Fix no video feed / black screen / no image transmission / no FPV on Ph3 Pro

[quaddamage]

Here you will find the diagram for diagnosing and fixing the most popular issue with Phantom 3 Professional.
The solution will also work fine for Ph3 Advanced (though some branches are unreachable on this platform).

Latest version is hosted here:

dji-technical-stuff/phantom-3-no-video-feed-black-screen-diagnose-and-fix.md at main · quaddama9e/dji-technical-stuff

Technical details and howtos about DJI drones. Contribute to quaddama9e/dji-technical-stuff development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[Ashy 01]

Sadly guys it's the gimble board the slightest knock and they fry" the board gets that hot it's really a bad design fault and bloody dji should fix this " no wonder he's now a multi million air
Get a new board keep your old one there's guys on here that buy old boards

 

[tonyd]

Here is the diagram for diagnosing and fixing the most popular issue with Phantom 3 Professional.
The solution will also work fine for Ph3 Advanced (though some branches are unreachable on this platform).

The diagram is oriented towards users who do not have a second drone to interchange parts, or advanced equipment. The use of such items is delayed in the graph as much as possible, though it is unavoidable at some point. A repair shop would use different approach, testing components by replacing them with known good ones as one of first steps.

Video Feed Service Diagram:

Spoiler: DaVinci diagnosis diagram and links

Here is the graph for fixing DaVinci media processor, referenced in Video Feed Service Diagram.
If any of the instructions is too vague for you, check the links below the diagram - they contain more detailed explanations for specific actions.

DaVinci Chip Service Diagram:

Detailed (beginner level) instruction on reflashing bootloader on NAND for DaVinci processor:
No image transmission signal - P3P - SunsetCatcher's guide

Flashing all partitions on NAND for DaVinci processor:
o-gs/dji-firmware-tools Wiki: Flashing firmware on DaVinci media processors

Replacing NAND chip for DaVinci processor:
Fixing flash in DM365 chip within Ph3 Pro gimbal

I can't remember much of RC diagnosis, so it's currently TODO.

If I missed any typical cause, or you think something should be different - please write.
Same if you're stuck in a step and no answers match what you see.

I hope this will be the place to direct anyone with this kind of issue.

Links to more info below.

Simple drawing of the connections within the drone where video signal travels:
Camera to fried gimbal board bypass.

Detailed explanation of retrieving the `/MISC/LOG/P3?_FW_LOG_AB.txt`:
Need Advice on Firmware

Description of firmware modules, which chip they program and which board they're on:
o-gs/dji-firmware-tools Wiki: Dji Firmwares

Board descriptions, useful for component level repairs:
o-gs/dji-firmware-tools

Any insight for my video transmission working to about 1000 feet away and then pixelating and locking up the screen? When this has happened, which is often of late, I am able to climb 50 feet or so wait a few seconds to regain video feed to fly home. If I stay in a close proximity to my take off point, say within a thousand feet or so, my video feed to my tablet and goggles are normal. Any insight is greatly appreciated

 

[quaddamage]

Any insight for my video transmission working to about 1000 feet away and then pixelating and locking up the screen?

That would be radio channel issue - with either OFDM or RC. Not related to this thread.

 

[topcigar]

I tried everything. the only thing that fix my black screen is putting the bird in front of the AC for 10 mins. Then after turning it on again the image would come back.

Why is that? :/

 

[Ashy 01]

It's because your electrics and solder shrink making the broken joint contract ' so to make contact again " but as soon As warms up again it will go off again ,,,,

 

[topcigar]

It's because your electrics and solder shrink making the broken joint contract ' so to make contact again " but as soon As warms up again it will go off again ,,,,

Weird because when screen is black, i can still record video and pictures.

so how do i know which contact part is doing that? and how do i fix it..

 

[3rdof5]

Sadly guys it's the gimble board the slightest knock and they fry" the board gets that hot it's really a bad design fault and bloody dji should fix this " no wonder he's now a multi million air
Get a new board keep your old one there's guys on here that buy old boards

Yes happened to me too, thankfully my refurbished P3P is under warranty and soon to be shipped for repair for this exact issue. Let me empathize that the top pc board in the silver camera gimbal assembly is extremely sensitive to heat. Do not EVER land in any situation that could block the gimbal movement (grass etc.) And ALWAYS have a small fan blowing on ur AC gimbal when playing with settings or updating FW (non flight situations where there is no cooling from the props) and that will help ALOT to ensure you have no issues.

 

[Brian T]

Well you guys must know why I'm trawling the net and landed on this thread !

FW update today, 0800 and 1500 device not detected !

Amazed to find there are still issues with this, 2 years after it started. Where is dji in all this? Surely the company must be aware of the problem yet they still allow download of the same FW. In fact actively encourage it.

 

[tonyd]

Well you guys must know why I'm trawling the net and landed on this thread !

FW update today, 0800 and 1500 device not detected !

Amazed to find there are still issues with this, 2 years after it started. Where is dji in all this? Surely the company must be aware of the problem yet they still allow download of the same FW. In fact actively encourage it.

Brian. is there some kind of answer or direction for a fix in your post? I'm not sure what the 0 800 and 1500 FW means

 

[3rdof5]

Brian. is there some kind of answer or direction for a fix in your post? I'm not sure what the 0 800 and 1500 FW means

The 0800 and 1500 are the modules that show "device not detected" in the FW update log text file. It's always those 2 modules that have issues when the FPV quits. There are fixes if you want to reprogram them directly. I've never done it tho.

 

[Brian T]

Tony, from what I can find there is no simple fix just a return to dji for a €160 +€60 labour charge for a repair which their Firmware seems to be the root cause of.

If you have done a recent FW update and have lost video to your mobile device, look in the hidden files, see if 0800 device not detected appears, likewise for 1500, if so dji are happy to tell you it is an air encoder issue and where to send it for a repair. And guide you to cost of repair !

I was in chat with tech spt this morning, asked why they STILL, have a Fw update with KNOWN flaws all I got back was " Sorry about the issue"

If these guys were motor vehicle manufacturers they would be legally obliged to, 1 prevent any further downloads until the problem is resolved, 2 recall any affected craft,3 reimburse any costs to previous repair rectified owners.

They have in a nutshell got by the balls.

If I were to write a piece of software that I found caused issues I would remove it from the public domain until I knew it was stable. Not continue to let people download and ruin more craft for 2 years.

 

[quaddamage]

@Brian T You continue to imply a specific firmware version being source of the issue. This is not the case.

 

[Brian T]

@quaddamage . Continue to imply? Where else other than in the post I put up a few minutes ago? I am one of the stalkers that visit and reads, posts rarely.

Virtually every post, not just by me, implies the 0800 1500 errors and associated damage/lack of function nearly all, note I said nearly, stem from the fw upgrade.

Even dji online support knew exactly what the problem was !

Please explain how or when 0800 1500 errors occur other than via FW updates?

If you fly in to a tree or drop it in a lake I accept there are other causes for video loss, other than that ????

 

[quaddamage]

@quaddamage . Continue to imply? Where else other than in the post I put up a few minutes ago?

Here:

Surely the company must be aware of the problem yet they still allow download of the same FW.

Virtually every post, not just by me, implies the 0800 1500 errors and associated damage/lack of function nearly all, note I said nearly, stem from the fw upgrade.

That is one of the causes.

Please explain how or when 0800 1500 errors occur other than via FW updates?

The same issue also happens when the drone isn't used for prolonged time, usually after winter.

Also, I never said there are other causes than firmware update (even though there are).

Anyway, noone is going to do some magic which would make the issue disappear. Especially Dji, as they no longer support Ph3's.

To get rid of the issue, Dji would have to recall all units and replace the boards in every drone and every GL300a RC. They are not going to do this, unless a court orders it.

 

[Brian T]

I understand from what I have read that the memory is "lost" if stored for long periods, I last used mine end of July, surely 3 months isnt too long ? If it can be shown it is down to other than FW fair enough, if however, it is down to the upgrade then surely that is an issue. Flight logs/records could prove or go part way to proving the likelihood.

 

[Oso]

As noted, there are several things that can cause the common 8/15 issue. A couple of the issues can be a result of updating FW, but not the FW file itself as was explained earlier. Of course DJI will not remove the link to a specific FW as you have requested since that is not the root cause. Most often it is a component on the gimbal top (main) board as you've said that DJI mentioned to you.

One particular component can go bad with idle time as we've seen numerous times. Many have been after taking a couple of months off for winter. Others can go bad due to overheating during the FW update process which we have also seen numerous times. This is why we repeatedly suggest that people use a fan of some sort to blow on their AC during the update. It can also be simply a corruption which occurs during the update process since the FW contains updates to various modules. This can be due to so many things and happens across many industries. There are others, but I only mentioned a few of the ones we see on a regular basis.

I do agree with one of your other posts on this topic that it would be wonderful if DJI at least made replacement boards available for cost or near cost so that more people could replace them themselves and not need to reflash them manually with a USB to TTL converter or send them in to DJI for service.

Question - have you already tried to force reinstall the FW? A long shot, but seems worth it at this point.

 

[3rdof5]

As Oso said, its a shame that Dji (or anyone else for that matter) has not created a replacement board for the gimbal that doesn't have the issues the factory one does. I can only imagine how many P3's are out there and how many of those owners would immediately purchase such a board. I know I would.

 

[Oso]

I know I would.

Me too.

 

[Brian T]

Tried forced upgrade, red/green for 15 minutes then solid red.

We need a third party pcb manufacturer, who can manufacture a thousand or so top gimbal boards, with a slight mod/ improvement, heat sensor maybe. Dji probably by the components in and do final assembly anyway.