semaj said:
Yes I did exactly what the video stated. I had to do it on windows as a precaution as my Mac looked a bit different. No problems at all.
AHHHH BRICKED MY FC200 Camera
- Thread starter vbluguitar
- Start date
Yes I did exactly what the video stated. I had to do it on windows as a precaution as my Mac looked a bit different. No problems at all.
semaj said:
That to me suggests there are issues with DJI's code in latest firmware upgrade when your previous firmware upgrade went fine. Really, there should be far more failsafe in preventing bricking built into the system. The number of people that have posted in this tinny forum alone about the issue is fairly scary and it seems they're not alone from what you're staying about BHphoto getting so many returns. It must be costing dealers (and DJI) a fortune and a lot of bad vibe.
I don't think some of you are reading my initial post - I followed the manual directions to a tee. I have updated my camera from 1.1.6 to 1.1.7 and 1.1.7 to 1.1.8 without issues, so I am familiar with and know how to do the updates. This was not a "user" error. I am a computer tech who knows
1. how to follow directions and
2. how to upgrade firmwares
I have been doing firmware upgrades since DOS 3.0 back in the 80s, and this is the first time I have ever had a firmware update go bad, but thank you for the "read the manual" comments.
There are many out there who are NOT having this problem when they upgrade, but according to the technician that I spoke with at DJI, this is a growing issue, and there are a lot of people having this issue. Just because it didn't happen to you doesn't mean it isn't happening.
1. how to follow directions and
2. how to upgrade firmwares
I have been doing firmware upgrades since DOS 3.0 back in the 80s, and this is the first time I have ever had a firmware update go bad, but thank you for the "read the manual" comments.
There are many out there who are NOT having this problem when they upgrade, but according to the technician that I spoke with at DJI, this is a growing issue, and there are a lot of people having this issue. Just because it didn't happen to you doesn't mean it isn't happening.
Working for a company that's on the board of the SDA Consortium and also manufactures SD Memory cards, I can tell you with confidence that not all microSD memory cards are created nor do the behave or perform equally. Among differences pertinent to us in particular are their IO "disk controllers" and how they respond to instructions from various operating systems such as Linux, Windows, etc., how long they take to execute instructions and how they notify the OS of their progress.
Whenever upgrading firmware from a memory card, it's safest to use a known good card (such as provided by the product manufacturer) and to FORMAT IT IN THE PRODUCT. This wipes the card's IO manager index to zero, and installs whatever folders & files are appropriate for use in the product so when the card is read, everything it expects to see is present and it can carry on with business as usual. If you have previously had success using a memory card of your choice, you should be good to go and can probably continue using it in the future.
One of the problems developers sometimes neglect to address in their "upgrade code" are contingencies for errors. For example, if you insert a 32GB HC Class 6 card when the upgrade code was written for non-HC cards, it should error-out and exit the program. If you insert a card that was formatted in a Mac and the first folder isn't DCIM but a different folder named TRASHES, again it should error out and exit the program.
Exactly why some are bricking their cameras and others aren't remains to be determined. But this is one simple procedure everyone can follow (I've done this on all my camera upgrades to date w/success): Use the 4GB card provided by DJI. Always format it in the camera. If you're a Mac user and you want to play it safe, use a PC to copy your firmware.bin file to the card... I'm sure many Mac users have had no issues, but we have no data on what OS they were on and whether that creates a problem (the instant you connect a storage device to a Mac it immediately installs a few hidden files & folders for "housekeeping").
If the upgrade still bricks the camera after all that, then its really out of our hands for the moment until DJI figures it out and fixes the upgrade code. At least we now understand the factory advises the camera must be returned to them for reflashing and we are unable to do this in the field. To upgrade or not upgrade?
Choose Wisely...
iDrone
Whenever upgrading firmware from a memory card, it's safest to use a known good card (such as provided by the product manufacturer) and to FORMAT IT IN THE PRODUCT. This wipes the card's IO manager index to zero, and installs whatever folders & files are appropriate for use in the product so when the card is read, everything it expects to see is present and it can carry on with business as usual. If you have previously had success using a memory card of your choice, you should be good to go and can probably continue using it in the future.
One of the problems developers sometimes neglect to address in their "upgrade code" are contingencies for errors. For example, if you insert a 32GB HC Class 6 card when the upgrade code was written for non-HC cards, it should error-out and exit the program. If you insert a card that was formatted in a Mac and the first folder isn't DCIM but a different folder named TRASHES, again it should error out and exit the program.
Exactly why some are bricking their cameras and others aren't remains to be determined. But this is one simple procedure everyone can follow (I've done this on all my camera upgrades to date w/success): Use the 4GB card provided by DJI. Always format it in the camera. If you're a Mac user and you want to play it safe, use a PC to copy your firmware.bin file to the card... I'm sure many Mac users have had no issues, but we have no data on what OS they were on and whether that creates a problem (the instant you connect a storage device to a Mac it immediately installs a few hidden files & folders for "housekeeping").
If the upgrade still bricks the camera after all that, then its really out of our hands for the moment until DJI figures it out and fixes the upgrade code. At least we now understand the factory advises the camera must be returned to them for reflashing and we are unable to do this in the field. To upgrade or not upgrade?
Choose Wisely...
iDrone
Semaj I think it would be appropriate to post this as a new topic, it should have its own response thread as it's not directly on-topic here about bricking cameras. Why don't you title it: DJI On: Gimbals, GS, WiFi, Lens, & Bad Soldering I'm sure many will want to comment. You can leave or delete your post here, or just edit it and say "Moved to new topic".
iDrone
iDrone
I have the same problem and as far as I have learned there is NO solution for this issue. I've learned so far no solution but to return the camera to your dealer for replacement. There are many people in the same situation. DJI has not been careful to publish and allow customers to download and install an untested firmware that ruined our cameras.
iDrone said:
That's very informative, thanks!
So now we should be asking those w/ botched upgrades:
- Was that your first time upgrading the FC-200?
- If not, did you use the same sd card and procedure for the upgrade?
Btw, what are the brands that you personally use/prefer?
Any ratings\comments on the following? Lexar, sandisk ultra, samsung, toshiba?
Cheers
The major brand names are fine, and even some of the not-so-big names but only if they're really authentic. There's a surprising number of fake cards on the market that look almost identical in product & even packaging (there are subtle differences in artwork) and they're basically unreliable or not to full capacity. So purchasing thru an upscale dealer is one way of insuring you're getting the real deal.
Without getting into the nitty gritty, consider all solid-state memory has a finite number of read/write cycles before it no longer writes or reads reliably. Like many solid-state devices there are yields of good and not so good. Generally the name brands with their reputation on the line pick the creme de la creme. Then there's the IO controller & "disk" manager. What good is memory if the IO controller or disk manager crap out prematurely or have poor implementation of code?
Top name brand cards are so inexpensive now its just not worth the risk esp when its 32 and now 64 gigabytes worth of your work or family & pleasure captured on them.
There have also been physical issues with even name brand cards. For example Sandisk had a problem with the clear LOCK slider breaking on their ULTRA SD cards. The plastic would crumble and jam the card inside the product making it impossible to remove without disassembling the product.
But for the most part this is one of those areas where you're likely to get what you pay for when buying name-brand. I've used Sandisk, Toshiba, Panasonic, and even Adata and GSkill without issue. YMMV.
iDrone :geek:
Without getting into the nitty gritty, consider all solid-state memory has a finite number of read/write cycles before it no longer writes or reads reliably. Like many solid-state devices there are yields of good and not so good. Generally the name brands with their reputation on the line pick the creme de la creme. Then there's the IO controller & "disk" manager. What good is memory if the IO controller or disk manager crap out prematurely or have poor implementation of code?
Top name brand cards are so inexpensive now its just not worth the risk esp when its 32 and now 64 gigabytes worth of your work or family & pleasure captured on them.
There have also been physical issues with even name brand cards. For example Sandisk had a problem with the clear LOCK slider breaking on their ULTRA SD cards. The plastic would crumble and jam the card inside the product making it impossible to remove without disassembling the product.
But for the most part this is one of those areas where you're likely to get what you pay for when buying name-brand. I've used Sandisk, Toshiba, Panasonic, and even Adata and GSkill without issue. YMMV.
iDrone :geek:
Cheers
I've had mixed experience with Sandisk.. they seem to be everywhere, from the cheapest to the more expensive tier, but I've had a bad 512MB on failed on me sometime ago and it has left a sour note for me ever since.
I still use their gold\red colored ones though... and samsung and toshibas.
I've had mixed experience with Sandisk.. they seem to be everywhere, from the cheapest to the more expensive tier, but I've had a bad 512MB on failed on me sometime ago and it has left a sour note for me ever since.
I still use their gold\red colored ones though... and samsung and toshibas.
Quick update on mine, I ended up sending it back and the dealer has agreed to send me a replacement phantom (after a tiny bit of arm twisting in the form of a paypal dispute).
I'm pleased to be getting a replacement but really disappointed with DJI's technical support, this is my first DJI product and I am not impressed. Technical faults, problems etc. I can handle but ignoring emails really winds me up.
Sort it out DJI, you have a wonderful product in the Phantom Vision (and in your other products it seems too), don't let yourselves down.
I'm pleased to be getting a replacement but really disappointed with DJI's technical support, this is my first DJI product and I am not impressed. Technical faults, problems etc. I can handle but ignoring emails really winds me up.
Sort it out DJI, you have a wonderful product in the Phantom Vision (and in your other products it seems too), don't let yourselves down.
my dealer has just replaced my camera they couldn't get it working after the upgrade they have not installed the new firmware for fear of losing another camera anyway from what ive been reading the raw upgrade has not made a big difference in the image quality so i'll just stick with the jpegs and work them in photoshop...
back up in the air yaaa
back up in the air yaaa
I hope I can shed some light on to this subject. I got my quad in December and quickly updated the camera firmware to 1.1.9 Everything worked great. I put it away for a couple of weeks and went out to fly (cold weather grounded me). At that time, I had the dreaded "black screen". Everything worked except for the live video feed. I could control the camera pitch, take photos and videos, see the telemetry...everything was normal except I couldn't see the live feed. Grrr. I took it up and fly it blindly and the videos and photos were normal. They looked great. However, it's nerve wracking to be flying blindly.
So, I hit the internet and looked for a solution. It seems there are hundreds of people with the same problem and nobody really had an answer. I refused to believe my wifi card had mysteriously crapped out, sitting in it's case. It just had to be either a software problem or some other problem. I researched and researched. I even found out that the p2v+ has the wifi card in the main body while the p2v has the wifi card in the camera unit. I was thisclose to buying a new camera unit (fc200) just to solve this problem. Thank God I didn't! After reading this forum and many others...and trying lots of variations, I've finally figured it out. Well, maybe not everyone's problems...but, I figured out mine. And, maybe this will work for you too. I had downloaded the firmware update back in December and it worked then. I had downloaded it 4 other times since then, and I used the latest version every time I downloaded (not sure if that was a detriment or had no bearing whatsoever). Regardless...I decided to go back to the original firmware download I did, back in December. I dug around until I found the micro SD card that came with it and used that, EXACTLY the way the DJI video suggested. I formatted it using the Vision app in the quad. Next, I unzipped the original firmware download and copied the bin file to the micro SD card. I then took the card and inserted it into the camera (with the camera in the 'camera on' position and the quad powered off). I then powered up the quad and let it install the firmware. Once I had a green light, I powered off the quad. I then powered up the quad and confirmed I had a green light on the camera. I powered off the quad and removed the card. I'm using the same card that came with it, only because I'm paranoid another card might screw it up again.
With the camera loaded with the firmware, I've come up with the following sequence and it works for me.
1. Turn off the data on your phone (disable 4G)
2. Turn on airplane mode
3. Turn off wifi
4. Power on transmitter
5. Power on wifi extender
6. Power on quad(battery pack)
7. Turn on the camera from the "off" position to the "wifi on" position
8. Turn on wifi on phone
9. Find Phantom on the wifi list and connect to the Phantom
10. Turn on Vision app on phone.
You should now be able to click on the camera and see a live video feed from your camera.
I hope this helps.
So, I hit the internet and looked for a solution. It seems there are hundreds of people with the same problem and nobody really had an answer. I refused to believe my wifi card had mysteriously crapped out, sitting in it's case. It just had to be either a software problem or some other problem. I researched and researched. I even found out that the p2v+ has the wifi card in the main body while the p2v has the wifi card in the camera unit. I was thisclose to buying a new camera unit (fc200) just to solve this problem. Thank God I didn't! After reading this forum and many others...and trying lots of variations, I've finally figured it out. Well, maybe not everyone's problems...but, I figured out mine. And, maybe this will work for you too. I had downloaded the firmware update back in December and it worked then. I had downloaded it 4 other times since then, and I used the latest version every time I downloaded (not sure if that was a detriment or had no bearing whatsoever). Regardless...I decided to go back to the original firmware download I did, back in December. I dug around until I found the micro SD card that came with it and used that, EXACTLY the way the DJI video suggested. I formatted it using the Vision app in the quad. Next, I unzipped the original firmware download and copied the bin file to the micro SD card. I then took the card and inserted it into the camera (with the camera in the 'camera on' position and the quad powered off). I then powered up the quad and let it install the firmware. Once I had a green light, I powered off the quad. I then powered up the quad and confirmed I had a green light on the camera. I powered off the quad and removed the card. I'm using the same card that came with it, only because I'm paranoid another card might screw it up again.
With the camera loaded with the firmware, I've come up with the following sequence and it works for me.
1. Turn off the data on your phone (disable 4G)
2. Turn on airplane mode
3. Turn off wifi
4. Power on transmitter
5. Power on wifi extender
6. Power on quad(battery pack)
7. Turn on the camera from the "off" position to the "wifi on" position
8. Turn on wifi on phone
9. Find Phantom on the wifi list and connect to the Phantom
10. Turn on Vision app on phone.
You should now be able to click on the camera and see a live video feed from your camera.
I hope this helps.
dirkclod
Premium Pilot
Welcome to the Forum. !
Seems you have started with a great find and maybe this will solve a lot of folks issues with the camera
Again Welcome to the forum !!
Seems you have started with a great find and maybe this will solve a lot of folks issues with the camera
Again Welcome to the forum !!
Glad you were able to figure out the problem. Its important that the camera has a class 10 card and not over 32gb. A lesser class card will give you trouble if everything isnt perfect, the lesser cards fail with frequency.
Also... Never format your SD Card anywhere but in the FC200 camera that you will be using it in. Windows SD formatting is not necessarily compatible, even if it works, your asking for trouble.
Also... Never format your SD Card anywhere but in the FC200 camera that you will be using it in. Windows SD formatting is not necessarily compatible, even if it works, your asking for trouble.
DO you have a copy of that bin file you could email me to [email protected]?
I would like to try it....
Thank you
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