Like a good mystery? This will make your head hurt.

[Monkeyleg]

Weeks back I noticed that the camera on my P2V+ would sometimes not be level. I noticed this in recorded video, where the horizon was sometimes tilted left or right for tens of seconds or even a couple of minutes. Then it would be level. Then it would tilt again.

At home, I tried moving the P2V+ around in the air with my hands, rolling and pitching. Sometimes the camera leveled out. Sometimes it didn't. The angle of the roll varied from slight to extreme.

I tried calibrating the IMU several times. I replaced the roll motor circuit board. No change. I tried a different gimbal and camera. No change. I tried a different Naza flight controller. No change.

I did a hard reset, and installed all new firmware. No change.

I had a crash, and had to get another P2V+. I bought one from hunch. It arrived today, and I gave it a try. I got the same problem with the camera tilting one way or the other and then staying tilted for varying amounts of time.

I tried another controller. Still no change. In all, I've used three different Phantoms with several different gimbals, three different flight control modules, three different Wifi transmission modules, three different radio remote controls, and more.

I've been putting the P2V+ on a professionally-leveled pool table when calibrating the IMU. I thought there might (might) be some sort of magnetic or electrical interference from God knows what, so I put it on a marble dining room table after creating a level surface for it.

Each time I've done the IMU thing, I've let it cool down naturally or put it in the fridge.

I uninstalled the Phantom Assistant software and installed fresh. Still no change.

I don't remember any camera on my Phantoms dong this, and I don't notice it in Youtube videos. The horizons are always level.

I can't think of anything else. Can you solve this puzzle?

 

[hunch]

Glad to hear it arrived safe.
now, are you having the same issue with the new gimbal / camera or are you installing the previous gimbal to a new bird and it's doing the same?

 

[Monkeyleg]

Yep. Three different gimbals/cameras, two different P2V+'s, two different controllers, two different flight control modules, and more, and it's still doing the same thing.

I've never seen this in a Youtube video, so I"m assuming it's not normal.

Maybe I live near a giant magnet.

 

[kirk2579]

Yep. Three different gimbals/cameras, two different P2V+'s, two different controllers, two different flight control modules, and more, and it's still doing the same thing.

I've never seen this in a Youtube video, so I"m assuming it's not normal.

Maybe I live near a giant magnet.

are you using the same ribbon cables with each test?
if so maybe that is the common link!

maybe a small sample video.

 

[Monkeyleg]

If by "same ribbon cables' you mean the ribbon cables that run up into the Phantom body to the wifi module and main board, then no. I've now used two completely different Phantoms that shared no parts. I also replaced the gimbal-to-wifi-module cables on the first Phantom.

I haven't used the same ribbon cables on any of the gimbals, either. They've all been different gimbals with their own ribbon cables.

I won't have time to fly this for about a week, so no video. Just imagine a video with the horizon level, then it tilts for a minute or two, then returns to level, then tilts again, maybe in the opposite direction. All this while flying straight, not in turns.

 

[Mako79]

Can you post a video of the camera levelling out?
Maybe try facing the phantom North when doing an IMU calibration. I've it has worked for some on youtube.

 

[Monkeyleg]

I'll post a video when I get my gimbal working again. Long story.

I already calibrate the IMU with the bird facing north. Not for any particular reason; it's just the setup of the room. I did the calibration in a different room where it was facing south. Didn't make a difference.

It has to be something with the environment here. Two different Phantoms, three different gimbals, two different controllers, two different Naza modules, and more.

Maybe someone else here could try this in his house. Take the Phantom and run the motors with the camera on, hand-holding it, and rolling and pitching the bird to extremes, and see if the camera stays level. From what I remember before all this started, mine always leveled out immediately.

 

[FlightFreq]

I had the same problem. The video tilted almost every time I flew. I thought I had a bad unit but then I found the fix that stopped the camera from tilting, at least for me.

Open the DJI Vision app on your phone (or whatever you view the live video on). Go into settings. Under "Flight Controller and Gimble" the last setting is "FPV mode." This should NOT be checked. If it is checked, turn it off and hopefully your camera will stay straight.

Hope this works for you!

 

[Monkeyleg]

Thanks for the reply. That's not it, though. I've had FPV checked before and know what that looks like.

The camera will stay level with the horizon for quite some time, then will tilt along with the copter, but won't return to level when the copter does. It will take a minute or two for the camera to level out.

This doesn't happen when the copter is tilted slightly, but when it's tilted quite a bit. And the tilt of the camera goes both down left and down right. It will also land with the camera tilted slightly.

 

[RoyVa]

Ok first off the IMU has no operational calibrational function with the camera on a P2 or the vision plus. The camera level is controlled by potentiometer boards on both the horizontal and vertical axis. As the quad changes angle the potentiometer electrical impulses are suspose to adjust to keep the camera level on the axis. If you have change quads and have a new remote and they are doing the same their is something weird going on. I would drive to another location 4-5 miles away and see if it changes. Their is no common denominator with two units doing the same thing hardware or software wise other than location. Give a new location a try and let us all know the outcome.

 

[Monkeyleg]

I have had this happen repeated inside my house, outside my house, at a location I fly regularly about a mile from my house, and another location about 5 or 6 miles from my house.

I could understand the horizon being off-level if the Phantom was being buffed by the wind into an off-level position to the extent that the camera wouldn't roll far enough to be level. When I test it at home I roll the P2V+ beyond the limits of the gimbal pitch. What I don't understand is the camera not returning to a level position once the Phantom is level.

I suspect this is going to be one of those seemingly complicated problems that has a simple explanation, as in "they all do that".

 

[Mori55]

Only thing I know mine stays level all the time unless I go past the limit. So I don't understand why it's doing this. Is there anyone else with a phantom near you that you can see how their works in the same area ? If you've practically replaced everything I don't get it ?

 

[Mori55]

Plus I could see if something was binding in the gimbal but u said u replaced that too.

 

[Monkeyleg]

Not only have I replaced everything, but this has been happening with two or three completely different P2V+'s, and in areas miles apart.

I have a completely brand new gimbal and camera. I'm waiting on what's supposed to be a brand new v3 wifi transmission module. It will be interesting to see if a brand new gimbal does this.

 

[Mori55]

Why not just by a new p3 ? By the time u spent all that money ?

 

[Monkeyleg]

I haven't spent money buying stuff to fix this problem. I've had to buy parts because of a crash, and because Phantoms I bought weren't as advertised.

I like the idea of a P3, but I really don't like the idea of a central circuit board that does everything. Tip over on landing, burn out what would be an $18 ESC on a P2V+, and it's $350 for a new board for a P3. Have any problem, and it's $350 for a new board. If I'd had a P3 for the last few months, I probably would have spent in the neighborhood of $1725 just on new boards.

 

[efahrenholz]

The camera gimble has its own gyro from my understanding. It calibrates at power on. When the phantom rolls beyond the stop points of the gimble, it can screw with the gyro drift compensation. I believe the gimble recalibrates at certain intervals to correct for gyro drift. When your phantom finally comes to a level position the camera will now be tilted. I have had this happen to me as well and in my case it was due to what I just described. After awhile the gimble would manage to correct itself, basically it would slowly level out as the new level would average in.

Just to add to that, most gyro type devices need to be recalibrated. Play with your phones gyro and see how long it takes before it gets way off what it started at. If you are in a turbulent wind long enough, even if you are well within the stop points on the gimble, you will still encounter this. The phantom naza fights gyro drift by using a compass and accelerometer to calculate a correction value to apply. I don't know if the camera gimble uses a compass or accelerometer. I believe it relies on the phantom staying somewhat level to base it's corrections on.

 

[robsquad]

does the pool table have a slate bed ?

 

[Monkeyleg]

efahrenholz, thank you. That makes more sense than anything I've read anywhere. The camera has gone off level when the Phantom has been tilted to extremes. For example, when flying, it went off level after the Phantom was hit with a wind gust the caused it to roll quite a bit.

I'm going to take it on a long distance high altitude (400 feet) flight and see what the recording looks like.

robsquad, I've been doing the IMU calibrations on a professionally-leveled 1" slate pool table. It's 100% level. I've checked using a machinist's level.

 

[Monkeyleg]

Here's a video that shows the camera tilting on its own while the Phantom is hovering, and also while flying in a straight path. There's no rhyme or reason that I can see. It's not titling east or west, as if the copter is fighting the wind. I know that it's going to tilt in the turns, but not forever.

Examples of what I'm talking about can be seen right at the beginning, and also at the 1:10, 4:05 and 8:36 marks, as well as in other portions of the video.

I could swear the first Phantom I had earlier this year didn't have this problem. It's now happened with three or four different Phantoms, probably 5 gimbals, two or three flight control modules, three remote controllers, and more.

Does this seem normal? I don't see this in other Youtube flight videos.