P4 "Drift" When Letting go of Sticks?

GregSW · Mar 20, 2016

DJI Drifting......

(Hello all. Had my P4 for about 3 days now. Also have a P3P.)

My P4 seems to drift a little more than my P3P. When I moving the P4 with the sticks and then let go, it seems to drift and bounce a little before settling down. For example, I take off and go up to about 10 feet and let go of the sticks. The P4 seems to drift up and down before truly stabilizing. Seems more pronounced than my P3P.

Also happens when I am moving the P4 horizontally, and let go of the the sticks. Again, bounces around a bit for settling down.

I am running in P-GPS mode. Been windy here the last few days. So maybe that is causing the issues.

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this?

Thanks in advance
GSW.

msinger · Mar 20, 2016

I did a cold IMU calibration and a compass calibration prior to my first flight. When comparing my P4 to my P3s in prior flights, it seemed to be even steadier. I was really impressed by how steady it was while hovering.

sar104 · Mar 20, 2016

I'm finding the P4 hover stability to be quite remarkable.

GregSW · Mar 20, 2016

I did do a "cold" IMU and compass calibration. But my "cold" calibration was room temperature of about 70 degrees, and the P4 had been sitting all night. It did seem better after the calibration. I guess I will just have to wait until a less windy day to confirm.

msinger · Mar 20, 2016

There was zero wind close to the ground on my first flight. So, that most certainly contributed to the steadiness I noted.

The cold part of the IMU calibration will only reduce the time it takes for the IMU to warm up. It won't make your Phantom fly more precisely. It is very important to ensure your Phantom is on a level surface and nothing disturbs it while the IMU calibration is running.

alokbhargava · Mar 20, 2016

GregSW said:
I did do a "cold" IMU and compass calibration. But my "cold" calibration was room temperature of about 70 degrees, and the P4 had been sitting all night. It did seem better after the calibration. I guess I will just have to wait until a less windy day to confirm.

You need to experiment higher gains to make it more stable. Low gains take long settling time but very high gains create oscillations. Get the best suited for your kind of operations.

GregSW · Mar 20, 2016

Sorry still bit of a noob here... higher gains ? lower gains?

Thanks
GSW

alokbhargava · Mar 20, 2016

These are the settings on Go App. I m not near my setup right now, can't help you much. But look for exp and gains in Go App. Normally default settings are ok.

GregSW · Mar 20, 2016

Ok, looking at DJI Go app. Gains
Pitch, Roll, Yaw, Vertical, all at 100%
Range 80%-120%

So when you say gain higher, you mean move like vertical up to 110%? Will that make it rise faster? And if so, I would think that would make it less stable. Sorry, I know stupid questions, but still learning.
Thanks
GSW

G-K · Mar 20, 2016

I have similar issue Greg.
P4 does drift down in first 10m (approx.) before truly stabilizing when I am moving the P4 horizontally.

I am also wondering if anyone else has noticed this? Solution?

Gokhan

DeeX · Mar 21, 2016

How drastic of an improvement is the hover stability between the P3P and P4?
Is that alone worth the upgrade?

IzzyP4 · Mar 21, 2016

DeeX said:
How drastic of an improvement is the hover stability between the P3P and P4?
Is that alone worth the upgrade?

It's amazing to watch how 100% steady it is outdoor. The only time I tried indoors it was stills drifty as P3. You upgrade because of ActiveTrack, Collision avoidance, etc. Not alone for steadiness in my opinion.

msinger · Mar 21, 2016

DeeX said:
Is that alone worth the upgrade?

Nope. The P3 is steady enough for me.

I do think all of the new features combined makes it worth the upgrade though.

DeeX · Mar 21, 2016

This is such a tough decision lol

I have a couple of P3P(s)
6 batteries
a Nanuk 950 case
a DJI backpack
3 100Watt Chargers

As you can imagine I could sell all of this..
or
Sell one and Keep one...
All to get a P4; but now I sit on the fence wondering if its worth the trouble.

Jussaguy · Mar 21, 2016

GregSW said:
DJI Drifting......

(Hello all. Had my P4 for about 3 days now. Also have a P3P.)

My P4 seems to drift a little more than my P3P. When I moving the P4 with the sticks and then let go, it seems to drift and bounce a little before settling down. For example, I take off and go up to about 10 feet and let go of the sticks. The P4 seems to drift up and down before truly stabilizing. Seems more pronounced than my P3P.

Also happens when I am moving the P4 horizontally, and let go of the the sticks. Again, bounces around a bit for settling down.

I am running in P-GPS mode. Been windy here the last few days. So maybe that is causing the issues.

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this?

Thanks in advance
GSW.

I thought I would make my glorious return on this question.

First of all, hello to all the wonderful people here at PhantomPilots.com. I thought about changing my PhantomPilots avatar (and it was completely removed) so I had to re-register but I am assuming my ban is over as it let me re-register.

I have figured a few things out mingling with some of the other groups for photography and UASs. It's certainly a fact that my area of "expertise" would be in the photograhy area vs. the RC area (although I do have some experience in both) but I think I have had an ephinany as to why there are so many clashing of heads (and I've seen it all over) but that's neither here nor there. It's up to me to try and be able to have an opinion that differs from someone's, state it and move on. I again, apologize for all my part in frustrating any fell human for any reason.

Now on to the question that I am sure has been answered quite easily and thoroughly.

Do a cold calibration of your IMUs and Compasses, outside and away from electromagnetic interference. If it doesn't work, try it again.

If that doesn't work, I would unlink and relink the RC. After that, I would call DJI as you have a warranty and they will either tell you how to fix it or fix it for you. It's almost definitely an easy fix.

Good Luck!

Jussaguy · Mar 21, 2016

DeeX said:
How drastic of an improvement is the hover stability between the P3P and P4?
Is that alone worth the upgrade?

I say it depends how much $1500 is to you. I mean by the time you get another battery and the DJI Care (if you get it) you're really looking at $2000.

Is that worth it?

Too many variables. Depends on how much that is to you the end of the day isn't it?

I do a lot of low light imagery and I was always stunned at the P3s (any of them) ability to stay level. To have that improved on because of those dual IMUs and compasses are priceless.

I've been saying lately that it's a real shame that this is a prosumer grade bird because to fly and shoot on, it has become my favorite over a lot of very expensive ones but unfortunately because it's starting with a master that is h264 there is no room for compressing and using for film or broadcast unless its some new media channel, a quick little insert or something or maybe an establish shot.

The tracking which some people have been scoffing is absolutely brilliant and is heavily dependent on the processing power of whatever device you have hooked up to the RC. Take a Lynda.com lesson on single target tracking for After Effects (because essentially that's what it's doing), and you will understand how amazing the freshman version of the Tracking software in the Go App is. It's friggen amazing if you ask this guy. It's not like you're tracking in boojou but that's just it. As someone that has tracked 1000s of objects, I can tell you that IMO that tracker works quite well. It is up to you to keep the image on the screen so the software can use the luminescence and saturation values to try and follow your subject. I have found that it does it to amazing effect. It' not a lock on like "follow me" and people keep comparing them but it's completely different, and this alone to me is worth the price of admission for an upgrade.

Couple that with the dual IMUs for hover stability and better RTH landings. Am I the only finding their P4 is returning to within inches of their homepoints?

I absolutely love the P4 and my only complaints are that I can't use it for more. But it's definitely my go to bird for anything related to family, fun or just take a pic.