Is this a GPS, compas, or just a pilot issue??

[Kileywmc]

I have had my phantom vision 2 plus for a few weeks now and really enjoy it. However I am scared to us it to its full potential (with me piloting anyway) because sometimes it just takes off. My neighbor has two of these unites and neither of them fly like mine. Sometimes it works fine for a few minutes then it wants to go, and the battle is on, resulting is a few fairly hard landings. Sometimes it goes a few feet or a couple hundred feet and then comes back to the spot that I last had control if I don't touch anything, other times its like the Energizer Bunny and keeps going until I lose signal then it enters the "go home" mode and comes back. I have no idea what is causing this and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Very Frustrated!!

 

[hunch]

are you flying FPV with your V+? if so while flying can you tell us a little bit more about how many satellites do you lock on?
could be your GPS module that is not locking more than 6 satellites causing it drifting away.
so next time before you even start flying observe on your phone / mobile device how many satellites you have.
if it isn't 7 or more i wouldn't fly if you think there is an issue.

when was the last time you calibrated the compass?

when connected to Assistant make sure that right switch on the controller is all the way up and it is in GPS mode when switch is up.

also, any high voltage wires around you where you fly?

what is the ground you are starting from? not metal is it??

couple things to try off the back and report back when you try couple of these.

 

[Kileywmc]

I have calibrated the compass before flights as well as during flights after a run away.
when I plugged into the software this evening and it told me no calibration was needed.
I make sure that I am away from power lines and metal objects before take off, and that my lights flash green fast the green long.

I am not sure on the satellites but I will find out tomorrow.
Thanks

 

[Alan Miller]

I a willing to bet your GPS signal is droping below 6 causing your issue. Download GPS plan on your iPhone to see how many satellites are availble before you fly. This app helps me a lot

 

[Monkeyleg]

I'm completely new to this, and experiencing a problem that could be related to this. Would having an intermittent loose connection for the camera/wifi cable at the gimbal "box" (the cable connector to the right as you face the nose of the Phantom) cause it to lose GPS and wifi, and put it into Go Home mode?

 

[Meta4]

Would having an intermittent loose connection for the camera/wifi cable at the gimbal .. cause it to lose GPS and wifi, and put it into Go Home mode?

No .. it would not affect flight or initiate RTH. But it could (depending on which cable) cause you to lose control of the camera or lose the display of telemetry (speed, height, satellite and battery data).

 

[Meta4]

I am scared to use it to its full potential because sometimes it just takes off. .. Sometimes it works fine for a few minutes then it wants to go, and the battle is on, resulting is a few fairly hard landings. Sometimes it goes a few feet or a couple hundred feet and then comes back to the spot that I last had control if I don't touch anything

The symptoms you describe are not normal and it sounds like your Phantom is not safe to fly like that.
Neither compass nor GPS errors explain these symptoms.
Compass problems would give you an error on the screen or cause the Phantom to have trouble flying straight.
Losing GPS would cause the Phantom to drift but not zoom away.
Hard to say what exactly is the issue but it sounds like the IMU is at least part of the problem.
If you have had hard landings, you need to do a full IMU calibration before flying any more.

 

[RoyVa]

If you have not done a full calibration of all and especially an IMU calibration do it now. DJI will tell you after shipping, transport, or updates do an IMU calibration. Then the compass cal. Afterwards be sure you have satellite lock before flying. Sensors get confused shipping in big metal trucks and stuck on shelves in stores next to speakers etc. if you get my meaning.

 

[mad in nc]

If you have not done a full calibration of all and especially an IMU calibration do it now. DJI will tell you after shipping, transport, or updates do an IMU calibration. Then the compass cal. Afterwards be sure you have satellite lock before flying. Sensors get confused shipping in big metal trucks and stuck on shelves in stores next to speakers etc. if you get my meaning.

re: IMU calibration, make sure bird is "cold" and when Phantom Asst open's go right to the section and perform the ADVANCED IMU calibration. Then check the results against the targeted levels (shown when you roll over the ? field in settings)

 

[justin00]

Also I didn't sleep much so maybe its me not reading....but did you say you calibrated the compass during the flight??
You can't actually do that, not while its flying anyways....just to confirm how are you calibrating the compass??

Should be 2 sets of long green flashes also.. next time swipe to map screen and confirm you have the H (homepoint) set at your exact spot... and do what others suggested to

Also double check S1 and S2 are both up..but sounds like they are if you are seeing green flash...hopefully just the green.

Oh yeah calibrate the RC in assistant software...cant remember if its required to do it twice? Once in RC assist and then in normal assistant software?

 

[Alan Miller]

I never said I re calibrated in flight. All I did was replaced the GPS patch. Did a ground recal and everything is fine!

 

[marg2]

IMU Full Cal will fix it

 

[Carm]

I had this on my new p2v+. I exchanged it at shop and the new one was just the same. People say u need copper tape and all that but i fixed mine like for free without adding anything. Remove screws for top lid. Gently lift about an inch and at battery end you will see 1 wire plugged in beware, some are glued down. Just pick away at the glue to unplug and lift away lid. On inside of lid you will see a foam X shaped pad stuck down and the other end of the cable is attached to the GPS module underneath. Carefully lift on end of the sticky pad until you see the wire attached. The wire is routed wrongly from factory. Make a tear in the middle of the pad and then get the plug of the wire that was unplugged at the start and route it so it comes out of the tear in the middle instead of the edge of the pad. Make sure you press the sticky pad firmly back to the the lid, especially around the tear. Hold lid back over phantom and reconnect plug. Secure the lid again and take it out to where you usually fly it. Turn on rc remote, then wifi module, then phantom, then phone. Open dji app and connect phone to dji wifi. Press camera button on scrèn app and wait 30 secs or so. You should now have easy more than 6 sats'. When you have, take off and hover 10 to 20 feet up near you and keep checking how many sats you have on screen.
Worked 100% for me. I always get at least 8. Still not good enough to get 6 in my garden though, but thats because of the trees and stuff. Good luck.

 

[kirk2579]

I had this on my new p2v+. I exchanged it at shop and the new one was just the same. People say u need copper tape and all that but i fixed mine like for free without adding anything. Remove screws for top lid. Gently lift about an inch and at battery end you will see 1 wire plugged in beware, some are glued down. Just pick away at the glue to unplug and lift away lid. On inside of lid you will see a foam X shaped pad stuck down and the other end of the cable is attached to the GPS module underneath. Carefully lift on end of the sticky pad until you see the wire attached. The wire is routed wrongly from factory. Make a tear in the middle of the pad and then get the plug of the wire that was unplugged at the start and route it so it comes out of the tear in the middle instead of the edge of the pad. Make sure you press the sticky pad firmly back to the the lid, especially around the tear. Hold lid back over phantom and reconnect plug. Secure the lid again and take it out to where you usually fly it. Turn on rc remote, then wifi module, then phantom, then phone. Open dji app and connect phone to dji wifi. Press camera button on scrèn app and wait 30 secs or so. You should now have easy more than 6 sats'. When you have, take off and hover 10 to 20 feet up near you and keep checking how many sats you have on screen.
Worked 100% for me. I always get at least 8. Still not good enough to get 6 in my garden though, but thats because of the trees and stuff. Good luck.

now that you have done that ,

order the digikey 4mm gps antenna, 931-1126-nd for about 5 dollars.

add that to what you have done you will get plenty at sats in the garden.