Brand new P4 with broken RC...DJI at its best.

[Dacon Productions]

I have bought a new P4 from Apple store on 4/25/16 just before the store closing. The next day I powered on the P4 and to my surprise ALL the firmware and software were up to date...no updating necessary (that is a first). Started to calibrate the IMU on a perfect leveled surface non metallic and after that went outside far away from any metals/interference and calibrated the Compass. When checked both the IMU and Compass values were VERY low barely any green lines. I have re-re-re calibrated the IMU and Compass and still the same results. Have compared my brand new P4 against 2 other P4 drones of my friends and their IMU and Compass values were high with solid green lines. Well...the next day on 4/26/16 I went to Apple store and exchanged the P4 for another P4, sealed box...and more problems started.
- after downloading the up to date firmware and software as instructed in the GO app, I power cycled all and restarted the RC, iPad, drone, checked for connection and camera view (all OK) , finished calibration and THE ORIGINAL RC DOES NOT POWER ON THE MOTORS !!!
- to check if the motors or something else is bad in the P4, drone, I have paired one by one the RC from my P3P and Inspire Pro drones to P4 and both non original RC worked perfect !!!
Also I have paired the original P4 RC to the P3P and Inspire Pro drones and the problem followed, the original P4 RC id not starting the motors with props, without props, inside, outside, in any mode. So, looks like this is the second P4 that is bummed and not working as it should.

So DJI, what is my option now? Re-replace the P4 completely? Was/is anybody from DJI checking the products before being shipped to customers? I can send proof of purchase to DJI if needed but I am frustrated with DJI lack of quality and trouble I have to go through.

 

[Shadow 81]

Personally I would take it straight back to the Apple Store and replace it with another P4. As your firmware was up to date would question if this was a returned item that they have re-sold. For the money you are paying use the return route and get a new one.

 

[msinger]

You only have two options. Either replace it at the Apple store or send it into DJI for repair. The latter will most likely take a few weeks.

 

[Dacon Productions]

Don't care for the wait and actually don't care for the original RC from the P4, I was not going to use it anyway, the RC from the Inspire has twice the power.
I thought about giving the P4 RC to my friend in exchange for a P3P RC. It just bothers me that brand new I get a bad product.
Drone looks really good, the camera is sharp (from what I can see in the house) and when turned off the camera stays in the same place, not sagging on one side (like others do). Will calibrate the IMU and Compass tomorrow and take it for a spin to check the rest. The P4 works good with the Inspire RC as I was planning to do anyway.

 

[Sim597]

I have bought a new P4 from Apple store on 4/25/16 just before the store closing. The next day I powered on the P4 and to my surprise ALL the firmware and software were up to date...no updating necessary (that is a first). Started to calibrate the IMU on a perfect leveled surface non metallic and after that went outside far away from any metals/interference and calibrated the Compass. When checked both the IMU and Compass values were VERY low barely any green lines. I have re-re-re calibrated the IMU and Compass and still the same results. Have compared my brand new P4 against 2 other P4 drones of my friends and their IMU and Compass values were high with solid green lines. Well...the next day on 4/26/16 I went to Apple store and exchanged the P4 for another P4, sealed box...and more problems started.
- after downloading the up to date firmware and software as instructed in the GO app, I power cycled all and restarted the RC, iPad, drone, checked for connection and camera view (all OK) , finished calibration and THE ORIGINAL RC DOES NOT POWER ON THE MOTORS !!!
- to check if the motors or something else is bad in the P4, drone, I have paired one by one the RC from my P3P and Inspire Pro drones to P4 and both non original RC worked perfect !!!
Also I have paired the original P4 RC to the P3P and Inspire Pro drones and the problem followed, the original P4 RC id not starting the motors with props, without props, inside, outside, in any mode. So, looks like this is the second P4 that is bummed and not working as it should.

So DJI, what is my option now? Re-replace the P4 completely? Was/is anybody from DJI checking the products before being shipped to customers? I can send proof of purchase to DJI if needed but I am frustrated with DJI lack of quality and trouble I have to go through.

You know, the lower the green the better, after I calibrate my lines are like 1/16" to 1/8" if they grow any more then that I re calibrate. The green grows until yellow then red I think, anyway, just pointing that part out, I'm not sure if your reading that correctly


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Dacon Productions]

How about 1/32".
Well, my P4 next to 2 other P4 in the middle of boonies at least 500ft away from any metal, with RC separated by at least 30ft and on the ground, the other P4 had a better and consistent readings compared to mine in IMU and Compass departments. Also my P4 was bopping and swaying about 2ft horizontal...the other 2 were nailed in the air.
Also all FW/SW was up to date on the P4...returned and resold? Apple says NO.

 

[Stealthmatt]

Sounds to me the remote has been updated but not the phantom 4.

Downgrade the remote firmware. Go to the home screen and hold the top right icon for 5 seconds and release and you will get a downgrade menu.

Then once its down graded, ignore any update warnings and then connect and see if it will arm the motors.

Or you could use the assistant software to check if the p4 has the latest.

 

[Dacon Productions]

UPDATE 11:46PM
Went back to Apple and met the same sell/tech from yesterday, he was very nice and I have exchanged the RC from the first P4 (good RC bad drone) with the second P4 (bad RC good drone), all OK now, RC is working with the P4 100%.
Also for the nay-sayers, the RC from the P4 works with P3P and Inspire Pro V2 (limited features).

 

[Dacon Productions]

All suggestions have been done many times.
Took the P4 RC to work and used an El-Gato spectrum analyzer on the P4 RC and also on the Inspire RC.
- P4 RC has NO Tx signal output (Rx OK, camera video in works) even when the RC Tx antenna is next to the Yagi antenna from the analyzer.
- Inspire RC has Tx signal waveform in the analyzer.
Wonder if the assembly line guy forgot to plug (or plug in good) the wire from the Tx module to the antenna...

 

[Dacon Productions]

Sounds to me the remote has been updated but not the phantom 4.

Downgrade the remote firmware. Go to the home screen and hold the top right icon for 5 seconds and release and you will get a downgrade menu.

Then once its down graded, ignore any update warnings and then connect and see if it will arm the motors.

Or you could use the assistant software to check if the p4 has the latest.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I have done the same thing to the first RC as to the second RC, just a defective unit.

 

[suck it up]

I really feel that you are missing something. I don't believe that you have everything updated properly. Too many of the same type of problems..... Try to read some of these threads and redo your FW updates.

 

[Dacon Productions]

Too late, the bad RC is gone now. I have the first RC and works OK.

 

[Stealthmatt]

Too late, the bad RC is gone now. I have the first RC and works OK.

How? Did you sell it on ebay as limited edition controller?

It's probably designed they way so people read the full manual first and then it knows.

 

[Dacon Productions]

I took it apart and sold each tiny part/screw/wire/connector individually...

I went back to Apple and exchanged the RC only from the first P4 I bought that the bird was bad.
What are the chances of going to a single store, picking up a P4 off the shelf (bad drone), going back to the same store and exchange it (pick up another P4 from the same shelf) and find that RC is dead...with DJI chances are 100%...