Floppy Gimbal after Battery pull

Microsmith · 2025-05-20T13:37:38-0400

Hi guys. A few weeks back I had a strange issue occur. I was testing my H3, i took off and hovered about 2-3 foot from the floor for a few minutes. I was about to perform a few take offs and landings, but before i could i lost control, It didn't fly off or anything like that, the drone started to slowly ascend, i tried to bring it back down but the controller didn't have any effect. It was ascending so slowly i managed to place my hand of top of the shell and push it back down, when i got it on the ground, and with my free hand i pulled the battery out. Since then the gimbal has been non responsive.

I didn't crash or land hard, so don't suspect the ribbons, the WIFI is broadcasting, and i am seeing a picture from the camera on the controller, just no Gimbal control, to rule out the ribbons i have had it apart and checked they are ok, everything looks ok, all motors are free. After putting it back together i have the same fault. (so not made it worse thank god)

I suspected a firmware issue, and trying a few different firmware's using the SD card method, i have noted the following.

Leica L1 Gimbal Update = Failed
Error message on txt file:
file size: 135790
Error: file verification failed
update gimbal failed

Leica L1 Us-Version firmware.bin = Failed, nothing happened, no text file written.

US Firmware - H3_IONL1P_C_1.0.05_BUILD573_20190927.yuneec = Flashing red light, nothing else, no txt file output.
EU Firmware - H3_IONL1P_E_1.0.05_BUILD573_20190927.yuneec = Flashing Green light, failed
Error message on txt file:
file size: 1461235
found board ID in JSON: 96
found iv
found encrypted image
.yuneec JSON parsed
base64decode compressed image len: 1053995
base64decode iv len: 16
base64decode uncompressed len: 1053664
send reboot
send reboot
send reboot
send reboot
send reboot
send reboot
send reboot
send reboot
send reboot
send reboot
failed to get reboot acknowledged at 500000, continuing anyway
could not talk to bootloader, giving up

I've also attached a photo of my controller settings, comparing to a few posts I've read on the forum from other members, I've noticed they have data in the Autopilot and Product IDs whereas both fields on my controller say N/A. Is that normal?
So i started thinking the floppy gimbal was maybe a aircraft firmware issue instead so started the process of updating it, i got as far as doing the controller and nothing else will update, i assume im on the latest firmware for everything else.

There is a H3 Gimbal board on eBay here in the Uk for £40 so might be worth a punt buying that and seeing what happens. Other than that, does anyone have an suggestions? am i on the correct / latest firmware's?

Many Thanks!
Mike.

WTFDproject · 2025-05-20T18:37:32-0400

Microsmith said:
. Other than that, does anyone have an suggestions? am i on the correct / latest firmware's?

Many Thanks!
Mike.

Those are the typical messages you get when the ribbons are damaged. You should check the contact springs on the drone side of the camera mount. Mostly, it appears there is an incomplete circuit somewhere. And many bad ribbons show no sign at all of damage.

Generally, you can't fix a hardware problem with firmware. All you will do is corrupt or erase the existing firmware and then have two problems to deal with.
But given the start of this issue was coincident with pulling the battery, my normal brick wall of a brain feels a little less certain that this is a really a hardware issue.

A couple things to try before focusing on hardware;
First: Make sure the controller is OFF. SD card updates don't work if the equipment (camera/gimbal/drone) is bound or binds to the controller during the update.
Second: Format the SD card so that it is clean. Copy ONLY the "gimbal.yuneec" file to it, install the SD card and turn on the camera. You will probably not see much activity, if any at all. Leave it for at least a couple of minutes, then check for error messages.

This is a Screenshot for the US version of H3 firmware:

This screenshot is from H3 Build 705, the next next release after the Build 573 you are on. I don't know if anything useful changed.

Note L1 is a particularly bad camera for firmware. Yuneec issued C23 firmware by mistake for the L1 on some websites and did not correct the mistake. You have to open a copy of the "camera.bin" file with a text reader to ensure it does not say "C23". Your error messages mention the ION L1, so the current firmware you are trying is at least correct. This caution is in case you try another version.

WTFDproject · 2025-05-20T20:47:50-0400

Microsmith said:
,,,,,,I've also attached a photo of my controller settings, comparing to a few posts I've read on the forum from other members, I've noticed they have data in the Autopilot and Product IDs whereas both fields on my controller say N/A. Is that normal?.......
Many Thanks!
Mike.

It is normal if the H3 is off or not bound to the controller. If the controller was bound to the H3 and L1 at the time of the screenshot, that is another symptom of a damaged ribbon (or other break in the circuit). The earliest symptoms of a failing ribbon are problems with updates and information displays on the controller. Gimbal symptoms usually start with gimbal buzz before complete failure, but there are not enough history examples to feel certain of that.
The lack of control you mentioned can also be a symptom of ribbon failure if the system had swapped over to 5.8 ghz for the drone control, which comes to the drone from the camera via the ribbons. The system should have sensed the loss of the controller within a short time and returned control to the 2.4ghz system. The 2.4ghz system gets the control signal directly from the controller.

WTFDproject · 2025-05-20T22:48:09-0400

Sorry. I should have verified these before:
The title to the thread uses the term "floppy", but the first post just describes it as "non-responsive". Please clarify if the gimbal is stabilizing in the front/center/level position.
Are there any beep codes from the camera?

Microsmith · 2025-05-21T05:57:41-0400

Thank you @WTFDproject for replying.

You should check the contact springs on the drone side of the camera

The contact springs on the drone side look ok.

Generally, you can't fix a hardware problem with firmware. All you will do is corrupt or erase the existing firmware and then have two problems to deal with.
But given the start of this issue was coincident with pulling the battery, my normal brick wall of a brain feels a little less certain that this is a really a hardware issue.

Yeah thats where i was going with it. But i will cast a critical eye over the ribbons again but with the microscope we have here as well just to be sure.

First: Make sure the controller is OFF. SD card updates don't work if the equipment (camera/gimbal/drone) is bound or binds to the controller during the update.
Second: Format the SD card so that it is clean. Copy ONLY the "gimbal.yuneec" file to it, install the SD card and turn on the camera. You will probably not see much activity, if any at all. Leave it for at least a couple of minutes, then check for error messages.

Yup, Controller was switch off on every update performed. And when i copied a single firmware file to the SD card i ensured the SD was formatted first to fat32. During the updated i left it powered on alone for at least 5 clear minutes to ensure it had finished.

This screenshot is from H3 Build 705, the next next release after the Build 573 you are on. I don't know if anything useful changed.

Thats interesting, You do have a version of AutoPilot showing in your screenshot. Whereas mine does not. Yes, The controller was bound to the H3 and L1 at the time i took the picture of controller.

Gimbal symptoms usually start with gimbal buzz

I do remember the Gimbal having a slight buzz, this has always been present.

Please clarify if the gimbal is stabilizing in the front/center/level position.
Are there any beep codes from the camera?

No, i dont have any control over the Gimbal. It just dangles there. In RC Monitor i can test and verify the controls work, but absolutely zero stabilization control.

Ive added some videos to Youtube that show the startup operation.
This one shows the drone starting up, there are no beep codes, just a red flashing LED that changes to yellow.

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And this video shows more of the controllers display.

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I will inspect the Ribbons and report back later.

Thanks for your help.

WTFDproject · 2025-05-21T09:42:20-0400

Microsmith said:
You do have a version of AutoPilot showing in your screenshot. Whereas mine does not.

This one shows the drone starting up, there are no beep codes, just a red flashing LED that changes to yellow.

And this video shows more of the controllers display.

I will inspect the Ribbons and report back later.

...., You do have a version of AutoPilot showing in your screenshot. Whereas mine does not. ...
This can be a symptom of a bad ribbon of course.
Another possible relation to your issue is that the communication path runs through tracing on the gimbal board.
The bad thing is it could also be another "mystery ailment" I never resolved. In that case, however, the gimbal was working normally.

This one shows the drone starting up, there are no beep codes,
It also seems strange there is not even a twitch when power hits the gimbal board.
There is a very small LED on the left side of the gimbal board. There is a small pin-hole in the rear arm cover to see it. The led should flash a few times at first power on, then go back dark.
Does it flash at all?
Have you tried to reset the gimbal board?

..there are no beep codes..
The beep codes are produced by the gimbal board sending vibrations to the Yaw motor, much like a speaker. If the gimbal board is dead, there are no beeps.

.,,just a red flashing LED that changes to yellow....
That is normal if there is no SD card in the camera. The final LED should be green if the SD card is installed.