I bought a Phantom 3 Pro on Ebay. It was advertised as working. I've contacted seller and may return it, but wanted to check if maybe this is a simple fix and I'm just missing it somehow. Not sure I can describe this very well, so I have video of the issue uploaded to my YouTube channel as private. Here is the link...  [color=var(--ytcp-studio-blue)]https://youtu.be/yCVCri4fzQs The flight is in ATT mode since it completely freaks out in GPS mode even though the app reports a good connection to sattelites and ready to fly.

I have updated everything (I think). Versions are as follows...

App - 3.1.52
RC - 1.9.3
AC - 1.11.0020

Things I have tried so far.
--------------------------------
- Tried calibrating the compass multiple times since different forum posts sounded like they might be similar issues. No help.
- I've recalibrated the IMU twice. No help.
- Tried rebinding the RC to the Phantom. Couldn't hurt, right? No help.
- Noticed that one prop was damaged so installed new set that came with it. Vibration could cause gyro issues...  No help.

Does anyone have any ideas about this? I also have a ticket with support and am waiting on a reply.

Thanks for any input that may help me out, even if it's to say it's hopeless and send it back. Just don't want to miss a simple fix.

your video is private

I would send it back if the seller said it was  in working condition.

Do all motors spin the same? any noticable bumps, twists, cracks etc to the body, pay attention to the plastic under the motors, any cracks. Did the person mention it having crashed at all? btw, DJI will just ask you to send it in, it also may be an easy fix for them and could a minimal amount. One other thing to try is to refresh the firmware, but to be honest, i would send it back for a refund.....

Send it back.

If you used PP / eBay .... then that will help.

If you send to DJI - that will cost you and repairs to these are not cheap.

Note as another says - your video is Private and prevents us viewing.

Return it to the seller asap

Why not change the video from private to public so we can see it?  It only takes a minute.  

You didn't really post what your exact problem is and your video is private so it's difficult to help you. Maybe your drone is vibrating during flight ? Reset the sensitivity options on the DJI GO app maybe ? But if it's Ebay you shouldn't mess around and take too long, you wouldn't want to be stuck with it if it's a real problem.

AntDX316 Posted at 9-5 17:10
your video is private

Oops. Privacy setting fixed...

I have emailed back and forth with the seller and he has said he will take it back if that's what I want to do. I just want to be sure it's not something dead simple to fix before paying the shipping back and then finding another one. He's waiting to hear back from me. He has 100% rating so I'm not too worried since we are in communication.

As I said, the video privacy settings are fixed now so maybe one of you will recognize the issue and have a suggestion.

Test Flight

I have emailed back and forth with the seller and he has said he will take it back if that's what I want to do. I just want to be sure it's not something dead simple to fix before paying the shipping back and then finding another one. He's waiting to hear back from me. He has 100% rating so I'm not too worried since we are in communication.

As I said, the video privacy settings are fixed now so maybe one of you will recognize the issue and have a suggestion.

Scanjo Posted at 9-6 22:14
I have emailed back and forth with the seller and he has said he will take it back if that's what I want to do. I just want to be sure it's not something dead simple to fix before paying the shipping back and then finding another one. He's waiting to hear back from me. He has 100% rating so I'm not too worried since we are in communication.

As I said, the video privacy settings are fixed now so maybe one of you will recognize the issue and have a suggestion.

You need to take-off in the grass and be at least 2 feet not at 1-foot with ground effect.

Have you firmware updated the controller and RC through the PC?  Do a refresh after you have but after a power down on each.

Sorry but that video does nothing except show that you are testing in an unsafe manner. The table has serious iron work under it - so I would expect there to be possible compass error created ... but anyway :

1. Get well away from any structure / obstacle / people  etc. and put the P3 on the ground level.

2. You should stand at least 3 or 4m away from the P3 if you have never flown that one before.

3. NEVER EVER CATCH like that again ..

The mistakes made were :

As said using a table to take off from.

YOU and your Lady Friend standing far too close

Once it took off - you apparently when seeing it drift back reduced throttle and tried to catch it !!

To be honest - you are lucky to still have a P3 undamaged ... lucky to not have injured yourself ...

Sorry if I come over blunt on this - but I would want you to be safe and achieve a real test.

The Phantom when it lifts off will NEVER lift absolutely straight and without a little drift .. they are not prefect fixed machines on a 'pole' ! The Phantom relies on positional data derived from GPS / Barometer and VPS to create a steady platform. Basically you never gave that P3 any chance to do its job. Get into a clear area and take off from the ground by using the Auto Take Off button ... it will rise and than hover at about head height waiting for you to decide what next.  That is the best way to test the machine ... Once you ascertain that it can lift off reasonably - then you try manually. Others may differ on that - but that's my suggestion.

Its quite likely now seeing the video - that the P3 is not faulty.

Oh ... and forget about FW updates and all that crap ... makes no difference at all - in fact if not careful - you could end up bricking the machine ...

There's an age old saying " Dont fix what aint broke"

solentlife Posted at 9-7 00:18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCVCri4fzQs

Sorry but that video does nothing except show that you are testing in an unsafe manner. The table has serious iron work under it - so I would expect there to be possible compass error created ... but anyway :

"1. Get well away from any structure / obstacle / people  etc. and put the P3 on the ground level."
My first flight WAS at ground level and did end in a soft crash. I don't have an issue with drift and understand that drones aren't perfect. The issue I have is with the throttle behavior. In the video if you watch my thumb you will see that I do a steady increase on the throttle for takeoff and the drone itself drops throttle as soon as there is motion. My first flight was BARELY controlled and went to a height of around 30 feet (well away from any interference). The throttle was completely erratic the whole time and it was trying to drift quite substantially. It was nothing like any Phantom video I watched.

"2. You should stand at least 3 or 4m away from the P3 if you have never flown that one before."

I have flown drones before. I mainly fly airplanes and have about 3 years experience with them. I have a fairly good grasp on the concepts behind the electronics in general. The specific things DJI is doing are where I'm lacking. I know I was closer than I should have been but it was a calculated risk based on the behavior experienced from 4 previous test flights.

"3. NEVER EVER CATCH like that again .."

Thanks for your concern.

"Once it took off - you apparently when seeing it drift back reduced throttle and tried to catch it !!"

Incorrect. The drone reduced throttle on it's own and I just tried to avoid crash damage.

"To be honest - you are lucky to still have a P3 undamaged ... lucky to not have injured yourself ...
Sorry if I come over blunt on this - but I would want you to be safe and achieve a real test."


I am lucky it's not damaged, but I did get the test I was trying to get. It showed the errant behavior just as I intended. Unfortunately you picked up on everything _I_ did instead of looking at what the _DRONE_ was doing.

"Basically you never gave that P3 any chance to do its job. Get into a clear area and take off from the ground by using the Auto Take Off button ..."

The first flight _WAS_ with auto takeoff. It did not respond as you describe. The flight went horribly. I would have ended much worse than it did if I didn't have any experience with planes, as well as some limited experience with drones and helis.  

"Its quite likely now seeing the video - that the P3 is not faulty."



It is most definitely faulty in it's present state. I'm just trying to get a better handle on the nature of the problem. Is it settings/firmware based or hardware.


Thanks for your input.

Hi Scanjo ....

My and others posts are all based on what we saw in the video you linked to.

Only with your last post do we now get more info about previous flights and what you write about them.

I watched that video many times - each time concentrating on a particular item each time - and will watch again

If you feel that the Phantom is at fault - then get it back to seller PDQ ... don't waste time on it. It may cost you shipping - but compared to repair costs - small money !

I do still say that your test and how conducted in that video was IMHO completely unsafe and would have been much better conducted in a more safe manner on the ground clear of all things.

I agree with solentlife.  

First - READ THE MANUAL.  Twice.  

Next,

Have you read the manual?  If not, go back and read the manual.  Twice.  It's around 70 pages so find a comfortable chair.  

Now after you've read the manual twice,  try it again in an open field.  Stand further away.  Be sure you have good satellites.  Launch more aggressively or better yet, use auto-launch.  

Buyer does not pay return shipping on a defective eBay purchase.  Seller will send you a mailing label because eBay will prompt him to do this when you file for your return, and if he doesn't, you can pay for it yourself and file your own claim with eBay or file a claim with eBay or .... to have your shipping fee refunded which will be approved.

Good luck

Edit:  site won't let me type .... for some reason:  pig latin is aypalpay

It shouldn't do what it did on this video, no matter what! Don't waste your time and efforts trying to fix it and destroy it in the process! Return it ASAP ...

Mark The Droner Posted at 9-7 10:11
I agree with solentlife.  

First - READ THE MANUAL.  Twice.  

"Now after you've read the manual twice,  try it again in an open field.  Stand further away.  Be sure you have good satellites.  Launch more aggressively or better yet, use auto-launch. "

If this requires an open field to fly then it's pretty much worthless to me. I don't believe this to be true though because I have watched plenty of videos showing it flying within 15' of a steel building for example. Some steel under a picnic table might affect accuracy of the compass or GPS, but it should not cause a crash.

I will not comment further on the safety concerns of the group. While your points are valid, I made a choice in what I did to keep from destroying the drone base on how it acted in previous flights.

Satellites were of no concern to me. It was in ATTI mode as if flying indoors.

My first test flight was in GPS mode using auto launch. It ended up upside down. It did NOT launch smoothly. It did NOT hover and wait at head height, in fact it kept climbing slowly and didn't want to descend with full down stick. I chose ATTI mode in all further flights because I felt I could fly it better than it had demonstrated.

This has been a frustrating experience for me here. I know you all mean well. Maybe it's my fault for not spelling out what my expectations were.  I know the throttle behavior this drone exhibits it not normal. I simply wanted to know if anyone else had experienced similar symptoms and what the problem was diagnosed as. Instead there seemed to be an extensive effort to tell me how unsafe I was being. In the future you (as a group) might consider explaining safety points, AND THEN ANSWER THE FREAKIN QUESTION. I came to get an answer, not a sermon.

Sorry if I come off harsh but it's been a long day.

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 9-7 13:14
It shouldn't do what it did on this video, no matter what! Don't waste your time and efforts trying to fix it and destroy it in the process! Return it ASAP ...

I know it shouldn't do this. I was kinda looking for a "WHY did it do this"...  Is a setting wrong or is some hardware item FUBAR? A setting I could fix for free. Hardware must be replaced for $$. I'm willing to spend time on this, but not more $$.

After an email with the seller today, I was told that I have 2 more days to return this drone if I choose to. They are not willing to wait for me to get answers as I thought we had agreed to earlier. Fine. Back it goes then.

Thanks for your assistance.

Scanjo Posted at 9-7 14:39
After an email with the seller today, I was told that I have 2 more days to return this drone if I choose to. They are not willing to wait for me to get answers as I thought we had agreed to earlier. Fine. Back it goes then.

Thanks for your assistance.

OK, just relax and let it go ... You'll get a nice Phantom no matter what, these are awesome machines even today ... Mine is flying charmingly since the day one in Nov 2015, still in service aside Phantom 4 Pro and mighty Inspires 1 and  2 ...

Scanjo Posted at 9-7 14:39
After an email with the seller today, I was told that I have 2 more days to return this drone if I choose to. They are not willing to wait for me to get answers as I thought we had agreed to earlier. Fine. Back it goes then.

Thanks for your assistance.

And, oh, one more thing ... Did you calibrated RC sticks? That may be a culprit ... After you do, remove the propellers and see if motors are reacting more or less properly to your commands ... With motors shut down, check the sensors state on dedicated Go app page (IMU and compass readings), post the screenshot here if you can ... That is assuming you're still sober ...

Matthew Dobrski Posted at 9-7 15:08
And, oh, one more thing ... Did you calibrated RC sticks? That may be a culprit ... After you do, remove the propellers and see if motors are reacting more or less properly to your commands ... With motors shut down, check the sensors state on dedicated Go app page (IMU and compass readings), post the screenshot here if you can ... That is assuming you're still sober  ...

"Did you calibrated RC sticks?"


Yes.


"remove the propellers and see if motors are reacting more or less properly to your commands"


Everything always seemed good until it actually moved, then it lost it's mind. Mainly accelerometer for vertical motion as that would control throttles and altitude. The other stability would drift but that's not such a big deal.


"check the sensors state on dedicated Go app page (IMU and compass readings)"


I looked at them but didn't really know what I was looking at...


"post the screenshot here if you can"


Can't do it. It's already boxed up for the return trip to the seller. When they said they were going to stick to the 10 day return limit, I decided to quit fighting it. I was getting more and more convinced it was a hardware issue anyway. I had been through every menu I could find and calibrated anything that could be. The behavior just never seemed to change.


I just don't understand a seller who doesn't see it as advantageous for a buyer to attempt to diagnose a problem and get it solved so the sale remains intact. Instead they basically forced me to give up on it and it cost them not only the sale, but shipping BOTH ways as well. They specifically said I was NOT doing them a favor by digging into the problem. Fine...then I'm done with it and it's THEIR problem.


I have another one on the way. Probably going to take extra time to arrive as it's coming out of the hurricane zone. Hope I have better luck with it.


Again, thanks to all who offered help.

Scanjo ... SEND IT BACK !!

We all have made replies .. some are just rubbish such as calibrating etc. but at end of day - you are not happy with it and seller has agreed to receive back .. Cut your Losses and send it back.

OK - may I ask if you obtain another or persevere with this one - if you post asking question - can you please provide ALL relevant info ?

Your latest posts talk about only using ATTI mode .......... you realise that this has no GPS use to create a stable platform in take-off or flight ? That any air movement etc. can make the AC drift / rise / fall / do all sorts of things that can make it difficult to fly ? You are basically causing a P3 to act like a $20 toy ...
If as you say - you tried P-GPS mode before with Auto Launch and it ended up upside down on the ground ... then that should have been made clear in first post.

My first test flight was in GPS mode using auto launch. It ended up upside down. It did NOT launch smoothly. It did NOT hover and wait at head height, in fact it kept climbing slowly and didn't want to descend with full down stick. I chose ATTI mode in all further flights because I felt I could fly it better than it had demonstrated.

I assume you are aware that if you give stick input while the AC is in Auto Launch mode - it will complete Auto-Launch mode before it answers your command ? When I say Head Height .. its actually a bit highe than that ... but often I have seen my P3P stop at various heights and hover ... stop to hover ranging from 1.5 - 3m ..

I have many multi's I reviewed for Brand names and if I did what you did in the video - would have had similar result.

I think you are lucky ... many sellers would reject return if you have attempted to update FW / calibrations etc. That constitutes questionable action on part of buyer who then rejects item.

Do yourself a favour when you get the next one ... DON'T mess about with updates - IGNORE any that get prompted.

1. Check it all links up correctly.
2. Read the manual
3. Make sure batterys FULLY CHARGED by switching on battery and then plugging in charger ... (that switch on ensures you get every last mA in !!)
4. For first test flight - open clear area as advised earlier.
5. Stand clear sufficient distance to be safe.

It can be a good check to manually start motors by CSC command and that they run smoothly ... you will hear if they are out of synch by a 'droning harmonic' .. but I do not advise a take off with this mode until you are sure machine is good.

First lift in that clear area - I suggest should be with Auto Launch ... and let her settle at height to hover ... IN P-GPS MODE. She will drift slightly back and forth - it will never be rock still. Once confirmed that bshe hovers .. then rotate one way then other stopping at each to confirm yaw control is good. Then push forward .. push back ... checking that she stops on release of sticks.

Do not forget that any action within 20m of take off point is always subject to default autoland where she is if any problem and is another reason for advising a clear area. To fully check out the AC and control - you need to fly outside of the 20m radius area.

PLEASE BEFORE any test - make sure you set the User settings such as RTH height etc.
Second - unless you have experience and ability to fly lesser non-GPS Multi-Rotors - avoid ATTI mode in first flights till you are used to the Phantom. Later once confident - practice ATTI in clear open area because it will drift a lot and your actions have far greater consequences if in error !

Good luck ...

It's not a 10 day return limit on a bad listing.  It's 30 days.  

Sellers can indicate they "accept returns" for any reason and put limits such as 10 days, 14 days, whatever.  Perhaps you changed your mind, you found a better deal, you don't like the color, etc.  You can return it for any reason or no reason within that period.

But eBay's policy regarding returning a used product after receiving a broken or malfunctioning product not described in the listing is 30 days.  The seller cannot limit it to 10 days.  

Launching like you did, inches from the heavy metal picnic table legs can cause your compass to go crazy.  A bad compass can cause your drone to crash.  Doesn't matter if you are in ATTI.  

Launching passively can cause it to tilt and crash.

You should read the manual.  

Good luck

Sorry if this is a "not as described" return is not the seller responsible for the return carriage which MUST be via a trackable method and is to be prepaid by the seller?  
That is the situation here in the UK.
Also I would suggest the buyer/OP open a "not as described" return case with ebay as a safe guard.
I have returned several not as decribed items via that method, including a P3.

Sean-newbie Posted at 9-8 04:29
Sorry if this is a "not as described" return is not the seller responsible for the return carriage which MUST be via a trackable method and is to be prepaid by the seller?  
That is the situation here in the UK.
Also I would suggest the buyer/OP open a "not as described" return case with ebay as a safe guard.

When I clicked to return the drone, Ebay gave me a button to click which printed a return label (prepaid).

That sounds like it's going through the formal "not as described" process so, if you go to the bottom of your "purchases" page it may be down there in a section entitled "Returns and cancelled orders" or something similar.
In the top right hand corner of the entry  you may see "see case details", if so just have a look in there as see if things make sense to you.
Keep an eye on the parcel via any available tracking etc.
Once the seller receives it they have 8 days I think to refund you but check your local rules  to confirm that.