Noticed my Phantom is drifting while hovering. Props are balanced, no compass or IMU calibration needed.  12 satellites. Just did the latest update.  Any other causes I can check?  Never been crashed.

Thanks in advance.

Some drift is normal.

What mode do you have it in ? P mode ?

Yes, P mode.

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-27 20:07
Yes, P mode.

How far is it  drifting  ?  Like Alabama mentioned some drift is normal    But not a constant drift unless you’re flying in hurricane   

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-27 20:07
Yes, P mode.

I would  calibrate IMU and compass anyway even though it’s saying it’s not needed just  to see if it helps     

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-27 20:07
Yes, P mode.

Aloha Droner,

     Hello has a good point, you should calibrate the IMU anyway.  You have been flying the P4 Pro a lot lately and the P3 Pro is jealous and wants your attention.  Actually, the P4 Pro has two IMU units and the P3 Pro has just one.  Still calibrating the IMU will reap rewards for you.

     The compass does not need calibration unless you have changed location by a couple hundred miles and left it on top of some ferrous material for a day or two.  Calibrating the compass can create unneeded problems.  

     Hope this helps!

Aloha and Drone On!

Thanks.  I will calibrate it before I fly later today.  Filming a waterfall and I have a real estate shoot tomorrow so hopefully it will help.

It ended up about 10 feet from its home point after hovering for a bit.

Hi. I will be posting the DJI Tutorial Video link on how to calibrate the IMU of your DJI Phantom 3 Pro. I hope this video can help.

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-27 23:50
It ended up about 10 feet from its home point after hovering for a bit.

There are two different things going on here.  The horizontal drift during hovering is plus or minus 1.5 meters without taking into account VPS.  That's normal and within specs.  There is also the GPS position reassessment which means your AC's position estimate relative to the surface of the earth changes slightly with time even while the actual GPS reading is the same.  This happens even if the AC is resting on the ground.  

These two things are completely independent of each other.  

It doesn't sound to me like you have a problem.  

Good luck.  

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-27 23:50
It ended up about 10 feet from its home point after hovering for a bit.

That’s normal   Also  I noticed in another form post you said this occurred after a firmware update ?  Re-calibrate.

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-27 23:50
It ended up about 10 feet from its home point after hovering for a bit.

That’s normal   Also  I noticed in another form post you said this occurred after a firmware update ?  Re-calibrate.

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-27 23:50
It ended up about 10 feet from its home point after hovering for a bit.

That’s normal   Also  I noticed in another form post you said this occurred after a firmware update ?  Re-calibrate.

Well that did not go well.  I re-calibrated the IMU this morning and it was successful.  I also re-calibrated the gimble.  I then shut everything down to have some breakfast.  I dont remember if it was immediately after the IMU calibration or when I turned the phantom back on but I got a message up top that said something like "IMU warming up".  Everything looked good.  i then went to where I was going to film and launched.  I was in a ravine so I did not have GPS but there was plenty of room to move around.  I started filming and the DJIGO app crashed.  My screen went black.  Then the DJI logo appeared and my tablet went back into FPV but quit recording.  I just got a Lenovo 4 to fly with which I did before the upgrade and it worked fine.  I started filming again and it crashed again.  Same thing.  DJI logo, FPV and stopped recording.  I then took some photos and it was fine.  Once again I started filming with the same result so I landed rather than have something go really wrong.

We went back to our car and my children started playing in a shallow river so I though I would try to film again but used my Galaxy S8+ which I have used since I bought the UAV.  I took off and hovered and everything looked good until I started filming.  Same thing, different device.  I then decided to try using the Litchi app instead of the GO app.  It took off and I started filming with no issue so I flew out over the river to take some photos.  I was almost in position and was framing the shot on my phone when the app crashed.  I heard my kids yell and looked up just in time to see my Phantom fly into a branch and fall into the river.  I felt sick.  My son was there in about 30 seconds and pulled it out of the water.  The battery had come partially out from either hitting the branch or the impact on the water.  two of the pins holding the gimble broke also.  I'm not sure what to do at this point.  I have a paying job tomorrow and no UAV to do it with.  I will try and retrieve the files from my tablet, phone and remote but I don't think turning on the UAV to get those file would be wise right now.  It is out of warranty I am sure.

Should I take the top lid off to help dry it out faster.  Sorry for the long post.  I saved up a long time to get a Phantom and now I cannot replace it.

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-28 12:23
Well that did not go well.  I re-calibrated the IMU this morning and it was successful.  I also re-calibrated the gimble.  I then shut everything down to have some breakfast.  I dont remember if it was immediately after the IMU calibration or when I turned the phantom back on but I got a message up top that said something like "IMU warming up".  Everything looked good.  i then went to where I was going to film and launched.  I was in a ravine so I did not have GPS but there was plenty of room to move around.  I started filming and the DJIGO app crashed.  My screen went black.  Then the DJI logo appeared and my tablet went back into FPV but quit recording.  I just got a Lenovo 4 to fly with which I did before the upgrade and it worked fine.  I started filming again and it crashed again.  Same thing.  DJI logo, FPV and stopped recording.  I then took some photos and it was fine.  Once again I started filming with the same result so I landed rather than have something go really wrong.

We went back to our car and my children started playing in a shallow river so I though I would try to film again but used my Galaxy S8+ which I have used since I bought the UAV.  I took off and hovered and everything looked good until I started filming.  Same thing, different device.  I then decided to try using the Litchi app instead of the GO app.  It took off and I started filming with no issue so I flew out over the river to take some photos.  I was almost in position and was framing the shot on my phone when the app crashed.  I heard my kids yell and looked up just in time to see my Phantom fly into a branch and fall into the river.  I felt sick.  My son was there in about 30 seconds and pulled it out of the water.  The battery had come partially out from either hitting the branch or the impact on the water.  two of the pins holding the gimble broke also.  I'm not sure what to do at this point.  I have a paying job tomorrow and no UAV to do it with.  I will try and retrieve the files from my tablet, phone and remote but I don't think turning on the UAV to get those file would be wise right now.  It is out of warranty I am sure.

Aloha Droner,

     Which one went swimming, the P3P or the P4P?  Can you use the other Phantom for the shoot?

     Depending on the humidity of where you live, it can take three days to a week for your Phantom to dry out.  Take out the battery.  To speed things up, put the Phantom in a pillow case and buy a bag of rice.  Then find a container that your Phantom barely fits into (without props of course).  After you put the Phantom into the pillow case and then put it in the container, pour in the bag of rice evenly all over it.  The pillow case will prevent the rice dust from caking up the works inside the Phantom.

     For your start-up tests, use a different battery.  Do not charge the crash battery for at least a week.

     Others can fill you in of anything I have left out.

Aloha and Drone On!

The P3P.  The P4P is my company's and not for personal use. I have the bird under a fan right now with the top body off.  The battery is in a bag of rice.  Thanks for the advice.  The pillow case is an awesome idea.

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-28 22:42
The P3P.  The P4P is my company's and not for personal use. I have the bird under a fan right now with the top body off.  The battery is in a bag of rice.  Thanks for the advice.  The pillow case is an awesome idea.

Wow Droner660
I’m sorry to hear that.  Calibrating  The IMU should have nothing to do with the screen blacking out. I’m thinking it was from the last  firmware update   Can you post your flight records here ?

The flight record from the crash is not in my flight log.  I don't know why.

Looks like I'm going to have to replace the bottom body shell.  2 screw slots broke. Is there any upgrades I can do while I'm in here?  Better GPS module?  Better antennas?

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-29 14:40
Looks like I'm going to have to replace the bottom body shell.  2 screw slots broke. Is there any upgrades I can do while I'm in here?  Better GPS module?  Better antennas?

Can you post flight records from the DJI app before the crash. A clue could be in there. I know nothing about upgrades but I hope someone else has an idea.

The only ones I have one this device are 3 days before the crash. I have no idea why the one from the crash is not in my flightlog folder.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/k0y0bxa6yuh1t6e/AAB0Ji5FcQ9KrNDXmHTZW7aFa?dl=0

Droner660 Posted at 2018-7-29 19:15
The only ones I have one this device are 3 days before the crash. I have no idea why the one from the crash is not in my flightlog folder.

It's possible it was corrupted or not written to disk following the crash as the power was cut off unexpectedly.  It will try to repair the files including any video/photos after it is powered up again.  Of course you will have to wait until the aircraft has thoroughly dried out.

Sayhelloforme Posted at 2018-7-29 06:15
Wow Droner660
I’m sorry to hear that.  Calibrating  The IMU should have nothing to do with the screen blacking out. I’m thinking it was from the last  firmware update   Can you post your flight records here ?

This screen blacking out and DJI logo appearing is something that I have had a number of times recently. I use an Android Nexus 2 which is supposed to be fine with the P3P.

BUT even when the screen goes black ... even if app crashes ... my video is still recording and RTH kicks in.

I would assume the AC going into the tree and then river - was the AC less than 20m (60ft) from home point when it happened ? If so - default is to auto land at that spot.

Nigel

It was more than 60' but I believe when the bird hit the branch the battery backed out (it was 1/3 out when recovered).  This caused the bird to drop like a rock into the water.

I always wonder how batterys can do that ... I've had my P3S hit / strike / tumble ... even drowned ... my P3P has smashed its way down through a 30m high fir tree ... it hit a tree other day ... in all events - battery was still in place and secure. In fact I wish it would come out in some events !!! to stop the motors faster !!

Nigel

I always make sure my battery is secure during my preflight check so I'm not sure.  Maybe the latch hit the branch?  We will never know.

Even when Latch is pressed ... my P3 and all the others in our Club - still hard to pull the pack out !

Not saying your wrong ... just surprised at it.

Nigel

I am also.  It's hard to pull out.  Wouldn't be the first mistake I've made.

I have to say thank you to State Farm.  Luckily I had an inland marine replacement policy for my P3P.  $50 a year for $1200 in coverage.  Even though I bought it used they gave me what it would have cost new plus accessories. Check for $1200 on it's way. Not plugging SF.  Just great customer service.