Mini 3 drift problem

[jphoto]

Anyone else seen this issue with the Mini 3? Takeoff, go to 20' or so, and hover. The drone doesn't just hover in one spot, it randomly drifts, as if there's some control input. It will typically drift sideways for a bit, perhaps 5 to 10', then stop, then drift again. It's not a huge problem if you're just hovering in the clear, but if you're attempting to navigate around some obsticles, or even land, it want's to drift off course significantly require a LOT of strange control input from the pilot. 22 sats before launch, BTW, light wind.

My reference drone is an Air 2S, which will hang in the air motionless just fine.

 

[scro]

Is the VPS (ie optical positioning) working OK? With just a GPS signal the hover accuracy is a lot lower than you'd expect (for typical DJI drones it's been +/-1.5m, ie 5ft) but the mini 3 specs seem to tighten GPS only hover accuracy to +/-0.5, ie 1.6ft.

 

[EyesWideShut]

Are you getting any light level too low warnings as @scro says about the optical positioning sensors providing hovering accuracy at lower elevations.

 

[jphoto]

Is the VPS (ie optical positioning) working OK? With just a GPS signal the hover accuracy is a lot lower than you'd expect (for typical DJI drones it's been +/-1.5m, ie 5ft) but the mini 3 specs seem to tighten GPS only hover accuracy to +/-0.5, ie 1.6ft.

How would I test this?

 

[jphoto]

Are you getting any light level too low warnings as @scro says about the optical positioning sensors providing hovering accuracy at lower elevations.

Looks like you're referring to data in a log file. How do I access that?

 

[amajamar]

Anyone else seen this issue with the Mini 3? Takeoff, go to 20' or so, and hover. The drone doesn't just hover in one spot, it randomly drifts, as if there's some control input. It will typically drift sideways for a bit, perhaps 5 to 10', then stop, then drift again. It's not a huge problem if you're just hovering in the clear, but if you're attempting to navigate around some obsticles, or even land, it want's to drift off course significantly require a LOT of strange control input from the pilot. 22 sats before launch, BTW, light wind.

My reference drone is an Air 2S, which will hang in the air motionless just fine.

I thought I noticed this happening too, but just thought I may have been pushing the sticks a bit. I'll have to see if it happens again when there is enough light to ensure VPS engagement.

 

[jphoto]

Let me clarify the problem a bit, and again, my reference drone is an Air 2S.

Hovering, the Mini 3 will drift laterally, and continue to do so until I give the opposite control input. Also, hovering, it will suddenly drop vertically to a new altitude, again, until I give it control input. Landing...basically a hover over a "target" area, it drifts laterally off target, has to have acctive control input, often right up until the last foot.

The manual has these specs:
Vertical: Vision Positioning: ±0.1 m
GNSS Positioning: ±0.5 m
Horizontal: Vision Positioning: ±0.3 m
High Accuracy System Positioning: ±0.5 m

That's all great, but also implies maximum error relative to a fixed point. My drift problem is not an error, or a variable hover around a point, but a continuous drift that won't stop until I apply the opposite control.

 

[amajamar]

Let me clarify the problem a bit, and again, my reference drone is an Air 2S.

Hovering, the Mini 3 will drift laterally, and continue to do so until I give the opposite control input. Also, hovering, it will suddenly drop vertically to a new altitude, again, until I give it control input. Landing...basically a hover over a "target" area, it drifts laterally off target, has to have acctive control input, often right up until the last foot.

The manual has these specs:
Vertical: Vision Positioning: ±0.1 m
GNSS Positioning: ±0.5 m
Horizontal: Vision Positioning: ±0.3 m
High Accuracy System Positioning: ±0.5 m

That's all great, but also implies maximum error relative to a fixed point. My drift problem is not an error, or a variable hover around a point, but a continuous drift that won't stop until I apply the opposite control.

Well, I did not seem to notice that. For me, I seem to see it happen after take-off and rising up to altitude and stop. Then I have noticed that there was some drift, or more like some yaw, that seems to stabilize after a a short while. But at the time I thought it was me causing it. I will keep an eye out for it next flight...

 

[scro]

Let me clarify the problem a bit, and again, my reference drone is an Air 2S.

Hovering, the Mini 3 will drift laterally, and continue to do so until I give the opposite control input. Also, hovering, it will suddenly drop vertically to a new altitude, again, until I give it control input. Landing...basically a hover over a "target" area, it drifts laterally off target, has to have acctive control input, often right up until the last foot.

The manual has these specs:
Vertical: Vision Positioning: ±0.1 m
GNSS Positioning: ±0.5 m
Horizontal: Vision Positioning: ±0.3 m
High Accuracy System Positioning: ±0.5 m

That's all great, but also implies maximum error relative to a fixed point. My drift problem is not an error, or a variable hover around a point, but a continuous drift that won't stop until I apply the opposite control.

What you describe here almost sounds like it is flying in atti mode (ie no GPS or VPS). Perhaps you could share a flight log from one of your flights where it was behaving like this?

Head over here if you don't know how to retrieve flight logs:

Mavic Flight Log Retrieval and Analysis Guide

With the introduction of the Mavic Mini there has been a noticeable uptick in the number of posts requesting help with lost or crashed aircraft. While there is plenty of help and advice available on this forum, and detailed guidance and options on several other websites, I thought that perhaps a...

mavicpilots.com

 

[FLDave]

Was home point updated after you took off?
How many satellites are being used?
How much wind?
You can look at flight logs yourself if you upload to your own AirData account.

 

[MaximusCZ]

I put my drone about 1 meter above the top of a tree and set it to shoot hyper lapse of me working on a roof. Over the next 20 minutes I glanced on it about 3 times, and it was in the same exact spot, even in slight wind gusts and the tree underneath being in constant movement due to said wind. If your drone drifts, return it.

 

[Harryscopic]

Maybe the sticks need calibrating, so no input = no change.

 

[scro]

Maybe the sticks need calibrating, so no input = no change.

This is a possibility. Does the drone typically drift in the same direction if you don't touch the sticks?

 

[jphoto]

Was home point updated after you took off?

no

How many satellites are being used?

22

How much wind?

5mph

You can look at flight logs yourself if you upload to your own AirData account.

I'll look into it.

 

[jphoto]

Maybe the sticks need calibrating, so no input = no change.

Interesting idea. I'll look into that too.

 

[jmb5121]

Anyone else seen this issue with the Mini 3? Takeoff, go to 20' or so, and hover. The drone doesn't just hover in one spot, it randomly drifts, as if there's some control input. It will typically drift sideways for a bit, perhaps 5 to 10', then stop, then drift again. It's not a huge problem if you're just hovering in the clear, but if you're attempting to navigate around some obsticles, or even land, it want's to drift off course significantly require a LOT of strange control input from the pilot. 22 sats before launch, BTW, light wind.

My reference drone is an Air 2S, which will hang in the air motionless just fine.

I had the same problem yesterday. Bright sun, very little wind, the Mini 3 was drifting back and forth, then just drifting away. I was hovering over water, so I'll need to test over land to see if that has anything to do with it. Much worse drift than my older Mavic Air.

 

[MaximusCZ]

Been told tousands and a one times that over water and other surfaces without proper texture for dron to hook onto it will go haywire. Drifting in any direction is kinda normal in that case

 

[MS Coast]

Been told tousands and a one times that over water and other surfaces without proper texture for dron to hook onto it will go haywire. Drifting in any direction is kinda normal in that case

I fly over water often and do a lot of photography from altitudes less than 10 feet. I've had a minor problem with drift and altitude confusion only three times in hours of flying over water. I'd say that problems are very rare and definitely not "normal."

 

[MaximusCZ]

It even states in manual that this exact case it just asking for trouble, so I would consider it "normal". Good for you that in your case it worked out so far. All depends on the texture of water itself. If its muddy lake, it doesnt have an influence. But clear water and calm surface will interfere

 

[Lister]

Working at heights of less than ten feet the other day, my Mini 2 wouldn't keep a constant altitude, varying up and down nearly a foot while in motion. (not in hover) I really had to pay attention to height, to the detriment of other moves.
No wind.

The problem can be seen here: