Indoor ATTI mode doesn't hover still

[minimpw]

Tried my Mavic indoors. Instead of hover it drifts slowly. Any thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

 

[DerekG]

I wouldn't recommend flying indoors unless you have a fair amount of experience with other quads - Otherwise you're asking for damage / injury if you loose orientation and the quad drifts into something.

Without knowing the dimensions of the room you are flying in here are a few potential reasons for the drift

-The room is small enough that the air being displaced by the quad is affecting its stability
-The room light is too low, or there is no easily distinguishable pattern on the ground for the optical sensors to keep the quad in one place
-There are metallic beams / appliances / etc that are affecting the compass which could cause the Mavic to loose orientation
-Your IMU has a bias and needs to be calibrated

Basically ATTI mode means no GPS hold is available, so the Mavic will hold position using its vision sensors (if on and available), IMU, barometer, and compass

I'm probably forgetting a few possibilities, however, I'm sure others will chime in too

 

[BD0G]

Another possibility is that the RC needs to be calibrated as the right stick may be in a vertical position , but the RC "thinks" that it is slightly pressed either right or left. Does it always drift in the same direction laterally?

This condition would also effect outdoor flight and have similar drift.

 

[CC Rider]

I wouldn't recommend flying indoors unless you have a fair amount of experience with other quads - Otherwise you're asking for damage / injury if you loose orientation and the quad drifts into something.

Without knowing the dimensions of the room you are flying in here are a few potential reasons for the drift

-The room is small enough that the air being displaced by the quad is affecting its stability
-The room light is too low, or there is no easily distinguishable pattern on the ground for the optical sensors to keep the quad in one place
-There are metallic beams / appliances / etc that are affecting the compass which could cause the Mavic to loose orientation
-Your IMU has a bias and needs to be calibrated

Basically ATTI mode means no GPS hold is available, so the Mavic will hold position using its vision sensors (if on and available), IMU, barometer, and compass

I'm probably forgetting a few possibilities, however, I'm sure others will chime in too

I'd really take DerekG's advice to heart. From what I've seen, read and heard, indoor Mav flights usually result in crashes that, in hindsight, were always unnecessary and avoidable.

Apparently, neither Stephen Hawking or God himself can accurately predict what a Mavic may do when flown indoors, especially in ATTI mode or while switching between GPS, ATTI or OPTI modes, something it is prone to do when flying inside and locking on, even briefly, to a GPS signal that made its way indoors, too. I kid you not, the results are almost always a disaster.

I think you should consider yourself lucky that your indoor flight went okay and you landed without problem, but I sure wouldn't push my luck any further. Just take a look at the countless videos out there already about this and you may reconsider trying it again.

 

[BD0G]

If you MUST fly indoors get some inexpensive prop guards and turn on the Prop Cage Setting in DJI Go 4 app. It wont guarantee you wont still crash , but it will guarantee you wont have shredded curtains or flat screen TV's.

 

[1TONY1]

Interesting timing on this thread. Today, inside, my Mavic drifted into the angled part of my vaulted ceiling. I saw it drifting and froze not knowing without thinking which way to control it. I'm a two week drone pilot, inexperienced. It ended up coming down from about 15' with propellers/top against the wall. It was hovering so well looking over the 2nd floor railing I wasn't paying attention like I should have been. Damaged three propellers and now the gimble is inop and gives the message to check for the gimble lock. So yes be careful ! Sadly I still have new prop guards sitting in the box.

 

[schweb]

Interesting timing on this thread. Today, inside, my Mavic drifted into the angled part of my vaulted ceiling. I saw it drifting and froze not knowing without thinking which way to control it. I'm a two week drone pilot, inexperienced. It ended up coming down from about 15' with propellers/top against the wall. It was hovering so well looking over the 2nd floor railing I wasn't paying attention like I should have been. Damaged three propellers and now the gimble is inop and gives the message to check for the gimble lock. So yes be careful ! Sadly I still have new prop guards sitting in the box.

Just today I was on chat with DJI asking about flying inside buildings, and he said calibrate compass and IMU outside and it shouldn't drift

 

[Robbyg]

Just today I was on chat with DJI asking about flying inside buildings, and he said calibrate compass and IMU outside and it shouldn't drift

Bad advice by the DJI REP!
Lots of variables at play, like the floor pattern and lighting not to mention a sudden GPS lock. Yes in ideal conditions it should not drift but most indoor locations are not ideal.

 

[schweb]

so would the better idea be to use wifi inside?

 

[BD0G]

so would the better idea be to use wifi inside?

Oh Jesus. Have you tried to control the Mavic yet with WiFi? Its like using a Ramen noodle on your finger and then putting that finger on a screen and expecting pinpoint accuracy.

I would reserve WiFi for what its intended for . Outside vast open space quick selfies. Not for precision flying indoors.

 

[schweb]

Oh Jesus. Have you tried to control the Mavic yet with WiFi? Its like using a Ramen noodle on your finger and then putting that finger on a screen and expecting pinpoint accuracy.

I would reserve WiFi for what its intended for . Outside vast open space quick selfies. Not for precision flying indoors.

Now that funny. Bad advise from the chat rep then. So then it's not possible to get the same stability indoors as out doors?

 

[CC Rider]

Just today I was on chat with DJI asking about flying inside buildings, and he said calibrate compass and IMU outside and it shouldn't drift

Truly no offense meant and I do not doubt for a minute DJI told you what you relayed here, but I'd caution you to remind you that part of DJI's entire marketing plan with the Mavic - which has obviously worked well way beyond even their wildest expectations - has been that the Mavic is THE drone that practically anyone can easily fly after just a short intro to it. That's been part of their market penetration strategy from the beginning: it's the drone for Every Man and Every Woman for Every Situation. However, those of us who fly it know nothing is further from the truth.

The Mavic is a very powerful machine filled with very neat and compelling high-tech features that CAN simplify certain flying and image capturing tasks, something which has helped it gain a worldwide audience. But at the end of the day the Mavic still remains to be a full-fledged drone specifically designed to be flown outdoors at a safe distance away from people and property, thus all of the warnings that come with them about where to fly, how to fly, etc. Those conditions simply do not exist in the average confined indoor space. So, straight out of the box, one is pushing the Mavics limitations and design purpose even though DJI itself, in my opinion, has allowed the perception to be that flying indoors may be doable with some of its own videos showing the Mavic in indoor situations. One memorable video even showed a Mavic flying from indoors to outside in one promo.

But just look at the countless posts about Mavic crashes in this forum and one can quickly see that the perception that drone flying is easy and a skill that anyone can instantly adopt flies in the face (pun intended) of the facts, which are that way too many drones are going down - from DJI units to Yuneec aircraft, the brand doesn't really matter - simply because too many folks are grabbing the controls without enough prior knowledge or experience, quickly find themselves in deep water, and are about $1K poorer because their drone barely lasted them a week after Christmas. It's a too common theme anyone can notice. Personally, I don't even think DJI or any drone manufacturer should ever include a "Quick Start Guide" with their drone products as it subtly perpetuates the misconception and myth that a three-minute read will adequately prepare anyone for turning on a set of drone props and taking to the sky.

DJI does not publish or promote one single word or include any set of instructions with the Mavic Pro about flying the Mavic indoors, and that's not an oversight on their part, either. If it was a proven safe thing to do, trust me DJI would be crowing very loudly about it to sell more units as it would satisfy more buyers' needs.

Bottomline is, common sense just isn't as common as it used to be. Sure, you can fly a Mavic indoors or off of the back of an alligator if you want to, for that matter, but common sense tells me neither would be a bright idea to pursue.

 

[schweb]

That totally makes sense. I'm a fairly experienced RC plane pilot so I'm not totally green. But just trying to understand the realities of what's doable and not. I learned yesterday that flying in a commercial building thats only framed wit steel beams make the bird go a little wacky so I won't be doing that again

 

[tfrank48]

Tried my Mavic indoors. Instead of hover it drifts slowly. Any thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

I had the same thing happened to me in my garage; only mine didn't just drift ... it went up into the ceiling crashed into the rafters ... and I'm still waiting for my replacement drone ... I'm not so sure about flying in the house or garage ... there was no wind, no nothing and it was a decent size garage. I see so many videos with people taking off from their tables, floors, etc.
Two days before I had run my Mavic and it was perfect, no drift, really solid for about 15 minutes
in the exact same spot.
Btw, the sticks had no affect on crash day as I had the left stick pinned all the way down, as well as the right stick moved away from the drift direction for, but the Mavic had it's own mind control.
I've had a Phantom 3A for about a year that has flown great ... OUTSIDE! Lesson learned!

 

[Mighty J Fury]

I wouldn't recommend flying indoors unless you have a fair amount of experience with other quads - Otherwise you're asking for damage / injury if you loose orientation and the quad drifts into something.

Without knowing the dimensions of the room you are flying in here are a few potential reasons for the drift

-The room is small enough that the air being displaced by the quad is affecting its stability
-The room light is too low, or there is no easily distinguishable pattern on the ground for the optical sensors to keep the quad in one place
-There are metallic beams / appliances / etc that are affecting the compass which could cause the Mavic to loose orientation
-Your IMU has a bias and needs to be calibrated

Basically ATTI mode means no GPS hold is available, so the Mavic will hold position using its vision sensors (if on and available), IMU, barometer, and compass

I'm probably forgetting a few possibilities, however, I'm sure others will chime in too

Wow! I wish I came across this earlier. I wasn't even trying any maneuvers...just wanted to put it in hover mode to take a quick vid. Earlier in the afternoon, the hover mode worked perfectly. Fast forward a few hours...after sunset...well, it didn't fare so well then. Nothing 2 new sets of props and ceiling paint touch-ups won't fix.

FYI: today is the FIRST day out the box.

newbs...Don't be me. TAKE IT OUTSIDE!

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[Ciawz]

Instead of fly indoor with ATTI mode
Try P-Opti mode instead
It is more doable
Requirements :
Propeller guard
Well-lit room
Large enough room
Set action for OA to hover
Set action for RTH to hover

But still, fly outdoor is much much fun

 

[Cerberus]

Instead of fly indoor with ATTI mode
Try P-Opti mode instead
It is more doable
Requirements :
Propeller guard
Well-lit room
Large enough room
Set action for OA to hover
Set action for RTH to hover

But still, fly outdoor is much much fun

I second what he said.. In Opti mode my Mavic as still as a statue

 

[AGT]

Instead of fly indoor with ATTI mode
Try P-Opti mode instead
It is more doable
Requirements :
Propeller guard
Well-lit room
Large enough room
Set action for OA to hover
Set action for RTH to hover

I'll add:
- Enable downward vision positioning
- Disable Landing protection

It's really important a well lit room

 

[Glenn Goodlett]

Mine will drift if there is not enough light in the room. Otherwise it is rock solid, almost like it's mounted on a pole.

It does need more light than you might think. I don't own any prop guards either.

 

[dwallersv]

Tried my Mavic indoors. Instead of hover it drifts slowly. Any thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using MavicPilots

What sort of surface is it over?

If carpet or other visually homogeneous, uniform appearance -- with no varying pattern -- it can't get a VPS lock, and will drift around.