P3 Firmware How to fix bricked p3x

quaddamage · Feb 16, 2020

Some of the Python tools require additional "modules", ie. the service tool needs "pyserial" and extraction tools need "pycrypto". The most advanced tools (the ones which allow ie switching RF power, called "hardcoders") even need a module which disassembles the firmware, then the tool applies modifications to assembly, and re-compiles.

Anyway, I'm sure @Digdat0 published a working firmware, you shouldn't have issues with it.

gdanas87 · Feb 17, 2020

I received the st link v2, downloaded the stlink utility, connected to the corresponding pins on the mc, but I get nothing. Can not connect. That went well lol. I guess I am out of luck, will just have to get a new whole mainboard now

gdanas87 · Feb 20, 2020

to anyone who might want to know how this turned out!
long story (not so) short: I managed to connect to the stm32 which was read/write protected and had to be wiped in order to be used. I managed to unpack the latest p3p fw with dji fw tools and use 0305 (loader) and 0306 (app) modules but it was useless without knowing where (memory map of the stm32) to flash each module to. Meanwhile my replacement mc board arrived so I gave up pulling my hair out trying to fix the bricked one. , installed the new one and moved on.
If anyone ever messes up like i did, here's my forum posts in dji fw tools github, where mefistotelis tried to help me P3X devices not detected after interrupted update · Issue #141 · o-gs/dji-firmware-tools
HOWEVER, I would recommend you just find a crashed/esc damaged mainboard and cannibalize its mc and install it into your good mainboard/bad mc drone. This is what I did and managed to resolve the bricking issue without going crazy trying to learn how and where to program things. Many thanks to quaddamage for his help and quick responses and happy flying!!!

gppms · Mar 18, 2020

gdanas87 said:
ok update. I received the replacement "used" mc. Soldered carefully to my mainboard. Drone started up, all good. Flashed 11.20 successfully, all worked fine. EVERYTHING GREAT and working as it should. I then go and reflash with the hacked fw, I let it finish. It finished sucessfully. I say wow, awesome. I restart the drone. ESC'S BEEPING AGAIN, NEW MC F'D UP... AGAIN!!!! I have the logs, here they are:
hacked fw update=sucessfull
but it bricked it anyways!!!
I am never touching hacked fw again for the p3... my mavic pro and spark were easy-peasy to hack. The p3 should just be left alone. aaaaand I have to find a new mc, the place where i got it from(locally) doesnt have another
[00011214]========== remo-con disconnect. boot(15) ============
[00011292]Firmware [C:\PMCAPPFw3.bin] detected, card sn [0x0cfb2ffc].
[00011362][03 06] Firmware upgrade start...
[00101280][03 06] Firmware upgrade finished successfully.
[00101358]Done.

p3 beeping all the way to hell... lol I try installing the official latest fw and i get the same devices not found again, as I did before with my first (bricked) mc

[00012784]========== remo-con disconnect. boot(15) ============
[00012858]Packet [C:\P3X_FW_V01.11.0020.bin] detected, card sn [0x0cfb2ffc].
[00012930]Packet upgrade start...

[00013006]Packet checking...
[00013196]Packet vlink 01.11.0020 01.11.0020.
[00013267]Record vlink 01.11.0020 01.11.0020 (flow = 0).
[00013345]Done.

[00013414]Version checking[1]...
[00025984][03 06][00] device not detected.
[00038559][03 05][00] device not detected.
[00038640][04 00][00] v1.48.0.0 -> v1.48.0.0
[00051218][11 00][00] device not detected.
[00063787][11 01][00] device not detected.
[00076357][12 00][00] device not detected.
[00088933][12 01][00] device not detected.
[00101504][12 02][00] device not detected.
[00114075][12 03][00] device not detected.
[00114268][15 00][00] v1.1.2.0 -> v1.1.2.0
[00126839][17 00][00] device not detected.
[00139416][17 01][00] device not detected.
[00139521][19 00][00] v1.0.8.96 -> v1.0.8.96
[00139591][01 00][00] v1.32.5432 -> v1.32.5432
[00139666][01 01][00] v1.32.5432 -> v1.32.5432
[00139768][08 00][00] v0.13.0.7 -> v0.13.0.7
[00139860][09 00][00] v4.1.0.0 -> v4.1.0.0
[00139932]Packet upgrade failed at version checking.

Same here , I destroyed my p3p’s flight controller with this hack and I replaced al the board, I will never try to hack my p3p again. The parameters hack was very easy to my mavic pro 1 and to my p4p v1.0.

chiuki · Aug 30, 2020

I had the same result from the @Digdat0 0306 FW hack - bricked my NCORE unit on my Inspire pro 1v2 X5. Not sure what went wrong but got errors 'device not detected' for 0305, 0306, 1200, 1201, 1202 & 1203 plus the loud beeping from all the motors, and the gimbal doesn't respond but camera works fine, but can't fully connect to the remote - i get video feed, can control camera function but not gimbal and drone won't fire up.
?‍

lesson learned.

gdanas87 · Aug 30, 2020

I cannot stress this enough: this is not at all @Digdat0's hack that is the problem, but the way I wrongly flashed it/implemented it... This is how this thread started. My mistake was that I was clicking right click and save to the fw file and my browser was not downloading it as a simple text-content text file, but an html content filled text file!!! This is what caused the problem. Once i realized what stupid thing i was doing and basically uploading the fw in the wrong way, i fixed the problem by clicking the green download/clone button on his github, and finally flashed the correct way and the p3 with the new and working mc, worked fine with the hack.
We all know that flashing firmware (either hacked or official) is a big gamble that could always end with tears and it has happened to me more than once, some times at my own fault (like here, this case), and some times without reason at all (on a dji spark, but thats a whole other story to be told another time).
Thats why i refuse to upgrade fw when prompted by dji on my mavic 2 pro, my mavic pro and my mavic mini and mavic air. The moto "IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T FIX IT" is golden when it comes to dji drones and firmwares/electronics in general, not just drones.
@chiuki it looks like you need to replace the components corresponding to the modules that are not detected, or find out how to flash a mirror copy of the contents of the healthy modules that have not been firmware bricked... A good place to look and see what your not detected module corresponds to, is this one o-gs/dji-firmware-tools
After a quick look at your post, it looks like
0305= Flight controller (aka the MC main controller thingy)
0306= Flight controller (aka the MC main controller thingy)
1200=ESC
1201=ESC
1202=ESC
1203=ESC
I'm so sorry your inspire got bricked, its way more expensive that the p3

chiuki · Aug 30, 2020

Just to clarify, this is my own fault. I should never have attempted this, and now I am paying the price, but hopefully I can eventually solve it, and others can learn from this.

ALL non-sanctioned modifications are always done at the user's risk. Let's be honest, even DJIs official FW isn't without issues, and mistakes can be not only expensive but frustratring.

chiuki · Sep 10, 2020

Ended up having to replace the NCORE, but after that I was able to flash the inspire back to FW 1.8 and remove all limits. The video feed it much more stable, the range is much better and it is more stable in the air, not to mention, it's way faster. ... so it requires a LOT more care and attention now.

jjhdtv · Mar 27, 2021

Old thread but I'm fishing for information. I had a very similar experience (bricked my p3p with trying to the above mention hack) I found an FC from a P3 standard (read somewhere they are the same). Carefully desoldered and resoldered the salvaged FC

It is a no go for me. I get the following errors
camera error (error code 1)
gimbal cannot receive main controller data

I get a transmitted image however. It appears the FC still cannot read the SD card hence cannot flash.
Hoping for some suggestion, all the obvious connections have been checked. I also used a different camera with the same results. Appreciate the help.