Hi Guys.
  

I've just bought A Mavic Mini and I forgot to take the cover off the gimbal before turning it on, so it was trying to do it pre flight manoeuvres whilst the cover was on, hope I haven’t but any unnecessary strain on it?.

  

Hello, it has happened to me twice and no problem anything to report, I hope this reassures you.

The odd time is typically fine - just don't make a habit of it

VanzPix Posted at 7-22 11:48
Hello, it has happened to me twice and no problem anything to report, I hope this reassures you.

I'm glad it's not just me then

I did it once with my MA2. I discovered it just after launching it from the rear of my boat. Doh! Then to make matters worse, I discovered I had lost the landing pad overboard somewhere. Doh! Then I tried to land it manually and it cut up my hand a bit. Doh! I tried to make the best of the rest of the day ;-)

Hello there gort. Thank you for reaching out and for these given information. I would recommended fro you not to forget to remove the gimbal cover of your DJI Mavic Mini before you power on the drone to avoid any issue that might occur in the future. For reference, I will be posting an official DJI Tutorial Video on how to prepare for your flight. Thank you and fly safe always.

GaryDoug Posted at 7-22 19:07
I did it once with my MA2. I discovered it just after launching it from the rear of my boat. Doh! Then to make matters worse, I discovered I had lost the landing pad overboard somewhere. Doh! Then I tried to land it manually and it cut up my hand a bit. Doh! I tried to make the best of the rest of the day ;-)

as the saying says, there are days with and days without ;)

I stuck sone tape on the gimbal cover, it extends as a flap over the power button so I have to either lift the flap or take the gimbal cover off to access the button.