calibrate when asked by app to do so after initial calibration.

 

[Southern Phantom]

I've had a P3P for two years and my Mavic for almost a year.

With the Phantom, it's "gospel" to calibrate the compass only if it's flying oddly or if the it has traveled more than 50-100 miles from the last time it was calibrated. There's absolutely no need to calibrate it before each flight. Interestingly, with my Mavic, it always seems to fly well even if I forget to recalibrate the compass, even after traveling. Though it's probably not a bad idea to calibrate it occasionally and after a trip by plane.

As far as IMU calibrations -- with the Phantom: always after a firmware update or if it's been bumped during handling or transportation. And it needs to be chilled before the calibration. Again, the Mavik seems to be more forgiving in this regard. From experience, I'd say do it after an update or if it's been bumped. But if it's flying well, no issues. It doesn't seem to need the cold calibration either.

 

[dmanisgnarly]

I've had a P3P for two years and my Mavic for almost a year.

With the Phantom, it's "gospel" to calibrate the compass only if it's flying oddly or if the it has traveled more than 50-100 miles from the last time it was calibrated. There's absolutely no need to calibrate it before each flight. Interestingly, with my Mavic, it always seems to fly well even if I forget to recalibrate the compass, even after traveling. Though it's probably not a bad idea to calibrate it occasionally and after a trip by plane.

As far as IMU calibrations -- with the Phantom: always after a firmware update or if it's been bumped during handling or transportation. And it needs to be chilled before the calibration. Again, the Mavik seems to be more forgiving in this regard. From experience, I'd say do it after an update or if it's been bumped. But if it's flying well, no issues. It doesn't seem to need the cold calibration either.

A mavic for a year? Lol they're barely 6 months old. Never calibrated my MP..still works fine out of the box and through 4 FW updates. Now my p3 on the other hand...wanted to calibrate every few flights

 

[BraamMavic]

DJI manuals have also been contradictory on this subject. Check out the Compass Calibration Guide for the best advice.

Thanks Msinger. Added the Do's & Dont's of that thread to my preflight checklist

 

[Southern Phantom]

A mavic for a year? Lol they're barely 6 months old. Never calibrated my MP..still works fine out of the box and through 4 FW updates. Now my p3 on the other hand...wanted to calibrate every few flights

You're right! I just checked. I paid for the Mavic in October, so it must have arrived a few weeks later. It feels a lot longer because I use it almost every day!