MPP strange behaving gimbal

[Mark1988]

Hello all,

My name is Mark and since one month I'm in the possession of a Mavic Pro Platinum. Before the Mavic I had a Spark and a Phantom 3. The Mavic really stands out in everything, filming, photos, flight time and range! Unfortunately since one week I have a strange behaving gimbal. During flight, or already at start up, I get a shaking video image. Also I can hear the gimbal make a buzzing noise sometimes. Below is a list with things I already tried:

1. Gimbal & IMU calibration. This seems to temporarily fix the issue.
2. Reinstall or downgrade firmware. The first time this worked for a few days and I thought everything was solved.
3. I've checked the gimbal clearance and all cables/wires going to the gimbal, they seem fine.
4. Whenever the gimbal makes the buzzing noise, when I gently tap it, it stops. Quite often after startup I gently shake the drone a bit and then I can fly, sometimes a whole battery without issues, sometimes after 5/10 minutes the gimbal starts shaking. Also an error message occurs then ''Gimbal shaking error''.

I've read on many fora that the gimbal is a weak point in the Mavic drone. Also sending it to DJI can lead to a lot of headache. I've checked the serial number and the drone is manufactured in june 2018, warranty shouldn't be an issue. Also the store where I bought it gave me warranty and they already told me that I can contact DJI for further steps in solving the issue. However, I'm more trying to fix the issue myself, as I think it is a software issue. Perhaps some of you have some good ideas in fixing the drone!

Thanks already for your input and best,

Mark

 

[Mark1988]

Update: the gimbal stopped working now, it makes a screeching noise at start up and won't pass the start up procedure. Sending it in to DJI!

 

[dronerdave]

More than likely DJI will send you back a refurbished MPP. Can you take it back to the store you bought it and exchange it for a new one?

 

[Mark1988]

I'm afraid that won't be possible. In the request for it stated "repair" so I hope that is what they will do.

 

[cadjocky]

My MPP is doing something similar (buzzing gimbal). I first ignored it, but now I get the jello and sometimes a out of control gimbal and frequent "gimbal vibration" error messages. Sometimes I can just do a gimbal recalibration, but 50% of the time calibration fails. I'm going to replace the ribbon cable, and if that doesn't work I'll replace the gimbal assembly.

Did you get yours repaired and if so, what did DJI replace?

 

[Mark1988]

Hi there, in the repair invoice it stated the gimbal control board. In the end they send me a complete new drone!

Attached some pictures made with the new one.

 

[Mark1988]

 

[cadjocky]

Nice pictures ... where were these taken? Thanks for sharing! Interesting that the problem was in your gimbal control board. If I still have the problem after ribbon replacement, maybe I should change the board first, then the gimbal. I hate to just be guessing & replacing, but I prefer this over getting a $350 repair bill and 4 weeks down.

 

[Mark1988]

This was at Muiderslot, a nice place to fly hehe.

To be fair I'm not sure if the gimbal control board was the only defective part as they send a whole new drone. I hope that your drone gets fixed for free by DJI!

 

[cadjocky]

Mine is out of gimbal warranty, so no DJI fix. I replaced the ribbon cable ($12) last night and the buzzing stopped and gimbal calibration works again. I'll reserve judgement on whether the problem is gone after a few more flights!