Hi all,

I am trying to fix a P4P that I purchased in a slightly beat up state. The issue I currently have is with the camera. It has these strange oscillations after it goes through the initial boot up sequence. It's also not perfectly centered (turned to the side a few degrees). This video illustrates the issue: The camera is transmitting video, but the app warns me of "motor overload".

Any ideas on the cause? From what I understand, there was mechanical damage to the drone while on the ground, perhaps affecting the gimbal. Should I look to replace the camera? Just the gimbal? Any other concerns?

Thanks! Nikita.

Your video doesn’t work for me, I would try the beta software but I would also check the ribbon behind the camera to make sure it’s not catching.. have you tried calibrate the gimbal

I can't get the video to load either.

Not sure why it wasn't working. This link should work:

Can't see  anything.
Private?

Abnormal, looks like there was a collision. Can you check yaw motor is stuck or something like that? I hope it's not the ESC of the gimbal

I tried moving it by hand. There is no obvious issue. There are no tension points, it's not getting "stuck" anywhere, the gimbal feels smooth and springy as it should. It just ends up being centered turned slightly to the right and at times oscillates, like in that video.

I just tried flying it and the camera ends up recording just fine, but you can see how bad the oscillations get in flight. There is this slight twitch when it's on the floor and then it starts wildly swinging side-to-side. So it has to be the gimbal, right? Some sort of motor/connector malfunction where it can no longer properly stabilize the camera?

Looking for suggestions on what part to buy!

nikitapiankov Posted at 2017-11-18 15:56
I tried moving it by hand. There is no obvious issue. There are no tension points, it's not getting "stuck" anywhere, the gimbal feels smooth and springy as it should. It just ends up being centered turned slightly to the right and at times oscillates, like in that video.

I just tried flying it and the camera ends up recording just fine, but you can see how bad the oscillations get in flight. There is this slight twitch when it's on the floor and then it starts wildly swinging side-to-side. So it has to be the gimbal, right? Some sort of motor/connector malfunction where it can no longer properly stabilize the camera? https://youtu.be/gXyAwmZPVoo

Aloha Nikita,

     There is something wrong with the gimbal.  Now that could be something as simple as dirt or dust in the motor or a loose ribbon or even some corrosion in the contact.  Those would all be corrected by taking it apart, cleaning what you can and putting it back together again.  Or buying a new camera / gimbal.  They used to sell them.

     Have you opened it up to see how it looks inside?  Any idea what caused its slightly beat-up state?  If it was water damage (either kind), that could explain corrosion issues.  But here in Hawai'i we get corrosion in all our electronics just from the air.  

     Hope this helps!

Aloha and Drone On!

Your post belongs in the forum Phantom 4 P, and not in Phantom 4 forum, please correct that

Has the drone been involved in crash or hard landing before? Please send it in if the drone is in warranty period: http://www.dji.com/support

I am the second owner of it and I understand it was crushed by a car trunk lid. So I am not counting on warranty. I replaced the body already and it's flying just fine, just need to sort out the camera issue and it will be good to go!

nikitapiankov Posted at 2017-11-21 18:28
I am the second owner of it and I understand it was crushed by a car trunk lid. So I am not counting on warranty. I replaced the body already and it's flying just fine, just need to sort out the camera issue and it will be good to go!

The gimbal uses a servo system, and if the gains in the servo loop are not adjusted correcxtly, the motor can hunt back and forth. There is nothing you can replace, except perhaps the entire gimbal. It can be solved by an adjustment, but DJI do not reveal where that adjustment is. To cure it, it should be sent in for repair.