Jerky camera during Orbit
Hey everyone,
New Dronelink user here and having a jerky video issue, I have cruised the forums and have found this topic to be common. However, I haven't really found a solution for my problem. I found the official drone link article on the topic so I wanted to address my situation:
- Hardware - DJI Air 2s
- Environment - Light winds, no signal interference.
- Mobile device performance - iPhone 13 Pro with good battery, all other apps closed, not in direct sunlight
- Mission Plan - Link to my mission plan, using just the standard orbit: https://app.dronelink.com/jason-hedrick/3144-old-ironside-routes/plan/AJJfMJyA3H7J8mIPkHKF/KPh77U6RDRdNWdt1r6Pz
- Execution engine: DJI Air 2s requires virtual stick
- Video: Included a YouTube link to the video file, you can see the drone seems to forget and then find the POI creating some jerky movements: https://youtu.be/8wwJD30zPTE
If there is a solution for this in the community and I missed it then I apologize, but I think I did my due diligence trying to find an answer. Any help would be appreciated.
Comments
5 comments
Hi Jason. DL has officially stated they will not respond to these post since you can search and find a ton of threads over the past several years. This is just one of the many threads discussing Orbits not being smooth. If you read down through the page you will see DL has spent a lot of time trying to get them smoother but the overall issue is the DJI firmwares which doesn’t allow Gimbal free mode. Only way would be to hack the firmware as stated but that’s on the pilot to decide whether they want to go through that. I’ll try to help but the overall issue is with DJI.
I have gotten really smooth Orbits with my MA2 over the past few years. I’ve flown Orbits with actual measured wind speed of about 3 to 7 mph during the mission with max drone speed set at 5 to 7mph. Any strong gust during the mission can cause it to yaw off center of the Orbit which turn try’s to correct. Device is a big part of the mission but your iPone 13 should be powerful enough. It’s more than likely the speed and wind combination. I can see the trees moving in the video but without knowing the actual measured wind speed it’s hard to know how much that is contributing to it. Unfortunately they are tough to always get smooth from start to finish and I don’t believe there is such a thing as some say, Buttery Smooth Orbits. Lol……
Make sure you are on the latest firmware ? The A2S originally had a lot of issues with the gimbal but I believe they were all corrected quite awhile ago with firmware and or SDK updates. Unfortunately when it comes to Orbits there is not much more you can do with the DJI firmware limitation. Unless you have an older drone which has onboard waypoint capability like the M2P or others than all the newer drones now use Virtual Stick.
https://support.dronelink.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360051985554-smoother-
Here is a smaller Orbit I flew at 255’ radius which only took about 2 minutes. Only at 50’ altitude so the wind was probably not much different than the actual measured wind speed of 3 to 7 mph during the mission. They will never be perfect but overall I call this one about as good as you can get. Your 650’ radius is taking about 8 minutes which means the wind can change a lot during that amount of time. Also your at 225’ so the wind can be more at higher altitude. Any quick wind gust can cause an issue. Sorry I can’t help more but it’s just the way it is. Good luck Jason.
https://youtu.be/2ej7MbLCK2o
Mike,
First of all thank you for taking the time to reply to my question. I appreciate your insights on the history and extent of the problem. I am running the latest firmware so I would imagine your diagnosis of wind and speed to be correct. I guess after watching some of the YouTube videos my expectations were unrealistically high.
Your smaller orbit looks fantastic! I need to keep working at it, I would be very content with that level of results.
-Jason
Jason Hedrick, amongst the you tube videos have you checked out these 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ze9IBW7L9Y
https://youtu.be/7tBar77ds1w
I know this is an old post, but if it helps somebody down the road, that's great.
I'm working on a construction progress timelapse video that will take a year to complete. I was having nothing but trouble trying to get smooth orbits (w/ Mavic 2 Pro + Smart Controller) and found so many different posts in the forum about this issue (yes, I know the SC isn't recommended, but that's what DJI offered for M2P so that's what I have). After tweaking the controller settings based on recommendations, I finally decided to try using onboard waypoints and compare them with the virtual sticks.
So I copied my flight plan to a DJI Waypoint mission in DL (following these instructions) and tried it. Wow. Night and day difference. It took all of the jerks and dips out. It's so much smoother. I know my drone and controller are outdated, and this might not work for everyone, but it's an option. I'm in a rural area, and I've flown here a lot, so I know what's around me. You can see my comparison here. I was flying at 7mph, and this is sped up to 500%: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Y9CBRZ4aA - The first orbit rotation used onboard waypoints, and the second used virtual sticks.
Hi Ben Sayers. Yep. DJI onboard waypoints can help but unfortunately unless you have a M2P or older drone it’s not possible. The A2S mentioned on this thread as well as all other drones since the M2P use virtual stick method. At least you have an option for your Orbits which is the hardest component by far to get smooth for many reasons. Enjoy.
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