Hi guys. The drone's compass is a part that is very sensitive and doesn't like magnets, radio wave interference, or metal. Here are some tips to get the best compass readings and for smooth flight
1(very important)earn to fly in atti mode. This is a lifesaver mode. If the gps signal is bad or there are compass problems/interference, atti mode bypasses the compass and gps/glonass and relies readily on the imu and/or vps for altitude hold. If you own a Mavic or Spark, you can get an old version of Dji assistant with dev tools and modify some code to turn sport or tripod mode into atti mode. There are plenty of tutorials out there for that. Atti mode is also useful for making smooth videos, but cinematic and tripod mode can offer similar results.
2:Compass and imu calibration. Get them right. When calibrating the compass, do not pick up the drone and orbit your body with it. That can cause too much variance. Here is how to do it right. Find a wide area with no magnets, metal, or strong interference nearby. Having a friend hold your remote control and phone and giving you instructions might make the calibration even better. Press the calibration button and pick up the drone. Use your hands to smoothly turn the drone on its axis while you stay still. When the app says to flip the drone sideways, turn the drone onto its side and do the same thing. To calibrate the imu, find a table or surface that is perfectly level. Get a level or a phone with a level if in doubt. Move away all things of interference like cellphones, magnets, metal, and Bluetooth devices. Removes props and any accessories. Press the calibration button and follow instructions. Only calibrate the imu if the drone is super unstable or the app says so.
3:Never take off on concrete, asphalt, or metal structures. You can get a drone landing pad or take off on wood or grass or an insulating material. Decks may have screws and nails in them which are metal.
4:Monitor the compass in the air intermittently. If the interference goes up, get out of that area.
5:consider buying a demagnetizer and demagnetizer the compass every year or when it starts to really act up or a magnet touched it. A watch demagnetizer or the Cfixer product works really well. The tale head demagnetizers or the electric free tool ones just won't work. Put it near your compass. You can refer to online or the manual to find the location of the compass(es) on your drone.
6:sometimes the imu or compass might not be the issue. It could be a miscalibrated remote control.

Thanks for the tips.

very informative tips thanks

Capt. Danjeneth Posted at 4-30 15:05
very informative tips thanks

Thank you. I just got a demagnetizer in the mail. I used it to demagnetize my drone's compass, my sister's drone's compass, and to take the magnetic field out of the repair tool kit I have for my drone. It all worked.

Thanks for sharing. Good tips

Excellent tips

Compasses are magnets; why would you want to de- magnetize?

The electronic compass in a drone is not magnetic. It does get affected though by magnetic interference. A demagnetizer is different. I use it all the time and it works very well.

I have a watch demagnetizer and I was afraid to use it on drones until I read this.  Thanks!

I demagnetise my food....beans in special have a nasty habbit to go south with strong force....with demagnetizer all is fluently working )))))))))

Thank you for these tips. My Mav2 Air has about 6 flights on it so far. The IMU has never been calibrated yet it continues to be rock stable in the air. Should I still perform a calibration on it or just wait until the controller tells me to do so!  TIA!

If you are talking about the imu, you only need to do that if it says so or if the aircraft is unstable even with a normal compass, vps, and gps. About the compass, calibrate every single flight in an area with no interference. Calibrate every time you demagnetize the compass too.

SR 71 Posted at 8-27 06:42
Thank you for these tips. My Mav2 Air has about 6 flights on it so far. The IMU has never been calibrated yet it continues to be rock stable in the air. Should I still perform a calibration on it or just wait until the controller tells me to do so!  TIA!

If you are talking about the imu, you only need to do that if it says so or if the aircraft is unstable even with a normal compass, vps, and gps. About the compass, calibrate every single flight in an area with no interference. Calibrate every time you demagnetize the compass too.

Very informative, pal. Didn't know that atti mode is prefered. Thank you for useful tips