Ok here goes. The correct answer was E, all of the above.
A.
Leaving the gimbal clamp on - Leaving the gimbal clamp on once, twice or three times when the gimbal is new might not cause any permanent damage, but it really depends on how well the gimbal is glued together, and how strong the motors are. If you leave the gimbal clamp on after the drone has had a dozen flight hours, it might be a very different story. Motors wear, parts overheat, and the current draw to a gimbal that is fighting to level itself while it is restrained is important to note. Gimbal motors dont have a clutch. They are direct drive to the arms, and stressing them out in any way will shorten their lives.
B.
Getting one grain of sand in your gimbal motor assembly - Ever get a gimbal motor obstructed error message? It means that something is impeding the motors ability to swing around their axes. Even a cimple little grain of sand can cause an obstructed message, and it's best to listen to it. Examine your gimbal, turn the motors through their axes, feel for any rough spots. If you have been to the beach, and even if you have used a landing pad, sand has a way of getting into the gimbal. If you find some sand in the gimbal. Dont turn the drone on. It wont clear itself. You can use a piece of copy paper to get into the crevices of the gimbal. If the sand is really embedded, computer cleaner compressed air can be used, but that increases the possibility of further embedding the sand deeper into the gimbal.
C.
Getting your gimbal wet - Fresh and salt water are your gimbals worst enemies. Yes, even worse than a crash. After a crash you can see the damage, water penetration you often cant. What to do if your bird has taken a bath? Strip it down best you can, and get the water out. Salt water will corrode components in a NY minute if you dont get it out. What do I use? Isopropyl alcohol and a box of Qtips and cotton balls. You can also use electronics contact cleaner, but it stinks to smell it. Really, every single piece of the drone that got wet needs to be looked at. In the gimbal, the most important part is the gimbal PCB that sits atop the gimbal. During one repair, I just couldn't get the gimbal to calibrate. I took off the gimbal PCB, and the bottom side was covered in salt. The owner didnt tell me he was flying near the beach. New board cured it.
D.
Flying too much in sport mode - Did you know that 75% of the repairs that I get in are in sport mode? Sport mode = no sensors, and no obstacle avoidance. What affect does sport mode have on your gimbal? Sport mode causes the gimbal alot of stress. Fast starts, fast stops, spins, max speed flight will make your gimbal work very hard to keep level. It is gyro stabilized, and wants to keep itself level. By causing it to have to correct itself every second that you make an abrupt maneuver, you are stressing it out. When a gimbal is new, it might be able to handle it. When its old, you might just smoke it. If youre gonna fly in sport mode, maybe get a Spark. They only have 2 axis gimbals and the gimbals are alot hardier than the Mavics. Also, on the M2, the
M2P has a $600 gimbal on it. Do you want to have to replace it? I dont think so.
One more thing, try not to yaw and spin around too quickly. The gimbal yaw motor is not very strong, and has limited travel. If you do a quick 360, the yaw motor is going to try and catch up as best it can. If you spin your drone like a top, expect a gimbal repair in your future. If you fly like a photographer, you will never stress your gimbal out. Slow and steady.
Aight, for those of you who stayed awake long enough to read the end of this diatribe of what not to do, I salute, you. For those that didnt, you have my address.
Peace.
Rob
