Another gimbal with a mind of it's own.

lucky118 · Jun 21, 2014

Gimbal broke - keeps going crazy

Hi all,

Had a great day getting lots of film. Had the vision 2 plus one week and done maybe 10hours of flying. Took it back to my house which has a lot of trees nearby just to try and get a little video around the house. I knew it wasn't the best idea. Long story short I got confused with the controls and hit a tree onsome little branches about 5 foot up and it dropped the copter. Everything seems good. Still flys well and camera looks to be fine too. However the gimbal now just jumps around going crazy and won't keep still.

I have opened it up to have a look and can't see anything obvious. Any ideas? Also if it is I fixable what's my best bet? How easily woold a go pro and zenmuse gimbal or similar attach? Woold it work through the app?

mattsonberg · Jun 21, 2014

Gimbal off axis and won't correct

So, I had a minor crash at the beach in the sand.... not the best place for moving parts I'm sure. My gimbal seemed to recover ok and the flight was fine afterwards. However now, I noticed that the gimbal is slightly off it's horizontal axis and I guess it thinks that it is not. I've done both the basic cali and the adv cali. What's next from here?

alexf1 · Jun 21, 2014

Re: Gimbal broke - keeps going crazy

Look carefully the ribbon cable ,maybe somewhere is small cut.

dezunka · Jun 21, 2014

The answer to your problem is posted here: http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=18380

dezunka · Jun 21, 2014

Re: gimbal moving like crazy after crash

The answer to your problem is here: http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=18380

And to the guy on EBay who has raised his price to $1099.00 - you are a loser!

Carl Stark · Jul 2, 2014

PV2+ Gimbal is going crazy

We had one crash about 20 flights ago into a tree and fell about 10 foot. Since then flights have been good. We put it in a hard case and flew to Alaska (carry on baggage) and when we turn it on the camera is very erratic acting and the monitor says to remove obstruction, camera area is making humming, clicky noises, and moves all jerky. The camera does not face downward but rotates back and forth. The gimbal lock was off and nothing appears odd with gimbal or camera. Moving by hand everything moves smooth and easy.
Is this a software issue or something really major wrong with the gimbal? Any input appreciated. Thanks

JWarren · Jul 2, 2014

Re: PV2+ Gimbal is going crazy

Have you uploaded the newest firmware? It is suppose to fix that.

Mako79 · Jul 2, 2014

Re: PV2+ Gimbal is going crazy

Do an IMU calibration. An advance one as the gyro on the phantom isn't talking to the gimbal. look for a level place to do it.
If the MOD of the IMU is 3 or more, calibrate and just ignore the overheat warning. It will take about 2-5 minutes.

Also,

What hard case was it?
These hard cases can be sealed tight. Altitude can affect it.
There has been reports that when cabin pressure changes the case can expand on the way up and collapse on the way down.
The collapse on the way down can crush the camera and gimbal. There was a topic on here and I cant find it.

Just a little off topic, but if anyone is transporting using water proof hard cases, please look for the pressure release valve.

Carl Stark · Jul 3, 2014

Re: PV2+ Gimbal is going crazy

Mako79 said:
Do an IMU calibration. An advance one as the gyro on the phantom isn't talking to the gimbal. look for a level place to do it.
If the MOD of the IMU is 3 or more, calibrate and just ignore the overheat warning. It will take about 2-5 minutes.

Also,

What hard case was it?
These hard cases can be sealed tight. Altitude can affect it.
There has been reports that when cabin pressure changes the case can expand on the way up and collapse on the way down.
The collapse on the way down can crush the camera and gimbal. There was a topic on here and I cant find it.

Just a little off topic, but if anyone is transporting using water proof hard cases, please look for the pressure release valve.

the hard case is a GoProfessional with an automatic valve by the handle.
Unfortuneatly, I am very techno illiterate and you are talking way over my head. What is the MOD and IMU? I looked at the PV2 assistant and do not see those abbreviations.
thanks for your input. I have called DJI tech support 3 times today and left messages to know avail.

Mako79 · Jul 3, 2014

Re: PV2+ Gimbal is going crazy

Carl Stark said:
Mako79 said:

Do an IMU calibration. An advance one as the gyro on the phantom isn't talking to the gimbal. look for a level place to do it.
If the MOD of the IMU is 3 or more, calibrate and just ignore the overheat warning. It will take about 2-5 minutes.

Also,

What hard case was it?
These hard cases can be sealed tight. Altitude can affect it.
There has been reports that when cabin pressure changes the case can expand on the way up and collapse on the way down.
The collapse on the way down can crush the camera and gimbal. There was a topic on here and I cant find it.

Just a little off topic, but if anyone is transporting using water proof hard cases, please look for the pressure release valve.

Click to expand...

the hard case is a GoProfessional with an automatic valve by the handle.
Unfortuneatly, I am very techno illiterate and you are talking way over my head. What is the MOD and IMU? I looked at the PV2 assistant and do not see those abbreviations.
thanks for your input. I have called DJI tech support 3 times today and left messages to know avail.

Plug the MC (Phantom) into PC.
Under the phantom assistance > tools
You can do IMU basic and advance calibration. What does this do? It realigns the gyro after a crash. Click the small question mark next to the "Reset BTU info" button and there is an explanation. I don't have access to my phantom ATM (at the moment).
The MOD field is some sort of means/average testing.

Carl Stark · Jul 4, 2014

No luck. We will have to keep trying to get a hold of tech support after the holiday. A little frustrating since we are on vacation in Alaska and would love to get some aerial shots.
Thanks for the help!

hdfxstd · Jul 5, 2014

blphoto said:
Anyone want to join a class action lawsuit against DJI and their products and service? I hunk there is a good number of people that would join. We can have a say, it will take a bunch of us though...

I had the same problem. I bought a new Phantom 2 vision plus and it would not link to my iPhone. I could not believe how DJI treated me.I have every email sent and received and if it wasn't for the company I bought I would have wrote it off. I love my Phantom but it scares me think that I may have to deal with DJI in the future.