Back From the Dead....

[Dirty Bird]

Howdy folks. Its been quite a while since I've been online. Last time I was here Night Fury had taken out my bird. I must confess the incident left me rather disgusted & the bird has been sitting in the corner atop of the case ever since. Two broken props, camera separated at the roll axis, ribbon cable torn. I'd eyeball her now & then, knowing I was really missing the thrill of flying, but never getting motivated enough to sit down & dig in. A lot of stuff happened to distract me since. Had to buy a new work truck, work got slow, etc., all keeping me occupied elsewhere.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email where DJI was having a Cyber Monday sale. Phantom 3 Pro, free extra battery & shipping. $1159. I thought, I debated, & finally I pulled the trigger. It gets worse. I went back & ordered a Phantom 3 Advanced later. So I have two new birds sitting here in the box, dubbed "Poop Chute" (Advanced) & "Darth Videous" (Pro). Haven't even opened the boxes yet but I've read the manuals several times, installed the DJIGo app, & I know I'll be flying soon.

The new arrivals have revived my flying excitement & today I dusted off "Dirty Bird," my trusty Vision+, to see how bad things were & to determine if she was salvageable. I charged a battery, installed new props, & took her outside for a test flight. I was amazed to discover she flew perfectly after her encounter with Night Fury & the hard plummet through the trees onto the asphalt. I do need to reshell her. Not from the crash but she has developed some fairly significant stress cracks at the motor mounting points in her hundreds of flights. I've had a new shell in the closet for ages (along with a lot of other spare parts) so reshelling is just an investment in time.

Then I got really motivated & decided to try my luck repairing the camera. Vision+ cameras are rare & more expensive than those on the Phantom 3. DJI no longer seems to offer them, nor a retrofit allowing the newer cameras to be used on the older aircraft. Fortunately, way back when ribbon cables were unavailable, I had snagged one up from Dave's Discount Motors. I watched the perfect YouTube video demonstrating a camera repairs with the exact same damage & set about attempting the repair. It was an absolute PITA. Not that the repair is particularly difficult. It's just that the camera components are so small & my eyes aren't what they used to be for up close work. I am pleased to report that my Vision+ camera survived the crash & is now fully functional with only a few scuffs on the bezel where it skated across the asphalt! I took her out for a test flight after the repair & all seems well.

In the next few days I hope to sit down and tackle the reshelling & bring "Dirty Bird" back to 100%. I really like having this bird back because she has the old 3.0 firmware which gives me some options not available with the Phantom 3 models. From my understanding of the Phantom 3 lineup, the only difference between the Pro & Advanced is 4K video vs. 2.7K video, 100 watt charger vs. 57 watt charger, and gold stripes vs. silver stripes. Its not like I have a 4K monitor available to tell the difference, but with the sale I had to get a Pro. Either way, I'm glad to be close to getting back in the air again with the Quad fleet now at 3 birds!

Salute to all & Merry Christmas!

 

[bobmyers]

Howdy folks. Its been quite a while since I've been online. Last time I was here Night Fury had taken out my bird. I must confess the incident left me rather disgusted & the bird has been sitting in the corner atop of the case ever since. Two broken props, camera separated at the roll axis, ribbon cable torn. I'd eyeball her now & then, knowing I was really missing the thrill of flying, but never getting motivated enough to sit down & dig in. A lot of stuff happened to distract me since. Had to buy a new work truck, work got slow, etc., all keeping me occupied elsewhere.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email where DJI was having a Cyber Monday sale. Phantom 3 Pro, free extra battery & shipping. $1159. I thought, I debated, & finally I pulled the trigger. It gets worse. I went back & ordered a Phantom 3 Advanced later. So I have two new birds sitting here in the box, dubbed "Poop Chute" (Advanced) & "Darth Videous" (Pro). Haven't even opened the boxes yet but I've read the manuals several times, installed the DJIGo app, & I know I'll be flying soon.

The new arrivals have revived my flying excitement & today I dusted off "Dirty Bird," my trusty Vision+, to see how bad things were & to determine if she was salvageable. I charged a battery, installed new props, & took her outside for a test flight. I was amazed to discover she flew perfectly after her encounter with Night Fury & the hard plummet through the trees onto the asphalt. I do need to reshell her. Not from the crash but she has developed some fairly significant stress cracks at the motor mounting points in her hundreds of flights. I've had a new shell in the closet for ages (along with a lot of other spare parts) so reshelling is just an investment in time.

Then I got really motivated & decided to try my luck repairing the camera. Vision+ cameras are rare & more expensive than those on the Phantom 3. DJI no longer seems to offer them, nor a retrofit allowing the newer cameras to be used on the older aircraft. Fortunately, way back when ribbon cables were unavailable, I had snagged one up from Dave's Discount Motors. I watched the perfect YouTube video demonstrating a camera repairs with the exact same damage & set about attempting the repair. It was an absolute PITA. Not that the repair is particularly difficult. It's just that the camera components are so small & my eyes aren't what they used to be for up close work. I am pleased to report that my Vision+ camera survived the crash & is now fully functional with only a few scuffs on the bezel where it skated across the asphalt! I took her out for a test flight after the repair & all seems well.

In the next few days I hope to sit down and tackle the reshelling & bring "Dirty Bird" back to 100%. I really like having this bird back because she has the old 3.0 firmware which gives me some options not available with the Phantom 3 models. From my understanding of the Phantom 3 lineup, the only difference between the Pro & Advanced is 4K video vs. 2.7K video, 100 watt charger vs. 57 watt charger, and gold stripes vs. silver stripes. Its not like I have a 4K monitor available to tell the difference, but with the sale I had to get a Pro. Either way, I'm glad to be close to getting back in the air again with the Quad fleet now at 3 birds!

Salute to all & Merry Christmas!

Cheers, great to have you back and a Merry Christmas to you!

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Welcome back stranger! Congrats on the new birds!

 

[Adil J]

Wait a second couple things, one, why repair the camera on the vision+ when you have a better one on the advanced and pro. Two, why buy the advanced AND pro? For that money why not just get an inspire? Its your money, just curious.

 

[Meta4]

Welcome back DB .. you're in for a treat with the new machines.

 

[Mako79]

Welcome back.
And 1 more difference between the Adv and Pro - The Lightbridge stream is capped at 4mbs on the Advance whereas the Pro can go up to 10mbs. This only makes a difference if you are using goggles or outputting via HDMI on a larger display for live streaming. In other words, you can see more artefacts on the Adv.

 

[Dirty Bird]

On repairing the Vision+. Hundreds of flights, 4 batteries, custom case, tons of accessories, & autonomous flexibility. Too much invested to simply scrap a perfectly airworthy bird that will be at 100% with a little work & no out-of-pocket expense. Also I have the 3.0 firmware on my Vision+ & Coffee's custom version of the DJI app with unlimited Ground Station range. My understanding from the manuals of the Pro/Adv/Std is the firmware is limited to 120m maximum altitude (if I am wrong on this altitude limit please let me know). Say I wanted to do a early am flight over Baltimore city. I certainly can't do it with a 120m ceiling limitation. If I went to the mountains of Western Maryland & wanted to do a Ground Station mission, the altitude limitation would again come into play. Finally, say I wanted to do a particularly risky flight (risky to the aircraft) like a Ground Station mission from one side of the Bay Bridge to the other & back. I'd rather take that chance with the Vision+ than a Phantom 3.

Why the Pro & Advanced? The deal on the Pro was great. I like the idea of having a spare aircraft on hand so I was going to order a second Pro (aircraft only) so, in the event of a mishap, I had a spare handy. The bare aircraft alone was nearly $600. Throw in another $500+ for the camera & it was over $100 more than buying the complete Advanced package deal with free second battery. So I wound up with another complete aircraft with camera, two more batteries, along with a spare controller (the controller alone sells for over $500). It just seemed the most cost-effective way to get a spare aircraft. I would have just gotten a second Pro but the Advanced was $159 less expensive and, being as I don't have a device capable of viewing 4K video, I doubt I'll notice much of a difference in video quality.

Why not an Inspire 1? I would naturally want the $4400 model. That's $4400 for one aircraft with a single battery. By the time I buy extra batteries & accessorize I am well over $5K. I have only a single aircraft that delivers less flight time per battery than a Phantom 2 or 3. My predilection is towards autonomous, long-range, flights. The reduced flight time of the Inspire 1 is more limiting, as is my willingness to risk a $4000 aircraft. I am certain the Inspire 1 offers superior camera performance, but a crash would be prohibitively expensive.

Wait a second couple things, one, why repair the camera on the vision+ when you have a better one on the advanced and pro. Two, why buy the advanced AND pro? For that money why not just get an inspire? Its your money, just curious.

 

[Adil J]

On repairing the Vision+. Hundreds of flights, 4 batteries, custom case, tons of accessories, & autonomous flexibility. Too much invested to simply scrap a perfectly airworthy bird that will be at 100% with a little work & no out-of-pocket expense. Also I have the 3.0 firmware on my Vision+ & Coffee's custom version of the DJI app with unlimited Ground Station range. My understanding from the manuals of the Pro/Adv/Std is the firmware is limited to 120m maximum altitude (if I am wrong on this altitude limit please let me know). Say I wanted to do a early am flight over Baltimore city. I certainly can't do it with a 120m ceiling limitation. If I went to the mountains of Western Maryland & wanted to do a Ground Station mission, the altitude limitation would again come into play. Finally, say I wanted to do a particularly risky flight (risky to the aircraft) like a Ground Station mission from one side of the Bay Bridge to the other & back. I'd rather take that chance with the Vision+ than a Phantom 3.

Why the Pro & Advanced? The deal on the Pro was great. I like the idea of having a spare aircraft on hand so I was going to order a second Pro (aircraft only) so, in the event of a mishap, I had a spare handy. The bare aircraft alone was nearly $600. Throw in another $500+ for the camera & it was over $100 more than buying the complete Advanced package deal with free second battery. So I wound up with another complete aircraft with camera, two more batteries, along with a spare controller (the controller alone sells for over $500). It just seemed the most cost-effective way to get a spare aircraft. I would have just gotten a second Pro but the Advanced was $159 less expensive and, being as I don't have a device capable of viewing 4K video, I doubt I'll notice much of a difference in video quality.

Why not an Inspire 1? I would naturally want the $4400 model. That's $4400 for one aircraft with a single battery. By the time I buy extra batteries & accessorize I am well over $5K. I have only a single aircraft that delivers less flight time per battery than a Phantom 2 or 3. My predilection is towards autonomous, long-range, flights. The reduced flight time of the Inspire 1 is more limiting, as is my willingness to risk a $4000 aircraft. I am certain the Inspire 1 offers superior camera performance, but a crash would be prohibitively expensive.

Ah I see. Btw, the altitude limit is 500m not 120m.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Thank you I did not notice that in the feature comparison. I purchased the HDMI module to have the option of easily adding goggles. Researching goggles in on my list of things to do!

Welcome back.
And 1 more difference between the Adv and Pro - The Lightbridge stream is capped at 4mbs on the Advance whereas the Pro can go up to 10mbs. This only makes a difference if you are using goggles or outputting via HDMI on a larger display for live streaming. In other words, you can see more artefacts on the Adv.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Thank you for that information. That is good to know & much more reasonable. When I read 120m in the manual I was a little bummed.

Ah I see. Btw, the altitude limit is 500m not 120m.

 

[Mako79]

Thank you I did not notice that in the feature comparison. I purchased the HDMI module to have the option of easily adding goggles. Researching goggles in on my list of things to do!

I stand corrected..
DJI site states:
Compare the Phantom Series | DJI

Max. Video Bitrate
Phantom 3 Professional：10Mbps
Phantom 3 Advanced：2Mbps

 

[dirtybum]

Hello DB & welcome back!
I dont know you but early in my start at this hobby was around the time you stepped out and i used to enjoy your posts and insite! I've gained lightyears and miles of experience through these months while youve been away and look foward to sharing with you & hearing from in the new year. Lets wish us all a safe flight!

 

[dirtybum]

BTW, just because we get the fancy new models, lets not forget the birds that got us where we are today!

 

[PhantomRock]

Howdy folks. Its been quite a while since I've been online. Last time I was here Night Fury had taken out my bird. I must confess the incident left me rather disgusted & the bird has been sitting in the corner atop of the case ever since. Two broken props, camera separated at the roll axis, ribbon cable torn. I'd eyeball her now & then, knowing I was really missing the thrill of flying, but never getting motivated enough to sit down & dig in. A lot of stuff happened to distract me since. Had to buy a new work truck, work got slow, etc., all keeping me occupied elsewhere.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email where DJI was having a Cyber Monday sale. Phantom 3 Pro, free extra battery & shipping. $1159. I thought, I debated, & finally I pulled the trigger. It gets worse. I went back & ordered a Phantom 3 Advanced later. So I have two new birds sitting here in the box, dubbed "Poop Chute" (Advanced) & "Darth Videous" (Pro). Haven't even opened the boxes yet but I've read the manuals several times, installed the DJIGo app, & I know I'll be flying soon.

The new arrivals have revived my flying excitement & today I dusted off "Dirty Bird," my trusty Vision+, to see how bad things were & to determine if she was salvageable. I charged a battery, installed new props, & took her outside for a test flight. I was amazed to discover she flew perfectly after her encounter with Night Fury & the hard plummet through the trees onto the asphalt. I do need to reshell her. Not from the crash but she has developed some fairly significant stress cracks at the motor mounting points in her hundreds of flights. I've had a new shell in the closet for ages (along with a lot of other spare parts) so reshelling is just an investment in time.

Then I got really motivated & decided to try my luck repairing the camera. Vision+ cameras are rare & more expensive than those on the Phantom 3. DJI no longer seems to offer them, nor a retrofit allowing the newer cameras to be used on the older aircraft. Fortunately, way back when ribbon cables were unavailable, I had snagged one up from Dave's Discount Motors. I watched the perfect YouTube video demonstrating a camera repairs with the exact same damage & set about attempting the repair. It was an absolute PITA. Not that the repair is particularly difficult. It's just that the camera components are so small & my eyes aren't what they used to be for up close work. I am pleased to report that my Vision+ camera survived the crash & is now fully functional with only a few scuffs on the bezel where it skated across the asphalt! I took her out for a test flight after the repair & all seems well.

In the next few days I hope to sit down and tackle the reshelling & bring "Dirty Bird" back to 100%. I really like having this bird back because she has the old 3.0 firmware which gives me some options not available with the Phantom 3 models. From my understanding of the Phantom 3 lineup, the only difference between the Pro & Advanced is 4K video vs. 2.7K video, 100 watt charger vs. 57 watt charger, and gold stripes vs. silver stripes. Its not like I have a 4K monitor available to tell the difference, but with the sale I had to get a Pro. Either way, I'm glad to be close to getting back in the air again with the Quad fleet now at 3 birds!

Salute to all & Merry Christmas!

Welcome back, Dirty Bird! I likewise was just dusting off my 2 Vision+. Nice to hear a familiar voice! Do you know what the most stable updated version of the software is? I have the earlier models with the old motor. I'm wondering if I download a current app if it will work properly

 

[dirtybum]

Welcome back, Dirty Bird! I likewise was just dusting off my 2 Vision+. Nice to hear a familiar voice! Do you know what the most stable updated version of the software is? I have the earlier models with the old motor. I'm wondering if I download a current app if it will work properly

I know that question is for the other DB, i still fly my p2v+ every week chasing distance and i'm on the latest updates all around. I trust that my p2 will do exactly what i ask mile after mile updated cause it's givin me no probs. cant say i trust my p3 the same!

Now i will let the real DB chime in!

 

[Dirty Bird]

I agree completely!

BTW, just because we get the fancy new models, lets not forget the birds that got us where we are today!

 

[Dirty Bird]

Thanks! For firmware I have always been partial to the original 3.0 that came with my Vision+. This was the version where you could still descend @ 4 m/s. Sadly, if you upgraded past that I don't know of any way of going back. I NEVER hook this bird to the computer without first disabling the internet connection because DJI will try to force updated firmware on you without asking permission.

For the the phone app, I use v11 of Coffee's custom version of the DJI app. This is the version with the limits removed from Ground Station. Unsure if he was able to update beyond v11? I don't know if the P3-specific DJI-Go app will work with a Vision+? I will stick with Coffee's version of the old app for my old bird because I don't like limits!

Welcome back, Dirty Bird! I likewise was just dusting off my 2 Vision+. Nice to hear a familiar voice! Do you know what the most stable updated version of the software is? I have the earlier models with the old motor. I'm wondering if I download a current app if it will work properly

 

[DrJoe]

Ha! Good to see you, DB. I had a loss of aircraft incident with my P2V+. Suffice to say, she is no more. Been away from the boards for the most part since around the same time as you.

Picked up a P3 pro the other day. Just like yours, mine is still in the box. Still reading manuals and watching videos. I did make sure I purchased the updated P3P (model number ends in A). I'm trying to sort out the vibration problem some are having with the latest firmware, as I would have liked to update everything as it came out of the box, but I may hold off until its figured out.

I do still have a Phantom FC40 that we modded extensively. No geo-fence, no restrictions at all, not that I'm looking to land it at the White House, but I have options for difficult/dangerous shots.

What's your plan for updating the P3P out of the box?

 

[Dirty Bird]

Holy smokes DrJoe how have you been? You Vision+ went missing??? What's the scoop on that? Since I started this thread my Vision+ survived another close encounter...battery malfunction 4000' out over the Bay. Managed to set her down on an abandoned island fort in the nick of time & was lucky enough to meet a guy with a boat to take me to retrieve her. Ordered two new Limefuel P2 batteries to test. At least I have fresh cells now...replacing all 4 to be safe.

I've been reading, watching, & devouring every tidbit of info I can find on the P3s. When I ordered my P3P I was going to order a spare aircraft. By the time I factored in the cost of the bare aircraft & cam, I realized it made much more sense just to buy a P3A package instead. So I have two complete P3 aircraft, 4 P3 batteries, two controllers, & 4 sets of props. Still getting my P3 gear together. GoProfessional case, 2 new Flytrex P3 units, 2 Inspire 1 metal tablet holders, 3 Killer RC gimbal savers (one for the Vision+), 2 HDMI modules.

As an aside I am kind of blown away by the P3S. It's basically this years model of the Vision+. Much improved camera, increased stock range, integrated Wi-Fi extender, improved propulsion system, integrated mainboard components, upgraded battery, and all for $699. Almost half of what we paid for the Vision+. I might have to pick one up just for Ground Station missions!

On updates you know me. If it works leave it alone. Still running the original 3.00 on my Vision+! LMAO! My P3s came direct from DJI just a couple of weeks ago so they may already have the latest? Don't want to open them yet because I'll be doing range tests straight away!

5000M out of the box....