Drone stopped responding midflight
1162 27 2023-6-30
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Amit Dunsky
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A very strange, and I must say, alarming, event happened to me the other day:
The drone was at about 110 meters up in the air, and 487 meters away from me. Battery was at around 76%, radio signal is right about 80%-100%. Nothing out of the ordinary. The drone was stale and I was taking pictures of a football stadium. So far - so good.
And then, I wanted to change position. Pulling the right stick all the way, and the drone doesn't move at all. Trying again - doesn't move. Speed is 0 km/h. Trying to move forward - pushing the right stick all the way, but again: The drone won't budge. Trying to understand what's going on, I pushed the left stick to see if that works, and indeed, the drone gained some altitude. I then tried pushing the right stick again, and finally, the drone was moving. Had no further issues for the remainder of the flight.

This is the first time such a thing happed to me.

Attached are the following:
  • Log file analysis. To the right of the screen the joystick movements are visible. The drone is located right around the middle of the screenshot and a little bit to the right.
  • Full flight log in the link here.
  • RC screen record . Event starts at 10:30. As can be seen, GPS reception was OK, Battery OK, No obstacles are visible, and there wasn't any wind blowing from either sides.


Any ideas on what went wrong?

RUNNING FLIGHT LOG

.
RC SCREEN RECORD





2023-6-30
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JJB*
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Hi,

Best to get help/advice is to share your flightlog for this issue

use > https://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/

Post the uploaded link here.

False OA readings can block a drone, no movement possible....
Sometimes i needs RC input again, try all inputs, to 'free'the drone.

cheers
JJB
2023-7-1
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Amit Dunsky
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JJB* Posted at 7-1 00:38
Hi,

Best to get help/advice is to share your flightlog for this issue

Thanks for the reply.
I have shared the flight log and added a link to the original post.
As for false OA: Nothing in the flight log indicates that. Additionally, my OA action was set to Bypass, so had the drone mistakenly identified an obstacle in front of it, I would expect it to "go around it".
2023-7-1
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Labroides
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I have shared the flight log and added a link to the original post.
No ... the full data is not there.
If you want to use Airdata, you need to tick the share box or the actual data is not available.

It would also be helpful if you could tell when in the 25 minute flight, the issue happened.


2023-7-1
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JJB*
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Amit Dunsky Posted at 7-1 01:17
Thanks for the reply.
I have shared the flight log and added a link to the original post.
As for false OA: Nothing in the flight log indicates that. Additionally, my OA action was set to Bypass, so had the drone mistakenly identified an obstacle in front of it, I would expect it to "go around it".

Bypass will indeed make the drrone to fly around an object
But not always!  if the sensor gives False readings it will not always byapss but brake and stop in flight.

added Log link is not shared.

cheers
JJB
2023-7-1
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Amit Dunsky
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Labroides Posted at 7-1 03:20
I have shared the flight log and added a link to the original post.
No ... the full data is not there.
If you want to use Airdata, you need to tick the share box or the actual data is not available.

Shared log (link in the original post) now includes the full log with downloadable data (not sure how that helps, as the full analysis is available anyhow, but there you have yet).
As the vide shows, the event starts at around 09:00 .
2023-7-1
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Amit Dunsky
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JJB* Posted at 7-1 03:25
Bypass will indeed make the drrone to fly around an object
But not always!  if the sensor gives False readings it will not always byapss but brake and stop in flight.

I doubt if that is the case, as the drone refused to move neither forward nor backward.
It doesn't make sense.
2023-7-1
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Labroides
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Amit Dunsky Posted at 7-1 07:37
Shared log (link in the original post) now includes the full log with downloadable data (not sure how that helps, as the full analysis is available anyhow, but there you have yet).
As the vide shows, the event starts at around 09:00 .

now includes the full log with downloadable data (not sure how that helps, as the full analysis is available anyhow, but there you have yet).
What you are thinking is "full analysis" is just a brief summary.
You need to see the actual data to get an understanding of what actually happened.
The actual data is a spreadsheet with 175 columns and 7700 rows of data.

You were flying sideways and let the drone come to a stop at 8:56.7.
You left it hover for almost 10 seconds and pushed the right stick a little to the left for one second, which made the drone fly left.
You then pushed and pulled the right stick a few times but the drone stayed hovering.

At 9:39.3 you pushed the right stick forwards and left and the drone responded normally and started flying again.
It looks like you were flying in Spotlight Mode and not cancelling that was probably the reason the drone didn't respond to forward/backward joystick inputs for 30 seconds, but it looks like it would have responded if you'd given joystick inputs to make the drone move left or right.



2023-7-1
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JJB*
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Amit Dunsky Posted at 7-1 07:37
Shared log (link in the original post) now includes the full log with downloadable data (not sure how that helps, as the full analysis is available anyhow, but there you have yet).
As the vide shows, the event starts at around 09:00 .

Hi Amit,

Checking your log now, i can see that your Mini3Pro drone did not move while giving RC input!

See my chart of your log ; Full forward and Full aft stick, no drone pitch changes and distance remains the same at 486,9 meter.
Not in spotlight mode ect.

Need a better look into your log.


at 1 minute in flight : warning Flight altitude exceeds  [ 50 mtr ], Check and make sure you have obtained proper authorization to fly in this airspace | Aircraft may be in violation of local laws and regulations.
Just before this issue the up and down link values went down to 40 (range 0  - 100), but while not moving uplink (rc>drone) 60- to 80, so RC commands should reach the drone.
Checked the fly zones, cannot find any limitation in that area. if yoy fly against a height zone that drone will stop and won`t go any further...
But that is not logic in your flight, as you applied  Fwd and Aft RC input.
Drone started to fly again away from position (with fwd input) after a small climb from 110 to 114 meter, uh  coincidence ? UP link jusyt before that to 100.

cheers
JJB


Analysis1.png
2023-7-1
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Sobrevolando Paraguay
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JJB* Posted at 7-1 09:26
Hi Amit,

Checking your log now, i can see that your Mini3Pro drone did not move while giving RC input!

I also made the same observation for moments yesterday. 2 times.
However, I didn't get any warning. But every time I thought: what's going on? Why is the drone not responding!
Yesterday around 6 p.m. Paraguayan time.
Now that I read this threat I see I'm not the only one.
I'm curious what kind of information you will get.
I also fly a Mini 3 Pro, bought 4 weeks ago.
Flyware still on 1.14. Haven't updated since then.
2023-7-1
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Sobrevolando Paraguay Posted at 7-1 12:16
I also made the same observation for moments yesterday. 2 times.
However, I didn't get any warning. But every time I thought: what's going on? Why is the drone not responding!
Yesterday around 6 p.m. Paraguayan time.

Hi

if you like upload the log here (see post # 2 howto)

cheers
JJB
2023-7-1
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Amit Dunsky
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JJB* Posted at 7-1 09:26
Hi Amit,

Checking your log now, i can see that your Mini3Pro drone did not move while giving RC input!

Thank you for the detailed analysis.
So, the bottom line is that you couldn't find a reasonable explanation too. Is that right?

At first, when I noticed the forward commands doesn't do anything, I was thinking maybe because the drone was facing west, and it was sunset time, it got an erroneous indication of an obstacle, and although the the OA action was set to bypass, I though maybe it gets the wrong information as if it is surrounded by obstacles. So under that assumption, I tried moving backward, where there shouldn't be any "false obstacles", but as you can see - that didn't help as well. Even now, looking at the screen recording (I screen record every flight), there are no radar indication of an obstacles, so that rules this explanation out.

I must say, this gets me a little bit uncertain. For a moment there, I considered activating the RTH, and the immediate thought was: what if that won't work too...
Luckily, yawing the drone got it out of this situation, but until this event is explained, there's no guarantee it won't happen again, and let me tell you that: If feels really strange sending a command to the drone and experience it ignoring that.
2023-7-1
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Amit Dunsky
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Labroides Posted at 7-1 08:20
now includes the full log with downloadable data (not sure how that helps, as the full analysis is available anyhow, but there you have yet).
What you are thinking is "full analysis" is just a brief summary.
You need to see the actual data to get an understanding of what actually happened.

I wasn't in spotlight mode not once during that whole flight.
2023-7-1
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Amit Dunsky
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I have added the RC screen recording to the post. The event starts at 10:30 .
As can be seen, GPS reception was OK, Battery OK, No obstacles are visible, and there wasn't any wind blowing from either sides.
Still a mystery...
2023-7-1
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Labroides
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Amit Dunsky Posted at 7-1 12:57
Thank you for the detailed analysis.
So, the bottom line is that you couldn't find a reasonable explanation too. Is that right?

So, the bottom line is that you couldn't find a reasonable explanation too. Is that right?
I could see that the drone didn't respond to forward/backward joystick input for 30 seconds.
But in that time you didn't try moving left/right or rotating (that's what yaw really is) and I suspect that the drone would have responded normally if you had tried that.

Before and after, you were in some mode that was making the drone fly sideways in perfect sections of an orbit, with only left/right joystick input.
I can't see what that was, but it looks like the drone didn't immediately exit that mode when you gave some forward/back input.

I must say, this gets me a little bit uncertain. For a moment there, I considered activating the RTH, and the immediate thought was: what if that won't work too...
Luckily, yawing the drone got it out of this situation, but until this event is explained, there's no guarantee it won't happen again, and let me tell you that: If feels really strange sending a command to the drone and experience it ignoring that.

If you get into that situation again, either exit whatever mode you are using to fly orbits, or try some joystick input other than forward/back.
2023-7-1
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Amit Dunsky
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"Before and after, you were in some mode that was making the drone fly sideways in perfect sections of an orbit, with only left/right joystick input.I can't see what that was, but it looks like the drone didn't immediately exit that mode when you gave some forward/back input."

That was me, manually orbiting sections of the stadium.
You can see that by the sticks input ..


2023-7-1
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Labroides
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Amit Dunsky Posted at 7-1 14:22
That was me, manually orbiting sections of the stadium.
You can see that by the sticks input ..

I saw your joystick input and that's why I said what I did.
You didn't manually orbit at all.
You were doing it by only pushing the right stick left or right (aileron input) without any forward (elevator) input.

To manually fly perfect sectors of a circular path like that would take extreme skill and require both aileron and elevator input.
2023-7-1
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JJB*
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Amit Dunsky Posted at 7-1 12:57
Thank you for the detailed analysis.
So, the bottom line is that you couldn't find a reasonable explanation too. Is that right?

Yes,  no explanation found.

Looks the same when a drone was trapped and flying against a no fly zone border, but could not find that.
Watching the video.
Not moving happend while your drone was looking into the sun.
So probably OA stopped your drone from moving. If OA can`t find a way to fly around an obstacle it will stop flying.
Not only stop flying but not responding to RC inputs, sometimes you have to put multiple RC inputs to stop this block and make the drone flying again.
Direct sunlight into the OA sensors can have this effect.

cheers
JJB


2023-7-2
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Labroides
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JJB* Posted at 7-2 00:13
Yes,  no explanation found.

Looks the same when a drone was trapped and flying against a no fly zone border, but could not find that.

When a drone is up against a NFZ barrier, it can be flown backwards away from the barrier.
2023-7-2
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Labroides Posted at 7-2 00:35
When a drone is up against a NFZ barrier, it will go backwards away from the barrier.

ofcourse not   

if i fly forward against a barrier it will just stop and don`t start to fly backwards with fwd input. If i fly against a barrier, let`s say 'hitting; the barrier at an 45 dgeree angle my drone will follow the barrier line to the left or right depending on the left or right 45 degree angle.


2023-7-2
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Amit Dunsky Posted at 7-1 14:22
That was me, manually orbiting sections of the stadium.
You can see that by the sticks input ..

Hi,

Nice 'manually' flown circle    using spotlight.

cheers
JJB
SpotlightMode.png
2023-7-2
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Labroides
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JJB* Posted at 7-2 00:40
ofcourse not   

if i fly forward against a barrier it will just stop and don`t start to fly backwards with fwd input. If i fly against a barrier, let`s say 'hitting; the barrier at an 45 dgeree angle my drone will follow the barrier line to the left or right depending on the left or right 45 degree angle.
If you bump into an NFZ, it's like hitting a soft wall.
You can fly left and right along the wall, up and down, and reverse away from it.
The OP tried reversing and his drone didn't respond.
2023-7-2
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Labroides Posted at 7-2 02:06
If you bump into an NFZ, it's like hitting a soft wall.
You can fly left and right along the wall, up and down, and reverse away from it.
The OP tried reversing and his drone didn't respond.

correct,  nIce that you changed your incorrect post  #20   ;-)

2023-7-2
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Labroides
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JJB* Posted at 7-2 04:14
correct,  nIce that you changed your incorrect post  #20   ;-)

Sorry I was posting in a hurry.

2023-7-2
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Labroides Posted at 7-2 04:36
Sorry I was posting in a hurry.

Looks like we all are in a hurry, life is hard to live   ;-)
2023-7-2
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Amit Dunsky
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Labroides Posted at 7-1 15:50
I saw your joystick input and that's why I said what I did.
You didn't manually orbit at all.
You were doing it by only pushing the right stick left or right (aileron input) without any forward (elevator) input.

When I say that it was me manually orbiting the stadium, that is exactly what I mean.
Right stick to the right, and left stick to the left. I've done multiple orbits to date, and yes, I am quite experienced manually orbiting objects.
Screenshot 2023-07-02 191040.png

2023-7-2
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Amit Dunsky
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JJB* Posted at 7-2 00:48
Hi,

Nice 'manually' flown circle    using spotlight.

You're referring to the outer circle, while I was explicitly showing manual flying for the inner part.
All you had to do is look at my attached screenshot.
Never mind. Let's not argue. I'm not looking for an approval.
2023-7-2
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2023-7-2
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