Typical wobble/toilet bowl/altitude issues?

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Hi all! Proud to have just joined this fantastic forum. Don't hold it against me that I'm new, I'm soaking this stuff up like a sponge and loving it... :D

So I have a DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ v3.0. Couple weeks ago it started drifting out of control on take-off and in my inexperience/surprise I didn't reclaim control and had a rough crash. At the time I blamed not waiting for a GPS lock, thus operator error, because in my haste I realized later I didn't check for that. A little more on this initial drift later.

So I bent an arm, and the LEDs on that arm busted out and the motor had scuff marks. So I bought a new shell and did the replacement, and ordered new ESC and motor which haven't come yet. So I figured I'd check the status of the phantom in the new shell.

On my tethered tests, it flies, but there is some wobble and definite unsteadiness, won't stay locked in one position very well (observed some toilet bowl flying). Also, it occasionally jerks up or down in altitude.

Just curious, does this all seem to be something that the ESC/motor replacement will fix?

I realized later, I wonder if the drifting (which was before this major crash) was the first symptom of some other problem? What should I look into checking besides the ESC/motor that suffered the worst from the impact?

I did have 2 minor crashes before this at very low altitude (under 8 feet).

In addition to the ESC/motor replacement, I just ordered a Du-Bro prop balancer, wondering if my props could have gotten out of whack from the minor crashes. Other than these two things, I dunno. Did basic/advanced IMU calibration although all numbers look in range.

Looking for ideas while waiting for my stuff to come! Thanks everyone!

Josh
 
Welcome to the party Josh,

There is a helpful Google search link in my signature. It will lead you to some interesting discussions on IMU calibration. Some folks believe the IMU needs to be perfectly level, and now some think it needs to be cool as well.

Anyway, enter your query in the middle of the page, not at the top.

There are a ton of reasons you could be circling in the porcelain throne.

Lots of info and maybe even a video of what you think it's doing wrong might help.

Enjoy the show.
 
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Josh Curtiss, try doing an IMU calibration and then a compass calibration.
 
Also check those props. Ifntheynarenthensame ones from the crash they may have some issues. Definitely start with the IMU calibration. Re-do it after any crash, updates to firmware or if you craft was shipped anywhere.
 
Thanks everyone. @IflyinWY, that Google tool is handy. @msinger and @RoyVa, as soon as the motor comes in the mail, I'll replace the motor and ESC, use new props, and recalibrate IMU and compass. Here's hoping!

I also have a prop balancer on the way. I bought some cheap props from China and aren't counting on them to be well-balanced out of the gate.
 
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