Recalibrate a Drone's IMU with Software

Your drone’s IMU, or inertial measurement unit, is important to its operation since it is the drone’s compass. When your drone begins flashing red and yellow lights, you have a compass error. Trying to fly your drone with a compass error will result in unpredictable flight. Luckily you can recalibrate the drone’s IMU using software by following these steps.

Step 1:
On your computer, log on to your drone software program.

Step 2:
Power cycle your drone’s battery by removing it and then putting it back into the drone.

Step 3:
Connect the drone to your computer via USB cable. On your computer screen, you will see the values appear for your X, Y, and Z axes as well as those for the mode.

Step 4:
Take a magnet and run it around the compass without touching it.

Step 5:
Check the values on your computer screen. The X, Y, and Z values should be within a range from -300 to +300 and the mode value should be between 1 400 and 1 800.

Step 6:
Rotate the drone on its vertical axis and then on its horizontal axis. When complete, the drone will acknowledge the calibration by flashing a green light.

If you continue to receive red and yellow flashing lights, the drone is not calibrated correctly. Go back and repeat the process until your X, Y, Z, and mode values are within range. Check the calibration by rotating the drone on both its horizontal and vertical axes. With a green light, you are ready to get back to smooth flying.