Tried to contact support (phantom 2 with gimbal)

[holoboss]

Hi everyone. I am in Canada, I am a professional photographer, but a total novice to flying.
I just learned the basics well enough to connect the gimbal and gopro to my phantom 2.

Unfortunately, I have some serious problems. I emailed phantom support - silence. I tried to call USA support line - system told me I need to hold for... over 2 hrs before I can speak to someone! (a bit steep for international call).

I need the phantom for my work, and I hope to solve my problems soon, hence my post.
Here I paste my email to tech support.
=====
Hello, I emailed you on Friday, and just tried to call you. But your system said - waiting time is.... 2 hrs! 2 hrs of international call (I am in Canada) is a bit steep just to hold the line.
So, please let me know by email (or say when it is best to call you). I described two problems, and now have one more.

So, to summarize again: I do have phantom 2 with zenmuse installed. I upgraded firmware of remote and firmware of main board on Friday.
Problem 1:
I can't make the remote move the gimbal. The knob on back of remote acts like totally dead. also when connected to software assistant, it does nothing.

Problem 2:
I did compass calibration many times and it seems ok, but the unit rarely goes with GPS (green blinks). it usually randomly changes a few yellow, then one or two green, then yellow again, and so on, and the unit is drifting - sometimes badly. to my amateur eye it looks like something is not connecting properly. but surely i may be wrong.

Problem 3: May be related to problem 2???
As per manual i first learned to fly in "phantom mode" as manual calls it. now, having basics of flying ok, I wanted to upgrade. manual is not very clear, but states it is possible to switch to Naza-M mode, using naza assistant software. (is Naza included in phantom 2 with gimbal package? It does not say it, yet it referrs to naza-m).

I downloaded naza soft assistant, installed drivers ok - but software tells me "connect to the unit". and unit is connected, main board (pt 2) software assistant can access it. but Naza assistant can't. Therefore i can't switch to the naza mode at all (or do any firmware updates which software recommends).

I don't want to open the unit not to void warranty. But something seems not quite right. I did check all available modes, and tried many times - not to bother you with something I can fix myself. So, please be so kind to give me some answers and suggestions. I need the phantom to conduct my work, but as it is - it is not a very good experience and I am afraid to crash the camera when phantom drifts like totally drunk. Please be so kind to respond soon,
Best regards
Derek Galon
Victoria, Canada
http://www.artphotographyservices.com

===
So, here it is - I simply don't know what to do at this point. any suggestions will be most appreciated.
Sorry if my questions are trivial, I don't know much about phantoms (yet).
Thank you
Cheers!
Derek

 

[EMCSQUAR]

Email support again. Lately they're taking about 48 hours to respond. I just had to contact them about a Zenmuse gimbal, 48 hrs later rec'd RMA.

 

[holoboss]

Email support again. Lately they're taking about 48 hours to respond. I just had to contact them about a Zenmuse gimbal, 48 hrs later rec'd RMA.

Thanks a lot, I will bug them again! from your experience - what I say is something fixable, or there is a real problem? is the naza included in the phantom 2 kit with gimbal? I can't find any info about it, very foggy descriptions on site and in manual, and dji video clip help is just so basic it tells me nothing I would want to know.

 

[rilot]

It's hard to say if you can't get it connected to the Naza Assistant. It sounds like your sticks and switches aren't calibrated but the only way to do that is in the Naza Assistant.

One thing, you were powering the Phantom when connecting it to the PC right? It's a Phantom 2 yes, so power it on with the button on the battery, then connect it to the PC and launch Naza Assistant.

 

[holoboss]

It's hard to say if you can't get it connected to the Naza Assistant. It sounds like your sticks and switches aren't calibrated but the only way to do that is in the Naza Assistant.

One thing, you were powering the Phantom when connecting it to the PC right? It's a Phantom 2 yes, so power it on with the button on the battery, then connect it to the PC and launch Naza Assistant.

that is exactly as I try to do it.
power on phantom, USB connection, and launching assistant.
and with other software (phantom 2 assistant) connection works ok. but with naza assistant - software can't connect. so, it suggests the naza has some problem, I guess (but I know nothing about these)

I was able to calibrate sticks through remote control (RC) software assistant, but without a chance to do anything about gimbal knob on remote which acts dead.

 

[dsloan]

Did you use rc assistant software to upgrade remote? Other thing is if sway controller seems really lose its not turning the dial inside. I had to take it off and reset.

 

[dsloan]

Oh ya it took 2 weeks for din to answer my email.

 

[Pull_Up]

I may have got the wrong end of the stick, but are you trying to connect your Phantom 2 with the Naza Assistant software? That won't work, you can only use the Phantom 2 Assistant. The "Naza" is the main control unit inside the P2, but it's not a vanilla Naza controller - it's a specific P2 version that will only talk to the Phantom 2 Assistant.

You are able to change modes using the P2 Assistant from Phantom 2 mode (the default out of the box) into a "Naza" mode which offers some more features.

All the other gimbal stuff the P2 guys and gals will have to help you with, I'm off over there with my Vision! Sorry to jump in on this but I think I saw where the confusion was coming in.

 

[rilot]

Pill_Up is correct. Phantom 2 assistant is what you need.
Use that and try to calibrate your sticks and the X1 channel too.

 

[nintendrone64]

Problem 1:
Okay, you're gonna need to open your P2 Assistant Software and complete a X-1 Calibration.
Please follow the steps provided in the Phantom 2 Manual on the DJI website.


Problem 2:
For this one, run an ADVANCED Calibration, instead of doing a compass calibration. Most often times this is the solution.
After that, take it OUTSIDE. Your Phantom 2 unit starts GPS immediately upon turning on. Let it sit for a few minutes, as it takes a while to connect to satellites in outer space (especially for an RC Toy). If it still does not connect, hover it at about 8 feet for another couple minutes. You don't HAVE to fly with all the GPS satellites connected. As a matter of fact, the drift might not even be linked to this problem, but I don't want to tell you to slam your Naza just yet.
If none of the above helps your drift, then you have a severely defective Phantom! You need to contact your dealer and have them issue you a replacement.



Problem 3:
To switch into Naza mode on a Phantom 2, the commenter above is correct. You need to switch into Naza mode via the P2 Assistant software. Once switched from "Phantom" to "Naza" you should be able to gain functionality and run the Naza software.

 

[holoboss]

Problem 1:
Okay, you're gonna need to open your P2 Assistant Software and complete a X-1 Calibration.
Please follow the steps provided in the Phantom 2 Manual on the DJI website.


Problem 2:
For this one, run an ADVANCED Calibration, instead of doing a compass calibration. Most often times this is the solution.
After that, take it OUTSIDE. Your Phantom 2 unit starts GPS immediately upon turning on. Let it sit for a few minutes, as it takes a while to connect to satellites in outer space (especially for an RC Toy). If it still does not connect, hover it at about 8 feet for another couple minutes. You don't HAVE to fly with all the GPS satellites connected. As a matter of fact, the drift might not even be linked to this problem, but I don't want to tell you to slam your Naza just yet.
If none of the above helps your drift, then you have a severely defective Phantom! You need to contact your dealer and have them issue you a replacement.



Problem 3:
To switch into Naza mode on a Phantom 2, the commenter above is correct. You need to switch into Naza mode via the P2 Assistant software. Once switched from "Phantom" to "Naza" you should be able to gain functionality and run the Naza software.

Thank you and guys above for all info. Much appreciated!
I did open P2 assistant software, and it lets me do sticks calibration. but when I start X1 calibration, nothing happens. I can move knob both direction, and it is dead. just dead. no indication of any action.
is that potentiometer on back side of remote controlling it? maybe it is wrongly set?

re - problem 2. do you mean advanced calibration using P2 assistant software? from what I understand it only offers some gimbal calibration. it is totally unclear to me. Sorry, I just don't get it.

Re: problem 3 - THANK YOU ALL for explaining. manual Is very foggy about naza, and actually points to naza assistant software in one spot. Hence my error trying to setup via naza assistant.
now for first time I understand, it has naza-like navigator, but not the stand-alone naza unit. Thanks again for that.

I will try to figure out this advanced calibration (whatever it is) and post my results.
as for gimbal knob - it is so dead I just don't know what to do.

Thanks again for helping with problem 3!!!!!!

 

[holoboss]

Did you use rc assistant software to upgrade remote? Other thing is if sway controller seems really lose its not turning the dial inside. I had to take it off and reset.

thank you, I will check it out!

 

[holoboss]

Pill_Up is correct. Phantom 2 assistant is what you need.
Use that and try to calibrate your sticks and the X1 channel too.

thanks a lot. now it gets more clear to me. I will open remote and see why the knob is dead. I can't calibrate it at all.

 

[holoboss]

I may have got the wrong end of the stick, but are you trying to connect your Phantom 2 with the Naza Assistant software? That won't work, you can only use the Phantom 2 Assistant. The "Naza" is the main control unit inside the P2, but it's not a vanilla Naza controller - it's a specific P2 version that will only talk to the Phantom 2 Assistant.

You are able to change modes using the P2 Assistant from Phantom 2 mode (the default out of the box) into a "Naza" mode which offers some more features.

All the other gimbal stuff the P2 guys and gals will have to help you with, I'm off over there with my Vision! Sorry to jump in on this but I think I saw where the confusion was coming in.

Thanks for your help and time. The manual is quite foggy, and it actually says in one spot to use naza assistant, I believe. so, I made a mistake. Big thanks for pointing it out.

Can you please tell me - is the Naza mode something I should really avoid as a beginner? they warn about it being only for most advanced users. I fly only for a month or so. not sure if I should try.
thanks again. Cheers!

 

[Bigbells]

Can you please tell me - is the Naza mode something I should really avoid as a beginner? they warn about it being only for most advanced users. I fly only for a month or so. not sure if I should try.
thanks again. Cheers!

The only reason that I can think of for DJI to say you should avoid NAZA mode is because it gives you additional settings, via the S1 and S2 switches, that can be confusing. In a tense moment, you can forget which switch does what. (Been there.) Still, I think that it's better to enable the NAZA modes and I don't think it's sound advice to avoid them while you're learning to fly. Heck, I think we're all learning to fly, no matter how much or how little experience we've accumulated.

Enabling IOC (Intelligent Orientation Control) gives you options for recovery that just don't exist otherwise. IOC is only enabled through the NAZA software (I think... at any rate, it's a feature only available if it's been enabled).

IOC Home Lock mode gives you the very useful ability to bring the Phantom back toward you regardless of the direction that the nose of the Phantom is pointing. Personally, I don't use the other IOC feature, which is Course Lock. I can't quite figure out what useful purpose Course Lock has... for me it's just confusing. However, Home Lock is extremely useful and often vital, especially for those of us who have difficulty seeing the Phantom's orientation in the sky once it gets as far away as we like to take it.

 

[holoboss]

Can you please tell me - is the Naza mode something I should really avoid as a beginner? they warn about it being only for most advanced users. I fly only for a month or so. not sure if I should try.
thanks again. Cheers!

The only reason that I can think of for DJI to say you should avoid NAZA mode is because it gives you additional settings, via the S1 and S2 switches, that can be confusing. In a tense moment, you can forget which switch does what. (Been there.) Still, I think that it's better to enable the NAZA modes and I don't think it's sound advice to avoid them while you're learning to fly. Heck, I think we're all learning to fly, no matter how much or how little experience we've accumulated.

Enabling IOC (Intelligent Orientation Control) gives you options for recovery that just don't exist otherwise. IOC is only enabled through the NAZA software (I think... at any rate, it's a feature only available if it's been enabled).

IOC Home Lock mode gives you the very useful ability to bring the Phantom back toward you regardless of the direction that the nose of the Phantom is pointing. Personally, I don't use the other IOC feature, which is Course Lock. I can't quite figure out what useful purpose Course Lock has... for me it's just confusing. However, Home Lock is extremely useful and often vital, especially for those of us who have difficulty seeing the Phantom's orientation in the sky once it gets as far away as we like to take it.

Thank you! So much good info from all of you - helps a lot!

 

[holoboss]

Did you use rc assistant software to upgrade remote? Other thing is if sway controller seems really lose its not turning the dial inside. I had to take it off and reset.

I owe you a virtual beer! It was as you said. I opened it - it was badly assembled, dial was squished down, and the knob did not turn anything. I just had to pull dial up a bit, and close it. now I can feel it turns inside, and calibration/gimbal works on remote! Big thanks! and I say - it is lousy design, feels very flimsy once you see how it works.
I fixed it thanks to you! Cheers!

 

[rilot]

Yeah, the stock transmitter is pretty pants. Once you get in to the flying a bit, consider replacing the transmitter with something like a Futaba T8J or a FrSky Taranis. Then you'll be cooking on gas.

 

[holoboss]

Yeah, the stock transmitter is pretty pants. Once you get in to the flying a bit, consider replacing the transmitter with something like a Futaba T8J or a FrSky Taranis. Then you'll be cooking on gas.

thanks for advice, I will certainly do that. what a helpful group you all are. Big thanks!

 

[nintendrone64]

Get it up and running?