M3 drops from sky

[RC_Powerz]

Assuming the FLY app for the M3 works in the same way as it does for the Mavic Mini.
With the response set to "Emergency Only", it is the drone that decides whether or not it will comply with the instruction issued by the pilot, via the pilot putting the sticks in the CSC position, to stop the motors. In that situation the drone will only stop the motors if it considers itself to be in an emergency situation or that is has suffered an emergency.
If it thinks there is no emergency then it will not stop the motors.
I tested this with a Mavic Mini, I sent it up to 107m, switched the speed mode to the slowest and put the sticks in the CSC position. I held them there for 41 seconds whilst the MM descended in a nice, controlled helix until the MM was around 3ft off the ground. It even slowed its descent as the ground came within the range of the downward looking sensors. When I released the joysticks the MM hovered.
As Meta4 says, what constitues an emergency is unknown.

This is exactly my experience with the Air2s and this feature as well. Whatever maneuver I performed over the beach was one I had done many times with my Air2s and never triggered a motor stop, perhaps it was encroaching on the shut off limit and I never knew it because of that feature saving me. I've flew 4 batteries a day through that thing in the same location since release day without such an issue and fly it way harder than I did the M3, so my muscle memory is well used to that controller and being fairly conscious of stick input limits.


Does anyone know if there is a log file that will display what mode the emergency shut off was in? As mentioned I never changed it, never even went into that or any advanced menu on M3, but now im starting to wonder if the factory default wasn't simply set wrong or if it was a actual failure of the feature. I know on the current software version if I open the DJIFLY app with no drone connected and go into the camera view and look at that menu its default with no connection is set to "always" but greyed out, as soon as I connect it to a drone it goes to "emergency" mode.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Does anyone know if there is a log file that will display what mode the emergency shut off was in? As mentioned I never changed it,

Unfortunately it seems not. Though I am now wondering if it is in the DAT on the drone but us poor numpties aren't allowed 'in there', they are encrypted and DJI only territory.

Oh your log on Phantomhelp DJI Flight Log Viewer - PhantomHelp.com

 

[slup]

... never even went into that or any advanced menu on M3, but now im starting to wonder if the factory default wasn't simply set wrong or if it was a actual failure of the feature.

Have you tried to retrieve the mobile device .DAT log yet? Perhaps (but most probably not) it can give some clues.

 

[sar104]

Have you tried to retrieve the mobile device .DAT log yet? Perhaps (but most probably not) it can give some clues.

What kind of clues are you hoping to see in the DAT file?

 

[JooB]

Hi RC_Powers, do I understand you right that you did the CSC as a kind of panic reaction after seeing the drone falling down? Motor stop settings are on "Emergency Only". Before that you saw a "Navigation error" message.

Is it possible that the "Navigation error" brings the drone in emergency mode?
And when you did the CSC the drone stopped the motors because it was in emergency mode already?
That would be an explanation why the CSC stopped the motors in flight with the "Emergency Only" setting.
And it would explain why you never had that problem with your Air2, because it never showed "Navigation Error".

But nevertheless this doesn't fit to the diagrams that show the drone on stable height just below 250 ft and not falling down until you started CSC and 1.6 seconds later the motors stopped.

So I see 3 options:
1. Your memory fools you about the timing of the several events
2. The recorded date and diagrams are wrong and fooling everybody
3. Your maneuvers triggered the CSC stick position and you didn't notice it. Doing the same with the Air2 without being in emergency mode has never been a problem.

I have no clue why the data/diagrams should be wrong. But I also have no clue why you should have initiated a CSC with no cause.
Perhaps your maneuvers together with the nav error sealed the kill of the drone.
I have no idea what's wrong or right. Be happy to have refresh care... and better luck with the next drone!

 

[360 Guy]

Is it any wonder why folks say “let the others do the testing the first year” then I’ll decide after that.

 

[sar104]

Hi RC_Powers, do I understand you right that you did the CSC as a kind of panic reaction after seeing the drone falling down? Motor stop settings are on "Emergency Only". Before that you saw a "Navigation error" message.

Is it possible that the "Navigation error" brings the drone in emergency mode?
And when you did the CSC the drone stopped the motors because it was in emergency mode already?
That would be an explanation why the CSC stopped the motors in flight with the "Emergency Only" setting.
And it would explain why you never had that problem with your Air2, because it never showed "Navigation Error".

But nevertheless this doesn't fit to the diagrams that show the drone on stable height just below 250 ft and not falling down until you started CSC and 1.6 seconds later the motors stopped.

So I see 3 options:
1. Your memory fools you about the timing of the several events
2. The recorded date and diagrams are wrong and fooling everybody
3. Your maneuvers triggered the CSC stick position and you didn't notice it. Doing the same with the Air2 without being in emergency mode has never been a problem.

I have no clue why the data/diagrams should be wrong. But I also have no clue why you should have initiated a CSC with no cause.
Perhaps your maneuvers together with the nav error sealed the kill of the drone.
I have no idea what's wrong or right. Be happy to have refresh care... and better luck with the next drone!

As you can see from the AirData log report, there was no navigation error before the CSC was initiated. The only messages related to the vision system being unavailable due to insufficient ambient light. That seems unlikely to count as an in-flight emergency, but without any documentation on the details of that feature it's hard to say for sure.

 

[RC_Powerz]

Have you tried to retrieve the mobile device .DAT log yet? Perhaps (but most probably not) it can give some clues.

yes, I was just able to retrieve that log file, here it is:


Only thing I can rationally figure is it was set to "always" right from the factory if this was a normal response to my input and not a feature failing. I never even opened that menu on the M3, it was only my 7th time powering it on and 5th flight, cant really prove what setting it was on since I never even opened that menu but I can say with 100% confidence I never even went into that advanced menu on this bird and certainly never changed the default.

 

[hiflyer201]

it would only cut motors inwhat DJI considers an emergency (whatever that is).

A true runaway and heading straight for a group of people would be about the only time I would use it. Yikes!

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

Two thoughts.

The last entry said you never opened the menu on the M3. As a pre-flight, this should be something that should always be done to make sure settings are proper before a flight, regardless of experience, regardless if it is a new drone or not. The new drone because you don't know what settings are that may cause an undesirable flight, and if you have completed any FW updates, they generally change some of your settings.

As this is a brand new creature, not all the bugs are discovered and or worked out. And new owners are the Beta testers.
If someone is brave enough and willing with their new expensive M3's, a test might be made to test the above problem with the CSC working correctly.

-- Take it up to a hover, maybe two or three feet above a very soft landing surface, maybe a large pillow for example, then test the CSC in both Always and Emergency Only modes. If it shuts down in the Emergency Only mode, then we have an identified FW issue and a warning can be put out to groups and on You Tube so others don't have the same disaster.
And more importantly, DJI can be notified for a correction to the FW.

 

[sar104]

yes, I was just able to retrieve that log file, here it is:


Only thing I can rationally figure is it was set to "always" right from the factory if this was a normal response to my input and not a feature failing. I never even opened that menu on the M3, it was only my 7th time powering it on and 5th flight, cant really prove what setting it was on since I never even opened that menu but I can say with 100% confidence I never even went into that advanced menu on this bird and certainly never changed the default.

Not surprisingly the Fly app DAT files for the M3 appear to be encrypted, so only readable by DJI, at least for now.

 

[nancyflyer]

So it happened, haven't had a drone go down in over 5 years and 2500 hours of flying. Was crawling along at 11mph at 220 feet and 60% battery getting some cinematic beachy sunset shots, its 7th flight and it just dropped like a brick, lost all power from what I could tell, last recorded flight data is at 218ft, but the battery, drone and lights stayed on the entire time, no transmission after impact but stayed powered up even while getting soaked by waves. Only 11th time being powered on, 1 hour and 58 min of flight on it. Don't have a screen recording but I got a never before seen "Navigation error" message in red on the screen as it was falling; not listed in logs, got a few low light warnings prior but normal for that time of day, nothing else out of the ordinary.

I have my suspicions that its battery related, battery was malfunctioning after, wouldn't shut off and lights were flashing abnormally, never could get it to power off, stayed on for hours. I honestly don't know what else it could be outside of an internal nav component failure, I did just fly 2 batteries through it pretty hard but barley peeked into the 25amp range and only for a few brief moments according to my AirData uav info. DJIFLY doesnt even show the flight, it doesn't show any of my flights for the day, but airdata was able to pull them all I've attached it if anyone wants to take a peek, this is the original format as well as a Airdata sharable link.

Yes, I have refresh care but in all honestly this was clearly a device failure, no fault of mine, has anyone had luck getting their refresh care fee waved in a device failure instance? I am seeing no reports of anything like it happening, but the way the flight data just stops recording midflight at 218 ft with all reports normal is odd to say the least, never seen anything like it. Surprisingly little physical damage considering the height it dropped from, one small crack on shell by battery compartment and front nose piece popped out on one side, came to rest upside down on the beach in the surf, landed directly upside down.

would be interested to know what refresh care does. I haven't found them to be helpful.

 

[RC_Powerz]

Not surprisingly the Fly app DAT files for the M3 appear to be encrypted, so only readable by DJI, at least for now.

I'm hoping maybe DJI will give some kind of response as to telling me what setting it was on after data analysis, I made a note in my refresh care filing and am going to try calling Monday to have a tech make a note on my case but I did use express refresh care so the "data analysis" it says is waved, not even sure they will hook the bird up and read what's on it in relation to my case when using the express refresh care option where the just fire off a new drone when the old one is received.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

but I did use express refresh care so

Ouch that's got to have hurt

 

[slup]

What kind of clues are you hoping to see in the DAT file?

Not surprisingly the Fly app DAT files for the M3 appear to be encrypted, so only readable by DJI, at least for now.

Mostly this in the second quote ... but also curious if something was clearly spelled out in the end of the DAT log event stream regarding what allowed a CSC command.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

A true runaway and heading straight for a group of people would be about the only time I would use it. Yikes!

That's why I dislike the current set up. 'Anytime' or whatever triggers the shut down too quickly for the drone to be flown with that response active. And, if in "emergency only," and if that were happening who would have the presence of mind to go into the menus, find the setting, change it and execute the CSC in time for it to be of any use.

 

[RC_Powerz]

Ouch that's got to have hurt

$159 for the express replacement. That's supposed to cover 1 battery too, had to input that serial as well for the refresh care and it is toast, wont power on now or charge.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

@slup and or @sar104 would an anonymised? csv of a DAT which contains multiple CSC attempts and a successful motor stop (both response settings) from a Mavic Mini using a pre 1.2 ver of the app be of any use?

 

[slup]

@slup and or @sar104 would an anonymised? csv of a DAT which contains multiple CSC attempts and a successful motor stop (both response settings) from a Mavic Mini using a pre 1.2 ver of the app be of any use?

Nah ... not necessary, it obvious what stopped the motors, it was the CSC command. That could have been ok depending on if the setting was on "Always" but if the OP never changed it (not certain if he was able to power on everything to check what the setting was ... or if he just goes with that he never was in that menu). Or was it at "Always" by default ... or did anything else allowed it to be considered as an "Emergency". Thank's anyway ... but it's all up to DJI now.

 

[GFields]

So sorry for your loss. Good thing you had the DJI refresh.