x5 gimbal has a yaw angle when using pix4d capture

PIX4Dcapture
1

Hi there,

I have recently been trying out pix4d capture on iOS with an Inspire 1 carrying an X5 gimbal.

I set up the aircraft using the DJI app, do take off checks, align the gimbal to face ahead, land and switch off DJI go app and start up Pix4d Capture app.

I set up the mission, with the camera on 70° angle to face forward slightly, and load the mission up and send the aircraft on it’s way when instructed.

Weirdly the gimbal for some reason sets about a 15° yaw angle to PORT so the area being covered is offset from the required area, this happens in all missions I have so far flown, in both double grid and orbit flights.

I cannot see anywhere to adjust the yaw of the gimbal and have made sure that it is straight when setting the aircraft up in DJI Go.

Has anyone had this issue before please?

 

2

Hi Richard,

There is another user reporting a similar issue with Inspire series and X5/X5S cameras. The case is currently under the review and we would need the following information to proceed with the investigation: 

  1. Did you perform the Gimbal Yaw Reset in DJI GO app?
  2. Does the issue appear in all the missions/ flight with Inspire 1 and X5 camera? Did you by any chance try it also with X3 camera? Do you experience the same behavior?
  3. You mention that the camera is rotated for approximately 15°. Could you provide us a dataset of a mission like this so we have a look at the camera angle during the flight? To check this we would need the images (preferably uploaded on Pix4Dcloud) and the logs together with mission files as described here. I will send you a support ticket to attach the files. 
  4. Did you have the chance to try it with another mission planning app and do you notice the same behavior?

Thank you in advance for the information,

 

3

I hadn’t realised you had replied to this, my apologies.

I will try to do as you’ve asked now and come back to you.

4

Blaz,

I have flown 2 missions, one with the camera at 90° and one with the camera at 70°, the 70° still had an off set YAW, and also it didn’t seem to have adjusted the pitch to be facing at 70°.

I took a photo of the aircraft in flight to show you how it was setting itself

I haven’t loaded them up to you yet can you please send me the details of where to send the information.

Kind regards,

Rich

5

Richard, we just finished the investigation of this issue and, after checking .log files, concluded that the issue originates in DJI SDK or the firmware of the drone. 

There were also some users reporting the same issue appears on the Litchi app which indicates that this is not only related to our app. 

At the moment I would recommend making sure that all the firmware versions are updated and wait for new updates. Also, make sure that the “Gimbal Yaw Reset” is performed as described in step 1. above.

Best,

6

Blaz,

I opened this ticket under a different user account whilst trialling the software.

Has there been any progress in identifying the issue please.

I flew a mission last week and the gimbal is still being set with a Yaw angle, even on 90° setting.

I have run the Gimbal Yaw Reset but it doesn’t seem to have had an effect.

Kind regards,

Richard

1 Like
7

At the moment there are no updates on this topic. From the information I have at the moment, the issue originates on the DJI side and, therefore, we cannot influence the behavior on our side. 

I would recommend waiting for the new DJI firmware release. 

8

We’re experiencing a similar issue with our X4S on a DJI M210.  Using Pix4D Capture, we’d start a mission, the M210 would ascend and the X4S would yaw as it flew to the first waypoint.  Our images are not parallel to the flight path and they’re capturing the M210’s leg in the images.  I began a mission, cancelled it after the camera yaw, and landed with the camera still angled (photo below).  We are not having this issue with DJI GS Pro or Drone Deploy (which I assume also uses the DJI SDK).

Has there been any update on this from Pix4D or DJI?

9

I am experiencing a similar issue when flying with the M210 and XT camera.   The camera was constantly moving in the yaw axis, almost like it was not sure of it’s position.  This caused many of the images to have image blur.   Not to mention they were not aligned in the same direction.

I reset set the gimbal yaw and calibrated it too.   It did not help.

I am up to date on all my firmwares too.

Ed

 

 

 

10

I had also reset and calibrated the gimbal, as well as updated the firmware.  It’d be great if Pix4D could confirm an issue with the SDK and communicate a resolution to its users.  I assume they are working with DJI to correct the issue.  Luckily there are other 3rd party apps that don’t have this issue.  I’m still hopeful that I’ll be able to use Pix4D Capture one day.  Over the past couple years, it worked properly for about a month - once they were able to trigger the camera at regular intervals after a battery swap, and before this issue with the camera yaw.  Perhaps I should give up on being able to use Capture.

11

Brian,

 

Which apps are you using on your M200 for thermal?   GSP seems to the best option so far.  

 

Ed

12

I’m not capturing thermal, but I’m having the same yaw issue with my X4S camera.  I’ve been pretty happy with GSP.  However, I’m unable to use GSP when I’m flying my fixed gimbal SlantRange 3PX as GSP flies every other line backward.  In that case I use Drone Deploy or Flight Plan.  Haven’t used Map Pilot in a while, but that’s the 5th app we switch between as every one seems to have some limitation (multi-battery, flight direction, gimbal yaw, iOS compatibility, SlantRange integration, etc.).

13

Hi all,

It seems that this issue is not occurring on the Android version of Pix4Dcapture. A user experimenting the same issue reported it on another thread.
If you have the opportunity, it might worth trying it as a workaround.

Best,

14

Thank you for continuing to follow up on this issue.  Has Pix4D confirmed that this is an issue with the DJI iOS SDK?  Pix4D Capture is the only iOS app I’m using that has this issue (Drone Deploy, Flight Plan, and Ground Station Pro all behave as expected).  Using another app has been a more cost effective work around than purchasing a new mobile device.  Having had a number of other issues using Pix4D Capture on iOS, is it fair to assume that iOS development is not a high priority and Android is overall a preferred OS for Pix4D Capture?

15

Thanks for the suggestion, Gael. We also experienced this issue. Today and yesterday we flew various tests. Yesterday, flying a M210RTK with X5S using a mini-iPad, the yaw issue was apparent, although we had no problem stitching the imagery (nadir looking). Today, we used an Android device with the same drone and a similar flight plan in Pix4D. No yaw problem – the camera pointed exactly where it was supposed to.

16

Hi,

@Brian, both Os are treated equally by our developer’s team. Each version of Pix4Dcapture get some specific issues, meaning that an issue can occur on iOS version but not on Android but it works also the opposite way. We try to take into account all users feedback so we can improve user experience and stability of our application. At the moment there is no update about this bug.
In the meantime, as Alisa also confirm that the bug does not occur on the Android version of Pix4Dcapture, I would suggest you to use Android version of Pix4Dcapture with your configuration if you are experiencing difficulties on iOS.

@Alisa, thank you very much for the tests done and your confirmation.

@all, if bumping into this specific issue on iOS, I would suggest as a workaround to use Android version of Pix4Dcapture if possible.

Best,

17

Brain,  I hope your issue was resolved.   How do you like your Slant Range?  Are you able to trigger both sensors consistently?

We are using the Sentera AGX710.  The sensor is smaller, so it takes more images.

If you have a moment, I would like to pick your brain and share our experiences.

You can reach me at shussey@skysourceaerial.com 

18

Hello,

 

Never noticed this issue. Till now. I realised the Gymbal was pointing 20 degrees off flight path. All the project came out just fine, lucky me!. But is there now a way to fix this issue?

Inspire 2 - X5S user

19

Hi Ben, 

At the moment I would recommend making sure that all the firmware versions are updated and wait for new updates. Also, make sure that the “Gimbal Yaw Reset” is performed as described in step 1. first comment by Blaz.

In the meantime, as Alisa also confirm that the bug does not occur on the Android version of Pix4Dcapture, I would suggest you using Android version of Pix4Dcapture if you are experiencing difficulties on iOS.