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Phantom 3 Pro Tilted Horizon
- Thread starter RIck D
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Mine had same issue out of the box. Even after imu calibration. You could physically see the tilt to the right. I recalibrated imu and gimbal today, we'll see if that helped. Doesn't look like its tilted horizontally. However, if you look down from the top of the bird it looks like it is pointed a little left. 
Easiest way to tell is to set up a level board [ the top of my laser was just right with 2 sheets of paper], and leave the level across one end at right angles. Face the bird parallel to the level, turn on the camera grid lines, and it's pretty obvious if they don't match. I reclaibrated it twice, and halved the error to -0.7 degrees. Now, if DJI can manage to make the software remember that, all will be good.Mine had same issue out of the box. Even after imu calibration. You could physically see the tilt to the right. I recalibrated imu and gimbal today, we'll see if that helped. Doesn't look like its tilted horizontally. However, if you look down from the top of the bird it looks like it is pointed a little left.
I today leveled both aixes, front to back of AC, and left and right, so it was perfectly balanced. Took it up for a quick test and without any Gimbal Roll Adjustments at all, it looked way better than everything shot yesterday using -1.6, -1-.8, -2.0, -2.2. Yesterday -1.6 GRA looked the best. I'm wondering now if the Gimbal was damaged during shipping. The Plastic Gimbal protector and Foam padding that hold it in place do not stay secured during shipping. They bounce around in the box and the Gimbal thrashes about as UPS ground throws it around pretty roughly. I'm not sure what else to do at this point to try to get a straight horizon. The IMU CAL and level balancing over and over is not solving the issue for me any way.
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My issue is that I can level it and it changes in flight. I noticed today it did it after point straight down with the camera. I'll do more tests in the future to see if that throws it off again. Anyone else having the horizon change after correcting? My settings didn't change, just the actual effect on the gimbal.
I am having a similar issue with my P3A. I received it Friday, and my gimbal guard had also fallen off during shipping. So far I have been impressed with the Phantom, way better than my original FC40. The stability and clarity of the camera, even on the Advance is impressive. However, Monday night I did notice that my horizon looks off on almost all the pictures and videos have taken. See the the video below, as you will see the horizon is tilted then as I pan to the left it straightens out but then tilts again as I fly forward. After doing some research it sounds like this maybe a systemic issue with the P3. Besides compass, I have not had a chance to perform other calibrations, but it sounds like that does not work most of the time. I plan to do the calibrations tonight or tomorrow, but I am curious if anyone has been able to correct their horizon issues or if they had to contact DJI to get it resolved?
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There is a gimbal roll adjustent, but you have to redo it every time you change batteries, because dji, in their haste, forgot to make the bird record it. Duh!
I had the same problem - with both the roll axis and the yaw axis. I was able to fix it by physically rotating the bracket around the potentiometer shaft. It was very tricky and took a couple of hours, but it did fix the problem more or less for both axes. I grabbed the parts with big pliers, using pieces of rubber to prevent the pliers damaging the metal.
It would be trivial for DJI to fix this in software by making the roll adjustment permanent, and by adding a yaw adjustment option. But you know the way things go with DJI and software... they'll be too busy working on the Phantom 4 to bother fixing issues we all have with the Phantom 3 - it was the same way with the Phantom 2.
It would be trivial for DJI to fix this in software by making the roll adjustment permanent, and by adding a yaw adjustment option. But you know the way things go with DJI and software... they'll be too busy working on the Phantom 4 to bother fixing issues we all have with the Phantom 3 - it was the same way with the Phantom 2.
So far i have resisted the temptation to get physical with my p3a, instead modifying the p2v+3. Imu full calibration did make both better, but not correct. The software did say a calibration was not needed, even though it obviously was. I still think it must be a manufacturing fault with that shaft which you moved, because they are all out about the same amount in the same direction.
Has anyone contacted DJI directly about the issue yet? Do they accept it as a legit issue and will they do anything to correct it if calibrating doesn't work?
My gimbal was great out of the box. Made 2 flights and as level as could be, give or take a degree. My tablet I was hoping that would work would not so I used my Galaxy S5 phone till my Nexus 7 tablet came in yesterday. I fully updated it, got the pilot app from DJI just like on my phone, and now the roll is off so much I had to adjust it to 2.2 or 2.4 (I don't remember atm). All I have done or changed is went from my G5 phone to a Nexus 7 Tablet.
Yes I have been in touch with R&D about the issue.. Currently the only fix right now is to calibrate the craft while COOL and making sure it's perfectly level when doing so. Sometimes it will take 3-4 cals before you get satisfactory results.
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Man I hate this for everyone. I've closely monitored the "dreaded gimbal tilt" of the P3 even a few weeks before I got mine. I was just lucky. Mines pretty much "ok". I have to do a gimbal calibration often but I can't complain I guess. So... just luck of the draw. According to DJI's forum regarding the gimbal tilt, "They have been made aware of the issue and are working on it."
After more than one really bad experiences with DJI customer service and defective equipment, I've changed my own personal policy. I don't buy anything from DJI. Nothing. Ever. Period. WHY: I sent 3 emails to DJI customer service about and issue and NEVER.... I repeat....NEVER got a single response on this one problem. Another time I was told (regarding another defective piece of DJI equipment a had for 5 days.) it couldn't just be exchanged. I said, "Yeah but I just got it and it's defective". Was told you'll have to send it in for inspection/analysis of the problem and then repair! "Could be 4 to 8 weeks." Two months? Really.
I know I'm not directly helping the present issue in this thread...but man, for me it's live and learn. I buy everything DJI from B&H. Bought a H3-3D gimbal from B&H. The official DJI firmware update bricked the gimbal. Never even got to fly it. (In desperation I even tried the well known "jumper with tweezers trick" a total of 11 times to no avail.) Didn't bother with DJI. Packed it up, filled out the online form from B&H, printed the PREPAID ups label and in 6 days I had a brand new gimbal at my door. That is customer service.
The way I see it: The more reputable dealers like B&H have to deal with defective merchandise from the same particular company, the more dealers like B&H will be inclined to have a serious evaluation with that company. e.g. If big B&H told big DJI, "We're not carrying you stuff until you get your s**t together because it costs us too much in returns, shipping and manpower." That would be a good wakeup call for DJI. For now they'll just ignore knuckle-heads like me whining about 1 defective unit.
My apologies for the ramble. I do feel your pain.
After more than one really bad experiences with DJI customer service and defective equipment, I've changed my own personal policy. I don't buy anything from DJI. Nothing. Ever. Period. WHY: I sent 3 emails to DJI customer service about and issue and NEVER.... I repeat....NEVER got a single response on this one problem. Another time I was told (regarding another defective piece of DJI equipment a had for 5 days.) it couldn't just be exchanged. I said, "Yeah but I just got it and it's defective". Was told you'll have to send it in for inspection/analysis of the problem and then repair! "Could be 4 to 8 weeks." Two months? Really.
I know I'm not directly helping the present issue in this thread...but man, for me it's live and learn. I buy everything DJI from B&H. Bought a H3-3D gimbal from B&H. The official DJI firmware update bricked the gimbal. Never even got to fly it. (In desperation I even tried the well known "jumper with tweezers trick" a total of 11 times to no avail.) Didn't bother with DJI. Packed it up, filled out the online form from B&H, printed the PREPAID ups label and in 6 days I had a brand new gimbal at my door. That is customer service.
The way I see it: The more reputable dealers like B&H have to deal with defective merchandise from the same particular company, the more dealers like B&H will be inclined to have a serious evaluation with that company. e.g. If big B&H told big DJI, "We're not carrying you stuff until you get your s**t together because it costs us too much in returns, shipping and manpower." That would be a good wakeup call for DJI. For now they'll just ignore knuckle-heads like me whining about 1 defective unit.
My apologies for the ramble. I do feel your pain.
Yes, I asked their online support when I first got myp3, about a month ago, & they said they hadn't heard of it, do an imu cal. They said they would pass on the request to make the adjustment [in the p3] sticky in the bird. I am not holding my breath waiting. I just wish they could sort their **** out, instead of racing to bring out new & similarly flawed firmware, and multiple versions of everything, and expecting us, their customers to do their testing , at our expense. I have only flown my p3a a few times, at the moment concentrating on the p2v+ fpv.
I tried that and it wouldn't let me do a gimbal calibration while it was in the air. I immediately got a calibration failed message. Did I do something wrong?
Do you guys think having the gimbal lock on when the phantom boots up is bad IE can ruin the gimbal? I ask cause I forget to take it off right away sometimes
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