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Almost lost my Mavic - twice! Definitely a DJI issue
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7648 58 2016-10-31
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fans154878dc
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Add me to the list of users having issues with my new Mavic. I had a flight Saturday where the Mavic started spinning and the controller was unresponsive. I chalked that one up to possible interference by some power lines, and signal loss. I thought for sure it was gone, but I initiated a return to home and it very reluctantly made its way back to me. The scary thing is i was flying over open water at our local lake as I always did with my P3. I say it reluctantly made its way back to me as when it was coming in it was jerking erratically as if it were fighting the commands and trying to fly away. I then stopped the return to home and tried to bring it in, but it continued to fight me as if it had a mind of its own. Once over land I was able to initiate and auto landing, because the controlller was sporadic at best, and bring her back to earth.

After that flight i recalibrated the compass and tried again in a different area with no issues.

Fast forward to yesterday. I had written off the incident on Saturday as a fluke, and yesterday I was flying over open water again, this time from our boat. I've flown in the same area from our boat countless times with my P3 with no issues. I was about 18 minutes into my flight with no problems whatsoever, and then with the Mavic only about 30 feet away from me the controller became unresponsive again, and she once again started to act like she had a mind of her own. I tried frantically to bring her in for a landing, but with every move of the controller she fought back and either tried to fly up and away or literally jerk around in one spot 30 feet away from me over open water. I didn't panic (but I'll admit the pucker factor was extremely high), and I continued to fight with her to bring her in closer to the boat. She would jerk around in place, shoot up to about 100 ft, and then come flying down to just inches over the water. Finally I got her somewhat centered over the boat, and initiated auto land. It took a few attempts to get her centered over the boat with her acting so frantically, but after several tries of initializing and cancelling auto landing she did come in for a bounce on the Bimini canvas, and a friend reached out from underneath and grabbed her while I disengaged the motors (I definitely don't recommend this, but I do have a video of the catch as another friend was videoing from inside his boat next to us.)

I was lucky. Twice. There is no damage to my Mavic, and she didn't go swimming. I've been following the multiple threads, and the comments of user error. This wasn't user error. The same erratic behavior presented itself on two separate flights on two separate days in an area where I've logged countless hours with my P3.

I calibrated the IMU when I received the Mavic last week. I do have the "sticky left controller issue" as noted by others on the forum. I've tried calibrating the controller, and that hasn't fixed it sticking. I'm not sure if that is the cause, but one would assume a few moves of the stick would free it up. This thing literally had a mind of its own, and the only commands it would freely accept were those initiated directly from my iPhone 7 Plus.

Here is the log from yesterday's near critical mishap.  I welcome any feedback.

http://healthydrones.com/main?share=lDjXWK

Needless to say she's grounded for now...




2016-10-31
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hallmark007
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It was a long flight , can I ask what you had critical battery set at , you only had 18% battery left, also you were on a boat where did you set the home point, were you drifting , see I'm just wondering if battery was so low at what stage did you have it set to return home,
The fighting with stick commands has obviously been reported here, you can upload you flight log which will show the movement of the stick and the reaction of the aircraft if you want people to see it, or just have a look yourself , and let us know.
it has a similar vibe to other problems here, everything seems to happening near the end of flights or at landing,
Haven't heard many problems when aircraft is up and traveling.
2016-10-31
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fans628b7609
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Is it me is all these issues coming about from using the RTH feature? Or are we seeing this when i manual control of the aircraft.
2016-10-31
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fansc5b15877
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hallmark007 Posted at 2016-10-31 15:23
It was a long flight , can I ask what you had critical battery set at , you only had 18% battery lef ...

This just happened to me, and i now have a split open index finger trying to hand catch before it landed in my pool. Out of no where just started spinning counter clockwise. It slowly descended before landing in my pool was able to grab it. What on earth is going on???? I was in tripod mode as well.
2016-10-31
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hallmark007
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fansc5b15877 Posted at 2016-10-31 22:35
This just happened to me, and i now have a split open index finger trying to hand catch before it  ...

Not much info there.
Did you do IMU CAL
Did you do compass Cal  and where
Do you have flight logs.
Sorry to hear about your finger.
Also everyone's name is the same very hard to know who's who dji need to sort this.
2016-10-31
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Matt Y
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There seems to be a pattern of people calibrating the IMU when they first fly it and crashes occurring, when it has been mentioned numerous times not to do this unless the controller tells you to do it.
2016-10-31
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DrVee
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Following thread
2016-10-31
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fansc5b15877
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Matt Y Posted at 2016-10-31 15:45
There seems to be a pattern of people calibrating the IMU when they first fly it and crashes occurri ...

I did not calibrate the IMU, but I did calibrate the compass. I also dowloaded the new firmware and installed it before its first flight. The compass was calibrated in my backyard (almost 1 acre of land without powerless, large building, few small trees, and both my bluetooth and wifi were off on my phone. I was probably close to 100 yards from my house. I have the flight logs that I'm uploading shortly, watching a video on how to do it right now since I've never had to do this before. Called DJI support and they claim of no knowledge yet of this happening, yet I've now been able to fin other people and a video of this happening too.
2016-10-31
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mikesher.live
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Following Thread
2016-10-31
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fans34c91fb6
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Judging by DJIs response to the P4s problems:

1) They will not admit there is a problem.
2) It may take months to partially address them.

Better to wait out any new craft until the bugs are worked out by the unpaid beta testers.
2016-10-31
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fans2d539f26
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Just a suggestion, but call support. I was on the phone today with support and it helps a lot that we all call and let them know.
2016-10-31
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fansc5b15877
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This video pretty much shows what happened to me, I was flying much lower though, around ten feet high and about 15 feet from the drone. Lost all input and it slowly spiraled down until I caught it. I've always wondered how painful it would be to have the props strike some part of me and now I know. It screwed up my finger pretty bad, shattered my entire nail and sliced it right open.
2016-10-31
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hallmark007
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Matt Y Posted at 2016-10-31 22:45
There seems to be a pattern of people calibrating the IMU when they first fly it and crashes occurri ...

You can do IMU before flying but you have to do it correctly instructions in the manual, it's hard to know what's happening without proper feedback from flyers and logs, and even then there maybe half a dozen different views.
It's not that unusual for this to be happening with new drones, it was similar with P3's and P4.
2016-10-31
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hallmark007
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fans34c91fb6 Posted at 2016-10-31 23:34
Judging by DJIs response to the P4s problems:

1) They will not admit there is a problem.

Well to be fair dji issued new firmwear in two weeks after delivery, it was a big firmwear download, other downloads came in the months after that these were for small issues like slight loss of altitude when breaking,
2016-10-31
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Mavic 395
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I just reviewed my flight log and it shows my left stick at 85% left and at 10% down. I wasn't even touching the sticks at this point. I noticed it right away and watched it spin for a second or two and then tried to add some stick input. Flight log shows a few more stick inputs and at that point I already was holding onto the drone, doing everything I could to power it down. It took me at least 7-10 seconds before it powered down. I honestly have no idea how I was able to power it down since it all happened so fast.
2016-10-31
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Mike-the-cat
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Thanks for sharing. The Mavic uses a new RF transmission protocol (compared to the P2) and there may still be bugs to iron out. Strange that you would have a problem so close to home though.
2016-10-31
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qMvQTfjUrm4z
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First Mavic related injury I've seen so far.  Unless DJI figures this out quickly, I'm afraid it won't be the last.
2016-10-31
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Mavic 395
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qMvQTfjUrm4z Posted at 2016-10-31 17:04
First Mavic related injury I've seen so far.  Unless DJI figures this out quickly, I'm afraid it won ...

It's unfortunate. I've pretty much always hand caught my phantom 4 and 3 pro, but the Mavic is almost impossible. It can be done but it's not worth the risk or frustration. Lesson learned.
2016-10-31
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hallmark007
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Mavic 395 Posted at 2016-11-1 00:03
I just reviewed my flight log and it shows my left stick at 85% left and at 10% down. I wasn't even  ...

Left stick all the way down 3 seconds.
2016-10-31
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Mavic 395
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hallmark007 Posted at 2016-10-31 17:14
Left stick all the way down 3 seconds.

The drone wasn't receiving any input. Obviously you hold the stick down for three, but that wasn't working.
2016-10-31
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hallmark007
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fansc5b15877 Posted at 2016-10-31 23:54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ndr-YqVX58

This video pretty much shows what happened to me, I was ...

Thanks for posting video,
2016-10-31
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AusAir
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Not much point of a flight log if it isn't accurate or is taking data from the wrong point.
2016-10-31
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hallmark007
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Mavic 395 Posted at 2016-11-1 00:17
The drone wasn't receiving any input. Obviously you hold the stick down for three, but that wasn't ...

You can check this in your go app if you replay flight you will see stick movements at the bottom left right of the screen,
2016-10-31
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DJI-Ken
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Sorry for the scare, can you connect the Mavic to the computer and run the Assistant2 and download the DAT file of the flight and upload it to Dropbox.
Also, can you get the log from the RC, I can give you a link to download the software for the RC in a bit.
2016-10-31
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SmokNyrEyz
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DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-1 08:31
Sorry for the scare, can you connect the Mavic to the computer and run the Assistant2 and download t ...

I can upload to Dropbox later when I get home. Thanks Ken
2016-10-31
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st pauli
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fansc5b15877 Posted at 2016-10-31 18:35
This just happened to me, and i now have a split open index finger trying to hand catch before it  ...

Dang, sorry to hear a malfunction caused you to choose between losing the Mavic to the pool or splitting your dang finger open... Jeez. Maybe it is a good thing they haven't released these to the masses yet, or maybe these issues are why they haven't...
2016-10-31
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qMvQTfjUrm4z
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Should have named this post - "Almost lost my Mavic - and my finger!"
2016-10-31
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fans991e763e
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st pauli Posted at 2016-10-31 21:10
Dang, sorry to hear a malfunction caused you to choose between losing the Mavic to the pool or spl ...

DJI is garbage.  I've owned two of their drones.  NO MORE.  Glad I listened to my gut and held off on buying this.
2016-10-31
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st pauli
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fans991e763e Posted at 2016-10-31 21:20
DJI is garbage.  I've owned two of their drones.  NO MORE.  Glad I listened to my gut and held off ...

The consumer drone space is just still so immature. I guess this stuff is the price you pay to play with this tech right now. In a few years I would assume there will have been some major forward momentum. DJI better watch out because if someone else catches up to their engineer's level and also offers actual reliable customer service... they'll be in hot water.
2016-10-31
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droneflyers.com
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fans991e763e Posted at 2016-10-31 21:20
DJI is garbage.  I've owned two of their drones.  NO MORE.  Glad I listened to my gut and held off ...

Someone else is surely glad you did.
Have you found a drone which is advanced and reliable?

I have looked for years and never found anything else even close. I must be a lucky guy - 4 DJI's over 3 years and never a mishap. I hope my Mavic Pro continues to run well.
2016-10-31
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DJI-Ken
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SmokNyrEyz Posted at 2016-11-1 08:51
I can upload to Dropbox later when I get home. Thanks Ken

Great, thank you very much.What is the email you used for your DJI account and I can look at your flight.
I will also email you the DJI RC downlood tool.
2016-10-31
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SmokNyrEyz
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DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-1 10:06
Great, thank you very much.What is the email you used for your DJI account and I can look at your  ...

bryanhill@comcast.net
2016-10-31
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DJI-Ken
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Which flight was it, you said 18 min flight and I see all your flight around 11-15 minutes and the last was 13 min.
I do see you taking off and landing from a boat but I see the aircraft operating correctly with the stick inputs at during the last minute of that flight. maybe you can sync again and save it as a favorite and I'll look again in the morning. This last flight says it was exactly 1004.6m and 12:50.
2016-10-31
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SmokNyrEyz
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DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-1 12:11
Which flight was it, you said 18 min flight and I see all your flight around 11-15 minutes and the ...

Just synced again. The very last flight. Flight time was 20:50
2016-10-31
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3hd9Aq2UtQlM
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http://forum.dji.com/thread-70342-1-1.html
2016-10-31
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SmokNyrEyz
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DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-1 12:11
Which flight was it, you said 18 min flight and I see all your flight around 11-15 minutes and the ...

It's saved as a favorite now as well. You sure you weren't looking at my P3 flights? Mavic flight would have been this Sunday around 4pm ct. flight time 20:50
2016-11-1
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DJI-Ken
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SmokNyrEyz Posted at 2016-11-1 21:11
It's saved as a favorite now as well. You sure you weren't looking at my P3 flights? Mavic flight  ...

I cannot see that, the last I see is 9/5 and total distance is 1005m and 12:50 flight time.
Let's do this.
Get the DAT file of that flight and the RC logs and then upload them to Dropbox and post the link.
I will email you the software to get the logs from the RC with instructions.
2016-11-1
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No Man's Drone
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I'm curious how these issues are being triggered really. I am surrounded by 4 large radio towers and 2 celphone towers and lots of power lines - I am so near a power grid from our local power company and you can even see these things that i mention in my uploaded videos.

I've flown my Mavic 15 times and four of those flights are with just my Samsung S7 Edge. I flew my Mavic until the low battery beep indicator kicked in and always used RTH. I've only been prompted by the app to calibrate the compass so far but right after I took my Mavic out of the box and fired it the first time, it did prompt me to upgrade to the latest firmware. After upgrading the firmware, the app was telling me to calibrate the positioning sensors. That's about it really. No issues so far aside from the D-Log color setting being weak.
2016-11-1
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SmokNyrEyz
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DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-1 09:31
I cannot see that, the last I see is 9/5 and total distance is 1005m and 12:50 flight time.
Let's  ...

tried to get the logs with dji assistant 2 last night - i let the mavic sit with a spinning wheel on the flight records screen until the battery was almost dead.  tried on two different macs.  the only windows pc i have access to is my work computer, and i can't install software on it
can you use the info from the flight logs i uploaded to healthy drones?
2016-11-1
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SmokNyrEyz
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DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-11-1 09:31
I cannot see that, the last I see is 9/5 and total distance is 1005m and 12:50 flight time.
Let's  ...

and 9/5 is definitely the P3.  The Mavic wasn't delivered until last week
2016-11-1
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