What do You Think's Going On?

[Sailorsteve]

Just last Tuesday I went to fly the Mavic Pro. After going through my checklist I took off using the Auto Takeoff because I like to know the home point is set and showing on the map while it pauses at about 4 feet. I flew around the field for about five or ten minutes, then I used Auto Land to come in for a landing to talk to a friend who was walking by. All was well. After he left, I went to take off, again using the Auto Take Off, but this time it didn't pause at 4 feet. It just kept going slowly up. I still got the announcement the the home point had been set. I wanted to see if it was going to stop at some point but finally at 100 feet I figured it wasn't and that I'd better take control. The lights on the Mavic were working normally, the remote controller was giving no error codes or indications of a problem, and the Mavic was responding normally, so I flew around for about five minutes and decided to test the Auto Landing because of the peculiarity with the Auto Take Off. I was about 150 feet out and 120 feet up. Rather than returning to the home point, the Mavic just started a slow controlled descent, straight down. I cancelled the RTH, brought it to about 40 feet out and tried it again, same thing so I cancelled it.

Now here's the weird part: If I press the RTH on the Controller rather than on the tablet (iPad Mini 4), It comes right home and lands on the dot!

When I got home I went through the Go4 app to see if I could determine any settings that might of changed. Couldn't find anything. Yesterday I thought I remembered a setting where I could designate what the Mavic would do when RTH was activated on the tablet. Could't locate that in the Go4, only the field about a disconnect between the RC and the AC. Reentered the settings that pertained to Observation and landing just to be sure.

Took it out again today - same situation!

What do you think? Am I missing something? Could there be a problem with the App, with the Mavic . . . with Me? What do you think?

 

[FoxhallGH]

First thing to do is a full INS and compass calibration at your flying field ...

 

[Kilrah]

That won't do a thing.

I'd reboot the tablet completely, seems like an app problem to me.

 

[jason38]

Strange... I think about app problem too... But that's weird that the RTH runs OK with the RC and not with the app... The home point is recorded (is it the right position when you look for it on the map?) so there's no reasons why the drone land at its own position...
I wonder why your mavic took off and climb that way too... Maybe a sensor bug? No warning message about that?

 

[Meta4]

What do you think? Am I missing something? Could there be a problem with the App, with the Mavic . . . with Me? What do you think?

Recalibrating things won't make any difference because what you've described doesn't indicate any issue with either the compass or the IMU.
As usual, what is required is to find out what was going on.
And the way to do that is to look at the recorded flight data.
Go to DJI Flight Log Viewer - Phantom Help
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.

Yesterday I thought I remembered a setting where I could designate what the Mavic would do when RTH was activated on the tablet. Could't locate that in the Go4, only the field about a disconnect between the RC and the AC.

There's no setting for what happens when you initiate RTH.
You are thinking of the Loss of Signal actions

 

[MadMaqx]

Did you just update

 

[vanderzyde0]

I assume the RTH coordinates are stored in the drone itself. It sounds like the controller is sending a proper signal to the drone to trigger RTH and the iPad is not sending the correct signal.

Is the iPad dedicated to your drone or do you use it for other things? Did you do any updates on the iPad recently?

Try reloading the DJI app.

 

[Sailorsteve]

Thanks to all for your responses.
Thanks to Meta4 for the reminder about the Loss of Signal setting.
The iPad is only used with the Mavic. I usually have the WiFi turned off, as well as the handshake just to not leave a stone unturned.
I'm agreeing with those who suspect the app. Tonight I'm going to delete the Go4 from the iPad and reinstall.
I'll update tomorrow after taking it to the field.

 

[Sailorsteve]

WHOA! Just started in on Plan A and I found the WiFi had been switched on!
Don't know when, why or how, but it was.
I'm doubtful that it would be the cause of our recent bit of confusion, but it IS something different in the usual arrangement of things.

 

[Meta4]

I'm agreeing with those who suspect the app. Tonight I'm going to delete the Go4 from the iPad and reinstall.
I'll update tomorrow after taking it to the field.

???
It makes no sense to take actions when you have no idea what caused the incident.
Read post #5 again.

WHOA! Just started in on Plan A and I found the WiFi had been switched on!
Don't know when, why or how, but it was.
I'm doubtful that it would be the cause of our recent bit of confusion, but it IS something different in the usual arrangement of things.

Wifi on/off would make zero difference.
It had nothing to do with the incident.

 

[Sailorsteve]

Update:
I removed the Go4 app from the tablet and reinstalled it about half an hour later and reset everything.
Went out to the field and followed the procedures I have always used. The Mavic took off under the Auto Take Off and went to about six feet (instead of about four) and hovered there while the Home point was set and showed on the map. I let it hover for about another two minutes to see if it was going to hold that altitude. It did, holding as still as you could wish.
I took off and flew around for about five minutes or so. Then from about 150 ft altitude and 200 ft distant, I actuated the Auto Land on the tablet. The Mavic came home perfectly, landing right on the pad!

I repeated the exercise at different altitudes, different distances and different directions from the home point. It always returned and landed on the pad.
A one point I even used the button on the controller just to have a thorough test. Everything is fine once again.

So seems as though the problem was the app.

By the way, as I mentioned earlier, I generally use the Auto Take Off, but I prefer to fly the Mavic home and land it myself, trying to develop the skill to be as precise as the Auto Land!
This all came about because of the unusual take off after talking with my friend the other day.

Thank you all for your interest and for your thoughts and suggestions.

 

[Meta4]

So seems as though the problem was the app.

It's most unlikely the incident had anything to do with the app or reinstalling it.
If you want to learn what actually happened, there is a way (post #5).

 

[charliesRig]

It's most unlikely the incident had anything to do with the app or reinstalling it.
If you want to learn what actually happened, there is a way (post #5).

I agree 100% with Meta4

You can fly mavic without the app a Phone or Tablet Why you have a Remote controller
if you use you controller to give Mavic a Command (fly Mavic) It does not go through the "App" before command is executed
If Loss Of Signal
Mavic will return Home.
Try it.
Turn off your controller mavic should RTH if home port is set
That aspect of RTH has nothing to do with if the app is running or not
.
.
.....cR
.
.

 

[Sailorsteve]

I agree 100% with Meta4

You can fly mavic without the app a Phone or Tablet Why you have a Remote controller
if you use you controller to give Mavic a Command (fly Mavic) It does not go through the "App" before command is executed
If Loss Of Signal
Mavic will return Home.
Try it.
Turn off your controller mavic should RTH if home port is set
That aspect of RTH has nothing to do with if the app is running or not
.
.
.....cR
.
.

Interesting idea. I've never actually turned the controller off. I'm going to try that just for fun.

Your comment was my point exactly and is what led me to suspect the app in the first place - it worked from the RC, but failed from the app.

 

[DanMan32]

On the first failure, did you inadvertently hit auto-LAND rather than RTH on the app? Both are available, one right below the other. One lands right where it is, other returns home and lands (subject to distance from home point).

 

[Meta4]

Your comment was my point exactly and is what led me to suspect the app in the first place - it worked from the RC, but failed from the app.

Despite the title of the thread: What do you think is going on?
It would appear you're not really interested to find out what was going on.

 

[ac0j]

It seems he has it fixed, for now.

 

[Meta4]

It seems he has it fixed, for now.

Fixed?
It's likely that there was nothing to fix ... but without looking into the flight data, he has no idea what he "fixed".

 

[ac0j]

He obviously described the problem, told us what he did, now the problem is gone (for now)
So the problem is fixed, we just dont know for sure what CAUSED it to begin with.

 

[Meta4]

He obviously described the problem, told us what he did, now the problem is gone (for now)
So the problem is fixed, we just dont know for sure what CAUSED it to begin with.

If you have no idea what the "problem" was, there is no way to know it's been fixed.

Post #15 gives the most likely explanation for the issue described.
The data would have confirmed whether or not that was the cause.
The OP has no idea what really happened and hasn't learned anything of the incident.
WHich is ironic when the title of the thread indicates a desire to find out what was going on.