Hello guys,

I bought the Spark as my first drone quite recently from a friend to start exploring this amazing new hobby.

However, I am surprised with the video stability I am receiving fro my Spark which looks unusually jittery. All of the videos I've seen online show much more stability.
I am using a new set of propellers and a 64Gb Kingston Micro SD Card (in case thay might help)



Any recommendations would be more than appreciated.

Hi,

That's not normal. Assuming that your Spark and your R/C (if you used one) are on latest software, something with the stabilization and/or gimbal electronics seems to be bad.
Since your Spark is new, return it to the shop and have it replaced.

I don't even want to start a discussion about legality of that flight...see https://www.uavsystemsinternatio ... lebanon-drone-laws/

Cheers,
Wolferl

Wolferl Posted at 3-19 08:41
Hi,

That's not normal. Assuming that your Spark and your R/C (if you used one) are on latest software, something with the stabilization and/or gimbal electronics seems to be bad.

Thank you Wolferl. I actually bought it used from a friend, I will definitely inform him about that.

And thanks for the heads up on the legality. I actually bought a drone flying permit the moment I bought it. :-)

ichris23 Posted at 3-19 09:01
Thank you Wolferl. I actually bought it used from a friend, I will definitely inform him about that.

And thanks for the heads up on the legality. I actually bought a drone flying permit the moment I bought it. :-)

Hi,

Ah ok, now you know why he sold his Spark to you :-(

Cheers,
Wolferl

Is there any video from a bit less altitude? Maybe it's just wind?

Lysak2003 Posted at 3-19 12:12
Is there any video from a bit less altitude? Maybe it's just wind?

happens with my spark but in very very windy days 30mph plus forecast says 47mph

SAADHERO Posted at 3-19 13:09
happens with my spark but in very very windy days 30mph plus forecast says 47mph

Exactly! I almost do not fly in such circumstances.

Hello and good day ichris23. I am sorry for the trouble. May I know what's your setting? You may try to fly your DJI Spark to an open field without wind to check whether the issue remains. Alternatively, please choose M mode, reduce the exposure time and use higher ISO to check. Please give us an update on the said issue for us to help you further. Thank you.

And have you ever seen one or two of the latest videos, your friend took with that bird?

Please check your gimbal settings. There are 2 modes - FPV and Follow.
You should be in Follow mode to get the full stabilisation from the gimbal.

SAADHERO Posted at 3-19 13:09
happens with my spark but in very very windy days 30mph plus forecast says 47mph

Hi guys, it wasn't windy at all that day.
Anyway, I took it to a licensed DJI repair store nearby, they are assessing and inform me of the results tomorrow.

Hi guys, the DJI technicians' assessment came out with no hardware issues.
I will be testing the software tweaks you recommended and keep you posted.

Haven't had my Spark out for a while; weather has just been terrible.
However, I wanted to take it out this evening to shoot some pictures/video of the flooding we have had recently here.  So, on lunch I took it outside for a quick flight around my building.
I was getting the same results

Just watching it on my screen had this same effect.  very jumpy video.   I didn't have time to download the 5sec clip i recorded to check the actual SD Card; but the low res I get on the phone was very bad.  This was under 50ft altitude; maybe a slight breeze but I have definatly flown in much higher winds without issues....

Not sure why this is happening.  It has been stored in a padded case cut specifically for the Spark; it always has a gimble protector installed unless it is flying.  Last time I had this up in the air was over Christmas and it worked flawlessly then.

Tonight was going to be a near perfect night for a flight.  Hoping i can figure it out soon!

ichris23 Posted at 3-20 07:55
Hi guys, the DJI technicians' assessment came out with no hardware issues.
I will be testing the software tweaks you recommended and keep you posted.

Thanks for your prompt response. We will wait for your update. Enjoy and always fly safely!

Towards the ending of the video, there are some signs that your Spark probably was flying in the 'FPV' mode.

Maybe you can set your settings to make sure you are in the 'Follow' mode instead of 'FPV' mode. Also do not fly in sports mode, if you want a smooth stable video.

Happy flying.

Looks like Sports mode at 50 seconds with the tilting.

Sparkz71 Posted at 3-22 01:42
Looks like Sports mode at 50 seconds with the tilting.

FPV instead of Follow for sure.... still a bit too "jumpy" even for FPV mode.

I can't explain the 'jitter' apart from the wrong mode or 'dirt' within the gimbal. The Spark camera is 4K, but drops back to FHD in video mode & should remove the 'jitter'.  Try the usual - reload firmware & replace the SD Card.  Otherwise, seems like something is broken. Good luck.

So after the technician insured no hardware problems, I made sure the gimbal is set to Follow mode, reloaded the firmware, calibrated IMU and Compass, and still have the same issue. I'm hoping it's the propellers so I'm going to try to change them and see.
Now it's a little windy on the ground, I'm also hoping it might be a strong wind effect (and not something worse).

I'm testing indoor to see if the same problem occurs.

UPDATE: Just flew indoor, issue persists but in much lower intensity.

On another note, do you guys think this small crack in the drone body might have any effect on this?