I'm just wondering what the community thinks about calibration of sticks and IMU.  Should it happen every time a firmware upgrade comes out or should it be done more routinely than that?

     I do not calibrate my sticks.... ever. Unless I was experiencing some strange phenomena I would not touch them . As far as the IMU is concerned,I do not touch this unless my aircraft started drifting or had a hard landing or rough transportation  handling.   On occasion I will "Check the IMU"  and it usually ( Always so far after 1 month on Inspire 1 and  3 months Phantom 3 Pro) says, " calibration NOT required".  I from the old  school................ leave well enough alone for the most part.

I only do compass calibration if I travel more than 100 miles from Initial point of calibration.  OR if it says to do so.  And then make sure you have NO metal on your person or in the area.  Concrete often has re-bar so a nice open field is my preferred method.  


Cheers - Donnie


cheers- donnie

Donnie Posted at 2016-2-1 17:21
I do not calibrate my sticks.... ever. Unless I was experiencing some strange phenomena  i woul ...

not even a watch on the other arm when doing a compass calibration?

Nigpd Posted at 2016-2-1 11:27
not even a watch on the other arm when doing a compass calibration?

        I take off my jacket and even my belt.  Make sure no  coins  in your pocket as well.   I may be a bit extreme but I have never had a problem with compass or GPS errors either.  A watch could have a lot of metal so I would remove that  for sure.

     NOW ,others may say I am wrong ( To Extreme) and I welcome  other forum input.  This is what works for Me.

Chees- donnie

   

You should preform a IMU calibration anytime you do a firmware update, and if you the aircraft is not preforming as it should (flies straight, doesn't drift, hovers all over the place) or after a crash.
As far as stick calibration, I suppose it could be done regularly but honestly, I have not done it in several months.

Hi Nail,

You will get many opinions in response, some informed from fact and testing, others from things they have read online and taken as gospel.
My advice is to do your own testing, research and understand just how the A/C systems operate, read what people suggest and make up your own mind.

Lots of people will read things here and there and apply them willy-nilly as gospel truth - despite not actually understanding the engineering behind it all.

So, FWIW I'll give you my approach.

IMU calibration is done after every firmware update and in any circumstances where the A/C has been subject to shock or severe vibration.
It is performed on a known. flat surface, preferably with the A/C cold.
Similarly, I calibrate the sticks on both controllers after every firmware update.

I perform compass calibration at each new flight location, just once at the start of the flight session.
There is no requirement to remove metallic objects from your person (watches, keys, phones, etc.) - this is a myth that keeps being put forward.
Location for Compass calibration should be clear of large metallic/ferrous/magnetic objects - a patch of grass or open field location is usually perfect.

Finally, you will read people confusing IMU and Compass calibration procedures all the time - lots of comments to the effect of 'keep your Inspire away from metal when doing an IMU calibration'.
Best to ignore such.

As you fly however, keep an eye on the Inspire and if/when it begins to display signs of erratic behaviour or strange error messages, check the sensor values and re-calibrate Compass or IMU as necessary.
Most importantly, get familiar with the engineering behind these technologies so that you understand exactly what is going on.

Fly safe and have fun !