Firmware skeptics

[mikesmiley]

The idea that DJI has implemented a system that will only allow the end user to downgrade back a single version is also very telling. They could very easily provide a method to do a full factory reset of their hardware but they choose not to do so. I believe that I should have the ability to put my birds back to the original state in which I purchased them. It would certainly make resolving issues much easier.

This.

 

[mikesmiley]

And not to take this thread too far off topic, but it also troubles me that, short of taking the bird apart and pulling out the internal SD card, there is no longer any way to delete your flight records. Yes, you can view them, copy them and paste them, but you cannot delete them.

I'm the sort of man that will not sell any device without removing all of my personal information first, which means that I cannot sell this thing, should I want to upgrade.

 

[Tenly]

And not to take this thread too far off topic, but it also troubles me that, short of taking the bird apart and pulling out the internal SD card, there is no longer any way to delete your flight records. Yes, you can view them, copy them and paste them, but you cannot delete them.

I'm the sort of man that will not sell any device without removing all of my personal information first, which means that I cannot sell this thing, should I want to upgrade.

I hear you and agree that there should be a full factory reset mode that restores all settings to default values and removes any data from previous flights. Hopefully they'll restore that capability in a future "firmware" update

In the meantime, if you must sell it - take it to a public place away from home and then power it on and off repeatedly. Whether you fly or not - each time you power up the Phantom, it creates a flight log - and when that built in card fills up - it deletes the oldest one. So just keep power cycling the phantom in a location that doesn't have the GPS coordinates of your home - and eventually, all of the flight logs that show your actual flights - and potentially the GPS co-ordinates of home - will be aged out.

Crummy workaround - but you can use it if you have to transfer ownership and don't want to give away your home address or historical flight information.

 

[mikesmiley]

Yeah, I know it overwrites the oldest file each time you fly, and I have no intention of selling my 3A. In fact I plan to buy another while the getting is good.

But it just bugs me, ya know?

 

[shockwave199]

I never have a problem and I'm grateful for that. But I still give firmware updates about 10 days before I do them and the dji app I hold back sometimes as much as two versions because the app they tend to bug up. I updated it when I updated to 1.8 and settled for the pinch to zoom bug on ios. I almost updated to the newest version until after a week or so it became obvious that flight records has a bug. I update everything but I still give it just a little time to make sure dji hasn't screwed something up. I trust my system to update, no problem. I also dismiss 99% of people's troubles with the process. Most of all that is user error entirely.

 

[GundoLarry]

Since joining this forum, one thing I've learned is that the fear mongering on here is rampant. As a result, it turned me into a "wait a few weeks before I update" P3 owner....

...Am I the only one who sees how laughable this has become?

No, you're not alone. Personally, I chalk it up to the "pull it out, charge it, and fly it" folks.
Once they see a problem, they do a Google Search and post their issues in a place like this.
Next, they watch some Youtube tutorials or show n' tells.
Third, they read the instructions.

It's a process for some.

For some folks, I guess its a reluctance to have the No Fly bindings installed.

 

[Tenly]

Yeah, I know it overwrites the oldest file each time you fly, and I have no intention of selling my 3A. In fact I plan to buy another while the getting is good.

But it just bugs me, ya know?

I completely agree.

 

[0DRK3RT]

Not saying people are wrong for not updating based on preference and lack of any problems with their bird. "If it ain't broke..." is a mantra I apply to many aspects in life.

But i do believe that firmware/software will always need tweaking. I assume the majority of us update our phone/tablet apps (all apps, not specifically GO), as well as new iPhone iOS updates, laptop computer software/Windows updates , and other gadgets in our lives.

Not updating software on all computer devices is like not changing the oil in your car "because it runs just fine" or never updating your antivirus program "because you don't have any viruses." Seems counterproductive


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[meissner58]

Many users have never faced issues or even if they have faced, they could easily recover. On the other side, many keep struggling, many even don't attempt to update. I won't be surprised if over 50% have not even attempted to update.

Let me list down some of the reasons for update failures:

1. There are many users who have very limited knowledge of software handling.

2. There are three basic parts, Go App, RC and AC. Each has multiple versions available. All are not backward compatible.

3. There are multiple HW combinations of mobile device, RC and AC

4. The installers are not intuitive. They do not check compatibility, they do not warn and they do not guide users.

5. AC FW still requires multiple manual steps to complete installation.

With all above complications, how can we expect a non-IT experienced user to correctly install SW/ FW with 100% success in very first attempt?

There are lengthy documents and if we tell users to read this or read that and install, there are all chances of making errors.

Problem will be minimized when total installation is web based with just button click away and prompt users if there is any mistake.

I'm still flying 1.5 no issues but this weekend I'm going to update to newest one. I just totally forgot where to start. Pulling SD card and making sure it's completely mty I believe is crucial. I'll do my research on it all again. It'll come back to me

 

[meissner58]

I'm still flying 1.5 no issues but this weekend I'm going to update to newest one. I just totally forgot where to start. Pulling SD card and making sure it's completely mty I believe is crucial. I'll do my research on it all again. It'll come back to me

I just found the user guide to do this on go app manual. Time to get a refresher course

 

[Oso]

And not to take this thread too far off topic, but it also troubles me that, short of taking the bird apart and pulling out the internal SD card, there is no longer any way to delete your flight records. Yes, you can view them, copy them and paste them, but you cannot delete them.

Whether you fly or not - each time you power up the Phantom, it creates a flight log - and when that built in card fills up - it deletes the oldest one. So just keep power cycling the phantom in a location that doesn't have the GPS coordinates of your home - and eventually, all of the flight logs that show your actual flights - and potentially the GPS co-ordinates of home - will be aged out.

FYI that you can still delete the internal records. It's not as easy as it used to be with prior versions, but you can still do it.
Reset flight logs before shipping sold P3P?

Update: There has been some feedback that this ability may be one of the the functionalities lost with current versions. With my gear, I can't confirm but keep it in mind if you try.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

That being said, I've really seen no benefit from any of them,

Meaning that the issues were all fixed before they affected you personally.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Not jumping on the latest update doesn't mean someone is technically challenged. Some employ the simple logic, "If it ain't broke why fix it?" Unless an update offers some critical fix or feature that I find compelling &, assuming the aircraft is otherwise performing well, I just see no reason to update. My P3 Advanced & Pro arrived with 1.3. I updated to 1.4 to get the full IOC feature complement. Both aircraft perform perfectly & beyond 1.4 there is nothing I see in the later revisions warranting an update. If at some time that changes I will consider updating.

My Phantom 2 Vision+ has over 600 flights with the original 3.00 firmware. What would I gain by updating this aircraft? I'd have aftermarket battery compatibility issues, my descent speed would be cut in half, & I'd be forced to auto-land @ 10%. The only positives would be auto-battery discharge & the inclusion of the battery flight time calculator. Weighting the positives with the negatives there is not a compelling reason to update.

Jumping on any update the moment it arrives is, IMHO, foolish. Let others do the beta testing!

Similarly I still run Windows 7 on all of my computers. I'm not a fan of Windows 8/10 & I see no compelling reason to update. It doesn't mean I am incapable of updating I just don't like it!

Since joining this forum, one thing I've learned is that the fear mongering on here is rampant. As a result, it turned me into a "wait a few weeks before I update" P3 owner.

Then I started seeing a pattern. Aside from 1.5 and flying in cold weather, every firmware release has proven to be stable assuming your bird's hardware is in working order and you update it correctly. Yet there is a persistent pessimistic view by a lot of members about updating firmware.

It's the same story with each release: a few people (literally, 2 or 3 out of 1,000s) post a problem and claim "this never happened when I was on X.XX.XXX firmware!!" And a long winded debate follows with the usual responses of "that's why I'm still on X.XX.XXX and will NEVER update!!"

Then after a few weeks of "the new firmware works great for me" with little to no proof of any problems/bugs in the firmware the threads go silent. 3 months later, the exact same debates happen when a new release comes out.

What seems to be left out by these OP's is its 99% due to error and inexperience with the process, OR defective parts unrelated to the firmware.

Am I the only one who sees how laughable this has become?

 

[Jtrjr]

I updated to 1.4 to get the full IOC feature complement. Both aircraft perform perfectly & beyond 1.4 there is nothing I see in the later revisions warranting an update. If at some time that changes I will consider updating.

My Phantom 2 Vision+ has over 600 flights with the original 3.00 firmware.

It doesn't mean I am incapable of updating I just don't like it!

Dirty,

I'm with you, Dude!

Jerry

 

[MikeON]

Not jumping on the latest update doesn't mean someone is technically challenged. Some employ the simple logic, "If it ain't broke why fix it?" Unless an update offers some critical fix or feature that I find compelling &, assuming the aircraft is otherwise performing well, I just see no reason to update. My P3 Advanced & Pro arrived with 1.3. I updated to 1.4 to get the full IOC feature complement. Both aircraft perform perfectly & beyond 1.4 there is nothing I see in the later revisions warranting an update. If at some time that changes I will consider updating.

My Phantom 2 Vision+ has over 600 flights with the original 3.00 firmware. What would I gain by updating this aircraft? I'd have aftermarket battery compatibility issues, my descent speed would be cut in half, & I'd be forced to auto-land @ 10%. The only positives would be auto-battery discharge & the inclusion of the battery flight time calculator. Weighting the positives with the negatives there is not a compelling reason to update.

Jumping on any update the moment it arrives is, IMHO, foolish. Let others do the beta testing!

Similarly I still run Windows 7 on all of my computers. I'm not a fan of Windows 8/10 & I see no compelling reason to update. It doesn't mean I am incapable of updating I just don't like it!

Fully agree. I update when I see a reason to update, which I don't seen in the release notes for the last few versions.

 

[Madmartigan]

I just got a P3A and this is my first "real" drone. So I'm a noob.

When I started looking to to info on these, I also became terrified at the FW updates because so much is out there on them. Straight out of the box I get the message I need to update, but the P3 flies great and I don't want to screw it up. I'd like to know what version I have and what the latest is (how far behind am I).

 

[Tenly]

Not jumping on the latest update doesn't mean someone is technically challenged. Some employ the simple logic, "If it ain't broke why fix it?" Unless an update offers some critical fix or feature that I find compelling &, assuming the aircraft is otherwise performing well, I just see no reason to update. My P3 Advanced & Pro arrived with 1.3. I updated to 1.4 to get the full IOC feature complement. Both aircraft perform perfectly & beyond 1.4 there is nothing I see in the later revisions warranting an update. If at some time that changes I will consider updating.

My Phantom 2 Vision+ has over 600 flights with the original 3.00 firmware. What would I gain by updating this aircraft? I'd have aftermarket battery compatibility issues, my descent speed would be cut in half, & I'd be forced to auto-land @ 10%. The only positives would be auto-battery discharge & the inclusion of the battery flight time calculator. Weighting the positives with the negatives there is not a compelling reason to update.

Jumping on any update the moment it arrives is, IMHO, foolish. Let others do the beta testing!

Similarly I still run Windows 7 on all of my computers. I'm not a fan of Windows 8/10 & I see no compelling reason to update. It doesn't mean I am incapable of updating I just don't like it!

That's certainly one way to look at it - but just because an intermittent bug in the existing firmware hasn't affected you personally yet doesn't mean "it ain't broke". By the time you gain the personal experience that something "is broke" - the damage is already done.

I would also expect that if such an intermittent bug caused you to crash - DJI would be within their rights to deny your warranty claim *IF* the bug that caused your crash had been fixed in a version of the firmware that you chose not to install.

So - while I agree that there is risk in updating immediately, there can also be risk incurred with not updating at all.

 

[MikeON]

I would also expect that if such an intermittent bug caused you to crash - DJI would be within their rights to deny your warranty claim *IF* the bug that caused your crash had been fixed in a version of the firmware that you chose not to install.

Would agree with that only if the release notes explicitly stated that the update includes a fix that may prevent a crash.

So - while I agree that there is risk in updating immediately, there can also be risk incurred with not updating at all.

Yes, it is a risk vs. benefit analysis. The risk may be slight, but to me the benefits are also slight.

 

[0DRK3RT]

beyond 1.4 there is nothing I see in the later revisions warranting an update. If at some time that changes I will consider updating.

You don't think these fixes are worth it? [emoji848]

1. Improved aircraft stability through optimized flight controller logic.
2. Optimized gimbal parameters.
3. Fixed clip preview error in 2.7K resolution mode.
4. Improved encryption to enhance security during transmission
5. Improved compass accuracy.
6. Fixed issue of image being corrupted in rare occasion
7. Improved battery reliability when using the aircraft in cold environments.
8. Optimized battery management




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[meissner58]

You don't think these fixes are worth it? [emoji848]

1. Improved aircraft stability through optimized flight controller logic.
2. Optimized gimbal parameters.
3. Fixed clip preview error in 2.7K resolution mode.
4. Improved encryption to enhance security during transmission
5. Improved compass accuracy.
6. Fixed issue of image being corrupted in rare occasion
7. Improved battery reliability when using the aircraft in cold environments.
8. Optimized battery management




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Agreed...Not taking that chance..just updated today from 1.6...