Has anyone with the Polar Pro LED set for the P3 had problems with their GPS signal?  I almost lost the drone today. I was in P mode with several GPS stations, ascended to about 130' and the aircraft just floated away on its own. During this time the GPS signals started to vary rapidly, sometimes going under 6 sattelites. This is an area that I fly frequently with no problems. I hit RTH and the drone came back but circled and wouldn't descend. I cancelled RTH and fought the drone in order to land safely. I removed the LED light set and took off again with good GPS, with the drone acting normally. In case you ask I had calibrated the compass amd IMU prior to flight. I'm guessing the light set, being mounted atop the drone may be interfering with the GPS signals. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Correct, the GPS receiver is just under the top of the Phantom casing. It is very likely that you were blocking the GPS signal.

Perhaps you could use a better LED setup. Many of us on the Phantom and Inspire forums have adopted the Lume Cube system.

http://www.lumecube.com/164.html
The Lume Cubes have their own internal rechargeable battery, and come in a kit that includes the brackets which connect to the landing skids.
They aren't cheap, but are well made and have never affected any operation of electronic components in our drones.

Sorry to hear that your Polar Pro system has affected your flights. Covering the top of the drone will frequently/always bring up an error message about loss of GPS.


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-6-28 12:07
Perhaps you could use a better LED setup. Many of us on the Phantom and Inspire forums have adopted the Lume Cube system.

http://www.lumecube.com/164.html

Thanks for your input. The LED system will not go back on the drone. I did get a audio error message of loss of satellites, but it came after the problems began. BTW I was flying Litchi.  I'll check out the Lume Cubes.

m1shootr Posted at 2017-6-28 15:18
Thanks for your input. The LED system will not go back on the drone. I did get a audio error message of loss of satellites, but it came after the problems began. BTW I was flying Litchi.  I'll check out the Lume Cubes.

Sometimes when getting ready to fly my Phantom for the first battery of the afternoon, I begin my setup at the table before placing my drone out on the takeoff helicopter pad, our point of "Ascension". ;-)

I will go through my preflight checklist and also look through the Go app quickly, just to check my settings preferences and RTH height before takeoff. Leaving the drone on, I will carry it to the launch pad. Immediately I would get that message, about GPS interference.
I used to carry my drone from the top, and that's fine if the drone hasn't already been turned on. But if you cover the top, the GPS MODULE is blocked. Several here have tested flying in complete ATTI mode by covering the drones top side with tin/aluminum foil.

Hopefully you can find a compromise, or buy a better LED system that never neglects your drones safe flight characteristics.
There is no RTH without your valuable GPS working accurately.


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-6-28 16:04
Sometimes when getting ready to fly my Phantom for the first battery of the afternoon, I begin my setup at the table before placing my drone out on the takeoff helicopter pad, our point of "Ascension". ;-)

I will go through my preflight checklist and also look through the Go app quickly, just to check my settings preferences and RTH height before takeoff. Leaving the drone on, I will carry it to the launch pad.

As an addendum to this I have flown the drone many times previously with a former shell and the lights. DJI replaced the shell  due to the cracks at the motor housing, (no suprise there) and had no problems with GPS.  I wonder if DJI beefed up newer shells, hence problems because of the light configuration being over the GPS receiver. Just conjecture. I am overall pleased with the DJI products out of the box, awesome technology and solid performance,  but have reservations on their customer service. I too test the drone at home (with a bogus battery), going through all the settings.

m1shootr Posted at 2017-6-30 06:42
As an addendum to this I have flown the drone many times previously with a former shell and the lights. DJI replaced the shell  due to the cracks at the motor housing, (no suprise there) and had no problems with GPS.  I wonder if DJI beefed up newer shells, hence problems because of the light configuration being over the GPS receiver. Just conjecture. I am overall pleased with the DJI products out of the box, awesome technology and solid performance,  but have reservations on their customer service. I too test the drone at home (with a bogus battery), going through all the settings.

Is there no other place to put that top section? Is that where it's battery is housed?
One thought, if you are crafty, to cut/dremel out the center of that part that seems to be blocking your GPS from working properly.



RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-6-30 12:04
Is there no other place to put that top section? Is that where it's battery is housed?
One thought, if you are crafty, to cut/dremel out the center of that part that seems to be blocking your GPS from working properly.

I believe the battery and main board are all located in that section.

m1shootr Posted at 2017-7-1 05:14
I believe the battery and main board are all located in that section.

You might cut the battery wires and find a smaller battery pack. Then attaching it someplace more appropriate. Perhaps even two smaller packs.

That's a poor design and you might still have time to return it.


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-7-1 08:34
You might cut the battery wires and find a smaller battery pack. Then attaching it someplace more appropriate. Perhaps even two smaller packs.

That's a poor design and you might still have time to return it.

That's a good idea. I'm not sure what voltage the leds operate at, but I'll do some research.

m1shootr Posted at 2017-7-1 13:15
That's a good idea. I'm not sure what voltage the leds operate at, but I'll do some research.

Sure, give if dome thought anyway. ;-)
Can't hurt to mess around with an inexpensive system.
If you make if work, contact Polar Pro, and share it with them too. Haha


RedHotPoker