Mine isn't centering either. This sucks

RJohn Posted at 3-18 11:36
Mine isn't centering either. This sucks

dji is dead ....
there is an engineer at dji ????????

stop selling your defective products

This is my first gimbal so I assumed this was normal behaviour but I too would like the option for the gimbal to return to centre after a pan. It's difficult when panning back and forth which I often do.

Same here - our S drifts off centre and doesn't attempt a smooth return to home, so you drive it by guessing where it will stop when you've finished a move. Disappointing for what is otherwise a much more practical workhorse for us than our Ronin M, but it however logically returns to centre (or even the set-point you give it with the remote).  Firmware update will sort this guys - how else would it know to return to centre on the double tap?  PLEASE PLEASE get on it

die-hard Posted at 3-21 13:01
Same here - our S drifts off centre and doesn't attempt a smooth return to home, so you drive it by guessing where it will stop when you've finished a move. Disappointing for what is otherwise a much more practical workhorse for us than our Ronin M, but it however logically returns to centre (or even the set-point you give it with the remote).  Firmware update will sort this guys - how else would it know to return to centre on the double tap?  PLEASE PLEASE get on it

Hi die-hard, our engineer has explained the logic of how SmoothTrack works in 11#.
If you set the Deadband into a range, the gimbal will not follow in this range. If you would like the gimbal to be centered in Follow mode quickly, please decrease the Deadband as much as you can like 0-4 and then increase the Sensitivity and the Speed value or try the Sports mode.

Marco06 Posted at 3-18 14:35
stop selling your defective products

Hi Marco06, the gimbal cannot return to center after pan doesn't mean the device is defective. Our engineer has explained the logic of how SmoothTrack works in 11#.
If you set the Deadband into a range, the gimbal will not follow in this range. If you would like the gimbal to be centered in Follow mode quickly, please decrease the Deadband as much as you can like 0-4 and then increase the Sensitivity and the Speed value or try the Sports mode. Thank you.

RJohn Posted at 3-18 11:36
Mine isn't centering either. This sucks

Hi RJohn, our engineer has explained the logic of how SmoothTrack works in 11#.
If you set the Deadband into a range, the gimbal will not follow in this range. If you would like the gimbal to be centered in Follow mode quickly, please decrease the Deadband as much as you can like 0-4 and then increase the Sensitivity and the Speed value or try the Sports mode. Thank you.

DJI Mindy Posted at 3-22 19:30
Hi die-hard, our engineer has explained the logic of how SmoothTrack works in 11#.
If you set the Deadband into a range, the gimbal will not follow in this range. If you would like the gimbal to be centered in Follow mode quickly, please decrease the Deadband as much as you can like 0-4 and then increase the Sensitivity and the Speed value or try the Sports mode.

Mindy - just to pick that response apart a bit...

"Once the movement/camera has caught up, SmoothTrack stops following. This isn't a random position. It's when the gimbal has caught up and it enters back into the beginning of this deadband window. The larger your deadband, the more apparent this will be."  - so it doesn't come to hard stop as soon as it re-enters the deadband meaning the gradual stopping point after re-entry to the deadband is a guess.

"Now if you set a smaller deadband of say 0, it will follow and look like it appears much closer to center when you stop your movement. However, with such a small deadband, movements beyond 0 degree may result in an unprovoked follow motion." - so your work around is to have no deadband which removes all the benefit the feature offers an operator

Here's the facts from my experience -
1) when operating our Ronin M it consistently returns to the same set point REGARDLESS of the deadband settings.  This can be an offset OR centered position.  It works beautifully as the operator instinctively returns to the natural position he started in, usually straight ahead (for example when following a person around you tend to face your target again after a move)

2) Even with the deadband at zero, and sensitivity at 100, our S still does not consistently return to centre (using latest firmware, balance is good, etc).

3) When using the deadband a little higher than zero (to take advantage of the feature), move the gimbal around, set it back down on a hard surface and you can see it slowly drift back towards centre for maybe 3-5 seconds, a tiny slow movement but even by your own definition of "inside the deadband it stops" why is it still moving?  It never gets back to centre and if the operator is holding it he is forced to compensate for this and Guess where it will stop, then realign his body position to try and get comfortable without throwing his frame off

4) if a double tap brings is back to center, the hardware knows the exact position is off and simply a good software update (eg a configuration offering a 'ronin-m' style operator mode) will do everything we all want on this thread

Please please don't just reply to say that's how it works, help us!!

die-hard Posted at 3-23 02:27
Mindy - just to pick that response apart a bit...

"Once the movement/camera has caught up, SmoothTrack stops following. This isn't a random position. It's when the gimbal has caught up and it enters back into the beginning of this deadband window. The larger your deadband, the more apparent this will be."  - so it doesn't come to hard stop as soon as it re-enters the deadband meaning the gradual stopping point after re-entry to the deadband is a guess.

very well explained @die-hard +1. I also think the 'official engineers response' wasn't satisfying or accurate for that matter..The notion to use 'Sensitivity' or 'Speed' to correct the problem is wrong, since the gimbal should return to the original position however fast (or smooth!) it does it, if Deadband=0.

die-hard Posted at 3-23 02:27
Mindy - just to pick that response apart a bit...

"Once the movement/camera has caught up, SmoothTrack stops following. This isn't a random position. It's when the gimbal has caught up and it enters back into the beginning of this deadband window. The larger your deadband, the more apparent this will be."  - so it doesn't come to hard stop as soon as it re-enters the deadband meaning the gradual stopping point after re-entry to the deadband is a guess.

all is said...

Wow. I'm a first time gimbal user and just got my ronin s on friday, spent all weekend messing with the settings not understanding why it seemed to behave so odd. I thought it might be broken and then found this thread.

I think this is pretty much a no brainer and needs to be implemented, have an option to return to center and ignore the deadband regardless of the amount.

Do I return mine and get a crane?

DJI Mindy Posted at 3-22 19:35
Hi RJohn, our engineer has explained the logic of how SmoothTrack works in 11#.
If you set the Deadband into a range, the gimbal will not follow in this range. If you would like the gimbal to be centered in Follow mode quickly, please decrease the Deadband as much as you can like 0-4 and then increase the Sensitivity and the Speed value or try the Sports mode. Thank you.

Hi Mindy, yes I read all that. This is my first gimbal. But have been reading that other manufactures gimbals do return to center. Read the Crane does. Maybe I'm wrong but that is what I have been reading. Just seems to me it should.

RJohn Posted at 3-25 11:57
Hi Mindy, yes I read all that. This is my first gimbal. But have been reading that other manufactures gimbals do return to center. Read the Crane does. Maybe I'm wrong but that is what I have been reading. Just seems to me it should.

Please refer to my post in 48# to see if changing the settings will help, we will also keep optimizing this function.

die-hard Posted at 3-23 02:27
Mindy - just to pick that response apart a bit...

"Once the movement/camera has caught up, SmoothTrack stops following. This isn't a random position. It's when the gimbal has caught up and it enters back into the beginning of this deadband window. The larger your deadband, the more apparent this will be."  - so it doesn't come to hard stop as soon as it re-enters the deadband meaning the gradual stopping point after re-entry to the deadband is a guess.

Hi there, thanks for your feedback, our engineers will keep optimizing this function to make you have a better experience, please note the future update, thank you.

DJI Mindy Posted at 3-25 23:52
Please refer to my post in 48# to see if changing the settings will help, we will also keep optimizing this function.

I did when you posted it. Been following this thread since it started. See that you replied to die-hard that your engineers will keep optimizing this function.

Kaymyster Posted at 2018-12-6 14:17
Here's my steps taken so far:
1) Contacted DJI via phone 3 times
2) Sent unit in for warranty service

Let me be perfectly clear. Anyone know any ambulance chasers? Because it's time for a class action remedy.

Stanley James Posted at 2-22 08:16
Hello all, I have the same issue, I opened a ticket with DJI, got the same runaround, returned the first Ronin S then bought another one (stupid me) since it would be faster than trying to get the first one repaired; now I am stuck with the second one since it is past the return window.

I honestly dread using the Ronin S for anything, there is always something wrong with it;

I had to return the Ronin-S and now I'm depending on my Ronin-M for an upcoming music video shoot. Using fast glass with the GH5 and depending on autofocus is a problem waiting to happen.

I'm going to look into the Crane 2, 3 or something, because without an adequate solution to these issues, every last Ronin-S user is at high risk of being sued. A reshoot or 2, or 10 at a music video or narrative ain't the end of the world. But at a wedding? You are being sued without a doubt!

If you want to set a larger deadband we allow you to for those situations where you're moving wildly and you don't want the gimbal to respond to any of those inputs. If you want it to return to center, you should set

Deadband: 0
SmoothTrack: 50

If you want it to return to center slower and have a smoother looking follow, then set
Deadband: 0
SmoothTrack: 20

There's a built in buffer of about 5 degrees even when the deadband is set to 0. At around center, the gimbal will respond slowly to inputs as the speed isn't instantaneous and the ramp up speed is a curve.

DJI-Paul Posted at 3-26 20:43
If you want to set a larger deadband we allow you to for those situations where you're moving wildly and you don't want the gimbal to respond to any of those inputs. If you want it to return to center, you should set

Deadband: 0

Hi Paul, You say Deadband at 0 SmoothTrack at 20 or 50. I don't understand. Is that Sensitivity or speed or both? Also, under control settings what do you recomend?

This is just ridiculous. We are all having the same problems and DJI continues to ignore it. I would not have bought this gimbal if I had known it drifts like this. Id have gotten something else. We need a solution. I have a grand into this gimbal and had really high expectations and its letting a lot of us down with the lame drift issues. Your solutions do not work!!!!!

Let us know you are working on a fix or arrange something for us to get Ronin M with a good trade. This thing has major ISSUES. DO NOT BUY IT!!!!

This guy explains the issues well. Not sure if he is in here or not.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YsejLBn6bn8

fans1924925f Posted at 3-27 13:19
This guy explains the issues well. Not sure if he is in here or not.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YsejLBn6bn8

That video is a perfect example of what is going on with mine. You shouldn't have to have the settings maxed out for it to perform correctly. If I would have known this ahead of time, I would have never had bought this gimbal.

RJohn Posted at 3-27 14:02
That video is a perfect example of what is going on with mine. You shouldn't have to have the settings maxed out for it to perform correctly. If I would have known this ahead of time, I would have never had bought this gimbal.

Exactly my thoughts, too.

DJI Mindy Posted at 3-26 03:31
Hi there, thanks for your feedback, our engineers will keep optimizing this function to make you have a better experience, please note the future update, thank you.

Thanks Mindy, very much looking forward to the next firmware update

I was operating it again yesterday and noticed that if you tilt the handle forward (eg in the tilt position) and double tap it will recenter to camera to the horizon despite the forward tilt offset.  I guess the M didn't have this 'return-to-home' style function, you had to manually gave it a set position with the thumb controller, so I can see how some confusion maybe crept in here for users of the other product.

Regardless though the return to that start position (offset or not) is still the ideal functional behaviour for us since it's more user predictable.

Regards
John

die-hard Posted at 4-10 02:19
Thanks Mindy, very much looking forward to the next firmware update

I was operating it again yesterday and noticed that if you tilt the handle forward (eg in the tilt position) and double tap it will recenter to camera to the horizon despite the forward tilt offset.  I guess the M didn't have this 'return-to-home' style function, you had to manually gave it a set position with the thumb controller, so I can see how some confusion maybe crept in here for users of the other product.

Hi John, thanks for your feedback, hope it will be optimized in the future.

Recalibrating the joystick should work. Assuming it's the same problem I had with mine.

Recalibrating the joystick should work. Assuming it's the same problem I had with mine.

djiuser_X0URTA86psDo Posted at 4-18 08:03
Recalibrating the joystick should work. Assuming it's the same problem I had with mine.

I have done that with no success.

DJI Mindy Posted at 3-26 03:31
Hi there, thanks for your feedback, our engineers will keep optimizing this function to make you have a better experience, please note the future update, thank you.

Hello Mindy.

The biggest issue with your engineer's response is simple. I am an Electrical Engineer so please take my input as something that should be given to your engineers for consideration. A gimbal is a machine that is designed to operate in a loop.  The whole purpose of a loop (be that mechanical, electrical or in software) is that some external input will attempt to move it from it's set point. If the loop is designed properly, it has to return to it's set point if external forces aren't stronger than the compensation mechanism (i.e. the motors); and in a product such as a camera gimbal, should do so more smoothly than rapidly.

In a typical PID control loop(Proportional, Integral, Derivative) , some simple math will dictate how rapidly that occurs. But the problem may be that a PID loop was not implemented by your engineering team, and a PD loop was sued. The classical flaw of a PD loop is when the integral component is not considered, you get a build up of errors over time.  PD loops are fine for a lot of products, but a camera gimbal is not one of them. The good news is that moving to a PID loop is just some simple math (at least simple for engineers). If you guys are using a PID loop, then your math is wrong. Get out some graph paper, a control theory book,  and go fix it.

As far as your drifting and joystick calibration issue, this may be another matter. It is clear that the control you are using doesn't not have the appropriate tolerance to be used in the way it is in this system. Instead of having the user calibrate the joystick when (not if) it drifts off, the control should automatically zero the joystick periodically. Most controls utilize a standard wheatstone bridge circuitm and yours probably does the same. The issue is that you are probably using too high of a resistance in the bridge (probably to reduce power use and improve battery life), and as such, a small imbalance in the resistor tolerance can result is a large enough change to the measured bridge voltage.

The second issue with this is the bridge is probably measuring voltage instead of current. This is a trademark of inexperienced engineers because on the surface, they should work the same way. But in practice, voltage is much more susceptible to noise from nearby circuits contaminating the measurement, where current measurement has much more immunity to such issues.  Of course I haven't cracked my new Ronin-S open to tell if this is truly the case. My other Ronin-S was garbage, but this new one seems to be acting right. In any case, you may have a harder time addressing the joystick drifting issue  than the PID loop.

I hope this helps.

DJI please fix this problem. Deadband=0 fixes it but creates even worse problems. Speed becomes inconsistent and I get shaky footage and stabilizer becomes useless.
I own Ronin-M for 3 years and it doesn't have this problem.
Will you fix it or I should return it?

DJI please reply. Stabilizer is not returning to home position. What should I do? How to fix it?

Dji Please Reply. Stabilizer is not returning to home positiom. What should i do ? How to fix it?????????????????????????

Dji Please Reply. Stabilizer is not returning to home positiom. What should i do ? How to fix it?????????????????????????

I’m having the same issue. I’m also experiencing shaky footage and sometimes the gimbal just goes mad randomly and ruins the shoot.

I can’t believe I’ve paid 800.00 for a device that’s useless. This is a crime as far as I’m concerned. I’ve been robbed.

It’s very simple. Stop talking about how it’s currently designed and design it to work the way we want, or lose our business. It’s a design FLAW.

While I find many of these comments to be a bit unprofessional, I too find myself frustrated that after saving up for a gimbal it just feels off when operating.

When I want to gracefully move the camera and accurately frame a shot, it is quite irritating to have to try and guess how far past my subject I need to go to square up the frame. I turn point the handle directly at the subject and wait.... And am left with a bad shot.
Shrinking the deadzones creates footage that doesn't work for me.

I'm kind of bummed because I can't return this now, and I don't have the funds to purchase another gimbal.

So much potential, it would be fantastic to see this implemented or at least discussed as part of the firmware / app roadmap.

djiuser_t849oxSeHsFq Posted at 5-20 13:58
While I find many of these comments to be a bit unprofessional, I too find myself frustrated that after saving up for a gimbal it just feels off when operating.

When I want to gracefully move the camera and accurately frame a shot, it is quite irritating to have to try and guess how far past my subject I need to go to square up the frame. I turn point the handle directly at the subject and wait.... And am left with a bad shot.

Yeah...exactly my thoughts.

So nothing new about this...? Looks like this is not going to be fixed at all, since it's been such a long time since last FW update?

any news on if DJi are fixing this issue? Happens on the Ronin SC too.

Any update on this issue? Not returning to center is my only remaining complaint with the Ronin-S and I have had to cut many clips to a shorter length or re-shoot a  shot because it gets off center.  Currently I try to slowly nudge it to the left or right after a pan or when following talent around a corner but when it is visible I have to reshoot the shot.


If the Crane ever comes out with a real competitor and this is not fixed, this will be the last DJI gimbal that I buy. Fortunately my wedding video customers have no idea how much footage they don't get to see because of this issue.

Also, it makes orbits nearly impossible as you are constantly trying to guess what it is going to do next during the orbit.