Setting up my DJI Phantom

[PhantomClark]

Hello everyone,

Last night I started the setup process of my DJI Phantom. I'm very excited to use it but want to proceed patiently with the correct steps.

First off my battery seems to be stuck in CV mode(flashing green and red). It's been in this mode for a couple hours and feel that is too long. I have other DJI batteries I purchased; should I try another one? After doing some research I found out your not supposed to connect everything first before you connect to the outlet :shock:. Hopefully I didn't short it!

Secondly, do need to calibrate the IMU via the software and driver download before I fly? The reason I ask is because I started the unboxing process following the DJI video steps which doesn't include doing the computer calibration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1QXbTa90jU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAA-KkHHM34
.....

Appreciate the feedback in advance!

 

[havasuphoto]

Hello everyone,

Last night I started the setup process of my DJI Phantom. I'm very excited to use it but want to proceed patiently with the correct steps.

First off my battery seems to be stuck in CV mode(flashing green and red). It's been in this mode for a couple hours and feel that is too long. I have other DJI batteries I purchased; should I try another one? After doing some research I found out your not supposed to connect everything first before you connect to the outlet :shock:. Hopefully I didn't short it!

Secondly, do need to calibrate the IMU via the software and driver download before I fly? The reason I ask is because I started the unboxing process following the DJI video steps which doesn't include doing the computer calibration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1QXbTa90jU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAA-KkHHM34
.....

Appreciate the feedback in advance!

You didn't short it out....they just do that sometimes.
As for your battery question; I've had a few batteries do that flashing red/green for hours thing. I have a volt-meter to check the power of the batteries(a must have), and found them to be 99% charged, and 12.5+ volts; in other words, fully charged.
You might have a lose wire in the 4 wire balance plug-check that all those wires are firmly seated into the plug.

The order in which you're supposed to connect the battery to charger is; plug the charger into the wall, plug the yellow cable into the charger, then plug the balancing port into the middle port. Make sure the left switch is set to LiPO, and the right switch can be set to 3A(it will default to 1.8 or something-so don't worry about it).
When you disconnect the battery; pull the balancing plug first, then the big yellow plug.

Getting back to your calibration question; plug the USB cable from the Phantom into your computer-open up the Naza-M Assistant, then plug a battery into your Phantom-and wait.
Click through the tabs-move the controls around and just look at everything-don't change anything yet. After the IMU's have warmed up-the page with the calibration on it(I think it's in advanced), you will see a button that says "calibrate IMU's" or something like that. Click that button. If it says "calibration not needed" or something like that-you're good to go.

Also, check that your lost communications page has the aircraft "return for landing", and not "land" checked, and that feature enabled. This is also for low voltage.

There are about 5? video's from DJI. Watch all of them, twice

Before you take-off, you want to know what everything does-and, you want a "plan" in the event you lose orientation with the aircraft. It climbs very quickly....but, altitude is your friend. Fly ONLY in GPS mode for several flights. Don't be tempted to flip the switch into Atti mode too soon. This aircraft will lull you into a false sense of security-it's pretty easy to fly. But, it's also very easy to lose orientation, and therefore lose control. Especially if you are low to the ground, with fences and tree's around.
Learn about "Home Lock"....that feature is your new best friend. When the aircraft is more than 10 meters way, flip that switch-you will see a yellow flashing light along with the green-that confirms home lock is enabled. Now, no matter which way the aircraft is pointed-pulling back on the right stick brings the aircraft back to you....this allows you to regain control/orientation. Make sure you see the rapid series of green flashes before take-off. That means your home point has been recorded. When it's ready for take-off, you should just see a steady 2 green flashes.

In GPS mode, if you don't touch the right stick, the aircraft should hover and maintain altitude within 8/10ths of a meter vertically, and 2.5 meters horizontally. So, if the Phantom is moving quickly towards disaster-release the right stick, make sure you're in GPS mode, and add power to climb. Then, you can use "home lock" to bring the Phantom back.

 

[PhantomClark]

Hello everyone,

Last night I started the setup process of my DJI Phantom. I'm very excited to use it but want to proceed patiently with the correct steps.

First off my battery seems to be stuck in CV mode(flashing green and red). It's been in this mode for a couple hours and feel that is too long. I have other DJI batteries I purchased; should I try another one? After doing some research I found out your not supposed to connect everything first before you connect to the outlet :shock:. Hopefully I didn't short it!

Secondly, do need to calibrate the IMU via the software and driver download before I fly? The reason I ask is because I started the unboxing process following the DJI video steps which doesn't include doing the computer calibration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1QXbTa90jU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAA-KkHHM34
.....

Appreciate the feedback in advance!

You didn't short it out....they just do that sometimes.
As for your battery question; I've had a few batteries do that flashing red/green for hours thing. I have a volt-meter to check the power of the batteries(a must have), and found them to be 99% charged, and 12.5+ volts; in other words, fully charged.
You might have a lose wire in the 4 wire balance plug-check that all those wires are firmly seated into the plug.

The order in which you're supposed to connect the battery to charger is; plug the charger into the wall, plug the yellow cable into the charger, then plug the balancing port into the middle port. Make sure the left switch is set to LiPO, and the right switch can be set to 3A(it will default to 1.8 or something-so don't worry about it).
When you disconnect the battery; pull the balancing plug first, then the big yellow plug.

Getting back to your calibration question; plug the USB cable from the Phantom into your computer-open up the Naza-M Assistant, then plug a battery into your Phantom-and wait.
Click through the tabs-move the controls around and just look at everything-don't change anything yet. After the IMU's have warmed up-the page with the calibration on it(I think it's in advanced), you will see a button that says "calibrate IMU's" or something like that. Click that button. If it says "calibration not needed" or something like that-you're good to go.

Also, check that your lost communications page has the aircraft "return for landing", and not "land" checked, and that feature enabled. This is also for low voltage.

There are about 5? video's from DJI. Watch all of them, twice

Before you take-off, you want to know what everything does-and, you want a "plan" in the event you lose orientation with the aircraft. It climbs very quickly....but, altitude is your friend. Fly ONLY in GPS mode for several flights. Don't be tempted to flip the switch into Atti mode too soon. This aircraft will lull you into a false sense of security-it's pretty easy to fly. But, it's also very easy to lose orientation, and therefore lose control. Especially if you are low to the ground, with fences and tree's around.
Learn about "Home Lock"....that feature is your new best friend. When the aircraft is more than 10 meters way, flip that switch-you will see a yellow flashing light along with the green-that confirms home lock is enabled. Now, no matter which way the aircraft is pointed-pulling back on the right stick brings the aircraft back to you....this allows you to regain control/orientation. Make sure you see the rapid series of green flashes before take-off. That means your home point has been recorded. When it's ready for take-off, you should just see a steady 2 green flashes.

In GPS mode, if you don't touch the right stick, the aircraft should hover and maintain altitude within 8/10ths of a meter vertically, and 2.5 meters horizontally. So, if the Phantom is moving quickly towards disaster-release the right stick, make sure you're in GPS mode, and add power to climb. Then, you can use "home lock" to bring the Phantom back.

Thank you very much for your detailed response. You have provided me with the information needed to get back on track.

I tested the battery and it was charged. I didn't see any loose connections so I guess I will just pull the battery after about 2 hours of charging each time to be safe. I also ordered this guy: http://www.amazon.com/GT-Power-GT10-Bat ... po+charger

After going through the online calibration the first time I received two errors(Error 29 and CFG-ERR) but after doing the driver install and firmware update again there were no errors. I was told there was no need for calibration and everything else looked good so now I'm waiting to get off work and follow the procedures in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAA-KkHHM34

Hoping all goes well so I can finally get some flight time today!

 

[havasuphoto]

Did you order an A/C adapter with that charger? Most are D/C, and require an adapter.
The standard DJI charger is fine. I would wait for a steady green light.
However-I ordered 4 brand new DJI batteries when I first got my Phantom, and 1 battery was dead on arrival. Unable to charge-same problem you had. When I checked the voltage, it was near 10 volts!!! One of the cells was below the point where it could be charged-so it was returned, and I am waiting on a new one.

I strongly suggest you get a voltage checker. They're cheap-and they have them that can read the voltage of all 3 cells. I always record my voltage in, and out. Just to give me an idea of how well the batteries are doing-I also compare them with flight times. But, flight times will vary wildly depending on the wind, and what kind of flying you're doing.

The other day, I was doing a "speed run" in GPS mode(hit just over 31mph), and doing a few sideward speed runs-these types of full throttle excursions will use up more of your battery quicker, than just hovering at 30 feet.

I have an FPV transmitter with iOSD-so I can see the voltage of the battery in real time. I also have a Futaba remote, with a time activated by the throttle, to count-down, and sound a warning at a specific time(for me, it's 5 minutes, my aircraft is heavy). When I hit that timer, I want the aircraft in front of me, in a position to land, within less than a minute.

So, on your first few flights, when you get the first red light indication of low battery, bring the aircraft back in front of you, facing away-and wait for the 2nd level warning. At that point, full throttle will only be about 90%, and the aircraft will usually settle to the ground-as you add throttle to cushion the landing. Time these flights-this will give you a "baseline" as to how much battery power your aircraft uses, and what flight times to expect.

Then, get an "egg timer", or something that counts down, and use that to keep an eye on flight time-so you don't end up with your aircraft 100+ feet away, with a flashing red light. From 1st level warning, to 2nd level warning-for me is about 1 minute-maybe less. You can change these warning levels higher, in the battery voltage section of your Naza-M software.

It's better to set them slightly higher. That way, when the red light starts to flash, you know the aircraft still has plenty of battery left-but the safety feature-"go home and land", should become activated. Once the aircraft has returned, flip from GPS to Atti once, then back to GPS, and land your aircraft.

 

[PhantomClark]

I did not purchase an AC adaptor. Some of the guys using the Imax B6 charger are using this adaptor: http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Monit ... pd_sim_t_1 Think it would work with the charger I ordered?

I purchased a cheap voltmeter from walmart. It's an analog style unit that only ranges from 0-10, 0-50 and so on....so I'm only able to see the voltage on this current battery is 10+ volts. It's very similar to this one: http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-M105-Range ... =voltmeter Guess I will have to purchase a higher end digit unit that will allow me to read a more detailed range. Maybe this one: http://www.amazon.com/Extech-MN35-Digit ... =voltmeter

I will be sure to keep the Phantom close by the first couple of runs to get an idea of how long the battery is lasting. I will most likely just use the timer on my cell phone to keep track of time spent in the air.

Definitely going to set the warning in the software to warn as soon as possible.

And why should I flip from GPS to Atti back to GPS?

 

[havasuphoto]

I did not purchase an AC adaptor. Some of the guys using the Imax B6 charger are using this adaptor: http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Monit ... pd_sim_t_1 Think it would work with the charger I ordered?

I purchased a cheap voltmeter from walmart. It's an analog style unit that only ranges from 0-10, 0-50 and so on....so I'm only able to see the voltage on this current battery is 10+ volts. It's very similar to this one: http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-M105-Range ... =voltmeter Guess I will have to purchase a higher end digit unit that will allow me to read a more detailed range. Maybe this one: http://www.amazon.com/Extech-MN35-Digit ... =voltmeter

I will be sure to keep the Phantom close by the first couple of runs to get an idea of how long the battery is lasting. I will most likely just use the timer on my cell phone to keep track of time spent in the air.

Definitely going to set the warning in the software to warn as soon as possible.

And why should I flip from GPS to Atti back to GPS?

You shouldn't!! This is only done if you want to record a different point as Home Point. It re-records the current location the Phantom is flying, as Home Point. Don't do it........
Get this battery voltage checker; http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXNBXXA/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Plug the 4-pin balance plug into the top four pins on the right side. If you do it wrong, or upside down, it won't hurt anything-you just get no reading.
Then, you can cycle through the buttons, read each cell, and read min/max voltage per cell....it needs no batteries, and works great.

 

[PhantomClark]

Purchased that battery voltage checker....should be here Monday.

Here's what all comes with the secondary charger I ordered:


Looks like I'm going to have to wait on a new power supply..

 

[havasuphoto]

Yep, or hook it up to your car battery out in the field......

 

[PhantomClark]

True that.

 

[PhantomClark]

Never thought in a million years it would take me this long to get this thing in the air.
After finally being able to get a little time to get back playing with the Phantom I successfully calibrated it.
However, the success ended there.
Once the the Phantom's IMU's warmed up and green light started flashing repeatedly I hit the controls to get her in the air.
The only action I received once I did so was a faster blinking green light.
I let off the controls and the light went back to it's steady pace.
What gives!?
I'm ready to fly this thing!!!

 

[havasuphoto]

Did you have the right stick and the left stick, down and inward? If that doesn't work, try both stick down and out.
It should fire up the engines when both control sticks are all the way down, and towards each other-so, right stick down and to the left, and left stick down and to the right-hold, and the engines should fire up.

Try other combinations-like both down and left stick to the bottom left, and right stick to bottom right.....if none of those combinations work-go into Naza-m, and re-calibrate your remote, make sure you are seeing plus/minus 1000 on the controls, and that center is really center, and try again. Sometimes they're just fussy the first flight of the day.....

 

[PhantomClark]

Will do. Thank you sir.

 

[PhantomClark]

She's up and running! Love this thing! Didn't think it would have this kind of power and be this smooth!
Happy Phantom Pilot here :mrgreen:

 

[PhantomClark]

Finally received my brushless gimbal: (http://www.goodluckbuy.com/dji-phantom- ... raphy.html)

Looking to receive feedback on how to get this thing running smooth as it seems to have a couple issues.

First issue is that the gimbal seems not to be able to find a set balance. It will level out at one point then change it's mind and level out at another.

The second issue is a hard vibration under vertical climb, which you can see in this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQph3FFjwyQ

 

[PhantomClark]

?

 

[havasuphoto]

You might want to start another thread, or, go to the other R/C forum, in the multi-rotor talk groups over there.
I'm not familiar with that gimbal...and I believe most here have the Zenmouse.
Try a google search of your Gimbal, then look for forums discussing the issues your having-that's the best I can do

 

[PhantomClark]

Thank you sir. Will do.