I'm having a nervewracking problem: I just acquired my Phantom 2 Vers. 2.0 last week, and initial takeoffs seem to be an issue now.
Every time I spool up, the rotors turn just fine--but I notice that if I give it the slight push to spin harder (without lifting off), I can see the unit already beginning to shift its weight unevenly backwards. Sure enough, if I push harder for takeoff, it just leans back and tips over, throwing the props into the ground.

This is now hampered even worse by the new, un-documented way to spin down and stop the propellers: neither the original instructions (which were for a P2 Vers. 1.0), the addendum pamphlet included for Vers 2.0 controls, nor the paper band around the controllers mention anything about how to properly stop altogether once safely on the ground. Spinning up is still the same--pointing the sticks inward together--but you now have to "lock" the throttle control until it clicks, and then quickly "un-click" it before it spins down again.

Unfortunately, the spin-down is now JUST the throttle in the lock position, and it takes roughly three seconds to activate. This means that when I start to take off and it tips, I have to quickly push the throttle to the lock position and wait those three critical seconds to get it to stop (or risk banging my fingers up trying to get to the untipped side around the spinning blades to right the unit).

In other words, if I need it to stop quickly, there's a wait time for that to occur, and in the meantime my props could be getting scratched, dented, broken or locking up against whatever surface and straining the motors. When the tipover happens, I just stop flying and let the whole unit cool down, pretty much the rest of the day.
I've had this unit a week now. I've ran the diagnostics, updated the firmware, gently reduced some of the settings (the attitude gains were set by default to 260%--is that normal?! I reduced it to about 200 for now).

I've had a total flight time of about 2 minutes with this thing, and I'm becoming increasingly paranoid about flying it--that the next flight--even if I get it off the ground--will wreck it. I've come close already--a field flight in a wide area (with a wind shear probably too high that I should have been flying in, I admit) with guards on seemed to cause it to list to the right, which I corrected for, but then it sent the unit hurling back over my head and into the ground. All four guards were wrecked in the cartwheel, but miraculously the unit survived unscathed with only one prop snapped (and the battery flipped out, which is astounding, but showed no sign of damage).

I need some serious brainstorming here. Should I just wait the arduous wait time by calling DJI and seeing about getting a replacement unit, see if they can analyze it, or do I adhere to this somewhat popular notion some have that you have to "gun it" to get it off the ground safely? I was able to take off gently the first two times, but tipped over when the (again, undocumented and incorrect) procedure for shutting down the rotors caused it to tip and skip along the ground out of control.

For the record, I do know how to fly a quad--I've been flying my Dromida Ominus for about three months now and have a firm grasp on the mechanics and compensations needed.
For the P2, I wait until I get the full green, make sure the left switch is off and have the other set to GPS mode, and yet--again--I'm growing increasingly worried I'm going to wreck it and be out quite a bit of cash. I'm glad I didn't even consider hooking the camera gimbal up to it. I might be out one GoPro if I had.
Regardless, I need to know if anyone else is having this problem or can offer a valid solution that doesn't require "experimentation" on my part to overcome this problem. I need a valid resolution to it.

Thanks very much in advance.

Is this a new or used P2?

Have you done all the calibrations?  Especially an advanced IMU calibration?  If not, I would do that before anything else.  I wouldn't touch any of the gains before doing an adv. imu.

Check the mode, it should be in mode 2 which will put the throttle on the left stick.  After you make sure it is in mode 2, do a full calibration on the sticks.  When you take off, power up full power until 4 or 5 feet in the air and release the stick so it will stabilize.

DWA Posted at 2015-5-13 07:03
Is this a new or used P2?

Brand spanking new, as far as I know.

My suggestions for what they are worth,
Go to the downloads section for the V+ and grab the latest manual v1.8 that will help you a lot with the starting and stopping the motors and is well documented.
Do and IMU calibration on a completely level surface.
Check that Mode 2 is selected on the Transmitter.
Put the gains back to default and check you are in Phantom mode (naza is great, but you need a little help with the basics by the sound of things)
Make sure you have GPS lock and then as Gerry suggested, give it a burst of full throttle to hop it into the air and hover.
Then take things slow and follow the training guide until you feel confident again.

nrgwise Posted at 2015-5-13 07:06
Have you done all the calibrations?  Especially an advanced IMU calibration?  If not, I would do tha ...

So I did a basic calibration with the IMU, looks like this now onscreen:


This is also what the basic screen looks like:

johnwarr@live.c Posted at 2015-5-13 07:30
My suggestions for what they are worth,
Go to the downloads section for the V+ and grab the latest m ...

Explain "Mode 2"--is that on the Basic>RC screen setting the "control mode switch" pulldown on the right of the bar to "failsafe"?

dmbandx@hotmail Posted at 2015-5-13 07:56
Explain "Mode 2"--is that on the Basic>RC screen setting the "control mode switch" pulldown on the ...

This is the page, connect the transmitter to the RC assistant.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-5-13 08:02
This is the page, connect the transmitter to the RC assistant.

Oh ho! I was using the P2 calibration program initially. I've now got the RC app running. The Mode 1/2 feature isn't listed in that P2 calibration app. Running the calibration now. Uno momento.

dmbandx@hotmail Posted at 2015-5-13 08:06
Oh ho! I was using the P2 calibration program initially. I've now got the RC app running. The Mode ...

Okay, calibration complete. I noticed while circling the sticks they weren't reaching the edges in certain directions, but did in others. Almost like the opposites for both sticks. Lower right wasn't extreme on the left, upper left wasn't extreme on the right stick.


Now I don't mess with the channel settings, leaving them ALL at null for both AETR and the U, X1 and X2 channels?
X2 is the left, CL/HL switch, currently set to off.
U is the right toggle, set to GPS.
X1 is the gimbal disc on the upper left outer part of the remote.

dmbandx@hotmail Posted at 2015-5-13 08:15
Okay, calibration complete. I noticed while circling the sticks they weren't reaching the edges in ...

I seriously suggest you do what John has suggested.  Download the manual and read it before you attempt to fly.  That just might prevent you from crashing and breaking something.

Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-5-13 08:29
I seriously suggest you do what John has suggested.  Download the manual and read it before you at ...

I just realized something: the manual for the P2 is NOT included with the package--it even shows it doesn't on the "what's in the box" inventory in the online manual. The V+ actually came packaged with one according to it's guide. What kind of company doesn't include a guide for a UAV for any and all models?! This thing could cause damage, and their customers are just supposed to know by osmosis that they need to download the online-only manual?

Regardless, going to read the manual for it now (which seems to accurately describe my NDJ6 remote).

dmbandx@hotmail Posted at 2015-5-13 08:35
I just realized something: the manual for the P2 is NOT included with the package--it even shows i ...

Most of the DJI products do not come with a manual, they expect you to check online. The Vision+ was an exception.
A lot of other manufactures are doing the online manual also. When I bought my Sony RX 100 II it only had a online manual.

dmbandx@hotmail Posted at 2015-5-13 08:35
I just realized something: the manual for the P2 is NOT included with the package--it even shows i ...

go to dji web site for manual.

as others suggest when taking off give it a good bit of throttle ,

enough to get about 10 foot or so in one shot.

almost nothing electronic that updates has a printed manual anymore.. online only is the rule!

DWA Posted at 2015-5-13 12:27
Most of the DJI products do not come with a manual, they expect you to check online. The Vision+ w ...

But here's the thing--they printed a quickstart manual, an addendum brochure, AND instructions around the remote. Instead of all that unnecessary splitting up, why not just do one complete manual and be done with it?
The worst thing is there was no mention of a flight training guide in any of those instructions until I got to the online manual, and even then I think it's mentioned once, with no link and worst of all, it's not even listed under the P2 guides--it's under V+.  If the customer doesn't own that version, why would they go and look there for it?

I will say this: as much as everyone has suggested I do the flight training guide, it turns out I had already been doing that with my smaller Dromida unit for the past three months: patterns, yawing around targets, the whole deal, so I've actually been ready this entire time.

But what bothers me here is that I still have to ultimately "try out" this "gun it" method people have suggested, since there hasn't been an alternative presented. I'm more intimidated with the idea gunning it's only going to tip it faster and send the blades smashing over and over into the surface even worse. I can only hope the configuration settings did something to fix it.
We'll find out tomorrow, I guess.

dmbandx@hotmail Posted at 2015-5-13 12:56
But here's the thing--they printed a quickstart manual, an addendum brochure, AND instructions aro ...

Rather than just gunning it, I think you do need a bit of elevator / aileron input on takeoff. The inputs you need depend on the wind bearing & strength, but I will generally try to take off into the wind with a little bit of forward pitch to compensate, wherever practical.

A good rule is to point the right stick into the wind a little with the props idling, before adding power with the left stick. Don't mash the throttle but be firm, the quicker you can get out of ground effect, the more stable you'll be.

BE sure to put your GAINS back to default. With the gains set wrong you can cause to of the motors to accelerate faster than the others and that will definitely speed up those tip overs. A new pilot and a new plane start with all defaults first.. You can take off slow or fast but al the experienced pilots here including myself  throttle up quickly to get the bird airborne then we ease back. Experience and trial and error have been the educator here. Manual are written for standard ideal conditions. Different parts of the world and even in different states flying is different. I live along the coast so we have ocean winds other in mountains and even others in desert. It's just a fact of environment. A lot of good advice on here from experienced pilots .... Read , heed , and make your own decision, in a few weeks you to will be more Phantom experienced. As the old saying goes.... We're never to old to learn.   Enjoy your bird and have fun!

dmbandx@hotmail Posted at 2015-5-13 12:56
But here's the thing--they printed a quickstart manual, an addendum brochure, AND instructions aro ...

Gunning it helps getting the skids off the ground quickly which with a slow take-off tend to drag on the ground and thus result in tip-overs.  With more experience you can apply corrections to avoid the tip-over with "slow"  take-offs but a newbie will tend to over-correct and cause even worse of a tip-over .

I hadn't thought about compensating by pitching forward a little too--that's an idea. I am a big proponent of slower take-offs to help prevent against tipping/dragging, no matter what unit--and with a GoPro strapped to the bottom, I'd rather err on the side of caution.
I haven't messed with the gains settings other than the default 260% on the attitudes--that just seems insanely high.
Now I just have to get the nerve up to try it again today.

Sending your pricey UAS careening in a cartwheel in the ground will make anyone gunshy about the next flight.

Update: I took it out about ten minutes ago, took off from short grass that was pretty stable (I know, ideal man-made flat surface is the preferred, recommended method, but again, taking off from my concrete patio was not an ideal option, given tip-overs and scratched blades) and did three take-offs and landings, hovering at about 5 feet. I tried both suggested methods: slow takeoff with pitching forward gently, and "gunning it". The latter's a bit more unsettling as it (obviously) takes off much, much quicker. But since the pitch-and-rev slower method works, I think I'm going to stick with that. Interestingly, if the ground allows to tip the unit forward slightly before takeoff, that too proves helpful to compensate. By the time the unit begins leveling back (and potentially too far back), it's already off the ground.

The trouble is it still seems to be listing right (much like the more dramatic pull it had the day of my crash with guards on). I was able to correct gently, but now I'm concerned it's something with the unit itself. The light, 5 mph wind was actually blowing FROM the right, so if anything it should have been getting pushed left or at the very least stayed in place.

That said, thanks for the assistance. Now I just need to figure out why the dang thing's drifting right. I'd hate to have to compensate constantly for it.