Can I safely power on the Phantom 4 with the gimbal lock still in place?  Normally the Phantom will do a gimbal motion test.  

With the gimbal lock in place this motion would not be possible..  Is the drone smart enough to realise the gimbal is locked or will this do damage?

You might be wondering why would anyone do this?  Downloading flight data, movies etc.  

No, it is not safe to power up the aircraft with the gimbal lock attached, you may damage the gimbal motors.

I would recommend you don't do that.  Many users place a HIGHLY visible sticker on the GL to prevent just this.

Hello, that's the very first mistake I made when I purchased my Phantom. And to add to an insult I have did it at least two more additional times. I decided to leave it off entirely until I travel with it. So far I have not seen any damage to the camera or gimbal (Whew!)... It's easy to forget about that thing...

Thanks for the answers so far guys.  I would think that DJI should put some failsafes in their programming to prevent damage... anyone who works from DJI listening?

lightningshark Posted at 2016-9-16 12:53
Thanks for the answers so far guys.  I would think that DJI should put some failsafes in their progr ...

How? You are expected to use your noggin when flying. DJI can't make it foolproof, or they would halve their sales.

It does recognize the motors are locked during the self-test. It will report a Gimbal overload. I assume that it will stop trying to move the gimbal but better to not try it.

I've actually left the gimbal lock on multiple times when importing footage. Sometimes I take it off, sometimes I don't lol.

Seems to be fine.

I have the black PolarPro on that is easier to attach to the P4 and works with their filters attached (Not the big press-on ones though!).

I have flown - accidentally - with the thing still on and wondered why my video was black and nothing in stills either until it flies up to me and I see it still on the craft (Doh!).  No harm seems to have resulted from doing so.

Now with the hard case I rarely put the guards on as there is a bit of soft foam in the camera area for cushioning.

Over time if you keep doing it you may damage the gimbal.
Do not forget to remove the gimbal before powering on.

Rick70 Posted at 2016-9-16 08:02
Hello, that's the very first mistake I made when I purchased my Phantom. And to add to an insult I h ...

You should have the clamp on during transport, you do not wan the gimbal bouncing all over the place.

lightningshark Posted at 2016-9-16 10:53
Thanks for the answers so far guys.  I would think that DJI should put some failsafes in their progr ...

It will stop the gimbal motors and give you a warning. But still, over time you may damage it.

keithdelarosa@g Posted at 2016-9-16 23:27
I've actually left the gimbal lock on multiple times when importing footage. Sometimes I take it off ...

I would not do that, if your gimbal ever breaks and you send it in for repair, the flight data analysis may tell them exactly why it broke.

lightningshark Posted at 2016-9-16 03:53
Thanks for the answers so far guys.  I would think that DJI should put some failsafes in their progr ...

Yeah I must agree a small beeping alarm would suffice, they have an alarm on the osmo gimble and it works fine, when I got my P4 first I made same mistake I found it knocked gimbal out of proper calibration , so just recalibrated and everything was fine...

It also acts as a dust cover for the camera filter

Some people tie a piece of material or a string that's clearly visible when you take the phantom out of the case to avoid that.

Geebax Posted at 2016-9-16 12:46
How? You are expected to use your noggin when flying. DJI can't make it foolproof, or they would h ...

Well thanks for your entirely unconstructive input..  It really has little to do with using your noggin. Nowhere did I say I had forgotten to remove it.

As others identified, the Phantom already  detects when the gimbal is overloaded. I would hope that it might prompt or automatically disable the gimbal to prevent damage.  Saves unnecessarily removing the gimbal lock when you don't intend on flying.   

lightningshark Posted at 2016-9-17 08:41
Well thanks for your entirely unconstructive input..  It really has little to do with using your n ...

It was constructive, the intent was to say stop trying to shift the responsibility to someone else, like DJI. Put a coloured streamer on the lock so you can see it is there, or use a checklist for preparing your aircraft for flight, that includes removal of the guard.

The gimbal only knows if it is overloaded by trying to move it and finding it can't move. That's like putting a warning on the car dashboard if you try to drive off with the handbrake on.

markhowerton1@y Posted at 2016-9-17 05:34
Some people tie a piece of material or a string that's clearly visible when you take the phantom out ...

Ill be doing this plus spraying the gimbal protector in high vis paint (pink me thinks due to me having a massive dislike to the colour!!) it won't get forgotten then

Jonah70 Posted at 2016-9-17 11:01
Ill be doing this plus spraying the gimbal protector in high vis paint (pink me thinks due to me h ...

There you go Dji another product you could produce and sell as a up grade part a high vis coloured gimbal protector.

Geebax Posted at 2016-9-17 08:52
It was constructive, the intent was to say stop trying to shift the responsibility to someone else ...

maybe you should use your noggin, he's not talking about flying he's talking about powering it up with the lock on so he can connect to it not fly.

mic75 Posted at 2016-9-17 19:58
maybe you should use your noggin, he's not talking about flying he's talking about powering it up  ...

Glad to see someone followed what I was asking   Really don't think it is unreasonable to want to power on the Phantom without removing the gimbal lock.  The way I see it.. The fewer times you need to remove and restore the lock (when you aren't flying) the less unnecessary stress you place on the gimbal

Geebax Posted at 2016-9-17 08:22
It was constructive, the intent was to say stop trying to shift the responsibility to someone else ...

If you read my first post I said I was intending on downloading data when powering on.   I did not say I was intending on flying.   While the streamer idea is a good one for those worried about forgetting .. It isn't relevant to this thread.

And as for warnings about driving with the handbrake.. Cars have actually had those for many years.. In fact they are audible too

markhowerton1@y Posted at 2016-9-16 23:34
Some people tie a piece of material or a string that's clearly visible when you take the phantom out ...

I found this keychain at a swedish airforce museum a couple of weeks ago, just rememberd it when i read this thread =)

mikaelbjo Posted at 2016-9-17 21:02
I found this keychain at a swedish airforce museum a couple of weeks ago, just rememberd it when i ...

PolarPro.com, something to add to the shop as an accessory to the gimbal lock?

I am having problems with the gimbal no allowing the camera to roll up to its highest point.  It stops about 2 tic marks from where the top should be, completely horizontal.  I've only had it up for one flight so far.  Can anyone help me with this issue.  And yes, I have done the IMU calibration twice now.  

bckohls Posted at 2016-9-17 20:40
I am having problems with the gimbal no allowing the camera to roll up to its highest point.  It st ...

Go to the gimbal settings menu in DJI Go App', and switch on "Enable Upwards Gimbal tilt limit to 30 degrees".

EDIT:- you mean its not sitting horizontal, have you done gimbal calibration ?

lightningshark Posted at 2016-9-18 04:01
If you read my first post I said I was intending on downloading data when powering on.   I did not  ...

Oh good, then I will campaign for DJI to put an audible warning in the feature set 'WARNING, remove the gimbal clamp you idiot'.

Why power up the aircraft to copy files when you can just as easily remove the SD card and plug it into your computer and transfer at much faster rate?

lightningshark Posted at 2016-9-18 01:53
Glad to see someone followed what I was asking   Really don't think it is unreasonable to want t ...

Yeah it's not hard is it. I agree, I have often wanted to power it on while it's still in the box to look at some settings on the djigo app instead of having to pull it out n remove the two locks when you have no intentions of flying. Whether your looking through your manual n want to check out something you just read or whatever, it would be handy.

Geebax Posted at 2016-9-18 06:45
Oh good, then I will campaign for DJI to put an audible warning in the feature set 'WARNING, remov ...

Gee you really missed the point didn't you,  he knows it's on so why would he need a warning! He was asking if it's Ok, the reasons why are irrelevant, he doesn't need a reminder or some flag to tell him something he already knows or some idiot making idiot comments about campaigning to DJI for a warning implying he's an idiot.
Simple question requiring a simple answer or are you to simple to understand that.
It's really not that hard.

mic75 Posted at 2016-9-18 11:37
Gee you really missed the point didn't you,  he knows it's on so why would he need a warning! He w ...

Its called sarcasm. DJI have already given the answer: 'It will stop the gimbal motors and give you a warning. But still, over time you may damage it.'

In order to sense the gimbal is locked, the motors have to try and move the gimbal, and in doing so it puts a strain on the motors. It is better not to do this, as was pointed out at the beginning of the thread.

Geebax Posted at 2016-9-18 11:24
Its called sarcasm. DJI have already given the answer: 'It will stop the gimbal motors and give you ...

Yes I'm aware of what DJI said but your comments certainly didn't come across as sarcasm, it seemed more like criticism and implying him to be an idiot.

Geebax Posted at 2016-9-18 08:15
Oh good, then I will campaign for DJI to put an audible warning in the feature set 'WARNING, remov ...

What settings/mods have you changed that puts your flight data and phantoms configuration on your SD card?
as mic75 said, you really missed my point... I'll just leave it at that..

Oh! my god, I just did the same thing on my maiden flight, because it was night time I didn't see the transparent gimbal guard so when I switched on my P3A the back lights kept blinking yellow & it wouldn't let me calibrate so I knew something was not right, after like 2 to 3 minutes of trying to work out what went wrong I switched off my P3A & only then I noticed that I had forgotten to un-attach the gimbal guard, the first thing that pop into my head was "I hope the gimbal motors aren't fried" I took it off & started up my P3A again & it worked just fine, I don't think it did any damage but I might just leave the gimbal guard off from now on unless I'm not going to use it for a long while.

Robzta Posted at 1-21 06:00
Oh! my god, I just did the same thing on my maiden flight, because it was night time I didn't see the transparent gimbal guard so when I switched on my P3A the back lights kept blinking yellow & it wouldn't let calibrate so I knew something was not right, after like 2 to 3 minutes of trying to work out what went wrong I switched off my P3A & only then I noticed that I had forgotten to un-attach the gimbal guard, the first thing that pop into my head was "I hope the gimbal motors aren't fried" I took it off & started up my P3A again & it worked just fine, I don't think it did any damage but I might just leave the gimbal guard off from now on unless I'm not going to use it for a long while.

It's easy to forget it at times, but once it's part of your pre and post flight checks you'll soon remember to remove, and replace it after use   ( most of the time ;-)  ).
Tying a piece of bright ribbon or similar to it can be a good reminder. The gimbal is quite delicate, so probably best to keep using the retainer.

I think most of us have probably done it once or twice at least.  I've done it a few times during bench testing.  Nothing has ever been damaged.  The thought of it still makes me wince though - I think it's something we should try to avoid.  :-D

How you thinking guys ?
Failure to remove the gimbal lock may cause this sound to appear?
Maybe the honorable DJI will answer