Low noise prop cause abnormal gimbal vibration

[sar104]

Here's what I've found out as of today experimenting with LNPs with a Mavic Pro mfg'd on 28 Sep, 2017 and running the latest firmware (v01.04.0100). The a/c performs great out of the box with stock props; vid/pic quality is stunning; zero gimbal issues.

In all I've tried three different sets of LNPs, and each set has caused abnormal gimbal vibration. Two sets were ordered directly from DJI (gold tips and platinum tips). One set was ordered from Amazon (vendor is HiBlok). I was curious whether the issue might be related to mfg or vendor, i.e., something in the mfg process. While the vibrations appeared to be a bit worse with the HiBok props, the results were the same overall regardless of mfg.

I'd initially reported the issue to DJI via chat with Support. I reluctantly followed DJI's recommendation to refresh the firmware because they said they'd programmed in a fix in this latest version to address this anomaly. As I suspected before following through, the refresh made no difference whatsoever.

Note: On each flight where the issue was encountered the wind has been less that calm. In fact, it's been variable each time with gusts up to 10-20mph. Standing close to the Mavic it's obvious both visually and audibly that the high winds exacerbate the problem. I've yet to have a windless day to test the props. In all cases except the HiBloks, the issue went away once I got out of hover and started flying around, though it will return in gusty conditions where the motors are compensating for wind pressures.

I'm baffled by reports from forum members with seemingly similarly aged Mavics having mfg dates close to mine who report no issues since they're bound to have the same build components onboard their Mavics. There shouldn't be much variability from blade to blade in a mfg process, but the odds of having one propeller out of four that is slightly off weight wise or malformed is not astronomical. At these RPMs I wouldn't think it would take much of an error before it's noticeable.

That certainly adds to the somewhat contradictory body of data on this issue. I've tested the new props quite extensively on my early MP running 0400 firmware. No warnings at all, but I have noticed that low-light images show some motion blur that is not present with the original props and supports the hypothesis of more gimbal vibration.

 

[dr.tom]

maybe try this? its free and works for most of us

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[adshz]

maybe try this? its free and works for most of us

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This worked for me. Thanks!


UPDATE: Problem keeps coming back, I also bought mine at B&H and they seem to be defective.

 

[ftttu]

I just received my second set of LNPs from B&H, but my first set were from DJI. These from B&H were damaged during transport where the trailing edge on some of the props were misshapen due to the packaging being crushed. I manipulated the damaged props, and I got them to go back into their relative original shape. I can still see and especially feel that they aren't perfect, but even so, they don't cause any problems, such as vibration, during hovering or regular flight.

BTW, B&H, without my request, gave me my money back. I wouldn't have minded they having replaced them, but they said they didn't have any in stock. I eventually will order more from them due to their price and customer service.

 

[petter_m77]

Since the low noise propellers have more lift you have to turn dovn the gain in the settings of the mavic Espesaly the Pich and roll setting
I had to set mine to 90 on both to get the mavic stable i still have some fine tuning to do because i get some strange twiching when i yaw

 

[JoostGT3]

Since the low noise propellers have more lift you have to turn dovn the gain in the settings of the mavic Espesaly the Pich and roll setting
I had to set mine to 90 on both to get the mavic stable i still have some fine tuning to do because i get some strange twiching when i yaw

Oh, that is an interesting thought! Could you keep us updated on the fine tuning as well? Maybe make a separate thread for this...

 

[petter_m77]

Oh, that is an interesting thought! Could you keep us updated on the fine tuning as well? Maybe make a separate thread for this...

This guy explains IT very vell
Here is the fix for you

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[petter_m77]

IT should be A setting inn the dji go 4 app for wich prop you are using

 

[JoostGT3]

This guy explains IT very vell
Here is the fix for you

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Thanks mate! Never heard of t before. I'm at work now, but will watch it in the evening when I get home.

 

[viam]

Very well done! Very much appreciated. Looking forward to experimenting with this technique. Cheers.

 

[borislip]

Waiting for someone to confirm before ordering a set of those props.

 

[petter_m77]

Waiting for someone to confirm before ordering a set of those props.

I can confirm that IT worked for me

 

[Upthecreek]

Nice work had no Idea this was the problem

 

[petter_m77]

Nice work had no Idea this was the problem

I thought i had a bad propeller at first but glad there is a fix ..

 

[viam]

Worked for me. I began as suggested by adjusting gain downward in small percentage increments. The gimbal vibrations remained visibly apparent all the way down to 90%, but the condition stopped being reported in telemetry. I could clearly see that it was still vibrating, but I wasn't getting on-screen warnings about it. Once set to 89% the visibly noticeable vibrations disappeared altogether. My tests focused on the gimbal's condition immediately after takeoff during the first minute of flight. It had been my experience that the gimbal vibrations occurred without fail on every flight starting at takeoff, and the condition would always go away after hovering or moving around for a minute or so. Once set to 89%, I could no longer reproduce the vibration condition. I tested this setting with separate flights using two different sets of DJI props. I tested this setting with the gold tipped props and then with the 'platinum' tipped props, and the problem is gone. Many thanks to the contributor that posted this fix.

 

[tictag]

Must admit, never had this problem and I've been flying on the new props for months now. One caution regarding adjusting the gain settings, though, if DJI have released some kind of fix in firmware, this may make the gain adjustments cause problems.

 

[petter_m77]

Must admit, never had this problem and I've been flying on the new props for months now. One caution regarding adjusting the gain settings, though, if DJI have released some kind of fix in firmware, this may make the gain adjustments cause problems.

IT would be wise to read what the update does before updating .. if you have adjusted the gain like you say that could result in an very unstable drone

 

[viam]

I agree, and I did read the update objectives. The tests I ran are probably best described as low-performance trials, and so long as this remains an issue under factory gain settings then I'll continue to keep a wary eye on things.

 

[Scooterx64]

I have the latest firmware and have been seeing the gimbal vibration issue with the new props. Usually it seems to abate after a few minutes if I fly it around, if I just take off and hover it doesn't go away. Today I verified the vibration at gain settings of 100, made the gain settings changes (89 for everything except left vertical gain at 100) and immediately noticed the gimbal vibration stopped. Flew through a full battery and even spent some time in Sport mode and all seems to be fine. Hovered it intermittently and did not seen any excessive gimbal vibration .