DJI Mini 3 and 3 Pro – Calibrate Compass, Gimbal, Controller, and IMU

The calibration of the IMU, compass, gimbal, and remote controller is part of the maintenance tasks for any drone, it helps the components to operate correctly. In the case of the Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro, calibrations are rarely required compared to previous models of the DJI Prosumer line

In this article, I will show how to perform all the different calibrations needed with the Mini 3 and 3 Pro and I will explain their purpose

If you are interested in the functionalities of the Mini 3 or the Mini 3 Pro, you might find these articles interesting:

If you prefer to watch this as a video, you will find my YouTube version at the end of this article

IMU Calibration

What is the IMU?

IMU stands for Inertia Movement Unit

It utilizes several components of the aircraft, like the gyroscope, the barometer, the thermometer, and the accelerometer to keep the drone flying in a smooth, stable, balanced way

I perform the calibration of the IMU on two occasions:

  • When I receive a prompt on the screen to calibrate it
  • When the drone has an unexpected flight behavior
Video by Vicvideopic

If the aircraft is unable to fly in a straight line, doesn’t maintain the altitude, drifts while hovering, or doesn’t respond appropriately to the sticks of the remote controller, the first thing to do is calibrate the IMU

Other occasions when the calibration is suggested is after traveling long distance, after big elevation changes, like for a trip to the mountains, or when the temperature is drastically different from the usual

Calibration

Choose an area far from metal and free from interference

We place the aircraft on a horizontal, level, and perfectly flat surface with the wings folded

Make sure to have a decent amount of battery time both in the drone and the remote control

After a flight, it is suggested to wait a few minutes to cool down

IMU calibration in the Safety tab of Settings
IMU calibration in the Safety tab of Settings

In DJI Fly app, we tap on the three dots at the top right of the screen to access the Settings. We select the Safety tab, the first one to the left

We scroll down until we find IMU Normal, and hit Calibrate

We are presented with a screen that guides us to the steps needed for the calibration

We are asked to place the drone in five different positions

Video by Vicvideopic
  • Position 1 – We start by positioning it laterally with the camera facing to the left, we can then hit the Start button at the bottom of the screen. The calibration starts in this position, the first of the five required. To the right of the screen, a circle shows the progress of the first step
  • Position 2 – Sitting on the left side of the aircraft, with the power switch facing us and the camera to the left
  • Position 3 – With the drone belly up with the camera facing to the right
  • Position 4 – With the aircraft on its right side, and the camera facing to the right
  • Position 5 – The drone standing on the back, showing us the right side

Finally, we place the Mini 3 in the first position and the aircraft will restart

Video by Vicvideopic

It is a bit like the Mini 3 doing some yoga. The short video above shows the different positions

Compass Calibration

The compass keeps track of the drone’s position and the one of the Home Point

It is important in the case of a Return to Home

We calibrate it only when prompted by the app

Compass calibration in the Safety tab of Settings
Compass calibration in the Safety tab of Settings

In the tab Safety of the Settings above the item for the calibration of the IMU, we find the one for the calibration of the Compass

Make sure to be far from metal and objects with an electrical charge

The aircraft must be kept at a height of about 1.5 meters from the ground, about 5 feet, which for most people is at shoulder height

Video by Vicvideopic

After hitting the Start button, follow the instructions on the screen: first, rotate the drone 360 degrees in a horizontal position, then turn it to a vertical position and do the same

Gimbal Calibration

Unlike the IMU and the compass, the gimbal calibration doesn’t impact the flight behavior but acts upon the alignment of the camera

The reason why we want to proceed to a gimbal calibration is in most cases when the horizon is uneven, often after a small crash or a hard landing

When switched on the Mini 3 Pro operates a sort of basic calibration of the gimbal

Gimbal calibration is in the Control tab of Settings
Gimbal calibration is in the Control tab of Settings

In Settings, we go to the Control tab and scroll down until we find Gimbal Calibration, there is a choice between Auto and Manual

Let’s start with the Auto Calibration

As for the IMU, we must place the drone on a level surface, this time with open wings

Video by Vicvideopic

Immediately after hitting the Auto button, the calibration starts: the camera moves horizontally and then vertically for a few seconds and the trick is done

For the Manual Calibration, we hit the link below Auto. We are presented with two values we can modify. The first one is the rotation of the camera, the second is the horizontal alignment

Remote Controller Calibration

The remote controller contains a compass to detect its position, similar to the one of the drone

On some rare occasions, we may be prompted to calibrate the controller itself by a message on the upper left part of the screen of the RC controller

Video by Vicvideopic

The procedure for calibration is explained on the screen

It is very similar to the calibration of the compass of the drone, by simply rotating the controller horizontally and then vertically

Video by Vicvideopic

With the RC controller with the built-in screen, it is possible to summon the compass calibration of the controller

We scroll down twice on the screen with a finger to open the menu window

We then hit the gear icon at the top right and choose Compass Calibration

More details about the RC controller with a built-in screen are in my dedicated article

More Info and Examples are in This Video

VicVideoPic

I am Vittorio Caramazza, aka Vicvideopic, the founder of this website and author of all the posts. I am a videographer and photographer contributing to several stock agencies. I am an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop and Lightroom. I have 10 years of experience with dron videography and photography. I was struck by drone syndrome in 2013. I have owned and tested in depth the following drones: Phantom 3, Phantom 4, Phantom 4 Pro, Mavic 2 Zoom, Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic Mini, Mini 2, Air 2, Air 2s, Autel Evo Nano Plus, Mavic 3, Mini 3 Pro, Mini 3. My home has turned into a breeding ground for drones. I am the owner of two YouTube channels specializing in Videography and Photography, with a focus on drones My main channel is VicVideopic (in English): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgaBlrFDONJ4BSEUHa2cLKg My other channel is Drone Mitico, the Italian version.: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkeoY8rPPj-fypUKHckTtwQ I am currently based in Sicily (Southern Italy), but I tend to move quite often. After all, this is one of the main benefits of being a digital nomad…

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