I'm still in the process of checking out my recently repaired H Pro. I've had several flights without problems after calibrations but yesterday when was preparing to fly the message "Switch to Angle mode and land immediately, compass calibration required", or words to that effect. As a test I restarted the drone and ST16 with the same results. I calibrated and all was fine. Could this be indicative of an intermittent problem of some sort? And is there anything I should check?
Lost compass calibration
- Thread starter jandjfrench
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@jandjfrench
I often get that before I take off, it seems to be a glitch. I just restart the H and I'm good to go.
I often get that before I take off, it seems to be a glitch. I just restart the H and I'm good to go.
I rarely calibrate the compass unless there is a very good reason to do so. I get this message frequently when the H is sitting on the ground but never during the flight. I think it's just ground effect in my case. Lots of iron ore in the ground. If you start getting the warnings when you are over 20' high then you will want to check it more closely.
The mention of "lots of iron ore" triggered a thought. I was attempting to start adjacent to a couple of heavy steel guard rails. I believe I've learned a lesson here. Thanks!
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I get them all the time. Occasionally they pop up on screen, but usually it’s just a “blip” in the log file I see after the flight when uploading to UAV Toolbox. In each case, they correlate to raising or lowering the landing gear.
I know this isn’t the same as what you got....just that the compass seems to be easily “messed with”......
I know this isn’t the same as what you got....just that the compass seems to be easily “messed with”......
I will almost always get that warning if I boot the H up when it is on the roof of my car and the st 16 is very close to it.
It took me a while to figure out that was what was causing it. Like the others mentioned, compass calibration is really only needed in specific circumstances. There is plenty of info on the forum if you do a search.
It took me a while to figure out that was what was causing it. Like the others mentioned, compass calibration is really only needed in specific circumstances. There is plenty of info on the forum if you do a search.
I recently replaced an A motor arm that had broken, now it says the same message about landing in angle mode and calibrating, but my calibration fails every time after just first entering the cal mode, I verified the GPS sensor is plugged in after removing top for arm replacement... any ideas?
Ramrod
Ramrod
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When doing your calibration, it should / must be done in a wide open field, away from any obstacles at least 50' from where you are performing the calibration. Pointing true North not magnetic North
Leave your cell phone in the car also.
Ramrod
You could also remove the top cover again, and add a few twists to the gps/compass wires.
This acts to cancel out interference that may be picked up in the wires.
You could also remove the top cover again, and add a few twists to the gps/compass wires.
This acts to cancel out interference that may be picked up in the wires.
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Backing up a bit here. Could whatever caused the arm to be broken also caused the compass problem? If not it seems likely that the compass problem was introduced by something in the repair procedure. Without knowing more I can only suggest a good visual inspection for further damage or loose connections related to the initial cause on your repairs. Good luck.
Actually, (a bit embarrassed) I was flying beneath some trees as I had before and as I took it out of "smart" mode going to "angle" mode, I accidentally went too far into "home" mode sending it to it's home elevation of 65 feet, too bad the old oak trees weren't that tall and it smashed into the lower branches before I could switch back... I never unplugged the compass wires for the GPS just gently laid back the top as I replaced the motor arm. Now when it enters the compass calibration mode it beeps, the lights flash and it exits calibration mode before I can raise it to spin on it's axis'
It's obvious that you know quite a bit more about the guts of the H than I do. The only knowledge I have is general. I know in a smart phone the compass is an integral part of the main board but when you refer to "compass wires" does that mean that the compass is a separate module? If so the shock damage of a fall could have broken it. I think at this point you can safely ignore anything I have to offer and hope than someone far more familiar with the H offers some guidance.
The "compass" or gps module is in the top cap of the unit "typhoon H" with wires connecting it to the mainboard, it's under some sticky tape to keep it flush with the cap, I've seen some repair videos on youtube that show testing the battery on the gps unit itself... anyway my unit probably wasn't damaged as it was a vertical impact, but when I tried to calibrate it I was on pavement and had my cellphone in my pocket and my battery wasn't fully charged, I will attempt to try another calibration tomorrow as it's supposed to be warmer outside..
PatR
Premium Pilot
The issue of wiring “cross talk” is mostly encountered with very small diameter wiring carrying electrical signals with voltages measured in millivolts, meaning extremely low voltage. The diameter of the wire is so small, usually inch eliminated or minimized cross talk. The condition is pretty common when thermocouples are used, where thermal activity generates very small amounts of conductive activity in special wires that is used to measure changes in temperature.
rdonson
Premium Pilot
and that's why @John Hennessy has been developing his tower for the H which will get the GPS further away from the main board *and* dissipate heat as well.
Today I returned to the scene of the crime... open field, faced my Typhoon H north and tried calibration, after initial startup and getting past the error message I was able to enter the calibration compass mode... as soon as 2 of the lights lit it immediately went back to LED status indicator WHITE meaning failure... the only way to get out of the error status is to power off the drone and power back on... HELP... anyone tell me how this happened with a vertical impact at 10' then falling to the ground breaking one motor arm...
Could I possibly missed something on tear down? are there any other tech help forums I could ask? thank you all for your experienced input.
Ramrod
Could I possibly missed something on tear down? are there any other tech help forums I could ask? thank you all for your experienced input.
Ramrod
It seems that doing anything while having that error message will be fruitless. After the arm was broken did you power it up and if so did the error message show up? If you did and it didn't that would indicate something related to your repair. Is it possible to remove the top cover and power it up? I think I saw a video showing there was still a connection with the cover off but maybe the connection could be kept with the cover moved out of the way. Other posts in this thread seem to indicate how critical the wiring placement is. Maybe you could move things around a bit and see if the message goes away. I agree it doesn't sound like the fall could have caused the problem.
