Wacky gimbal, good gimbal...

MavicKhan · May 3, 2017

So, my Mavic came from a repair a little more than a week ago and I suspect a full new one was sent to me (based on the s/n) although a contributor here says it could be just the that they replaced the top cover and the middle frame, hence the new s/n. You can see the thread about it here.

One thing was replaced for sure and that was the gimbal, the main problem that warranted the repair in the first place.

I could tell the gimbal was new because it had anti-scratch sticker fitted to the top, which I already removed.

So, today, I was doing some tests with this repaired (...or new...) unit and I used Litchi for a waypoints mission run over our local race track.

I planed it on Mission Hub, as I always do, with 2 twin missions, the first one with just the camera facing forward for a "dry run" obstacle clearance check and the second, twin one with the POI programmed-in for the final flight.

The first run was OK, all obstacles were either well cleared or some minor adjustments had to be made to both missions.

I then launched the "wet run" mission with the POI and, about 1/3 into the flight the gimbal goes completely berserk.

I cursed a bit, pressed "Return Home", landed the craft, powered it down, powered it up again with a new, full battery, the gimbal did its little dance and I sent the Mavic up again. To my utter surprise the 15+ minutes mission went without a single flaw. (!)

I then swapped the depleted battery for another one, sent it up again and, again, everything went fine during that very same part of the mission (...I had to cancel the 2nd half on this run as the battery I installed was only half-full).

Here are about five minutes of said missions, the first 02:30 from the offending run and the second 02:30, starting at approximately the same spot on the second run (I didn't include the 3rd run because it would add nothing, as it also went smoothly).

You might notice that there's a cell tower near the area were the gimbal went crazy in the first run. I don't know if it could have played a role...in any case, if it did, why wasn't it the case in the subsequent runs?

Any inputs appreciated, as I have to decide if I should fill a complaint about the repair or not.

Thanks.

halley · May 3, 2017

I would add annotations to the video where you're controlling the gimbal, and where your gimbal is acting up without your command. Also, provide the flight data for the exact same flight so folks here can line up the visuals with the telemetry. DJI would find this useful as well.

MavicKhan · May 3, 2017

I am not controlling the gimbal. The uplinked mission is, by means of selected POIs, as on the 2nd run. I only sent a couple of inputs throughout the event but it did not seem to respond.

Flying Irish · May 3, 2017

Having nothing but trouble as well.After last upgrade, gimbal has a mind of it's own. even at rest powered off, the camera sits off center. In flight, it restarts and goes green, then keeps calibrating and can't find green again. At one point, when I used left/right pivot, gimbal would respond the same, turning to each side in concert. Me thinks this gimbal/camera needs redesign. Or get the geniuses at DJI to stop detrimental firmware updates.

MavicKhan · May 3, 2017

Here's the link to download the DAT file for the offending mission:

FLY023.DAT

MK

MavicKhan · May 3, 2017

Flying Irish said:
Having nothing but trouble as well.After last upgrade, gimbal has a mind of it's own. even at rest powered off, the camera sits off center. In flight, it restarts and goes green, then keeps calibrating and can't find green again. At one point, when I used left/right pivot, gimbal would respond the same, turning to each side in concert. Me thinks this gimbal/camera needs redesign. Or get the geniuses at DJI to stop detrimental firmware updates.

I am on 0550.

Updated to 0600 upon receiving the drone from repair but right upon the first hovering found a bit unstable, so I downgraded to 0550.

MK