New owner, have a problem already!

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Hello everyone, I am Dill from NC in the US!

I bought a USED 3DR Solo locally from a person. When I went to see it in person it flew as expected however one thing I did not notice was the "gimbal protector" that was on the gimbal. When I got home and looked through everything I realized that foam piece needed to be removed. When I removed it and went to fly the gimbal started doing what I have found listed as the "dance of death". I have tried to fix it using mission planner following the youtube video but never did I see any changes happening on the gimbal. I am not sure I was doing it correctly. I did a compass and accelerometer calibration from the Solo app...

Overall I am really beyond stressed out about everything. I should have done more research ahead of time. This was my first drone besides the SYMAs I have been flying for a few years now. I paid $280 for the whole set, two batteries, two sets of props (MAS) and backpack. I now see 3DR was recently selling new stock and refurbished for a great price via the owners group so I feel like I overpaid even if it was all working, then really overpaid since it basically doesnt have a gimbal, atleast the GoPro Hero4 Black seems to work.

Is there no way to fix this? When I hold the gimbal still with my hand I can use the controller to move the camera up and down. Sometimes it does not do the dance but it will drift one way or the other and start doing it again. I see no visible scrapes or bends... I feel really overwhelmed about it all. To make matters worse, on my way home from buying it I went ahead and placed orders for more parts (GPS shield, Extended controller battery, etc...) so I am pretty deep in this drone now. I am trying to find the silver lining and just trying to remember that some of you bought this drone new for over $1000.

I am glad to be here and really want to be a great member!
 
If you got the GP 4 in the deal, you got a good price for the lot. You can get a good used gimbal for $100
 
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If you got the GP 4 in the deal, you got a good price for the lot. You can get a good used gimbal for $100
Do you think so? It did come with the hero 4 black. Honestly if I could get the gimbal to stop shaking and just let me pan up and down I would almost be happy with that.
 
Take some pictures of the gimbal looking straight on from the front and sides. Myself and other members are quite familiar with what the gimbal *should* look like and can probably tell you whether you have a bend or other defect.
 
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Take some pictures of the gimbal looking straight on from the front and sides. Myself and other members are quite familiar with what the gimbal *should* look like and can probably tell you whether you have a bend or other defect.
Attached are some images of it. It is turned off in all the photos except the last one. The last photo where it is looking down and to the side is where it ends up resting when it is turned on. In any other position it seems to dance. In this position the camera can move up and down but the gimbal twitches very slightly as if it almost thought about correcting a movement. Very faint.
 

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I agree with @DaveB , you got a good deal with the GP4B in the package. At least from a 2015 perspective. Buy a $100 gimbal and you are still ahead of the game.

Curious, have you taken the gimbal off of Solo to inspect? Maybe a damper or two has slipped off the cross bar. It does appear to be leaning left. Could be the data or HDMI cable is interfering in some way.

Also, the gimbal is in low-torque mode when the bird is on but not armed. A weak gimbal can exaggerate flaws in this mode.

When you remove the gimbal, place it down on the back arm, the gimbal should be facing up supported by the back edge of the belly plate. The belly plate and that arm should then appear at a 90° to each other while looking down onto the gimbal. This method takes the load off the dampers and lets you see things as they are...bent or not.

Welcome to Solo.
 
Comparing to a NIB gimbal I have, that 3rd picture appears to show the arm bent a little to the left. Not much. Which is why you seem to still be able to get it to stabilize, albeit with a bit of a twitch.

Just my $.02
 
Snapped a few more and looked at it from all angles. Only noticing the back arm doesn't look straight on. I'm trying to see the left bend you mention but it looks more like bending to the right (according to the orientation of the third original picture) A local CL ad has someone selling a 3DR, Battery and Gimbal for $125, no chargers or props (they appear broken off). When I reached out they said the gimbal works. I may go take a chance on that if my gimbal is done for. Then I would have a spare 3DR for gimbal free flying or parts.

I'd really like to get this one working. Its perplexing, especially how I have no clue what it's supposed to look like. On the bright side, as time passes maybe eventually there will be a process to repair the gimbal? Seems easy in thought to bend it back but I am positive that it's easier said than done!!

I appreciate the insight and please provide more if you notice anything else. I already bought 2 more sets of props, batteries and such so I am invested!
 

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Sorry. Bit of the old life sneaking in. I was referencing left as seen from the bird's perspective - you are correct in that it is leaning to the right side of the photo.

$125 is a screaming deal if the gimbal is intact - you're basically getting a parts bird for free.

I know @RichWest has had some success bending gimbal arms back. Just keep in mind that while you might be able to fully straighten the arm, this may not in fact fix your problem. The events that bend gimbal arms are often energetic enough to fubar the IMU or otherwise damage components.

Good luck, and welcome to the neighborhood
 
Just keep in mind that while you might be able to fully straighten the arm, this may not in fact fix your problem. The events that bend gimbal arms are often energetic enough to fubar the IMU or otherwise damage components.
That ain't no lie. Once down the rabbit hole it's make or break for me. My record is not all that great, a schematic would be helpful...
 

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