I recently had a tiny crash indoors due to unresponsive right-stick. The props and aircraft are both okay, and I've had one testflight with GPS afterwards wich was flawless (except for a missing tripod mode, but tripod mode is back now after app update).

I contacted DJI customer service and after I provided more info and a video of the recorded flight I was told I should calibrate both IMU and Compass before each flight. I would love if some of the admins would chime in on this advice because calibrating the compass is one thing but after reading forums and user manual it seems like usually you are advised to only calibrate IMU when the app tells you to do it. The IMU status bars seems to be way inside what is considered "Excellent" so I do not trust the advice very much.
I did calibrate everything when I first received the Mavic, but have only calibrated compass before flights.

I've also read that some people put the drone in the fridge before calibration, but I've found no official advice from DJI to do this. Is this the best procedure for IMU calibration? Cool down the aircraft before calibrating, or is room temperature preferred?

Hello Stokke, I'd not suggest you to put the drone in the fridge.
You could put it in air-conditioned room to cool down.
Besides, please do the IMU calibration on a completely flat surface.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2016-11-4 10:27
Hello Stokke, I'd not suggest you to put the drone in the fridge.
You could put it in air-condition ...

Hi DJI Mindy,

Could you please answer this " I was told I should calibrate both IMU and Compass before each flight." , should he and other calibrate the IMU before each flight?

Definitely would like to hear the answer on this one.  Calibrating the IMU before each flight will take a good amount of time

Anoniem Posted at 2016-11-4 09:58
Hi DJI Mindy,

Could you please answer this " I was told I should calibrate both IMU and Compass b ...

You don't need to calibrate IMU before every flight, when you get your drone it is a good idea to do it then,
I would make sure you do it on a very flat surface I use a sprit level just to make sure, after completing, you will then be prompted when it needs doing again there are also indicators in the dji go app, to check it.
It's also a good idea to do it if you've had a hard landing or crash.
Compass calibration you should do when and wherever you set up for your first flight, if it's a location or area you are going to regularly fly from you shouldn't need to continually do compass cal. You will be prompted if it needs doing.
If you travel say a distance of more than 50 miles most people would advise doing a compass CAL , and obviously if you take your aircraft overseas.

Thanks Hallmark007, did read the manuall and the forum , but was hoping that DJI mindy would respond to the question of the topic starter Stokke.

Anoniem Posted at 2016-11-4 15:03
Thanks Hallmark007, did read the manuall and the forum , but was hoping that DJI mindy would respo ...

No problem, after a while using your aircraft you will figure out what suits you best, good luck..

DJI now recommends not calibrating the Mavic IMU unless prompted.

can i calibrate IMU in my house on flat surface or is ti better to go outside where there is no TV, wifi, metal and other interference around me?

woffer Posted at 2016-11-5 11:42
can i calibrate IMU in my house on flat surface or is ti better to go outside where there is no TV,  ...

Do it inside on a level table.

fanse8b144b6 Posted at 2016-11-4 19:49
DJI now recommends not calibrating the Mavic IMU unless prompted.

My mavic flys great out of the box, no update no IMU calibration no compass calibration. It so steady it looks like it's hanging on a string!

Anyone else have a lengthy IMU initialization after powering on before flight? More often than not I have to wait for this. Rarely it's ready to go after a battery swap. I've never experienced this with my inspires.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2016-11-4 01:27
Hello Stokke, I'd not suggest you to put the drone in the fridge.
You could put it in air-condition ...

Why post in this thread without answering the question?

When should you calibrate the IMU? Before each flight or not?

So there is some discrepancy about IMU Calibration.  DJI-Paladin on this post http://forum.dji.com/thread-54253-1-1.html posted about a video of someone doing an IMU Calibration.  In the manual there is nothing stated about IMU Calibration or how to do it properly.  I think the DJI Engineers and Support should be on the same page, if they are not on the same page, then there is a lot of mis-information.

fans74db5aff Posted at 2016-11-7 00:03
Why post in this thread without answering the question?

When should you calibrate the IMU? Before  ...

Yes, you could do the IMU calibration before each flight.
But please ensure you do the calibration on a flat surface.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2016-11-7 12:43
Yes, you could do the IMU calibration before each flight.
But please ensure you do the calibration ...

That is exactly what we are talking about.... some guys FROM DJI say "do it" other say "Don t do it" even the user guide says "do it only if App is requesting".... all from DJI....
I am missing something here?
directly opposite advice. Talking about confusion here.{:4_157:}

Jeromeo Posted at 2016-11-6 20:12
That is exactly what we are talking about.... some guys FROM DJI say "do it" other say "Don t do i ...

Yea, the Mavic might be 'as small as a water bottle' but I'm still going to need a harness for carrying the DJI engineer with me on all my flights.

DJI Mindy Posted at 2016-11-7 10:43
Yes, you could do the IMU calibration before each flight.
But please ensure you do the calibration ...

Saying you could is different from you should or it is not necessary or it is necessary. Lets get some clarification. I get my new Mavic in the box, open it up and charge the batteries, read the manual, watch videos and I am ready for my first flight. Should I calibrate the IMU? yes or no?

DRONE-flies-YOU Posted at 2016-11-7 14:19
Yea, the Mavic might be 'as small as a water bottle,' but I'm still going to need a harness for ca ...

LOL, good one, I'll take a female engineer, their lighter.

70challenger Posted at 2016-11-7 14:24
Saying you could is different from you should or it is not necessary or it is necessary. Lets get  ...

Yes, I'd suggest you to do the IMU calibration.

So much conflicting information and not from members but DJI support. DJI-Ken said Not to do IMU calibration unless controller calls for it, he stated just to do compass calibration. Why are you not in sync?

Interesting Video that relates to thread topic

That's it my mavic is grounded even before I get it. I think the wife will be p1$$ed with me.

RAVEN7 Posted at 2016-11-7 07:53
Interesting Video that relates to thread topic https://youtu.be/nMZ5fvDrpcE

I did not have problems with yaw movements, my mavic driftet slowly to the left, and it did not respond the the inputs I did on the right stick. I didn't have time to test the yaw because I freaked out when all I could do was to try to land it asap.

On second thoughts I might have been able to not crash if I had engaged yaw movement instead of trying to fly away from the wall.

70challenger Posted at 2016-11-6 22:24
Saying you could is different from you should or it is not necessary or it is necessary. Lets get some clarification. I get my new Mavic in the box, open it up and charge the batteries, read the manual, watch videos and I am ready for my first flight. Should I calibrate the IMU? yes or no?

I have not done IMU Cal, yet.  Newbie, short flights for now. (Need goggles before I fly longer). Compass setup at first turn on, even moved into a different state and have not done any calibrations. I am hoping the app tells me when. So it says.

What IMU calibrating does is simply help the mavic to recognize what is level, it is what atti mode base on in order to level the drone. So if there's no gps or vps to help it stay at one spot, the drone will only run on atti mode and it will constantly adjust itself in order to achieve what it "thinks" is level, which is given by the IMU calibration.  I would say calibrate it out of the box and make sure it's on a level and still surface.

In order to make a decision on how often an IMU needs calibration we need to understand what could possibly go wrong with the current calibration. According to Webassign's post, the IMU would help the mavic keep level when on ATTI mode. But, what could go wrong with current calibration and the IMU would need a re-calibration?

I 've heard that after a crash or hard landing it's a good idea to re-calibrate the IMU. If somebody could provide more insight in that , it would be very helpful.

Hi. I'm new to drones and I am not clear of what IMU is. I still haven't used my Mavic Pro yet. From what I have being reading there are other things to calibrate as well. Could someone please advice me on why I need to calibrate things and is it always that I need to do it?

Thank you

Anoniem Posted at 2016-11-4 01:58
Hi DJI Mindy,

Could you please answer this " I was told I should calibrate both IMU and Compass before each flight." , should he and other calibrate the IMU before each flight?

Just MY personal experience: I NEVER calibrated IMU since I unboxed my Mavic and only once the compass (when I wanted to T/O from the metal-roof of my car) since DJI GO told me to.

Beside some glitches in DJI GO 4 (not in DJI GO3) it flies like a dream, even after a sudden ATTI-mode incident indoors which cost me one prop.

You´d better listen to Mavic Pro: she will tell You when calibration might be necessary ................

Jeromeo Posted at 2016-11-6 20:12
That is exactly what we are talking about.... some guys FROM DJI say "do it" other say "Don t do it" even the user guide says "do it only if App is requesting".... all from DJI....
I am missing something here?
directly opposite advice. Talking about confusion here.

Mindy said: "Yes, you could do the IMU calibration before each flight."

COULD DO  not MUST DO !!!!!

Angelo26 Posted at 2017-2-6 07:36
Just MY personal experience: I NEVER calibrated IMU since I unboxed my Mavic and only once the compass (when I wanted to T/O from the metal-roof of my car) since DJI GO told me to.

Beside some glitches in DJI GO 4 (not in DJI GO3) it flies like a dream, even after a sudden ATTI-mode incident indoors which cost me one prop.

That is gonna get you in trouble.  If you calibrate the compass when the app asked you to SOLELY, that's dangerous.  Think about your environment (the metal T/O surface) and how the compass will calibrate TO THAT.

The compass bar graphs show corresponding interference in relation to your location...  i.e. If your in the middle of a field with no power lines, etc, then the values should be low.  If not, calibrate.  If the Mavic is sitting on metal, the values WILL show high.  That's NOT the time to calibrate since YOU KNOW you're on metal & that interference will go away as soon as you pop it off.

DRONE-flies-YOU Posted at 2017-2-6 08:44
That is gonna get you in trouble.  If you calibrate the compass when the app asked you to SOLELY, that's dangerous.  Think about your environment (the metal T/O surface) and how the compass will calibrate TO THAT.

The compass bar graphs show corresponding interference in relation to your location...  i.e. If your in the middle of a field with no power lines, etc, then the values should be low.  If not, calibrate.  If the Mavic is sitting on metal, the values WILL show high.  That's NOT the time to calibrate since YOU KNOW you're on metal & that interference will go away as soon as you pop it off.

I have my MP since Xmas and have over 6h00 of flying time. And I choose to do no calibration. Not even a compas. I have Been flying in very different location and altitude . The MP is very stable. Never had any Atti mode or any real issue. But before every flight I wait to have GPS locks and check instruments status in DJI go.

Hi Stokke,

Did your drone drifted just after take-off?

And did DJI support provided an explanation on how IMU miscalibration was related to right-stick unresponsivity in your case?

Sergey_B Posted at 2017-2-6 13:27
Hi Stokke,

Did your drone drifted just after take-off?

Yeah, my drone drifted right after liftoff at about 50cm height. DJI never said anything constructive and the drone has been steady after the firmware that fixed the unresponsive stick problems. I believe there has also been other improvements in firmware so switching between atti and opti is not so risky during flight.

Stokke Posted at 2017-2-6 21:44
Yeah, my drone drifted right after liftoff at about 50cm height. DJI never said anything constructive and the drone has been steady after the firmware that fixed the unresponsive stick problems. I believe there has also been other improvements in firmware so switching between atti and opti is not so risky during flight.

"I believe there has also been other improvements in firmware so switching between atti and opti is not so risky during flight."

Can´t confirm THAT !

Anyway, got in ATTI only once indoors with poor lighting, the rest of my 11 hours flight time no problem with DJI GO 3, never ever calibrated IMU since unboxing my Mavic

I have used my new Mavic Pro for about 10 days.  I have NOT so far done a compass or an IMU calibration, believing it better to approach these things intelligently, based on some prior experience. The drone flies beautifully and accurately. I will of course do these calibrations as the need becomes apparent. Unfortunately there is a 'Moderator' here whose replies seem quite unhelpful.

PGP Posted at 2017-2-20 15:37
I have used my new Mavic Pro for about 10 days.  I have NOT so far done a compass or an IMU calibration, believing it better to approach these things intelligently, based on some prior experience. The drone flies beautifully and accurately. I will of course do these calibrations as the need becomes apparent. Unfortunately there is a 'Moderator' here whose replies seem quite unhelpful.

If it ain't broke don't try fixing it, your Manual clearly tells you Not to calibrate compass or IMU unless prompted.

DRONE-flies-YOU Posted at 2017-2-6 08:44
That is gonna get you in trouble.  If you calibrate the compass when the app asked you to SOLELY, that's dangerous.  Think about your environment (the metal T/O surface) and how the compass will calibrate TO THAT.

The compass bar graphs show corresponding interference in relation to your location...  i.e. If your in the middle of a field with no power lines, etc, then the values should be low.  If not, calibrate.  If the Mavic is sitting on metal, the values WILL show high.  That's NOT the time to calibrate since YOU KNOW you're on metal & that interference will go away as soon as you pop it off.

Where are you getting this information from? I have never calibrated the IMU and only calibrate the compass when the app asks me to. No fly-aways, crashes or other strange flying behaviour.
I suggest in future any comments you make can be backed up by fact. There are a lot of inexperienced drone/RC pilots on here and comments like yours (1st paragraph) above are unhelpful and wrong.

I would just like to say that I have never had to calibrate anything.  Rite out of the box my "BuzBee" (my DJI Mavic Pro's name) fly's awesome right out of the box.  I wasnt prompted to calibrate anything also.  I am reluctant to calibrate, if it ain't broke don't fix it.  I have had nothing but undesirable experiences with drones after calibrations.

The drone will tell you how good your calibration is.  If those numbers are near 0, don't touch it.  If there is room for improvement, do it.

Simple as that in my book.

Note:  Check it before each flight.  This is part of a preflight to me.