Mavic 2 forgot to take off gimbal guard. Does it do permanant damage?

NXPRSS · Apr 4, 2019

I forgot to take the guard off one time so i just bought a "remove before flight" tag on ebay, drill a small hole in gimbal gaurd and attach the tag via small ziptie....

msinger · Apr 4, 2019

@wolfwater69, I started at poll to see what other people have actually experienced. You can watch along here:

POLL: Have you powered on your Mavic with the gimbal lock attached?

A lot of people worry about damaging the gimbal after accidentally powering on the Mavic with the gimbal lock attached. Have you ever done this? Please vote above.

mavicpilots.com

1919Films · Apr 4, 2019

Quick question about the Polar Pro Gimbal Lock. I ordered one, but I couldn't get the bottom tab to latch. I applied a fair amount of pressure, but the lower "hook" was many millimeters away from latching and the lock was pressed against the gimbal arm behind the camera, so much so that I didn't dare press any harder.

I know the camera was correctly oriented, so that wouldn't have been the problem. The package it came in had clearly been opened. The plastic seal on the flap had been pulled back, and the flap itself was torn. Could it have been defective, and someone returned it? (Which I did, too.)

Thomas B · Apr 4, 2019

1919Films said:
Quick question about the Polar Pro Gimbal Lock. I ordered one, but I couldn't get the bottom tab to latch. I applied a fair amount of pressure, but the lower "hook" was many millimeters away from latching and the lock was pressed against the gimbal arm behind the camera, so much so that I didn't dare press any harder.

I know the camera was correctly oriented, so that wouldn't have been the problem. The package it came in had clearly been opened. The plastic seal on the flap had been pulled back, and the flap itself was torn. Could it have been defective, and someone returned it? (Which I did, too.)

All I can say is I love mine. It fits like a champ and is way easier to apply than the OEM gimbal clamp shipped with it.

MAvic_South_Oz · Apr 4, 2019

msinger said:
@wolfwater69, I started at poll to see what other people have actually experienced. You can watch along here:

POLL: Have you powered on your Mavic with the gimbal lock attached?

A lot of people worry about damaging the gimbal after accidentally powering on the Mavic with the gimbal lock attached. Have you ever done this? Please vote above.

mavicpilots.com

Good opportunity for those that have had an issue to vote !

I accidentally left mine on maybe 4 or 5 times, most were noticed within seconds of start up, and immediately corrected.
The last time was on a trip (maybe 2 years ago), actually flew about 20 seconds, returned, but gimbal would not calibrate after this, not could I manually calibrate / reset the gimbal.
DJI service was impressive, I got a refurbished bird that flies / films great.

People have had similar issues, not sure why I am the first to vote 'Yes, and it damaged the gimbal and I had to repair my Mavic'.

My fluro safety tape attached to clamp solved this, but after you have been flying for some months, it's just a natural thing to remove it.

1919Films · Apr 4, 2019

Thomas B said:
All I can say is I love mine. It fits like a champ and is way easier to apply than the OEM gimbal clamp shipped with it.View attachment 68349 View attachment 68350

Thanks, Thomas. Maybe I'll give it another shot!

Former Member · Apr 4, 2019

1919Films said:
Quick question about the Polar Pro Gimbal Lock. I ordered one, but I couldn't get the bottom tab to latch. I applied a fair amount of pressure, but the lower "hook" was many millimeters away from latching and the lock was pressed against the gimbal arm behind the camera, so much so that I didn't dare press any harder.

I know the camera was correctly oriented, so that wouldn't have been the problem. The package it came in had clearly been opened. The plastic seal on the flap had been pulled back, and the flap itself was torn. Could it have been defective, and someone returned it? (Which I did, too.)

Glad you didnt press any harder. Gimbals can get damaged by applying too much pressure on the gimbal lock, especially the OEM one.

Former Member · Apr 4, 2019

MAvic_South_Oz said:
Good opportunity for those that have had an issue to vote !

I accidentally left mine on maybe 4 or 5 times, most were noticed within seconds of start up, and immediately corrected.
The last time was on a trip (maybe 2 years ago), actually flew about 20 seconds, returned, but gimbal would not calibrate after this, not could I manually calibrate / reset the gimbal.
DJI service was impressive, I got a refurbished bird that flies / films great.

People have had similar issues, not sure why I am the first to vote 'Yes, and it damaged the gimbal and I had to repair my Mavic'.

My fluro safety tape attached to clamp solved this, but after you have been flying for some months, it's just a natural thing to remove it.

View attachment 68351

Im sure many others have damaged their gimbals but etiher didnt know they were damaged, or just live with it.

MAvic_South_Oz · Apr 4, 2019

Thunderdrones said:
Im sure many others have damaged their gimbals but etiher didnt know they were damaged, or just live with it.

Mine couldn't be lived with

When starting up it would end up pointing down to one side, nothing could be done to rectify it out in the desert, though I tried many times over a week out there.
Ah well, going again for a week end May, so will really take advantage of my better flying and filming this time

Thomas B · Apr 4, 2019

Be sure to se

1919Films said:
Thanks, Thomas. Maybe I'll give it another shot!

Be sure to select whether you want it for M2P or M2Z as they are different. You can see the difference in the first 2 pics on the PP site.

Gimbal Lock | Mavic 2

This Mavic 2 Gimbal Lock will keep your camera and gimbal safe is essential when storing, carrying or traveling. Go from storage to flight quicker with a built-in pull-to-release lever that eliminates any stress placed on the gimbal. Once installed, the Mavic 2 Gimbal Lock securely holds...

www.polarprofilters.com

Former Member · Apr 4, 2019

Here's another alternative. Cheap and does a great job.

DJI Mavic 2 - Gimbal Lock

msinger · Apr 4, 2019

MAvic_South_Oz said:
People have had similar issues, not sure why I am the first to vote 'Yes, and it damaged the gimbal and I had to repair my Mavic'.

It likely means most people have not damaged their gimbal. Like any poll though, it's not possible to get everyone to vote. If we asked everyone who voted, I'm thinking most people would say they've never flown with the gimbal lock attached. That might have made the difference in your case.

gusri.candra · Apr 4, 2019

wolfwater69 said:
My camera got stuck in a side ways position, because the gimbal guard was on when going through the self check when powering on the drone. Then I turned the drone on and off after the gimbal guard was taken off it worked fine. Does it do perminant damage?

It is a robust design. Nothing to worry about

MAvic_South_Oz · Apr 4, 2019

Just realised this is the M2P forum, so obviously might not get the MP owners here too much, and the MP2 is supposedly a much improved design anyway.

The poll is in general forums, I'm still only 1/30 and only yes vote though.
I imagine there are lots of MP flyers or those that had them that have seen the poll, but it doesn't differentiate between all the Mavic models.

Anyway, touch wood no more problems for me, it's been great since replacement, and no more forgetfulness (or eagerness to fly too soon !)
Premature aviation ??

msinger · Apr 4, 2019

MAvic_South_Oz said:
The poll is in general forums, I'm still only 1/30 and only yes vote though.
I imagine there are lots of MP flyers or those that had them that have seen the poll, but it doesn't differentiate between all the Mavic models.

Right. The idea of the poll is just to see if this is an issue for pilots who any type of Mavic. Lots of people do this and those people often worry that something has been damaged (like the OP in this thread). This data will hopefully help people rest easy at night.

MAvic_South_Oz · Apr 4, 2019

msinger said:
Right. The idea of the poll is just to see if this is an issue for pilots who any type of Mavic. Lots of people do this and those people often worry that something has been damaged (like the OP in this thread). This data will hopefully help people rest easy at night.

Good idea, though gimbals need some care I'm sure.
Hope DJI did get past any MP / MPP fragile nature of gimbal obstructions wit hthe later Mavic models, DJI repairs don't say a thing about how, why, just here's your refirb.
But was very appreciative, as I explained what happened and they still did replacement.

msinger · Apr 5, 2019

MAvic_South_Oz said:
Good idea, though gimbals need some care I'm sure.

I'm most certain too. It's the most fragile part of the drone.

Former Member · Apr 5, 2019

MAvic_South_Oz said:
Good idea, though gimbals need some care I'm sure.
Hope DJI did get past any MP / MPP fragile nature of gimbal obstructions wit hthe later Mavic models, DJI repairs don't say a thing about how, why, just here's your refirb.
But was very appreciative, as I explained what happened and they still did replacement.

Glad they got you taken care of! And thank you for your story.