Gimbal noise (with video)

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I checked the forums and saw that the gimbal does make some noises, but I didn't see a video to compare it too. Never had a gimbal before so I'm admitting I'm pretty much clueless and thought maybe this would provide an answer for others who have the same noise.

The noise is much louder in my video than what I'm picking up. I thought my phone would have a hard time picking up the noise but it was quite the opposite. At about 12 seconds in the video is what I actually hear. Normal?

******* I just added a second video that makes the noises I think some others do. However, is this because I'm tilting it at an odd angle? Or not normal at all?********


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The gimbal noise in the second video is a manufacturing defect. Return it immediately for a replacement. It leads to "maximum gimbal angle exceeded" errors and gimbal lock ups in flight.
 
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I checked the forums and saw that the gimbal does make some noises, but I didn't see a video to compare it too. Never had a gimbal before so I'm admitting I'm pretty much clueless and thought maybe this would provide an answer for others who have the same noise.

The noise is much louder in my video than what I'm picking up. I thought my phone would have a hard time picking up the noise but it was quite the opposite. At about 12 seconds in the video is what I actually hear. Normal?


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Mine makes the same noise, I returned Mine.
 
Mine does this too. I think it's just some kind of feedback from the VPS.
 
Interesting. So does anyone not get this noise?
Everyone that has reported returning one to Apple because of the gimbal squealing noise received one in exchange that didn't make the noise. Mine made the squealing noise, and it ultimately led to the gimbal locking up during flight, with the "gimbal angle exceeded" error in the app. I strongly advise an immediate replacement if you have the squealing gimbal noise. It's not "normal" and is a defect that only gets worse. Mine took three flights to lock up, but the video on all three flights was "jittery" and nothing like the stable video from the gimbal on my P3P's. The clicking in the first video is unrelated to the gimbal, and is apparently normal. I just don't hear it.
 
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This is perfectly normal. It is the ultrasonic sensors on the bottom of your phantom that make the noise and is part of the vision positioning system. If you cover the little circles on the bottom with your thumbs where the ultrasonic frequencies emanate from you will notice the sound is muffled. This has nothing to do with the gimbal locking up...I don't know what is causing it....however this problem has nothing to do with that sound. All my phantoms have always done this.

The screeching you hear in the second video however is a defect. The bat like chirping sound you hear (kinda like a flapping sound) is normal.
 
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This is perfectly normal. It is the ultrasonic sensors on the bottom of your phantom that make the noise and is part of the vision positioning system. If you cover the little circles on the bottom with your thumbs where the ultrasonic frequencies emanate from you will notice the sound is muffled. This has nothing to do with the gimbal locking up...I don't know what is causing it....however this problem has nothing to do with that sound. All my phantoms have always done this.

The screeching you hear in the second video however is a defect. The bat like chirping sound you hear (kinda like a flapping sound) is normal.
Never heard any screeching sounds on any of my P3P's. Those who have heard it on the P4 that exchanged their aircraft for another have reported that the replacements exhibited no such noise.
 
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Never heard any screeching sounds on any of my Phantom 3 Professional's and I always have VPS on. Those who have heard it on the P4 that exchanged their aircraft for another have reported that the replacements exhibited no such noise. Ultrasonics sensor frequencies can only be heard by dogs, and are out of the range of human hearing.:rolleyes:
Not exactly correct...lots of creatures can hear them - cats, bats, whales, and dolphins just to name a few. Also when you make a video recording depending on the device (worked on my iPhone) it is able to pickup the reflections of the ultrasonic frequencies as well which are audibly heard in the video as in the videos posted above. The screeching however that was posted in the second video is a defective (broken) gimbal. :);)
 
My first P4 from Apple had the gimble "squeak". Seemed to work fine. Had it about 2 weeks, and decided to return it for a replacement. The 2nd one does not have the noise (at least so far).
 
My first P4 from Apple had the gimble "squeak". Seemed to work fine. Had it about 2 weeks, and decided to return it for a replacement. The 2nd one does not have the noise (at least so far).
Thank you for corroborating my earlier statements. Squeaking gimbals are defective!
 
Not exactly correct...lots of creatures can hear them - cats, bats, whales, and dolphins just to name a few. Also when you make a video recording depending on the device (worked on my iPhone) it is able to pickup the reflections of the ultrasonic frequencies as well which are audibly heard in the video as in the videos posted above. The screeching however that was posted in the second video is a defective (broken) gimbal. :);)
Agreed that lots of creatures other than dogs can hear untrasonic frequencies, but recording them does not make them any more audible to humans, unless the recording actually changes their frequency. If you heard them live, in person, they are the squeaky gimbal, and not the ultrasonic sensors. The VPS system on the P3P never has made any audible noises ever! No reason that I can think of that the P4 VPS should be any more audible, and therefore ignored, rather than treated as a manufacturing defect and replaced.
 
Agreed that lots of creatures other than dogs can hear untrasonic frequencies, but recording them does not make them any more audible to humans, unless the recording actually changes their frequency. If you heard them live, in person, they are the squeaky gimbal, and not the ultrasonic sensors. The VPS system on the P3P never has made any audible noises ever! No reason that I can think of that the P4 VPS should be any more audible, and therefore ignored, rather than treated as a manufacturing defect and replaced.
Sorry gadget guru...either you are misunderstanding me or you are simply wrong. As I stated earlier the squeaky/screeching sound is a broken gimbal. On the other hand, the VPS can audibly be heard in the recording and I can hear it without the recording. It sounds like very quick pulses. It is absolutely normal and all P3P's (5) that I have been around do it and the P4 I have also does it. I was just trying to abate the worry some people may have if they are able to hear the pulses...it is perfectly normal. Not a defect. Just because you can't hear it doesn't mean you're right. Also, yes the microphone on most iPhones is sensitive to the sound (whether it truly qualifies as ultrasonic or not I don't know) but it definitely amplifies it in a video recording. Hope this helps somebody out there! In a nutshell - squeaky screeching gimbal is bad...if you hear a consistent regular patterned pulsing sound that is good (it's simply the VPS system). :sunglasses:
 
Turn off VPS. It won't go away. :eek: It's a defect.
This is because the VPS cannot be turned off. It is disabled in ATTI mode and not used for positioning of the Phantom, however it is technically still on but not being used by the computer at that point.
 
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Sorry gadget guru...either you are misunderstanding me or you are simply wrong. As I stated earlier the squeaky/screeching sound is a broken gimbal. On the other hand, the VPS can audibly be heard in the recording and I can hear it without the recording. It sounds like very quick pulses. It is absolutely normal and all P3P's (5) that I have been around do it and the P4 I have also does it. I was just trying to abate the worry some people may have if they are able to hear the pulses...it is perfectly normal. Not a defect. Just because you can't hear it doesn't mean you're right. Also, yes the microphone on most iPhones is sensitive to the sound (whether it truly qualifies as ultrasonic or not I don't know) but it definitely amplifies it in a video recording. Hope this helps somebody out there! In a nutshell - squeaky screeching gimbal is bad...if you hear a consistent regular patterned pulsing sound that is good (it's simply the VPS system). :sunglasses:
Maybe both! Wouldn't be the first time! ;) To be honest, I didn't listen to the two different sounds, and just assumed they were the same. A pulsing sound, indeed, is very different than the screeching squeaky gimbal. I've just never heard any pulsing on my P3's, so I also never tried recording it. Since you have, I will defer to you. I believe we are now in full agreement! :cool:
 
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This is because the VPS cannot be turned off. It is disabled in ATTI mode and not used for positioning of the Phantom, however it is technically still on but not being used by the computer at that point.
Since my P4 has been returned, until I replace it, I cannot verify that turning off VPS is no longer an option on the P4, like it was on the P3. I thought it was. I always wanted it on, as it helps with stability during hand catching. So, once again, I'll defer to you, and thank you for the correction.:cool:
 
Since my P4 has been returned, until I replace it, I cannot verify that turning off VPS is no longer an option on the P4
You cannot turn it off. When flying in ATTI, it does not use VPS to hold the Phantom's position. So, you can at least partially disable it that way.
 
Not exactly correct...lots of creatures can hear them - cats, bats, whales, and dolphins just to name a few. Also when you make a video recording depending on the device (worked on my iPhone) it is able to pickup the reflections of the ultrasonic frequencies as well which are audibly heard in the video as in the videos posted above. The screeching however that was posted in the second video is a defective (broken) gimbal. :);)

My gimbal made no noise...until I recorded it with my iPhone, where it sounded like a garbage truck dropped off the Empire State Building.
 

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