Fixing DJI's Compass Problem

[landonkk]

I have no issue bringing this to the public eye. I will wait to see what their response is first. If it is not to my satisfaction, I will elevate this to all social media outlets if necessary. If that doesn't work, a lawsuit in Hong Kong should send a strong signal. I live there so it's not to much of an issue for me. I've already spent $5000 on their products, what's an extra $10 000 on a lawsuit which could prevent serious injuries (or perhaps worse). Let's just hope they have the slightest sense of accountability and responsibility.

I feel for you. It sucks to lose such a large investment because of faulty equipment. I'm afraid that you stand no chance with a lawsuit however. Beyond the fact that the expense of filing a lawsuit would cost more than what you are trying to get replaced, the burden of proof you have to overcome in this scenario is insurmountable. You would need to prove that it was in fact a problem with the Phantom and NOT user error, outside factors (wind), third party attachments, etc. Unless you had some sort of data/telemetry logging device that showed this, DJI has a reasonable defense. It sucks, but it is true.

 

[Andy T]

I have no issue bringing this to the public eye. I will wait to see what their response is first. If it is not to my satisfaction, I will elevate this to all social media outlets if necessary. If that doesn't work, a lawsuit in Hong Kong should send a strong signal. I live there so it's not to much of an issue for me. I've already spent $5000 on their products, what's an extra $10 000 on a lawsuit which could prevent serious injuries (or perhaps worse). Let's just hope they have the slightest sense of accountability and responsibility.

I feel for you. It sucks to lose such a large investment because of faulty equipment. I'm afraid that you stand no chance with a lawsuit however. Beyond the fact that the expense of filing a lawsuit would cost more than what you are trying to get replaced, the burden of proof you have to overcome in this scenario is insurmountable. You would need to prove that it was in fact a problem with the Phantom and NOT user error, outside factors (wind), third party attachments, etc. Unless you had some sort of data/telemetry logging device that showed this, DJI has a reasonable defense. It sucks, but it is true.

i tend to have to agree with you but at the same time DJI does state that gps will hold the craft within a 2.5 meter horizontal position and 0.7 meter vertical. Nowhere does it state that these numbers should be multiplied by 10 in some areas of high magnetic declination and that could be seen as negligence when that behavior gouges some kids eyes out. But yeah in this case the loss is not high enough.

 

[landonkk]

I have no issue bringing this to the public eye. I will wait to see what their response is first. If it is not to my satisfaction, I will elevate this to all social media outlets if necessary. If that doesn't work, a lawsuit in Hong Kong should send a strong signal. I live there so it's not to much of an issue for me. I've already spent $5000 on their products, what's an extra $10 000 on a lawsuit which could prevent serious injuries (or perhaps worse). Let's just hope they have the slightest sense of accountability and responsibility.

I feel for you. It sucks to lose such a large investment because of faulty equipment. I'm afraid that you stand no chance with a lawsuit however. Beyond the fact that the expense of filing a lawsuit would cost more than what you are trying to get replaced, the burden of proof you have to overcome in this scenario is insurmountable. You would need to prove that it was in fact a problem with the Phantom and NOT user error, outside factors (wind), third party attachments, etc. Unless you had some sort of data/telemetry logging device that showed this, DJI has a reasonable defense. It sucks, but it is true.

i tend to have to agree with you but at the same time DJI does state that gps will hold the craft within a 2.5 meter horizontal position and 0.7 meter vertical. Nowhere does it state that these numbers should be multiplied by 10 in some areas of high magnetic declination and that could be seen as negligence when that behavior gouges some kids eyes out. But yeah in this case the loss is not high enough.

Understood. Now prove to me that this was a GPS and/or compass issue and not the pilot losing control and panicking, or a gust of wind, or interference of some sort. Obviously I believe pgaucher, but without any evidence other than his word a lawsuit would be frivolous.

 

[Aerial Entertainment Studios]

How about if I just film myself taking my BRAND NEW unit, connecting it to my computer and opening the assistant software, showing that the compass data and calibration are perfectly normal, then take the phantom outside and takeoff (with a GPS lock), bring it up to 300 feet and let the thing go into an uncontrolled toilet bowl until it crashes. I could also film this with a secondary camera as well if that makes it more powerful. Would that be enough proof?

The intent is not to throw a lawsuit at them, but rather for them to wake the hell up and realize that their products are dangerous in some areas of the planet, triggering at the minimum a warning message to all phantom customers saying that the units are susceptible to variations in magnetic declination and that in some areas, flying is simply not recommended. That's the minimum that would be expected. The real expectation is that as a responsible company, DJI would investigate the issue further and figure out a fix for the problem. That's what responsible companies do.

As of now, no warnings on the user guide, no mention of potential issues on their website, no announcement that a firmware update is coming and that flying in a named number of locations must be done with great caution until the update is released.

Something needs to happen.

 

[Pazz]

My current Phantom seems to be exhibiting the dreaded Magnetic Declination issues. I flew this morning, and below is the video, can someone confirm this is what is referred to as the Toilet Bowl Effect?

Here are my other observations:
1) Compass was calibrated and GPS had 10 satellites acquired
2) Flying in GPS mode
3) No wind, clear day, open field with little to no RF or WiFi interference
4) When I lifted off, the aircraft wasn't very steady; when I gave it some input to pivot right, it tilted and flew quite energetically to the right, requiring me to counter with a right stick input left

Basically, it was unflyable due to the distinct possibility of becoming out of control. Furthermore, when it would hover more or less in place, it would occasionally vibrate for a few seconds. If this resonates and seems familiar, I'd appreciate your insights, thanks.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysGevawNN0c[/youtube]

Noticed big light towers surrounding the field. Screws up GPS reception, Tall towers lots of them all around you!!!!!!! Try again in more open area. Also try start up 30secs, shut off motors,still powered up, compass cal. then fly.

 

[BigBadFun]

Noticed big light towers surrounding the field. Screws up GPS reception, Tall towers lots of them all around you!!!!!!! Try again in more open area. Also try start up 30secs, shut off motors,still powered up, compass cal. then fly.

Oh FFS - someone get me a gun...

 

[Pazz]

Noticed big light towers surrounding the field. Screws up GPS reception, Tall towers lots of them all around you!!!!!!! Try again in more open area. Also try start up 30secs, shut off motors,still powered up, compass cal. then fly.

Oh FFS - someone get me a gun...

The problem is!!!!!! By the way it does work. Mine did the same thing untill I did compass calc after home point set as noted above. Works for me with no TBE. I picked up this tip by another pilot, in this thread, a while back, but no one wants to listen!! Every one is compass declination, fix my toy dji,fixated. 3.05 does not seem to be the answer you are all seeking. Time to get the training wheels off the toy & learn to fly guys.

 

[Aerial Entertainment Studios]

Interesting, I'll try this as well and see if the TBE disappears. I'm in the Quebec area right now and will see if this solves the issue.

 

[Pazz]

Interesting, I'll try this as well and see if the TBE disappears. I'm in the Quebec area right now and will see if this solves the issue.

I'll be interested to see now you go. My experience has been that it has to be done every flight. Please message back to
see your experience.

 

[Aerial Entertainment Studios]

Ok, here is the result.

It did not work (at least not in Quebec City).

In order:

Turn on Phantom and controller
Get GPS home lock
Turn on rotors for 30 seconds (no take off)
Turn off rotors
Calibrate compass
Take off

The TBE issue is still there so the fix doesn't work for the Quebec area. The Phantom stabilises at the 4 minute mark, but prior to that we see a important TBE getting bigger and bigger. I regain control and the Phantom seems to stabilise from that point.

Sorry to disappoint, but this fix doesn't work for all cases. I'll post the video when I get a chance.

 

[Andy T]

Ok, here is the result.

It did not work (at least not in Quebec City).

In order:

Turn on Phantom and controller
Get GPS home lock
Turn on rotors for 30 seconds (no take off)
Turn off rotors
Calibrate compass
Take off

The TBE issue is still there so the fix doesn't work for the Quebec area. The Phantom stabilises at the 4 minute mark, but prior to that we see a important TBE getting bigger and bigger. I regain control and the Phantom seems to stabilise from that point.

Sorry to disappoint, but this fix doesn't work for all cases. I'll post the video when I get a chance.

don't worry about Pazz too much. I'm convinced he is a troll

 

[Mlaudisa]

My first Phantom Vision 2+ was a great flyer: stable, steady, reliable. That's the one that I ended up crashing due to pilot error. I then purchased an identical second one, and it has not been the same experience. This on feels twitchy, sometimes (not always) displays the TBE effect, and it feels much less reliable.

The main difference is that the first one was running firmware version 1.x, this one runs 3.04. That said, I doubt the firmware would be the culprit of such dramatic flight discrepancies. Furthermore, I understand that some, but not all, Vision 2+ are affected by TBE and the magnetic declination issue.

So, if not all same model aircrafts are so affected, it stands to reason that the software is not to blame (assuming they are all running the same firmware). Yet, a firmware solution is being sought from DJI, but in fact does anybody know the root cause of this issue? Could it be a batch of "bad" compasses that have been installed in some units? Is it some other hardware issue? Does anybody have a deeper engineering understanding of this issue? Thank you for your insights.

 

[Andy T]

My first Phantom Vision 2+ was a great flyer: sta...
*snip*
So, if not all same model aircrafts are so affected, it stands to reason that the software is not to blame (assuming they are all running the same firmware). Yet, a firmware solution is being sought from DJI, but in fact does anybody know the root cause of this issue? Could it be a batch of "bad" compasses that have been installed in some units? Is it some other hardware issue? Does anybody have a deeper engineering understanding of this issue? Thank you for your insights.

Well there is not much doubt that magnetic declination affects the performance of the machine. There is also no doubt that some machines may have hardware faults that could affect the flying characteristics of the machine similarly

 

[AnselA]

My first Phantom Vision 2+ was a great flyer: sta...
*snip*
So, if not all same model aircrafts are so affected, it stands to reason that the software is not to blame (assuming they are all running the same firmware). Yet, a firmware solution is being sought from DJI, but in fact does anybody know the root cause of this issue? Could it be a batch of "bad" compasses that have been installed in some units? Is it some other hardware issue? Does anybody have a deeper engineering understanding of this issue? Thank you for your insights.

Well there is not much doubt that magnetic declination affects the performance of the machine. There is also no doubt that some machines may have hardware faults that could affect the flying characteristics of the machine similarly

Well, now all Phantom owners having J-hook and/or TBE problem will contact their dealer asking for RMA to get the fault fixed. I'll guess a few thounsands of requests will make DJI very, very happy...

"After-sale Service Policies

DJI guarantees our customers fast, effective, professional, and quality after-sales service. All products purchased from DJI or DJI authorized dealers are covered by the Refund and Exchange, Warranty, and Paid Repair Service policies described below. "

 

[Aerial Entertainment Studios]

Here is the video of the suggestion that was made regarding doing the calibration in a certain order in order to avoid TBE.

It doesn't work well in my current location (Quebec City, Canada)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrG-TbM ... e=youtu.be

 

[droneranger]

My first Phantom Vision 2+ was a great flyer: sta...
*snip*
So, if not all same model aircrafts are so affected, it stands to reason that the software is not to blame (assuming they are all running the same firmware). Yet, a firmware solution is being sought from DJI, but in fact does anybody know the root cause of this issue? Could it be a batch of "bad" compasses that have been installed in some units? Is it some other hardware issue? Does anybody have a deeper engineering understanding of this issue? Thank you for your insights.

Well there is not much doubt that magnetic declination affects the performance of the machine. There is also no doubt that some machines may have hardware faults that could affect the flying characteristics of the machine similarly

Well, now all Phantom owners having J-hook and/or TBE problem will contact their dealer asking for RMA to get the fault fixed. I'll guess a few thounsands of requests will make DJI very, very happy...

"After-sale Service Policies

DJI guarantees our customers fast, effective, professional, and quality after-sales service. All products purchased from DJI or DJI authorized dealers are covered by the Refund and Exchange, Warranty, and Paid Repair Service policies described below. "

I gotta' say, that's the first time I've seen a returns process (flow) chart posted on a manufacturer or retailer's web site that is for customer use. Doesn't surprise me though, considering DJI's byzantine and detached customer service policies.

Just one more reason to "kick 'em to the curb" IMO.

 

[Pazz]

Worth a try. Sorry it did not work. I just realized that I"m still on the older software . I did not upgrade to 3.04 as I operate near a major military air base & did not want to go down the road of no fly zones in latest updates. My phone app auto updated & occassionally tells me I can not take off while I'm in the air flying???? Whether the older software makes a difference??? not sure. I am very careful with how I fly, as I use it 3-4 times a week. 4-5 flights each time from different locations.
So compass calc every time& no problems. To be honest its been so financial successfull that I could afford to replace one each month if I had a fatal crash & still be fine financially. Has not happened yet & happy to use it within its limitations.

 

[paxpincer]

Anyone having success with rotating their compass? side effects?

thanks
peter

 

[robby666111]

Anyone having success with rotating their compass? side effects?

thanks
peter

Didn't make much difference to me. TBE is reduced but flying performance is essentially the same.

 

[AnselA]

Anyone having success with rotating their compass? side effects?

thanks
peter

Doesn't it make warranty void, as a side effect?