Magnetic Interference

lougil · Nov 26, 2018

Will not and cannot get rid of this warning tried level calibrating and compass calibrating still nothing. This is my second solo the first went into the sea, I've flown this one a couple of times the last time I've flown it I felt like it was a little jumpy, months went by and tried to fly it and magnetic interference kept popping up. Any thoughts or ideas would be much appreciated

skyhax · Nov 26, 2018

If the compass is in the leg backwards that can happen. Some owners just smack the belly of the Solo, but YMMV.
I found doing a calibration with another tablet solved that error on two different Solos. Any calibration done with my Note 3 is going to end up with your problem.

RichWest · Nov 26, 2018

I was a skeptic of the belly smack to clear the mag interference issue, but it actually works. Worth a try, seems to have resolved many with the no-reason mag issue....

IrishmanPDX · Nov 27, 2018

I'm not sure why a belly smack would fix magnetic interference. I bought 3 solo's that wouldn't calibrate due to stuck gyro's in the IMU. A belly smack will indeed fix that. However the magnetic leg compass doesn't have anything to "unstick". So an IMU calibration error is a vastly different problem than a magnetic compass calibration error.

Anyway, you may want to ensure that why trying to calibrate the compass you are doing the following:

Calibrate outdoors
Make sure you are away from any metal structures or buildings (including re-enforced concrete)
Make sure you have removed your watch, any rings or bracelets (I had a magnetic clasp on my wrist that once stopped me from getting a decent compass calibration)

If the above fails you may want to reset the parameter on your compass to 0 and then retry the calibration again.

If that fails you may need to either replace the compass leg or upgrade to a HERE system available from Jesters Drones.

lougil · Nov 28, 2018

replaced compass all seems well now

Carl B · Dec 1, 2018

The belly smack everyone speaks of has nothing to do with getting a gyro or s compass unstuck. MEMS stands for Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. It uses a piezoelectric device that no one is going to unstick.
What is happening when you belly smack the Solo is you are jarring some of the mechanical connections that have have very small electronic signal flowing through them. Over time the metal on these connectors oxidize causing a high impedance connection that does not allow the signal to pass through that connector correctly. When these connections are jarred the connectors move just enough to scrape a little oxide off the metal and restore the proper electrical signal.

I just thought some of you might want to understand the mysterious belly smack.

Safe flying everyone!

RichWest · Dec 1, 2018

And here I thought magic pixies were getting smacked around...

Your point makes better sense to why this has worked for some. Wish every issue was this simple...

Carl B · Dec 1, 2018

RichWest said:
And here I thought magic pixies were getting smacked around...

Your point makes better sense to why this has worked for some. Wish every issue was this simple...

It's not really simple. It's a bitch to trouble shoot. But after seeing it time and time again for 30 years, then it starts to make sense.
I hope my explanation cleared things up for a few people.

just_bruce · Dec 1, 2018

Carl B said:
The belly smack everyone speaks of has nothing to do with getting a gyro or s compass unstuck. MEMS stands for Micro Electro Mechanical Systems. It uses a piezoelectric device that no one is going to unstick.
What is happening when you belly smack the Solo is you are jarring some of the mechanical connections that have have very small electronic signal flowing through them. Over time the metal on these connectors oxidize causing a high impedance connection that does not allow the signal to pass through that connector correctly. When these connections are jarred the connectors move just enough to scrape a little oxide off the metal and restore the proper electrical signal.

I just thought some of you might want to understand the mysterious belly smack.

Safe flying everyone!

The connections you speak of aren't mechanically mobile. And the MEMS device, whether a PR-Wheatstone bridge or mechanical resonance sensor are sealed devices, typically with an internal micro-environment of either Argon or Nitrogen gas, so no oxidation is possible.

My opinion remains the same. The belly smack technique overcomes cases of stiction.

Carl B · Dec 2, 2018

just_bruce said:
The connections you speak of aren't mechanically mobile. And the MEMS device, whether a PR-Wheatstone bridge or mechanical resonance sensor are sealed devices, typically with an internal micro-environment of either Argon or Nitrogen gas, so no oxidation is possible.

My opinion remains the same. The belly smack technique overcomes cases of stiction.

You are correct about the environment of the MEMS being a sealed environment. I have worked in the semiconductor industry for a long time and although back purging a chip is not impossible is unlikely. I do agree that there is little if any oxidation in the MEMS.
The connectors that do exist between the compass and the board it connects with is not soldered. It may be captured (I have not looked at it) but is still subject to micro vibrations and oxidation. I've seen this phenomenon literally thousands of times. Board to board connections, chip to socket connections and cable to board connections, take your pick. This would explain why replacing the compass fixed the problem. My guess is if the original compass were reinstalled, the result would be the same outcome. By removal and replacement of the connector, would serve the same purpose of the micro vibrations caused by the "belly slap".
It's just my opinion but the belly slap is not a scientific principal.

I am just trying to offer a plausible explanation. [emoji12]

IrishmanPDX · Dec 3, 2018

HOLY CRAP.... WE'VE BEEN FLYING AROUND RUSTY OXIDIZED DRONES??? That would explain the brown dust trail.......

DJMc · Dec 3, 2018

So the rain in the Pacific North West really is as bad as they say!

IrishmanPDX · Dec 3, 2018

DJMc said:
So the rain in the Pacific North West really is as bad as they say!

Are you kidding me? I think it rains more here than it ever did in Ireland!

Ribs · Mar 10, 2022

just_bruce said:
The connections you speak of aren't mechanically mobile. And the MEMS device, whether a PR-Wheatstone bridge or mechanical resonance sensor are sealed devices, typically with an internal micro-environment of either Argon or Nitrogen gas, so no oxidation is possible.

My opinion remains the same. The belly smack technique overcomes cases of stiction.

I have done this on Phantoms and Xiros as well and it works.. it does recover sticktion errors.
It really does but not in every case of course.

Ribs · Mar 10, 2022

Carl B said:
You are correct about the environment of the MEMS being a sealed environment. I have worked in the semiconductor industry for a long time and although back purging a chip is not impossible is unlikely. I do agree that there is little if any oxidation in the MEMS.
The connectors that do exist between the compass and the board it connects with is not soldered. It may be captured (I have not looked at it) but is still subject to micro vibrations and oxidation. I've seen this phenomenon literally thousands of times. Board to board connections, chip to socket connections and cable to board connections, take your pick. This would explain why replacing the compass fixed the problem. My guess is if the original compass were reinstalled, the result would be the same outcome. By removal and replacement of the connector, would serve the same purpose of the micro vibrations caused by the "belly slap".
It's just my opinion but the belly slap is not a scientific principal.

I am just trying to offer a plausible explanation. [emoji12]

Belly smack works. I have done it with a screwdriver handle tap on top of the accels in Xiros and Phantoms too. It works but not every time of course. There are ruined units that won't respond to it.