Flashing Yellow lights - help!

[Timor]

Timor, sorry I work during the day.
Your video shows conflicting information. Remote connected(solid Green) Drone disconnected (quick yellow flash) this is not unheard of for the P3S.
The P3S is known for it's being Twitchy.
First, Take the Props off of it! Your not trying to fly it, you are trying to get it to work.
Second, You absolutely have to follow start up procedures to the letter of the law.
Turn everything off. Make absolutely sure that the remote and the drone battery are FULLY charged.
Turn them on in this exact order. Remote first, Then phone, THEN Drone.

3rd Try the link procedure again. But watch the Link light on the drone! Ignore the phone. You can worry about that later.

Until the drone and the remote controller agree, all else is mute. Don't assume anything. If it doesn't work, start over.

Once you get this accomplished, you shouldn't need to do it again.

If you have the manuals, Read them from Front to back. If not, Go to DJI Phantom Accessories & Tips | Phantom Help. You will find absolutely everything you didn't want to know about DJI Drones plus a lot more. Failing all else, go to phantomhelp.com, pull down the phantom 3 standard, go down to reference, Phantom3 and select the Summary PDF.

DJI help and support is useless. The Phantom series must have been one of DJI's first shot at writing software. And I don't think they ever got it right!

The phantomhelp page should become one of your friends. That and PhantomPilots forum.

I REALLY appreciate your support on this- it's driving me mad! I do keep trying the procedures, -without props, and again, when the r/c and drone were in close proximity - on the table at home, the lights seemed to sync. Then I take it outside and it goes back to the old amber flashing, despite me going through the very useful procedures you and Oso have referred to earlier.
I'm going to start again and follow your recommendations EXACTLY...

Thanks

T

 

[Psmith221]

The flashing yellow status lights have OTHER meanings as well.

 

[Timor]

The flashing yellow status lights have OTHER meanings as well.

Trying your recommendations again. without props, and when the r/c on first, then the phone/drone. The light on the side of the drone initially turned green, with slow flashing ambers. All green on the r/c. Then the link light went red so I tried the link procedure. Back to the fast flashing ambers on the drone, and now it's a red power light on the r/c - other lights green..... still not obvious connection....
Now all green on r/c after switching on and off... now back to red power light....
Stuck again??

T

 

[Timor]

Trying your recommendations again. without props, and when the r/c on first, then the phone/drone. The light on the side of the drone initially turned green, with slow flashing ambers. All green on the r/c. Then the link light went red so I tried the link procedure. Back to the fast flashing ambers on the drone, and now it's a red power light on the r/c - other lights green..... still not obvious connection....
Now all green on r/c after switching on and off... now back to red power light....
Stuck again??

T

Redid it all again - Now a beeping sound from the r/c as it's trying to connect?? still the same flashing ambers and flashing red link light on the drone....

 

[grego122]

Would he need to recalibrate the compass since he came back to England.
All I have flown is a v1.0 just wondering!

 

[Timor]

Good point! I did think of it earlier and thought Id tried at least to re-calibrate. Today when I charged up, tried again, the lights on the drone changed to green! But stationary, as were the red lights. I took it out to re-calibrate but couldn't get any further as this kept coming up on the phone. I'd tried jiggling S1 before and after that.

I turned off for fifteen minutes, tried again and we're back to the old flashing yellow lights again....

Do you recommend any particular drone repair places??

 

[grego122]

I've never had to send mine it for repairs, but I think a lot of people send them to dji for
Repairs but I don't have any address or information on that! Good luck

 

[Psmith221]

Stop trying to relink it. Once you get it linked, Stop doing that.
You have got to read the start up procedures.

If you get it back into the situation as pictured with green lights coming on, on back two legs, put it on a wooden table without the props, and check to see if the controller is really in control of the drone. Check to see if you can start the motors , by pulling both joysticks inward and down simultaneously and hold them for no more than 2 seconds. If the motors start up, let go of the joysticks. Its not going anywhere as long as you removed the props. Now with the motors running, pull the throttle(left Stick) all the way back and hold it there. The motors should shortly shut down. It should actually lock in place. Unlock it once the motors have stopped.

Now consider the status lights on the back two arms of the drone.
The status lights on the back two arms of the drone are trying to tell you something.

One, the drone is in a different part of the world now.
Two, you have got the drone inside, and it probably cant see any GPS satellites. It is not sitting level, and its probably too close to metal object(springs in the chair perhaps)
Three, when you take it outside, It has to go thru a warm up period for the IMU
Four, It probably needs the IMU calibrated, and then a GPS Calibration and then a compass calibration.

I think your trying to deal with too many issues at once.

If you get it linked and don't touch it and the link light and the Power light on the controller turn red after a while, That is one problem.
The status lights on the drone changing, is another problem, if not several.

Its possible you have got loose wires, antennas, or maybe even a failed transceiver. But you have got to isolate it down to physical failure or operator error.

Start with this step. Charge the batteries fully. Then test their charge, and how much life they have left. a bum battery will cause the drone to give up on most everything.
Don't put it in the drone. Once charged touch the button on the battery and let go. It should lite up 1 to 4 of the green lights on the front of the battery. Each light indicates approximately 25% of the charge. It should have all four lit up.
Then check its usable life. Push the button on the front of the battery AND hold it for 5 seconds or until the button starts flashing. Once it starts flashing(the button) the four green LED's should tell you in percentage how healthy or how much life is left in the battery.

If you don't get four green light on both tests, There is your first problem. Try a different battery or get a new one.

Then move on.

 

[Timor]

Many thanks again. Lots of detail and I followed what you've recommended. The drone is basically new, so the battery is in great condition. I did calibrate the IMU - the DJI told me that it had reached 100% but didn't give me an option after that - so I assumed that it had worked. I repeated it, then calibrated the compass. Got non-flashing green lights but the link button was still on red, no movement from the motors. The link light and the Power light on the controller turn red after a while, as you'd mentioned. Still no go...
T

 

[Timor]

Gentlemen, I finally gave up on trying and sent if off..... here's what the problem was.....

"found the fault was with your drones receiver. I have fitted a new one
and it is fine now. Your drone also needs 1 new antenna cable and a gimbal bracket"


But i wanted to thank you for all your help - you were brilliant!!
T