Mini 2 Crash Please Help!

[Meta4]

I've been practicing modeling for 30 years now: (school of airplanes, helicopters, cars and drones) I'm a semi-professional and I know very well how our drones work.
This is not to say that I am wrong to do this calibration, but it has always been on my CHECK LIST.
....
CALIBRATE THE COMPASS

Lots of people still believe the myth.
DJI has contributed to it with very poor wording in their manuals for years until just recently.
But we know better nowdays.
If you understand what calibrating your compass actually does, you understand why it's completely unnecessary to do it before each flight and doesn't make anything safer or better.

Read the link I posted above and find out the facts.

 

[Yaros]

If you understand what calibrating your compass actually does, you understand why it's completely unnecessary to do it before each flight and doesn't make anything safer or better.

Maybe I don't completely understand how does it work and so on, but even DJI says in the manual of my drone to calibrate it. Sorry, but I trust the manufacturer of the drone more, it's their product, they know better (I guess).
Then if it flies away and after log inspection it was because the compass was not calibrated I can't blame the people that told me that it is not necessary to calibrate...

I'm flying my Mavic Air 2 for 8 months, calibrating before flying in a new location, never had a problem.
So this is why I will continue doing so.

If you don't agree, it's fine, you do whatever you want with your drone, don't calibrate it if you don't want, but don't argue with me about this, because what I know for sure, is that calibrating the compass doesn't make the situation worse.

 

[Meta4]

Maybe I don't completely understand how does it work and so on, but even DJI says in the manual of my drone to calibrate it. Sorry, but I trust the manufacturer of the drone more, it's their product, they know better (I guess).

I specifically mentioned DJI manuals in my previous post.
They have long been a source of misinformation regarding compass calibration and contributed to the silly myths about it, and unfortunately are the last people to listen to on the subject.
Don't believe me?
Read about compass calibration in more recent DJI manuals and wonder why they have dropped that recommendation.
It's not because their compasses have changed.

Have you read the post that, I've pointed to multiple times in this thread?
If you have you would understand why the distrance from your last flight is 100% irrelevant to your compass.
If you read it and disagree, you could take that up with the author of that post, but he's explained it pretty well.

I'm flying my Mavic Air 2 for 8 months, calibrating before flying in a new location, never had a problem.
So this is why I will continue doing so.

Likewise, you could have flown every time without recalibrating and also not had a problem.
I flew a drone in hard professional use for over 5 years without ever calibrating a thing, travelled 2500 km N-S and 4800 km E-W and never had a problem.
I was confident to do this because I understand what compass calibration actually does and how DJI's note in your manual is complete misinformation.

If you don't agree, it's fine, you do whatever you want with your drone, don't calibrate it if you don't want, but don't argue with me about this, because what I know for sure, is that calibrating the compass doesn't make the situation worse.

As I pointed out to someone else, you are unnecessarily recalibrating as a superstitious ritual.
Your flight safety is improved when you understand what you are doing and how it affects the drone.

 

[Yaros]

Have you read the post that, I've pointed to multiple times in this thread?
If you have you would understand why the distrance from your last flight is 100% irrelevant to your compass.
If you read it and disagree, you could take that up with the author of that post, but he's explained it pretty well.

I did read the post.
I will not disagree with anything.

Likewise, you could have flown every time without recalibrating and also not had a problem.

Maybe! Actually, 2 of my friends were flying their DJI drones for about 5 months now, calibrated only once or twice, and never had a problem either.
Okay, I will try not to calibrate and see what happens

 

[sar104]

I did read the post.
I will not disagree with anything.


Maybe! Actually, 2 of my friends were flying their DJI drones for about 5 months now, calibrated only once or twice, and never had a problem either.
Okay, I will try not to calibrate and see what happens

In ideal conditions, compass calibration will do no harm. The main problem with the whole compass calibration thing is that the purpose has never been clearly communicated by DJI and so, as demonstrated in your post #15, many people don't understand what it can and cannot fix. Myths on this subject include:

1. Calibration is necessary if you change location - generally on the assumption that it takes account of declination changes. That's incorrect - calibration cannot determine declination.
2. Calibration is necessary when taking of in a magnetically disturbed environment - a misconception further fostered by the compass error message that suggests moving and/or calibrating the compass. But compass calibration in a magnetically disturbed location will just make matters worse, and won't prevent uncontrolled flight once the aircraft leaves the area and the IMU and compass disagree.
3. Calibration is necessary after a certain time between flights. DJI actually implemented this requirement, but it was likely because there have been many cases of owners storing their aircraft in strong magnetic fields, such as near loudspeaker magnets, which will change the magnetic state of the aircraft and put it out of calibration.

 

[Mavic Merrick]

Sounds to me like the vision positioning system (VPS) was not working correctly due to it being dark. I have flown at night uncountable times and you have to be ready for the drone to drift even if you have full GPS signal because the VPS is thrown off. The other reason the VPS is important is because when you are landing in the dark is sometimes does not sense the ground below it and does not slow down resulting in a hard landing and the propellers may not stop.
Good luck!

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Today I got my mini 2 in the mail. I flew it without updating it 3 times during the day and no problems. Then at night I decided to put it up and when I got outside, decided to finish the update. For some reason I got error code #30096 which is compass calibration and low signal. Then I bypassed the low light warning and flew it. Not 10 seconds later, the drone got stuck flying in one direction and hit a wall. So disappointed and honestly scared to buy another. Can someone help me figure out why it did this?

So i see a couple issues that you attempted to Negotiate.

Calibrating at night in the dark , not the best move.
Flying in low light without the aide of the sensors to help you.
Trying to do the Update outside maybe to quickly as many times the drone will start up several times and fool u.
After the update you might have had to update your battery as well.
You also have a possibility of Magnetic interference , so many variables not going in your favor.

its not that you did anything wrong, but neither did you do any one thing right.

As you get more seasoned , you start to calculate your risks better and you realize quickly that every
update needs to be tested in the best of positions as everything has changed including many times your settings on the drone.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mini 2 in the Rain, Land on the water.

 

[LoudThunder]

So disappointed and honestly scared to buy another

I fly a Mini 2 and I know the excitement you must have been going through when it first arrived, but you must know that flew it before the Drone was ready and obviously before you were ready. I'm willing to guess that you even flew it at night (low light warning) and probably in your back yard (hit a wall…).

There is a lot advice that the members have already offered and I do not know if yu will follow it or not, but I will offer you Beginner's Advice, fit for a noob in case you decide to do this again…

You are in San Diego so there are a couple of Legal Things you need to do… Register your Drone; that can be done at the FAA Web Site. You also need to get your TRUST Certificate. You can get that at the Pilot Institute Web Site (FREE…) .

FAADroneZone

faadronezone.faa.gov

FAA TRUST Online Portal for Recreational Drone Operators - Pilot Institute

Do not let the excitement of the moment get the best of you. When you are going out to fly, do it slowly and deliberately. Get used to a set procedure and even practice it.

Plug in your phone/tablet into your controller; turn on the Controller and DJI Fly App (if it does not start on its own…). On the Drone, open the front legs, then open the back legs, then remove the Gimbal Cover.

The Gimbal is the most delicate item on the Drone and banging or bumping can damage it. I also fastened a short "Remove Before Flight" ribbon to the cover so it's more noticeable and I do not forget to remove it…

Turn on the drone and watch it come to "life." Watching the Gimbal go through its self-check is almost like watching a kitten or puppy opening its eyes for the first time…

Place the drone down (preferably on a Landing Pad) while it finishes its self-test (collecting satellites, etc…).

Check your battery status (Phone, Drone, and Controller), check the Signal Strength, by now the Controller should have reported it updated the Home Point.

Lift off, 4-5 feet (1-1/2 meters) or so, hover a bit, check the controls (move the drone a bit forward, back, left, right, yaw left and right). By now, your Controller will probably report again, Home point Updated.

If you go out in a rush and race thru your start up and take off before the drone has finished it prep, it may update its Home Point over that pond or that old tree you are flying over and in your excitement, you'll fly the drone long past it Low Battery point and when it engages Return to Home and lands in the pond or in a tree; it will be all on you…

Now go have fun, learn to fly the drone by sight before you try to fly it out a distance depending on the video feed, FPV.

I would also advise you to use YouTube and watch a lot of the Videos on flying and setting up the Drone. When it is too dark, too cold, or too wet, you can "fly it vicariously" through YouTube. Also watch some of the Blooper Drone Videos and learn how not to fly your "New Baby."

Below is the link to all of the downloads offered by DJI for the Mini 2. You will also find the 75-page User's Manual, in case your Drone did not come with one.

After you read the Manual, read it again, you will be surprised what you missed the first time and you will be better prepared for that next "scary moment…"

DJI Mini 2 - Download Center - DJI

Happy and Safe Droning…

 

[eva2000]

I'm willing to guess that you even flew it at night (low light warning) and probably in your back yard (hit a wall…).

Yikes you just described my 1st flight backyard and near sunset did get the low light warnings but no crash heh.