Mavic Air will not start IMU calibration

[Cagliostro13]

Hello!!
I'm having issues with imu calibration, it won't start at all..searching internet for last two days, nothing that is helpfull..all i could find is lot's of People with same issue.. drone was fine before Winter, everything normal, two days ago i wanted to take it for spin but i Got 4 warnings, you can see them in att.. tried imu calibration bit Will not start, i can hit start a thousand Times, it just Will not start..can't calibrate compass as well.. did someone managed to fix this? Tried three different phones, same thing..
Btw, drone never had a crash..

 

[Deleted member 94047]

Most likely, the IMU module needs to be replaced. If it is still in warranty, or if you have DJI care refresh, send it back to DJI for replacement/repair. If not, and if you are technically minded, you can buy the IMU module from ebay and replace it yourself. There are plenty of videos on how to do that (here is one I recently came across and bookmarked)

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There are also a few threads here in this forum which you may find useful. Here is one you may want to look at.

Mavic Air Controller Data Error and IMU calibration issue

Okay this is weird, I flew my drone yesterday and used two batteries with no issue. Today I went out again, recharged both batteries and formatted my SD card and to my horror and sprise I was seeing red army attack. Errors everywhere. Main Controller Data Error IMU Calibration required...

mavicpilots.com

Having said all that, it won't hurt to start from the simplest of troubleshooting solutions. Download the DJI Assistant 2 software from here and perform a firmware refresh using Assistant 2. Once done with that, perform a IMU calibration and gimbal calibration. If that doesn't resolve the issue, then proceed to the IMU replacement.

Good luck!

 

[old man mavic]

please dont laugh but i notice that it states accelerometer issue
sometimes if the drone has been left unused for a long period the electronic giros can become stuck ,it has been shown that it is possible to get them working again by holding the drone with the bottom heat sync upwards and giving it a few taps with your fingers you have nothing to lose giving it a try

 

[Detritalgeo]

I have seen those errors before when the gimbal connection cable was damaged or dislodged slightly. Does the gimbal stabilize properly when moved around be hand?

 

[Cagliostro13]

Gimball does the procedure when drone is turned on.. Will see if it moves when moving drone.. is there some tutorial how to check that Cable? Replacing stuff on drone is not an issue but i just can't believe that things Like this can happen on a thing that is not cheap and that has 10 Hours of flyt..
And while I was searching online how to fix this I saw lot's of People with same issue..
How can this happen? Faulty od cheap parts installed in the quad?
Thanks guys for fast answers

 

[Cagliostro13]

I have seen those errors before when the gimbal connection cable was damaged or dislodged slightly. Does the gimbal stabilize properly when moved around be hand?

I just don't understand how that could happen? It never had an crash, Always was in it's carrying bag, i really taked god care about it.. i do not understand how imu went nad as well, turned drone off without any issue, NeXT start all this mess started..

 

[Deleted member 94047]

How long have you had it sitting around?

 

[Cagliostro13]

Over the Winter, 2 months tops..

 

[Deleted member 94047]

That is not that long and shouldn't have been a problem. I was thinking if it was idle for 6 months may be, but two is not unusual.

 

[Cagliostro13]

As I mentioned, i had few cheap drones Like jjrc, never ever had any issue.. they all work as day one no matter how long I didn't fly them.. i Will order New imu, 20$, it is not much, changing it is not an issue but I'm really disapointed with dji.. i really think that premium products with premium price should have premium quality.. parts should not fail from thin air.. and as I can see, fail rate for imu is pretty big.. in almost all stores they are sold put..

 

[Detritalgeo]

Its a shame, did it encounter any moisture in the fall before you put it in storage?

If you will be opening it up anyway, it may be worthwhile just carefully cleaning all the connections to the motherboard with some isopropyl and a old toothbrush. I leave a minor coating of DeoxIT D100L solution to make sure the electrical connection is good.

I would try this before ordering any components..

 

[Cagliostro13]

No moisture what so ever.. quad was in my bedroom, with all my other gadgets..
Tomorrow I Will take it to the local DJI repair center to diagnose the problem and to get quote for repair.. if it will be ridiculous amount of money, I will repair it by my self..

 

[Marcius]

Hello!!
I'm having issues with imu calibration, it won't start at all..searching internet for last two days, nothing that is helpfull..all i could find is lot's of People with same issue.. drone was fine before Winter, everything normal, two days ago i wanted to take it for spin but i Got 4 warnings, you can see them in att.. tried imu calibration bit Will not start, i can hit start a thousand Times, it just Will not start..can't calibrate compass as well.. did someone managed to fix this? Tried three different phones, same thing..
Btw, drone never had a crash..

Never keep drone close to big magnetic fields, like speaker or something who has magnet, once I keep with osmo pocket case and in the case was ND filters which is magnets on them have problems with RC, now keeping them separate and that problem disappear.

 

[Deleted member 94047]

Never keep drone close to big magnetic fields, like speaker or something who has magnet, once I keep with osmo pocket case and in the case was ND filters which is magnets on them have problems with RC, now keeping them separate and that problem disappear.

While this is good advice, it has nothing to do with IMU issues. magnetic fields affect the compass not the accelerometers or the gyros in the IMU.

 

[Marcius]

While this is good advice, it has nothing to do with IMU issues. magnetic fields affect the compass not the accelerometers or the gyros in the IMU.

How I am saying - You never know

 

[Deleted member 94047]

How I am saying - You never know

Really, I am not disagreeing with your advice; in fact I myself make it a point to keep my MA away from speakers and such. I am just saying the IMU will not be affected by magnetic fields; only the compass. You are familiar with how we do compass calibrations, right? Away from anything that could cause magnetic interference. But this is not an issue when we do IMU calibrations, the only requirement is that it is done in a perfectly flat surface. Magnetic fields do not affect the gyros and accelerometers in the IMU because these instruments measure movement (rotation and acceleration respectively to be more precise). So, yes, prolonged exposure to strong magnetic fields is bad for a drone because it can affect the accuracy of the compass. But this cannot be the cause of the problem the OP is experiencing here since it is the gyros and/or the accelerometers which are faulty; not the compass.

 

[Deleted member 94047]

Tomorrow I Will take it to the local DJI repair center to diagnose the problem and to get quote for repair.. if it will be ridiculous amount of money, I will repair it by my self..

Good luck, hope you get it sorted out soon. If you can't get the DJI repair center to do it for free or a reasonable fee and you decide to do it yourself; it may be worthwhile to try to identify which component(s) of the IMU are faulty. Download and install the old version of DJI Assistant 2 (v 1.1.2) and enable debug mode*. Once you have debug mode enabled, power on the Mavic Air and connect it to your PC using the USB-C cable. In the Assistant 2 application, click on the "IMU Calibration" and you will be presented with a page like the one below where you can see the detailed readings from the gyros and accelerometers in both IMUs. Observe how and if the values change as you rotate and move the aircraft. In a functional IMU, the readings from the two accelerometers and gyros in the two IMUs should be close to each other across each of their corresponding axis; and their values should change in tandem as you rotate and move the aircraft. In a faulty unit, these values may stay the same as the AC moves. Observe the readings from each of the two accelerometers and gyros with this in mind as you rotate and move the aircraft. If it happens to be the case that the issue is one of the accelerometers is stuck on only one of its axis, you may be able to fix it without having to open the AC and replacing the IMU module. If it seems like there are multiple sensors with issues or one sensor with issues across multiple axis, then it is best to replace the IMU module altogether.



___________________________________
*If you are on a Windows platform, you will find an easy to follow step by step instruction on how to install and enable debug mode in this thread.

Easy Windows Assistant 2 1.1.2 debug method

Hey guys I've been helping lots of people set up Assistant 2 1.1.2 in debug mode on on their Windows computer which is a little more difficult than on a Mac and I have come up with a way to remove the most difficult part from the process. Attached is a link to download a package I've made which...

mavicpilots.com

 

[Marcius]

Really, I am not disagreeing with your advice; in fact I myself make it a point to keep my MA away from speakers and such. I am just saying the IMU will not be affected by magnetic fields; only the compass. You are familiar with how we do compass calibrations, right? Away from anything that could cause magnetic interference. But this is not an issue when we do IMU calibrations, the only requirement is that it is done in a perfectly flat surface. Magnetic fields do not affect the gyros and accelerometers in the IMU because these instruments measure movement (rotation and acceleration respectively to be more precise). So, yes, prolonged exposure to strong magnetic fields is bad for a drone because it can affect the accuracy of the compass. But this cannot be the cause of the problem the OP is experiencing here since it is the gyros and/or the accelerometers which are faulty; not the compass.

I am agree with you, just once I try lift up from car bonnet, and i get IMU error but not compass error, after restarted drone away from car was all OK. ? That's why I think about all magnetic interference can play with everything

 

[Cagliostro13]

So, DJI repair Center quated 55$ for parts and labour, That's seams resonable so I left it for repair.. they told me it Will be finished on wendsday..
Thanks guys for all the help and fast answers.. Will put a post when quad Will be in the air again ?

 

[Deleted member 94047]

So, DJI repair Center quated 55$ for parts and labour, That's seams resonable so I left it for repair.. they told me it Will be finished on wendsday..
Thanks guys for all the help and fast answers.. Will put a post when quad Will be in the air again ?

That is very reasonable; you made the right choice.