Calibrations are important practices to perform occasionally with your Mini 5 Pro to ensure optimal performance and accurate flight, and to reduce the risk of accidents
The calibration process is similar to the other models of the DJI prosumer line; however, there are slight differences according to the controller used, the RC 2 or the RC N3
In this video, I will show you when and how to calibrate the IMU, compass, gimbal, and remote controller
Other related articles you may find interesting:
IMU
The IMU, Inertia Movement Unit, affects the behavior of the aircraft in flight; it is, therefore, important for the safety of your unit. It uses several components of the aircraft, such as the gyroscope, barometer, and accelerometer, to keep the drone flying smoothly, stably, and balanced
I calibrate the IMU whenever the drone exhibits unexpected flight behavior. If the aircraft cannot fly in a straight line, doesn’t maintain the altitude, drifts while hovering, or doesn’t respond appropriately to the sticks of the remote control, the first thing to do is to calibrate the IMU
Another occasion for calibration is when DJI Fly app prompts to do so with an on-screen message
The calibration is also suggested after traveling more than 50 miles, after big elevation changes, for example, during a trip to the mountains, or when the temperature is drastically different from usual. A few times while traveling, I have experienced a wild behavior of the aircraft, and indeed calibrating the IMU fixed the issue
For the calibration, choose an area far from metal and free from interference. Place the Mini 5 Pro on a horizontal, level, and perfectly flat surface. Make sure to have at least 50% battery time for both the drone and the remote controller
In the Safety tab of Settings, we scroll down until we find IMU Normal and hit Calibrate. We are presented with a screen that guides us through the steps needed for the calibration
We are asked to position the drone with folded wings in five different positions. We start by positioning it laterally with the camera facing to the left, and we can then hit the Start button at the bottom of the screen. To the right of the screen, a ring shows the progress of the first step
The second position is sitting on the left side of the aircraft, with the power switch facing us and the camera to the left. Position three with the drone on its back and the camera facing to the right. Position four with the aircraft on its right side and the camera facing to the right. Position five, with the drone standing on the back, showing us the right side
Finally, we place the drone in the first position, and the aircraft will restart. It is a bit like doing yoga
The short video above shows the different positions; it should help to get them correctly. At the end, a message will confirm the outcome. If the calibration has failed, move the drone to a different location far from metal and magnetic interference, make sure that the surface is perfectly flat, and try again
Compass
The compass tracks the drone and home point position. If it is not calibrated properly, the drone might fly erratically or crash. It also plays an important role in the case of a Return to Home
The procedure is very simple. We find the Compass calibration in the Safety tab of Settings, just above the one for the IMU. We select an area free from metal and electrically charged objects. The calibration may fail in low-light conditions. The aircraft should be held approximately 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) above the ground, roughly at shoulder height
After hitting the Start button, simply follow the on screen instructions: first, rotate the drone 360 degrees horizontally, then turn it to a vertical position and repeat the rotation
The manoeuvre can be accomplished by simply rotating the hand holding the aircraft; there is no need to perform complex circular dances or other dangerous acrobatics. The calibration result will be shown on the screen. In case of failure, try again further from interferences
Gimbal
Unlike the IMU and the compass, gimbal calibration doesn’t affect flight behavior but controls the camera’s alignment. Any time it is switched on, the Mini 5 Pro performs a basic gimbal calibration
In most cases, we perform a gimbal calibration when the horizon is uneven, often after a crash or a hard landing. In Settings, we go to the Control tab and scroll down until we find Gimbal Calibration. There is a choice between Auto and Manual
For Auto calibration, the drone must be placed on a level surface, as we do for the IMU, but this time with open wings. The calibration starts immediately after hitting the Auto button. The camera moves horizontally and then vertically for a few seconds, and the trick is done
A manual calibration is generally performed while flying. If we notice that the horizon is uneven, we hit the button below Auto, and we are presented with two values that we can modify. The first one is the camera rotation, the other one is the horizontal alignment
Remote Controller
The remote controller contains a compass to detect its position. We may occasionally be prompted to calibrate the controller itself by a message on the upper left of the screen
The procedure is very simple, and it is explained on screen. It is very similar to the one for the compass, by simply rotating the controller horizontally and then vertically
With the RC 2 controller with the built-in screen, we can summon the controller calibration. To do that, we scroll down twice on the screen to reach the menu window. We hit the gear icon at the top right, and then we choose Compass Calibration. Simply follow the on screen instructions by rotating the controller horizontally and vertically in a figure of eight
On some rare occasions we may need to calibrater the stitches and the dials of the remote controller. If you notice that the drone doesn’t fly in a straight line when push the right stick forward or it the gimbal doesn’t tilt smoothly when rotating the dial, it is worth trying this calibration
On the Control tab of the Settings, scroll down to the option RC Calibration. After tapping on it, we receive a message for powering off the aircraft. So, we turn off the drone and tap again on RC Calibration and then on Start. As instructed on the screen, we push the sticks until we see the message Calibration Successful