Hello!

I just bought the Phantom 3 4k and have made two flights with it around my home area. Both times the Phantom got Magnetic interference problems and have flew away to the same direction and I have lost controll over the drone. Pretty scary! I have checked the IMU and calibrated the drone. I get this problems in the air. What to do, any ideas?


In my area there is a small power line station. How far away from it can it interfere with my flight? I live about 2 km from it. I usualy dont get these messages flying low, only about 30 meters up.


I have calibrated the Phantom 3 correct without any materials that can disturbed on me. I have some powerlines about 1 km away but thats it. I try to fly again and got compass error about 7-8 times. Did not flew away tho and could land it. What is happening??! Is it hardware issues?

I also tried ty get the flight log but did not understand how. I downloaded the .bin file from the drone but I could not read it in.
I changed the file to .txt and got som not understandable signs. And when i read it in the upload - no information?



I have now read a lot of topics conserning "compass error" and it seems like there are plenty with this problem? So I have done all thing with calibration/IMU , no keys , cellphone ext. on me when calibrating, latest firmware, Im in a big field on the country, no magnetic fields.. And still I get compass error all the time?!!!!!


//Niklas

I can also say that the power line station is shut down (heared from electricity provider company). I took the drone to another place, also in the countryside (no obstacle in way), calibrate and everything looked good. Then after take of in mid air I got compass error several times and it switched to ATTI. Almost crahed the drone in the ground.

NiklasV Posted at 2017-6-7 21:51
I can also say that the power line station is shut down (heared from electricity provider company). I took the drone to another place, also in the countryside (no obstacle in way), calibrate and everything looked good. Then after take of in mid air I got compass error several times and it switched to ATTI. Almost crahed the drone in the ground.

Despite what is said on forums, powerlines and power stations will not have any effect on your aircraft. There are companies using them to inspect EHV line insulators and the aircraft is not affected by the lines. It is more like something to do with where you last did a compass calibration. Did you do it on a concrete area?

Also, about the flight logs. There is no .DAT files in the drone folder. Only my images and one .txt file and one .bin file(?) Srry for pretty confusing topic and content

Geebax Posted at 2017-6-7 22:01
Despite what is said on forums, powerlines and power stations will not have any effect on your aircraft. There are companies using them to inspect EHV line insulators and the aircraft is not affected by the lines. It is more like something to do with where you last did a compass calibration. Did you do it on a concrete area?

Thanks for answer! No, on grass. I live in the countryside so no buildings or concret or something anyware. Just green grass.
??

NiklasV Posted at 2017-6-7 22:21
Thanks for answer! No, on grass. I live in the countryside so no buildings or concret or something anyware. Just green grass.
??

OK. Did you perhaps launch it from a table or something like that? What you describe is symptomatic of the compass being influenced by iron or steel.

Being close to the arctic circle might not be a good thing...

NiklasV Posted at 2017-6-7 22:01
Also, about the flight logs. There is no .DAT files in the drone folder. Only my images and one .txt file and one .bin file(?) Srry for pretty confusing topic and content

The flight log is a .txt file found on your tablet/phone running the Go app and used as the controller's display device.   Go to http://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/   Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from the app. Come back and post a link to the report it provides.

Geebax Posted at 2017-6-8 01:09
OK. Did you perhaps launch it from a table or something like that? What you describe is symptomatic of the compass being influenced by iron or steel.

Thanks for answer! No starting from a huge field of grass in the countryside.

Geebax Posted at 2017-6-8 01:09
OK. Did you perhaps launch it from a table or something like that? What you describe is symptomatic of the compass being influenced by iron or steel.

Thanks for answer! No, on grass. I live in the countryside so no buildings or concret or something anyware. Just green grass.
??

NiklasV Posted at 2017-6-7 22:01
Also, about the flight logs. There is no .DAT files in the drone folder. Only my images and one .txt file and one .bin file(?) Srry for pretty confusing topic and content

Just so you know, the "bin." file is your firmware. It shouldn't be giving you any problems but normally you can remove this after you upgrade successfully. The text file is probably the  "results" of when you upgraded the firmware. It is also not required. If you where you want to be with your current firmware version, format your sd-card and these file will no longer exists. Of course, save off any pictures or videos you want before formatting. This won't help your situation any in my opinion, but you had referenced these, so I thought I'd explain what they are.
I also agree with Geebax in that the power station or wires shouldn't cause you any problems. I have a large hydro-electric facility where I live, and I have flown not directly over it or the dam of course, but very close to it without any issues at all. I have flown in other areas where there also major transmission lines and although I might lose my video signal for a brief moment as I pass by it, never have I lost RC signal or had any error regarding "magnetic interference" of lost control of my phantom.

I would be concerned with you compass calibration too. There might be something there, you are not aware of. Al least try to calibrate it in another area to see if it helps. I have heard of individuals that have had issues around certain types of terrain where there may be certain types of rocks or magnetic material in the ground that may cause problems. It is worth a shot in my opinion.
If you get a good calibration, leave it alone. It is not necessary to do it every time. There is a lot of conversation about this on this forum.

I'm not sure about being to close to the artic circle. Mark the Droner may be correct, but haven't seen where others from your part of the world say that problem effects them too. It is not like you on in the artic zone.
I guess short of that if you can't get it resolved, you could maybe try a new compass. They are cheap. Or of course you could send it in to have DJI check it out. Nothing like watching your bird fly away without having control. Good luck & hope you figure out your problem.

Mark The Droner Posted at 2017-6-8 01:53
Being close to the arctic circle might not be a good thing...

I have no choise here! Should I move bequase of my drone failing? ) Well, no people that fly drones in Island and even more north..

Mark The Droner Posted at 2017-6-8 01:53
Being close to the arctic circle might not be a good thing...

Well I dont move from Sweden to get my Phantom to fly correctly! ;-) But there is a lot of drones flying in Iceland and north over, with good result.

endotherm Posted at 2017-6-8 03:44
The flight log is a .txt file found on your tablet/phone running the Go app and used as the controller's display device.   Go to http://www.phantomhelp.com/LogViewer/Upload/   Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from the app. Come back and post a link to the report it provides.

Got it! Thanks for answer

RicardoGray Posted at 2017-6-8 04:19
Just so you know, the "bin." file is your firmware. It shouldn't be giving you any problems but normally you can remove this after you upgrade successfully. The text file is probably the  "results" of when you upgraded the firmware. It is also not required. If you where you want to be with your current firmware version, format your sd-card and these file will no longer exists. Of course, save off any pictures or videos you want before formatting. This won't help your situation any in my opinion, but you had referenced these, so I thought I'd explain what they are.
I also agree with Geebax in that the power station or wires shouldn't cause you any problems. I have a large hydro-electric facility where I live, and I have flown not directly over it or the dam of course, but very close to it without any issues at all. I have flown in other areas where there also major transmission lines and although I might lose my video signal for a brief moment as I pass by it, never have I lost RC signal or had any error regarding "magnetic interference" of lost control of my phantom.

Thank you for a good answer! I have contacted my retailer here in Sweden and they will send it for reperation/check free of charge. So i took that just to be sure :-) So then in a week or 2 it will be checked for compass error.  So thats where I am now. Tried another area this morning. Same there! compass error.

A high KP day perhaps... ( search KP Index on Google)

The Kp-index is often used to determine the chances of seeing the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).  Without going into the science of it too deeply (just google kp-index if you want to learn more) the index is a scale of 0-9 (the planetary index) which denotes the strength of disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field.  These disturbances are caused by solar flares so increased solar activity is likely to have a knock-on effect on your ability to fly your DJI Phantom in GPS mode.

The lower the figure the better, so when the index is in the green area (0-3 on the scale) there’s a good chance of strong satellite lock.  When it goes over 3 and stronger then expect disruption to your satellite connectivity.  Anything above 5 indicates a magnetic storm of increasing strength.  

SimonH78 Posted at 2017-6-8 05:00
A high KP day perhaps... ( search KP Index on google)

Got it 3 times alredy / different days.

It can happen on multiple days, check http://www.uavforecast.com/#/ - maybe a full recalibrate -

SimonH78 Posted at 2017-6-8 05:06
It can happen on multiple days, check http://www.uavforecast.com/#/ - maybe a full recalibrate -

Thanks will check.

SimonH78 Posted at 2017-6-8 05:00
A high KP day perhaps... ( search KP Index on Google)

The Kp-index is often used to determine the chances of seeing the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis).  Without going into the science of it too deeply (just google kp-index if you want to learn more) the index is a scale of 0-9 (the planetary index) which denotes the strength of disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field.  These disturbances are caused by solar flares so increased solar activity is likely to have a knock-on effect on your ability to fly your DJI Phantom in GPS mode.

This gets mentioned often as a potential problem but no-one has ever had any actual problems that could be attributed to a K-index issue.
It's all hype and nothing you need to worry about at all.

I just wanted to share with you, my experience the first time I bought a DJI drone.    I had a similar expereince.    The drone, shortly after 1 flight, would randomly fly away from me.   The return home feature on the remote failed each time.    It turned out the "GPU" device inside the drone had stopped working.   I would bring it back to the dealer or your nearest repair center and have them make sure there is not a problem with the unit, to rule it out.     It simply shouldn't happen like that.    Powerlines shouldn't be a problem.   

fansce01a671 Posted at 2017-6-8 09:40
I just wanted to share with you, my experience the first time I bought a DJI drone.    I had a similar expereince.    The drone, shortly after 1 flight, would randomly fly away from me.   The return home feature on the remote failed each time.    It turned out the "GPU" device inside the drone had stopped working.   I would bring it back to the dealer or your nearest repair center and have them make sure there is not a problem with the unit, to rule it out.     It simply shouldn't happen like that.    Powerlines shouldn't be a problem.

Thank you very much for you reply. Yes, I also found it pretty strange, must be an hardware issue. My retailer is sending the drone to service soon
Here is my one and only drone shot before i got a lot of compas error messages and yaw error messages. Hope o take more after service This is my first real image with a drone ever..

Just because you get a compass error or magnetic interference error, it may have nothing to do with it flying off.  Usually flyoffs have something to do with flying in strong wind, high altitudes and loss of GPS.  If you post the log here we can be examine it for you and give you an explanation.  The link will contain more data than it displays on the website, a kml file containing the flight path in 3D and a csv file containing more sensor information than the summary displayed on the webpage.

NiklasV Posted at 2017-6-8 12:19
Thank you very much for you reply. Yes, I also found it pretty strange, must be an hardware issue. My retailer is sending the drone to service soon  
Here is my one and only drone shot before i got a lot of compas error messages and yaw error messages. Hope o take more after service  This is my first real image with a drone ever..
[view_image]

That's a great image

SimonH78 Posted at 2017-6-9 23:40
That's a great image

Thank you!!

NiklasV Posted at 2017-6-8 12:19
Thank you very much for you reply. Yes, I also found it pretty strange, must be an hardware issue. My retailer is sending the drone to service soon  
Here is my one and only drone shot before i got a lot of compas error messages and yaw error messages. Hope o take more after service  This is my first real image with a drone ever..
[view_image]

That is fantastic!

NiklasV Posted at 2017-6-8 12:19
Thank you very much for you reply. Yes, I also found it pretty strange, must be an hardware issue. My retailer is sending the drone to service soon  
Here is my one and only drone shot before i got a lot of compas error messages and yaw error messages. Hope o take more after service  This is my first real image with a drone ever..
[view_image]

If you wouldn't mind sharing, When you took the image were you utilizing the HDR feature or a ND filter?  Had you customized the color and sharpness settings?  
Really,  that is stunning detail and clarity.  

fansce01a671 Posted at 2017-6-11 12:16
That is fantastic!

Thank You!!

fansce01a671 Posted at 2017-6-11 12:22
If you wouldn't mind sharing, When you took the image were you utilizing the HDR feature or a ND filter?  Had you customized the color and sharpness settings?  
Really,  that is stunning detail and clarity.

Hello! Of course i share. I just used a flat profile so no color correction or sharpness added in the Phantom. Did not have filter on lens either. I took two pictures and stiched them togheter like a small panorma in Lightroom - than i edit some stuff in LR and then to Photoshop. The result is good postprocessing (I a a proffesional nature photographer) and of course composition.

Also the dramatic sky did the hole image. The light was amazing and I also got the rainbow in frame! Really lovely.

Check out my homepage for more images: www.niklasvirsen.com