Interesting. So it's the gimbal itself that tells the firmware which version it is. I'll bet there's a setting somewhere in there to change how it identifies. And if that fan is the only hardware difference it can't be that hard to get a line on tiny fans.
Has anyone tried loading P3P firmware onto a P3A?
- Thread starter NeuralChris
- Start date
Here are the two gimbal bases side by side. The cooling fan on the Pro is conspicuous.
What spins the fan? I don't see anywhere that it plugs in or would connect via shaft.
I'm guessing another software flag to throw people off. If the Pro camera has upgraded internals to handle 4K video processing, there's no reason why it couldn't handle 2.7K. My guess is in the software when you connect to an advanced quadcopter it shows 2.7K in place of the dimmed out 4K options.
Under the hood there are two different board chip from Ambarella. The firmware update process is managed by the camera chip, that's why p3a fw can't be installed on p3p and vice versa ... To make it easy, the firmware is linked to the camera installed, not to the aircraft.
Meta4
Premium Pilot
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2014
- Messages
- 15,303
- Reaction score
- 9,247
So you're convinced that DJI is pulling a con job on the buyers and the Pro and Advanced cameras are the same.
You think DJI have fitted a functioning fan to the Pro just to deceive buyers and make them believe the cameras are different so they don't work out how to make their cheaper Advanced cameras shoot 4K video.
You've given nothing to back up your opinions, no facts and no evidence.
Unless you come up with something convincing, your opinion is just that - and (imo) one that sounds rather unlikely.
I'm sure that Ambarella A9 is the P3P chip (full features). The Ambarella firmware code is slightly different between P3A and P3P, but same Arm Cortex-A9 code. Second, A9 chip (P3P) has VHDL (for FPGA hardware part of the chip) compiled code section encripted, that P3A chip doesn't need. For what I guess (after long time experience in embedded system programming), it is that the Ambarella made a specific A9 masked chip for DJI P3A and due to numbers involved this has offered at less cost, making possible the same hardware PCB design.
But if someone has the good will to tear down both cameras ....
Mine is an opinion (as i have always wrote) like yours. No evidence in your side too except for a small fan (that some advance user tells to have too) and except for what DJI says but without specs. What DJI says is not a proof without specs because they've already done the same policy with NAZA V2 and NAZA Lite. One cost 30% less than the other but both have the same identical hardware, infact users with a simple fw update trick have been able to have a naza v2 at the cost of a naza lite. As i wrote, the fortune of DJI is that there are no high programming skilled people that have the hobby in phantom fly. With P2V+ cam for example, is possible to achieve greater results in quality simply editing the firmware or using some script.
I can assure that the skill needed to put your hand on AmbaLibs and ThreadX os is really at high level. But obviously it can be done. The firmware contains thousands of parameters that may be changed or trimmed ... And adding/modifing their code is a mess. Ambarella doesn't give you any info, unless you have really lot of money to spend for dev tools, contracts and NDA.
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2015
- Messages
- 186
- Reaction score
- 44
- Age
- 41
Apparently yes, the gimbal defines the version. But the fan may be the same, just missing on that first picture! I have a P3 Advanced and it has a fan:
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2015
- Messages
- 787
- Reaction score
- 148
- Age
- 54
Have you opened camera of a P3A ? Please.... Can you show detailed snapshot of the board ?
Here's a picture of the Ambarella A9 chip on the Professional:
As found here.
I have not found a teardown of the Advanced camera yet.
I just finished uploading the new 1.04 fw to my p3a. I can confirm it has 2.7k 30fps. Also looks to have new camera settings like film... I was searching for the new flight modes, but it looks like I have to take off and flip to F mode to get those features up(assuming)...anyway, I'm exited to test it out later.
I'm using Nvidia Shield Tablet, no new app update on my iPhone 6+
I wonder if the horizon issue is resolved with this new FW.
I'm using Nvidia Shield Tablet, no new app update on my iPhone 6+
I wonder if the horizon issue is resolved with this new FW.
Here's a picture of the Ambarella A9 chip on the Professional:
As found here.
I have not found a teardown of the Advanced camera yet.
Thats's the only way i know to be sure that the hardware is different or not. Unfortunately we don't have the same tear down for the advanced camera.
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2015
- Messages
- 186
- Reaction score
- 44
- Age
- 41
Fortunately (for me) I have not had to open the gimbal unit. Also curious to see differences. What about the rest (lens etc) of the gimbal, if only the MB is different that could lower costs for advanced --> pro upgrades in the future (when more spare parts are available)?
That's what I mean ... Will happen soon or later to see a P3A camera "inside view"...
It's not such an unheard of business practice for companies to sell identical hardware, yet rebadge them, and software limit functionality across models. It's likely economies of scale for them to utilize the same camera, but have enough differentiation between the models for someone to decide if they want to upgrade to a higher spec'd model or not (thereby making the P3P more profitable, but having a sub-$1000 option also). It makes total business sense. Of course, that smaller delta between model hurts a bit more for those of us who spent an additional $259 for the difference between 2.7K and 4K. Still happy I've got 4K though.
Similar threads
