This is probably a lot longer then it needs to be, but I really want to tell you about my situation and look for suggestions as to my next step to take.
Go my P3P in early December of last year. Did my first 3 flights on December 15th. Everything went very well and I got some really good pictures of the neighborhood.
Weather really got nasty and did not really have a good chance to fly until early afternoon on January 12th, 2016. Nice bright sunshine, no wind to speak of could hardly wait to take it for a bit of a flight. I set up the drone in the house, was about 15 degrees outside, everything looked really good. Did not do compass calibration as I was going to fly it in the front yard, same as where the first flights were made. I carried it out to the yard, just about the same place where I did the first flights. Placed it on the ground, everything looks great on the DJI GO app. Had a bunch of satellites, made sure the switch was in the P position, all ready to go.
I pulled both of the controls to the start position, and all heck broke loose! The P3P hopped about a foot into the air, came down and started cutting weeds with the props! It took me a few seconds to pull back on the Left Joy Stick, and kill the motors. Result, 1 prop with about 2 inches missing from one end, another with a long split in one side. Took it back in the house and checked it over carefully. Needed to be cleaned up a bit so did that first very carefully. In looking carefully at the 4 arms, I can see find lines in the plastic, radiating from the motor mounting screws in all directions. Some worse than others. Don't remember seeing them before, but guess I really never looked either. At this point in time, I decided to simply put it in the box, and walk away from it for the time being. Very disgusting, seeing my investment very quickly being destroyed.
Well, a week has gone by and I decided that I would set it up on the counter, check all the calibration, and put on some new props and take it up for a test spin. I fired it up on the kitchen counter, as I had done many times in the past, everything looked good. Next I went to Advanced Settings and "Reset All Settings" so I would have a clean slate, so to speak. Everything looked good, and I made sure it was in Beginners Mode. Said safe to fly (GPS) on the screen So one more test, without the props on, pull the two controls down to the start position. Out of the speaker comes, "Home Point Updated", followed by "Takeoff". On the screen were three green banners. On the bottom, "Home Point Recorded", next above "Motors Started" and above that "Return to Home Altitude 98'. Something is very wrong, and is probably what caused my problem with my last attempt at flying the P3P.
All of that seemed very strange, and I don't remember ever seeing and hearing all of that before now.
So not knowing what to do next, I decided to do the compass calibration, as it was the only thing that was not done, as if yet. Took the P3P to the front yard held it at arms length, pointing away from me and did the circle. Green lights! Great so far. At arms length pointed it down and did the circle. After going around once, I got 2 red lights! On the controller it said "Compass Error - Electromagnetic Interference." I did not have my cell phone, nothing magnetic in my pockets, must be I did something incorrect! So kept trying to do Compass Calibration in several other places in the front year, well away from everything! Every time the same failure!
I am at the end of my whits, at the moment, that is why I came here to seek advice as to my next step.
And one last piece of information, since my first and last successful flights, I have updated the P3P from 1.4 to 1.5 and then 1.6.4 The DJI GO app is now at 2.5. I am now wondering if all of the updates have led to the problem, as this is the first bad flight since doing all the updates.
Looking for advice, as I am completely lost, at this point.
Thanks,
GR
Go my P3P in early December of last year. Did my first 3 flights on December 15th. Everything went very well and I got some really good pictures of the neighborhood.
Weather really got nasty and did not really have a good chance to fly until early afternoon on January 12th, 2016. Nice bright sunshine, no wind to speak of could hardly wait to take it for a bit of a flight. I set up the drone in the house, was about 15 degrees outside, everything looked really good. Did not do compass calibration as I was going to fly it in the front yard, same as where the first flights were made. I carried it out to the yard, just about the same place where I did the first flights. Placed it on the ground, everything looks great on the DJI GO app. Had a bunch of satellites, made sure the switch was in the P position, all ready to go.
I pulled both of the controls to the start position, and all heck broke loose! The P3P hopped about a foot into the air, came down and started cutting weeds with the props! It took me a few seconds to pull back on the Left Joy Stick, and kill the motors. Result, 1 prop with about 2 inches missing from one end, another with a long split in one side. Took it back in the house and checked it over carefully. Needed to be cleaned up a bit so did that first very carefully. In looking carefully at the 4 arms, I can see find lines in the plastic, radiating from the motor mounting screws in all directions. Some worse than others. Don't remember seeing them before, but guess I really never looked either. At this point in time, I decided to simply put it in the box, and walk away from it for the time being. Very disgusting, seeing my investment very quickly being destroyed.
Well, a week has gone by and I decided that I would set it up on the counter, check all the calibration, and put on some new props and take it up for a test spin. I fired it up on the kitchen counter, as I had done many times in the past, everything looked good. Next I went to Advanced Settings and "Reset All Settings" so I would have a clean slate, so to speak. Everything looked good, and I made sure it was in Beginners Mode. Said safe to fly (GPS) on the screen So one more test, without the props on, pull the two controls down to the start position. Out of the speaker comes, "Home Point Updated", followed by "Takeoff". On the screen were three green banners. On the bottom, "Home Point Recorded", next above "Motors Started" and above that "Return to Home Altitude 98'. Something is very wrong, and is probably what caused my problem with my last attempt at flying the P3P.
All of that seemed very strange, and I don't remember ever seeing and hearing all of that before now.
So not knowing what to do next, I decided to do the compass calibration, as it was the only thing that was not done, as if yet. Took the P3P to the front yard held it at arms length, pointing away from me and did the circle. Green lights! Great so far. At arms length pointed it down and did the circle. After going around once, I got 2 red lights! On the controller it said "Compass Error - Electromagnetic Interference." I did not have my cell phone, nothing magnetic in my pockets, must be I did something incorrect! So kept trying to do Compass Calibration in several other places in the front year, well away from everything! Every time the same failure!
I am at the end of my whits, at the moment, that is why I came here to seek advice as to my next step.
And one last piece of information, since my first and last successful flights, I have updated the P3P from 1.4 to 1.5 and then 1.6.4 The DJI GO app is now at 2.5. I am now wondering if all of the updates have led to the problem, as this is the first bad flight since doing all the updates.
Looking for advice, as I am completely lost, at this point.
Thanks,
GR
Last edited:
