Tahoe_Ed claims he has posted DJI's and his recommendations on installing firmware updates which includes calibrating the IMU.

I am concerned most if not all (except if you visit other forums) of us are not fully informed on this subject.

I would like to be proved wrong but it ain't here and because this is DJI's official site it should be. I am truely dismayed on how we are being treated.

This sort of information should be a sticky or on their website.

Regards

Guy

is it time,
for a rhyme?

rod and the cheshire cat.

Does anyone know where Tahoe_Ed's post is about upgrading the firmware? I saw it when he originally posted it, but am no longer able to track it down

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 20:26
He claims it is here but he also boasted about all the other forums he posts on so he might be con ...

when you update the firmware you should calibrate the IMU and the sticks, i always do that. In the past you got error codes in the assistant software when not calibrating. I dont care because i calibrate before every flight

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 20:17
I have decided i am going to sell my Phantom. This has become too much to bear. The worst aspect i ...

Well, I guess we brought it upon ourselves.  The old saying, "shi* flows downhill"  Our complaints and subsequent banning a few weeks ago resulting in them having to monitor this forum and doing their job, instead of them posting on their favorite forums, playing cards, or whatever they do when they are on the job.  It's just like a revenge shot they are doing now.  It will calm down soon I hope.  Even Autumn liked the idea of a poets corner and she said she would look into it.


Gerry1124 Posted at 2015-3-7 09:27
WHAT?  No poem category?  What kind of shady operation is being run here?

Autumn
Mmmmm, poem category is a good advice. I'll take it into consideration.

We might have lost a battle, but we haven't lost the war yet,  so don't throw in the towel yet.

+1 c and warming up,  it's going to be movie season soon  

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 20:39
Do you do the full calibration?

Regards

yes and i always calibrate the compass on the field.

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 20:39
Do you do the full calibration?

Regards

After an update, I just look at the IMU numbers, if they look in range, I don't bother with compass calibration, I just do the sticks and check movement on the camera.

That post was definitely in this forum. The only odd thing I remember seeing is to reset all settings before installing the firmware -- and, then restore them afterwards. I'm not really sure what Tahoe_Ed meant by that.

Hopefully Tahoe_Ed will post his recommendations here (if we can keep this thread on topic).

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 20:46
OK Gotcha except if I do the full calibration does that involve making sure the Phantom is level?
...

I've leveled mine and got the numbers then,  now as long as I don't recalibrate it, they would stay the same.  I just do the compass dance in the field at takeoff.

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 20:52
He chooses which questions he answers which is very annoying.

Regards

Maybe he will fade away again to his other websites where he posts 20,000 posts.

This Tahoe_Ed guy is all over the Inspire forum too, they need more people manning these forums.

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 20:58
I have a question for you.

The post "Very Upset" (I think) was caused by not doing the full IMU c ...

The post "Very Upset" was originally posted because someone did updates and the stick calibrations and he said it just took off 60 feet or so and crashed.
I think he was talking of resetting the "gains" numbers before doing the updates.
As far as that one word, I picture that in my mind with ears on each side and start laughing.  

You guys should do a conference call everyday so you can shoot the breeze. What's the point of creating threads about a specific topic if you are going to talk about everything but that...

mike@singerscre Posted at 2015-3-10 21:06
You guys should do a conference call everyday so you can shoot the breeze. What's the point of creat ...

We did have sort of a conference call, they took it away from us, some complained.

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 21:15
Is it the official procedure that we do a full calibration or not?

If so how is it done?

I do what works for me.  Never had any flyaway but did get far enough to lose connection and it performed as advertised, it came home on it's own.

"It is just not good enough."

I agree

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 21:39
What has upset me is I thought I have been doing the right thing (I have never done a full IMU cal ...

I have had only 1 minor crash after my third flight and totally my fault.  I got to close to the outdoor movie screen and lost half of my sats.  The screen blocked them.  The wind took it under the screen and it tried to cut down a pine tree, flipped it over and landed upside down and the 4 props tried digging 4 holes back to China.  It ran for almost a minute before I realized it was still running.  Took it home, cleaned the sand out of it and it's still flying.
Ed has had more crashes than I have so it's kind of hard for me to take advice from him.  Next month I will have flown that Phantom for a year with all original equipment.  I do what works for me.

mike@singerscre Posted at 2015-3-10 21:06
You guys should do a conference call everyday so you can shoot the breeze. What's the point of creat ...

Just watching but if DJI enabled the PM feature we could have a con callI did see Ed's post on the IMU calibration as well, maybe he pulled it.
And for the record, I have never had to do an IMU and my bird has had three firmware updates..
I check it regularly as regular preventative maintenance and it has remained absolutely consistent.

Guy Posted at 2015-3-10 21:58
Was that Gertrude or Heathcliffe?

Regards

Heathcliff.  He was getting lonesome.

Whether or not DJI notes on a release that a IMU calibration is required it is always good practice to do so.
I think the release notes on each FW release is where any issues we should be aware of are posted.
This should never cause a problem but can compensate for any drift in sensors that has occurred over time as well as drift in the RC system.
In general I think the vast majority of updates do not require a IMU or RC calibration and again of they do should be in the release notes.
I always check the release notes as I wont to know what I am getting into with the update.

joe@heliflightc Posted at 2015-3-10 22:47
Whether or not DJI notes on a release that a IMU calibration is required it is always good practice  ...

Exactly...In addition to clarification on good firmware update procedures DJI should also come out with a periodic maintenance manual like they have for the inspire 1. One of the maintenance checks (number VI) is "Checking the IMU". Every 200 flights or 50 flight hours this should be performed on Inspire 1 but I guess it is not important for phantom owners... We are told this after a crash and then DJI says its Pilot error for lack of due diligence

mike@singerscre Posted at 2015-3-10 20:45
That post was definitely in this forum. The only odd thing I remember seeing is to reset all setting ...

Yes.  That's what it said.  And then several people asked exactly what he meant by that.  Everybody wanted details, but none came.  And I guess now that post has been removed.  Who watches the watchers while they make their own nonsense disappear?

The guy (taco ed or whatever his name is) (not to be confused with the user named Guy) gave me a warning when I replied to him the other day!  Because I was offended (on all of our behalves) that people were asking questions and his response started "Guys, it's not that difficult..."  I explained to him that what's easy for some may be more difficult for others.  AND HE OFFICIALLY WARNED ME!  And deleted my post!  LOL!  I don't think a mod in reference should be able to make that determination.  Again, who watches the watchers?

joe@heliflightc Posted at 2015-3-10 22:47
Whether or not DJI notes on a release that a IMU calibration is required it is always good practice  ...

That may be true, but DJI needs to dictate best practices.  The users shouldn't have to fend for themselves and guess.

A simple update guide is all that's needed here.  With EVERY update.  It can simply say "After updating, be sure to calibrate all your gizmos and doohickies, blah blah blah.  See operating manual for details on how to use the software."

Friffy1 Posted at 2015-3-11 01:44
Yes.  That's what it said.  And then several people asked exactly what he meant by that.  Everybod ...

Whatever happened to tahoe ed? I actually liked the fact  that he was at least trying to respond to inquiries. BTW I was also warned by tahoe but for a different retarded reason. Soon we will all be banned and this forum will end up being a ghost town filled with DJI moderators and fanboys heaping praise on how great the phantom is and blaming everyones drone misfortunes on pilot error or just being plain stupid. It also seems to me that it is okay for people to respond to a question in a flippant manner indirectly implying.... "of course not"...dont you know the difference?.... are you really that stupid?
Not everyone has been flying quadcopters for years and is assumed to know everthing about IMU's, flight dymnamics of a quad, magnetic fields, solar flares, esc's, gps, etc.

cmon guys its really 'not that complicated'
this is much funnier if you read my response to the 'comment' from him that friffy is referencing above

To make things clear, I did not pull my original post.  It is still here some place.  We are going to be making some changes to the forum to make it easier to navigate and hopefully find information.  

Here is what I said.  When I do an upgrade, I always do an Advanced IMU calibration whether is says I need it or not and I reset the settings to default.  What this means is that you click on the icon under gains that says defaults.  I have previously written down the gains before doing this.  I then reenter the gains.  Calibrating the sticks, X1 and X2 is also a good practice to get into after each upgrade.  I will work with DJI do add upgrade notes to the download pages for the Phantom series and modify the manuals to make sure that there will not be any other confusion on this topic.  This is already part of the Inspire and should not be too difficult for us to do.  

I am not here to offend people but to help.  I try to attempt to do that on a daily basis.  We do have others from DJI that post here as well.  I am not here to be a hall monitor but to maintain civil conversations between users that are on topic and meaningful.  It is when things get out of control that I do step in and Moderate.  I will never please everyone.  If I have offended you, I am sorry.  If you have specific questions on DJI products I can assist, I am not going to get involved in speculation.  I am "forum support" not engineering, not R&D.  If you have those questions then I refer you to DJI.com or in some instances I will refer to the SME's at DJI but I cannot do that all the time.  

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-3-11 06:36
To make things clear, I did not pull my original post.  It is still here some place.  We are going t ...

Ed,
It would be nice if you referred to the SME about the correct way to do the IMU calibration. Many here including myself have done IMU cals and then had the Phantom experience a YAW drift afterward.

You may not be an engineer but you are a DJI employee and the users of the forum you administer have an issue that has been discussed  ad nauseum.


I think this is one you should get an answer as to the correct procedure the end user should execute to get a good IMU cal that will result in no YAW drift.

Users should not be guessing and having to resort to using the trial and error method during a calibration.  We deserve an official answer from DJI. How does DJI calibrate the IMU?

Okay please don't bash me
Or
Call me stupid but what is an sme?

JATO Posted at 2015-3-11 10:32
Ed,
It would be nice if you referred to the SME about the correct way to do the IMU calibration. M ...

Yaw drift can be caused by many different factors not just IMU calibration.  Can you describe exactly what you are experiencing and maybe I can help.  

A proper Basic or Advanced IMU calibration is done by having a level surface to set the Phantom on.  You will need to have the Phantom at room temp.  The IMU calibration will fail if the FC is too hot.  Have your computer set up with the Assistant already running with the Tools tab pulled up.  Turn your Tx on.  If you are using a FC40,  Vision or Vision + you do not need to turn the wifi on or have the App running.  Plug the USB cable into the Phantom and the computer.  Power the Phantom.  After the Phantom goes through the initialization process and the IMU values have populated, press the Basic or Advanced tab then calibrate.  The calibration will progress along a time line and you will get a green check mark when completed.  Do not move the Phantom while the calibration is underway.  If the calibration times out.  Shut the Phantom off and allow it to cool down and repeat the above.  

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-3-11 06:36
To make things clear, I did not pull my original post.  It is still here some place.  We are going t ...

If the program says you don't need a calibration why do you feel it is necessary to perform an advance calibration? Is the program not reliable or is there some other reason you feel compelled to do an advance calibration? Thanks.

rdc44444@hotmai Posted at 2015-3-11 12:07
If the program says you don't need a calibration why do you feel it is necessary to perform an adv ...

DJI has felt over the years that the IMU calibration was not as necessary as the sensors and sensor mounting has improved.  When the WKM was introduced they eliminated the IMU calibration saying that it was not necessary because of the advanced nature of the controller.  It remains that way to this date.  The A2, the WKM successor, has IMU calibration as does the new Inspire.  They are all high end systems compared to the Naza and Phantom series.  While I may trust the programing to determine if the IMU needs to be calibrated I would still like to verify it myself.  It does not take long and helps my peace of mind when putting a lot of money in the air. Some of the craft I have flown have exceed $15,000.   You just don't take chances.  If a user chooses not to do so, that it their choice.  I am not saying that it is mandatory neither is DJI other than when the program prompts you to do it.  I just offer a historical perspective as to why I do it and recommend that others do it as well.  

What is a wkm? So if the program says I don't need to calibrate (usually it will say basic first and only advance if values are Way Out of Order) what would I need to do once I click on the advance calibration tab. Do I have to manually enter values or once I click the advance calibration tab the program works It's Own magic?

Okay how do you verify the Imu is calibrated using the advance calibration tab? Sorry I have never clicked on the advance calibration tab and not sure what I would need to look for.

Tahoe_Ed Posted at 2015-3-11 11:55
Yaw drift can be caused by many different factors not just IMU calibration.  Can you describe exac ...

Ed before I did an IMU cal the Phantom would rotate around its center axis in tight circle. After the IMU cal it rotates in circle about 3 feet in diameter.
The issue is well documented in this thread by others:
http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=4343

Guy Posted at 2015-3-11 15:13
Take a look at this video...

Great..thanks...video explained everything clearly. It's just like a basic calibration just takes a longer time with maybe an extra tab to press, All 5 of my birds hover nicely without much drift so I'm not doing an advance calibration unless I notice them drifting or the software tells me I need to calibrate. I've only done basic calibrations and never had a problem.

The video looks like an official dji video so,why isn't it linked in the support or video page of the dji.com product page. Is it there and I just missed it?  I think videos are a great in explaining important matters like advance Imu calibrations.

To be honest with you I never knew what an Imu really was and its function. Now I know

rdc44444@hotmai Posted at 2015-3-11 12:38
What is a wkm? So if the program says I don't need to calibrate (usually it will say basic first and ...

WooKong-M.  A DJI flight controller.  Yes when you click on the Advanced tab, there is a calibrate button and the IMU will begin to calibrate.    You just watch.

rdc44444@hotmai Posted at 2015-3-11 12:53
Okay how do you verify the Imu is calibrated using the advance calibration tab? Sorry I have never c ...

The timeline will go to the end and a green check mark will appear and a message that calibration is completed.