So I've had my Spark since March of this year and 2 months ago, in April, I found an issue with my Spark. I saw that when I taked off, it will fall down. At first, I thought this was from a problem on the propeller blades. I changed them and nothing happened. So I researched a little about this problem and found a lot of videos on Youtube talking about this problem and showing it. I almost had an accident thanks to this problem, when I was flying over a pool in a hotel, the drone suddenly dropped down, but fortunately I managed to fly out of the pool. This problem only happened when I was on Atti Mode or in Vision Positioning System. I hope DJI solves this issue in the software (or hardware).



This video by the channel named Foogie Sim VLOGs shows a good description of the problem with my Spark. I saw another video about the 'solution' of the problem. So it told you that you'd have to wait until the GPS signal is enabled and the home point updated and then you should manually turn on motors (with the combination commands) and gently get it up. This 'solution' only works with people who have the controller (which I do). Sooo can DJI's warranty help me or make a software update? Thanks!!!

Hi, sorry for the inconvenience and trouble that it caused, just to clarify this issue occurs if your aircraft status is in Atti mode?  Have you tried to fly your aircraft with enough GPS signal? Did you manage to calibrate the IMU and compass?

DJI Tony Posted at 2018-6-8 13:38
Hi, sorry for the inconvenience and trouble that it caused, just to clarify this issue occurs if your aircraft status is in Atti mode?  Have you tried to fly your aircraft with enough GPS signal? Did you manage to calibrate the IMU and compass?

Hey, sorry for answering late! I calibrated the IMU and compass. Tomorrow I will go to a beautiful place from my country. I'm going to fly my Spark there and see how it performs! Thanks!!!

DJI Tony Posted at 2018-6-8 13:38
Hi, sorry for the inconvenience and trouble that it caused, just to clarify this issue occurs if your aircraft status is in Atti mode?  Have you tried to fly your aircraft with enough GPS signal? Did you manage to calibrate the IMU and compass?

The takeoff problem only happens in Atti mode and VPS (Vision Positioning System) mode. I was once taking off my Spark from the hood of my car and sadly this happened. Luckily the propellers didn't damage or scratch the car's paint...

Please keep us posted for an update.

DJI Tony Posted at 2018-6-8 16:50
Please keep us posted for an update.

I flew my drone today and it felt AWESOME! Thank you so much for the instructions!!!

Taking off from the hood of a car is not a good idea...Between the metal in the hood and the reflective/shiny paint, the Sparks compass and sensors will go crazy. I tried it once and got a bunch of errors! Never even proceeded with the lift-off, just picked it up and launched from my hand..

jmb63 Posted at 2018-6-10 04:02
Taking off from the hood of a car is not a good idea...Between the metal in the hood and the reflective/shiny paint, the Sparks compass and sensors will go crazy. I tried it once and got a bunch of errors! Never even proceeded with the lift-off, just picked it up and launched from my hand..

Thanks for the advice!

Update: today I went to a place were fpv racers participated on a series of obsticles. It was indoors so it used atti mode. Spark flew AWESOME! It made 56.07 (im average flying drones) but the drone felt awesome.  I Really recommend calibrating IMU. I liked a lot that place, ill go tomorrow morning to see if I can put sport mode and improve a lil bit

AndréO. Posted at 2018-6-10 15:35
Update: today I went to a place were fpv racers participated on a series of obsticles. It was indoors so it used atti mode. Spark flew AWESOME! It made 56.07 (im average flying drones) but the drone felt awesome.  I Really recommend calibrating IMU. I liked a lot that place, ill go tomorrow morning to see if I can put sport mode and improve a lil bit

Glad to know that your aircraft flew fine, kindly use your aircraft in a recommended area and avoid any interferences.

AndréO. Posted at 2018-6-8 16:39
The takeoff problem only happens in Atti mode and VPS (Vision Positioning System) mode. I was once taking off my Spark from the hood of my car and sadly this happened. Luckily the propellers didn't damage or scratch the car's paint...

I wouldnt take off from the hood of my car man. Too much interference as the hood is full of metal parts.
I had the same taking off issue with my previous spark. I recalibrated IMU, COMPASS AND RC. Refreshed the firmware.
Follow these troubleshooting steps and see if they help:
1) Recalibrate IMU.
2) Recalibrate COMPASS.
3 Recalibrate Remote Controller.
4) Refresh/Upgrade the Firmware.
5) Clean downward sensors.
6) Wait for at least 10 satallites to lock.
7) Leave the motors running for a while before taking off.

These steps solved the problem. I hope it works for you too.

BrilhasMuito Posted at 2018-6-11 08:18
I wouldnt take off from the hood of my car man. Too much interference as the hood is full of metal parts.
I had the same taking off issue with my previous spark. I recalibrated IMU, COMPASS AND RC. Refreshed the firmware.
Follow these troubleshooting steps and see if they help:

Thank you so much!

It has been noted recently after the latest firmware updates, the SPARK flights especially initial take off tends to be giving a weird response such as jumping up and down in the air !! This in turn switches the SPARK to Atti mode where there is no active presence of obstacle sensor avoidance system .  Also the jumping effect by SPARK  especially hitting the ground causes the gimbal hardware to cause damage and bringing about the "" GIMBAL MOTOR OVERLOAD "" error.

i am considering to revert back to 0.9000 firmware for the SPARK but i do not know how the RC will respond !!

S.J Posted at 2018-8-13 10:09
It has been noted recently after the latest firmware updates, the SPARK flights especially initial take off tends to be giving a weird response such as jumping up and down in the air !! This in turn switches the SPARK to Atti mode where there is no active presence of obstacle sensor avoidance system .  Also the jumping effect by SPARK  especially hitting the ground causes the gimbal hardware to cause damage and bringing about the "" GIMBAL MOTOR OVERLOAD "" error.

i am considering to revert back to 0.9000 firmware for the SPARK but i do not know how the RC will respond !!

Hi, sorry for the inconvenience that it caused. I would like to ask if you manage to restore factory defaults and refresh the firmware of your spark using DJI Assistant 2? Did you try to re-calibrate the IMU and compass of your drone?

DJI Tony Posted at 2018-8-14 09:22
Hi, sorry for the inconvenience that it caused. I would like to ask if you manage to restore factory defaults and refresh the firmware of your spark using DJI Assistant 2? Did you try to re-calibrate the IMU and compass of your drone?

Yes have done all the usual procedures .  There is seriously something wrong with the firmware . I never had a jumping SPARK problem  even with a worse IMU or Compass . This is very strange !

S.J Posted at 2018-8-14 10:30
Yes have done all the usual procedures .  There is seriously something wrong with the firmware . I never had a jumping SPARK problem  even with a worse IMU or Compass . This is very strange !

That is so strange with these deviations in behaviour with the same firmwares and software updates. I , personally, consider the latest updates as perfect so far - no one issue, flying Spark with CS

I too am running into this same issue with my Spark.

Flew perfect eh first week I owned it, then started this unpredictable behavior.
I am currently hesitant on flying the device with the thought that it could damage itself.

I have done the following:
- Tested device using two different smartphones - No RC
- Reinstalled the DJI app on both devices with no luck
- Purchased a DJI Spark remote and experienced the same issues
- Replaced all props
- Tested with three different batteries
- Recalibrated the IMU
- Recalibrated the compass
- Factory reset the DJI Spark itself
- Performed the assisted take-off
- Performed the manual take-off w/ RC

Firmware on RC, Batteries, and device are all up-to-date.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Time to send to DJI for inspection?

Hi folks,

I had that too a few days ago. I took off manually from the ground, homepoint set, 15+ sats, free field, no interference, P-GPS mode, R/C, and climbed to about 2m. Normal behaviour there. I then put nick stick in to get Sparky going. Then I wanted to climb further, when Spark jumped up and down by about 0,5m very fast without really climbing. When I let go the throttle stick, Sparky behaved again. Putting in throttle and it jumped again. Can you imagine the sound Sparky made .
I managed to land it back, changed battery, and everything was good again. There was nothing abnormal or error messages in the log. Weird.

Cheers,
Wolferl

TheBeater04   I would try and avoid flying in ATTI or OPTI mode outdoors as it relies on the sensors to keep it stable in the air compared with  GPS which uses Satelites.     You will find depending on the surfaces you are flying over and the light or lack of light the Drone will act differently.   Example flying indoors seems stable over carpet as the sensors can pinpoint the floor.  In the garage with shiny concrete the drone drifts and sometimes even turns as it cannot get a proper fix on the floor.    Also dirty sensors can cause issues.   I would Re calibrate IMU and compass b4 flying again and make sure you have good GPS signal.   Checking that you have latest firmware versions is also something to look at...     

djiuser_weWnQGRJ10Ah Posted at 2018-8-15 14:42
I too am running into this same issue with my Spark.

Flew perfect eh first week I owned it, then started this unpredictable behavior.

Try it with older firmware and older DJI GO application ...
Put V00.00701 firmware version back in and 4.1.15. DJI GO application.

If they do not help, the ESC may be defective by controlling the engines. ESC firmware also changes with firmware replacement, so you should try it older, because this problem is relatively new ...

Greg F Posted at 2018-8-16 03:02
TheBeater04   I would try and avoid flying in ATTI or OPTI mode outdoors as it relies on the sensors to keep it stable in the air compared with  GPS which uses Satelites.     You will find depending on the surfaces you are flying over and the light or lack of light the Drone will act differently.   Example flying indoors seems stable over carpet as the sensors can pinpoint the floor.  In the garage with shiny concrete the drone drifts and sometimes even turns as it cannot get a proper fix on the floor.    Also dirty sensors can cause issues.   I would Re calibrate IMU and compass b4 flying again and make sure you have good GPS signal.   Checking that you have latest firmware versions is also something to look at...

Are you talking about something else? Did you see the video at the beginning of the post?

Jakab Gipsz Posted at 2018-8-16 13:44
Are you talking about something else? Did you see the video at the beginning of the post?

From the original Post  "This problem only happened when I was on Atti Mode or in Vision Positioning System. "  

and yes I was talking about this thread..

Greg F Posted at 2018-8-16 15:34
From the original Post  "This problem only happened when I was on Atti Mode or in Vision Positioning System. "  

and yes I was talking about this thread..

OK guys...i have found a temporary solution for the jumping problem.

you have to adjust the following parameters in SPARK
g_config_avoid_obstacle_limit_cfg_safe_dis = 2
g_config_control_avoid_atti_range        = 10

These parameters may be accessed only by DJI assistant 2  V 1.12

it now lands smoothly but you must manually land it. Do not Autoland as it will create the same jumping effect.
Volia solved the issue for android tem

I am also facing the same issue. So many reports, why is DJI not coming up with a fix?

AndréO. Posted at 2018-6-8 16:39
I was once taking off my Spark from the hood of my car and sadly this happened. Luckily the propellers didn't damage or scratch the car's paint...

Trap for new players.
DON'T EVER DO THAT!
Car hoods and roof are made of metal. That will disrupt Sparky compass sensor.

Cheers,
Wolferl

I'm facing the same take off issue with my spark.
It seems it struggles to gain altitude, the damn spark keeps on jumping up and down like a frog.
I'm flying the spark with an RC and on gps with at least 10 satellites.
Any idea how to resolve this issue?
Do I need to reset it to factory settings?

S.J Posted at 2018-8-13 10:09
It has been noted recently after the latest firmware updates, the SPARK flights especially initial take off tends to be giving a weird response such as jumping up and down in the air !! This in turn switches the SPARK to Atti mode where there is no active presence of obstacle sensor avoidance system .  Also the jumping effect by SPARK  especially hitting the ground causes the gimbal hardware to cause damage and bringing about the "" GIMBAL MOTOR OVERLOAD "" error.

i am considering to revert back to 0.9000 firmware for the SPARK but i do not know how the RC will respond !!

Its been a while I suffer with this issue. I lost 1 spark then bought a second one, both presented this take off issue doesnt matter the firmware.
It seems to be a not fixable kinda flaw. I noted it does not happen when I take really easy with the stick while taking off. Its been working 100% of the time. Its been a long time I dont see my spark acting crazy during take off.  
  

jacklord Posted at 2018-9-24 17:38
I'm facing the same take off issue with my spark.
It seems it struggles to gain altitude, the damn spark keeps on jumping up and down like a frog.
I'm flying the spark with an RC and on gps with at least 10 satellites.

Sorry for the really late reply. Lifes been busy.
Its seems to be an unfixable issue.
Its a pain in the ass and a dangerous issue. Easy to break the drone.
You gotta be gentle and take really easy with the stick while taking off. Really  really easy! Its been working to me. Its been a while I dont experience this annoying issue.

Akshay Naik Posted at 2018-8-29 21:50
I am also facing the same issue. So many reports, why is DJI not coming up with a fix?

Sorry for the really late reply. Lifes been busy.
Its seems to be an unfixable issue.
Its a pain in the ass and a dangerous issue. Easy to break the drone.
You gotta be gentle and take really easy with the stick while taking off. Really  really easy! Its been working to me. Its been a while I dont experience this annoying issue.

S.J Posted at 2018-8-25 01:15
OK guys...i have found a temporary solution for the jumping problem.

you have to adjust the following parameters in SPARK

Ive never noticed any landing issues. Taking off is the issue.

Can anyone help. My spark is on the latest firmware new props. But it won't take of from the ground the props are all spinning but it stays put. Won't lift a inch. Any ideas pls.

Dji still no idea how to fix this??. Dji please do something.

Hi, after update the last firmware into my spark and try the "gesture piloting" in dji go 4 i have the same problem : strange height, no front off obstacle and no landing "bip". All seem to be desactivated . I try to change firmware, reset factory, uninstall dji go... no effect (( Could you help me plz ? https://youtu.be/zX5XEKwzVI0

chris333j Posted at 10-19 08:04
Hi, after update the last firmware into my spark and try the "gesture piloting" in dji go 4 i have the same problem : strange height, no front off obstacle and no landing "bip". All seem to be desactivated . I try to change firmware, reset factory, uninstall dji go... no effect (( Could you help me plz ? https://youtu.be/zX5XEKwzVI0

Do you test it in your hand? why not get up?
Spark knows it's not in the air ...
Not working in flight?
Search for "Spark firmware downgrade":
https://lmgtfy.com/?q=dji+spark+firmware+downgrade

No one has written here in a long time, but now unfortunately he is doing the same for me, and even worse!
The first incident happened late last summer: He took off uncertainly during a takeoff, as if he didn’t have enough strength. Then the problem disappeared. After 3 minutes of flying, I wanted to ascend, at which point he began to descend quickly without request, did not respond to anything, and landing in an unsuitable place, all the rotors broke. There were no error messages in the flight log!
I ordered new rotors and tried again yesterday.
Unfortunately, it had already fluctuated as it took off. In flight, when I pushed the stick up, it started to fall and then only then rose, sometimes unable to rise. After a short flight, he started to land from a height of 20m, very quickly. Luckily I was careful and it happened in the middle of a soccer field and it fell into the grass. He turned on his back, but it didn't hurt.
This could be some kind of power supply problem because I didn’t update the firmware and didn’t change anything and yet the problem came up as it did for others. I tried several batteries and the same error, so there is no error in the battery, or then all 3pcs became faulty.
I think oxidation, contact fault may be in the background.
It would be nice if the DJI would say anything about this because it no longer manufactures, the warranty is no longer there, I want to fix it because I don’t want to throw it away.

It's been a long time since I post in DJI Forum, but I sold my spark last year at a big discount due to the takeoff issue. I tried IMU calibration, which fixed the problem for a few months. I'm still not sure about what the problem is, but my only option was selling it, since they don't offer warranty in the country I'm in.

It is probably in the earlier Spark models that this issue occurs, but I recommend you not to take off at full throttle. That kind of fixed the issue I had, only temporarily.

Good luck

AndreacuteO. Posted at 7-23 12:31
It's been a long time since I post in DJI Forum, but I sold my spark last year at a big discount due to the takeoff issue. I tried IMU calibration, which fixed the problem for a few months. I'm still not sure about what the problem is, but my only option was selling it, since they don't offer warranty in the country I'm in.

It is probably in the earlier Spark models that this issue occurs, but I recommend you not to take off at full throttle. That kind of fixed the issue I had, only temporarily.

Perhaps take a look at this thread, it might help:
https://forum.dji.com/forum.php? ... D558%26typeid%3D558