2/27/2017 New P2 Arrived - No GPS Never Flown

[avark]

Hi All,

I am sure you experienced people are sick of this one and I truly hope it is something I overlooked so I need someone to look over my shoulder.....

New P2 arrived Friday and I took it out of the box yesterday. Never been flown.
Charged Batteries to full on both RC and Phantom
Downloaded drivers and RC and PT2 Assistants.
Checked for firmware updates and all were updated
Assembled craft. It has no camera equipment - stripped down.
Went to fly - nothing more than "ready to fly" yellow lights. Waited 10 minutes...
Tried to calibrate - Horizontal OK (green lights) Vertical fail
Ran IMU Advanced Calibration (once yesterday and once today)
Took lid off to see if GPS connection loose - looks fine. Pulled off and put back on
Today put in NAZA M mode (thought was to NAZAM then back to Phantom to test switches on RC-
When I went to set the IOC to "on" I get a little red warning lower left of screen "GPS Needed"
Switched back to "Phantom" mode

Is there anything I missed? I sure hope so. I have a tendance to overthink, so I am hoping someone says "well you darned dummy, you forgot to xxxxxxxx ..."

I appreciate your time and help.

Avark

 

[jason]

Hi All,

I am sure you experienced people are sick of this one and I truly hope it is something I overlooked so I need someone to look over my shoulder.....

New P2 arrived Friday and I took it out of the box yesterday. Never been flown.
Charged Batteries to full on both RC and Phantom
Downloaded drivers and RC and PT2 Assistants.
Checked for firmware updates and all were updated
Assembled craft. It has no camera equipment - stripped down.
Went to fly - nothing more than "ready to fly" yellow lights. Waited 10 minutes...
Tried to calibrate - Horizontal OK (green lights) Vertical fail
Ran IMU Advanced Calibration (once yesterday and once today)
Took lid off to see if GPS connection loose - looks fine. Pulled off and put back on
Today put in NAZA M mode (thought was to NAZAM then back to Phantom to test switches on RC-
When I went to set the IOC to "on" I get a little red warning lower left of screen "GPS Needed"
Switched back to "Phantom" mode

Is there anything I missed? I sure hope so. I have a tendance to overthink, so I am hoping someone says "well you darned dummy, you forgot to xxxxxxxx ..."

I appreciate your time and help.

Avark

There is a capacitor on the GPS module that looks like a small battery soldered to the board which holds the GPS Almanac Data. When the unit hasn't been used for awhile it takes time for that data to fully download.

When setting up the P2 on your computer in the house it is impossible to receive GPS signal. The warning you saw has nothing to do with it being in Naza, IOC or Phantom modes. It's a fact that GPS does not work well when under a forest canopy, house, enclosed structure or even when you cover the antenna with your hand.

Calibrating the compass sometimes can be a pain and it doesn't make any difference whether you do it CW/CCW in the horizontal but the vertical has to be nose down. Anything magnetic such as cell phone, watches, metal in ground or above and underground electrical wiring can cause calibration problems.

If you have never flown any RC craft before it is best you start out learning in the Phantom Mode until you've mastered the controls.

 

[avark]

Jason,

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas. Be assured, my intention is NOT to fly in NAZA M mode - I just went in there to see if I could set then reset back to Phantom mode or find any other evidence that might suggest something else to try. But do appreciate the reminder ......

My calibration attempts have all been "nose down" CW and I have tried in three different locations. I leave my keys and phone home but had a small pocket knife in my pocket (possible interference?). The places I have tried are:middle of alfalfa field, driveway and yard. Driveway and yard may be too close to wires?

Do you believe that if the unit sat in the box for a long time (it is a P2 after all), it could take longer than 10 minutes to acquire satellites?

Thanks, Jason, I do appreciate your helping me troubleshoot with these questions back to me.

avark

 

[jason]

Jason,

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas. Be assured, my intention is NOT to fly in NAZA M mode - I just went in there to see if I could set then reset back to Phantom mode or find any other evidence that might suggest something else to try. But do appreciate the reminder ......

My calibration attempts have all been "nose down" CW and I have tried in three different locations. I leave my keys and phone home but had a small pocket knife in my pocket (possible interference?). The places I have tried are:middle of alfalfa field, driveway and yard. Driveway and yard may be too close to wires?

Do you believe that if the unit sat in the box for a long time (it is a P2 after all), it could take longer than 10 minutes to acquire satellites?

Thanks, Jason, I do appreciate your helping me troubleshoot with these questions back to me.

avark

The problem you are having is nothing new and many have gone to extremes trying to resolve it when the P2 was first released.

When you flip S1 up/down 5 or more times to prepare for compass calibration make sure both switches (S1/S2) are in the up position then calibrate. Once calibration is complete it's just a matter of how long it will take for the GPS to attain 6 or more satellites. Of course it depends on how long it will take for the GPS Almanac Data to download and in your case a unit that hasn't been used for maybe two years or more. Normally it will take less then a minute for the GPS attain 6 or more satellites and ready for flight.

Once compass cal is complete the rear LEDs should be solid green then a quick flashing green when 6 or more sats to a slow flashing green for takeoff.

If you didn't download the User's Manual here's a copy.
http://download.dji-innovations.com/downloads/phantom_2/en/PHANTOM2_User_Manual_v1.4_en.pdf

 

[avark]

Thank you, Jason. Made a checklist of everything you mentioned in your posts. Will start over, revisit the download page to make sure I have the latest versions of drivers, assistants and manuals, then reread, recheck firmware, and re-calibrate IMU. Weather is not good for taking it outdoors for the next couple of days. When it is good, I will go outside and try another calibration and then wait longer if necessary for GPS. Hopefully, with your reminders, all will go well.

Will report back here when all is done. Hopefully results will be good!!

Thanks again,
avark

 

[jason]

Thank you, Jason. Made a checklist of everything you mentioned in your posts. Will start over, revisit the download page to make sure I have the latest versions of drivers, assistants and manuals, then reread, recheck firmware, and re-calibrate IMU. Weather is not good for taking it outdoors for the next couple of days. When it is good, I will go outside and try another calibration and then wait longer if necessary for GPS. Hopefully, with your reminders, all will go well.

Will report back here when all is done. Hopefully results will be good!!

Thanks again,
avark

You can calibrate the IMU until the cows come home but doing so has nothing to do with the compass nor GPS.

 

[jason]

Thank you, Jason. Made a checklist of everything you mentioned in your posts. Will start over, revisit the download page to make sure I have the latest versions of drivers, assistants and manuals, then reread, recheck firmware, and re-calibrate IMU. Weather is not good for taking it outdoors for the next couple of days. When it is good, I will go outside and try another calibration and then wait longer if necessary for GPS. Hopefully, with your reminders, all will go well.

Will report back here when all is done. Hopefully results will be good!!

Thanks again,
avark

You probably fell that you're the only one with a GPS problem well maybe after reading this thread from Feb 9, 2015 will be of some interest.
Issues w/ GPS, takes up to 20 mins to pick up sats (UPDATE)

There are more articles on this subject plus modifications some claim work worked wonders for them but no concert proof to substantiate their claims. I to installed a higher DBi gain 4mm antenna on my GPS module to see if it would do two things shorten the time it took get home point and how many satellites it gain over the original antenna. Well my observation has been there really wasn't that much of a gain in either category to justify making the modifications. Here is a satellite predictor that when setup correctly for your location will give you a very close number of satellites over head depending on time of day. Location Lookup

 

[avark]

Wow, Jason! The post you linked to has a lot of food for thought. In fact, within that post there are other posts linked. All in all a lot to read through.

Thanks for the satellite predictor, too.

Once again, I appreciate your efforts and help. Will post back results ...

Avark

 

[avark]

Update:

Degaussed the compass (heck I tried everything else, why not?). Got a good calibration and that was the first good calibration I have gotten.

Now waiting for weather before I try the next step - getting GPS up. Thanks to the suggestions above, I will wait much longer if that is what it takes. I think the longest I waited was 5 minutes. It is a new P2 so like mentioned above, perhaps it sat in a box for a few years and needs "time to think and look for satellites".

Hopefully this weekend.

 

[jason]

Update:

Degaussed the compass (heck I tried everything else, why not?). Got a good calibration and that was the first good calibration I have gotten.

Now waiting for weather before I try the next step - getting GPS up. Thanks to the suggestions above, I will wait much longer if that is what it takes. I think the longest I waited was 5 minutes. It is a new P2 so like mentioned above, perhaps it sat in a box for a few years and needs "time to think and look for satellites".

Hopefully this weekend.

Once you have at least 7 satellites for takeoff and once in the air you will gain more sats which is not unusual.

 

[avark]

Hi again. Another update. I won't repeat the procedures followed, but at one point this week, I started from scratch to try and eliminate as many variables as possible.

No GPS. Stood in a few different spots for over an hour in each. Nothing. At this point I believe - unless anyone has "one more try" - the GPS has issues. Most spots were farm fields, one wth closest wires and trees a quarter mile away; with either sun, "broken" high clouds, or "scattered" fair weather cloud cover.

It is brand new. Not only has it never flew, but the motors haven't even been turned on. Now I am going to see how I can obtain a replacment without pouring more money down this hole.

Thanks for your help.

 

[jason]

Hi again. Another update. I won't repeat the procedures followed, but at one point this week, I started from scratch to try and eliminate as many variables as possible.

No GPS. Stood in a few different spots for over an hour in each. Nothing. At this point I believe - unless anyone has "one more try" - the GPS has issues. Most spots were farm fields, one wth closest wires and trees a quarter mile away; with either sun, "broken" high clouds, or "scattered" fair weather cloud cover.

It is brand new. Not only has it never flew, but the motors haven't even been turned on. Now I am going to see how I can obtain a replacment without pouring more money down this hole.

Thanks for your help.

Who did you buy it from?

 

[avark]

Amazon, fulfilled by Camrise.

 

[jason]

Amazon, fulfilled by Camrise.

I assume you are going to return it.

 

[avark]

Yes, Sir. Looks like I will have to but not sure if I should go through Amazon or Camrise.

I see that Camrise is a DJI repair facility so I will contact them this morning and offer the option of repairing it (they will have to test fly it then). Or replacement would be OK too. I really want the thing!

 

[jason]

Yes, Sir. Looks like I will have to but not sure if I should go through Amazon or Camrise.

I see that Camrise is a DJI repair facility so I will contact them this morning and offer the option of repairing it (they will have to test fly it then). Or replacement would be OK too. I really want the thing!

You can also get a replacement through Amazon but it's your decision.

 

[avark]

Morning Jason,

I think Amazon's return/replace policy is for those items sold directly from Amazon. If I go through Amazon, they adhere to a third party (seller's) return policy. Camrise's printed policy is buyer pays for shipping and a 20% restocking fee. Also, I went online and read some customer reviews and it looks like, on the whole Camrise will work with the customer. So I am hoping to appeal to them for resolution at minimal extra cost for me. Only hard part is their policy expires within two weeks of purchase. Wednesday marks two weeks and Friday marks two weeks since receiving it at my home. I emailed earlier and will call them later.

Thanks.

 

[jason]

Morning Jason,

I think Amazon's return/replace policy is for those items sold directly from Amazon. If I go through Amazon, they adhere to a third party (seller's) return policy. Camrise's printed policy is buyer pays for shipping and a 20% restocking fee. Also, I went online and read some customer reviews and it looks like, on the whole Camrise will work with the customer. So I am hoping to appeal to them for resolution at minimal extra cost for me. Only hard part is their policy expires within two weeks of purchase. Wednesday marks two weeks and Friday marks two weeks since receiving it at my home. I emailed earlier and will call them later.

Thanks.

Here is something i would like you to do. Take the props off and see if the motors will startup when you do a CSC. If they don't more then likely you have a defective GPS module or the cable from the module is disconnected.

 

[avark]

Hi,

I did the CSC the other day and the motors wouldn't start. I have not had the props on all week as I left them off ever since I calibrated. Also did take the lid off and check connections while reading about other people's issues on the forum. All looks good under there.

By the way, I called Camrise today and got Sam on the phone. When you open the assistants, I was having to hit "skip" to get into the screens. He said the drivers weren't loaded right. But then asked if I got into the screens and I said "yes" and I get the blinking lights in the lower left corner on both the RC and P2 Assistants. So then he said the drivers were probably OK.

Next I asked if I could hit "cancel" at the login because I thought the Assistants were all I needed he said "no". While I was on hold (he had a walk in) I registered with DJI and closed and reopened the assistants. Now I don't get "skip" on either one's intro screen. Also with the log in I did fine out the firmware needed upgrade. All this time I thought I was upgrading it. So I upgraded.

Waited 30 minutes per Sam's suggestion and then did an advanced calibration. It did act different, so I thought I was making progress.

But outside and no joy. BUT it is very cloudy today. So I don't want to give up yet. Did the CSC again a little while ago too, and nothing.

Also, what do you think about uninstalling the drivers and assistants and reinstalling?

Thanks.

 

[jason]

Hi,

I did the CSC the other day and the motors wouldn't start. I have not had the props on all week as I left them off ever since I calibrated. Also did take the lid off and check connections while reading about other people's issues on the forum. All looks good under there.

By the way, I called Camrise today and got Sam on the phone. When you open the assistants, I was having to hit "skip" to get into the screens. He said the drivers weren't loaded right. But then asked if I got into the screens and I said "yes" and I get the blinking lights in the lower left corner on both the RC and P2 Assistants. So then he said the drivers were probably OK.

Next I asked if I could hit "cancel" at the login because I thought the Assistants were all I needed he said "no". While I was on hold (he had a walk in) I registered with DJI and closed and reopened the assistants. Now I don't get "skip" on either one's intro screen. Also with the log in I did fine out the firmware needed upgrade. All this time I thought I was upgrading it. So I upgraded.

Waited 30 minutes per Sam's suggestion and then did an advanced calibration. It did act different, so I thought I was making progress.

But outside and no joy. BUT it is very cloudy today. So I don't want to give up yet. Did the CSC again a little while ago too, and nothing.

Also, what do you think about uninstalling the drivers and assistants and reinstalling?

Thanks.

Being that it was a cloudy day has nothing to do with GPS or the number of satellites.

There are only two reasons the motors will not start would GPS module is unplugged or the info pins are not making connect with the battery. My advice would be to open the shell and check if the GPS cable is unplugged or not fully seated which has been a problem in the past. If this was a new unit you have the tool necessary open it up and will only take you a half hour to do so and will save you shipping cost if it is the cable. I used a strip of vinyl electrical tape on the backside of the connector so it fit snuggle into the socket.