Wondering if some one could look at this for me. Here is my flight log. [url]http://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/4GAP09IBZR3FZZ22KORT/[/url]   The video I am attaching takes place about 2:17 into the flight. I had no other gadgets with me, phone was in airplane mode and the flight was in a wide open valley. I didn't get any of the error messages that are showing up in the flight log until after I had taken it up to around 80-100ft, and then it was too late, I was lucky enough to bring it down safely. I'm sure I could have done a better job, but I had not had many flights at that time which is why I picked that big open area to fly in. Just curious if anyone has any explanation for what happened.

Forgot to add, about 15 seconds into the video is where the spark took off at a high rate of speed in Atti mode.

You did an excellent job flying your aircraft to safety Good job on that.

You basically had a compass problem, causing your aircraft to go into what’s known as TBE or toilet bowl effect, making aircraft very hard to control , a little bit easier when it switches to Atti mode when at least you were able to land safely.

How did you get compass problem, usually picked ou from magnetic interference which can come from a number of different sources underground cable rebar concrete other metal objects in the vicinity. Another cause can be if you calibrated your compass lately, where? How? Is it possible you could have picked up compass problem when or if you carried out compass calibration.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-10 08:33
You did an excellent job flying your aircraft to safety Good job on that.

You basically had a compass problem, causing your aircraft to go into what’s known as TBE or toilet bowl effect, making aircraft very hard to control , a little bit easier when it switches to Atti mode when at least you were able to land safely.

I had calibrated the compass and IMU on Christmas day, flew it a few times before this trip no issues. I can't imagine where interference would have come from at the location I was flying from. I'll attach a map of the location I was at. Thanks for the response.

i had a compass error yesterday over a lake and nowhere near any of the likely interference suspects - spark recovered, but....

Here is the map.   https://goo.gl/maps/GyujPEcKvZH2

stu4084 Posted at 2018-1-10 08:45
Here is the map.   https://goo.gl/maps/GyujPEcKvZH2

It’s hard to know, was there an overhead power line?

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-10 08:51
It’s hard to know, was there an overhead power line?

No, nothing around. It was the strangest thing. I was taking it up to get an aerial view, I looked down at the screen to adjust the camera and my sister says I think something is wrong with your drone. Just like that it was heading for the treeline at a high rate of speed. I haven't had anymore incidents like that but does make me a little nervous that it could happen again.

The `magnetic interference' is not an infectious disease  that one gets exposed to and becomes ill some time later. The OP had a compass error basically in the middle of nowhere and 15ft above the ground. I cannot imagine how could it have been a magnetic interference without seriously bending the rules of physics.

I got a massive EMI spike the other day in a canyon, almost lost my drone to a river. I had 13~ odd satellites, great connection and was flying about 10 meters away at an alt` of 4 meters. the RC freaked out and I lost connection to my bird. It then started to hover above the river at the same alt`. Eventually I managed to commandeer it VIA phone link and land it safely. Got to act quick in these situations, my brother was piloting a Phantom with no phone link or camera (just the remote) at the same time, and the EMI messed up the signal and crashed it in the river. After taking it apart and drying out with a dehumidifier  it works fine. its a good thing it didn't have a camera on it or that would have been toast!
Fly safe!
Samuel Bona

HallMark answered everything that needs to be said and yeah, great recovery.

I think with latest FW .0900 have problem as they are so many talking about compass interference,flyaways,and erratic behaviour, i downgraded to most stable FW.0701  with dji go 4.1.15 OTG connection..perfect

_pk Posted at 2018-1-10 09:46
The `magnetic interference' is not an infectious disease  that one gets exposed to and becomes ill some time later. The OP had a compass error basically in the middle of nowhere and 15ft above the ground. I cannot imagine how could it have been a magnetic interference without seriously bending the rules of physics.

So you know what happened, maybe you can enlighten us.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-10 15:29
So you know what happened, maybe you can enlighten us.

If a knew what happened, I would wrote it in my post. Read one more time (or maybe three more times) my previous post and show me where did I said that I knew what had happened. Unlike you, I don't try to pretend to be an expert on everything, showing at the same time serious gaps in understanding elementary school physics.

If you claim that I'm wrong and it was a magnetic interference, then explain please how it could happened 15ft above ground in the middle of a forest. Was there a peak of solar activity at that moment? Here is the solar activity of that day
https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en/archive/2017/12/12/rsga
Is there any metal structure flying in the air in a forest? Did the OP flew through an radioactive cloud?
Can you provide a physically plausible explanation how magnetic interference happened in the conditions specified by the OP?

_pk Posted at 2018-1-11 01:47
If a knew what happened, I would wrote it in my post. Read one more time (or maybe three more times) my previous post and show me where did I said that I knew what had happened. Unlike you, I don't try to pretend to be an expert on everything, showing at the same time serious gaps in understanding elementary school physics.

If you claim that I'm wrong and it was a magnetic interference, then explain please how it could happened 15ft above ground in the middle of a forest. Was there a peak of solar activity at that moment? Here is the solar activity of that day

Well if you read my post again I didn’t say OP got magnetic interference, but what I did add was the probable cause and how it may occur, I made no reference to him actually getting magnetic interference at 25ft, but it seems that as well as adding nothing to Help OP you think it’s ok to insult people.
I suggest you go back and read what I said, if you can.

_pk Posted at 2018-1-10 09:46
The `magnetic interference' is not an infectious disease  that one gets exposed to and becomes ill some time later. The OP had a compass error basically in the middle of nowhere and 15ft above the ground. I cannot imagine how could it have been a magnetic interference without seriously bending the rules of physics.

I'm surprised that nobody has brought water veins into play! You can find it so easily:

stu4084 Posted at 2018-1-10 08:57
No, nothing around. It was the strangest thing. I was taking it up to get an aerial view, I looked down at the screen to adjust the camera and my sister says I think something is wrong with your drone. Just like that it was heading for the treeline at a high rate of speed. I haven't had anymore incidents like that but does make me a little nervous that it could happen again.

Hi, stu. Please fly in recommended environment and avoid things affect compass. If you fly in a new place, you can calibrate the compass before flight. If there is no magnetic interference, please export the flight data and provide it to us for further check.

DJI Elektra Posted at 2018-1-11 05:05
Hi, stu. Please fly in recommended environment and avoid things affect compass. If you fly in a new place, you can calibrate the compass before flight. If there is no magnetic interference, please export the flight data and provide it to us for further check.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngEHdAlAh9A

:-) Spend half my life exporting log files to companies trying to diagnose why something didn't do what it should have done. But in all fairness this is the only way for products to improve. I use plenty of diagnostic tools in my line of work and they all need to have log files sent off regularly to be analysed which often leads to updates which fixes the problem.
I guess the more feedback and log files that DJI get for instances like this the more likely it is that a problem can be identified.
It is impossible for manufactures of any product to replicate all the potential real world environments and conditions that their product will encounter. This is why all electronic products get updates - real world applications reveal problems that were not foreseen or could not be accounted for.  Its a shame, but feedback is vital and it seems that DJI have a good system for allowing their owners to quickly and easily send them flight data that they can assess.
I trust DJI are interested in their future and as such will be as interested as we are to find solutions to any problems that exist.

Stu,

Good job on rescuing your Spark and getting it landed without crashing it.  I've mentioned it multiple times in past threads and videos I've created that when you get into an emergency situation such as this, the best course of action isn't always to bring it back home to the starting point, but instead to find a safe landing zone close to where the AC is currently at.  You did well with this and as such still have your Spark in one piece.  Good job.

Having said that, looking at your logs, it looks like during this flight there were 2 separate incidents where compass and yaw errors occurred.
The first event occurred from the 1m 2.4s through 1m 57.7s where these errors were happening.  The AC was only about 15ft off the ground  and 122ft away when the errors started.  It floated around without any input from the controls for about 55 seconds while it was still under 14-15ft off the ground (my guess is there was sloping terrain as VPS only shows 4.6ft) and ended up 286ft away when the errors went away and it got control of itself.

At that point, it looks like you decided to continue flying and as you mentioned in your original post decided to start recording at the 2:17 mark and went from under 15ftft up to about 75ft when the compass and yaw errors kicked in again about 30 seconds later at the 2m 32.4s mark.  

I don't have an answer for you in regards to exactly what caused the Compass and Yaw errors.  Hallmark007 had mentioned some of the potential sources.  Looking at your flight environment via Google Maps and Google Earth, it seems like it would be a great place to fly.  However, I don't think we will be able to give you a solid answer as to the exact cause.

However, for your future flights and for anyone who reads this, I would highly recommend in the future if you get compass errors, go into ATTI mode, and are able to get control of it:  LAND IT ASAP.  Do NOT continue with your flight to try to get that video or picture you originally were going for.  Land the aircraft, check it out and try to investigate what could have potentially caused the problem.

I have seen many people make a similar choice to what you did (continue flight after errors) and were not lucky enough to be able to get it under control to be able to land it the 2nd time it went ATTI in the same flight.

Stu, can you remember or did you notice if the little red arrow in the compass on the app was pointing in the same direction as the Spark before take off?

And by the way, I think you should have found somewhere more remote to fly your drone!! - That was a joke :-)

Is this the "dreaded compass error" again?  While I understand that magnetic interference can happen around objects, a mid air incident like this is certainly can not be easily attributed or plausibly attributed to again magnetic interference. I still remember well my University Physics, the inteplay between electricity and magnetism.
Based on my limited time with my spark, I have only experienced once a calibrate compass message; that was when I put the spark for take off on a particular spot on the roof deck of the  beach resort I was staying in during last Christmas. Every time I moved it 2-3 meters away, everything was fine. This just leads me to conclude that the compass is very sensitive. Nothing wrong with that. Because the spark was in contact or near maybe a magnetic object. But mid-air?! DJI should man up to this.

Silly comment perhaps, but solar flares?

Kloo Gee Posted at 2018-1-11 06:03
Stu,

Good job on rescuing your Spark and getting it landed without crashing it.  I've mentioned it multiple times in past threads and videos I've created that when you get into an emergency situation such as this, the best course of action isn't always to bring it back home to the starting point, but instead to find a safe landing zone close to where the AC is currently at.  You did well with this and as such still have your Spark in one piece.  Good job.

Kloo Gee, Yes I noticed erros in the log, but I didn't see them on my app display at the time. During the first minute or so I had it active track mode following us through the field. At the 2:17 or so mark like yo saw is when I took it over an went up with it. The first error I saw was around 80ft (up) or so. I didn't notice right off the start if it was pointing in the same direction or not, but looking back in the app of the actual flight compared with the video it is pointing the direction of what I can see.  I check that everytime before takeoff now. Thanks for your input.

or possibly the compass or e-compass within the Spark gets erratic by itself ? Like the one I saw in you tube.


Anyway, it is good to understand the root cause of it so it may be avoided, either be it external or internal issues.

stu4084 Posted at 2018-1-11 06:30
Kloo Gee, Yes I noticed erros in the log, but I didn't see them on my app display at the time. During the first minute or so I had it active track mode following us through the field. At the 2:17 or so mark like yo saw is when I took it over an went up with it. The first error I saw was around 80ft (up) or so. I didn't notice right off the start if it was pointing in the same direction or not, but looking back in the app of the actual flight compared with the video it is pointing the direction of what I can see.  I check that everytime before takeoff now. Thanks for your input.

Interesting that it got so many errors in the log, but never gave you warnings in the app.  I noticed in the log that during those errors it didn't show that it switched to ATTI mode.  Looking at the flight path during that time, it seemed a bit erratic, so I had assumed it had actually switched to ATTI mode.  However, the fact it was following you around the field would make sense for the "erratic" nature of the flight path.

I'm curious, if you go into the FlightRecord in DJI Go 4 and play back that flight, does it show any of the errors popping up during that period of active track?

Kloo Gee Posted at 2018-1-11 07:16
Interesting that it got so many errors in the log, but never gave you warnings in the app.  I noticed in the log that during those errors it didn't show that it switched to ATTI mode.  Looking at the flight path during that time, it seemed a bit erratic, so I had assumed it had actually switched to ATTI mode.  However, the fact it was following you around the field would make sense for the "erratic" nature of the flight path.

I'm curious, if you go into the FlightRecord in DJI Go 4 and play back that flight, does it show any of the errors popping up during that period of active track?

I have been wanting to upload the playback from the app so you can see what I was saw, do you know anyway to get that off the phone?

AlanIRL Posted at 2018-1-11 06:07
Stu, can you remember or did you notice if the little red arrow in the compass on the app was pointing in the same direction as the Spark before take off?

And by the way, I think you should have found somewhere more remote to fly your drone!! - That was a joke :-)

Yes, it was pointing in the right direction based on the video and what I am seeing on the GO4 app playback.

I know right, I thought I was playing it safe to fly in the middle of nowhere.

stu4084 Posted at 2018-1-11 07:36
I have been wanting to upload the playback from the app so you can see what I was saw, do you know anyway to get that off the phone?

Use a screen recording utility on your phone.  On iOS it is built into iOS v11 (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207935).  Android I *think* you may have to use a 3rd party app to screen record.  I don't have Android, so I'm not as versed in it.  I'm sure others here can point you the right direction.

Once you get it recorded, then upload it to YouTube and post a link to it here.

HI All,

Whenever someone reports a compass error , yaw error or fly -a-way in addition to the flight log we need to know the AC firmware version, the version of DJI GO 4, OTH cable or WiFi,  Android or IOS  and screen recordings (if available). It appears most of the problems have occurred after loading the latest firmware. But that is a assumption on my part and we need data to link a possible firmware issue to all the failures. Maybe its possible to see the firmware version on the flight log but if it is there I have not been able to locate it.  We need more data not someone guessing that a cow standing near by passed some metallic gas that is causing all compasses within 100 miles to generate an error.

Also if you do not have any experience flying in ATTI mode when the AC switches to ATTI chance are you will lose or crash your AC. May I suggest you get a palm size mini drone with an actual controller then practice flying around the house. These mini drones are a hoot to fly. You can chase the dog around house for a win, win. You learn how to fly ATTI and the dog gets his daily exercise. Cats are even more fun. They will attempt to catch the thing teaching you cat like reflexes to get away. I purchased a Holystone HS-190 from Amazon when I first started flying. At Xmas I saw them as cheap as $19.00 USD. Normally they cost around $30.00. If you get a mini drone be sure it has altitude hold or you will really have your hands full. Mini drones do well indoors with prop guards. They do not do well outdoors if there is any wind.

I truly wish there was a way to manually switch to ATTI with the Spark and Mavic.

Do not put anything on the top of the Spark. I was testing a Loc8tor tracker and I installed the tag on top of and in the center of the Spark. I did fly it with out an incident but I noticed the GPS took longer to acquire than  normal before take off. I also lost GPS while flying but it re-connected quickly but.... That has never happened in the past. I also noticed when I picked up the AC it lost GPS again. As I was looking at the drone it dawned on me that the GPS antenna could be directly under the tag blocking the GPS signal. My bad and I should have known better as I was an RF engineer in another life. If you take a good look at the Spark you come to realization how small and cramped all the electronics must be. It is amazing the AC with GPS and an electronic compass located extremely close to 4 electric motors (all generating a magnetic field) the thing works at all.

Anyway we need to gather more data. Glad OP was able to land his AC safely without any damage.

BMelody Posted at 2018-1-11 09:18
HI All,

Whenever someone reports a compass error , yaw error or fly -a-way in addition to the flight log we need to know the AC firmware version, the version of DJI GO 4, OTH cable or WiFi,  Android or IOS  and screen recordings (if available). It appears most of the problems have occurred after loading the latest firmware. But that is a assumption on my part and we need data to link a possible firmware issue to all the failures. Maybe its possible to see the firmware version on the flight log but if it is there I have not been able to locate it.  We need more data not someone guessing that a cow standing near by passed some metallic gas that is causing all compasses within 100 miles to generate an error.

I agree we shouldn’t be guessing, like we shouldn’t be guessing this is because of latest firmware, since spark has been released these problems have been present same system errors speed error yaw error compass error IMU exception heading.
We seen a surge in the beginning around July August and then another surge in December , don’t rule the sheer numbers and new user factor. Whether it’s a bug firmware or software I don’t believe dji will let us know, some of these have been awarded warranty some haven’t, so are some bug problem and some user error, I think it’s dji who are the only ones who will figure this out.

BMelody Posted at 2018-1-11 09:18
HI All,

Whenever someone reports a compass error , yaw error or fly -a-way in addition to the flight log we need to know the AC firmware version, the version of DJI GO 4, OTH cable or WiFi,  Android or IOS  and screen recordings (if available). It appears most of the problems have occurred after loading the latest firmware. But that is a assumption on my part and we need data to link a possible firmware issue to all the failures. Maybe its possible to see the firmware version on the flight log but if it is there I have not been able to locate it.  We need more data not someone guessing that a cow standing near by passed some metallic gas that is causing all compasses within 100 miles to generate an error.

BMelody - Did you find a safe place to mount your Loc8tor?

Hi Alan,

I was not over impressed with the over all range or performance reliability of the Loc8tor system so it is going back today. I also have Marco Polo tracker that claims up to 2 miles of range. I do not think it is that far unless several conditions are met. However it is by far a better system. I do not know if one can attach any tag to the Spark due to the things I mentioned above.  You might be able to mount it under the Spark but then landing gear extension would be required.  So for me there will be no tracker of any kind attached to the Spark

~Bill

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-11 09:39
I agree we shouldn’t be guessing, like we shouldn’t be guessing this is because of latest firmware, since spark has been released these problems have been present same system errors speed error yaw error compass error IMU exception heading.
We seen a surge in the beginning around July August and then another surge in December , don’t rule the sheer numbers and new user factor. Whether it’s a bug firmware or software I don’t believe dji will let us know, some of these have been awarded warranty some haven’t, so are some bug problem and some user error, I think it’s dji who are the only ones who will figure this out.

I think so too.
By the way I am switching to Mavic. Too much time and money invested in the Spark – to the delight of DJI. "Man muss auch gönnen können" we say in Germany.
Mavic comes tomorrow - Let’s see!

DaMa Posted at 2018-1-11 12:09
I think so too.
By the way I am switching to Mavic. Too much time and money invested in the Spark – to the delight of DJI. "Man muss auch gönnen können" we say in Germany.
Mavic comes tomorrow - Let’s see!

Jeder Mann verdient ein kleines Vergnügen und geniesst sein wirklich großes Handwerk

Good luck see you on the other side.

DaMa Posted at 2018-1-11 12:09
I think so too.
By the way I am switching to Mavic. Too much time and money invested in the Spark – to the delight of DJI. "Man muss auch gönnen können" we say in Germany.
Mavic comes tomorrow - Let’s see!

Small children - small problems, big children - big problems

DaMa,

You will love the Mavic. Incredible machine!

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-1-11 12:16
Jeder Mann verdient ein kleines Vergnügen und geniesst sein wirklich großes Handwerk

Good luck see you on the other side.

I am leaveing the dark side ..... or just a little, but not completely.

DaMa Posted at 2018-1-11 13:41
I am leaveing the dark side ..... or just a little, but not completely.

Always look at the bright side of life... ;-) I'll nevertheless stick to my Spark for the time being which doesn't mean that I wouldn't have bigger plans to come sometime later...

stu4084 Posted at 2018-1-11 07:38
Yes, it was pointing in the right direction based on the video and what I am seeing on the GO4 app playback.

I know right, I thought I was playing it safe to fly in the middle of nowhere.

Thank you Stu for having published your case as I had recommended in our private communications beforehand. By doing so you have received feedback from the best of the best in this forum and also the confirmation that you have done a good job. All what can be said from our, your co-pilot's side has been said I believe and you might consider accepting the DJI offer to have a deeper look into these flight data. They have much more possibilities and analysing it might help you and many others in the future.

Here is the flight record from the app.
https://youtu.be/3YGT6q7bofk